The numerous fads and support systems that are found online on media platforms like Facebook and Instagram is immense. Full of 'causes' and people rallying around some effort somewhere in the world, and usually for something that deep down they just don't care about.

Why is that?

Because people need escapism. They need something to rally around. They need a purpose. They have not found their own true calling yet. In the fitness realm, people rally around new fad diets and styles like veganism and intermittent fasting. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But are they taking it to the extreme? Are they looking through these ideals through the wrong lens?

There are pros and cons for most everything in the world, and for the most part you just need to find what works for you best. However, if you are entering one of these 'movements' with a biased or misguided opinion from the start, you might stray from the reality of what your body is designed to do, and/or not do.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

The biceps are one of the most popular muscles for a reason! The gun show! The pipes! The beef train! (Okay maybe not that last one)But the arm is one of the most famous areas to work and for good reason. It shows that you work out all the time, it allows you to lift more things in daily life and looks powerful too!

There are different ways to train the biceps but how much variety do you REALLY need for such a small muscle group? If you are more advanced and carving shape and specific elements of your muscle maturity this may be necessary, but for the average person looking to pack on mass or lose body fat, how important is variety? Here we look at the basics, and pick apart some of the logic behind adding or removing variety.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

Do you get everything you need to get done in the day? Or are you justifying and making excuses and prolonging your lack of action? There is a point when you may be looking for others to justify your idleness as well. Don't look for others to be enablers, but take advantage of all your 24 with the right mindset and approach.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

There are many factors that go into choosing the best exercise for you. It comes down to some combination of the following. What are your goals? Strength, endurance, power, health, aesthetics, stability, flexibility, others? Once you determine what you are actually training FOR, you will have a better concept of what you need to do.

Your experience - Are you a beginner? Or have you been training for 20 years and you need to 'shake things up'. Depending on how much training you have actually done, your body will respond differently to movements. As someone more experienced, you will be AWARE of how your body reacts better and you can adjust easier. As a beginner, you will have to start slower, use more basic exericses and understand that there is a learning curve to adapt to.

Lastly, AVAILABILITY. This point goes often overlooked. If you do not have access to a professional gym, your results/goals will have to adapt to reflect what you can actually accomplish. Many people are unrealistic with their expectations of what they can get out of home equipment. Trust me, you can get serious results, but you won't be stepping on a bodybuilding stage doing pushups and pullups.

Check out this episode so you can get a better understanding of what YOU need to look at for the goal that you want.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

Body composition has a lot of grey area in the industry. With trainers and gyms promoting "free body fat assessments" to rope people into their fitness programs to at-home contraptions that use electrical impulses to calculate lean tissue and fat mass.

This is Bullshit.

There is no accurate way of measuring body fat percentage save for high tech machinery at universities and select health spas and studios. They are not necessarily cost prohibitive, ranging anywhere from $50-100+ depending on where you go, but not absolutely necessary either to track your progress. It is important to understand exactly WHAT body composition measurements are measuring before you start sweating over what your supposed measurements actually are.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

There are so many different types of pushups. Which one is right for you? Well, there are many tools that a mechanic might use over the course of his career, and likewise there are many different pushups that you may use depending on what you are trying to accomplish in that specific workout and in the long run as well.

This comes down to the position of the joints. When you change your hand position and elbow placement, you are stressing each muscle differently during the pushup movement. There are 4 different types of pushup that we will be discussing here: Standard, narrow, wide, and diamond. There is something for everyone when it comes to pushups (even if you are unable to complete a full one from your toes)- And remember, PRACTICE!

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

There is incredible depth when it comes to nutrition. This is a reason why so many of you get confused with conflicting information. Everyone is different and there are SO MANY options when it comes to organizing YOUR style of eating that works best. Sure there is a lot of trail and error, but there are some general concepts that are just more in depth that can help you boatloads when looking at what you are currently eating.

This episode digs more into carbohydrates. Just exactly what carbohydrates are, how they are processed in the body and how your body views fiber. Also, net carbs, impact carbs, and the importance of eating certain foods with more fiber on a daily basis.

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MACROS MACROS MACROS!! That's all you hear about these days. Yes they exist, and yes they are important. Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats are known as macronutrients (alcohol too) which are nutrients that provide caloric energy. The food you consume contains various volumes of each nutrient and the amount you consume of each, in addition to the total caloric intake for the entire day plays a role in your results. What your lifestyle is like, what your body type is like, what type of workouts you do and then applying it and ACTUALLY seeing IF it works are all parts of the puzzle. Trial and error is a big part of nutrition and here are some killer fundamentals to get you started.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

Good and bad salt are both available for you in your diet. Which one are you choosing? Whether or not you consume processed foods will be a major factor in the quantity and quality of your sodium intake. Understanding the differences can help you regulate your blood pressure, blood volume and also nerve and muscle function more efficiently.

Sodium is a necessary mineral for humans to consume. With the common nutritional lifestyle, far too much is used and can lead to detrimental health effects. Proper sodium intake will vary from person to person based on health history, lifestyle (exercise regimen), water intake and the type of salt. Limits should always be placed on sodium, yet healthier choices will yield a consumption of many other collaborative minerals NOT found in table salt.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.

Both of these exercises are extremely popular. However, what exactly are YOUR goals? What are you trying to accomplish with your training? Do you have a specific direction or are you just throwing darts at a wall in the dark with your eyes closed? (very dangerous btw) These are both very effective when used properly, but more often than not, people simply do not perform the movements that will get them to their goal. In this episode, we break down the benefits and the purpose that serves the pushup and the bench press and how you can utilize both of these during your training program.

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Live Daily @ 12 noon EST on Periscope and Facebook LIVE @Swolenormous. As this is recorded during an interactive platform, each show has live Q&A throughout the show and especially towards the end of the podcast.