For many years short rest periods of 30-90 seconds have been touted as being superior to longer rest times (>2 minutes) for the purpose of hypertrophy. We can totally understand this line of thinking. It FEELS like you’re working harder by reducing your rest time, heart rate is likely higher, and you may even obtain a more intense pump! It makes sense that this would be better for muscle gain, right?

While this celebratory homestretch before show day holds much anticipation and excitement, peak week shouldn’t be interpreted as “magical”. Rather, peak week should be seen as putting the finishing touches on a canvas, not trying to paint the Sistine Chapel in seven days…

When it comes to enhancing exercise performance we understand that it’s easy to get caught in the weeds. Supplement protocols, superfoods, anabolic windows and the like can unfortunately blind us from what’s most important – nailing the basics.

Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAAs) refer to three of the nine essential amino acids, these being Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Over the years the consumption of BCAAs around the exercise window has gained immense popularity, with claims that supplementation can improve exercise performance, endurance, recovery, reduce appetite, build muscle, and even enhance mental focus. However… scientific evidence to back-up these claims is severely lacking, and the overall consensus is that BCAA supplementation is unnecessary.

The quality of a diet isn’t determined by what you exclude... but rather the variety of foods that you choose to INCLUDE!

The sport of bodybuilding encompasses SO much more than just training and nutrition!

Tracking “To The Gram” Isn’t Mandatory. Nutrition is often viewed in a black and white context; however, we like to view nutrition in different shades of grey. The dietary strategies someone chooses to implement should be unique to them, therefore the approach they take really does “depend” on the context.

If you ask any passionate bodybuilder to elaborate on their “why”, they’re highly likely to explain that living this lifestyle isn’t solely for the purpose of building muscle mass.

It goes without saying that a calorie deficit is required for weight loss. However, there’s arguably nothing more frustrating than embarking on a weight loss journey, THINKING you’re in a calorie deficit, yet watching the scale stay stagnant.

It can be easy to understand the appeal of fast-tracked weight loss. Why diet for 15 weeks when you can get the job done in less than half the time? Rapid results don’t come with any negative consequences, right? Not necessarily…