by Christian Duque

This is the story of a community that came together to help one of its own. “Dan The Bodybuilder” just lived through a nightmare, the worst seems like it may be over, but who really knows. A few days ago, I saw a video that showed a somber sounding and somber looking man in a hospital bed in Thailand. He pled for help, after many surgeries, trying to save his leg after injecting what he calls bad gear. The cost of one surgery, let alone multiple, can be astounding, but this was a man who had clearly exhausted his resources and was seeking help from the bodybuilding world. Many of the biggest websites and media outlets in the sport, took to the cause, as well as fans posting threads on various message boards and blogs.

by Matt Weik

Each year I do a holiday fitness gift guide for the fitness lover in your life. This year there are a bunch of new and exciting ideas you can add to your list to bring joy to someone’s life. Some of the items below are inexpensive while others you could consider fairly pricy. Regardless, there is a good variety no matter what your budget looks like.

by Matt Weik

With all the negativity surrounding the sport of bodybuilding, it’s refreshing to hear of some good that comes from it. I was looking at some headlines when I came across an article about a girl who got sick, had her large intestine removed, and while in her hospital bed decided to change her life and wanted to train for a bodybuilding contest. Not something most would think about while lying in a hospital bed after surgery, but nonetheless, it was a goal of hers. Well, that goal came to fruition and she actually won the Pure Elite World Championship (bikini division) while donning a colostomy bag. This is just one of many amazing stories I have read over the years and it made me want to write this piece.

by Christian Duque

Americans have had a long love of boxing that goes back more than a hundred years. Some of the greats transcended the sport. Rocky Marciano defended his heavyweight title for half a decade, never losing a match, retiring undefeated. Other greats like Joe Frasier won the gold medal at the Olympics and had a very impressive run as heavyweight champion. Perhaps the most significant boxer of the 20th century, was Muhammad Ali, often times called “The Greatest.” Ali was a boxing legend, a political figure, a philanthropist and here in Louisville, KY, a mega icon. Major streets are named after him, major venues carry his name.

by Christian Duque

In Spanish we have an old saying, tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who are. Another saying that’s appropo for this article goes something like this, “you get what you pay for.” I mean, we’ve all heard that one and know it all too well. The crux of this article and of pretty much everything dealing with building quality muscle, is diet. As with anything, sources are key. If you’re buying a creatine product and the source is a cheap raw, you probably won’t see results. If you buy cheap luggage at a tourist trap, it’s likely your belongings will eventually wind up all over the floor because the bag won’t stay together long.

by Christian Duque

Things have a tendency to improve over time, particularly things that deal with science. Strength and physique-bases sports have a great deal to do with research; they focus on innovations and discoveries insofar as nutrition, training, and supplementation. There have been numerous studies conducted, athletes have learned a great deal through trial and error in the gym (e.g. through lifts), and pretty much each contest prep, athletes and their coaches learn about how macro and micro nutrients effect condition. There are also a great deal of lessons learned from supplements, from the food-based to the hormonal. There’s also the normal course of human nature.

by Christian Duque

Have you ever wondered why bodybuilding, which is for all intents and purposes a niche sport, draws so much attention from the music business, Hollywood, and mainstream sports? Why is that bigger draws, like the WWE have a fascination with bodybuilders? That fascination has even reaching the point, that it’s biggest mogul, Vince McMahon, put his heart and soul into starting his own bodybuilding federation. He was making a killing with wrestling, much like he has all along, but he saw something in bodybuilding. His approach may have seemed intriguing at first, as he tried to buy the loyalty of every top tier bodybuilder he could find.

by Matt Weik

I’ve been sitting here for about ten minutes now just trying to figure out how to start this article on Nataliya Kuznetsova. I guess the only thing you can say is “holy shit.” The end. End of story. But seriously, all joking aside, I am completely and utterly speechless. I’m still trying to process what I saw on stage a couple weeks back at the Wings of Strength show (Romania Muscle Fest).

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.