Picture yourself cranking out a heavy set of squats, your training partner counting down as rep number 20 of an ultra-brutal series approaches. The final rep has arrived and you can hardly bring it to completion. Lungs burning, breathless, and with fully-pumped quad muscles screaming for mercy, you are ready to rack the weight. However, […]
Read More
In a startling feat of biological engineering, our body must involuntarily produce an array of chemicals to promote specific actions which stimulate cells to adapt. For example, the hormone testosterone is released in response to a biological demand for more muscle mass needed to overcome increasingly more intensive workloads. Cortisol, our ‘stress’ hormone, is one […]
Read More
In the quest for the perfect physique, hormones often take center stage. Testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, insulin…they get all the glory while so many other naturally occurring chemicals take a back seat. Of those “other” chemicals, the neurotransmitters are a formidable class that often go unnoticed. The nervous system is mistakenly thought to be controlled by […]
Read More
Question: “Is there an optimal amount of Time Under Tension (TUT) to shoot for each set?” When trying to maximize the hypertrophic response, I recommend keeping the working muscle under tension for somewhere between 40 and 70 seconds most of the time. It’s somewhat subjective though, and also depends on the goal of the set, […]
Read More
Mention the term ‘steroid hormone’ to most beginner bodybuilders and they may assume you are talking about the most coveted of this category of compounds, testosterone. While testosterone takes its rightful place at the top of the steroid hormone list for many high performance trainees, it is but one compound in one of four categories […]
Read More
Question: “We all know that it’s essential for anyone who trains hard to recover sufficiently to continuously improve their performance and physique. What do you recommend for optimal recovery between one workout and the next, and is there anything special you like to do?” Well, the idea is that the second you get out of the gym, you […]
Read More
Our eating habits are dictated in part by the intricately-balanced process of hunger stimulation and inhibition which takes place within the brain. These same processes also help regulate our energy balance, which is the balance between calories in (food) and calories out (activity). Two hormones have been identified as having a profound influence on energy […]
Read More
Question: “Let’s say we have your average trainee who works out four of five times a week, working each bodypart twice per week, and is trying to decide if they should aim for ‘intensity’ or ‘volume’… what’s going to get them the best bang for their buck?” This all depends on your level of experience, […]
Read More
A new year has begun and now is the time to carve off that holiday excess. As fans of this site will know, building a beach or stage-worthy physique is largely dependent upon a balanced diet and an ability to adjust exercise to ensure fat is burned and muscle is spared. However, what many aspiring […]
Read More
Question: “Will taking simple carbs after a workout negate the effect of growth hormone production from your workout and kill your gains?” Well, growth hormone is only released when blood glucose or blood insulin levels are low. Provided that you don’t consume carbohydrate during the workout, your growth hormone levels will not be negated; you’ll […]
Read More
In their eagerness to increase strength and build muscle, most devoted iron trainees will ceaselessly pound down the protein, carbs, and fats while spending a fortune on supplemental staples such as creatine and whey. However, despite their best intentions, many an aspiring bodybuilding champ will struggle to reach his or her full potential as they […]
Read More
The Premise With repeated exposure to more and more demanding workouts, our muscles are forced to respond by becoming larger and stronger. Eventually our muscles adapt and our old training weights become relatively lighter. This prompts us to increase our weights so as to force further adaptation. A failure to do so may result in […]
Read More
