There are quite a few bars on the market that claim to be “low carbohydrate”.   These bars are using glycerin (aka glycerol) as a main ingredient, usually 2nd, 3rd, or 4th on the ingredient list.  According to the FDA, glycerin/glycerol was to be labeled as a carbohydrate, not just calories.  Unfortunately, since the supplement industry …

This blog was written by a 26 year-old journalist named Maggie Young-Cornelius. It was written about her trainer, Kevin Creedon, a national-level champion bodybuilder and good friend of mine.  Kevin and I have similar training philosophies and beliefs.  We both believe that people should work hard, for that’s how results are achieved.  We both believe …

Here’s a great story on commitment, drive, determination, discipline, focus, attitude, and mindset.  This inspirational and motivational blog, written by Hilary Achauer for http://community.crossfit.com/, tells the compelling story of Irene Mejia, a woman who once weighed 415 pounds.  I love stories like this.  It shows the drive and will of the human spirit.  It shows …

This letter/post was written by someone I don’t know but I sure wish I did.  There are FAR too many unqualified ‘coaches’ and ‘trainers’ who know absolutely nothing about how the human body works.  A weekend course for $299, a couple of contests under your belt, and/or a couple of years training and you think …

The show is over.  You did well, meaning that you achieved your goal of reaching your best look ever, and even possibly placing or winning!  Great job!! But now the bigger question to be asked is…Now What?  But before I ‘go there’, I wanna give those of you who don’t care about how much weight …

  We have less than 4 weeks until many of you step foot onstage at the Mac Daddy of Pacific Northwest Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Physique, and Bikini Championships – the coveted Emerald Cup!  If there was ever one show in which you would want to put it all on the line, this is it!  Competitors …

I recently was asked a good question by a new client – “How do you know when your workout is over or you’re done?”  Well, the answer is relatively easy if you know how the human body works but can be tricky if you don’t.  I answered the question without pause or delay.  But then …

How do you ‘think’?  Do you have positive thoughts or negative thoughts?  Do you live in a world of happiness or despair?  How do you see yourself, your surroundings, your environment, and your life?  Is it well in your world?  In a perfect world, we’d all look the way we wanted to look, have all …

I’m sure you’ve heard something along the line of, “Your destiny is predetermined and there’s nothing you can do about it.”  Well I disagree.  I believe that we have an infinite number of possibilities and futures, all of them already played out.  It’s just that we haven’t picked the one we wanted and started driving …

Heading to the gym right now!! Will be going 3 – 4 days a week from here on out….last time I was in the gym…I was like…”WOW! You all have done some upgrades!”  Worker- “We did those upgrades four months ago” ……Silence……….   This was an actual FB quote from one of my good friends …

I was watching a show on cable called “Running the Sahara” in which three high-end athletes ran across the Sahara Desert.  It was a 4300 mile journey that wound through six countries in Africa and took 111 days.  All of the men had blistered feet, and one nearly had a heat stroke.  But it wasn’t …

Muscle Egg is proud to be a family owned enterprise. They’re also a state-of-the-art egg processing facility that’s been providing the highest quality eggs and egg products for over 50 years.  Muscle Egg Liquid Egg Whites are produced in a USDA compliant facility with state of the art equipment. This ensures the safest, highest quality …

While this is slightly off the beaten path of what I normally write, THIS IS A FAMILY’S WORST NIGHTMARE!  I know from personal experience in my own family how insidious this is.  Anyone that has or is going through this can tell you that every word of this is true.  I did not write this.  …

Many times we go through the daily motions of life with nary a thought as to the consequences. We get ‘stuck in a rut’ so to speak. Sometimes we need a lil’ ‘JOLT’ to get us ‘unstuck’ from ourselves. The following is a story I’ve had sent to me several times over the years in …

    Years ago I had a client who used to stop every 5 minutes while doing cardio to sip on his water.   I’d ask him, “Why do you keep stopping?”  I already knew the answer as I’d told him over and over to NOT stop.  “Dave, you know I can’t stride and drink at …

I  gave up New Year’s resolutions about 25 years ago – that’s when I realized, “Why am I waiting? I can do these ‘New Year’s’ things right NOW!”  At any time of the year, on any day, if I ‘feel’ I need to change something then I obviously need to change it now, not later.  When …

Once upon a time, back in the day, in a land called ‘The Hood’, there lived a most wise Professional Personal Trainer.  Affectionately known as ‘Doc’,  he was known for his no-nonsense approach to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals.  But Doc was smart – smarter than the average trainer.  He was smart …

    The Great Debacle: Part I “Differences of opinion can be creatively stimulating as well as frustrating.”  Jim Coleman When it comes to bodybuilding nutrition and trying to decipher what protein, carbs, and fat intake to implement, things can certainly get confusing for us. If you ask certain gurus out there, they will tell …

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, ” If I could see the world, I’d marry you”. One day someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she …

Every day…every stinkin’ single day, all day I see them, to the point where it’s literally nauseating.  Incessant posts by individuals about what they’re getting ready to do, what they are doing, and what they just did.  Noooo…I’m not talking about going on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise or getting married.  I’m not talking about the birth …

Lemme see if I can put this to rest one final time!  Guys, ladies, which weighs more – muscle, fat, or feathers?  Wait…lemme rephrase it to make it a bit easier…which weighs LESS – feathers, fat, or muscle?  Should be easy to answer now, right?  If you answered muscle to the first question, or feathers …

