Fitness Facts

There are two terms for muscle growth.  One is “hypertrophy.”  Hypertrophy is the enlarging of existing muscle fibers. The other term for muscle growth is “hyperplasia.” Hyperplasia results when satellite cells on the muscle fibers are activated resulting in the growth of new muscle fibers. This could be occurring for a variety of reasons, the least of which being combating physical weakness. The majority of strength increase is the result of hypertrophy. But, before you ever cinch up a lifting belt and wrap your hands around an Olympic bar, there is an undeniable concept you absolutely must understand and accept...

Bodybuilding is brutally hard work. You not only have to follow a very strict diet and make sure you get all your nutrients, in the right combinations, but you also have to take your intensity in the gym up to a level you’ve never reached before. You have to train like a beast - a crazed wild beast. Going to the gym and getting this work done is serious business. But, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. An incredibly simple little thing that’s a whole lot easier than sticking to your diet and working out like...

Cardio sucks. Plain and simple.  No one likes cardio, especially on a diet designed to get you ripped. In a perfect world, you should be able to get ripped by manipulating your diet and training in such a way that you wouldn’t need to do any cardio. But this world is far from perfect, and if your aspirations are aimed at getting ripped enough for the stage, or anywhere close, you’re going to, in addition to starving to death on your diet, find yourself on a stair climber, a treadmill, rower, bike, etc. doing cardio, on top of your diet....

There is no denying the fact that muscles get attention, especially when they’re big and not covered in fat. A well muscled, well conditioned physique is usually the envy of all who view it. It’s hard to disagree that muscles are cool. Of all the muscles getting the attention at the beach or around the pool, there’s actually a preference, particularly among females, for a formidably built chest. Of all the other muscle groups, it’s the chest that stands out and gets the attention. There is even research to suggest that women, when given a choice between a male figure...

Testosterone is one of the most important hormones in the human body. Produced in the testicles by males, testosterone contributes to the growth and development of the secondary sex characteristics in males. Testosterone is also produced in the adrenal glands and ovaries of females, but in much smaller amounts. When the body lacks a sufficient amount of testosterone, a plethora of health issues can ensue. Testosterone therapy aims to reverse and prevent these issues and restore the body’s natural hormonal balance.   The Impact of Low Testosterone Levels   As we age, natural testosterone levels tend to decrease. This can...

He's got Three consecutive Mr. Olympia finished behind one of the greatest bodybuilder in history, eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. In Arnold's own words, “this guy is an animal.” And he's right. In Rich Gaspari's mind, there's nothing he can't do. Especially when someone tells him so. I first met Rich Gaspari in 1987 before his second assault on his old training partner, Lee Haney, the only man on earth standing between him and the Olympia title – the absolute zenith of any bodybuilder’s life on earth. Of course I knew of Rich; if you were a bodybuilder you knew...

As long as you're alive, aging is inevitable. Some people don't age well and look like a withered piece of rope by the time they're 50, while others age with so much grace that they don't even look like they're aging at all. What's the secret that differentiates the two? Is it just genetics, or is there some surreptitious rout to graceful aging? Well, I'm no expert on aging but I’ve learned enough over the years to know that there are several things that have a significant impact on how well we age: • How you handle stress • Your...

As I write this, the elite Mr. Olympia “club” has only 16 members since it's inception in 1965. Fifty-seven years, 16 champions. Obviously, that means more than few have won multiple times. In fact, as of today (2022), just five Olympians have only one Sandow statue - Chris Dickerson (1982), Sammir Bannout (1983), Dexter Jackson (2008) Shawn Rhoden (2018), and Brandon Curry (2019). The rest: Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Frank Zane , Lee Haney, Dorain Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Phil Heath and Big Ramy have won numerous times; Both Haney and Coleman hold the record...

Life is a rollercoaster. It's not lived in a straight and level line like I-70 through Kansas, where you can set the cruise control to 85, take a nap, and wake up in Colorado. One of the many reasons that's still not possible is that, while the line may be straight, the reality of driving a car is that you will encounter potholes, road blocks, construction zones and lunatic drivers paying more attention to texting and eating than the 4,000 pound projectile they're piloting through traffic. Life, like driving a car, brings us adversity, challenges and frequent occasions to work...

Just like as it is with any product or service based business, claims of being the “the best” run rampant in the sports supplement arena. Everyone makes the best sports supplements, just ask them. They're certainly not going to tell you they don't make the best supplements; that they're just the middle of the road, average, or the worst. They're all going to proclaim to be the best! But, as things stack up, there can only be one best. Everything else is not the best, in spite of plaintive claims to the contrary. Such is life. The problem attached to...

A common saying we hear all the time is, “don't judge a book by its cover. In the sense of fairness, I suppose there's some truth to that, but, today, in this world, particularly in bodybuilding, appearances matter. Your appearance matters a lot because of what your appearance says about you.  This is especially true if you're a bodybuilder, including me. From the age of 13 on, I dedicated myself to maximizing my appearance: I built the biggest muscles possible with the most vascularity, symmetry and definition. I’ve gone so far as to take the body I built to the...

We live in a culture that can be very self-indulgent. There's a lot of lazy people who like things the easy way. Is it any wonder then that there is so much mediocrity in our world? Take health for example. Too many of us are lazy. This leads to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, poor mobility.  These conditions are rampant in America among both young and old alike. People want to blame fast food companies. But, they're only giving lazy people what we demand – the easy way. The blame lies in the mindset. If you choose to be unhealthy you will....