muscle

Chances are someone told you “muscle weighs more than fat” as an encouraging explanation for why you sometimes gain weight after adding strength training to a fitness routine. It’s also cited as a reason for why some people hit a weight-loss plateau. But a pound of muscle can’t weigh more than a...

You lift weights almost every day, yet you can’t build muscle. What gives? Most likely you’ve hit the dreaded fitness plateau, a state in which your body has gotten used to your normal workout routine and you no longer see as big of a progression as when you first started. So how can you...

You’ve no doubt seen plenty of 30-day transformation stories. If you read enough of these, you may think going from lean to muscular is quick and easy. In real life, however, muscle growth is a much slower process. So, how much muscle can you really expect to gain in a single month? “I’ve seen...

Going into the 2020 Mr. Olympia, the defending champion, Brandon Curry, had two objectives. One was to beat seven-time champion Phil Heath, which he had never done before. The second was to obviously repeat as the winner of the Sandow. The Tennessee native went one for two. He did place ahead of...

There’s no denying it. Whether or not you’re crushing it at the gym, protein is a valuable component of a healthy diet. Of course, since lifting weights breaks down muscle fibers, protein plays a major role in building and repairing that muscle. This comprehensive list of foods is a good...

The Real 101 Guide To Insulin And Bodybuilding. Doses, Hyperplasia, Timing. The real 101 guide to insulin and Bodybuilding. Doses, Timing, Different insulin analogs effects on appetite, IGF-1, Hyperplasia, Health benefits and more. This is going to be a big topic and hopefully, I don’t leave...

In general, weight loss is a good thing. As the CDC notes, even losing 5–10% of your total body weight can lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol and blood sugar. However, one downside to weight loss is it often means losing muscle tissue, which not only burns more calories at rest than fat, but...

If you’ve seen the iconic 2015 cover of Muscle & Fitness featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, you should know that Hollywood’s biggest box office draw worked closely with Dave Rienzi to achieve that “chiseled from granite” look. It’s a tried-and-tested partnership that has reshaped and...

In bodybuilding, it can be hard to be known as the first to do something important. If you’re the first bodybuilder or physique athlete to accomplish something in this sport, you stand out. Rich Gaspari is considered a bodybuilding legend, in part because he is the first Arnold Classic Champion...

New research, led by a team at UCLA, has zeroed in on a chemical cocktail that has been shown to generate vast numbers of new muscle stem cells. It is hoped that such a break-through could advance therapies designed to combat muscle loss and aid the body in its recovery from injury. In a report...

Current Classic Physique Olympia Champion Chris Bumstead is familiar with being in the final standoff on the big stage. For the last two years, Bumstead has been announced by Bob Cicherillo as the O champ. In the two years prior to that, he had been the runner-up to then-Classic Physique king...

Looking for an adaptive full-body workout to add to your repertoire? Look no further, my friend. This top-to-bottom circuit will engage each major muscle group while allowing you the flexibility to choose your weights, your equipment, and your intensity. Very little equipment? No problem! Just...

This week’s episode of “Monday Night Muscle” featured hosts Bob Cicherillo and Shawn Ray having a past bodybuilder on that was at one time considered the “next” Shawn Ray. Alq Gurley, the 1990 NPC Nationals Overall champion, was the featured guest, and he shared a lot of memories and thoughts...

Most people get into bodybuilding and weight training because lifting weights is fun. It’s also motivating to add more plates to the bar or creep up to the higher end of the dumbbell rack. When it comes to bodybuilding and physique development, another component isn’t considered as fun but is...

“Monday Night Muscle” hosts Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo are both longtime players in the sport of bodybuilding. Their connections go back to the 1970’s as fans and with their own careers in the mid ‘80s. Over the course of their decades in the sport, they have seen many changes, including with...

Every year at the Olympia, fans see the best physique athletes in the world take the stage, looking their best, and posing down with hopes of leaving the stage as champion. Part of the reason they look as great as they do is that they have tanner applied before they face the judges. Pro Tan...

Most of us have experienced our muscles twitching (fasciculations) from time to time. Commonly, muscles twitching occurs in the face, arms, and legs, but it can happen all over the body. Under normal circumstances the brain communicates seamlessly with the muscles, ordering them to contract, but...

It doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman, great glutes are high on the wish list for anyone looking to sculpt their physique. There’s no doubt that the buttocks contribute to a desirable body shape, still, working out how to tighten or grow your booty might seem complicated at first...

Every episode of Monday Night Muscle could be considered “must watch” shows for bodybuilding fans. The latest installment certainly filled that bill. The featured guest was former Arnold Classic Champion Kevin Levrone. He along with hosts Bob Cicherillo and Shawn Ray talked about a wide range of...

The first “Monday Night Muscle” of March 2021 was a big one. Hosts Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo were joined by IFBB Pro legend Chris “The Real Deal” Cormier. The star from the 1990s and early 2000s discussed a lot of topics in this full-length interview. His Documentary “I Am the Real Deal”...