Yea, I'm a party pooper, I know. I did get a chuckle out of your comment though.

Anyone else really annoyed by the use of both TNR and Arial fonts in the letter? Just me? I'll see myself out.

That's his work address - he's a UNC Wilmington coach.

Curling in the power rack? Now I question if you're just trolling me. :) Another way to go is just bench without clips. You can always just dump the plates. You'll look like an asshole, but you won't die. (I did this once, very nonchalantly. I don't think anyone else thought it was nonchalant, however.)

Why not? They are excellent for squatting and deadlifting in. What alternative would you suggest?

Avoid the Smith machine, very unnatural range of motion. Another suggestion for spotter-less benching - bench in the power rack with the pins locked in at a point where if you failed, you could just relax your chest a little and the bar would come to rest on the pins (i.e. low enough to not get in the way of a…

If you get enough sleep, a pre workout is unnecessary for the most part. If you need a pick me up, a little caffeine should work fine. Pre-workouts do work, and I use them, but I try to keep it sparing (i.e. only on nights where I am completely exhausted and really need a pick me up, or on nights when I know I'm…

Also, minor pedantic quibble - squats and deadlifts ARE free weight exercises. Do you mean you're just doing dumbbells?

The deadlift is really a lower body exercise. Yes, there are some upper body muscles involved, but the legs are the prime movers. Looked at another way, if you're doing any compound movement correctly, it's a whole body exercise. When you bench in a powerlifting style, you drive your heels down towards the ground…

Great article, but I just want to add - no gloves, never wear gloves.

And to add to this, video taping yourself is the best way to analyze form on the squat and deadlift. Watching yourself in the mirror will only mess you up because the proper positioning for those lifts does not comport with where your head/neck/eyes would be when looking in the mirror. Mirror is totally fine for…

Get stronger first. When you can max over 300 in each, then start using a weight belt. And only for your top sets.

I would say it all depends on your goals and the "trainer" you choose. If you want to be strong, follow a powerlifting program. If you want to be aesthetic, following a bodybuilding program. But, unless you really want to compete as a bodybuilder, you probably don't need to follow a traditional bodybuilding "split,"…

This is generally good advice. However, there are some very good diet plans (for weight training) that involve the strategic use of simple sugars and junk carbohydrates to fuel up for or replenish after a training session (flexible dieting/IIFYM, carb cycling and carb backloading). John Kiefer, Krissy Mae Cagney and…

Did you read the article? It doesn't assume the prior relationship ended poorly or that the target audience is despondent. It's just practical advice on how to handle discussions/questions that may come up. Don't like the content? Just stop reading and move on.

Then use the word "mentally ill" or identify the illness. In all cases, refrain from use of the word "crazy."

I pretty much discounted everything that came after the word "piece."

Fair enough. To be honest, I'm mostly familiar with powerlifting programming (and don't know much about marathon training, aside from bits and pieces from a friends that has run a few). There's some wiggle room, but if your program calls for a lighter day (i.e. speed work or rep work) or specific percentage work,…

It also depends on the lift I think. If you're deadlifting, anger can be a big plus - for the most part, you just need to grip it and rip it. Provided you already have good motor patterns ingrained, your form will probably be fine. For a lift like the squat, which is more technical, and requires staying tight and…

This is great and all if you go to the gym just to "work out," but doesn't really help/apply if you're on a specified training program (be it powerlifting, bodybuilding, marathon training, etc.).