What follows are the exact initial guidelines on training progression that I give to clients. They are an abbreviated version of the guidelines in The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid book that I co-authored with Eric Helms and Andrea Valdez. They are exceptionally logical and structured, the antithesis to the approach of…
Spencer is an American family physician who specializes in helping people with obesity. He helps his patients with lifestyle interventions first, via diet and exercise, before using to his prescription pad wherever possible. We talk about many topics: why obesity has been recently classified as a disease, why calories in…
If you are putting in a serious amount of effort with your training and nutrition, you owe it to yourself to take the ten extra minutes each week to track your progress seriously. This will help ensure you get the results you deserve. I’d go as far as to say…
Mark is the man behind Mark Fisher Fitness, a unique gym in New York City. Actually, as Mark will tell you, it’s not a gym, it’s a club house, they don’t have members, they have ninjas, Mark is the ninja master, and their tagline is Serious Fitness for Ridiculous Humans. Now…
Jordan is contracted to train Gary every day for three years, with no holiday, getting flown around everywhere Gary goes. Jordan discusses what this is like and how it is giving him the business education of a lifetime. Jordan is 25 but already has an 11-year personal training career under…
It is no exaggeration to say that Sol Orwell knows everyone in fitness. He is on the advisory board for Schwarzenegger.com, has built Examine.com into the world’s biggest supplement information site, and yet, he has only been in the industry for five and a half years. This success is no accident. From…
It gives me great pleasure to share these four client stories because two of them aren’t mine. I had Ken translate every email back and forth between our Japanese clients for three years before letting him coach clients on his own. In hindsight, this may have been an overly lengthy…
When putting together a training program for yourself, exercise selection is an area where there is a lot of confusion. This guide will take you through how to choose exercises and incorporate them into your routine based on your training experience. There are some things that novices need to be…
“This is one of the most important articles I’ve ever written. Maybe the most important one in terms of getting this message across to practitioners.” – Alan Aragon It’s my pleasure and honor to share with you this guest article today by mentor and friend, legendary sports nutritionist and researcher, Alan…
Not long ago, I found myself getting grilled on Facebook over the concept of hypertrophy training. “Strength and hypertrophy training are the same thing,” my critic wrote, with all the passionate intensity of someone who spends a lot of time on social media but not a whole lot else. While…
I want to tell you about a powerful tool that often goes neglected among both fitness enthusiasts and people who are just beginning to diet. Imagine that you’re in the following situation: You come home from work. You’re exhausted. You’re hungry. You’ve had a long and stressful day and you just don’t…
Coach JC Deen, author of Stay Leaner Longer, discusses the importance of, and how to conquer, the mental games that go on when dieting.
[Last Updated: April 9th, 2020] Finding your body-fat percentage is an imprecise endeavor. The methods that we generally have available to measure it range from being ‘acceptably accurate’ to ‘very poor,’ and they are nearly all useless for tracking changes over time. – They’re all marketed as being really accurate of…
Eric Helms is a coach, athlete, author, and educator. As a part of the 3DMJ Team, he coaches drug-free strength and physique competitors at all levels. Eric has competed since the mid-2000’s in natural bodybuilding, unequipped powerlifting and recently in Olympic lifting. He earned Pro status as a natural bodybuilder with…
The guy you see is legendary Korean bodybuilder, Kim Jin Ho. This photo was taken of him at the Bodypower Pro show in Birmingham in May, a qualifier to get into the Mr Olympia competition 212lb division. Mr Olympia is bodybuilding at the highest level. The contestants are not tested for…
Danny Lennon is the man behind the Sigma Nutrition podcast, which has grown over the last couple of years to become the best podcast on nutrition. Danny is a sports nutrition coach from Ireland, and he’s interviewed so many people over the last year that I thought it was about time…
There is an absence of quality diet advice out there for people trying to bulk. ‘Eat more!’ lacks the detail and finesse to optimize things, ‘Calculate your macros, train hard’ – misses the fundamental point that as we progress, calorie and macronutrient needs change and adjustments are necessary to keep us progressing.
