by Matt Weik

I’m torn on this topic, as I feel there will always be a place for retail brands to live. Consumers still enjoy going to stores, touching and feeling products, and speaking with the workers to find out more about a product. On the flipside, there’s a growing number of consumers who only shop online and refuse to step foot in a retailer to purchase anything. With this being said, can online-only brands slowly take over the market by creating their own community?

by Matt Weik

Finding a personal trainer is like finding a new associate at work. Some candidates will be helpful, others, not so much. Some will come with lots of experience, while some might have just got their certification. It’s important for you to ask as many questions as you feel necessary in order to feel comfortable shelling out the money to work with a particular personal trainer. I’ve laid out this article to show you what questions you should ask a personal trainer before hiring them.

by Christian Duque

Posted times at sporting events are sacrosanct, no matter in what sport you’re competing – they’re there for a reason. When it comes to physique-based federations throughout the United States, there’s quite a few. They range from the beat-up, barely driveable, piles of junk to the Rolls Royce category. The NPC, or the National Physique Committee, is where the very best amateur athletes come to compete in our great country.

by Matt Weik

I can’t tell you how many times a week I’m told excuses why someone can’t exercise or take control of their health. It’s one excuse after the next. So, what do your fitness excuses say about you? I’m sure this feature is going to make some heads explode. And I’m ok with that. Some people need some real talk right now.

by Christian Duque

Bodybuilding and physique-based sports are all about showing off what’s been built as a result of training, supplementing, and eating right. Food alone accounts for a great part of an athlete’s success, because how an athlete eats will directly affect how that athlete looks. For example, high carb/fat diets will create a stocky look, but that same stocky look will be beneficial for heavy movements (e.g. powerlifting, strongman, highland games). A diet low in fat and high in good carbs and protein (the traditional bodybuilding diet) will bring about more muscle and less fat. Diet, nowadays, can’t be that simplified anymore.

by Matt Weik

When you look at sports we watch on television, the majority of them are TEAM sports. We have things like baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse to name a few. Sure, we have golf, tennis, and bowling on television that are individual sports, but more are team sports. With that being said, when you go to the gym, it’s not a team effort. It’s you against the weight. Some may argue that if you have a training partner or trainer that it’s a joint effort, but it’s truly only the individual working towards his or her own end goal with a support system similar to fans cheering from the stands. So, it raises the question if bodybuilders are introverts? How did all of this possibly come about for some bodybuilding competitors? Let’s take a look under the hood for some plausible reasons.

by Christian Duque

Training is the part we all love, in the muscle-building process. Diet is probably the part we like least. Diet is often times a drag. You can either have carbs or you have to make due with fat. You can either have salt or you have to make do with bland food. You can either drink a lot of water or suck on a lemon wedge all day. Diet is for the birds. The happiest people, are those who can lift, eat (more or less) whatever they want, and just grow.

by Matt Weik

MTO’s are the craze it seems. People drive to their local Sheetz (if you have them where you live) and put together their made-to-order sandwich, burger, wrap, breakfast burrito, frozen beverage, hot beverage, whatever. Now you can do that very same thing with your supplements?

by Matt Weik

There has been some interesting news hitting the bodybuilding world with some new changes to the Mr. Olympia contest held in Las Vegas. With about two months until the show, there is much speculation as to if this will be the year that we see Kai Greene’s return and if Ramy can nail his conditioning and spoil Phil’s 8th Sandow attempt. What say you?

by Christian Duque

Over the years, there’s a name I’ve heard over and over again from the Golden Era of Bodybuilding. the old-timers talk about him with great regard and a strong sense of nostalgia. Younger historians of the sport, much like their older peer, are equally impressed and a literal loss for words for why this man isn’t 10x more popular. If you’ve ever heard about the legendary bodybuilder with the split biceps, you know exactly who I’m talking about. Never one to get involved in the drama, rather, a low key guy who’s biggest challenger was his last competition’s look, he always kept it professional and to this day, at 71, still keeps an impressive look.