This past April as I was fulfilling my twice weekly obligation of GPP by actively surfing the infinite amount of useless cable channels, I happened across a topic that piqued my interest. The science program I viewed centered on hormones and the development of the sexes.

It was a cold October afternoon in 2003. My back was sore and I could hardly straighten my elbow. I iced down and took some ibuprofen; still I felt no better.

We have happened upon a new age of strength and conditioning. I have seen this coming for sometime now but tried to dismiss it as a fad.

Lifting is not who I am, but rather it is what I do. However, it is something I do not want to do without at this time. I have previously written about the situation with my arthritic shoulders.

“What on earth are you doing young man?” blurts the utterly bemused dog walker, as I was about to complete a 200ft trip of backward dragging. Knowing that she’d struggle profusely in trying to piece together what was going on, I politely stated that I was just doing some ‘fitness exercises’.

Since I started the "Sick of Your Gym" concept we have received hundreds of emails and posts in regards to the many challenges you all face when training in commercial, private and school weight rooms.

The verdict was read without remorse or empathy. I was given the death penalty. In the medical field there is no due process or equal protection clause.

I will admit that most people I know would say I am eccentric, some would say I’m an idiot, and my wife swears that I am a bit psychotic. On the same theme, the following incidents I will discuss can only be described as strange.

Jim Wendler has written a great series on tips for beginners. I was talking to Dave Tate about it and he gave me the idea for this article. I want to share what my workouts looked like when I first got to Westside Barbell.

Gym accidents are not funny. They may cause serious physical injury that may have both short and unfortunately long-term consequences. So it's with mixed feelings that I relate another "Legend of Iron Smith Gym" incident.

Many times there is a tendency to over think your training program and it is easy to get confused with all the misinformation posted on the Web.