Greg is a world record holding powerlifter, bearded-wonder, exceptional writer, craft beer connoisseur, and owner of Strongerbyscience.com. Greg’s site has exploded in popularity over the last year due to the quality and originality of the writing. His best lifts including 755-pound squat, 475-pound bench and 725-pound deadlift (so over 1900 pounds…
“It depends.” I hate giving this answer, but in so many cases that’s the only one that can be given. Unlike with the coaching, when people ask questions in the comments I don’t know the person and their situation, so in order to be helpful I need to either ask a…
Chase is physique competitor and trainer based out of Little Rock, Arkansas. He coaches people online similar to what I do through his site ArchitectsofAesthetics.com. Today you’re going to hear us talk about both our training histories, the experiences that made him the coach he is today, how he overcame being…
Chin-ups are a great upper-back exercise. You know it, and I’m not going to waffle on with an unnecessary paragraph explaining why. They’re hard, which is why most gym bros avoid doing them, well, at least with anything approaching good form. Most people stay the hell away from them and…
The final part in the series. We’ll cover four categories of trainees, Fat & Weak, with it’s related category Obese, and two types of skinny-fat, which I define separately as Skinny-fat and Purgatory.
Lou Schuler is an award-winning fitness journalist and author. Alan Aragon is one of the world’s most influential figures in the modern movement towards evidence-based sports nutrition. They have the best part of 50 years of experience on the right side of this industry between them, and this is their first…
This is not the first e-mail I’ve had from soldiers in a war zone, but it is the first that I was told I was free to publish. I enjoy reading military biographies, history, and war stories, so I’ve been keen to publish one of these for a while. The…
This is the second part in my serial guide helping you to identify where you’re at now so that you can set your diet and training up accordingly to make the fastest possible progress. This part we cover two categories of trainees, Skinny, and Shredded. – Very different physiques, but…
I have had to decline nearly half of all coaching applicants in the last three and a half years because the expectations on what they thought could be achieved, and my opinion on what would realistically be achieved, simply could not be reconciled. The reason for this huge disconnect is…
The picture above is of a former client Katsunobu, winning his masters class (50+) bodybuilding competition. It is possible that this means even more to me than it does to him. For me it represents the culmination of three years of effort. Katsu is the first real bodybuilder to take our Japanese site…
You can eat a lot more and maintain most, if not all of your leanness, after dieting. But people screw this up. They either diet blindly without ever thinking how they were going to maintain it, diet too hard for too long and then can’t maintain it, or they mess up a calculation…
There is an idea out there that ‘golden’ macronutrient ratios exist that can transform a person’s physique. The idea was born in bodybuilding forums by people looking at someone else’s body transformation, asking their macro intake, then reverse engineering it to come up with a macro ratio that is assumed to be somehow special.
I’m trying to figure out a compromise where I can still share photos & testimonials, but save you the hassle of the results page load times (and me the headache of editing that huge lot of html). I think we’re nearly there, but in the meantime, here are three recent client results that…
Cardio is a poor time investment, it’s not necessary for most men to get shredded, it can steal recovery capacity, serve as a distraction, and the level of fitness most people will be happy with for their weekend warrior activities can be achieved by simply getting leaner and stronger. If physique change…
This article ties together the threads that link the training program suggestions on this site. It shows you the big picture: what routine is going to be most suitable for yourself and when, what to expect, and suggestions on when it’s suitable to modify things to chase progress. We start off by filling in the broad strokes that will…
If you have exhausted the gains from your beginner program and are looking for what to do to push your physique to the next level then this guest article by Greg Nuckols, one of the top drug-free powerlifters in the world, could be for you. Friendly, smart, and humble we got along well…
This visual guide to counting macros will teach you how to build meal plans out of foods that you love. The guide offers an easier and more sustainable method to counting your macros than entering every single food and drink you eat, every day, into a nutritional calculator. The trade-off…
If you are anything like me, the first time after doing your initial calculations to get your calorie/macro requirements you ran a bit of math to try to predict rates of fat-loss and started getting a little excited. Unfortunately the math doesn’t ever work out as neatly as planned, which…
I’d argue that it’s program hopping. We all know someone that does it – they start a new training routine with bounding enthusiasm, give it 2-3 weeks, then read some conflicting information elsewhere and decide that they need to switch things up. This programming ADHD – the search for the…
For the Japanese, new year is like Christmas – people gather with family and, of course, there are special foods eaten. Those green things in the image below are mochi, soft, gooey rice sweets, about the size of a large soup spoon, and every year a handful of people choke to death…
[Last Updated: 20th March, 2020] Supplements are the least important part of any nutrition plan. Very few work. Those that do, do little. The little that they do cannot make up for any of the other four things being screwed up. However, some supplements can be useful, so I’ll cover…
Though it is very hard to identify and accept for yourself, there are some cases where it is necessary to take one step backwards before you can take two steps forward. Two common situations where this is true: 1. A guy that wants abs but doesn’t have enough lean mass…
[Last Updated: March 19th, 2020] It appeals to us that something as simple as changing the timing of things can have a potent effect. But can it? This guide covers when to eat relative to when you train, calorie cycling, macro cycling, and my latest thoughts on intermittent fasting.
