The Official Muscle-Build.com Blog

February Traffic Report – Best Month Ever

billspaced — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:13:10 +0000

I wanted to say "Thanks!" to all of you who visited in February. We hit 17,189 visits, which is incredible to me. I've been running this site for barely over a year now and I never imagined getting this kind of traffic.

"Thank you very much!"

Combined with this blog, Muscle-Build.com got over 20,000 visits in February. That is so totally awesome. Thanks again.

While traffic is very important to the success of Muscle-Build.com, it is not the only indicator of success. Ultimately, I want you to get what you need here. I want Muscle-Build.com to be your one-stop shop for all of your muscle-building, fat-loss, fitness, and performance-improvement needs.

In that light, then, please drop me a comment and let me know what you want to see here and on the main site.

I'd like to build my subscriber base too. Being a subscriber gets you weekly updates along with information that I don't normally publish. I also make available a ton of free stuff in the form of special reports. By becoming a subscriber, you instantly get 12 free reports plus access to dozens more.

All completely FREE.

I won't lie to you – I want you as a subscriber because – some day – you might actually buy something from me. I want long-term customers. I assure you that I will treat you and your personal information with the utmost respect and you can certainly unsubscribe at any time. No questions asked and I won't take it personally (though, in the quest to continuously improve my business, I would like to know why you unsubscribed).

Well, that's it for now. February was a phenomenal month for Muscle-Build.com. Even more astonishing is that this was the best month ever and it, of course, was a short month. At 20,000 visits, you get an average, in a 30-day month, about 650 visits a day. Reducing the days by 2 in February, I had to average over 700 a day. It doesn't sound like a lot, but little changes make have big effects over time.

Thanks again!

One for the Ladies

billspaced — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:55:35 +0000

I admit I've not written a lot specifically for the women readers here, so here's a small attempt at giving my female visitors some attention.

You could say, however, that this recommendation covers the guys, too. I used this site extensively prior to my wedding day; they are the top-notch web destination for everything there is about marriage – the wedding, honeymoon, what to wear, how to write invitations and thank-yous. And a lot more.

Now, The Wedding Channel has a fitness section! Way cool. One of their first features is how to drop a dress size in 31 days or less. I can tell you that the stress of arranging the perfect wedding can put on some weight! At least, it did for me.

Headed up by celebrity fitness trainer, Marco Borges, The Wedding Channel is an essential pre- and post-wedding web destination. Check it out!

Old School Bodybuilders, Testosterone, and Saturated Fat

billspaced — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:29:51 +0000

by Mark Wilson

I probably should have been born in the 1940's.

Why?

Because I look up to many of the old school bodybuilders from that era.

Long before steroids and performance-enhancing drugs soiled the sport, these men carved out astounding physiques, the old school way.

By training smart, and eating right.

Men like Armand Tanny, John Grimek, and Vince Gironda.

These pioneers of the muscle game didn't keep a bottle of testosterone cypionate in the medicine cabinet.

They didn't rely on fractioned, low-fat, over-processed foods either.

Vince shunned the primitive soy-based protein powders of the day, and got his aminos the way mother nature intended.

From food!

He believed a large percentage of your daily food intake should be consumed in a raw, natural state.

His go-to guys were steak tarter, whole eggs, and raw milk.

Yup, Vince, John, Armand, and most of the other muscle men of that era ate what I like to call "man food."

Food that real men consumed, before fat phobia took over our collective conscious in the late 70s and early 80s.

As a matter of fact, these men embraced fat, from clean, animal-based sources, and for good reason.

For one, fat is good for you!

Surprised? More on that later…

Second, fat, especially saturated fat, is vital for optimal Testosterone Production.

Studies have shown conclusively, that male vegetarians, who typically consume very little saturated fat, have considerably lower levels of testosterone compared to non vegetarians.

In 2005 JS Volek conducted a study titled, The case for not restricting saturated fat on a low carbohydrate diet.

This research compared the dietary records of several men involved in weight training.

The authors found significant correlations between testosterone levels and total and saturated fat intake among men with a history of at least one year of weight training.

Penn State researchers came to some of the same conclusions…

Specifically, they found that monounsaturated and saturated fat raise testosterone levels, while polyunsaturated has the exact opposite effect.

The take home message from the study above?

Avoid the oxidized, liquid oils in clear plastic bottles, sitting on the grocery store shelf.

