the Blog
Bodybuilding Retrospective (part II): Still Natural & Still Learning in 1985
After my first show in 1983, and the attention I received afterwards, I decided I wanted to keep going in this whole fitness and bodybuilding thing.
My First Bodybuilding Contest: 1983
I believe there can be tremendous value in nostalgia. Nostalgia can bring mixed feelings, and yes, it is possible to spend too much time in it—but I really believe there can be tremendous value in it. Recently, I discovered some old photos. With some help, I was able...
Client Case Study: Melissa S
In a recent email about my new coaching page, I hinted at the remarkable journey of one of my clients: Melissa S. Today I want to talk about that remarkable journey. When Melissa first hired me, she was concerned with metabolism issues she’d been experiencing as a...
You can do this. Against all odds, you can do this.
I’m going to tell you about a once in a lifetime achievement against all odds. I often say that how you live is a direct reflection of what you love doing. If you love “doing” fitness, then diet and training doesn’t feel like a struggle. It’s just an extension of the...
How a Client Maintained Diet and Training While on Vacation
People often have a tough time sticking to a fitness and diet regimen when traveling. The problem is often that people take an all-or-nothing approach to travel. Either they surrender experiencing ANY of the “fun” of travelling, or they give up and go way off the diet...
Dealing with Food Bullies
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to help clients deal with the problem of food bullies, part of a larger category of problem I like to call “navigating the nonsense.” Navigating the nonsense usually has nothing to do with diet and training, and everything to do...
How to Change Your Life
You can't change your life in one area without changing it in others. Whole industries lie in wait for you; they're hoping to tell you that you can change your entire life by tweaking one or two things. They're lying. They're slapping a new coat of pain on old ideas...
Client Case Study: Maxx's Before and Afters
Why I do these client case studies? To illustrate that everyone’s journey is different and a definition of triumph and success is different for everyone as well – therefore there are no linear pathways – but there is expert guidance. Some people aren’t even aware of...
You're Not “Struggling” With Weight Loss of Physique Goals
I get one or more emails every day expressing something like this: “Coach, I’m really struggling with my diet…” “Coach, I’m suffering because of all the sacrifices I have to make to lose this weight…” Let me ask you: are the words “struggling” and “suffering” really...
Lessons In Metabolism: A Case Study of Yours Truly
“Metabolism” has not truly been understood in our industry, but it’s one of these industry buzzwords that capture people’s attention. Today, in order to explore what metabolism really is—and what it’s all about—I want to share my own personal (and recent) example, and...
Client Case Study: How Mike Vieth Has Lost 120 lbs. and Kept It Off
I wanted to write a client case study that illustrated the precise hows and whys of success. On top of the obvious reasons for success, there are also subtler, harder-to-see reasons. Below I am going to cover an actual example email from my client Mike Vieth. Mike is...
“Hardgainer” Genetics and the Compare, Contrast, Compete Game
You might have seen Andy in many of my recent videos. Andy's an international magazine cover model, and he often seems like he has "great genetics," but the truth is more complicated... The Hardgainer Solution complete course is open for a limited time....
Sleep: The Unsung Hero of Sustainable Weight Loss
I’ve just returned from the bookstore to pick up some research I ordered. Because of my background in sociology, one of the things I always do at the bookstore is go over to the diet section and to see what books people are looking at and buying. Of course there is a...
The Joy of Being a Muscle Head
This is a guest blog by Perry Mykleby: Meat head. Iron head. Muscle head. Those are terms used to describe guys (mostly) who are longer on muscle than brains. In recent years, I’ve learned there’s a lot more head involved in building muscle than I...
Abel Leg Thirties
I wanted to share a brutal workout or "circuit" that is for hypertrophy, and especially useful if you want to bring up your legs. It's called the "Leg Thirties." Oh yes indeed there are a lot of reps :) I have two demos to show you what they're like. One thing I want...
Happy Tenth and Thirteenth “Coaching Anniversaries” for Two of my Clients (…and what YOU can learn from them!)
One of the things I take great pride in as a Big-C Coach is my client retention rate. Believe it or not, my clients average about five years staying with me before they move on. Some will also come to me for coaching, stay a couple years, then try things on their own,...
The Twelve Days of Christmas: Naughty, Obsessed, Psychotic Fitness Coach Version
This time of year I get letters and inquiries regarding all kinds of crazy advice that supposedly comes from “Coaches.” Well, I’ve had enough. So I rewrote “The 12 Days of Christmas” and I call this “The 12 Days of Christmas: Obsessed/Psycho Fitness Coach Version.”...
Review of the Audio66 BTS Sport Headphones
This is a guest post by Mike Forest. Scott was recently offered a set of headphones in exchange for an honest review. Thing is, Scott doesn’t listen to music when he works out, or even when he goes on long walks. Mike does. All the time. So… we had the company send...