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As a former skinny guy that now helps skinny guys (and gals) not be skinny anymore… I can say that gaining muscle is actually pretty simple and easy you do it right. The problem most skinny people have is they’re doing everything wrong… and when it doesn’t work, they do the wrong stuff even harder. The reality is that what you need to do is probably so simple that you won’t’ think it will work, so you don’t do it, and instead continue to do the really hard, complicated thing that you think will work eventually. So… stop that. And do these things instead: Strength Train. This means lifting progressively heavier weights in the main lifts 3x/week, and do this for as long as possible. If you take your 50lb squat (or 100, or 200 or 300) and get it to 400 or 500, you will be put on a...
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We are absolutely positively thrilled to have launched our own podcast! (First Episode: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wwokc2DR690&t=3s&pp=ygUWU3BhcmsgZml0bmVzcyBwb2RjYXN0IA%3D%3D) We’re going to feature staff members, members, and industry adjacent professionals! We’re going to share stories, chat health/fitness topics, and help inspire people to get in the gym and get strong. For now, we’ve got it on YouTube, and we’ll look to get it on Spotify, and Apple Podcasts in the future. In this first episode… We featured member Vivien Lee-Mayhue, the owner of Tidy Up Los Angeles. We really wanted to get Vivien on for a BUNCH of reasons… She’s almost 60, and recently did a SMOOTH deadlift of 165lbs. (Having started essentially at 0 – and she’s got 200 in the tank) Her mindset has gone from “how can I lose weight?” to “How can I get strong?”… She lights up the gym… is inspirational… always grateful to have another day to train… She...
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The Novice Linear Progression, otherwise known as “The NLP”, is the process of adding weight to your lifts each time you train. A novice is a “beginner”. In practical terms, doing the NLP means adding 5lbs to your lifts for as long as you can, as frequently as you can. (Note: 5lbs is appropriate for most people – but there are exceptions, your NLP weight might be 2.5lbs or 2lbs per workout, if you are older, smaller in stature than average, etc.) Being a beginner is the most AMAZING time of anyone’s training career in terms of gaining muscle and weight added to the bar. It is ALSO the most simple workout program ever, and it needs to be. The NLP: Sample Program Back Squat 3×5 Press 3×5 Deadlift 1×5 Doing this program 3x/week, and adding 5lbs per workout is by far the fastest, most effective way to put 100s...
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Over the years, I’ve come up with a simple rule for determining if you should prioritize sleep vs training. In this article I’m going to breakdown a few very common scenarios. Use this as a guide! Case #1: You don’t work out at all. You need to get up and workout. Not sleeping enough is TERRIBLE for you. Not sleeping enough and NOT working out is even worse. Many of the health benefits of not sleeping enough can be mitigated by becoming fitter, and when you get fitter you’ll sleep better. This isn’t forever… but, if you don’t workout at all, not sleeping enough or being tired is NOT even close to an excuse for not training. Case #2: You have achieved a high level of health/fitness, and are very happy with your physique. You need to prioritize your sleep. If you’ve been very fit for years and years, and...
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Over the years, I’ve changed my mind on numerous topics. Back when I was a 23 freshly minted gym owner, I had some opinions. After 8 years of gym ownership having trained thousands of people from all walks of life, undergone my own personal transformation, and did a lot of reading and careful reflection… I’ve changed my mind on a lot of things… And each one of these things I could write pages and pages about – and I might do an in depth breakdown of each someday… but for now, a brief overview of a few notable things I was wrong about! Here’s a list… Training Should be Random. What I used to think: This is something I used to believe whole heartedly – that your training needs to be constantly different. I used to think this because I thought your body would adapt very quickly if your training...
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