As I approach my 45th birthday in December, people keep asking me what things are like now that I'm in this life stage. Some things change; some things don't. But the things that change are important, and I'm going to talk about them here.

Oh, lordy, are you over 40? Sure, you might not feel like 40 most of the time (or all of the time), but you need to remember you're not a 20-something anymore, so you can't be training like one, either. Back to the question in the title... Yes.

You go about your day unaware of your body. Think about your socks right now. Can you feel them on your feet? You felt them when you put them on, and although they are still on, you've let the sensation fade deep into the background... and now, you're aware of your socks again.

As I close in on turning 50 this next March, I admit that death has had a much more profound impact on me, to the point of almost making me dwell on it... and taking a 3,000-mile-long trip to spend time with my mother-in-law who has stage-4 cancer didn't really help much, either.

In this snippet from a Table Talk Podcast episode, Dave Tate and Justin Harris discuss Janae Kroc's return to the bodybuilding circuit and how hormones may (or may not) affect her return to the sport.

In bodybuilding, numbers aren’t represented on stage; you're scored based on your overall look or (I almost hate to use that phrase for reasons I won’t get into here). It makes no sense to add 20 pounds of muscle only to have your midsection increase by 4 inches or more.

As strength athletes, we care only about lifting the weight from Point A to Point B, but from a bodybuilding perspective, that is dead wrong, but how does that translate to powerlifting? The idea is to challenge the muscle — not just focus on completing reps and sets.

I am personally giving you permission to skip today's workout — but only if you learn about muscle origins and insertions and how they move. Watch some videos about this instead of binge-watching Stranger Things or whatever. Just sit down and educate yourself.

I love the Internet. I really do. But at the same time, I can tell you that I absolutely miss those days where I was able to feel like a big fish in a small pond before the Internet came about. It's a paradox for us as we're all small fish in a very big pond.

My bodybuilding mentor invited me to run a training seminar for inmates at the second-largest prison in Washington state. Let's say I learned a few things while I did my time... teaching inmates, that is.

Here's a riddle for you. What's worse than 20-something-year-olds? Teenagers. Teenagers are the worst. Worse than that, even? Teenagers on Instagram. Where on Earth are they learning all of this annoying stuff? Jeez...

You must slow down to truly get a feel for the mind-muscle connection. I know some of you who do slow-motion reps or time under tension think you do not need to slow down. Well, then, this article is ESPECIALLY for you!

Out of all of the crap floating around on the Internet, I've only found 4 exercises to be worthy of mentioning. By the way, that says a lot because 2 of 'em use bands, and I am not a band guy.

The thing to keep in mind as you read the remainder of this program is that I’m describing a method of training — not a set-in-stone program. It’s up to you to apply the method to your particular context: your body, your goals, and your life situation.

I started my bikini prep at 147 pounds with 27 percent body fat and ended at a low of 113.8 pounds with 15 percent body fat — a total of 33 pounds lost. Despite that loss, after my results from the first show, I knew I had to bring in my glutes tighter...

If we all sat inside a cage and didn’t go anywhere, we would certainly be safer with less chance of injury or death. But what kind of life would that be? No one cares what you think, so shut up.

Little changes add up to make a big difference, big lats, and big pulls.

Contrary to what some people may tell you, it IS possible to balance between bodybuilding and your family. It takes work, and I've done the work. These 5 steps might not save your marriage, but they're certainly worth trying.

Indoor soccer took a toll on my knee, so my training has been a bit limited. But that didn't stop me from using Blood Flow Restriction on leg day, which I highly recommend using when working around injuries that force you to use lighter weights.

There are no cheat days here. Naturally, this workout of the day includes a movement that makes it harder to cheat. Go grab your kettlebells, dumbbells, and cable attachments so we can get started.

It took me 26 years to develop lower back issues. But over the last 10 years, I've learned ways to work around them since becoming a slob is not an option. If you're looking for ways to train legs without getting hurt (again), this article is for you.

This workout left me hammered. Part of that's on me for joining a co-ed indoor soccer team, and let's just say bodybuilding and soccer don't exactly mix. But that didn't stop me from doing my Workout of the Day.

Consider this me throwing you a lifesaver in the vast sea of information. This will help you figure out how to improve yourself by seeking out the best information possible... and how to best find that information.

Part of my journey to getting that IFBB pro card includes getting more active in the online bodybuilding community... which also gets me into situations where I answer questions like this one: Are deadlifts overrated?