Instead, get your fat from grass-fed beef, free range eggs, whole milk, almonds, and olive oil.

These foods, specifically meat, milk, and eggs, are swimming in substances that a man's body needs in order to build muscle.

These include zinc, cholesterol (a steroid hormone precursor), B vitamins, choline, vitamin A, K, and D, iron, protein, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, calcium, etc..

Remember…

Take the yolk out of the egg, the fat out of the milk, or the meat out of the diet, and you can kiss these nutrients bye bye, because they're gone!

But what about health you say?

I say, don't sweat it!

As long as your fat doesn't come wrapped in two all beef patties, special sauce, and a sesame seed bun, you're going to be OK.

In other words, the fat, in and of itself, isn't the problem, it's what you're eating along with the fat, that is.

So, drop the burger, the fries, and the super sized drink, and you've got nothing to worry about.

Need proof?

The French diet is very high in saturated fats from butter, eggs, cheese, cream, liver, and meats, yet they have 50% less coronary heart disease, compared to those living in the US.

The Masai out of Africa, who consume meat, blood, and milk, and get more than 50% of their calories from saturated fat, suffer very little heart disease.

In a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Siri-Tarino and colleagues concluded that the evidence does not support "the conventional wisdom that reduced dietary saturated fat intake is beneficial for cardiovascular health."

They went on to say…

Clinical trials and prospective-cohort studies have not consistently shown that reducing dietary saturated fat lowers cardiovascular risk. And, replacing saturated fat with carbohydrate has NOT been shown to reduce CVD risk.

Again, I go back to the old school bodybuilders for proof that this current dietary mindset is entirely misguided.

Our three boys, according to conventional wisdom, should have all died very young from heart disease.

But, that's not what happened…

Vince survived to within a month of his 80th birthday.

John Grimek made it to 88, and Armand Tanny, the biggest carnivore of them all, lived until the ripe old age of 90.

Compare these numbers to the new school guys, who often check out before they reach the age of 60.

We could all learn a lot from the old school bodybuilders.

Mark Wilson is the owner of Boost-Your-Low Testosterone.com, a website dedicated to natural therapies you can use to increase testosterone levels, build muscle, and boost sex drive, without doctors, drugs, or artificial hormones.

Supplement Cycling from John Berardi

billspaced — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:31:05 +0000

Here's a great video from nutritional expert Dr John Berardi on how to cycle your supplements so that you don't develop any intolerances to them.

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/CseDz6e7B2ke0da0fb581bc30267311a821212d6f22.htm" _cke_saved_href="http://www.linkedtube.com/CseDz6e7B2ke0da0fb581bc30267311a821212d6f22.htm">LinkedTube</a>

An Illuminating Observation from the Arnold Sports Expo

billspaced — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:29:17 +0000

The Arnold Sports Expo was just like any other expo you may have ever been to: Lots of vendors trying to get you to part with your hard-earned cash in return for what they hope you will believe is the best product this side of the Mississippi.

The overwhelming majority (I'd say at least 70 percent) of vendors at the Arnold were supplement manufacturers or companies who sell mostly supplements (GNC, Bodybuilding.com, and the Vitamin Shoppe).

If a superstar bodybuilder like current Mr Olympia Jay Cutler (MuscleTech) couldn't lure you to the booth, then the supplement companies threw scantily-clad "fitness models" at the mostly-male crowd.

So there's obviously a lot riding on getting you to buy their stuff. If the product's benefits don't sell it, then surely a superstar bodybuilder who presumably uses it will; and if that doesn't work, throw some tits and ass your way, and you'll soon lose all of your judgment!

(I'm not kidding about this – there was one booth where the women were wearing pants – very tight, or course – that had small rectangular cut-outs strategically placed such that it made showing butt crack inevitable. I kid you not. Or maybe that was my imagination.)

I've talked about this before: Supplements help. A lot. But you have to take the right ones. All the others are junk at best. And seriously dangerous at worst.

There are some supplements that I will take the rest of my life because I know they work. I've tried a literal TON of supplements over the years (30+) and I know what works. I also have a good idea what doesn't. And I know which ones I'd never take.

You can read all about my take on supplements elsewhere here on the blog and also at the main Muscle-Build.com site. I just wanted to share with you something that really caught my attention.

