There are people out there, who take a lifetime to accomplish something meaningful and relevant. They hone their art, spend time in the trenches and eventually achieve mastery in their respective fields. The problem is, by the time they do, they’re old and gray and approaching their dying days.

No so with Lee Boyce. I’m not saying he’s the end-all-be-all, but for a guy who’s well under 30, he’s managed to become a regular writer at T-Nation, works for one of the nation’s most respected medical clinics, is CPTN certified, a regular fitness expert on a National TV morning show, has appeared in Mens Health, The Huffington Post and other major fitness journals… and so on and so forth. Basically, he knows a shit load about about all the things you can, and need to do in a gym. Ya dig?

So needless to say, this is one man you should listen to. What lies below is a wealth of knowledge for your mental absorption.

The Interview…

me: Hey dude

coachleeboyce: Hey man

me: Glad to see you managed to figure out Gchat. You’re smarter than you look, fo sho!

coachleeboyce: haha. Whats up for the rest of the day?

me: I got coaching in the evening. Power Tumbling… teaching people how to flip without landing on their face. Though, some inevitably do.

coachleeboyce: nice

me: Yeah, so lets start this shebang. Welcome you tall freak of nature and hard work, and mad props for doing this lil interview.

coachleeboyce: No problem

me: Let’s start at the beginning, give us a lil run down of how Lee Boyce came to be from where you started initially. From what I heard, a mutual friend of ours told me you were a bean pole once?

coachleeboyce: Hell yeah. I was a skinny sprinter. I was lean, but I hit 6’2″ by grade 11… at 168lbs there was nothing much to speak for. Of course, being a typical highschool athlete, I FELT big. I got to around 185lbs by my senior year and looked like a basketball player; tall, athletic built but still considerably skinny.

The fact that many of the other guys were even skinnier made the buck eighty five go straight to my head.

me: So how long did it take to get to your level today (240?) and how did you do it? A little help for the young lads that are looking to pack on the pounds.

coachleeboyce: Hmmm… where to begin.

me: how bout nutrition since that’s what most people DONT focus on.

coachleeboyce: Well to start, I’ve been 240 for about 2 years now. I’m 24 years old.

Nutrition is huge. for a skinny bastard like I was once (ESPECIALLY if you’re YOUNG and skinny), you can’t be afraid of carbs and fats. You can be taking in TONNES of carbohydrates because bar a few, your metabolism will be burning calories like a furnace – especially if you’re even moderately active.

Learning how to train right and eating like a horse are the keys to weight gain.

And weight gain is the key to not being skinny. We’ll get to muscle gain after. There’s no point to working out hard in the gym in any way, shape or form, in the pursuit of size, if you aren’t taking in more calories than you put out, through basal metabolism and through your workouts

me: Agreed. It’s funny when guys think they’ll get “fat” when they load on carbs. I’d like to slap these mofos with an oatmeal bag. For the average young male, what macro break down would you usually prescribe?

coachleeboyce: Macro breakdown… lol. Just try to take in 1.5x your weight (lbs) in protein and 2x your weight in carbs in terms of grams. These are good basic guidelines. As far as meals go, a staple of mine was good ole’ chicken breast and sweet potatoes.

me: Y U NO ANSWER QUESTION?!

I kid, and those are basic solid guidelines.

coachleeboyce: lol. People overthink this stuff. I’m in no way a nutrition guru. Far from it. But making muscles grow, and making weight come up and come down is easier than young people make it out to be.

me: It’s true, I constantly have to stop myself from over-thinking. I think the problem(?) is that there is so much good info out there, that you want to incorporate it all. Then we gota bring ourselves back down to Earth and be like “one thing at a time”.

coachleeboyce: Exactly! Only after a certain training age will anyone realize that there are thousands of schools of thought on methodologies.

People who are spending time scrutinizing coaches’ styles in search of “the best method” will stay skinny for LIFE.

Why? because they’ll never find it.

me: You speak wisely, tall man. It’s true, I sometimes get emails saying “is your method the BEST method? If not I don’t want to train. I want to train using the BEST method”. I’m like its the best if you give me solid data and follow the fucking thing… Otherwise it’s shit

coachleeboyce: Your response is more than what mine would be. I’d log out. Drives me bananas.

me: Indeed. So while were on the topic of training, here’s quickie: The average Joe (or Juliette) is looking to make themselves a decent, not horrible program on strength. Three tips on decent program design?

coachleeboyce: The skinny average joe?

me: Sure.

coachleeboyce: Okay, my first tip would be to think of movement planes rather than muscles. Strength is created due to a sum of forces working against a resistance. Focusing on high volume biceps and triceps when you’re weak as a house of cards won’t get you any stronger.

Focusing on pulling and pushing muscles, however, can do alot for you. Make it directional: vertical pushing and pulling, versus horizontal pushing and pulling. It makes it easy to train the total body, release a lot of hormones, and perform many large functional movements.

2ndly I’d say to start from the ground up. I just did a segment for the morning show I’m on earlier this week about chronic pain, and I mentioned that things like the lack of tissue quality and structural balance are direct antecedents to joint discomfort. Long story short, if a skinny bastard expects to squat 300lbs in 6 weeks, he’s gonna have to make sure muscles like his VMO, Adductors, Glute Medius, and Psoas are all firing properly. Take the time to work on foundation movements in order to maximize strength, otherwise you could be exacerbating muscle imbalances. The aftermath is never fun.

3rd, Foundation aside, nothing beats standard, old school barbell training.

This is fact. My advice? Forget instability, and use Unilateral work sparingly when starting out. You cannot produce maximal force against an unstable surface, meaning you can’t train your strength to improve as effectively if you’re using these methods. This is where most kids go wrong. Training beginning strength is different than training strength of an intermediate, and both are different than training for hypertrophy. It is very important to make this distinction.

me: I think that 3rd tip will go a long way towards people not looking like complete morons. Awesome. Speaking of media, I saw you were on the CityTV, CTV and the likes. How’d that go? And what did you talk about?

coachleeboyce: Oh I’ve done several segments for all of them. One of my old clients was the late great Mark Dailey – anchor for cityNews. We got a couple of segments in together during the 2 1/2 years we worked with each other. Currently you can actually catch me talking training on First Look morning show on SunTV.

Generally I talk about a variety of training related topics – normally related to fat loss and the like, since our fat country is so fatly fat.

me: Tell me about it. Big market share for us, I say. It’ll take plenty of life-times to eliminate fatness from this world. Ain’t gona stop me from trying. And on a side note, it’s pretty awesome that you worked with Mark Dailey… know as “the voice of CityTv”. R.I.P

coachleeboyce: Oh yeah, he was a good guy. A friend, actually. Sad to see him battle the Cancer. And true, regarding market share.

me: Now I know you’re a TNation… or, TMuscle writer (whatever it is they call themselves these days). What I wanted to know was, do you have any tips for aspiring writers on how they can write for bigger publications (besides having to know their shit)? Give us a lil break down on how you ended up there.

coachleeboyce: To be honest, I’d start by picking a magazine that you’re interested in and getting into it waist-deep. There’s no point in making a mass proposal to publication after publication because editors will see that you don’t have too much knowledge of any one magazine – theirs in particular. To get into TNation, I had already been reading their material for a long period of time, which then led me to pursue the next steps in getting my thoughts in front of the editors.

My next tip would be to remember that persistence pays off. Pitches will get denied. People will not like everything you have to say. It happens, but how you act in response is what matters.

me: Right on. Yeah you’re one of the few authors on that site who’s content I’ll actually read. Now let’s discuss plateaus when it comes to strength and fat loss. How would you handle each respectively?

coachleeboyce: If it’s not a weak link that’s the issue, often time’s it’s some kind of physiological process that isn’t going the way it should. Strength plateaus, for example are usually due to CNS overload from, well… too much strength training. De-loading weeks are key.

Most fat issues are hormonal. So much of it is diet. The rest is stress. Keeping 2 hormones at bay (cortisol and insulin) will do wonders for getting lean and busting a plateau. luckily those two hormones are probably the most controllable ones in our body.

me: How about exercises that you see guys/gals do in the gym which are a complete waste of time?

coachleeboyce: lol, I see countless

me: Haha true. Top 5 then. So people don’t hate you and go cry in a corner

coachleeboyce: Hmmmm… its usually the “combos” that drive me nuts

me: Ah the mish-mashes

coachleeboyce: Like a stiff-arm pull down converted into a triceps press down at the end. Row – kickback combo. I once saw someone doing hang cleans on the BOSU ball… like… why? Kipping pullups. is that 5?

me: (in kipping’s defense, it’s needed in gymnastics for bar skills… but only if you’re in gymnastics)

coachleeboyce: yeah, and we know Crossfit junkies aren’t going to attack the pummel horse on their off days anytime soon.

me: Indeed. Actually, the correct term is “CultFit”

coachleeboyce: lol

me: Did you see this by the way? I thought it was an April fools… till I realized it wasn’t April: http://www.livestrong.com/video/3953-do-squat-bicep-shoulder-press/

coachleeboyce: OMG. I closed the window.

me: Haha. No one I know has gotten through the entire thing. It has almost become a DARE.

coachleeboyce: That can’t be serious. I don’t even know where to start, so I won’t.

me: She’s been a “certified” trainer since 1995. I didn’t know such stupidity existed back then…but I guess it did.

coachleeboyce: It’s a snowball effect as to where you get your start… regardless if you did university study, or just got a weekend certification, NEITHER of these have much carryover into real training scenarios.

It’s reading material and being coached that makes you into the trainer you become.

If you start by learning flashy stupidity that takes people further away from their goals, then you’ll get caught up if you don’t take a step back. When i started out I was 19 years old.. you should have seen the crap I put some clients through. Luckily I was able to turn things around, for their sake and mine.

me: Interesting theory, I think the snowball effect is a legit phenomenon if the mindset is whack. Those that get their certification in say, CultFit have such major blind spots towards anything else, that they reject it. And like you, in my early days I did some stupid shit… but one thing I never had was an ego. I searched for the truth. Speaking of which, who were your early influencers?

coachleeboyce: Well shortly after I turned 20, I hired a trainer myself at the local gym at which I worked. He taught me a lot of the basics on strength and hypertrophy training. I had ego. It was bad combination. Came from my skinny highschool syndrome I’m sure. Other early Influencers came from things I read. Eric Cressey, Chad Waterbury and Nate Green were definitely 3 notable names to me.