This could also have been titled “How to read the nutrition label”.  How many times have you reached for (and bought) a product that said 97% fat-free?  You believe that, right?  I mean, the food industry wouldn’t ‘lie’ to you…at least not intentionally.  I’ve taught so many people, including family members, competitors, and even doctors …

     *CURRENT PRICES EFFECTIVE 2-12-13: One or two (1 or 2) 1/2-gallon containers ————-$8.50 each Three to five (3 to 5) 1/2-gallon containers————$8.00 each Six or more (6+) 1/2-gallon cartons———————$7.50 each *Prices subject to change without notice Egg Whites are pick-up only! No delivery or shipment options available – sorry!! David “Dr. Buff” Patterson …

When I was in basic training in the military, we had daily ‘chores’, along with everything else the military threw at us as they tried to weed out the weak-minded, timid, and unable-to-adapt-to-military life individuals. The military was looking for leaders and people who could follow those leaders.  Insubordination was not tolerated.  You adapted to …

‎”There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”  Author Unknown We always find the time to do what we’re interested in, but have you noticed how difficult it is for so many …

I’ve been a Parrillo ‘disciple’ and follower since 1989 when I first stumbled upon him by reading an article he’d written in Bob Kennedy’s ‘MuscleMag International’.  I found what he wrote ‘intriguing’, to say the least, as he approached the sale of supplements from a nutritional perspective instead of simply touting a product as the …

For all my fellow Drug-Free/Natural competitors, here’s a great blog written by Kayla Drumwright.  I’ve provided a link to her blog in case you’d like to enjoy some of her other writings.  I like this blog because she’s blunt and to the point about her previous thoughts on National and Pro-level competitors, and now realizes and …

    A few mornings ago I jumped in my car to go see my chiropractor.  When I started the car, it made a ‘funny’ sound for a few seconds and then settled down to its normal sounds.  I thought “Hmmm…wonder what that was”?  I didn’t think anything more of it as I backed out …

This original blog was written by Ivan Ribic from Spokane, WA, the promoter of the Empire Classic in spring and the Night of Champions in the fall.  Ivan’s been in the competition game for years.  He wrote his blog on his own site and I immediately called him and asked if I could post it …

How do I convince you that what you’re putting in your body food-wise more than likely is unhealthy?  How can I convince you that what you’re eating is probably keeping you from getting the results you’re after and the body you want?  What can I say to you that will fire you up to clean …

Snake Oil and the Salesman: Headlines that think we’re fools! C’mon…enough is enough!  Dr. Oz, you’re selling out.  In a recent issue of Woman’s World, your headlines are misleading us.  You’re selling women short.  You’re selling America short.  You started out as a good thing…now…well now, in my opinion, you’re just another snake oil salesman hiding …

    Over the last several years, Michael Boyle and Gray Cook’s “Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training” has changed the way the sports performance world looks at athletic development. Starting from the ground up, the joint-by-joint system outlines that the body has joints alternating in emphasis on whether they need mobility or stability to maximize function. …

I absolutely LOVE the above flow chart as this has become my philosophy in life. I learned something similar years ago in my Sports Psychology class at Pacific Lutheran University. My professor, Dr. Colleen Hacker, one day asked us, “How many of you have problems”? We all raised our hands as we all had problems. …

The difference between success and failure can be as simple as doing something nearly right and doing something exactly right!  In the world of health and fitness, we work hard.  But do we ever compromise our training?  I’m talking about selling ourselves short by not doing everything we’re supposed to be doing to achieve our …

WASTED POTENTIAL The world is full of wasted potential.  Personally, I probably haven’t lived up to my full potential. How do I know?  I don’t.  But when I look back over my life I realize and accept that I could have done things differently.  Better?  Again, I don’t know, but different for sure.  I’ve always …

C’mon people…seriously?  We’ve become a world of extremes, a nation of extremes, a society of extremes, a culture of extremes, and a sub-culture of extremes.  We jump, bounce, and rebound from one ‘new’, ‘clinically proven’, ‘scientifically tested’, ‘quickest’, ‘fastest’, ‘easiest’, ‘simplest’, and ‘latest greatest’ discovery to the next, with every other generation being suckered into …

 Below is a paper I presented to the Faculty and Student-Athletes at Pacific Lutheran University in 2005.  Since I ‘read’ the paper, there was no need to cite sources.  But for those interested in seeing where my research came from, you’re more than welcome to stop by my home/gym and I’ll gladly let you peruse …

Every now and then I stumble upon a great blog that I’ll share with my readers.  This is one of them.  Written by Amanda Eva out of Massachusetts, you can visit her FB pages at https://www.facebook.com/MyFitWorlddotcom and https://www.facebook.com/pages/SweetCapri/113549845341582.  Her website is http://www.amandasweetcapri.blogspot.com/.   Amanda sent me the link and said, “You might enjoy this…”  I did.  …

Seriously?  Are trainers out there actually doing this?  And even more importantly, are women ALLOWING it?  What, in ANY woman’s world, would make this move by this ‘trainer’ acceptable?  It’s crap like this that gives trainers a bad name and reputation.  Guys, if this is how you train your female clients, then perhaps you’re in …

  “Do or do not…there is no try!” If you saw the original Star Wars movie, you probably remember that line – “Do or do not – there is no try”, when Yoda was teaching Luke how to tap into his inner being.  Luke had just yelled, “I’m trying”, to which Yoda uttered his now …