the Blog
Defending Bodybuilding Bodypart Training Methodology (part 1)
I think it started out innocently enough. Over a decade or so ago, functional training entered the picture. Arguments were made regarding the benefits of kinetic chain expression exercises and doing exercises that expressed function in order to enhance athletic...
The Limitations of Periodization (The Base Hit Strategy Part 3: Conclusion)
I’ve been explaining the idea of embracing a “base hit strategy” that I use with many of my clients when their biofeedback warrants it. (Read Part 1, or Part 2 here.) The base-hit strategy is a way to get your mind in command of your workout. I will often assign...
The physiology of the base hit strategy (part 2 of the “Base Hit Strategy”)
In Part 1 of this base-hit strategy series, I explained a training strategy I employ with many of my clients. I explained it by comparing the mindset between a home-run effort and a base-hit effort when it comes to training intensity. The fact is that life-stressors...
Aaron's transformation and natural contest win, using 1-on-1 coaching, the Cycle Diet, and the Hardgainer Solution
I wanted to do an article on my client Aaron’s transformation, because there are some lessons to be learned here. Aaron has been a one-on-one coaching client of mine for many years. He hasn’t competed in a long, long time. My coaching clients know I am always 100%...
Embracing the “Base Hit Strategy” for Training Consistency
Listen, if you are an adult living in the real world this is a plain truth: Some days you feel like you are sitting on top of your world. Other days your world feels like it’s sitting on top of you! Then you go to the gym thinking you are going to take the day’s...
The Truth About Stress and Inflammation
I hate it when real issues become reduced to industry buzzwords. The real facts get all twisted and taken out of context, then the quacks swoop in with instant magic solutions, just to make a buck. I was using the term “metabolic damage” way back in 2003, and a few...
Sometimes the INNER transformations are more important… and they lead to OUTER transformations
Today's post is a guest blog by Scott's client, Jenny Loo. What Jenny overcame is REMARKABLE: an eating disorder lasting 40 years, including bulimia, anorexia, and more, and including stays in $30k/month treatment facilities. Read about how she's now enjoying life, in...
Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Men
Every year I get clients and non-clients asking me my thoughts on testosterone replacement therapy for men. Several people also ask if I will write an article on it someday. Well, this is that article. Hormone replacement therapy for men and women has come a long way...
JP's incredible before and after transformation – Part 2
In Part 1 of my coverage of my client JP’s incredible and inspirational transformation I discussed JP’s mindset from the time he first joined as a Coaching client, and how it was decisively more important than the individual program or diet-strategy we put in place...
The incredible and inspirational example of my client, JP, and his remarkable transformation
This article is so important I am going to write it in two parts. There is a lot to say here about my client JP’s incredible transformation. But first, check out these pictures -- proof that a picture is worth a thousand words! This is incredible work by JP that just...
Energy Renewal
We’ve become stimulus addicts. This is often to our own detriment. Everything can feel rushed and sped up--even rushing to take a break, or rushing through your break. People “workout” during their lunch breaks, never really slowing down from the time they wake up...
“Sleep matters”: The importance of sleep, and how to get better sleep
I have written before about the importance of sleep. I’ve mentioned the importance of sleep in several of my books as well. Quality sleep is vital. You will say you know that, and nod your head in agreement with that statement, but in my coaching it is the first thing...
Metabolic and Hormonal Realities and Changes During Menopause: Just what the hell is going on?
Just what the hell “is” going on during the menopausal period in your life? This is a question I receive often from frustrated ladies who are experiencing their bodies going haywire on them. And just what the hell is going on here? There are many common elements of...
The Front Squat: some benefits, and notes on execution
In my previous article on the Squat I argued that the squat is the number one, most effective exercise in existence, all things considered. However, for various reasons lots of people cannot do the normal barbell back squat, so other variations of the squat need to be...
Ruminations from Aruba: personal pictures, what people said about us, and more
Every year I go to Aruba for a two- to three-week long vacation. I’m a beachcomber. I love the calm waters, the Caribbean blue, and the length of sandy beach I can stroll all day long and just… “be.” But each year when I go to Aruba my interactions with others seems...
Mental fitness, mindfulness and sustaining then BUILDING off of each goal
I'm currently working on a project right now that's about achievement, psychology, and about how to reach any goal, and how to understand what gets in your way if you ever find yourself coming up short. The following -- mindfulness -- is an important aspect of it. Put...
How your metabolism responds over a year after an ill-advised diet
I wrote Metabolic Damage and the Dangers of Dieting in 2007. At that time, whenever anyone was writing on the topic it was framed as a debate over whether or not “metabolic damage” was even real. On the one side, people argued that metabolic damage was real; on the...
Power and strength, strength and power
I’m getting crotchety in my old age. I continue to be amazed and disappointed by what people are NOT learning in so-called certification courses. It’s amazing to me that you come out of these courses understanding little if anything useful about the concepts of...