by Josh Hodnik

Genetics are set before birth and our DNA is copied to every cell in our bodies. Our genetic blueprint is passed down from generations. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is both a gene and the protein it expresses that plays an important role during childhood growth and stimulates anabolic effects. It has been known for more than a decade that IGF-1 and myostatin levels play a determining role in a person’s ability to add muscle from resistance training.

by Cade Thomas

When you break it down, bodybuilding is pretty simple in theory. Lift heavy weights to breakdown muscle tissue, eat high protein food to repair it larger than it was before, and get lots of rest to allow the process to happen. These basics hold true for even the more advanced lifters and sometimes it needs to be reinstated in your head. This is definitely an over simplification but no matter how far scientific research takes us these facts will always remain true. However for those who like to keep it simple, there is one thing that might be stopping this simple equation from proving to be effective for you.

Gaining weight is easy, most of us know that. Sit down and eat pizza, ice cream, and cookies every night for dinner and you’ll be packing on the pounds in no time. But we’re not looking for sloppy weight; we want to do it the right way, the healthiest way possible. There are several techniques I’m going to outline in this article that should put even the hardest of hard gainer down the right path towards adding at least a good ten pounds of lean muscle tissue to his frame this winter.

Some say steady state, some says HIT, and some say none at all. There are literally dozens of different cardio methods that have been proposed by the experts throughout the last half century. To say that there’s a one size fits all cardiovascular program for each person is quite a big stretch to say the least. However, you should consider several key factors that can help design a routine that best suits your body and daily needs.

by Geoff Roberts

I often wonder how the strategies in which people make a living today got to this point. Who decided it was a good idea to have a boss and work for someone else? Who decided that it was perfectly normal to hate one’s job and or career? When it comes right down to it, there is really no reason that these ideas have to exist at all. If you hate your job or career, in general, you essentially are unhappy with what you are doing at least forty hours a week, for the better part of sixty years or so.

by Cade Thomas

The bodybuilding world seemingly has two entirely separate communities that at times seem almost clueless of the other’s existence and importance. In the first batch, we have the people who are involved actively at the contests and are involved with the local scene and surround themselves with people who are similarly involved. They talk to people at the gym about who is going to be in the upcoming shows and who will be moving up the ranks etc. While they are very likely aware of who is doing what in the IFBB they quite possibly are not “in the know” about the daily gossip amongst the top professionals on a global level.

by Mike Arnold

Of all the different subjects associated with the world of bodybuilding, no other is potentially more confounding than contest prep. Whether this is due to the wide range of knowledge required to effectively and efficiently manipulate all the variables involved, or being overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the endeavor, makes little difference. The fact is, despite the combined experience of multiple generations of bodybuilders being freely available to us, no other undertaking provokes such self-doubt. At a time when bodybuilders should be growing increasingly more confident in their ability to navigate this complex, yet necessary aspect of competitive bodybuilding, we are seeing more and more individuals just throw their hands up in the air without even bothering to educate themselves on the basic principles required for getting in contest condition. Hence, the ever-rising number of career coaches in this industry.

by Geoff Roberts

Misconceptions are rampant in our society. With all of the different sources of “information” available today, it is far easier to stumble across bad information than it is good information. Misconceptions of the past come to be simply via a false assumption, followed by habit. The topic of nutrition is not all exempt from these two misconception breeding grounds. Certain dietary “rules” have been accepted for so long that a large majority of the population simply assume they are true, without even thinking critically about said fact or rule.

by Mike Arnold

Everything tends to move in phases. This is true of training, diet, drug use, and even the smaller, less recognized aspects of the bodybuilding experience. Although some of the younger guys won’t remember this, it was only about 15 years ago that the use of aromatase inhibitors was heavily frowned upon when attempting to build muscle mass. We were taught that estrogen was an integral component of the muscle building process and therefore, if a little was good, more must be better. Despite a complete lack of scientific evidence in support of this claim, many bodybuilders chose to forego estrogen management almost entirely, even when employing large dosages of highly aromatizable compounds. Although Nolvadex was the usual go-to treatment for dealing with gynecomastia, as a S.E.R.M it was entirely ineffective at lowering estrogen levels. This allowed systematic estrogen to continue wreaking havoc on one’s health and appearance; both internal and external.