Articles

As athletes, we evolve as the years go on. Whether it's diet, training, our look, or all of the above, we progress forward and change as needed. Things that worked back in the day may now not apply to our present circumstances. Chris Tuttle has adjusted his training since he started. Here's how.

Stop doing cardio and you will never lose your gains—this answer seems like the obvious one, right? It’s commonly thought that in concurrent training—the combined training of aerobic and resistance training—endurance training creates some interference that can limit hypertrophy signaling. As a result, bodybuilders all around have been trying to limit cardio to prevent muscle gains from slipping away, but if implemented correctly, cardio won't steal your gains. From a bodybuilding standpoint, cardio must happen sometimes to create the energy deficit possible to get stage lean. From an off-season perspective, there is some merit to continuing cardio for general health reasons, such as aiding sleep and stress management, and allowing those squats to wear out your quads before wearing out your lungs. I am going to cover how to implement cardio with the least impact to strength and hypertrophy gains.

We should never take records for granted because the best of the best are trying to outdo themselves and each other by very slim margins. Rob Kearny, Animal's newest Strongman athlete, shoots on breaking the Log Press record in his latest article.

Bodybuilding is as much internal as it is external. Yes, it is the goal to look as big and ripped as possible but the idea of health is also a factor. The types of food you choose to put in your body can have a positive or negative effect on how the inner workings operate. It comes down to what you choose to fork into your mouth. Chris Tuttle, Registered Dietitian, dives deeper on the subject.

2020 is a tough year for everyone, especially competitive athletes. With shows and competitions getting canceled and postponed left and right, the uncertainty or lack of a final destination in your training can lead to a loosening of the competitive mindset. Some people can only stay motivated when there is a goal on the map. How do you keep your head in the game with no meets in sight?

In the fitness world, people rely heavily on calorie free foods and products. They want to enjoy all the yummy sweet and savory foods but limit all the calories. Zero calorie foods are also a go-to for many in order to satisfy cravings. I hate to break the myth here, but zero calories on a food label does not mean it truly is zero calories. Although the amounts consumed for some foods might not add up to be significant, that is not always the case. The biggest issue is that it is easy to abuse zero calorie food items when food focus is so high on test prep. If you are dieting on 1500 calories, you can easily rack up an extra 150 calories for the food items you thought were zero calorie. Now you just bumped your calorie intake up 10%; that can be the difference between getting that last bit of body fat off or not. Let’s look over some common zero calorie foods.

As the years pass and new generations emerge, the evidence of a culture based upon instant gratification grows. Everyone wants everything quickly. If you couple that with a group of people who were given participation trophies their whole life, they'll begin to expect great things, not earn them. Gone are the days of grinding in the trenches, where folks said "I'm not where I want to be today, but I'm one step closer to getting there in the future." G-Six elaborates on this subject in his latest article, "Patience: A Lost Skill." Be sure to check it out.

While maintaining good mental health has always been important for our overall wellbeing, it's more relevant now than ever due to current events derailing many of our normal routines. There are many strategies that we can employ to help ourselves keep our heads "screwed on straight." Evan Centopani, one of Animal's most grounded and logical athletes, highlights some ways we can make sure our brains and thought processes are operating optimally.

Not too many people can say they’ve placed second twice at Mr. Olympia. Derek Lunsford can. But in true champion form, these runner up spots are not enough for him. He’s after the gold. To come up short two years in a row is a hard pill to swallow, but those that are destined for greatness are the best at looking introspectively and making adjustments, both physically and mentally. Derek catches us up on the changes he’s made going into the 2020 Olympia with plans to nail this one down.

As the gyms begin to open and we head back in, there are some precautions people should take if they have only been doing bodyweight exercises or haven't been doing anything at all. John Jewett explains how to properly reintegrate into the gym scene.

An immune system is your body's shield against viruses, bacterias, and pathogens. The stronger your immune system is the better chance you will have in overcoming illness. Key herbs and minerals in the recently released Animal Immune Pak can help buff up your internal armor. Read more about it in the latest article, "Is Your Foundation Strong or Is Your House Ready to Crumble?"

You've seen the people at the gym who go there every day and never change. Year after year, they still maintain the same look while others around them move forward. Why are they not progressing? IFBB Pro Chris Tuttle provides some answers in his latest article, "5 Reasons Why You're Not Progressing." Check it out.