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When you sign up to the gym and make the choice to dedicate yourself, you have to clearly define what your goals are. 

Do you wish to be a power lifter ?

Do you wish to be a weight lifter ?

Do you wish to build a better looking physique ?

Although each of these goals may slightly overlap each other, they each have significantly different approaches.

A power lifter’s goal is to lift the most amount of weight. There is no considerable emphasis placed on hypertrophy (muscle growth) or symmetry. They are essential function over form. The training is based around lifting awesome amounts of weight. The training and the numbers behind this approach are definitely impressive. There is also alot of technique involved. The old saying is that in power lifting the only concern is making the lift without the red light coming on. This is not to say that no hypertrophy will be experienced in power lifting. There are some pretty big guys out there. However, in terms of symmetry and overall appearance… well that isn’t the focus so it shouldn’t be expected to be a strength. It is also necessary to re-think the idea of looking at the bigger power lifters and draw the conclusion that.. Power lifting created the Beast. The truth is, that genetically the beast was always a beast, and lifting heavy things was always a strength of this type of person. So therefore… The Beasts turn to Power lifting. Not to mention the use of performance enhancing drugs in some. This is not an attempt to discredit people, but when I think in terms of arguments I like to remove that variable from the equation. 

A weight lifter is read more…

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I have always used a weight belt when lifting. I wear it majority of the time whether it be for support, comfort, or just as a security blanket. I wear it when training any of my bodyparts, I don’t discriminate. lol

So it goes without saying that a comfortable and secure weight belt is important to me. Despite this fact, the most I have spent on a weight belt is around $45-50.00. As with other things, I am starting to learn that you get what you pay for. 

The weight belts I have gotten in the past were very rigid and tough. They takes months, if not years to break in and feel comfortable. I have had the big back ones, and the narrow backed ones. I am a fan of narrow back. Anything over 4 inches wide is just plain annoying. In my opinion. 

So anyway, a few months back I decided to invest money into a better weight belt. First I looked around at people at my gym and discovered the Inzer Powerlifting belts. They are pretty hardcore, and perfect for power-lifting, but after trying one on, I wasn’t sure if it was what I was looking for. 

So then I took to the Internet, and by chance I bumped into a company called Cardillo. I noticed that they made custom embroidery weight belts. This of course got my attention. I then called up and asked a ton of questions like I usually do, and learned that they make belts for alot  of top bodybuilders as well as other famous celebrities. This was a plus in my eyes, as it was more proof of the quality. 

I took a week to design the custom embroidery that I wanted to appear on my belt and emailed it in. The people over there were very helpful throughout the process. 

I was then told that the belt would take 8-12 weeks to arrive. This was a slight downer for me, but that I realized that the better things in life are definitely worth waiting for. 

Well today is the day that my belt arrived and here is a photo: read more…

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So I have been lifting weights since high school. Its been a long journey, and along the way I have had my fair share of nagging injuries and serious injuries. On top of the injuries, the punishment I dish out to my body and muscles when I train is pretty extreme.  

I have been saying for year now how I wanted to get a deep tissue massage, but I never got around to it. 

This time I finally did. I went a massage therapist that was highly recommended by a few people I know. Her name is Sue Saffari.She is tiny compared to me, and I thought immediately “there is no way this tiny woman will put a dent in me”. Holy shit was I wrong.  The massage was very deep and felt good in a painful way. Deep tissue massages aren’t meant to be relaxing and joyful. They are meant to get the job done. 

I had her focus on some of my problem areas, such as my Lats, shoulders and lower back. She took care of everything else but paid special attention to these areas. 

As she was working on me I could feel her digging deep within my muscle tissue. The more she worked, the more I felt my muscles begin to loosen up. The combination of high stress and torturous workouts had definitely left its mark. 

Lets look at some of the benefits of a Deep Tissue Massage….. read more…

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Key Points

• Warm up thoroughly before your workout. A few super light sets for 28-25 reps will do the job. A few minutes of cardio can also help. The cardio will also help to circulate blood and increase of the onset of any pre workout supplements. 

• Wear the proper attire. If it is cold out, wear warm clothes to keep the muscles warm and functioning well. Heat promotes blood flow, so why be cold ?

• Lift with proper form. Cheat reps have thier place here and there, but too much cheating and lead to injury read more…

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Please check out the newest shoulder exercise added to Sci-UnisonFitness.com. 

It can also be found by clicking here. 

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Check out one of my Multi-Rep Range Quad workouts in the January 2012 issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine.  Workout is found on page 158. There are alot of great tips and workouts in this edition, so pick you copy up now. 

read more…

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Results from a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggest that repeated max-intensity sprints yield better fat loss results than longer duration, low-moderate intensity cardio. 

There were 20 particpants who were split into two groups. 

Each group ran 3 times a week for 6 weeks. 

Group 1 performed max intensity sprints. 30 seconds in duration, 6 sprints per session, 4 minute rest between srpints. 

Group 2 ran for 30-60 minutes at 65% intensity. 

At the end of the 6 week  study, read more…

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From the 8th annual F as in FAT: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011 report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

States with the highest adult obesity rates: read more…

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This was the year that I made my return to the bodybuilding stage. I wanted to compete at last years INBF Hercules, but an A/C joint injury got in the way. Going into this show prep I was actually very nervous. I hadn’t competed since 2007 and I knew there would be alot of ring rust. The diet and training parts were relatively easy for me considering I have dieted every year since 2004 (which has limited my growth potential) for either competition of for photos. The issues that really concerned me were a few poses that I felt uncomfortable with along with the exposure factor. What I mean by exposure factor is read more…

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1. Set Achievable Goals

When beginning a program, it is best to start with simple, short term goals. As you reach and achieve these short term goals you can then begin to set goals for the long haul. Both short and long term goals should be challenging yet achievable. As a new lifter, setting the goal of becoming the next Mr. Olympia is an example of a far fetched, almost unachievable goal.

Examples…

Short Term Goals:

• Increase bench press by 10lbs
• Perform 10 minute jogging cardio session
• Gain 2 pounds of lean muscle mass
• Lose 5 pounds

Long Term Goals

• Increase bench press by 50lbs.
• Be able to perform multiple 25 minute cardio sessions per week
• Gain 15lbs of lean muscle mass
• lose 30 pounds

2. Ease Into Things

If you are new to weight lifting and or cardiovascular exercise you shouldn’t push too hard at first. Doing so can risk pain, injury and a diminished recovery ability. All the advanced lifters you see in the gym (who aren’t juiced up science projects) have spent years developing a tolerance to higher volume and higher intensity training. Attempting to mimic these intense style sessions from the start will eventually lead to an overwhelming fatigue, and eventually force you to abandon your program. Give your body a chance to adapt to the stimulus, not be overwhelmed by it. To quote the great Lee Haney, “stimulate, don’t annihilate.” read more…