Strength and Physique

Q: I am a member of the Canadian Forces Military Police branch. I have just come off of a medical category due to a lower back/sacroilliac (SI) joint injury from a training accident. That being said, I'm finally off medical leave and able to get to the gym. Running is something I am not good at both due to sports induced asthma and my injury (it gets really sore and tired around the 20 minute mark). As well, I have been working to develop core strength to regain stability in the region of my injury. With that being said, I began to look online for programs or tips on training for cops. I came across a couple articles you wrote and thought that I would attempt to contact you. Basically I am seeking some assistance in not only regaining my fitness level but surpassing it.  As a fellow police officer and from your articles, you seem to have a keen sense for what is physically necessary of us. Plus, you made mention of "looking" the part which does assist in dealing wit...

Q:  Hello, I'm an ectomorph that has been lifting for around six months now. I have been working out 4 days a week hitting each muscle group once with 2-3 sets for each. I will say that I have become more cut and put on a little weight, but with school and work currently I find it hard to make it 4 days a week and would like to condense down to working out 3 days a week.  I've noticed that your workout plan is designed for body types such as myself. My main concern is that I'v never tried pyramids before, and I'm not sure how to come at 10 8 6 15 routine. For example, I can currently bench 145 for three sets of 10. How would I incorporate this into your pyramid routine? Would I start with lighter weight increase by 5 until I get to 15 then drop to light weight again for the last 15? Any help is greatly appreciated. I would love to start this routine next week.  - M. Patterson   My Answer: Pyramiding is quite easy. All you do is add more and more weight fr...

I know it's been awhile since I've posted a real entry, one where I'm not answering the same questions over and over. But I've been quite busy as of late. The biggest cause of busy-ness? My 6 month old daughter, of course. It's been hard juggling work, writing, working out and family. So I've been following the training principles in Training for the Busy Bodybuilder to keep myself in shape. If you have an extremely busy lifestyle, then having a home gym makes life much more convenient. I wrote about the basics for the home gym in a previous post , but I thought I'd follow-up with a post on "home gym extras." These are pieces of equipment or exercises that, if you have the extra money and the extra strength, should purchase and perform: 1) Kettlebell- A lot of people go crazy bat shit over kettlebells. They think kettlebells cure everything from ectomorphism to obesity to cancer. But the bottom line is that kettlebells are tools, th...