Perspective: Read Now…

I write this blog for one reason: to help people reach their goals in the least amount of time, with the least amount of effort while spending the least amount of money. To deliver this, I check things meticulously in the medical research and scientific journals, I test products before making recommendations and I present advice that’s worked for not just one person, but for the vast majority of the athletes—and laypeople—that I’ve worked with over the last decade. I attempt to provide you with advice at the level of top strength, physique and nutrition specialists in the world, and sometimes one step beyond.

And you think this guy is scary when he’s pissed off…

As part of this goal, I will never introduce workout plans or diet advice with, “Well, I think…” I don’t think what I write here is true; I know it is. This sounds cocky but it is not hubris. I know things are true because I’ve studied the science journals, learned about endocrinology, molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, neurology, paracrine signaling, evolutionary physiology and so on for the past 15 years. A large portion of my time is spent keeping up with this evolving knowledge base. Therefore, I know a lot, but I’m also the first to admit that there’s still a lot that I don’t know, and a lot more that science still doesn’t know, things for which research may never illuminate the answer. When I don’t know, I’ll keep my mouth shut unless someone asks my perspective, which I’m happy to provide, under the caveat that it is my informed and educated opinion as things stand. Instead of blowing copious amounts of smoke up your ass, if I really have no clue, I’ll say, “Fuck if I know,” and leave it at that.

So, like I said in the comment section in Protein Supplementation 2.0, I don’t take kindly to people throwing in their two cents and half-baked opinions with support like, “I heard So-and-so say they eat 10 lbs of whatever a day.” Bodybuilders and most bodybuilding magazines are unreliable sources of information—no, let’s be honest: most of the time they’re the worst source of information for the typical lifter who’s battling it out at the gym night after night. I floundered with diet and nutrition for several years because the information available in the media is a mish-mash of hackneyed theories, wild exaggerations and twisted speculation. Now, I’m trying to save others the time I wasted by believing the media.

I lament that fact that our idols can also not be trusted. These people, mostly professional bodybuilders, are no longer people—they have become a business, and their loyalty lies with the people who fill their coffers. We are not those people, at least, not directly. The image athletes—bodybuilders, figure and fitness competitors—say and do what advertisers and magazines want them to say. The more sensational the image, the more the respective companies can make from the athlete’s image, the more the companies pay the athlete for endorsements, articles and photos. The diets attributed to said athletes in the magazines are rarely their actual diet; the supplements they attribute their success to, they rarely take, or sometimes, don’t even know what the product is when asked if they think it really works (yes, I’ve had this happen at an impromptu meeting at lunch with a high-visibility bodybuilder).

This site has no advertising of any kind. I do not make money from anyone in association with what I present here. I get no kickbacks, I get no endorsement fees, I have no agenda and, currently, no conflicts of interest. And I’m not asking for any money. So, if you want to leave a comment, or have a question, ask, but be respectful. If you come off like a smartass, or cop the I’m-smarter-than-you attitude, I will gladly hand your ass to you. Like I said before, I’m not a nice guy…it’s the one constant in this world you can count on.