the Blog
Metabolic Shoulder Blast Circuit Using ONE Resistance Band!
This particular shoulder blast sequence was inspired by one of my recent trips to Aruba. To put it diplomatically, the hotel where I prefer to stay in Aruba doesn’t have the best gym on the island. They have a “fitness room,” and it has an adjustable bench and...
Flexible Fitness: Fitness For the Soul/Senses!
JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, below for a different kind of workout. And I also want to tell you why this sort of thing is so important right now. Yes, these are strange times in unchartered territory for all of us and I won’t belabour this point. And we should recognize...
Case Study: Introducing Jess Leveck
The very first and most important point to make about this “Case Study” is that Jess Leveck is a newcomer to fitness. If you’ve been following my video exercise demonstration posts, and/or if you have my Flexible Fitness workout/training program, then you have seen...
“Pumping Rubber” Arm Blast with Resistance Bands
Supersetting biceps and triceps has been a tried-and-true method for arms training for decades, but many trainees have a problem doing supersets or training complexes in busy gyms. Enter: “Pumping Rubber.”
Stella K Testimonial
I am Stella K. I am a member of the Platinum club, age 50+. I am 5'10, and I am for this first time, 148 lbs. I am a busy wife, mother and professional with a stressful career. As well as being a coaching client of Scott’s,- I have been doing Scott’s Busy Woman's...
Programmus Interruptus
This is an advanced resistance bands training strategy to help you reasonably stick to your workout(s) when you’re traveling for work or even on vacation. Many people write me as though “all is lost” when they have to travel for business or some related reason. But...
Testimonial from Jessica Whiteley
Today's post is simply a testimonial from an amazing client, Jessica Whiteley. I hope it's instructive about what's possible and about what progress looks and feels like! -Scott Hi Scott, Becoming a coaching client of Scott’s is definitely one of the best things I’ve...
Three Reality Checks for Building a Better Body
If your goal is aesthetic muscle gain and physique development—without the crutch of steroids—then there are three general, high-level reality checks you should never take for granted. Progress stalled? Any single one of these three points could be what’s really...
Stair Climb Workouts for Sculpted Calves and Legs
I remember one of the early Muscle Mag articles about my athletes said that one of the key differences on stage between my clients and others came when my clients turned around, and you saw their backs, their hamstrings, and their calves. They were more ripped and...
The Cycle Diet vs. 6-Day Vegan: What's the difference?
When I released Lean Without Trying, I got a lot of questions from people worried that I would be focusing exclusively on vegetarian or vegan dieting. (The answer is no.) In fact, most of my books still illustrate examples of an omnivore diet-strategy. The meal plans...
Metabolism, Food Indulgence and Psychology
I recently went to Aruba and conducted a bit of an experiment on myself. I’ve discussed the results, and in a follow-up discussion offered a few keys to healthy metabolism. However, I also noticed something based on the comments from people I read during the...
Three Key Factors to an Optimized Metabolism
Series on metabolism: I’ll discuss 3 key factors that I believe contribute to an optimized metabolism.
Optimized Metabolism: How to lose weight after 17 days of massive overeating
Have you ever considered that you can train your metabolism? If you have, think about this, as well: what would it look like if you did this for years and years, and your metabolism just became more and more optimized? I want to talk about that in this article. I...
Building Your Own Home Gym
I recently posted a walk-through video of my home gym.After I did so, I got a number of emails and comments from people about “where to start” for their own home gym. There are good reasons to train or workout at home: You can save money on membership fees. You can...
How I Became “Skinny Fat”
There’s an old saying about learning by doing. “Learn by doing” suggests that, beyond just knowledge, experience itself is a valuable tool that teaches you what works and what doesn’t work—and sometimes the greatest lessons come from your biggest setbacks. My “skinny...
The Coach Scott Abel Metabolism Experiment
I'm going to see how much weight I can gain during a period of extended overfeeding; then, when I get home, we'll see how long it takes for the weight to come off. Because of how metabolism works, my guess is that it won't take long at all.
Client Case Study: A Success Story About Life Beyond the Thin Cage
This is a success story about escaping life inside the thin cage—that is, when you lose weight “successfully,” but you end up more obsessed with food, diet and weight scales and numbers. This was what Andreas P was wrestling with when he first hired me. He had lost...
1990s to Early 2000s: My Eventual Exit from the Steroid and Hardcore Bodybuilding World
In the last retrospective, I talked about the real beginnings of my career as what I call a “Big-C” Coach in the bodybuilding world. In this one, I’ll be talking about the changes in the hardcore bodybuilding world that led me, eventually, to leaving it. The...