Nowadays I’m a fan of both Poliquin and Rippetoe (though their styles clash often), Gentilcore is great too.

me: I’m a huge Poliquin and Cressey fan myself. Seeing Cressey’s monster 600lbs pulls is what drove me to achieve 3x body weight pulls myself. Getting close. I’m like if THAT guy can pull such enormous load, sure, I’ll read his shit.

coachleeboyce: lol

me: So, if you could snap your fingers and change 1 thing about the fitness industry in an instant, what would it be and why?

coachleeboyce: The ease at which people can be deemed “professionals” in the industry. I get that people will all suck when they first start out, but there shouldn’t be any variables as to why they’re certified to train clients’ bodies. it scares me… basically there needs to be tighter standards to pass a training school. Perhaps even to enter training schooling.

me: But there are guys that slip through the cracks and do well, so I think there are pros to it as well. I hear what you’re saying though. When you train someone, their shit is in your hands. I think Dan John said it best when he explained his first rule of being a strength coach: “do no harm”.

coachleeboyce: True enough

me: Alright man, so let’s end off this interview with a Rapid Fire round. I’ll ask you 10 questions, you answer them as fast as you can in 1 sentence or less. Ready?

coachleeboyce: Lol sounds good. what’s less than 1 sentence though? haha.

me: Hmm, don’t worry it’ll be like the Oscars… I’ll cut you off when the time’s right.

me: 1. Three things people should start doing right now to be more awesome.

coachleeboyce: Stop limiting themselves. Stop making conclusions based on insufficient information.
Start exercising regularly.

me: 2. Current favorite supplement?

coachleeboyce: Fish oils

me: 3. One quick tip to attain monster strength

coachleeboyce: Gain weight

me: Nice

coachleeboyce: With size comes strength.

me: …and toilet clogging abilities. Now stop giving people an excuse to be fat!

me: 4. Three fitness books everyone should read

coachleeboyce: Starting Strength – Mark Rippetoe. Strong Enough? – Mark Rippetoe. Assess and Correct – Eric Cressey

me: 5. Personally, do you prefer to press or pull?

coachleeboyce: Pull

me: 6. You favorite pull exercise of all time?

coachleeboyce: The Clean

me: 7. Beer or the hard stuff?

coachleeboyce: Beer – but i don’t drink at all. Probably had 6 beer this year.

me: Then it’s settled, time to get you wasted. Wonder how many shots it takes to drop a 240lbs 6 foot + lurch

coachleeboyce: Bahaha

me: Haha

8. Top guilty pleasure?

coachleeboyce: McDonalds!!! Bigtime

me: Ew

coachleeboyce: Dude. EVERYTHING on that menu is gold. Minus the fillet o’ fish.

me: Yeah you shit gold bricks too.

coachleeboyce: Lol

me: (Tho I agree with the filet o fish… who the fuck eats that shit?)

9. Favorite movie of all time?

coachleeboyce: You’re probably expecting a “scarface”, “rainman”, “color purple”. Hard to say, but Remember The Titans is up there…

At this point, my stupid DSL WiFi modem decides to give up all hope and dies. Showing me more red lights than a busy downtown street. After a furious reboot, we continue with the awesomeness…

me: I’m back. Technology can really blow sometimes. Wifi died.

coachleeboyce: Ahaha

me: So favorite movie, what was it before my Bell modem decided to be French.

coachleeboyce: Haha, Remember The Titans, the memory of highschool football.

me: And finally…

10. Favorite bodypart you like to check out on a female?

coachleeboyce: Hmmm… the face and the hourglass shape in general. Girl’s gotta have hips.

me: Ah you’re a hip man. Means you’re subconsciously looking for someone to have babies with.

coachleeboyce: Bahaha

me: I myself am an ass man… which means I subconsciously want to have unlimited amounts of hot sex. And I have to say, it’s very true.

coachleeboyce: lol OR you’re gay. Subconsciously of course

me: Of course. I’ll give respect to a man with a great behind. But I’ll never touch.

coachleeboyce: Haha, oh jeez.

me: If you think I’m gay, I don’t know what you think of Bret Contreras… he backs up his ass fascination with SCIENCE!

coachleeboyce: Hahaha. A masters in Gluteology.

me: Seriously, it’s scary how much he knows about glutes. You have to be obsessed with the ass to do so. Anyways, this has been a solid talk my man. Appreciate you spending some time in Jerk Land.

coachleeboyce: No problem. it was a good one!

me: For sure. Just before we go, let the folks know where they can reach you.

coachleeboyce: You can hit up my website www.leeboycetraining.com, and also find me on Twitter and Facebook. Plus, you can catch me on TNation as a regular Contributing Author.

me: Good stuff. Take it easy

coachleeboyce: Later man

———–
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Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Let me ask you something, have you ever visited PubMed or an equally nerdy site in an effort to look up promising research only to find that the language used flew way past over your head? Well, you’re not alone. Just reading some of the abstracts on fitness studies will leave you clueless, helpless and no smarter than before.

Luckily for you, I had a chat with my man Mark Young who created a product called How To Read Fitness Research. Basically, he deciphers all the crazy lingo when it comes to reading and understanding research so you can actually absorb what the hell is being said and put it to good use. After going through it, nerd talk has never been so comprehensible!

Look, there is no substitute for good, solid evidence and if you’re the least bit interested in improving the way you look, feel or perform than reading research should become a common activity at some point in your week. And now, it couldn’t be easier. So get with the program, grab a beer and enjoy the interview. It’s quite jam packed!

The Interview

me: So Mark first up, big ups for doing this. I know you’re a new daddy and got a brand new pooper er… I mean, “baby” running around recently.

Mark: Thanks man. Things definitely change when you’ve got a little one, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

me: They say fatherhood changes you. And makes you less sexy. But you’ve managed to keep the sexy (minus the dressing like a retarded monkey bit). So give me a little breakdown of how you manage to keep the sexy while handling fatherly duties and publishing nerdalicious research.

Mark: Unlike the old days when I could train whenever I wanted, these days I’m up at 5AM at least 3 days per week to lift some heavy shiznit and hit up some cardio. Any additional stuff I get in during the week is a bonus.

Nutritionally, I just do pretty much as I’ve done before…although I usually end up finishing off my daughter’s breakfast as well.

me: Putting her in a caloric deficit already. Bad Mark.

Mark: She actually never really eats much at breakfast. Not sure why. I think she’s on some intermittent fasting plan or something.

me: Yeah, Brad Pilon is also a Canadian. Wouldn’t be surprised if she read Eat-Stop-Eat already.

Mark: He actually lives pretty close to me, but he’s yet to invite me over for one of those delicious steaks he’s always talking about on Facebook. Bastard.

me: I say we raid his house. I’ve got air guns and boxing gloves. That’s more equipment than the RCMP.

Mark: Hah, I’m down. I think we need to catch him at then end of a fasting day when he’s weakest.

me: Agreed. He’ll be mixing his BCAA’s or some shit. I’ll snipe, you barge.

Mark: Sounds like a plan Stan. Although running this interview publicly in advance may make this plan less effective.

me: It’s ok, my shit is too scandalous for him to read, hah. Now speaking of your little one, how soon are you going to introduce her into the world of lifting heavy awesomeness? Because one question I get all the time, from who I presume to be hot MILFS, is “how soon should my son or daughter start lifting weights”?

Mark: Well…she’s 20 months now so it’ll probably be a while. The goal for her youth is to keep her active and athletic. I’d have to refresh with CSEP position stand on resistance training for youth, but I think you could start pretty young with bodyweight resistance if she’s interested. Strength at that age mostly comes from neural improvements versus muscular changes anyway. The key for us as parents is to model the behaviours we eventually want her to follow. So eventually I’m guessing she’ll become an iron addict.

me: So there’s no specific age you would wait for before recommending the iron? Because my standard response is to throw them into gymnastics, where the emphasis on bodyweight training is prime. I also coach this sport and have been in it for many years so I know the benefits it provides physically. Then when they reach teen years, start lifting.

And I fully agree with the role modelling. Blaming kids for being fat is retarded.

Mark: Based on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology position stand (which is based on research) there is no minimum age for resistance training in children. Bodyweight takes the emphasis, then progressing up as high as 4 weighted sets of 8-15 reps for as many as 8-12 exercises. Even Olympic lifts are seen as okay.

me: That’s interesting, good to know. Now how about a short Mark Young history lesson. Who are you, where’d you come from, how did you start etc?

Mark: Basically, I finished my undergrad in kinesiology in 2000. Took a year off to travel and ended up working at a gym until the following September when I entered a Masters program in Biomechanics which I eventually changed to Exercise Physiology. Somewhere in there, I launched my own training business and the rest is history. I’ve now been training peeps for about 11 years and have had the opportunity to do research in one of the world’s leading muscle protein metabolism research labs.

me: You’re probably the coolest nerd I’ve met.

Mark: I am an exceptional nerd…except I don’t watch Harry Potter. I don’t get that shit.

me: Yeah me neither, but hot nerd chicks like it so it’s an easy date option. Plus later she can get intoxicated and play with my wand. It’s very magical. If you have any single friends, they can thank me later for such an epic pick up line.

Mark: I hear chicks dig miniature wands.

me: They like growers not showers; that’s part of the magic yo! Actually that came out like “shower” but that can be fun too. Ok so your extreme nerdiness inspired you to create a product called “How To Read Fitness Research” – I’ve gone through 80% of it and must say, that’s a brilliant niche you’ve found. How did you get the idea for this?

Mark: Frankly, I used to read a lot of blogs and fitness articles on the internet and I finally came to the conclusion that 95% of everything I was reading was complete BS. And while a lot of that stuff “works” it is largely not based on science.

For example, the old dogma that suggested we HAD to eat 6 times per day worked for fat loss, but this was ultimately because it doesn’t matter whether you eat 2 times per day or 6 as long as you are in a caloric deficit. It took a few smart people to look a research, figure this out, and then the industry was changed in a heartbeat.

me: Very true. Now I have a philosophy that science follows nature, not the other way around. Which means there are techniques and methods out there that WORK, but haven’t been backed by peer reviewed research… yet. Do you have any examples of such training methods you personally use or do you just not bother with things until they are proven?

Mark: The first point to understand is that nothing can technically be proven. In research, we test a theory (or method). If that method is better than another then it stands as the most accepted theory for that time, but that does not mean that it cannot later be disproven. In fact, the whole purpose of research is to TEST not to prove.

That said, I tend to limit myself to stuff that has some experimental evidence behind it OR a scientifically valid reason why it MIGHT work. Generally speaking though… I won’t trust some internet author who tells me his methods are scientifically valid unless he provides such reasoning. Most people on the internet don’t know what on earth an ANOVA is so I’m not going to trust them to provide me with any scientific input. If I’m interested in what they’re saying, I’ll look it up myself.

me: Hmm, I remember going through that part of the course yesterday. And I think that’s the biggest “a-ha” most people will have; that research is meant to test not prove. Is this how most “cherry picking” happens?

Mark: Abso-friggin-lutely! A lot of people (*cough* Mercola *cough*) write an article and have a pet theory about a specific topic. Then when they hit the research (assuming they can read it properly in the first place) look only for studies that validate what they say.

To me, the purpose of research is to take what you think you know and test it.

If it stands against the rigorous controls of science then you know it is a valid method and worth implementing in the real world.

I think of it like a multi level screening. If I hear something I’m interested in, I look it up to see of there is any research backing it. This is my first level filter to weed out a lot of BS. If the method proves valid I’ll test it in the real world which is what I consider my second level filter. By doing this, I can prevent trying stuff that is a total waste of time and/or money (with possible negative health consequences).

me: Wise words for all. And I can see that this 2 step screening process guarantees that Type 1 errors won’t fuck you over. To those that don’t know these errors can you give a brief sentence or two on type 1 and 2 errors.

Mark: Sure. A type 1 error is basically what we call a false positive. It means that the statistics we used for our research find that a method (or supplement) works when it really doesn’t. According to the filters above, this would mean that you’d find support for this method, test it in the real world (your second filter) and it wouldn’t work. So you’d scrap it.

