I believe that when it comes to exercising and working out, we all have our own perception as to what we find to be difficult and challenging, and what we do not. Someone who is completely new to training with weights in the gym for example, might find that a 20-30 minute resistance training session is more then sufficient for them to reach maximum failure in the early stages of their fitness regimen. An intermediate or advanced lifter on the other hand might be able to train for hours on end with much heavier weights, and yet still be able recovery quickly enough to be able to do another workout just as intense the very next day. Obviously the beginner lifter will not be as conditioned as the intermediate and advanced lifter and therefore might move a little bit slower during their own workouts, rest a little bit longer in between their own sets, and will most likely require an extra day or two to recover in between their own workouts.

However what happens when the beginner lifter never really advances to become the advanced or even intermediate lifter? I mean one would think that it's only a natural progression that the more often a person trains and the more time that they spend in the gym, that they would eventually become stronger, faster and more fit, right?

Occasionally yes. But more often then not the reality is no, no they do not........

These days it seems that when it comes to dieting, everyone seems to be overly concerned with counting macronutrients and calories. Sure, calories are important. And yes, knowing your macronutrient totals for the day can play a significant role when it comes to building muscle and losing fat. HOWEVER, in my opinion there is one particular component that is constantly overlooked when it comes to diet and nutrition. And this component is a crucial part of the equation if you are serious about not only achieving results, but sustaining those results. And that crucial component is - Knowing the value of your micronutrients.

Dieting sucks. Nobody enjoys dieting. Whenever I hear the word "Diet" the first thoughts that come to mind are restriction, fatigue, boring, low energy, and irritability. However for myself personally, my biggest fear when it comes to dieting, is how my performance in the gym is going to suffer as soon as I begin restricting calories and increasing my cardiovascular activity. Or at least this use to be a fear of mine until I learned how to diet correctly.

Most of us have hobbies. Whether it be collecting cars, playing golf, or even cooking in the kitchen, we all have certain activities that we enjoy doing during our down time. And for me, since the age of 15, my hobby of choice has always been bodybuilding.....