Workouts
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Truth Tuesday: Some Exercises Are Not Worth the Risk for Most People
One exercise I personally think many newer lifters should be very cautious with is the behind-the-neck shoulder press. Years ago, it was much more common in bodybuilding routines, and some people still swear by it. But over time, I’ve seen too many lifters force themselves into positions their shoulders simply are not built to handle… Continue reading
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Motivation Monday: Staying Consistent
Some days in the gym feel amazing. Most don’t. Most workouts are just me showing up, putting my headphones in, and getting the work done whether I feel like it or not. That’s the reality of bodybuilding after enough years. Nobody sees the hundreds of regular training sessions behind the photos and stage shots. They… Continue reading
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Sculpting Sunday: Three Bicep Exercises I Always Come Back To
People love searching for secret arm exercises, but after enough years in bodybuilding, I’ve realized bicep growth usually comes more from consistency, execution, and proper tension than constantly changing movements every week. There are a few exercises I continue returning to because they consistently work when performed correctly. The standing dumbbell curl is still one… Continue reading
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Sculpting Sunday: The Second Rep Rule
Most people think the set is decided at the end — when the weight gets heavy, the breathing gets loud, and the reps slow down. That’s where effort is obvious, so that’s where attention goes. But over time, I’ve learned something that completely changed how I train. The most important rep in a set usually… Continue reading
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The Precision Gap: Why 10g Matters When You Repeat It Every Day
There’s a detail in bodybuilding that most people dismiss because it feels too small to matter. Ten grams. Ten grams of rice. Ten grams of oats. Ten grams of chicken. Ten grams of oil left in the pan. Ten grams you “round up” because you’re in a hurry. Ten grams you forget to log because… Continue reading
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Ego Lifting: The Fastest Way to Stall Your Physique
You can spot ego lifting from across the room. The weight gets loud. The tempo disappears. A set that was supposed to train a muscle turns into a full-body negotiation—hips swinging, shoulders rising, lower back helping, face clenched like suffering automatically equals progress. I get why it happens. Strength feels good. Numbers feel clean. And… Continue reading
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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