A type 2 error is what is called a false negative. This means that the statistics we used for our research find that a method or supplement does NOT work when it actually does. In this case, my first level filter would say not to try this method until evidence was strong enough to support its use. So I probably wouldn’t try this in the real world and I might miss out on stuff like this.

Then again, any study with a small number of subjects is at risk of errors which is why larger studies are of more value and you have to take this into consideration when looking at research. In studies where a type 2 error was present you’d usually see a trend towards statistical significance (meaning that it was shown to be “almost useful”) so it might indicate it is worth trying anyway.

…Dammit. I so don’t know how to write short sentences.

me: No worries, I like peeps who have a lot to say. And that fact right there had me re-reading studies I’ve read in the past. Just to give me new fun things to try. Now you recently were an author on this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21755358 which I thought was pretty interesting. For those that get confused reading abstracts, can you give us a gist of what you basically found.

Mark: Sure man. The gist of it is that training with pure eccentrics (a.k.a negatives) has long been thought to result in greater strength gains than training with exclusively concentric (lifting) actions. Unfortunately, since eccentric contractions allow us to lift up to 40% more we thought that this difference really didn’t have anything to do with the type of action (lowering vs lifting), but just the amount of total work that was done.

In our study we trained one arm with purely negatives (lengthening contractions) and the other arm with purely positives (shortening contractions) but we matched the total amount of work using a fancy machine called a Biodex. Basically, the concentric arm did extra reps to match the work done with the eccentric arm. In the end, we found that the strength gains and muscle gains were the same between both groups. So negatives aren’t really better for strength or size.

me: Bam. This is the type of study I was looking forward to for a while. I was and still am a huge fan of eccentrics, but it was obvious that they produced stellar results due to the greater stimulus you could pound your muscles with. Now here’s what people most likely want to know – based on what you found, do you think trainers/trainees should change a few things around in their program protocol?

Mark: Well this is where reading research carefully really comes into play. Those who read the study will notice that one group did pure eccentrics (no lifting portion) and the other group did pure concentrics (no lowering portion). In real lifting this pretty much never happens as we have to both lift and lower a weight. So, in essence, this is a study investigating the mechanisms of what causes strength and growth which furthers our scientific understanding of how muscle grows. It is NOT really a good study to translate into practice except to say that if you’re overloading yourself with max eccentrics that there are alternatives that may be less taxing on the CNS.

me: Indeed. Shows you can’t get “everything” from the abstract, which is also something you harp on quite a bit in your product. Alright Mark, let’s end this nerd-tastic session with a rapid fire round. I’ll ask a bunch of questions and you answer them as fast as you can. Single sentence or less. Ready?

Mark: Let’s do it.

me: 1. Top 3 journals anyone who wants to be strong should be subscribed to

Mark: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Strength and Conditioning Journal, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

me: 2. Your current favourite supplement?

Mark: Fish oil.

me: 3. One quick effective tip people can use to lean down for the beaches?

Mark: Eat less calories than you burn. Not rocket science. Anyone who tells you differently is probably selling something.

me: 4. Three books anyone interested in fitness should read.

Mark: Muscles: Testing and Function with Posture and Pain by Kendall. Movement by Gray Cook. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.

me: 5. Would you rather press or pull?

Mark: Tricky. Would rather press (ego), but I opt for pull (necessary).

me: 6. Vodka, Rum or Scotch?

Mark: Vodka for sure.

me: 7. Top guilty pleasure?

Mark: Diet Pepsi. That’s about the worst I’ve got these days. Damn I’m getting old.

me: ew.. 8. Favourite movie of all time?

Mark: Fight Club or Scent of a Woman. Too tough to call. Pacino is priceless in this one.

me: 9. We already know what makes you awesome, what are 3 things people can start doing TODAY to make themselves more awesome?

Mark: Set goals. Stop eating crap. Treat other people as you want to be treated.

me: Nice. This is why I spank hotties all the time. Good advice. Mark, wanted to say thanks for doing this interview, this has been educational and sexy all at the same time. If people want to reach you, where can they do so?

Mark: Thanks for thinking of me man. People can check me out at my blog (www.markyoungtrainingsystems.com). Or if they’re interested in becoming an uber fitness nerd capable of dismantling BS with a single wave of their pocket protector they can check out my product How to Read Fitness Research.

me: Solid sauce. I don’t recommend things often, but that is a solid product you’ve put together. I’ll be going through it again. And that raid on Brad’s house, give me a shout sometime in the future.

Mark: Will do brother. I’ll keep it on the down low.

me: fo sho. later buddy.

Mark: Later.

The End

If you got a lot out of this interview (and I don’t see how you couldn’t have) then be sure to give Mark’s site a visit. If you’ve got questions, post them in the comments below. Or if you want to stay quiet, at least show the man some love by giving the interview some shareable love VIA Twitter/Facebook etc.

Cheers.

———–
© 2011, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

One thing that sucks about the fitness industry is that most trainers, or “preachers” lack a sense of humour and literally bore me to tears. If you read their stupid blogs and websites, you almost get this sense that if you asked them to have fun… they’d give you a confused look. “Hmm… ‘fun’, I think I might have to Google that.”

However, I have found a man who’s core philosophy revolves around fun. He ditches the usual, dull and boring ways that are known to be oh so ubiquitous throughout the fitness community and instead, brings almost a stand-up-comedy level of hilarity to our world of barbells and dumbbells. It’s a rare gift, and I had a chance to interview him. Below is a completely uncensored chat log of what went on when FJ met Roger Lawson. I shouldn’t even call this an interview since I left nothing out. You get the entire conversation from beginning to end.

What Was Discussed?

We talk about women, fitness, life, sexification, Serina William’s ass, sex, BROtein, being a Mcdonald’s whore, and much, much more. So grab something to drink and settle in, because this may just be the funniest shit you’ll read all year… nay, in your lifetime.

Warning: If you’re easily offended, don’t have a sense of humour or you look like straight-edge nerd that doesn’t appreciate entertainment value beautifully mixed with great content, then this interview isn’t for you.

The Pre Interview

me: Roger, what up dude

Roger: Yo man.

Just getting home from picking up my lady from work

Sitting here like a sloth in all this heat

me: Ah, now you know what it’s like to stand next to me

Roger: That explains the random boner! I thought it was from me eating that yohimbe tree or something

me: you mean, BROner?

Roger: Hahaha, bro just fits into any word naturally. BROgina

me: That’s a tranny

Roger: BROlosopher

me: BROcologist

Roger: BROtein

me: Oh, I had some a few hours ago. It had time and slow release technology…

Roger: I hear they shrink midgets and put them into the protein to slow down digestion

Because we all know that midgets are fat, and fat slows it all down!

me: Hah, It was steak wrapped in bacon.

Roger: God damn you, that’s my only mortal weakness… Steak wrapped in bacon

The only thing greater is steak wrapped bacon woman. Preferably one with some color on her

me: I have yet to wrap my woman in bacon… she seems highly contempt with sausage at the moment

Roger: HIYOOOOOOO!

me: HIYOO!! *BROFIST*

Roger: Bwahahaha! *BROFIST*

If you’re free, do you wanna rock this interview an hour early?

me: For sure, as soon as you’re done with your woman chauffeur duties, send me a msg on Gchat. In the mean time, I’m going to grab a glass of fine scotch and prep some probing questions while you melt.

Roger: Awwww hell yeah. I’m ready when you are, I got back about 20min ago and am all settled in now

I’ll give you a few moments of BROtime though

me: You are one kind, dark man. You can be my shadow any day of the week.

Roger: Hahahaha. Best thing I’ve heard all day

me: Alright let me grab my glass of golden deliciousness (not pee) and i’ll be back in a few…

The Beginning Of Awesome

me: So first of all, thanks for not being a complete stiff bag… too many “fitness gurus” sound like anally retarded textbooks. They have no personality to them, but yours shines through your writing. I’m assuming because you’re outgoing in person?

Roger: Thank you kindly, homie. That honestly is one of the best compliments that someone could ever give me. I’d definitely say that I’m pretty outgoing in person – I get my energy from people. If one of the requirements for being a fitness professional was that I had to be supremely technical, dull sounding and void of all personality and fun, then I’d rather drink toilet water

me: Agreed. Though personally I’d rather be a lawyer… at least I get to bank some cash. And maybe some feisty female inmates. (BTW, I’ll be combing through this interview and give it a good edit, so don’t worry about spelling and other inferior aspects of writing. I’ll understand your ramblings. My readers will too.)

Roger: Good, because my native language is Chinese and I can’t spell for shit

me: Yeah I could tell by your light complexion and squinty eyes.

Roger: And large penis. DO NOT forget that.

me: HAHA, how could I? The motherfucker nudged me while I was 5 feet away, trying to get my latté

Roger: You know, I actually like the idea of possibly encountering a woman that can squat my max as a warm up in jail. I’m sure her vagina would do my penis’ taxes hahaha

me: Haha yeah, something kinky about it right? I duno, real men understand. Hipsters wont

Roger: Wurd! But yeah man, I just love people. Starting this blog has allowed me to meet so many cool people that I otherwise would’ve never met

me: Yeah I was going to ask you, you’ve been blogging for a while now, so for those that are thinking about starting a fitness blog, what are the 3-5 most important things you could tell them to do?

Roger: I started in September 09, blogged kinda-sorta frequently in the beginning. Then fell off hard in January/Feb . I had no idea what I was doing and felt that my voice was just blending in to the already saturated blogosphere, and I didn’t like that AT ALL

So I really stopped blogging at that point to figure out what I really wanted to do, what my prime objective was, and then I came back with a vengeance in September 2010 and haven’t looked back since

me: I like it. And what was your prime objective?

Roger: To deliver top notch fitness info in an informative and humorous way. If I can’t make you smile or girly giggle at some point during what I right, I don’t want to write it.

And trust me, Even the manliest man has girly giggled at my content. No penis jokes please.

me: Shut up, I’ll never admit such things. I think that’s the difference between you and I – you can actually write comedy. Mine just turns into comedy, more like “har-har-har.”  I can’t consciously write funny shit… it will turn out to be verbal baby puke. It has to come out organically.

Roger: Man, let me tell ya, If I couldn’t do what I’m doing now, I would make a serious run at stand up. I’d probably suck for a long time, but I know that eventually I’d come out on top

me: You would. I’d consider that as a side career if I were you. More appealing than toilet water drinking… though that has its own benefits – like hanging out with REAL DAWGS!

Roger: BWAHAHAHA! I might have to bring you on stage with me

me: Only if we can wear Spartan gear and kick hecklers off stage. Literally.

Roger: God damn, that would be fantastic. Right into a well

me: “This IS COMEDDYYY!!” *FRONT KICK* – Come to think of it, that would be fucking hilarious.

Roger: We need to get a patent on some bullet time technology. Stuff like that is only cool in slow motion

me: That’s true. ORRR we can just get everyone drunk. It’ll look like bullet time to them, and its cheaper on our wallets.

Roger: Sweet Jesus, you should be a business consultant, For Google.

me: I do pride myself in being a businessman.

So now here’s a question I wanted to throw your way. And I’m repeating verbatim from some dude, “What the fuck is sexification?” I think this person is looking for an official definition, since that’s what you’re all about. Can you help out this tool-bucket please?

