Concurrent Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
Tom Venuto
“How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?” That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time. The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers - even from experts who are supposed to know these things. So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously?
Published on 20 June, 2010 | Comments (6)
Protein Shakes Investigated
Tom Venuto
An investigation on protein drinks published in the July edition of Consumer Reports magazine, which was then picked up by CBS and NPR, has been causing waves of concern or even alarm to ripple through the fitness and bodybuilding world. Supplement companies are up in arms and people are wondering whether they should stop drinking protein shakes after the magazine said they tested 15 protein drinks for heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and 3 of them came up above the proposed safe limits…
Published on 10 June, 2010 | Comments (0)
What’s the Required BodyFat% to See Your Abs?
Tom Venuto
QUESTION: Tom, I know what I want to look like and I follow your advice about visualization and seeing my abs the way I want them to look. But what I can’t figure out is what body fat % I should be aiming at to achieve that look? I am female, 35 yrs old and I’ve done awesome on your Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program. I started at 19% body fat and the lowest I’ve gotten so far was 11.8% body fat with a caliper test. I’ve been thinking about doing a figure competition, but even at that body fat percentage, which I know is very low, I still had some “patches” of fat. How do I know what body fat percentage I should target so that all the fat is gone? ”
Published on 13 January, 2010 | Comments (3)
Steroids and Kidney Damage?
Tom Venuto
The New York Times recently ran a feature titled, “Bodybuilders See Kidney Damage With Steroids.” These stories surface in magazines and newspapers on a regular basis, and many people in the hardcore bodybuilding community are quick to dismiss them as “uninformed, anti-steroid propaganda.” This one however, raised some eyebrows because it not only described the personal plight of several top pro bodybuilders and strongmen whose careers were cut short by kidney disease, it also cited new research that was just published in a top nephrology journal. According to the author, this study was among the first to claim a direct link between long-term steroid use and kidney disease.
Published on 15 December, 2009 | Comments (11)
The Armageddon Workout - Total Leg Destruction
Tom Venuto
This weekend’s box office blockbuster, 2012, had me thinking about the workouts that Richie, my “psycho” trainer, has been putting me through lately. If you think all the stuff blowing up, flooding out, crashing down and burning to the ground in that movie was “total destruction,” you should see these workouts…
Published on 14 November, 2009 | Comments (11)
The Classic Physique - Pre-Steroid Era
Tom Venuto
I love the stuff that shows up on You Tube. This video is classic! Vintage Vince Gironda, circa 1947 - before the steroid era. THIS is what bodybuilding should be, could be and still can be… the natural, classical physique.
Published on 06 November, 2009 | Comments (6)
Is Bodybuilding a Sport?
Tom Venuto
Is bodybuilding a sport? Every so often I see an argument on a forum or a comment on a blog where some critic claims that bodybuilding is not a sport. Not only that, more often than not, there is usually some derogatory comment along the lines of, “Oily men in speedos a sport? come on!” In a recent interview with Kevin Larrabbee and Leigh Peele of the Fitcast show, I was asked this question and I gave a (mostly) serious answer. Listen or read the transcript below (2:30 minutes of audio)
Published on 02 November, 2009 | Comments (5)
How to Get "Ripped"
Body Building Revealed
Body Re-Engineering
