Natural bodybuilding has come a long way. Twenty years ago it was considered the bastard stepchild to “real” bodybuilding, where the guys (and girls) show up onstage either ripped but kinda small, or big but not too lean. As such, Natural competitions were considered “low end stepping stones,” receiving cursory coverage in the back of muscle magazines after ads for Hot Stuff and Zubaz pants....

Recently sports apparel brand Under Armour acquired MyFitnessPal for something ridiculous like 400 million dollars. For those that don’t know, MyFitnessPal is one of many health-tracking apps that allow users to keep an online food journal, so your daily calorie intake (and how many calories you have left to “spend” on ice cream) is as close as your smart phone. Now while this lit a fire under...

Does being in great shape make you a better fitness pro? Vince Lombardi, Bill Belichick, and Bill Parcells all had forgettable careers as pro football players. Still, each appears on everyone's list of Top Football Coaches of All Time. On the other hand, Wayne Gretzky was arguably the greatest hockey player of all time. Yet his success behind the bench isn’t putting him on any NHL team’s...

“What happens on Facebook, should stay on Facebook.” Most people either take it way too seriously (you know the butthurt types) or they post without thinking, something I’ve been guilty of. And neither results in an illuminating discussion. Still, I found myself in a thread about building muscle that led me to consider much bigger issues – genetics, knowledge, aging, and above all, the power of...

You can tell a lot about a man by how he reacts to muscle. At least I can tell whether I want to spend any time with them. Guys, what’s your gut reaction when you see a jacked movie star or fitness model? Does you think it’s cool? Inspiring? Even feel a little envious, in a “shit that dude looks great” mutual admiration sort of way? Or do you cry foul, and piss and moan online about all the...

Last post I introduced the top 10 fitness things that should trigger your bullshit detector and make you question what you’re reading, and the person(s) saying it. Here’s the remaining five. 6. Superhero Origins Every hero has an origin story. Peter Parker is bit by radioactive spider and becomes Spiderman; Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents’ murder and becomes Batman; Diana Prince is laid off...

Recently best-selling author of “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” Ramit Sethi tweeted that he ranks the female fitness industry in the top 3 most deceptive industries around. As a fitness person I was offended. How could he say this? The female fitness industry is the most deceptive, hands down.  Actually the whole fitness industry is the most deceptive, period. Or at least the most completely...