Author: Maik Wiedenbach

CARDIO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH: DOES IT BURN MORE FAT?

Even though this is more a strength oriented website, most athletes still do some form of cardio and, let’s face it, most of us do it to look good. So fat loss is a topic worth covering. For ages, people have gotten up at ungodly hours and performed cardio following the logic that since they […]

SHRUGS: THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD EXERCISE IN NORTH AMERICA

Today’s subject seems rather mundane… I mean shrugs, really? You grab the heaviest dumbbells you can find and perform short, jerky motions, right? Yes, that is pretty much how shrugs are done in every gym I have ever set foot in. It’s a pretty cool exercise, you get to move 5 plates on the barbell, […]

SO YOU OVERATE ON THANKSGIVING…

So you overate just like the rest of America. I’m here to tell you that it’s okay! The excess calories and rest can be used to build some quality muscle, so it’s not all that bad. The best thing to do, in my humble opinion, would be to perform a whole body power workout like […]

FINDING A PERSONAL TRAINER

Using a personal trainer can help you in achieving your fitness goals. So how do you find the right trainer for you? I came up with an ingenious 5-point plan to separate the good from the not so good: 1. Ask for license and insurance. Sounds obvious, yet most people don’t do it. 2. Are […]

FINDE DIE WAHRHEIT: THOUGHTS ABOUT FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

When you have been in gyms as long as I have (and it has been a long time now), you notice a lot of new trends that come and go. Tae-bo, step aerobics, hot yoga, Pilates, spinning, CrossFit… the list goes on. Kettle bells seem to re-emerge after a 20-year hiatus. And most of these […]

STEVE JOBS, GOODFELLAS, AND DREAMS

There has already been a stream of tributes to Steve Jobs so I won’t write another one. Well, I will… sort of. But it will be from a different angle than most. Sure he gave us the iPod, iPhone, etc., but those that know me well are aware of the fact that I am not […]

OF CHOICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Another day in the contest prep, another day of not so much energy and rather limited food choices. But, I am quite happy with the way things are coming along; everything seems to be on track. Inevitably, the leaner you get, the more you get noticed in the gym and then it starts: “What do […]

FAT TAX: YAY OR NAY?

As we all know, obesity is on the rise in the industrialized world and the outlook isn’t pretty (unless you sell diet pills). Carrying too much weight can cause diabetes, heart attacks, joint problems, depression, loss of cognitive abilities, and an overall diminished quality of life. In order to combat obesity, Hungary went ahead and […]

THE BEST SUPPLEMENT

The question as to which supplement is best has been pondered for decades, but fear not for I have the answer! It is… drumroll, please… read meat! Yes, that’s right, foods win again over artificial substances. Why red meat? Let’s take a look. Great protein? Check! Creatine? Check! Zinc and Iron? Double check! What about […]

HAPPY NEW YEAR (ATTENTION, RANT MODE ON!)

Happy New Year to everyone, may 2011 bring you whatever it is that you are hoping for; I personally am hoping for about 5-7lbs. of muscle while staying reasonably lean. I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions; if you want something so bad, why did you wait until an obscure date? Did […]