Roger: Well first of all, I’d like to thank you personally for cutting through the jibba jabbah and getting right into the question. A person with more unscrupulous morals would have easily turned such a succinct question into an epic novel

me: Indeed, good sir.

Roger: But back to the question at hand. In my opinion, which is the only one that matters since I reckon I came up with the word, Sexification, while it encompasses looking how you want to look, is about so much more. Think back to a time when you’ve been in the presence of a really awesome person – what was it about them that drew you in?

me: her fantastic ass

Roger: Sure, if they’re a female then having all the right accessories and looking like what love feels like definitely helps, but odds are it was more than that too – Speaking of, we need to side track and talk about Serena Williams at some point

me: Done

Roger: That ass gives hope to the future

me: But I see what you’re getting at. Charisma, and mainly confidence when you DO look sexy as fuck

Roger: Yes. Sexification is really all about being WHO YOU ARE without feeling bad about it or thinking you have to compromise on it

me: I’d say the sexiness of your vibe is directly proportional to the level of awesomeness of your body

Roger: Oh fo sho. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t want to look better. Now whether they’re willing to work towards it is another subject entirely, but everyone does. And if they say that they don’t, they’re lying and I’ll engage them in Mortal Kombat.

Like, if you’re a grown man who loves collecting pogs, while I’m not into it, that’s Sexification to me. Collect the SHIT out of those pogs! Aim to be the best at it if that’s what you want.

me: So could Sexification be a “sexier” replacement for the word “passion”?

Roger: I’d be hesitant to do so, only because passion isn’t enough, action is necessary.

Sexification is about passion and action. Love what you do, do what you love. Very little compromise.

me: Perfect, I think you need T-shirts. I’d wear one. Hell… I’d sweat in one then make my lady friends wear them. Because wet t-shirts hugging the curvature of boobs is definitely sexy.

Roger: That just increases the Sexification of everyone involved, and I’m ok with that.

me: I look forward to your threaded merchandise. Now, let’s move on to some training aspects. First up, besides the big 3 lifts, which are your other personal favourites and why?

Roger: I’m sure that this will net me a major loss in man points, but I hate deadlifting! And benching too. So I guess I’m left with the Big “1”. Aside from squatting though, I love chin ups, push ups, and rowing

Shit, dips too

me: First time I heard of a man hating the bench… that’s weird. But then again, you aren’t exactly normal. But loving dips definitely redeems you some of the brownie points you lost for not liking the bench. Now here’s a question from Twitter… “What do you think is the sexiest feature on a woman?”

Roger: I will not be deterred while talking about my love exercises! I actually love 45 degree back extensions and band hip thrusts most these days. It ties into my long term goal, but we can talk about that later on

As for the question, I’m gonna go with a nice pair of butt cheeks, FJ

me: my man!

Roger: I’ve seen big pairs of boobs, and while they’re a nice novelty, they’re largely overrated. Plus boobs can be too big. I’ve NEVER seen an ass too big on a woman who isn’t obese.

me: Indeed. Did you read my interview with this girl, Lily Frei? Squatted 185lbs for 10, full ROM. No quarter squat BS and she has quite the ass to show for it.

Roger: I didn’t get past the video of her squatting. She kind of derailed my entire day. I almost lost my job because of her.

So tell her thank you

me: I’m sure she appreciates your kind words. I’ll be sure to pass this along. But yeah, if only all women started squatting, the world would be a better place. So let’s go to Serena William’s ass for a second. Here’s your chance to confess your love to it without your woman finding out. And even if she does, who cares? You’re on FJ’s turf baby!

Roger: I’m a firm believer that all statements made regarding Serena William’s ass cannot be used against any man by any woman anywhere at any time

me: I now deem you Roger Lawyer Lawson the 2nd

Roger: I mean…JUST LOOK AT IT FJ!

She could turn a dress into a thong

me: oh my…so let’s continue this interview next week yeah?

Roger: She has a rare ass, the kind of ass that tears pants. One minute next to her ass is the equivalent of 20 hours of real time. I’m sure Einstein wrote about this somewhere in one of his books

me: and I’m sure he would be rather proud of the use of his theory right now

Roger: Lets just say I’d drink her bathwater… Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way

me: Now that I know what to get you for Xmas *cough* poster *cough* haha let me ask you a “practical” question. Because people reading this also expect “useful advice,” or whatever.

Roger: If they can’t get something useful out of Serena’s cheeks, then their life is over.

me: Amen! So say I’m weak, pathetic, have no equipment, too poor for a gym, my girlfriend left me for FJ, my mom disowned me, and I’m a failure at life… BUT I still want to get in shape. How would you sexify me?

Roger: That person is a prime candidate for Sexification – where there is a will, there is a Smith

…Err there is a way.

Odds are this person is bigger than average, so the good thing is that any progressive resistance will increase their Sexifications, but without equipment they have several options…

1) Bodyweight training: I’m a big fan of this type of training as you can pretty much do it anywhere. You have your squats. People usually stop with bodyweight squats and pistol when they’re talking about these, but there is a big ol’ gap in the middle that’s missing. Buy some gangster book bags which you can load up with weights and use that as resistance.

me: It’s true, my anatomy book can be used as an Olympic bumper plate.

If only it had a hole

Roger: Hip thrusts will put a hole into that one for sure

me: HIYOOO! It’s because you have that long Asian penis

Roger: Be careful before I impregnate you via the internet. You also have your chin ups. If you look hard enough, you can always find a place to do them from.

me: That’s what I said about strippers, but no one believes me.

Roger: And that will be their downfall! But if you do pull-ups at random spots then sure, some people may think you look stupid. Especially if you do them from a tree, but that’s ok. Haters gonna hate.

Also, If said person is pretty poor, they can build some of their own equipment. PVC pipes for dips etc.

me: True say, so bodyweight training is the go-to answer for this guy. And homebuilt equipment is genius. What frequency would you prescribe?

Roger: I’d go with full body sessions 3-4x a week.

We’re talking about a beginner here, so the stress that they place on their body isn’t going to be that great anyway, so recovery isn’t going to be compromised as long as they aren’t eating like a child.

me: Which brings me to my next point. This dork obviously cannot afford fine dining… so what would you tell him to do?

Roger: The best thing about Sexification is that anyone can achieve it as long as they’re committed to action – buying in bulk is a fine starting place. Grocery stores often discount meat a few days before they go “bad” and as long this guy buys and cooks them up ASAP, he’ll be good to go.

His nutrition will probably be pretty boring too, but it’ll get the job done: chicken breasts/thighs (buy thighs with skin on them and remove the skin yourself as that’s a cheaper option usually)

Also don’t forget the BIG ASS industrial sized bags of rice for like $10. Oh and eggs. Eggs are dope, cheap, and taste worlds better than egg-whites. I’m convinced that a puppy gets kidnapped every time someone throws away a yolk.

Do it for the puppies, people.

me: Haha, nice. Alan Aragon has a similar saying, what is it? “Nature cringes every time a yolk hits the wastebasket?”

and Charles Poliquin is famous for saying “Egg whites are for dorks.” Or at least I think that was him… I’m on my 3rd glass of Scotch.

Roger: Alcoholic

me: Hell yes. Now, you have some solid posts on your blog, specially the one about how you used to be a McDonalds whore… give me the quick and dirty on how you stopped being such a whore and how others can get their dignity back.

Roger: Sweet Jesus, those were the dark days indeed

me: Yah those receipts looked brutal. I spend more at a gentleman’s club.

Roger: You have to understand something – by the time I really made a SERIOUS effort towards stopping and changing, I was already a lifetime fast food hoe. So anything less than an all out cold turkey approach just didn’t work. I remember when I tried to wean myself off eating it to only 1x a week. I’d go like two days. Say that I’d use my “fast food” day early and be done with it, and as soon as that food touched my lips it was on like donkey kong in a victoria secret thong

me: That’s a terrible image.

…I meant you eating burgers, not donkey kong in a thong.

Roger: Hah. But once I committed to stopping though, I put a plan in place. Whenever I went out anywhere, I never took money or a credit card with me. And to be honest, I’ve never had a burger from a fast food joint (aside from In and Out). I was all about the fries, nuggets and sweets.

I’m sure I’m missing out on something amazing though.

me: Yeah kind of. Weird how you never ate their burgers. But in a way that’s even worse since the beef they use is OK. And by ok I mean it’s better quality meat than the chicken as far as I can tell.

Roger: Yeah. I’ve seen pictures of what it is and apparently it looks like alien sperm? Don’t judge me. My Sexification travels take me far and wide.

me: I wonder what your babies would have looked like if you kept on stuffing yourself with that stuff.

Roger: Probably like Carrot Top. Here is the advice that I’d offer to a person in a similar position: DO NOT rationalize. It was like going through withdrawals for me. On a daily basis I’d look for an excuse to hit up the drive-thru. “Oh, I stubbed my toe. I need 2 large fries to make it feel better”

me: Haha, now you just sound like my man, JC

Roger: He’s a brave one. He still messes with the temptress. I still think about eating that food daily, but I know that if I go down that road it is over for me.

me: So it’s still a bit of an on-going battle? How long do you think it’ll last?

Roger: Yessir. I’ve had the habit for most of my life, so this success will be on shaky ground for at least another year or two I imagine

me: Just think, Serena’s ass would never approve

Roger: And I cant have that! ROG LAW DONT PLAY THAT!

But yeah. Do not compromise. Eat anything but fast food. To be successful you have to break that connection between any emotions and feelings you have and the act of getting the food. It all starts with one day. 1 day leads to 2, and 3, and so on…

me: I think that’s why cooking is the shit. Makes you appreciate your time and the quality of the food. Not to mention the results.

Roger: Seriously, and it’s so much cheaper. I bought 5lbs of beef today for $15. I’d spend that in a day easily on food that I could crush in less than 10 minutes.

My worst day happened when I was in college. I got a family size bucket of KFC, 3 large fries, 5 place McChickens and 2 orders of Cinnamons melts.

…then I went to Wendys and got more later on.

me: How the fuck are you alive?

Roger: I don’t know man. I’m sure I’ve shaved a good 15-20 years off my life

me: I’d say.

Roger: I’m sure high intensity intervals would shake loose some plaque and kill me at this point, so I stick to walking.

me: haha oh how I dread cardio. But that’s pretty awesome. I know avoiding cravings isn’t easy, so good on ya for sticking to your guns.

Roger: *BROFIST*

me: *BROFIST*

Rapid Fire Round

me: Now to end off this shebang, I’m going to do a little rapid fire round. I’ll spam… err I mean, spit out questions and you have to answer them as fast as you can in one sentence or LESS. Ready?

Roger: While I was not born ready, I became ready at a superior rate of speed compared to mere mortals – lets do this

me: 1. What makes you awesome?

Roger: My ability to simplify complex and/or mind boggling subjects and make you laugh while doing so.

me: 2. Three things people need to start doing TODAY to be more awesome?

Roger: Taking action consistently, Blaming no one but themselves for their lack of personally defined success, and having lots of sex.

me: 3. Your all time favourite supplement?

Roger: Protein powder

me: 4. One quick, effective tip to lean down for the beach?

Roger: Track your food intake like a mofo – being sexy never happens by accident.

me: 5. Favourite “Cheat” Meal?

Roger: Macaroni & Cheese with a side of apple pie

me: 6. Vodka or Rum?

