Marisa Matthews Fitness Model

By: Ron Harris

The scene was the 1999 NPC California Championships in Redondo Beach, prejudging. Shouts of encouragement, "stay tight!" and "legs!" rang our from the darkness up to the stage, bathed in almost blinding bright light as glistening light-heavyweights kept entire bodies tense under the scrutiny of the judges. In a lineup of nearly thirty top-notch Golden State physiques, one man stood out from the rest, garnering the majority of the spectators' attention as they pointed and whispered about him. It wasn't because he was in contention for first place. In fact, he was unofficially disqualified the moment he strode out from the theater's wings. This sorry bastard, in hopes of becoming Mr. California like Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Dennis Newman and many others before who went on to stardom, had injected what appeared to be gallons of the infamous Synthol into his delts, arms, calves, and traps. Oddly shaped but gigantic arms that would rival any pro led down to spindly forearms that were no bigger than the average guy in the gym. Delts that looked like they were stolen from Paul Dillett tied into average-sized lats and pecs. The oil-inflated muscle groups were so shiny and round that they would look out of place on any human body. "Skeeter bites!" the guy sitting next to me shouted. "Looks like he got attacked by some giant mosquitos!" he brayed. Laughs and jeers echoed in the air at his ridiculous appearance. He had hoped his ruse would be successful, but he ended up being nothing more than a silly joke, comic relief at a serious athletic competition.

By: Dr. Rick Silverman

Currently, many women who engage in bodybuilding and fitness activities are seeking breast augmentation. One of the down-sides of bodybuilding, in fact, is the gradual loss of breast tissue with increased lean body mass and decreased body fat. Just what you wanted to hear, right!? But never fear. If you've lost your girlish curves as you've trained and toned, you can consider breast augmentation as a safe way to restore some fullness to your figure. Most of the issues pertinent to all patients undergoing breast augmentation remain pertinent to fitness fanatics. I hope to provide a little more information specific to women who enjoy weight training and are considering breast implants.

Q. Should I have implants under the muscle or over the muscle?

Claudia Verela Amazing Fitness Model

By: Jeff Behar

Stress can be defined as a personal response to a physical, chemical, emotional or environmental factor(s). Stress does not necessarily need to be a "bad" word. Stress can act as a motivator or energizer. Stress can be the push we need to respond to a time critical situation, such as meeting a deadline, avoiding a hazardous situation.

Physiological Reactions

Stress also creates a physiological reaction that tells our mind "to move" (fight or flight reaction). As part of this "fight or flight" reaction our bodies release adrenalin (aka the stress hormone), which can cause an increase in blood pressure, an increase in core body temperature, and heart rate. It heightens all our senses: almost a purely animalistic response. In a positive sense, the stress reaction can be a survival tool helping to keep our bodies strong and minds alert.

In a positive sense, the stress reaction can be a survival tool helping to keep our bodies strong and minds alert.

By: Mike Mahler

Advice is a funny thing: some people love being in the advice-receiving stage. They just can't get enough advice. No matter how much great advice they receive, they always feel they need more before even thinking about acting on any of it.

Rather than following good advice and achieving their goals, they've made the act of receiving advice their goal. Not a bad idea when writing a book on the advice, but even if that's your goal, at some point you'll still have to trade in your advice-recipient hat for an action-taker hat.

Then there are people who hate receiving advice: they think they know it all and don't want any advice from anyone. They never seek advice and if they happen to receive it, they never follow it. As a result, their growth is hampered and at some point, usually comes to a screeching halt. You can only get so far with what you know: in order to go from where you are to where you want to be, you need to learn more and act more.