Month: April 2015

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Heavy/Light/Medium Training

Strongest Shall Survive by Bill Starr

Having either depressed or angered folks with my discussion on anabolic steroids and how they factually build muscle and strength without training I want to shift gears and write about something that is in the long-list of “Stuff I’ve been meaning to put down” and never gotten around too.   Specifically I want to talk about the idea of Heavy/Light/Medium training,

Daily Undulating Periodization

I imagine that many if not most readers are familiar with a current training idea/fad called Daily Undulating Periodization or DUP.  DUP came out of problems with old-school linear periodization and the fact that physiological characteristics that are not trained for extended periods are lost.

The basic idea is that you train in different repetition ranges (i.e. 5’s, 8’s, 12’s) on different days to target different “aspects” of training (strength, growth, endurance) in hopes of getting the best of all worlds.  DUP has benefits and problems (not the least of which is a tendency to overtrain if every day is taken to maximum) but that’s neither here nor there.… Keep Reading

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Anabolic Steroids and Muscle Growth

Since at least the 1970’s and probably much earlier than that, anabolic steroids have been part of sport.  Testosterone was first synthesized in the 30’s and there are rumors of bodybuilders using it fairly early in the game.    Even then, many like to downplay the impact of the drugs, claiming they only help a little.    And, well, I disagree. So today I want to look at what is a somewhat unusual topic for me, the topic of anabolic steroids and muscle growth.

I am Not an Anabolic Steroid Expert

Ok, let me start this with a disclaimer: I am not a steroid guy. I know enough to be a little bit dangerous and can throw around big words like leutinizing hormone and steroidogenesis but that’s about it.  I’ve read most of the major books (and I have both Duchaine’s Ultimate Steroid Handbook and USHII so nyah nyah) because it interests me on some level but that’s it.   … Keep Reading

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What is The Best Diet?

Having revealed the Final Secrets of the Illuminatty last week, I want to switch gears and present an excerpt from a new book that I may or may not be in the process of writing.  Yes, the reference list is tweaked numerically and this hasn’t been edited (it’s barely spell checked).  Deal with it.

What is the Best Diet?

One of the most common questions I see/get is “What is the best diet?” as if there could be any single dietary approach that can possibly be appropriate for all people, all situations, all contexts and all environments.

It would be like asking “What’s the best car?” without the understanding that the answer depends on the situation. The best car for a family with kids is not the same best car for a male trying to impress women.

And the same is true of dieting. Best can only be defined relative to the specific context.… Keep Reading