Can’t I Achieve the Body of My Dreams if I Micromanage my Calories?
In 2003, I made the commitment while working with Rutgers football strength and conditioning to compete in my first bodybuilding show the following year, in 2004. I was all ready to go. I had studied the iron magazines for years, surrounded myself with the right crew and even had a new exercise science degree from the University of Delaware. I knew it all. Until I didn’t. I did in fact compete in 2004, yet it was physical hell. I wouldn’t change the experience for anything, b

Learning to Live so That You Leave a Legacy
Two weeks ago, I was working out with two of my great friends, both of whom were at my grandfather Leo’s funeral. Frank, my one friend, said, ‘I only met Leo a few times, but man, he was great. Hearing about how everyone was talking about him at the funeral got me choked up a little bit. Hearing about his life inspired me to want to live a life where I have a legacy and people talk about my caring heart in that regard’. Yup, that’s what Leo did and who he was. You don’t set

Beware the shake oil salesman
Back in 1996, I tried creatine for the first time. It was mysterious and could turn you into He-Man, at least that’s what I thought as a freshman playing highschool football. A year or two later, I began drinking my first ‘shakes’. If I recall correctly, it was the ‘Mega Mass 5000’ shake, with a banana flavor. Man, that stuff tasted like chalk. I literally had to plug my nose with each sip. But it was worth the struggle, because I remember just being so dedicated to

You Won’t Believe What I Found
Two weeks ago, I was flipping through one of my notebooks. It’s an active notebook, meaning I still make notes in it and it’s not quite at capacity yet. Well, the thought hit me that I vaguely remembered mapping out my Panda philosophy and challenge in the midst of a 103 fever. Yup, that’s right, in December of 2019, I came down with a bad case of the flu. I only know it was the flu because Devon kept prodding me to get checked out because I would go through this shaking f

Loving the Logic of Colty
Just the other day, I was asking Colt, aka Tank, what he wanted for lunch. He responded, as he often does, that he wanted 3 nuggets because he is 3 years old. Makes sense on some level. And so it is with a lot of Colty logic, which often gives Devon and I a chuckle. When you can see the world through the lens of simplicity, your answers and thoughts can have a very Whinnie the Pooh type of quality. Simple and obvious, obviously simple, once they are placed in front of you. C