Year: 2009

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Returning to Training After a Layoff

The reality of training is that we often have to take some time off.  It could be because life gets in the way.  Perhaps we just burn out or sustain a small injury.  In this case the question that invariably comes up is how best to return to training after a layoff.   Should you start where you left off in training or reduce your intensity and volume?   Altogether too many, mostly men, will jump straight back into heavy training and get hurts.  What’s best?  I’ll tell you.

Let me say upfront that despite an enormous amount of scientific literature on detraining, I’m not going to get into it in depth.  I honestly haven’t kept up with it to any great degree although what I have obliquely seen keeps up with what I will be recommending.  But most of what I’m going to write comes more from personal experience as both a coach and athlete as anything in the literature.… Keep Reading

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4 Fat Loss Fundamentals

A question I frequently get in interview or podcast are what the the most basic components of a fat loss diet are.   Basically, what fat loss fundamentals must be present in every diet.

This is actually a very good question and, while I can generally answer it in about 4 sentences, I’m going to do my best to stretch it out into a full length article by overexplaining everything and giving at least some of my rationale for the different recommendations. In many places, I’ll be linking out to other articles on the site that go into individual topics in more detail.

Since this is going to get long, I’m actually going to divide the article into two parts. Today I’m going to focus on what is probably the most contentious area of diet set up, on Tuesday next week, I’ll cover the other factors that I use to set up a basic fat loss diet.… Keep Reading

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Keeping the Power Inside the Bar

I don’t usually write stuff like this but every once in a while it’s time for something a bit lighter than my more technical fare.  Today I’m going to tell you an important aspect of weight training.  Today I’m going to tell you how to keep the power inside the bar.

Getting Started in the Weights Game

The year was 1985 or so and I had begged my mom for a membership to the local Nautilus gym in town.  That Christmas I got it.  This was in the heyday of Nautilus (and step aerobics on concrete floors I might add), they had all the original machines that you could work through circuit style.

But as gyms of that type were wont to do, it also had a small free weight area.  This was pretty ancient stuff, the old style bench presses where the uprights were way too close together and made it really easy to tip the bar over if you didn’t put it back just right. … Keep Reading

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The Energy Balance Equation

Recently on the Internet, a common meme is that the application of thermodynamics to the human body is incorrect.  This usually comes out of people talking about something that they clearly do not understand in any way shape or form which is the energy balance equation.

This is usually used as a lead in to the idea that the “Calorie theory of weight gain and weight loss” is incorrect or what have you.   Some have taken this a step further to argue that it can’t be right because “calories are not real“.  You can’t argue with that level of ignorant.

Today, I’m going to do my best to clear things up about what the energy balance equation does and doesn’t mean and why people, who don’t really have a clue what they’re talking about, don’t understand it.  Hopefully by the time you’ve gotten to the end of this, you’ll understand it.… Keep Reading

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Training the Calves

Of all the muscle groups that bodybuilders focus on, calves have traditionally been one of the most difficult to make grow.  Many even feel that it is the most genetic of muscle groups: you either have them or not.  While there is some truth to this at least some of it comes down to the fact that most people aren’t training the calves effectively.  So let me show you how to do it.

Calf Anatomy and Fiber Typing

The muscle group referred to as the calves actually include several muscles although most only focus on two: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.  The primary function of these muscles is to act as plantarflexors (pointing the toe) although the gastroc also has very weak knee flexion activity (which is why some people will catch calf cramps on leg curl type movements).

This is also why doing calf work with the knee bent (e.g.… Keep Reading