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Stuff We Like
Consumer Reports for Bodybuilders
by John Koenig and Chris Shugart

There are literally thousands of bodybuilding tools on the market today. These include exercise gadgets, athletic training devices, books, videos, and supplements. They run the gamut from complete garbage to products you shouldn't live without. It's probably no surprise to you that most of these toys and tools fall into the recycle bin category.

Therefore, we've decided to act as a sort of bodybuilding Consumer Reports and review all the various stuff aimed at the typical Testosterone consumer. Don't worry, though, we won't waste your time writing about the infomercial crap you see late at night on cable. Well, maybe we will, but just so we can poke fun at it and humiliate the shills who push this crapola.

Instead, we'll focus on the more serious side of training devices and information sources. That doesn't always mean we'll give the product a glowing review, but we won't waste the space reviewing something that you and everyone else already knows sucks. And since we don't accept outside advertising here at the web site, we're free to tell it like it is without having to worry about da man telling us what to think about a product.

Each product will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. At the end of the article, we'll tell you where the items can be purchased.

This is Charles Staley's first full length book on Escalating Density Training or EDT. Coach Staley introduced the world to EDT through T-mag last year and since then the training program has really caught on.

In a nutshell, EDT involves supersetting two exercises for antagonistic muscle groups in a fifteen-minute training session. You count the number of reps and simply try to perform more work within the same timeframe in the next EDT session for those same muscles. Two fifteen-minute sessions are usually performed per workout. (Well, it's a little more complex than that, but not much.) The book is about 100 pages long and features a couple of dozen exercise illustrations (which are a little amateurish but get the job done).

Two big questions: 1) Does EDT work? and 2) Do you have to buy the book if you've already read the EDT articles at T-mag? First, yes, EDT works. I put a quick three-fourths of an inch on my upper arms in about six weeks. That's great considering how long I've been weight training. If you're willing to use a training log and a stopwatch, this program will pack on muscle.

To me, EDT really shines as a specialization training program. In other words, if you want to bring up one or two body parts, do EDT for those muscle groups while using standard maintenance lifting for everything else. (And while this first EDT book focuses on the arms, once you get the concept down you can apply it to all muscle groups.)

Second, yes, the book is valuable even if you've read the EDT articles Staley has published here on the site. Along with the training theory and program itself, you get info on goal directed behaviors, successful program design, the seven behaviors of highly effective athletes, the most common training mistakes, cryo-therapy, supplementation, and many other topics. Staley also throws in a free audio interview on cassette and a 14 page special report called "The Truth About Ab Training." The book and all the little goodies that come with it run about $35.

Sure, you can design an EDT program based on the articles already published, but I think the book is worthy of a spot in your bodybuilding library.

Rating: 8 — CS

No, this isn't a scrotal protection device for Canadians. The Cryocup is an ice massage tool used in the treatment of sprains, muscle spasms, strains, pain and inflammation, and other musculoskeletal conditions.

I first learned about the broad field of cryo-therapy from Charles Staley. Charles strongly recommends ice massage after one of his EDT training sessions to help aid in recovery, reduce soreness, and reduce tissue swelling and microtrauma. In my observations, those who heed his advice and use ice massage get better results from EDT than those who don't.

You can perform ice massage with just about any ol' hunk of ice, but the Cryocup is cheap and handy. It's just a little blue cup made of plastic. You freeze water in it and part of the cup becomes a "handle". The cup also gives the ice a nice round end instead of a sharp edge. Icing is still an uncomfortable experience, but the cup makes it a little more bearable.

When testing out the EDT arm specialization program, I'd sit on the couch after training, spread a towel over my lap, and "massage" my biceps, triceps and forearms with the Cyrocup. When it became too uncomfortable for one arm, I'd switch to the other. Staley says to focus on the soft tissue and perform long, deep strokes going parallel to the muscle fibers. You basically keep going until the ice melts, which only takes about ten minutes.

