Articles & Guides
Learn how to build muscle, burn fat and stay motivated.
Water and Your Body: The Impact on Energy and Performance
Hydration and Its Importance It has been proven through various studies that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (but is that an excuse for the Sabres?). Also, it is perceived that the thirst mechanism is so weak that in 37% Americans it is often mistaken for hunger. People seem to go about...
Warming Up For Dummies: A Lifter’s Guide to Injury Prevention
Warming up is like eating vegetables. Everyone knows it's good for them but at the end of the day, compliance is considerably lacking. I’m sure most dudes would rather spend their first 15 minutes at the gym checking out girls on the elliptical or telling their buddies about an "epic” half squat PR...
Volume Vs. High Intensity: Which Style Of Training Is Best For Growth?
One of the hottest arguments in bodybuilding today is the ideal training method to accelerate muscle growth. The argument seems to be neverending, and no matter how much research is released in regards to training and muscle growth, it appears there will never be a definite answer because of all the...
Want Big Arms? Focus On Triceps
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab. I would predict your answer to the title of this article is a resounding yes. Not just yes but YES! Let me guess how your quest for bigger arms has played out in the past: Heavy barbell curls, dumbbe...
Virtual Reality: The Future of Fitness? BB.com's Founder Sits Down With M&S
A long time ago, in a world far away, there was this new thing that was touted to be the future of civilization as we knew it. It was called the internet. (Ok, it was actually the 1990’s and this planet but go with me on this.) In an Idaho town, a young aspiring bodybuilder and entrepreneur saw a wa...
Vitamins and Minerals: Important or Just Marketing Hype?
Vitamins and minerals are the most popular supplements in the market place today, but do we really need them? If you eat a balanced diet and eat a sufficient quantity of food, then it is likely you are getting the recommended daily allowance of all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Assuming you a...
Vince Gironda Part 1: The Man And His Philosophies
This article is the first part of a three part series about one the most influential people the beloved iron game has ever seen, and a man who also happens to be a coach I look up to: Vince Gironda. Vince who you may ask? Let me just put this out there: Vince Gironda was the Bill Gates/Steve Jobs of...
Vince Gironda Inspired Workouts: 8x8 Training, Mindset, and Principles
If you’re a fan of bodybuilding or physique competitions, then you know many of the top champions work with a trainer and/or nutritionist to help them prepare for their big shows. Many of the folks these athletes hire are known as coaches or “gurus”. You might be able to name many of the top "gurus"...
Video: Kurt's Kitchen - Sweet Potato Waffles
WNBF Pro Bodybuilder and Team Scivation sponsored athlete Kurt Weidner shares his recipe for healthy high protein waffles. For more information, please check out the Kurt Weidner's Sweet Potato Waffles recipe page. For more great recipes by Kurt Weidner, check out the video series Kurt's Kitchen. Ha...
Video: Kurt's Kitchen - Saturday Night Burritos
WNBF Pro Bodybuilder Kurt Weidner shares his recipe for healthy burritos. This is an example of what Kurt would enjoy as break in his nutritional routine during his off-season. For more information, please check out the Kurt Weidner's Saturday Night Burritos recipe page. For more great resipes by Ku...
Vegan Muscle Building - Can It Work?
Over the last years, more and more people have approached me with questions regarding a vegan diet and how to gain muscle/lose fat, so I decided that this might make for a good topic for Muscle & Strength. I am a convinced carnivore but I do respect other people's beliefs, and it makes for interesti...
Venom Training System: Low & High Rep Bodybuilding
Venom Training When an individual plans for their workout they typically decide between either a low repetition, heavy weight blueprint or high repetition, low weight. In comes my Venom Training System. This system combines both low repetition, heavy weight AND high repetition, low weight workloads...
Video: Kurt's Kitchen - Blueberry Muffins
WNBF Pro Bodybuilder Kurt Weidner shares his recipe for healthy egg white oats and blueberry muffins. For more information, please check out the Kurt Weidner's Blueberry Muffins recipe page. For more great resipes by Kurt Weidner, check out the video series Kurt's Kitchen. Have any questions for Kur...
Should You Vary Protein Sources To Maximize Muscle Building?
Proteins are often put upon a pedestal by gym-goers and for good reason. Aside from the myriad of functions proteins play in vivo, they’re also a key regulator/substrate for muscular (and other tissue) hypertrophy. Obviously if you’re putting in endless hours training and beating your body to a pulp...
Using Resistance Bands for Explosive Muscle Growth
AML Athlete Joe Donnelly always has some innovated tips when it comes to training and workout routines. From occlusion training to high intensity interval weight circuits, Joe never fails to impress with his unique training styles. Naturally, when Joe has a tip for muscle growth, the Muscle & Streng...
Variable Split Training
I am often asked questions about the science of bodybuilding, training and nutrition. Most common questions revolve around how many days per week should someone train, how many reps per set and what type of volume should the workout entail. People expect me to sort out the facts and provide a one si...
Build More Mass: Use Chains for Strength Gains
Hanging chains on the bar while lifting weights may seem like something only elite powerlifters do to maintain their incredible strength and power. You may also think that these medieval-looking chains couldn’t possibly have much of an influence on the training effect, especially compared to all the...
Upping the Training Intensity: Plateau Busting Training Methods
In order for us to achieve progression in our training, we must increase our work capacity. The body will react to this increased training work capacity by an increase in muscle growth and increased strength; this increase will quickly be followed by a training plateau unless training load is furthe...
Upper Body Alternatives to Your Favorite Gym Machines (Plus Free Workout!)
Getting the motivation to train at home can be tricky. You’re not at the gym surrounded by other people training with the machines that you like to use. As a result, you might need to take extra time to talk yourself into going through with the workout with the options you have available. You should...
The Unlimited Diet Plan: A Surefire Way To Build Muscle & Burn Fat
Practically everybody knows the key importance of protein for boosting muscle growth and recovery. While there are some common myths around a high protein diet causing certain health issues and kidney damage, this is unproven in research. In fact, for your physique there is some new breaking researc...
Unsatisfied With Results? Make A Plan, Take Action
These are the realest words I've ever written. What if? You are out of shape. You are broke. You are weak. You are unhappy. You hate your job. You are with the wrong person. You are frustrated. You are stressed. You are overweight. You are underweight. You are aging faster than you should. Your life...
Universal Texas Road Trip with Antoine Vaillant & Chris Tuttle
On a hot day in Texas north of 100 degrees, Team Universal consisting of IFBB Pros Antoine Vaillant, Chris Tuttle and Universal Road Trip “host” Eric “naturalguy” Schwartz showed up at the famous Texas Gym in Dallas to smash their workouts. Texas Gym, a hardcore institution, is one of the most sough...
The United States Of Atrophy - An Interview With Tito Dudley
Natural bodybuilder Tito Dudley is a cancer survivor, a filmmaker, and a man dedicated to helping America find it's way back to a healthy lifestyle. His first film, The United States Of Atrophy, is set to be released in the spring of 2011. For more information on Tito Dudley, please visit his websit...
Unique Movements, Power Racks And Exercises You Should Be Doing!
Unique Movements Lately, due mainly to time constraints, I've had to get creative in some of my workouts as far as how I perform an exercise. Case in point, if I have 15 minutes to do a workout (sometimes I only have ten!) and it's back day, for example, I will employ intensity techniques as well as...