Roger: Caprisuns

me: 7. Why do white people want to be as sexually tanned as us?

Roger: Because being tanned makes everything better and increases your sexual aura by at least 72%

me: 8. Sex on the first date?

Roger: You should know the answer to this… c’mon MAAAAAN!

me: 9. Top guilty pleasure?

Roger: Multiplayer Online RPGs

me: 10. What are you currently reading?

Roger: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

me: 11. What are you currently watching (shows)?

Roger: Curb Your Enthusiasm’

me: And finally, number 12. Favourite movie of all time?

Roger: Enter the motherfucking Dragon!

me: Good choice. I really thought you were gona say something like, “The Notebook”

Roger: Nah, I just re-enact every scene from that movie for fun.

me: Hey I can’t hate. I like to pretend I’m a “Mean Girl”

Except instead of plastic, i like to be called latex!

Roger: And this is why you’re a God among men

me: I’m never one to shy away from kind words.

I have to say BROger, this has been quite the blast. Like this hot chick that farted on my face while I went down on her. Except this I liked… that i didn’t.

Roger: LOL

me: Is it too much to ask for sexual courtesy? like damn.

Roger: I know a guy who lost his face from such an incident

me: What a pussy! But my sympathies, I guess.

Roger: Should’ve taken more Creatine

me: Nah, that’s too scientifically sound. More like, Indigo 3g!

Roger: Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Indigo 3g increased by squat by 2lbs and enabled me with the power to impregnate people by looking at them. Male or female.

So don’t fuck with me – I’ll give you triplets and crush your bank account.

me: … I think Aragon needs to update the last month’s edition of AARR with some REAL facts. I’ll vouch for you. I already feel a tingle in my loins

Roger: I just looked at your twitter pic. You’re done dude.

me: Hah, that needs to be the topic of interview #2. So, any last words? Also, give the readers some info on where you can be found. In case they want to be impregnated as well.

Roger: I can be found blogging like a semi-mad man over at roglawfitness.com as well as interacting daily with folks on Facebook: facebook.com/roglaw and you can follow me on twitter here: @RogLaw

me: Right on. Alright homeslice, till next time. We really should do this more often.

Roger: –should +will

And the world will be a much better place for it. Thanks for the interview man, I’ve been meaning to contact you for awhile now but you beat me to it. I am shamed.

me: It’s ok, my sexiness does tend to intimidate. But I figured I’d be the bigger man
Later

Roger: Farewell!

All Good Things Come To An End

So what did you think? Best interview ever? Best fitness interview ever? Probably. If you have any questions for Roger, post them in the comments below and he’ll be sure to get to them. In the meantime, check out his blog and as always, lift something heavy. I think the term “sexification” is going to be thrown around here much more often in the future.

———–
© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

As most of my avid readers are aware, I’m a huge fan of trainers who practice what they preach. Chubby dorks that mumble about fat loss is something I just cannot stand. So when I saw a 122lbs woman deadlift 300lbs (a national record) I just knew I had to get in touch with her and pick her brain for some goodies. And goodies she delivered! Her name is Nia Shanks, she holds a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Louisville and can probably emasculate most men (See her 300lbs deadlift video HERE)

Honestly, what’s not to like about this girl?

On with the interview…

FJ: Thanks for doing the interview Nia. First up, tell us a bit about yourself, who you are and also why and when you got into fitness and lifting.

I’m a girl that loves lifting heavy weights; especially off the floor.

Other than that, my goal is to help as many women as possible build the body they want. I want to end the confusion and show them the right way to strength train and eat for better body composition and health. It’s time women know that training and nutrition can be simple and that it’s not necessary for them to revolve their life around eating and training.

I got into fitness and lifting when I was 16. My Mom has been in the fitness industry since her early 20’s, and so I naturally gravitated toward the field. I instantly fell in love with the art of training and started studying everything I could find.

FJ: What would be your top 3 tips you would give to a person that wants to improve their overall strength?

1) Focus on the big exercises – squat, deadlift, overhead press, chin-ups, push-ups, rows, and presses. You really don’t need a lot of exercises. In fact, the simpler the better, in my opinion. You are much better off focusing your effort on a handful of excellent exercises. More is not always better.

2) Actually focus on getting stronger! This sounds obvious but so many people want to lose fat, look better naked, increase their bench press, and set a new world record in the process. Have one goal – get stronger. The improvement in your physical appearance will then be a side effect. I see this all the time with my clients – we focus on strength even if their primary goal is fat loss. Fat loss becomes a side effect from the training and they are much more motivated when they have “getting stronger” as the main focus. Try it – it works.

3) Constantly improve your performance. That could mean performing more reps, adding weight to the bar, make an exercise more challenging, etc. By “make an exercise more challenging” I do not mean squat on a stability ball or something as equally idiotic. A good example would be performing push-ups, dips, chins, and inverted rows with blast straps or some form of suspension trainer.

FJ: What have you been up to currently? Give us a peek into the workouts you’ve been doing lately or if you’ve been experimenting with programs that have shown some promising results.

Right now I am preparing for the release of Beautiful Badass. It is a manual that contains the most effective training programs I have used with my clients and myself. In addition, it contains video demonstrations for every exercise and simple, no nonsense strength training and nutrition information.

I truly believe this is going to help women end the confusion from training and nutrition once and for all. They will finally see that there is a simple way to eat and train for strength, fat loss, and improved health.

Other than that, I am redesigning my website and working on another awesome project I have yet to announce.

As far as my training, I am experimenting with a program I got from Dan John. It’s call “One Lift a Day”. Basically, you train about five times per week and you just perform one lift each day. Right now this is perfect for me because I’m so busy. I can get the one lift done and get on with my day. Right now I love it, and I’m getting stronger. My lifts are squats, bench press,
deadlift, barbell rows, front squats, and military presses.

This program is great because I have a barbell set, power rack, and other random “toys” in my home. When I need to take a break from work, I wonder into my “Power Rack Room” and train.

FJ: Let’s talk low motivation. How do you personally handle it and what advice do you give to your clients that are just not feeling motivated enough to do what you’ve told them.

I am no one’s cheerleader, and never will be. There have been times when I turn down a potential client. If they don’t have the personal motivation to work hard, I can’t give it to them.

However, what I have found to be very helpful is focusing on positive training goals. For example – focusing on getting stronger instead of losing body fat.

It’s much more motivating to enter the gym with the goal of performing more chin-ups, adding another 10 pounds to your deadlift, or setting a new personal record than it is to focus on burning calories.

If someone is lacking motivation, I suggest they focus their efforts on getting strong. Couple that with some simple, no nonsense nutrition guidelines and they will achieve amazing results.

FJ: I have a belief that trainers stand on the shoulders of giants. Who are your personal giants?

Oh wow. That is a very tough question. There are so many amazing people in this field that I have learned from and admire. I’m afraid to provide names because I’d be leaving so many out. As far as great information: Mike Robertson, Mark Rippetoe, Jim Wendler, Tony Gentilcore, Eric Cressey, Dan John, Chad Waterbury, Jason Ferruggia, Bret Contreras, and many others provide amazing fitness information. I know I’m leaving so many people out of that list unintentionally.

FJ: What’s the one thing that really pisses you off about this industry?

The growing amount of uneducated “trainers” that enter the field. So many people get an online certification over the weekend and think that means they are worthy of taking someone’s hard earned money on Monday.

Just because you passed a 100 question test doesn’t mean you’re qualified to train someone. Likewise, just because you look decent naked doesn’t necessarily mean you’re qualified to provide nutrition and training advice to everyone.
Also, I know some trainers who claim to have “over 10 years experience” but they don’t know a damn thing. They can’t teach someone to perform a proper row, squat, push-up or lunge.

FJ: Your 300lbs deadlift looked like quite a feat. What’s your personal method/ritual of prepping for big lifts? I personally like to listen to loud ass heavy metal, chew gum, and indulge in a war cry.

I used to crank up some rock music and get psyched up, but lately I’ve been training in total silence. After I moved into my new home I couldn’t find my CD player, and so I went without it and have been ever since. I’m actually enjoying it right now.

FJ: Let’s tackle a sensitive subject of “encouraging” someone to lose weight/get healthier. I wrote the article “How To Tell Your Girlfriend Or Wife She Needs To Lose Weight…” and got a whole crap load of email and comments from women everywhere expressing their opinions on the matter. Some agreed, some disagreed and some were meddling in the middle. But here’s a chance for women to flip the script. How would bring up this subject matter to your better half and what tips would you give to a fellow lady that is watching her man balloon?

Lead by example, first and foremost. The traits you want to see in others, you must first display within yourself. Another useful tip could be to find a hobby together – hiking, bouldering, mountain bike riding, recreational sport, etc. If you do active things together it becomes a fun hobby, not a chore like many people view “exercise”. Unfortunately you can’t force someone to change his/her habits. They have to want to change on their own. All you can do is be a positive motivator and lead by example.

FJ: Alright, from a female perspective, what do you think is the most attractive muscle group on a man and why? (Arms, abs, legs, glutes?)

To be honest, I really like calves. I have no idea why. Other than that, I definitely admire a well shaped backside.

FJ: Awesome, appreciate your time. Looking forward to seeing more records from you.

Thanks again for doing this interview

More About Nia

To get in touch with Nia, you can follow her on Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/niashanks

To send her an email, head over to: http://niashanks.com/contact/

To poke her, add her on facebook: http://facebook.com/niashanks

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

There are not many people on this planet that manage to “catch my eye” and intrigue me to the point where I go out of my way to pick their brains – mainly because I’m the one that’s causing all the eyes to go gaga. However, Lily happens to be one of those people that not only managed to grab my attention but also managed to impress me at the same time. Yes I know, crazy! So there was only one thing left for me to do – interview her.

Now you might be thinking “there are plenty of women out there that can lift a respectable amount of weight, what’s so special about her?” Well the answer is quite simple – body composition. There are indeed many powerlifters out there (male and female) that can push around monstrous weights and they have my respect for that… but they rarely look the part. And to me, this is a no-no. What good is a bench press of 500 pounds of you rock a belly with the circumference of the fucking moon? The video below shows exactly why I chased her down and as you’ll probably soon realize, words don’t do it justice…

This is where Lily stands out – not only can she lift some serious weight, she looks great doing it! A perfect blend where the physique is a result of strength training, and therefore I asked her to spill every tactic she utilized which got her to where she is today. Prepare yourself for one hellva ride because she is my kinda woman – one who ditches the bullshit and holds nothing back. Onwards…

The Interview

FJ: So first up, props for doing this interview. Why don’t you start with who you are, how you got into lifting weights and when you started?

Lily: I’m Lily, 23, and working on about six years of weightlifting. My dad, Max, was a pro-level bodybuilder – he won the Mr. Austria title at eighteen, and continued to compete through much of my young life. At 6’4 and 305, his stature demanded attention, and he worked hard for it. As a result, I’ve been in gyms since I was just a little munchkin. (Though the playrooms were much less entertaining than they are now; kids these days have ROCK WALLS to climb on!) At ten years old, I was drinking protein shakes to be like daddy, and at sixteen I joined the swim team…. only to eventually realize that I liked being in the gym more than being in the pool.

