Charles A. Smith has written some of the best training articles in the business.
Each and every time I get to the end of one, I can honestly say I’ve learned something.
Even if he’s writing about something ‘I already knew,’ the way he presents the information leads to a deeper understanding of it.
Recently I came across [...]

I got a lot of questions regarding Willis Reed’s four point program for gaining mass.
Naturally, I had a lot of people asking me for the routine.
I’ve reprinted it below. But keep in mind, Willis recommended adequate sleep, lots of quality nutrition, and avoiding worry as much as possible.
Follow his four point plan, and this routine [...]

Last time we covered John Grimek’s training philosophy, I honed in on his insistence to ‘focus on good health.’
Here’s the section we’re focusing on…
‘always keep your focus on good health as the primary motivation for your toil,’
This time I’m going to move on to the next point; which is the second half of the quote [...]

It seems that all of the stories of men making tremendous gains in size and strength come from the old days.
For some reason, hearing about gains of 30, 60, or 100 pounds of muscle is rare today.
Well one story that has a piece of advice that’s rarely talked about today, is that of Willis Reed.
Reed’s [...]

In the previous Kettlebell Benefit, I mentioned how KBs stimulate strength, endurance, and explosiveness simultaneously.
Yeah KBs are awesome.
And here’s another reason why they’re so great.
Olympic lifts are one of the most productive exercises a person can do. The only thing is, the technique can be a little too much for those who aren’t planning to [...]

I shared a few tips on ‘finishers’ over the past few days.
I first leaned about these from Brooks Kubik, and I gotta say, they’re a ton of fun
And another reason why I enjoy them so much, is because some versions of these exercises practically eliminate cheating.
When you’re dragging or pushing a sled, or carrying or [...]

Training doesn’t make you stronger…
I know the previous statement will raise some eyebrows. But it’s true.
Here’s another one…
Training doesn’t make your muscles larger either.
I must be losing my marbles, right?
Not at all. What I’m pointing out is a critical distinction most get mixed up.
You don’t actually get stronger or grow larger muscles when you train. [...]

Yesterday I talked about swimming and how great it is.
Being that I normally talk about strength training, free weights, and intense workouts, I wasn’t surprised when a few people questioned swimming’s place in such a routine.
In case some missed me saying it before, I’ll say it again, strength isn’t limited to lifting a heavy barbell, [...]

Swimming has got to be one of the most perfect forms of exercise you can do.
It works every muscle in the body, really gets your heart rate up, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s also easy on the joints.
And if you’re looking to lean out, there ain’t much that compares to swimming when it [...]

A couple of days ago, I shared John Grimek’s training philosophy.
It was only a sentence in length. Well, it was a long sentence, but only one nevertheless. And in those few words, he shared a ton of great advice.
Today I’m going to dig into his advice so we can have a greater appreciation for his [...]