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By Christian Duque

Who wants to be famous? Who wants to be popular? Who wants to be listened to, consulted, and followed? Most people are going to raise their hands, because most people want to feel important. One sure-fire way to get noticed in the ever-competitive world of social media, is through sharing new information and/or delving into taboo topics. One of the most taboo topics in the fitness world is performance enhancing supplements. What’s ironic, is that most people asking the questions don’t even use the supplements they’re inquiring about. There’s a certain shock value that’s still very much present whenever these topics get broached. Back in the 70’s no one really cared much about PED’s, just like in the 80’s, because while they weren’t entirely illegal.
Continue reading “To Share or Not To Share – Your Supplement Choices?”

by Matt Weik

By now I’m sure you have heard about the new supplement company created by some pretty big names – specifically Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lebron James, Cindy Crawford, and Lindsey Vonn. Some of those names still mean something while others are has-beens and really don’t mean anything these days. The name of the supplement company is Ladder. They claim their supplement company is unlike anything on the market today but is this truly any different than what you can buy right now?
Continue reading “Arnold and Lebron Create Ladder Supplements”

by Christian Duque

So I’m sure you’ve heard the big news by now, The Egyptian Phenom, Big Ramy has left the camel crew. For years, the bodybuilding community looked to Oxygen Gym (Ramy’s unofficial HQ) as the base of operations for the new wave of bodybuilding. The all encompassing gym in the heart of Kuwait City, represented all the things that we, growing up, associated with Golds’ Gym, muscle beach, and the way bodybuilding was in the old days of Arnold, Franco, and Lou. In today’s world, the only real gym that can lay claim to that lifestyle, that realness, and that hardcore vibe, would be the East Coast Mecca of Bodybuilding, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY. I’ve been there, I’ve done interviews there, and I can speak on a first-hand basis to what a great facility it is. Nonetheless, O2 Gym is very well put together (seeing shoots and videos), it does have have an impressive roster of athletes, and it does have plenty to offer.
Continue reading “Oxygen Gym – Post Big Ramy”

by Matt Weik

I remember back when I was a young man going into the local GNC store and buying various products that were recommended to me by the store clerk. I’d go home with high hopes of seeing THE GAINZ only to be disappointed that the products didn’t work. I then would go back and say I need something “better” than what they recommended last time. I’d once again leave with a bag full of goodies and the scenario would replay over and over again. The only thing that seemed to be changing was the fact that my wallet was getting thinner.
Continue reading “Will GNC Survive 2019?”

by Christian Duque

There’s a cheesy sales pitch that’s always used around the Holidays, it goes like this, “Say Hello to Good Buys.” Get it? Well, I’ve always found it rather humorous, but it should definitely give you some food for thought. Everyone wants to save money, usually because they want to pool their resources for something important. Some folks save money to go on a vacation, others save for a car, and some save for their retirements or the proverbial “rainy day.” The irony though, is that you won’t be around for that rainy day, much less your retirement, if you’re dead as a door nail.
Continue reading “Don’t Save on Food, Spend More!”

by Christian Duque

The whole point of working out is get a pump and see some real growth. For many, how hard you train will determine how much muscle you gain. For example, there’s a myth those on the east coast train much harder than those on the west coast. Others believe that hard music has a direct impact on setting a hardcore tone in the gym – literally. They think that a hardcore gym will blast Pantera and Slayer, while a powder puff gym will play Lady Gaga and Maroone 5. The gym that plays the hardcore music, is the place for freaks, while the other one is for folks who train in spandex and look twiggish. Others don’t believe you’ve trained, until you’re doubled over in pain, twisting in agony, throwing up into a trash bucket. How absurd, right?
Continue reading “Intensity vs Stupidity – Coming to a Gym Near You”

by Christian Duque

This article will more than likely rub a few the wrong way, but certain things simply can’t go unnoticed any longer. There’s some practices I’ve seen far too much of to simply keep biting my tongue and saying nothing. The gym is a great place to reduce stress, get in shape, and even let off some rage – I totally get all of that. Some people love the social aspect as well, while others choose to go at 4AM simply to avoid traffic, maybe even to avoid as many people as possible. Others, I find, may have a love/hate reality of having to wait for machines, having to deal with people texting instead of lifting, and choosing to subject themselves to this punishment, weekdays from 5:30PM – 7:30PM. Anyone who goes during peak hours, by choice, clearly lives for the drama and the aggravation. Who knows, they might feed off of that tension and redirect it towards lifting better.
Continue reading “Choosing A Gym Partner – The Right Way!”

by Matt Weik

If you are like me, you spend a fair amount of time on platforms like YouTube either looking for educational content or entertainment. I have a good number of channels that I follow religiously to get various information. What I’m finding lately is that many of these YouTube influences once they get a good number of subscribers turn into sell-outs. They will make up some of the dumbest reasons for you to buy from their “sponsor” and it can severely backfire when it’s blatant. Let me explain.
Continue reading “YouTube Influencers Are Sell-Outs”

by Matt Weik

I can remember flipping through the pages of FLEX Magazine and Muscular Development when I was in my 20’s and hanging onto everything printed on those pages. After a few years, I became totally jaded after doing my own experimenting and testing. I could follow diets and workout routines religiously, and never see anywhere near the results they claim can be had from these publications. Why is this? It’s because we have a one size fits all mentality. And I was duped into thinking this way.
Continue reading “Why Taking Advice from Other People and Magazines Is Worthless”

by Matt Weik

Following his loss to Shawn Rhoden at the 2018 Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath mentioned that he was once again needing to go under the knife to fix his hernia. This time, he announced that he needs time for his body to heal and doesn’t want to rush back on stage and not only risk doing damaging the same area but he also does not want to come in less than 100% again. So, where does that leave us for the 2019 Olympia if he’s shutting it down?
Continue reading “With Phil Out of the 2019 Olympia, Who Will Step Up?”

by Matt Weik

I can only speak for myself and some of the individuals that I’ve worked with in the past, but there seems to be a common theme for what a personal trainer’s worst nightmare is. As a personal trainer, we want to help as many people as we can live a healthy lifestyle and change their habits. Something that bothers us is when we want to help people who simply don’t want to be helped. They don’t care about their health. They don’t care about their poor lifestyle choices. They don’t truly care whether they live or die. They do what they want. When they want. And no one is going to change their mind. Meanwhile, they are a ticking time-bomb.
Continue reading “A Personal Trainer’s Worst Nightmare”

by Matt Weik

Mainstream media today loves to take things out of context and only give you the information that fits their narrative. Honestly, it’s frickin annoying. Have you watched the news lately? Can you remember any positive things that the news is covering? Majority of it revolves around negative storylines and an attempt to shift our thought process by telling us how we should think and feel. Well, I’m not a sheep, and I’m not buying what they are selling. If they want to change my views, especially on energy drinks, they better come up with more solid facts than what they are presenting currently.
Continue reading “Scare Tactics: An Attack on Energy Drinks”