After a bout of teenage stupidrexia that left me 95lbs and miserable, I started trying to actually understand fitness. I read sassy, smart articles from the strong women of Stumptuous, and gradually began to grasp the idea that lifting weights wouldn’t instantly turn me into the Hulk like my dad. I gained a foundation in proper form, persistence and consistency from him (or as he would say “she got her OCD from me”), and went off to college basking in the glow of having overpowered the wild, rampant misinformation on how the body works. I got my nutrition in order and started gaining healthy muscle mass, though the process was slow.

On March 24th, 2007, two police officers came to my dorm room and told me that my dad had been killed on his motorcycle, and I would be flying home to my mom and brother the next day. For those who know what it’s like to lose your hero and someone you love and look up to desperately, you may understand, for those who don’t, you can’t possibly imagine. Everything in my nineteen-year-old world came to a halt… except my workouts. I’ve seen a squat rack through the blur of tears more times than I care to admit. I became a regular on his fitness board, where everyone who had loved and admired him showered me with positive reinforcement and accurate advice. I dug up his posts about weight training, supplements, and competition diets, and with inspiration from the old pros, I dove into Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, or as I like to call it “El Bible” (BEE-blay). It was all downhill from there.

I turned into something of an addict, and became rather isolated. The iron was my truest friend. I depended on it for stability, for pain, anger and fear management; instead of becoming an alcoholic or going into therapy (which I probably should have, but I don’t tend to trust easily), I did weights. I even scheduled classes around the times I wanted to train – usually morning/early afternoon to dodge the crowds – and I’ve been kicked out of numerous gyms (read: health spas, orfitness chains *gag*) around my city, because they don’t want their members becoming liabilities by actually lifting the big plates. It’s a right shame that chalk is almost never legal.

With help from the members of my dad’s fitness forum, I found a friendly, diverse gym that allowed me to store my own set of bumper plates so I could train my Olympic style lifts without getting grief. As such, I feel somewhat lucky that most people at Impact accept and even encourage me. Every other week someone asks me if I’m competing… I’ve even been in their commercial! (:22 clumsy jerk with the absurd red socks) While I’ve relaxed my obsession and eased my depression with the help of cannabis to allow a tame social life, my dedication and actual love of weightlifting hasn’t waned. Many a time as I’m walking through the gym I’ve thought to myself, “I’ll never let this go. I know for sure that I’m going to be doing this always.”

FJ: Sorry to hear about your loss. I can tell you’ve definitely been through some shit, and it almost feels like you want to carry on your dad’s legacy, which is admirable. And I’m sure he’d be hella proud of your accomplishments. One thing that really stuck out to me was this: “Everything in my nineteen-year-old world came to a halt… except my workouts.” That little line is so significant, I don’t even know where to begin.

I sometimes get clients telling me they skipped a workout because XYZ happened. To that I usually say, “so did you stop breathing? No? Then why did you stop your workout?” So my next question to you would be, what advice would you give those that for whatever reason have lost all motivation? Out of everything you stopped doing, why did you decide to keep your workouts going?

Lily: Well, I’d wager that I’m relatively atypical when it comes to motivation – I enjoy my workouts and rarely want to skip them. Lifting is therapy. In fact, I can get pretty pissy if I’m forced to skip too many days. I feel like I’m losing my conditioning and entering into endorphin withdrawal. It seems to me, however, that if you’re not motivated enough, then you don’t want it badly enough. If you want it, you’ll make it a priority, make it a habit; if you see it as a chore, you’ll get lazy and make excuses. I think it’s difficult for some because the reward mechanism (long-term results) isn’t usually immediate.

But once you’re consistent enough to start seeing results, I say go wild; let it become an obsession. That being said, the first step is knowing what the fuck you’re doing and why. Have a set routine like the Bill Starr 5×5, which allows you to quantify your progression. Once your bod is bangin’ enough to set people on fire, or you feel strong enough to make the Earth rumble, working out will become a completely automatic necessity.

FJ: I feel you on letting it become and obsession. My goal is to get people to start forming habits… once those are set, you really won’t have to think about them too much. Now as far as the internet goes, you’ve obviously become known for your squat video, but besides the squat, what are some of your favourite lifts? And are there any particular muscles you just enjoy working?

Lily: I train lifts, not muscles, but there’s something about the wicked blood rushing back pumps from a couple heavy deadlift sets that totally gets me off. I’d have to say my favorite lift of all though, for its complexity and finesse, is the clean and jerk. The C&J is the total package of compound lifting. Each part of the lift has to be executed with controlled explosiveness and skill to achieve the ultimate goal of giving gravity the middle finger. The weight has to make it from dead on the floor to completely extended above the lifter’s head in a straight line – it’s the ultimate display of power and coordination.

FJ: C&J has to be one of my favorites, no doubt. How’s your snatch? Mine suck shit at the moment.

Lily: Ugh, my snatch is awful (haha… but really). Snatches are like the troll brother of C&Js – it’s so easy to get sloppy on the form, and so difficult to get a good weight up. And the only way to get a better snatch is to train snatches. I consider it a good day when I’m not falling all over the place or hurting myself somehow while working them. Anyone who can get up a solid snatch is a boss in my book.

FJ: Haha how true. Can I snatch you away to go take some lessons with some Olympic coaches? You can be my partner… so I’m not the only one looking like a dork. I reside at a commercial gym, so when I try snatches or even the C&J, I get “the looks”. The best is when I bring in a block of chalk – but you already know what that’s like.

Lily: Haha, yeah, like I said, I got lucky with my current gym. I can use chalk and drop weights and whatever, as long as I keep things clean and don’t scare off any potential members. Though I find most people actually enjoy watching me lift; I mean there are a few pretty huge dudes in that gym, but I’m still the only one who does Olympic lifts. I’d kill to train under any of the big Oly coaches. There aren’t any athletic clubs in my area (like, at all). I often find it depressing that I’m around so few people who know more about the Olympic lifts and strength training in general.

FJ: Oh I’d totally say people enjoy watching you lift… you have like 10 thousand views on youtube! I hope you’re ready for two things: Stardom and stalkers haha. Ok so let’s talk realistic advice. You are obviously living proof that women can rock a great body while lifting heavy, or even lifting at all. How do you manage your composition? Is it pure lifting only, or do you throw in cardio every now and then along with watching your caloric intake? Give us a break down of “Lily’s method”

Lily: The short answer: clean diet, regular sleep, smart supplementation, good genetics and some heavy ass weights.

The breakdown…

Training - 3-4 days a week of weightlifting preceded by a dynamic cardio warmup. Cardio isn’t my focus, but it has its place and I’d be remiss if I left it out entirely. I get bored easily with cardio, so I like to mix things up with some occasional swimming, cycling, rock climbing, etc. I also recently got back into equestrian sports, which I’m EXTREMELY excited about. I used to compete years ago in three-day eventing and show jumping arenas. It’s interesting to see how my strength from lifting lends itself to improving my skills on horseback. As far as my lifting routine, I follow a linear progression model, and depending on how I feel and where I am in my training cycle I alternate my focus on different lifts.

Food - it’s fuel, and I eat a lot of it. Muscle mass burns mad calories, so my energy requirement is pretty high. If you’ve ever read articles by fitness people on food, you’re going to hear the same things from me, because eating for performance is relatively universal, and based on common sense. I cook often, eat out seldom, prep meals in advance and drink a metric fuck-ton of water. My diet is composed primarily of lean meats, colorful vegetables, nuts, eggs, sprouted grains, oats and whey/casein protein (which many would consider a supplement). No starchy/yeasty carbs, preservatives, refined sugar, mystery meat, or fried shit on a stick for this machine.

I can be quite the food-elitist; if it’s mass-produced like the stuff you get from most fast food chains or restaurants, the quality is usually low and my organs are too good for it. I also limit dairy, gluten, and salt, and I never drink calories. (Which means the word “diet” on any labels, and Splenda in my tea – deal with it. Everything else is liquid candy, except booze, which is toxic sludge.) I buy fresh fish and vegetables about every week and apply some form of heat to them (cooking really isn’t that baffling or difficult), usually a roast or stir-fry. A good diet can become just as much of a habit as a solid workout routine, it just takes self-control.

While eating the right foods is essential, knowing when to eat them and how to combine them are huge factors. The key to weight loss and that common saying “a good body (abs) is made in the kitchen” is not just calorie restriction, but insulin management. My composition is founded in genetics, but enhanced through heavy lifting and insulin control. I’m not going to divulge the science behind macromolecules and the hormonal responses to food, as there’s plenty of literature available if you search for it.

The basic rule I follow is this: focus carbohydrate intake (both complex and simple) around workouts and mornings. The body needs more energy at those times than when you’re sitting at your computer at night. If I consume a carb-heavy meal any other time of day (sushi is a weakness…a DELICIOUS weakness), I precede it with a supplement to blunt the insulin response and utilize the carbohydrates efficiently. (My supplement of choice for this purpose is called Glucorell-R produced by Anafit Supplements.) I won’t pretend that I’ve put myself through any real hardcore pre-competition dieting, as I tend to keep it simple with food – no calorie counting, or food scales, or “today I had seven almonds for a snack”, just proper macronutrient timing and quality above all else.

Supplements – I take all the basic stuff that I think a lot, if not most people should include in their diets for various reasons. Apart from the aforementioned whey/casein proteins and Glucorell, I also include a standard multi, EFA oil (essential fatty acids), joint supplement (glucosamine-chondroitin/MSM), green phyters, some kidney/liver support among others. My CEE (creatine ethyl ester) cycles in and out… but usually in.

Sleep - Easily one of the most important things for your wellbeing… you just have to get enough of it. Harder than it sounds sometimes. It often means I don’t go out to parties that aren’t worth it like your average twenty-three-year-old, and not enough sleep is to me the only legitimate excuse other than emergencies to skip a workout. I don’t force my body to perform if it hasn’t gotten the rest it needed from the previous workout; that’s how you get sick.

That’s about all I can think of as far as my method goes. And wow, I definitely didn’t notice that video had so many views until you mentioned it. I could handle stardom. Stalkers will be handled as well – violently by the balls.

FJ: That’s one kick ass breakdown and I’m loving the fact that you went into so much detail. And I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t had my coffee today, but I totally read that as “Analfit Supplements”. Regardless, when you look behind the scenes like this, you can easily tell why you can squat such impressive numbers. You’re a testament that hard word and determination totally fucking pays off, so my hats off to you for that.

Now I want to lighten things up a little bit and talk about a topic that has been biting away at my curiosity… the use of MaryJane. Now I don’t really care about the ethics because honestly, I could give two shits about what people think about the substance, since I tend to smoke it socially from time to time. What I wanted to know was, do you feel it negatively affects your performance in anyway shape or form?

Lily: Marijuana has been nothing but good for me. It’s a sad testament to its media-induced reputation and controversial nature that you phrased the question with regards to negativity. As someone with clinical depression and anxiety, I am a much calmer, happier person with cannabis in my life and cannabinoids from a natural leaf in my body as opposed to damaging chemical pharmaceutical drugs. I’ve been through SSRIs and they were just too overpowering for my everyday life. Marijuana is relaxing, enlightening, stimulating, and utterly harmless compared to legal recreational substances (alcohol and tobacco).