It's not just the bodybuilding magazines hawking supplements (pick up any popular muscle magazine and I challenge you to find any editorial content within the first 30 pages) – it's Arnold and every other strength-sport competition and event.

Buyer beware. Again, I'm not saying supplements are bad. They're very important. Just know what you're buying before you shove it down your gullet. Otherwise, you're wasting your money and maybe jeopardizing your health.

A Few Photos from the Arnold Sports Expo

billspaced — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:23:03 +0000

Check out the photos I posted on Flickr from the Arnold Sports Expo. Related posts:Thoughts on Day One at the Arnold Sports Expo Thoughts on Day Two at the Arnold Sports Expo Day 1 Arnold Expo Related posts:

Thoughts on Day Two at the Arnold Sports Expo

billspaced — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:31:03 +0000

Today was Day 2 at the Arnold and I have mixed feelings about it. I'll start off with the bad parts and finish on a good note with the highlights.

It was far too crowded today to be enjoyable. I literally talked to no one today, except for the people I sat next to while watching some of the competitions on the Expo Stage. More on that later.

I think the Expo has gotten too far away from its roots. Obviously, the Arnold started out as a bodybuilding competition. Then, other strength sports were added like weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman.

Now, however, there's martial arts, boxing, fencing, dancing, and gymnastics. Don't get me wrong – those are awesome sports whose participants are as serious as any strength athlete. But the spirit of the Expo has been diluted. There's simply too much going on.

I'd like to see the Expo stripped of the "non-strength" sports and have everything housed within the Convention Center. Currently, some of the cooler competitions are held elsewhere (for an additional fee). Arnold is a shrewd business man and I'm sure he makes a lot more money doing things this way than my way.

But I'm not writing for him

Nevertheless, the overall organization is very good. It's a major undertaking, I'm sure, to coordinate and schedule everything. Arnold's team is to be commended. Of course, some things can be improved upon, but there aren't any showstoppers.

Highlights

I met Phil Pfister. Got a photo with him. He's obviously huge.

Sylvester Stallone did make an appearance at the arm wrestling finals. You may remember his movie, Over the Top.

Derek Poundstone looked awesome in the Strongman. They did the "circus dumbbell" and the axle deadlift. Those guys are freaky strong.

The Mighty Mitts is a competition amongst amateur strongmen that seeks to test grip strength. They had to lift today a gigantic 300 pound dumbbell with a 3" diameter (I think that was the size). Nobody was successful in lifting it completely.

The strongmen really put on a good show and they're very good showmen. Derek got the crowd pumped with his awesome overhead press performance, Nick Best really competed hard, Brian Shaw kicked some ass, and Travis Ortmeyer is an intense, fun-loving dude. The other guys rocked, too. Nobody here didn't deserve to compete.

Nobody was outclassed.

I just found out that Derek Poundstone won the overall competition (they held the final event in another location for an additional fee).

I did get a kick out of the arm wrestling. It's a cool strength sport that truly deserves to be at the Arnold. Those guys and gals did a great job!

And I almost got run over by Kurt Angle's entourage. Well, not really. But they were certainly rushing through the crowd at one point. Interestingly, a lot of these strength superstars are short. Or at least shorter than me

All in all, a good time. I'm glad I went. I doubt that I'll go again next year, but not because of anything the show was lacking. Until they change the format, there really is no reason to return.

However, if you're into athletic performance, I sincerely suggest that you go. At least once. It's a spectacle to behold.

Day 2 Arnold Expo

billspaced — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:10:16 +0000

Yesterday, I went to the Arnold. You can read about that here. Today is day 2 and it's my last day. I cannot be here tomorrow, due to lots of things, but the most important reason is that both of my kids are sick with what my wife had the last 2 weeks. It's an ugly virus (aka "we have no freaking idea what it is or how to cure it but it will go away…we hope") and my wife needs all the help she can get.

The kids got sick the night after I had already left.

Anyway, today is another day of strongman competition. I'm not sure what they're doing today, but it will be fun. They're also doing the "opening ceremonies" today, a day after the ceremonies opened. Go figure. Only a politician would think this makes sense!

Supposedly, Sylvester Stallone will be in attendance. That will be a zoo I'm staying clear of. Oh, I like Sly; he's one of my boyhood idols. I just will not stand in line to meet anybody. Well, maybe 5 minutes. But not hours like guys were waiting yesterday just to meet Jay Cutler. By the way, Jay seems like a nice guy.

