Gary Taubes is an award winning science writer who is best known for his 640-page tome Good Calories, Bad Calories, which challenges conventional wisdom about nutrition, weight loss, and disease. His more recently published Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It is billed as shorter, but more reader friendly version of Good Calories, Bad Calories. I reasoned it would be a good idea to first read Why We Get Fat so I could share it with you.

Why We Get Fat is split into 2 sections:

Continue Reading Gary Taubes’ “Why We Get Fat” Book Review

Is your low back excessively tight? Do you have chronic pain in your lower back?

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you’re not alone. Americans spend over $50B per each year on back pain and as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives.

Continue Reading 7 Yoga Poses For Low Back Pain

New Column! BuiltLean Digest

As a professional web surfer, I come across tons of fitness related articles and videos each month. So I thought to myself, why not share some of these articles in a monthly column? Well, that’s exactly what I plan to do moving forward!

Each month I will include links to articles and videos that I find during the month that are informative, useful, entertaining, or a combination of all three. If you ever come across an article or video that is worthy of being added to this column, let me know!

1) Can A Multivitmain Be Deadly?

A study published this month concluded the daily use of a multivitamin (and other nutrient supplements) was associated with a higher rate of death. Alarmist headlines spread around the media, but should you be concerned? Are multi-vitamins really deadly? Do you even need a multi-vitamin? Dr. Katz who is the Founding Director at the Yale University Prevention Research Center takes on these questions and offers insights into analyzing research studies.

Continue Reading Can Multivitamins Be Deadly? BuiltLean Digest Oct-2011

I’m always on the lookout for ways to pair exercises together (supersets & circuits) to get more exercises done in less time to increase intensity, get cardiovascular benefits, and improve results.

Continue Reading 10 Minute Cardio Workout Using Step Ups

We all have seen bogus fitness claims and many of us have considered buying products that make these types of claims.

I compiled a list and analyzed the Top 10 Bogus Fitness Claims that are used to appeal to our emotions and woo us into a state of fixation on a product that can solve our deepest, most personal, most challenging problems.

The following claims are (1) factually incorrect, (2) blatantly misleading, (3) involve the notion that fitness goals can be reached without diet, or exercise modifications and/or (4) claim body change in a way that does not make physiological sense.

Continue Reading Top 10 Bogus Fitness Claims: Have You Heard Them Before?

I’ve discussed in depth How Much Muscle You Can Gain Naturally, or your maximum muscle potential, but how fast can you build muscle?  Is it possible to gain 10 pounds of muscle in a month for example?

I’ve personally seen dramatically different rates of muscle gain for several people following the same exact exercise plan and a nearly identical nutrition plan.

How can this be?

Here are 5 factors that affect how fast you build muscle:

1. Training Age
   Your training age is how long you’ve been lifting weights.  If you’re a newbie, you will be able to gain more muscle faster than if you’ve been lifting for many years.

Continue Reading How Fast Can You Build Muscle? 5 Factors That Affect Muscle Growth

I created the video above to STRONGLY encourage you to track your nutrition intake even for a few days. If you have not gone through this exercise before, it’s an eye opener!

If you are still not convinced you should “count calories”, which I take to mean track your nutrition intake, check out this article that’s a must read: 7 Reasons To Keep A Food Journal. If you are looking to identify a target calorie intake to help you lose fat, check out this article: How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Weight?.

Continue Reading How To Count Calories To Lose Fat (3 Methods)

Millions of working professionals around the world sit in an office chair all day long, which can significantly affect overall health and posture over time (See: Is A Sedentary Job Affecting Your Health?).

I was invited by Business Insider, which is one of the most popular business websites to contribute an article about correcting rounded shoulders, which is an all too common issue with working professionals.

Continue Reading 5 Exercises To Correct Rounded Shoulders From Office Work

Modernization has brought incredibly positive changes to our lives, from medical advancement to modern conveniences it seems we can’t live without.

At the same time, however, our lives are becoming more sedentary and we are tied to our jobs 24/7. Combined with lack of exercise and proper nutrition, no wonder obesity has risen to epidemic proportions.

Quick question for you:
How many hours are you sedentary each day?

For 5 years of my life when I worked in finance, I sat on my butt a good 13-14 hours per day. No exaggeration. That’s counting sitting in an office chair, commuting, then sitting on the couch when I got home.

Continue Reading Is A Sedentary Job Affecting Your Health?

Incorporating plyometric exercises into your exercise regimen is a very effective way to improve your cardiovascular health and increase your overall fitness level from balance, to strength, to stamina.

Continue Reading Jump Lunges: Killer Plyometric Leg Exercise!