I openly support legalization and refuse to perpetuate the unnecessary fear and delusional mindsets associated with prohibition. I’d say the only drawback would be the lapse in self-control that messes up my diet: damn the munchies. But a direct counterargument there is the lessening of my hyper-regimented (mild OCD) mindset regarding food. I can relax my grip a little when necessary, like when I’m trying to gain mass. Getting in 4k cals a day can be hard for someone my size – Maryjane helps me eat (think, if you required as much food as Michael Phelps does to win gold medals, you’d be hitting some bongs too).

Now, working out high is an experience all its own, and not recommend for everyone. Generally, doing things you already enjoy while high just enhances your enjoyment. I find I’m capable of doingmore in the gym with a little buzz, but I’m still experimenting in that department. So far, I would suggest proceeding with caution (lightheadedness has been an issue) and choosing a Sativa dominant strain. Listening to epic dubstep music in stoned surround sound and busting out a couple hours of C&Js is probably one of the most personally zen things I can think of.

Here’s an infographic for you. I also highly recommend The Union if you want to watch a really informative documentary on ganja. Knowledge is power, people.

FJ: I have indeed watched The Union and I’m glad you brought it up. My belief is that weed is on the verge of being legalized and that it will happen in our lifetime. That will be quite a day. Anyways Lily, I want to give you a major thanks for doing this interview and spilling everything you had for my readers. Before we end off, is there anything else you want to add? And also, let everyone know how they can reach you as I’m sure some love mail wants to find it’s way into your inbox.

Lily: I’m quite glad (and flattered!) that you wanted to pick my brain, so, thanks for the interview. The more people educated about fitness and nutrition, the better… as long as they vacate my squat rack around 5pm. I get asked for advice fairly often in the gym, and I always end up telling people things they don’t want to hear, no matter how I try to convince them that challenging yourself physically is FUN. I suppose there’s a certain level of pride in knowing how to take care of your body despite the wild barrage of stimuli for women in all the wrong directions.

I remember finally realizing years ago that I didn’t want to be skinny, I wanted to be strong. From then on I was able to shake my head and laugh at the Photoshopped women in magazines, “tips for a flat belly” articles, and ads for shortcut diet pills that require you to be near a bathroom every time you eat. Fuck that nonsense, there are no shortcuts. If you care about your health, you’ll be willing to put your time and energy into understanding it. If not, hope that yo-yo dieting and chronic fatigue works out for you. “Do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

My email address is scarlettchild [at] gmail [dot] com – I will more than welcome any questions/feedback/fan mail (haha) that comes my way, and I’ll do my best to offer friendly advice. However, don’t expect me to sugar-coat my responses. My nature can be relatively blunt, and sugar is the white death.

FJ: Well if someone is an avid reader of my site and was put off by a “blunt” response from your end, feel free to smack them – they should know what to expect by now

Lily’s Stats

Height: 5’4.5
Weight: 135-145lbs

Current 1RMs
Squat: 245lbs
Bench Press: 155lbs
Deadlift: 250lbs
Clean & Jerk: 165lbs
Snatch: 125lbs

End Notes…

So there you have it, what did you think? If you have even a whisper of a voice or an opinion, be sure to leave a comment for Lily and share this with others. Like I said in my Girlpower Challege – women should be lifting, just like men. So it’s important to get the word out.

There were a few other things Lily and I discussed on the side such as CEE vs Creatine Monohydrate. I figured I’d take a minute to talk about this CEE vs monohydrate hoopla as I know a debate will fucking pop out of no where if it doesn’t go addressed.

If you’ve read my huge list of supplement reviews, you’ll probably know that I strongly favor creatine monohydrate over all the other fancy permutations for good reason… it was proven superior. But Lily uses CEE, and so to prevent a bunch of emails asking “why” or “what’s best” my response is the following: Monohydrate is still king, as long as you don’t notice any bloating or other minor side effects. Creapure creatine is probably your best bet as it’s the highest quality you can get. If however you find that monohydrate gives you an upset stomach etc, try CEE. It’ll cost you a bit extra though and you’ll be sacrificing performance.

Another aspect you should be aware of is that some of you dorks are just plain unresponsive to creatine supplementation. This group of people is not that large as far as I know, but if you find that you went through an entire bottle/tub of creatine and didn’t notice a difference in performance (assuming you stuck to recommended intake guidelines) then it’s safe to say that you’re probably pissing it all away. Literally. Save your cash or seek out some nutrition experts to see how this can be fixed.

That’s all for now. Keep lifting, stay off the bullshit, share the knowledge and rock a body that makes people jealous.

- FitJerk

Content originally written by FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners. The verbal content of this post is NOT to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

But not today. Today is the exception. Not only was contacting Brian Andrews (President of All American EFX) a cake walk, he was more than willing to take a few moments out of his time to do up a lil (or not so lil) interview with me. What I respect about Brian is that not only is he completely transparent about his company, he is doing this interview before I’ve even put up the reviews of all the AAEFX products (So far I’ve put up 2… we have a bunch more to go).

See when I contacted AAEFX, Brian sent me a whole bunch of products to review (which as you can see, I’ve been going through) but I haven’t gone through all of them yet. Although I’ve liked the 2 I’ve tested so far, that’s no guarantee that I’ll love the other ones… it all depends on how they perform so for him to come out and spend some time is a risk (or not). Anyways, it’s all appreciated. Here’s the interview along with a few side notes from moi.

1. First up, mad props for doing this interview. It’s good to see a company such as AAEFX become so involved with the community and be so transparent and open with the information about their products. Why do you feel this is important?

No problem bro, it’s my pleasure. To answer your question, when we started this company, we did it based on this simple premise: to build the company we wished was around when we first started working out.

I first started training back when I was 16 (I’m 38… until June). Back then, I was desperate to get bigger and stronger. I was 6 feet tall and weighed in at a mighty 158 pounds! I remember my girlfriend at the time once made a comment to me that she could see my hip bones. Uh…thanks, honey!!! As you might imagine, that gave me extreme drive and motivation… but it also set me up to be extremely gullible. [FJ: I’m glad that motivation went towards transforming yourself instead of going emo… ]

Just like almost anyone else who’s ever looked for a way to get results faster, I’d try the latest, greatest fad supplements on the market. Problem is all we had back then were magazines and friends at the gym to get info from. We didn’t have the internet and forums where you can jump on and find out within seconds if something is actually good or not.

Ironically, the internet has actually reversed this trend. Now there’s too much information out there! [FJ: Agree with you on this, which is why I preach the information diet so heavily] It’s all but impossible to know where to go or who to trust to get real, unbiased information. Site after site offers nothing more than the same old drivel: huge promises, big claims, and false hopes. Message boards are infested with company shills tossing out sleazy sales pitches that are thinly disguised as “friendly” product recommendations. And how about all those outrageous magazine ads? Let’s not even go there…

So, we decided to become that trusted “voice”. In fact, what you’re doing with your website is very similar to us.  People desperately need a place to go to get solid info they can rely on. And as you already know, the hardest thing to earn is trust. Break it even once, and you are dead in the water.

That, if anything, is a major reason why we try our best to let it all hang out and be “transparent” about who we are and what we stand for. Seriously, does this industry really need another supplement company??? No way! So we strive to be something more than that… to give people killer technology that produces real results.

There are thousands of people out there who don’t know, see or experience what we do. So they’re like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to selling them the next great “miracle potion”. It’s this very thing that’s always bothered me to a large extent for some reason. I guess I just have a soft spot for injustice.

This is also the main reason why we created a unique concept called the “Natural Freak™”.  This means that we only showcase athletes who are drug-free in our ads [FJ: Awesome sauce! I get called freak sometimes… but whenever she calls me that I just take it as a compliment]. I personally feel that it’s extremely dishonest to showcase an athlete and then imply the supplement is what was mostly responsible for their physique…and not a pharmacy full of drugs. Get real. That’s insulting to consumers.

By contract, our sponsored athletes must:

1) Use ONLY our products to develop their physiques.

2) Submit to random drug testing; failing means they are fired on the spot…end of story [FJ: I like the way you do business]. THAT is how you know our stuff really works…or as we say, “The Results Are Real™”. We even have each athlete’s drug test results listed on our website.

If you take anything at all from this interview today, let it be this point…

If our competitors’  products REALLY are as good as their ads claim, why do they showcase athletes who obviously also use drugs? And, frankly, why would they still need drugs? That’s NOT proof. I just can’t help but think this would be blatantly obvious to magazine readers. But somehow these companies just keep getting away with it.

The ultimate test (or proof) is what your products can do for drug-free athletes; when they are ALL they have to rely on. That’s doing it live without a net. We willingly put ourselves in a hard box by featuring only 100% clean, tested athletes in our ads. PERIOD. Name even one other company with the guts to do that!

We are a no-nonsense company that is all about results. We don’t have time to mess around when it comes to winning, and neither do our customers. We love the skeptics. They usually end up being our greatest advocates once they finally try our products. In fact, I actually tell people I meet at tradeshows NOT to believe me, which really shocks them by the look on their faces. They’re used to every other company telling them they have the greatest products in the world, so they expect us to do the same.

Instead, I tell them I can only share what I know to be true and honest. They have to do their own homework and see for themselves. Seriously, all the studies and clinical trials in the world don’t mean squat if that particular product doesn’t work for YOU.

In a nutshell, I think I can best sum up your “transparency” question up with our main tagline, which is, “We Don’t Play Games…We Just Help You Win Them”.

2. What made you want to get involved with the supplement industry and how long have you been at it?

Like I mentioned before, I’ve been training for quite a few years now. For me, it’s the constant challenge to keep advancing. To reach new goals. And since it’s truly an individual thing, you alone are responsible for the results you get. I also love learning about and studying new ways to train. I’ve always believed there had to be a better way. And I’ve always believed that same thing about supplements.

I actually got my start in the industry through a friend of a friend. One of my other big passions is marketing and advertising. Well, my buddy was working a small company based out of Canada [FJ: Hell yes Canada!] who just happened to be starting their own in-house supplement brand. They wanted to run some ads, so he recommended they work with to write their first ads. I put together 8-10 ads, and over time they enjoyed a little success. However, they soon enough realized just how expensive it was going to be to pull it all off, so they decided not to continue that brand.

As fate would have it, I’d also met the owner of their manufacturing company, Jeff Golini of All American Pharmaceutical. This was all around 2002-03. At that time, Jeff was interested in trying to launch a new creatine product called Kre-Alkalyn. They’d previously offered it to the marketplace, but they didn’t have the success they knew they could with it. So Jeff started working with me and my business partner, and the rest, as they say, “is history”.

As it turns out, Jeff also had a small in-house brand back then called All American Nutrition. One day my business partner and I were having lunch with Jeff Golini, and we half-jokingly asked him if he wanted to sell his patent. Well it was worth a good laugh, (he politely said no). But with straight faces we told him that we were seriously interested in buying his private label brand called Kre-Alkalyn® EFX.

When all was said and done we made him an offer “he couldn’t refuse” (no, we’re not the mafia). After the ink dried, not only did we buy Kre-Alkalyn® EFX, but we scored the whole enchilada: his private in-house company called All American Nutrition. We now call it All American EFX – The Birthplace of Kre-Alkalyn®. We also contracted exclusively with Jeff Golini to be our chief formulator and manufacturer because we must have the best to give our customers the best.

