As a fellow gym rat and fitness writer, thanks for the common sense. I’ve been at this almost fifty years, and while I agreed with most, a few thoughts. There is a lot of research around the value of changing things up periodically. You’re only two years into your program, so while it’s entirely possible this might work for you, science argues that the brain and body get a tetch lazy. Even shifting the order in which we do our routines can make a big difference. Worth checking out.

The other is the protein shakes. I saw an article, perhaps last year, which indicated that there were some issues- and forgive me, I don’t use them so I can’t recall the specific problems. I recall forwarding the piece to a friend who does supplement with them, he did some research and changed brands. I wish I could remember better, only that it put me right off using them. Worth checking this, too. I want to say it had something to do with pesticides but that’s a guess on my part.

As for supplements, with the exception of Vit D, which is deficient in a great many of us, or B12 for vegans, my BF, who studied this and was an all natural champion, said you just piss it all away. Literally and figuratively speaking. I’m with you- we all bought into the snake oil at some point. Individual needs may vary for medical reasons but beyond that a good varied fresh food diet usually takes care of it.

Finally, kudos to you for calling bullshit on the cut abs. Anorexia is now affecting far too many men, and it kills. Been there, too.

When we say Boy, I ‘d kill to have abs like that, we have no clue just how close we can come to doing just that.

For ABS.

Really?

Yep.

The body beautiful business is full of lies, poison and bullshit. You and I CAN get fit. That’s the drum I pound. When you get to 68, where I am today, if you’re consistent, it’s beyond amazing where fit can take you. The competitive bodybuilding world is rife with young, gorgeous corpses with trashed guts, hearts and kidneys. Ain’t worth it. But that’s just me.