Strength and Physique

I enjoyed your article very much on Strength Training for Law Enforcement .  I'm going through the police academy next month. I've been training for a few years, started for football then bodybuilding.  Now I am really pushing myself to become an athletic freak before the academy, just to let you know.  I liked your article, and it really pumped me up to train even harder. Thanks for the motivation, Joe H." Q:  I'm a huge fan of your blog. Great stuff. Your articles make a lot of sense. You are a blessing to a lot of people.  I'm 33 years old, skinny, but with 17% body fat. I'm planning to do body weight exercises with kettlebells and dumbbells. I don't have time to hit the gym due to my busy schedule.  I hope your ectomorph workout will add more muscle to my frame and change the way I look. I aim to have a more commanding presence, since I'm a school administrator.   Kind regards, E.O. My Answer:  Thanks for the kind words...

James, your articles are filled with good information.  Lot's of common sense too!   Glad I found you last year and continue to look forward to reading more. Best to you, Patrick D. Oakley, CA My Answer:  Hey thanks for the kind words Pat.  I just want to say that I appreciate all of the support from you guys and gals, my readers. I'll leave you with a quick tip before I retire for the holiday week. Christmas is a time to enjoy food and family, so don't deprive yourself at the dinner table. The key to damage control during the holidays is not to prohibit yourself from eating certain foods, but to exercise portion control. Don't worry about what it is you can or can't eat. Go ahead and enjoy some pumpkin pie. Just put smaller portions on your plate. Eat a little of everything that you like, but stop when you're satiated. Happy Holidays!

Over the years, I've seen some pretty funny behavior in the gym.  Because the gym is an environment where men and women workout and sweat with minimal clothing, there is a lot of peacocking going on.  (For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, peacocking is the "ostentatious dress or behavior employed by a man in an attempt to impress women") In the presence of women, particularly attractive women, men tend to puff themselves up when working out.  Men will consciously or subconsciously work out harder when an attractive woman is nearby. Most women, on the other hand, don't notice men in the gym (unless of course he's very attractive) and they certainly aren't impressed by how much a man lifts.  Men notice how much other men lift, but women don't give a rat's ass. What women notice is not performance but physique.  Men are drawn to the hour glass figure of a woman, whereas women are drawn to a man's shoulder to waist r...

My name is Jonathan and after looking at your routine , I would just like to say thank you for posting.  It looks great, and I am eager to get started with it! The question I have is in regards to the overall time of the workout. I have heard ectomorphs should not be in the gym longer than 60 minutes and by looking at this routine while taking all the 3 minute breaks into account the workout will far exceed the 60 minute time frame.  My question is, how can I get around that, would I have to take smaller breaks, or possibly remove a couple of the exercises from the routine? I look forward to hearing back from you! Cheers, Jonathan My Answer: You can reduce the rest periods in the following manner to keep it within an hour. •Squats - 3 minutes rest •Bench Press - 2 minutes rest •V-Bar Pulldown - 2 minutes rest •Lateral Raise - 1 minute rest / Dumbbell Curls 1 minute rest \ Close-Grip Bench Press 1 minute rest Dumbbell curls and Close grip bench...

I once interviewed a former Army Special Forces Captain, and we talked about his experiences as a Green Beret. We got into an interesting discussion on the image of the Green Berets vs. the Navy SEALs, and he had this to say: "The U.S. Army Special Forces like to call themselves the 'Quiet Professionals.'  We pride ourselves on doing our jobs, not saying anything about it, and then just melting away in the dark like those scary blobs in the Patrick Swayze movie Ghost.  We don't brag; we don't show off... "But I actually think that this total embrace of the 'Quiet Professional' attitude and culture hurts Green Berets.  Why?  Because nobody knows who we are or what we do!  "I literally want to punch myself in the groin every time I've been cornered in a conversation to eventually explain what the Green Berets are and say, 'Uh... yeah, we're like the Navy SEALs, but for the Army.'  The worst is when they say back, 'Oh y...