Workouts
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What a Good Coach Should Ask You — And What You Should Ask Them
Choosing a coach is one of the most important decisions you can make in training — and it’s also one of the most rushed. I see it all the time. Someone wants to change their body, improve performance, or take training more seriously, so they jump straight to who looks impressive online or who promises results the fastest. A… Continue reading
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Truth Tuesday: Why Strong Isn’t Always Smart
There’s a question I get a lot, and it usually sounds like this: “How much do you bench?” “How much do you shoulder press?” “How heavy do you go?” I understand why people ask. In the gym, strength is the easiest thing to measure. You load the bar, move the weight, and you have a… Continue reading
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Motivation Monday: Locked In
Columbus, Ohio. Early March, 2026. In moments like this, everything narrows down to the rep in front of me. The noise of the gym fades, the weight settles into my hands, and the only thing that matters is execution. Motivation doesn’t come from hype. It comes from showing up with purpose, especially when the stakes… Continue reading
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Truth Tuesday: Stop Waiting to be Ready
One of the biggest myths about getting in shape is the idea that you need to “be ready” before you start. People tell themselves they’ll begin once life settles down.Once work is less busy.Once stress goes away.Once everything feels aligned. But here’s the truth: there is no perfect moment to start. If you’re waiting for the moment… Continue reading
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Sculpting Sunday: Stop Chasing Max Load — Chase Stimulation
One of the easiest traps in training is thinking progress only counts when the weight goes up. Heavy load has a place, but if the goal is building a physique — not just moving numbers — the real question is simple: did the target muscle actually do the work? A lot of people chase max load… Continue reading
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Ask Alessandro Volume 2: Your Questions, Answered
In the Ask Alessandro series, I field your questions on topics such as training, lifestyle, and fitness. If you would like to submit a question for a future post, please click here. Special thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this edition of Ask Alessandro! Now, onto the questions: Question: Who are your role models… Continue reading
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Why I Never Separate Cardio From Training
For a long time, I treated aerobic work the way a lot of lifters do: as something that lived on the edges of training. Useful at certain times, easy to ignore at others. When the goal was muscle, the weights felt like the real work, and everything else felt secondary. That perspective didn’t survive very… Continue reading
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Sculpting Sunday: The Burn Isn’t Always the Goal
A lot of people judge a workout the same way they judge hot sauce: if it doesn’t sting, it doesn’t count. No burn, no belief. It’s an easy metric because it’s loud. The burn gives instant feedback. It feels like proof. You walk away convinced you did something meaningful because your body is shouting at… Continue reading
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The Real Game Starts When You Want to Quit
There’s a point almost everyone reaches when they take training seriously: the point where they want to quit. Not because they’re incapable, but because they’re tired. The novelty is gone, the routine feels repetitive, and the reward still feels far away. You might be deep into a diet with low energy, or weeks into consistent… Continue reading
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Sculpting Sunday: The Sets That Don’t Count (And Why People Still Do Them)
There are sets that build your physique, and there are sets that just burn time. You know the difference when you’re honest about it. The set that counts has tension in the right place, a clean path, a rep you can repeat, and a clear purpose. The set that doesn’t count feels like effort, looks… Continue reading
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YouTube Video: One Day Out From The Arnold Classic
I just shared a new video on YouTube from Columbus, Ohio — filmed one day before the Arnold Classic. In the video, I meet up with my coach Giuseppe for a final chest workout during peak week. After more than a month of check-ins through photos and video, it was the first time he saw… Continue reading
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Saturday Summary: Precision Over Hype
This week kept returning to one idea: precision beats hype. On Sculpting Sunday, we started with stimulants — coffee and pre-workout. Used correctly, they sharpen focus. Used poorly, they become a crutch. The real work still comes down to execution: clean reps, controlled rest, and attention to detail. Supplements can support intensity, but they should never replace… Continue reading
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Featured In Muscle & Fitness Magazine: Core Training Focus
I was recently featured in Muscle & Fitness magazine, where they highlighted one of the core exercises I’ve been using in my training — the incline Smith machine leg raise. The article goes into detail on how I approach core development, not just from a visual standpoint, but from a functional one. In bodybuilding, the core… Continue reading
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Mind–Muscle Connection: The Skill That Changes Everything
People like to think bodybuilding is about chasing heavier weights. More plates, more numbers, more bragging rights. Strength matters, obviously, but strength alone doesn’t build a great physique. Connection does. You can move a lot of weight and still miss the muscle you’re trying to grow. I see it every day. Joints take over. Momentum… Continue reading
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Truth Tuesday: If You Can’t Explain Why You’re Doing an Exercise, That’s a Problem
One of the fastest ways I can tell how serious someone is about their training is by asking a simple question: Why are you doing that exercise? Not how it feels. Not where they saw it. Not who they copied. Why it’s in their program. A lot of people train on autopilot. They bounce from movement… Continue reading