by Geoff Roberts

The question, “Why do all the good supplements get taken off the shelf?” is one that I and anyone else who works in the supplement industry hears on a weekly basis. The answer to this question, for anyone heavily invested in this industry, should be easy to come by. However, for the average person who, devastatingly enough, gets their information from the media or any other “mainstream” source, the answer is not so clear.

by Gavin Kane

Alright, by now I assume you have read parts 1 and 2 and understand and have applied the principles listed. If not, stop reading this now and go back to the first two articles or this one won’t help you. This is not a crash course on cycling steroids; this is how to use steroids in conjunction with my first two articles that establish proper eating and training. Most of you will not need to add a cycle off season if you follow my principles in the first two articles closely. But since it is my job to fully educate you, and I am not naïve, I know this is the article you have been waiting for most of all.

by Gavin Kane

In the first article of the series we attacked hardcore dieting and how to gain maximum mass without maximum fat gains. There are two more pieces to this puzzle, training and cycles. This article is going to focus on the aspects of hardcore training, the type of training that goes along with all those calories you have been eating. Off-season is the time we hit the heavy weights, a return to the basics, meaning no cable-curls, no chrome weights, and no listening to Backstreet Boys while training.

by Gavin Kane

Off-season; a bodybuilder’s favorite time of year and the favorite words whispered after a recent contest. So the time is here, what are you going to do about it? First step is to determine what you want to do and set some goals. You cannot achieve anything without a plan. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. So let’s set some clear cut goals. You are going to need all the tools at your disposal before you begin. You are going to work on written goals, nutrition, training, and finally the hardcore cycle.

Write down your goals. Have everything written down and in plain sight as a reminder of what you are trying to achieve. So write down your target weight, your training days, your daily calorie goals, your cycle, etc. Keep a master log book of everything you are trying to do. Like I stated, you must plan for success.

by Cade Thomas

Mass at all costs. This is still the approach that some people apply to bodybuilding but times are changing. You will still come across the “I don’t care if I die as long as I need a big casket” asshole here and there (usually online behind a fake screen name), but it’s less and less common (maybe they…died? Sorry, too easy).

by Blane Morton

Bodybuilding truly is the ageless sport. Unlike basketball or football or track and field, bodybuilders peak at all different stages in their lives. Shawn Ray and Jay Cutler were megastars in the sports by the time they were in their early 20’s, yet it took Toney Freeman and Ronnie Coleman well into their 40’s before hitting stride in their careers. It’s also a sport that can last throughout your entire lifetime. Show me football players that can still block and tackle after their 50th birthday. However, it’s the reason why bodybuilding is the ageless sport that intrigues me the most.

by Anthony Roberts

For decades we’ve been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. To support this claim, study after study has been foisted on us, showing that people who eat breakfast have lower cholesterol, live longer, are less likely to develop diabetes, and more likely to win the lottery. Or whatever. On the one hand, breakfast is pretty awesome – it’s basically the only meal where something that would normally be considered dessert is acceptable fare.

by Anthony Roberts

Inflammation has become a hot online topic lately, primarily due to a crop of experts who have made the term a part of many trainers and trainees new vocabularies.

“Inflammation is bad.”
“Eat too many non-paleo foods and you can suffer from inflammation, and that’s bad.”
“If you don’t do enough mobility work, you could start suffering from inflammation, and that’s bad.”
“Make sure you do your foam rolling because it reduces inflammation and make sure you get enough fish oil because that’ll reduce inflammation…”

by Geoff Roberts

The hurricane of information that comes at us from all angles in this day in age makes it exceedingly difficult to decide what is right, wrong, legitimate, or phony. This reality is especially true with regards to nutrition. We have major public figures like Dr. Oz telling us to eat truck loads of grains and fruit and the news telling us that each whole egg we consume takes x amount of time off our lives. Let us not forget mainstream tv telling us that a cardboard box full of sugary, processed little hoops “may help lower cholesterol”.