Before I write a post, I ask myself, "Is there a good chance the reader might learn something useful from this?" Sometimes it's a no, so I shelve the post and start over. But occasionally it's a BIG yes, as in there's a ton of helpful info. And in this case it's too much for just one post. So I decided to split it into thirds, which means expect two more pieces from me this week. This first...

Fat loss is very simple. Just not easy. I mean, figuring out calorie targets and planning a few meals ain’t exactly rocket science. Nor is shopping, cooking, prepping, and tracking all those meals. What IS hard? Doing all of the above for MONTHS. One thing that would make things a lot easier would be to eat the same things every day. But who the hell does that, much less wants to? Although, if...

Every fat-loss diet stalls. It's really just a case of when and why. Cause fat loss is seldom linear and will invariably fluctuate anywhere from a pound or two down to a few ounces, and sometimes nothing at all. Hell, "weight" can even go UP at times—even when you're seemingly doing everything right. The body really can be fickle. So WHEN you find that fat loss has genuinely stalled, here's what...

So before you replace an entire program, see if you can "breathe new life into it." The changes can be as simple as refreshing rep ranges or making subtle adjustments to the exercises—anything from grip width and attachments to bench incline or pulley height. And if things "feel flat" (no pump, poor mind-muscle connection), there are plenty of ways to reconnect with your program: * Change the...

Step-1: Track everything. Kidding! Sort of. Cause the utopia of achieving and maintaining a healthy, lean, and athletic body composition is to eat "intuitively" without tracking. And it CAN be done. In fact, there are entire eating "systems" dedicated to helping people eat instinctively. Take @drjohnberardi. As the co-founder of Precision Nutrition (PN), John Berardi knows a thing (or three)...

Getting hurt sucks. Perhaps something goes pop in your back mid-rep. Maybe it is a niggling pain in your shoulder that gets progressively worse. (You didn't train through it, right?) Or even a non-workout-related injury that still forces you to hit pause. All of the above suck royally in their own way, and how much they suck depends on many things outside your control. But what you DO control is...

While contest dieting for the Olympia, Dorian Yates would dream he was bingeing on sausages and junk food. He’d wake up panic-stricken, and for a brief moment, he'd think he had just eaten those foods. And then he'd remember—he doesn't keep junk food in the house. So, arguably the most focused bodybuilder of all time wasn’t 100% confident in his willpower. Nor did he feel it wise to test it...