3. What are you goals while being the president of AAEFX? What innovative changes/advancements do you hope to bring?

For one thing, sanity! It’s time to put up or shut up. We’ve tried to police our own industry and failed. So now the government agencies are stepping in to do it for us. Frankly, that sucks. [FJ: Agreed]

Even so, I guess the good thing from all this is that it will help to weed out the companies who insist on cheating with fake raw materials or who use banned substances in their products and don’t list them on the label. So in the end, consumers will ultimately win. [FJ: Yeah, not listing banned shit is ridiculous, no doubt. But the WADA banned Geranium recently… not a happy camper here]

If anything, we are helping to raise the “quality” bar to almost unbelievable levels. Quality is one of those words that’s tossed around in our industry like “love” in elementary school. Seriously, what does it really mean? What I do know is that most people walk into their favorite supplement store and immediately think all products are on the same level with regard to quality. Well, I’m here to tell you that it ain’t true by a long shot.

I know how most of these products are manufactured. I also know the raw material costs. And, frankly, the numbers just do not add up in most cases. Unfortunately, the marketplace has been trained to look first at price, then anything else they might think is important. I feel like our job is to teach them what to look for and consider beyond cheap prices.

We will never be the cheapest brand on the block because there is a price to pay for REAL quality. All I can say is that if people really knew how most products are manufactured, they would be in for a shock. That’s the reason I wrote a book on Kre-Alkalyn EFX. I knew that once people understood how creatine was made, they would finally “get it” and not be fooled by all these nonsense creatine products out there. By the way, that book is called “Creatine: Insider Secrets Revealed. You can get it as a FREE download on our main website in the Resources section (http://www.aaefx.com/dev/pages/zone/resources/resources_main.shtml).

Anyone can SAY they have good quality. But we decided to actually show that they means.
Again, everyone talks about “quality”, but we wanted to literally redefine what that word means. The current standards were too lax for us, so we created the “AAEFX Quality Firewall™”. It’s easily the most stringent quality assurance and consumer protection program in the entire industry!

We also created a series of videos (in six parts) that show you our manufacturing facility, and you also get to see some of our products being made. They’re all on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/allamericanefx).

You mentioned “Innovation”. That is another buzz word you see thrown around too. It takes a real lab, real technology and real experts to develop innovative products like ours. That’s why so many companies make inferior, copycat products hidden behind ads filled with impressive clipart, slick marketing and BIG hype. You deserve real innovation – where more time and money was invested indeveloping the product… than the marketing campaign to sell it!

On the technological side, we like to look at the pharmaceutical world to see how they do things. For as much as their industry gets bashed, they are still leading the way when it comes to breakthroughs with regard to chemistry and drug delivery technology. What we’ve done is “borrow” some of what we found, and we’ve applied it to our products.

I had people look at our formulas on paper, and they said our dosages were too low “according to the studies”[FJ: Yup, I was definitely one of those people]. But what they fail to realize is that when it comes to drugs or supplements, it’s not about how much you take, it’s how much gets ABSORBED. And without a distinct delivery system within that product, it just doesn’t work the way it could or should if it had one.

We hear it all the time. “I can get 1,000 grams of creatine, glutamine, beta-alanine, etc., for $19.99. Why would I use yours?”  The simple answer is that if the active compound is degraded in the stomach, then logically you will need to take a higher dose or load it to get the desired effect. Make sense? So when they do try our Cell Rush, Kre-Alkalyn EFX or LG5 (a glutamine-based product), they are amazed that so “little” can offer so much.

Those products, plus a few others, are all part of our best-selling line called the “Flex Wheeler Signature Series”. They were literally created for Flex himself to complete a drug-free transformation. What he was able to pull off WITHOUT drugs, with only one kidney, and in his early forties, is remarkable in my book. [FJ: Yeah I know all about how he competed natural and people thought he was crazy. Was big inspiration]

It’s funny because Big Flex had this same idea years ago about showing what good products could produce. He even told me that he floated this same concept to a couple of former companies he was sponsored by. He was sick and tired of “using” and was looking for a way to still keep a paycheck and go clean at the same time. But to his surprise, they literally told him that if he did, he’d be fired!

So to actually do something like this, we had to step up our game and bring out something special. We locked Jeff in the lab, and he pulled out all the stops to formulate these products. They’re what led to us developing 3 exclusive delivery systems – they‘re the big “SECRET” behind why these products work so well!

I think I started my answer to you by saying it was time to put up or shut up. As the President of AAEFX, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to our customers, and the marketplace as a whole. I’d like to do my best to help save people from years of frustration, losing hard-earned money and especially from wasting precious time along the way.

In fact, one way we back up what I’m saying here is with our 1-year 100% money-back guarantee for any product someone buys directly from us. Hard to hide when you leave yourself wide open like that. Again, it’s one thing to say it, but it’s another to actually do it!

For what it’s worth, we also just became the exclusive creatine provider to the Acceleration Sports Institute, which is part of the world-famous Steadman Hawkins clinics. If you haven’t heard of them, this is where all the elite athletes go for training and/or rehab and when they get injured. We’re also going to be partnering with them on some of their upcoming research projects.

4. They say that “the iron is king”… so being involved with supplements is one thing, but how much personal experience do you have in the place that really matters – the gym?

I really appreciate this question, and here’s why. How many times have you seen a doctor on television who is supposed to be an expert on a given health issue, yet he or she looks like they might die any minute themselves? I just don’t get it. And I bet you’ve also seen personal trainers like that too. [FJ: Ohh I hear what you’re saying… don’t even get me started on the chubster personal trainers and pot belly doctors]

My point is this… you have to look the part and have the experience to turn around and give solid, reliable advice. I’ve been working out since I was 16. I started out at 158 pounds soaking wet. At 38, I weigh 234 pounds. I’m currently not the leanest I’ve ever been and won’t be running Jay Cutler off the stage anytime soon. But as summer closes in, I’ll kick up the cardio, get on some special supplements we have in the works, and I’ll get down to around 215 or so. I have a wife and 3 young kids, so I now focus a little more on staying healthy and active. I’d really like to be around to see them grow up and have their own rug rats.

I’ve trained in all sorts of gyms, once even in Germany with Flex Wheeler and Jeff Golini. I was a competitive powerlifter in my late teens. I know what it’s like to be on a very strict diet and having to drag your butt into the gym to train hard, even though you feel like absolute crap. I’ve had friends who’ve done heavy drug cycles (I thought about doing them but never did). A couple of them got busted and ended up doing hard time in prison for it. I know what strained muscles, slight tears, and what squatting with 450 pounds digging into your back all feel like [FJ: This is why I now use the Manta Ray].

Since I have a crazy schedule, and a family, I built a small private gym in my house. I call it “The Andrews House of Pain”. I can do almost anything you can at a commercial gym, so it really works well for me.

My parting advice, especially to younger trainers, is that you MUST eat and train correctly. No drug or product on the planet, not even ours, will work for you if you don’t get that part right FIRST. Just trying to keep it real. [FJ: Respect]

In the end, I will never claim to have all the answers or that I’m the smartest guy in the industry. What I’ve tried to do is surround myself with other people who DO have those answers. If anything, that’s been one of the biggest secrets to our success.

Awesome, thanks for your time. I’ll be putting the rest of the products through their phases real soon.

- FitJerk

Discuss: Do you have a question/comment/suggestion for Brian? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and I’ll make sure he gets it.

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© 2010, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Q: You seem to give very practical tips on your blog that virtually anyone can understand.

A: Yeah, my writing philosophy is smack-your-face-simple. Step 1: Make it useful. Step 2: Make it simple. So when I start writing, I end up with this massive, sometimes confusing web of thoughts and ideas, but it’s all useful stuff. Sometimes it’s gold and the next day I’m like “damn I wrote that?” What I do then is edit, structure and simplify it all down so that even a complete tool with zero skills can understand it. In fact I want people to be able to read an article, then that very day go apply whatever they learned.

It’s a process I call “spit first, shine later”. I also call it verbal diarrhea but that doesn’t sound nearly as appealing.

To read the entire interview, GO HERE.

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© 2010, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

So anyways, she interviewed me up and drilled me (no pun intended) on dating, relationship and general mumbo-jumbo on men and women. I think it went pretty damn well, even though I’m the last person that should give relationship advice. But dating advice on the other hand… you better perk up them ears and listen up!

Anyways, check out The Naked Interview.

Be sure to show her some love, jerk style, and throw some comments on her blog (I’ll be reading them).

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© 2009, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Here’s are little excerpt of the interview (As always, I held nothing back)

Rob: …Great advice man, you do make a point they could be losing a big portion of their company’s revenue because they are not focusing on the larger percentage of the clients. Throughout your career working online, has there been anyone you look up to as an inspiration? (You can name more than one person)

FJ: Hell yeah. And of course I’ll name more than one person… that’s a given. I only get inspired by those who are successful, those who’ve “made it” or are at a level where I want to be at. They are the “big dogs” in their respective fields/niches.

Here’s my list:
Frank Kern (Mass Control. Marketing genius)
Darren (ProBlogger a bald dude making 6 figures blogging? He’s doing something right.)
Eben Pagen (Get Altitude & Double Your Dating. Makes millions from info products!)
Gary Vaynerchuk (WineLibrary TV)
iJustine (yes, she uses her cuteness, so what? Branding at it’s best)
Tony Robbins (No better person to turn to if you lack motivation)
Seth Godin (You can’t call yourself a serious blogger unless you’ve read at least ONE of his books)
Mike Dillard (Magnetic Sponsoring)
Marina Orlova (HotForWords… she leverages her greatest assets and monetizes it. How can you hate?)
Mystery (From The Pickup Artist. His archive is the stuff of legend. Brilliant man)
Dooce (Probably the benchmark for all mommy bloggers. MILF!)
John Chow (He’s not a pretty dude, but he is smart dude)
Charles Poliquin (This man is a genius of a strength coach… tho some say he’s going crazy)
Brian Clark (Copyblogger)
Hughes Hefner (He’s like 70 and still gets laid more than a rock star. Enough said)

I respect what these people have accomplished but I don’t “look up” to them; that’s such a pathetic term. No one is “above me”… they’re just human! And what ONE human can do, another can replicate, or even improve upon. It just so happens that they have the knowledge and skill set that many lack, which is why their are at the top of their game.

See, in my mind, I’m on the same level as them, I just need to hone my execution… and learning from these individuals will help me do that. Those that think I’m being delusional need to get their head straight. Nobody who is big in the present day ever thought that they were small in the past.

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To read the entire juicy interview, >>CLICK HERE<<

Post your thoughts, let me know what you think and give Rob a pat on the back.

- FitJerk

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© 2009, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Me and Kyle talked a bit about online strategies and SEO and blogging, so if you’re into that shit then CLICK HERE to read more.

And here’s a little excerpt to get your juices flowing…

2. Can you tell us a little about your online marketing strategy?

No doubt, let’s start with the blog. The first concept is freedom. I NEVER censor anyone’s comment on my blog. You can quite literally, come to the blog and be like “F*** YOU FJ, I DISAGREE”. Whatever, I’m ok with that. I’m tired of this pussy shit where every little piece of info is ‘censored’. It’s hindering people form truly expressing themselves. I’m not saying dropping f-bombs is the way to express yourself but at times when you do… ain’t nothing wrong with that. Just remember that I WILL respond…

Read the full interview HERE

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© 2009, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.