When Johnny Weismuller — the first screen Tarzan — first swung across movie theater screens, he was considered to be very muscular. Kids all over the country beat their chests, bellowed their Tarzan cries, and dreamed of building up their arms to look like the apeman's. Too bad his upper arm measurement was a paltry 15 inches in circumference.

Personally, I remember as a kid watching Charles Bronson in a movie called "Cold Sweat." He wore a T-shirt that would've even been tight on Woody Allen, and I remember being awestruck by his muscularity. Now, when I think about that movie, I realize that his arms were probably about 11 or 12 inches around. Nowadays, even six-year-old kids know that a big arm has to be at least 20 inches.

Bodybuilding seems to be dying a slow death.

I can remember waaaayy back in the day (2002), when the Night of Champions would sell out the Beacon Theatre. 2600 seats, prejudging and finals. Somewhere between 35 - 45 competitors. Big show, real nice venue, lots of guys competing, lotsa' fans, Manhattan's the best city on the planet, etc.

This year's New York Pro: 800 fans in a small theatre that wasn't sold out, 19 competitors. Manhattan is still awesome, but.. the New York Pro just ain't the Night of Champions. Sorry. Sad to see.

I can remember waaayyy back in the day (2000 - 2003, if memory serves), when the Cal (California State Championships) would have 180 - 200 competitors. This year? 90.

Maintaining Strength While Dieting, Justin Harris for EFTS

Trying to decrease body fat while maintaining and/or increasing your strength? Confused about supplements, food intake, and nutrient timing? Read on…

According to most studies on the subject, the human body is mostly anabolic around the 10–15% body fat range, which is actually fairly low. As you gain body fat, your body will actually increase the production of estrogen and “learn” to store body fat better. For dieting, while maintaining strength, rotate your carbs and calories.

Keep your carbs and total calories higher on heavy training days (ME days for example), drop them a bit on other training days, and take your carbs and calories very low on off days. Your low carb off days could also be a day to focus on cardio.

Foundational Principles

1. The biggest problem in natural bodybuilding is, in my opinion, the alarming number of people that screw up perfectly good training with poor nutrition. Based on my observations, the majority of serious and semi-serious trainees leave their workouts having done enough to stimulate growth, yet big muscle mass increases typically require dedicated eating to take advantage of that stimulation. If you’re not willing to buckle down and take a hardcore attitude when it comes to your nutrition, you might as well stay the heck out of the gym.