It is the practical experience of working with clients that allows me to write the guides on the site. However, in trying to keep them science based but immediately applicable to most people in most situations, I miss out on covering some fascinating individual learning points from working with people.…
[Last Updated: March 18th, 2020] Long-term micronutrient deficiencies will impact your health and torpedo your training efforts. But by observing a few simple rules of thumb regarding your daily fruit and vegetable intake, you minimize your risk of deficiencies.
[Last Updated: March 18th, 2020] Energy balance determines whether weight is gained or lost, macronutrients determine whether that change is fat or muscle mass. This is how you should set them to maximize the results of your cut, bulk, and recomp phases.
noun Disease where an individual (usually male) suffers deluded notions that the enormous amounts of weight gained due to purposeful overeating combined with weight training in the winter months is actually mostly muscle, that they can remove the ‘few pounds’ of fat gained with a quick cut in the spring, and…
[Last Updated: March 16th, 2020] Calorie intake is most important for fat loss and muscle growth. This guide explains how to set calorie intake for bulking, cutting, and recomp phases.
There is a very clear order of priority when setting up your diet. If you don’t understand it, at best you’ll just be wasting money, at worst your time and effort as well. Unfortunately there is a large amount of confusion and misconceptions over what is important. I see this…
A diet break is a planned and purposeful break from dieting, anything from one day, up to two weeks. I get all of my clients to take them, as they help prepare them psychologically and physiologically for the next phase of dieting. Adherence is easier, results are better, skip implementing…
On a near daily basis I find myself linking to JC Deen’s article, “Clean Eating is a Scam and Why you Need to Abandon It”. I consider it a must read for those tempted by, but scared of eating that NY cheesecake in the Starbucks display. You can imagine by…
In the previous article, we covered Why You Need To Make Adjustments as You Diet. This is the guide on how to do it. Your diet progress has slowed or come to a stop for 2-3 weeks, diet adherence has been good, you’re sleeping well and there is no additional stress…
I don’t use body-fat percentage as a measure of progress with clients. There is no way to accurately and consistently measure body-fat percentage that makes tracking it worthwhile, and it’s destructive to the assessment and decision-making process to try to do so. People get obsessed over this number as if…
The above photo was taken in Osaka, two weeks after a photo shoot Rog hired me to help him prepare for. I first met Rog at an industry conference in the US last summer. It was good to meet people in the industry outside of Japan and confirm that, contrary to my…
In the article What is the Value of an Online Diet Coach? I talked about the specific benefits I think working with an online coach holds vs one you can hire locally. This article focuses more on the specifics of what I personally do and my thoughts on what I feel…
Most personal trainers you’ll meet at your local gym want you as a customer for life. I don’t. I think that is a shitty business model. – Keep you confused, never explain things fully, always make it seem difficult so that you feel that you need them and keep coming…
In most gyms you go to nowadays you will find a few of the membership take steroids. It’s a fact of life. Though sometimes it’s obvious, rarely will anyone admit using them so you end up guessing who is on them. The unfortunate side of this is that many members…
Let’s say your rich uncle dies and leaves you his Gallardo. On your first track-day you get spanked. To make matters worse it’s by guys in cars half the price. They are laughing. Do you get out your spanners and start fiddling with stuff in the hope this will make…
Patience. When to wait and when to make a change? As a coach, this is the hardest part of the job. Everyone wants results now. There’s pressure to make the change, but you can’t bow to it. You have to stay objective. Have to choose the right moment. – That’s what the…
If I had a dollar for every time a client or athlete has asked me why they have to do heavy squats and can’t they just do lunges instead, or the same question phrased slightly differently and with a different alternative exercise, I’d probably have enough money to equip the…
