Articles & Guides
Learn how to build muscle, burn fat and stay motivated.
The Perimeter Diet: Cheapest, Easiest Way To a Flexible, Healthy Diet
“I don’t know what to eat anymore! Why does all this nutrition stuff have to be so complicated?” You are told to eat clean by one person and whatever “fits your macros” (IIFYM) by another. Yet you read somewhere that you should eat healthy 80-90% of the time and be flexible otherwise. You start...
The Key To Adding Muscle While Minimizing Fat
No More “Bulking” in the Offseason Traditionally when it came to gaining weight or “bulking” in an attempt to add muscle, carbohydrates were the focal point in bridging the caloric gap that stood between the bodybuilder and his weight gain goal. This practice usually delivers results for hard gainer...
The Keto Diet for Athletes: How Low Carb Should You Go?
If you asked me five years ago whether the keto diet would ever catch the mainstream, I would have said never in a million years. I’ve been doing one form of the keto diet or another for over 6 years now and with great benefit. It’s helped me overcome ulcerative colitis, maintain a lean body, and it...
The Great Abs Mistake - Crunches And Situps And Still No Abs
After 18 years in the fitness business, “How do I get great abs” is still BY FAR the most frequently asked question I receive out of the 30,000+ emails that come into my office every month. No doubt, it's because abs are the one body part that most people are the most frustrated with. Although their...
The Easy Grocery Checklist for Athletes
Food is the most anabolic thing you can put in your body. There is no questioning this. The goal of weight training, taking supplements, and performance enhancing drugs is to create an anabolic environment. I’m going to use the analogy of a construction site. Creating the anabolic environment would...
Complete Guide to Collagen: Benefits, Sources, and How to Use It Daily
Aging is inevitable, but the effects of aging don’t have to be set in stone. If you’re noticing less-than-supple skin, brittle nails, creaky joints, or slower workout recovery time—it could be your sign that it’s time to add collagen to your daily routine. In this article, we’ll explore what collag...
The Body's Second Brain: Understanding Microbes & Gut Health
Did you know: From the day you were born, microbes in your gut played a key role in helping you develop a healthy brain and nervous system? Scientific evidence continues to suggest that microbes can affect certain areas of the brain which have an impact on your overall health and wellbeing.1 More sp...
The Survivalist Guide to Eating on the Go
The number one complaint I hear from people who are trying to get in shape is “I’m having a hard time sticking to my diet. I do great then _____________ always screws me up”. School. Work. Travel. Your in-laws that use pasta as the base for every meal. The coworkers who think being nice means bringi...
How To Structure A Diet For Fat Loss Or Weight Gain
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab. Are you confused, frustrated and maybe a bit overwhelmed about all this diet stuff? Is trying this diet or that diet with little to no results getting old? Feel like giving up and accepting wherever...
How To Structure Your Meal Plan Based On Training Time
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab. Do you consider yourself the “non-traditional” trainee that works out at different times of the day? Are you not a part of the 5 o’clock rush hour that needs a special perspective on how and when to...
Stop Hacking Your Diet! 10 Nutrition Tips For Optimal Results
The word "hack" has been a bit overused and misunderstood in the last few years. Once thought of as a quick and efficient way of doing something seemingly complex, it now often refers to some miracle or secret trick to cure all that troubles you. Do you do this with your diet? Are you always trying...
What Pro Bodybuilders Eat for Breakfast with Steve Kuclo
If one statement has stood the test of time it’s “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. We recently traveled to the home of the Kuclo’s in Dallas, TX. In the morning, Team Allmax athlete Steve Kuclo invited us over for breakfast. It goes without saying that the man known as King Snake ea...
Step by Step Guide to Building a Bulking Diet
I was having a conversation with a gym buddy of mine the other day and he was asking about my current nutrition and training and I said, “I’m currently throwing all my eggs in the bulking basket”. His response was, “Why are you bulking”? I responded, “The real question is why would I ever not be bul...
Do You Even Shake, Bro? 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Protein Shakes
Do you enjoy your protein shakes? Or does the thought of slamming back another chalky protein shake make you cringe? If you fall into the latter group, then I’ve got the ticket to doctor up your daily shake so that you can enjoy your gains. Who knows, they may become your favorite meal! I will show...
Smart Snacking: 5 Healthy Snacks That Won't Destroy Your Progress
Mindless snacking can be a real physique wrecker. It can add unwanted calories and processed fats and sugars to your day, often without you even remembering you’ve eaten it. However, not all snacking is bad. In fact, some healthy snacks can make for great on-the-go fuel. They can increase your healt...
The Skinny Guy Eating Plan: Gain Lean Muscle The Smart Way
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab. If you are anything like me, before you started your journey in the “gaining muscle” game you were slight, skinny and just plain thin. Being classified as the quintessential ectomorph does very littl...
6 Signs It's Time to End Your Bulk
It’s getting to be that time of the year again… You know, when every guy in the gym thinks he can become Arnold in the next 6 months and starts wearing out #getbigordietrying on Instagram. News flash, you might not be lean enough to consider bulking, let alone trying to resemble one of the greatest...
5 Shredding Starter Tips To Help You Get Going Gluten Free
Get lean, gluten-free with Jeremy Scott and Kim Maes. Unless you have been living under a rock and unplugged from the world for months, you have heard the term “gluten-free”, or someone say “I am eating gluten free”. However, some of you might not know exactly what this means or what the benefits co...
Should You Be Worried About Gluten?
Gwyneth Paltrow wrote an amazing gluten free cookbook, so you know that gluten free dieting is the real deal. I mean if a Hollywood celebrity is cashing in on a diet trend to make a cool million by slapping her face on a cookbook written by someone else that screams “scientifically legit”, right? Mi...
Get Shredded! Cutting Diet Plans & Eating Tips From Freaky Physiques
Layne Norton on Diet and Nutrition What is your philosophy on nutrition? Again it varies from person to person. In general I prefer moderation in all things. Protein is about 1-1.15g/lb bodyweight, fat is about 20-30% of total kcals, and the rest of the calories that I need are filled in by c...
Should You Cut Carbs To Get Shredded?
Carbs…the bodybuilder’s best friend and worst enemy all rolled into one. They're essential for energy, endurance, muscle building and recovery when used properly, but they can work against you when used incorrectly. Poll the so-called contest prep gurus and you will get conflicting advice on carbohy...
Should Lifters Pay Attention to the Glycemic Index?
The 80's were great. Terminator, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Goonies, The Princess Bride, Blade Runner, Top Gun, Die Hard, and yours truly all came into existence during that decade. Clearly this was the greatest decade ever. You know what else came into existence during that d...
Self Sabotage - My Personal Battle With An Eating Disorder
10 million people in America struggle with eating disorders. 5 million will fully recover and 2 million will die. For the longest time I was embarrassed by this story but now that I’m fully recovered I wanted to share my experience to let people know that I’ve had my own personal struggles with food...
Paleo Diet Sample Eating Plans: Bulking, Cutting & Maintenance
According to Robb Wolf, the Paleo diet focuses on lean proteins, eggs, fruits, vegetables, seafood, nuts, seeds, and other healthy fats. Furthermore, the Paleo diet encourages followers to avoid dairy, grains, processed foods, sugars, and vegetable oils, legumes, starches, and alcohol. Adequate calc...