I just won't stand in line to meet him. Not gonna happen.

Arm wrestling takes place today, too. It's the finals. I saw Travis Bagent yesterday and he's one cocky SOB, but in a very endearing way. I mean that. Unless you're his opponent. Then you probably just want to tear off his head, but you know that won't happen.

There's a sports photography workshop that I might wander into today. Photography is a hobby of mine.

Well, it's time to get moving. It's an earlier open today, but at least I've got better directions and know the lay of the land now. So it shouldn't take me nearly as long to get to the convention center.

While I'm thinking about it – the parking lots really need bigger signs. I've purchased parking passes in advance and I'm in a specific lettered lot. But the lots are not marked clearly (if at all) and the attendants stay in their cars, so you don't even see them. I know it's 20 degrees outside, but it's really not so bad that you should not do your job!

Have a great day. I'm going to.

Thoughts on Day One at the Arnold Sports Expo

billspaced — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:27:06 +0000

This morning I told you I was going to Day One of the Arnold Sports Expo. This is my report back.

First impressions: Too damned crowded! There is a TON of stuff to do here. But everybody seemed to want to stand in line right where I entered Hall D, which coincidentally is where Bodybuilding.com and MuscleTech is. Jay Cutler spent a good portion of the day at MT so I get that. There was also a big line at Gaspari Nutrition.

Of course, wherever there were tanned women with very little clothing on in a booth, that booth had a bigass line!

I get that, too!

Some highlights

I met Frank Zane and even bought one of his courses. He graciously signed it. Zane was the epitome of the symmetrical and cerebral bodybuilder. Meeting him was the highlight of my day.

I also got to shake Magnus ver Magnusson's hand. He is my favorite strongman of all time. He is smaller than when he competed, but he looks fabulous. He hasn't let himself go like Svend Karlson. That guy used to have a great body; he's put on a few pounds in the gut.

The strongman competition was pretty cool, if a little cramped. They did their two events today on the little stage, which was okay because they were just lifting heavy things, not running with them. I think the competition would work better in Hall C, which is where the amateur strongmen competed.

There were a ton of plastic boobs walking around, accompanied by more fake tans than I care to estimate. Don't get me wrong, all of the women are in fantastic shape. I just wish they'd embrace a little more of their natural beauty. It's there. You don't need big breasts to be beautiful. And you shouldn't look like tanned leather, either.

It was fun cruising around the Expo. But the crowded atmosphere really took away from the overall event. Plus, the MC for both the fitness competitions and the strongman competitions (the same dork, I think) is horrible. I'm sure that Arnold and Jim Lorimer can find somebody who is a) polite (this guy is an ass) and b) who knows at least a little about the sport he's talking about.

The guy is a twit. And annoying. I hope one of the strongmen breaks him in half tomorrow.

Oh, before I forget, the USA powerlifting competition was fun to watch too.

Word is that Arnold will be there tomorrow and so might Sylvester Stallone.

It will be a freaking zoo again tomorrow. Only more freaking.

Day 1 Arnold Expo

billspaced — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:05:36 +0000

Today is Day 1 of the Arnold Sports Expo. I got in really late last night so I didn't get much sleep. Fortunately, the Expo doesn't even open until 10:30 so it's going to be easy to make it on time, even though, as I wake, it's nearly 8:30 (I haven't slept until 8:30 in the morning for at least 5 years, or "before kids," though truth be told, it really is only 5:30 back home).

It's a balmy 25 degrees today. With the wind chill, it "feels like" 18 – thanks Weather.com!

The high will be 37. But no snow.

There is snow all over the ground here, but it's from an old storm. It's getting patchy. I will tell you, though, that the roads are slick! I drove very cautiously last night in the friggin' minivan Enterprise gave me ("It's all we have").

Funny story: I sat next to a married couple from Columbus on my connecting flight from Houston. They were returning from Mexico. As we boarded the plane, obvious bodybuilders were stowing their carry on luggage in the overhead racks. The man of the couple said, "It must be Arnold time."

To which his wife said, "What was your first clue?"

Hilarious. They were a nice couple, though a bit quirky. I guess we're all a little goofy in our own ways!

Well, time to get showered, dressed, and hop in the Mystery Machine.

Wish me luck. I have definite objectives today – I just hope I don't get mesmerized by the spectacle of it all.