So you’ve built up a good physique or are looking your best; have you ever thought twice before booking a vacation? Did you double-check that the place had a gym, perhaps even turned down the opportunity of travel because you didn’t want to ruin it? I can relate to that.…
I don’t have a problem with cardio, just wasted time. For those that enjoy cardio then this is time well spent; everyone has their own preferences, live and let live. Let’s not pretend though that most people aren’t solely doing cardio because they wish to lose fat. Cardio as a tool…
Though Phil did shed some fat, this isn’t really about that. An experienced amateur bodybuilder, he wanted to share his experiences when he switched to IF/LG principles. Phil, as a man that has had great success using the 5-6 meals/day, high-volume training approach, can you tell us why you decided…
It’s funny, nearly everyone that finishes up says the same thing. But really though other people’s diet habits shouldn’t concern you. Two meals, six meals, breakfast skipper or not, it really doesn’t matter as long as people are happy. Sometimes though you see that your friend has made a full-time job of…
Just to keep in periodic touch with you, I am still going strong on IF. It’s been since November now, and I thought I would share some more progress pics. I am currently 179 lbs which is approximately 10 lbs less than when I finished my initial cut. I am…
What follows is a list of the most common things I’ve observed when working with clients. Some I cannot explain and won’t try, others I could, but there are better articles out there with explanations, so I’ve given links for further reading if one particular topic interests/concerns you.
When Scott first came to me I was confused. He was bigger and stronger, yet wanted my help. I knew that if I could get Scott’s program right, by helping out someone of their size I’d have a chance to impress upon some of my bodybuilder friends here in Japan the…
There are two linear progression training templates introduced on this site, ‘The Big 3 Routine’ and the ‘Three Day Split Routine’. The questions often arise, “Which training program is for me?” or, “When and how should I progress from one to the other?” This article covers the latter question with…
When I saw the incredible photos of Jesse’s transformation a few weeks ago it totally blew me away. I wanted to give him a platform to share his experience so I interviewed him to find out how he did it. Little did I realize how much this man’s story would surprise…
Updated 27th Jan 2013: My Nan slipped away just after the new year. She was 93, the only grandparent I ever knew, and we were close. At Christmas when I was a child she used to say to me with a smile and love in her eyes, “you don’t know…
There is a school of thought that it can be beneficial for nutrient partitioning (and therefore body composition) to have more calories on the days you work out, and less on the days you don’t. Martin Berkhan, in particular, took this a step further by experimenting with higher carb/lower fat…
Skip breakfast, eat big meals, train hard and heavy. These are the core principles of Leangains – a style of diet and training system pioneered by Swedish nutritionist Martin Berkhan. There is a school of thought that it can be beneficial for nutrient partitioning (and therefore body composition changes) to…
There are fundamental principles that training programs must follow if they are going to be effective. I don’t want you to waste years of your life, as I did, before finding out what really works. This article covers those principles and explains the reasons behind the training recommendations made on this site.…
As a look at weight category competition, powerlifters will show you, the Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and their variants will develop a big, strong, and ripped body. I neglected the Squat and Deadlift for years, not realizing the fantastic all-over-body training effects. Don’t make that mistake. What is The Big 3
This article tells you how to train when the time comes to split your strength training into a three-day split. The primary focus is reverse pyramid training (RPT), but I have also included advice for other set-rep patterns (5×5 for example) to be used with a three-day split, as this
I’m often asked by clients, “How can I drink and not screw up my diet?” Good question. I never say no to alcohol with my clients diets as it’s not realistic. Often, the all or nothing mindset sets people up for failure, because once they have one beer, they decide, “Oh well,…
