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If you walk into the gym most days and you're thinking about what to watch during dinner instead of focusing on the lifting that's about to happen, you need to refocus with some serious changes ASAP. Here's what to do. 1 Grab a Calendar Now count out 12 weeks from today and put a giant X on the...

We live in an interesting era. It's an era in which food selection can actually define you as a person. It shouldn't, but if you're looking for significance or purpose, it's an easy way to feel like you've found it. This new phenomenon was catalyzed by the explosion of social media. We can now...

This is the art of volumizing: Choosing foods that seem to take up more space in your stomach, but won't make YOU take up more space. You'll feel like you're eating a ton because you're satiated, but you're actually consuming a reasonable amount of calories. And by replacing sugary ingredients...

Training with a sore or injured back is tricky. If you were to avoid working it altogether, your workout would likely be comprised of vacuums, dead bugs, and pulldowns. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are plenty of modifications you can make to existing exercises that'll keep back...

BUSY IS NOT AN EXCUSE No matter how busy you are, if you prioritize a goal you'll get it done. And unless you make getting lean a top priority, it probably won't happen. But you're busy, you say. Your schedule is tight. Sorry, not an excuse. You just need to learn to become efficient with your...

If you're trying to reach a certain physique goal and you're not paying much attention to what you're eating, you're essentially playing ping pong in the dark. You might occasionally score, but mostly you'll just be swinging wildly. To save yourself years of frustration, sub-optimal gains, and...

Science can make nutrition complicated. Measure the glycemic index of this, the glycemic load of that. How much omega-6's in this? What about omega-3's? While a deeper level of nutrition knowledge can certainly be useful, what we often get through the media are little bits of information that's...

THE MENTAL ASPECT AND THE MUSCLE MATH Eating carbs for many of us is a mental barrier, especially those of us who had a hard time getting lean and then finally got very lean by cutting carbs. But it doesn't have to be that way. As long as your muscle glycogen stores are not close to full, the...

Gaining weight is a full-time job – NOT a hobby. At IFAST, we've got a slew of high-school football players whose goal is to get bigger and stronger for the upcoming season. Some are moving from defensive back to linebacker while others are moving from linebacker to the defensive line. The...

EAT A SIMILAR DIET EVERY DAY If you're busy and struggling to stick to your diet, it could be that your diet is too varied. While the typical advice is to include as much variety as possible, from a practical perspective it might be the worst piece of advice. When you wake up in the morning...

Are you new to lifting? Here's some advice you might not like, but you should definitely take to heart anyway, even if it hurts your feelings a little. 1 One Rep Maxes Aren't For You You have no business maxing out in the gym if you're a beginner. I don't care how strong you're feeling. Do your...

The inverted row is also a great way to hammer your upper back while sparing your lower back for squat and deadlift. The downside with the inverted row is its difficult to load. As a result, most strong lifters quickly outgrow the inverted row and move on. Common Loading Approaches for...

Every committed lifter knows that a solid training session doesn't include a 20-minute rest period between curls. But that's what happens to newbs who get sidetracked by trying to find the best overhead lighting for their selfie. While we may not fall into that trap, there are some lesser known...

SUSPICIOUS SYMPTOMS Leaky gut is an ailment a lot of people suspect they have, but often can't prove in the doctor's office. What are the symptoms? An assortment of things that might seem totally unrelated at first. Here are the common ones: Severe joint and muscle pain Frequent migraines and...

The easiest time to start a fat-loss diet is when you're really stuffed after a big meal. That's a joke, but not really. Think about how easy it is to plan a strict diet when you're full: "Tomorrow I'm going to drop the junk food, eat 1800 calories a day, and get ripped" you think as you unzip...

For years, it's been the same story. Nervous excitement fills your every muscle fiber as you read the latest program offered to you for free at T NATION. "I can't wait to try this out at the gym tonight" you say, and tonight can't come fast enough. But it always ends the same. You, sitting on...

We all want great results from our training efforts. But far too often, we fail to consider the costs of these results – all the time, effort, orthopedic wear and tear, time away from family and professional pursuits, and so forth. I understand that most of us are willing to "pay the price."...

Your goal may be to start a business, write a novel, lose fat, or get a college degree. In fact, the more important a new venture is to your personal development, the more powerful the roadblocks (which Pressfield calls "The Resistance") will be. Fighting this Resistance is the "war" referred to...

THE WORST KNEE INJURY IMAGINABLE In 2017, while playing basketball, I experienced one of the worst knee injuries you can get: a bilateral patellar tendon rupture. That's a full separation of the patellar tendon on both knees at the same time. The silver lining has been plenty of insight on what...

You're sitting in the audience at a strength and conditioning conference, there to learn a thing or two about building bigger, stronger muscles, and the speaker calls you up to the podium. The speaker has set up a barbell onstage with a stack of plates next to it. He tells you that you're going...