CORTISOL: IS IT REALLY THE DEVIL?

By Chad Nicholls, Executive Editor “Cortisol is BAD!”  — The message has been emblazoned in our minds for years, leading us to believe that cortisol is the devil –  that we must rid our bodies of it!  You read it in articles, see it on television, and hear it on the radio.  Over and over […]

The Brain – Gut Connection (It’s Real)

By Dr. Doug Kalman, Nutrition Editor Have you ever had the experience of being asked to speak in front of a group of people and you suddenly felt your stomach getting tingly or nervous?   You’ve no doubt heard the expression “gut-wrenching” or “butterflies in the stomach”.   The truth is, The brain has a direct effect […]

When Life Gets In the Way…

By Max Plasencia, Lifestyle Editor Let me begin my first blog by saying how humbled I am to join the Digital Muscle community.  And a sincere thanks to Dan and the team for building something that I really wanted to be a part of.  I’ve worked with countless men and women, and we all share […]

The Brotherhood of Bodybuilding

By Dan “The Mayor” Dillon I just returned from a trip to Montanari Brothers Gym, one of the East Coast’s great gyms, and I’m not sure if I will ever sleep again.  For my friend Rob and I, this was our first trip to the New Haven based gym, and man was it impressive!! It […]

Kettlebells: For Size and Strength!

By Scott Iardella In this writer’s opinion, kettlebell training is revolutionary!  It’s revolutionary because it’s a very simple, bad ass training tool that offers many benefits.  After weight training for many years now, I definitely have a sense for what works and what doesn’t.  And my hope is that more people will discover how to use kettlebells […]

Pregnant & Powerful

By Chaundra Tangi I competed as an IFBB Figure Pro since its inaugural year in 2001 and I’ve been personal training since 1999. As a natural competitor my form of training has always been heavy and intense in the weight room. I was born with only one kidney, so I’ve had to work twice as […]

Arnold Memories: From a Hardcore Fan!

By Dan “The Mayor” Dillon With the kickoff of a new IFBB pro bodybuilding season, it’s hard to believe that my love of bodybuilding has now lasted for more than 30 years!  The arrival of a new season always makes me reflect back on all the great times bodybuilding has given me and the anticipation […]

Batman Was Natural

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor Hey guys. a heartfelt welcome to my NEW blog here on Digital Muscle.  Honored to be a part of this new and rapidly growing media site. Dan and I have known each other for a long time and I’m comfortable to say that we share many of the same […]

Straight Talk for the New Year!

By Roger Lockridge How often have you logged on to your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, seen the images or videos of some jacked dude or a hottie looking amazing, and thought to yourself “What I would give to look like that”? Perhaps you’ve aspired to make it onto a competitive stage, or to try your […]

Getting Started on a Fitness Journey

By Roger Lockridge Whether it’s a resolution, a special event, or your first physique show, there is great motivation when you finally decide that you’re going to commit to a fitness program and the time for you is now. So first thing tomorrow morning, you’re going to begin your journey. Then tomorrow becomes today. You’re […]

Training: Understanding the Stretch-Shortening Cycle

By Lindsay Kent The BeautyBlog Looking for ways to improve your training is a necessary part of progressively overloading your body with various challenges and stimuli. The techniques usually involve primary components, such as varying the volume, load, complexity, time under tension, or exercise selection. Often, by taking it back to basics, we can focus […]

Calorie Burning 101: Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption

By Lindsay Kent The Beauty Blog This post was suggested by a comment I received during a personal-training session on why we incorporate different movements, use different pieces of equipment, and often change the sequence of the exercises and circuits during our workouts. I always tell my clients that our workouts are structured a certain […]

What’s Your Risk Factor Score?

It’s a bottom line for fitness enthusiasts and athletes: everyone needs to have a baseline of fundamental human movement. Let me tell you about the Functional Movement Screen—why it makes sense and how it can potentially help reduce the risk of injury for athletes, strength enthusiasts, and recreational exercisers at all levels. The FMS was […]