Yes, cheapskate, you can make your own ice cup easily. Just freeze water in a paper or Styrofoam cup and peal away the bottom part of it. But since the Cryocup is reusable and only about $7, it's worth picking up.

Rating: 7 — CS

Medicine balls are great tools that can be used for strength and conditioning, plyometrics, rehab, improving sport specific performance, and beaning your roommate in the head when he has the goddamn stereo up too loud. Med balls have been around since the time of the ancient Greeks and they're still valuable tools today.

Med balls started out pretty simple. Usually, they were just heavy leather balls filled with sand or sawdust. These days there are balls with handles, balls that bounce and float, balls filled with gel or air, balls that make nice breast implants, and even balls with ropes attached so you can swing them around like a medieval knight wielding a mace.

Despite all these advances, I decided to test out a traditional "old school" medicine ball: the leather model offered by Title Boxing. I admit it, I just liked the look of this classic med ball. It's constructed of heavy black leather with nylon reinforced seams, the kind of ball you'd expect to see in the corner of some dungeon-like training facility whose front door is in a back alley.

This is a "dead ball," meaning that it doesn't bounce, which limits its versatility somewhat. Still, I put it through its paces with a variety of drills and really pounded it on a concrete floor to test out its durability. Although a hard "bounce" will cause this type of ball to lose its round shape temporarily, it stood up to the test.

The Title medicine balls come in 12 and 16 pound weights and run about $40. I tested the 16 pound model, which is a little larger than a basketball. It ain't fancy, but it sure is fun.

Rating: 7 — CS

Legal Muscle: Anabolics in America by Rick Collins, J.D.

I'm an avid reader of fiction and every once in a while I come across a book that simply blows me away. Among those who read "alternative literature," there's a term for such books: mindfuckers. Until now, I've never read a bodybuilding-related book that I'd classify as a mindfucker, but Legal Muscle, written by Rick Collins, is just that.

You may remember Rick Collins from his interviews in previous issues of T-mag. Rick is known as perhaps the world's only "steroid lawyer" and has led a one man army against the injustices imposed upon recreational steroid users. This 400+ page book is both his manifesto and an encyclopedia of valuable information regarding steroids.

The book begins with a history of steroids and how they came to be scheduled as "addictive" drugs despite opposition from the American Medical Association (AMA), Health and Human Services, and even the DEA. The truth is glaring: a few politicians with personal agendas — who didn't know a single thing about steroids and had no desire to learn anything — ignored the facts, disregarded the testimony of experts and succeeded in making steroids into Schedule III controlled substances.

Throw in government scare tactics and media-induced hysteria and you have the situation we live in today: you can go to jail, lose your savings, lose your job and have your possessions taken from you for trying to add a little muscle with pharmaceutical help. Meanwhile, if a man decides to become female instead of muscular, a doctor will gladly chop off his penis and give him hormones to help him grow tits. This book will have you outraged by page nine.

The rest of the book covers just about every topic you can think of dealing with steroids and the law, including chapters on:

• What steroids are and what they really do and don't do

• Border crossings

• Drug tests

• Ordering steroids on the Internet

• Mail deliveries and seizure notices

• Automobile stops and searches

• Teenagers and steroids

• Soldiers and steroids

• Miranda rights and many other topics

The book has twenty-five chapters and four appendices including the steroid laws of all fifty states.

Who should buy this book? Coaches, trainers, law enforcement officers, people involved in the criminal justice system, and anyone using or thinking of using steroids. Even if you're a lifetime drug-free bodybuilder or athlete, you should read this book. Today, the same propaganda, misinformation, and even downright crookedness is being used to force many safe and legal over-the-counter supplements off the market and criminalize those who use them.

A person not interested in steroids may not have much sympathy for a juicer who gets carted off to jail, but remember, using steroids didn't used to be a crime and it's still not a crime in many countries. And maybe one day you'll be carted off to jail for importing ephedrine or prohormones when those same politicians turn you into a bad guy by banning those safe and effective supplements. It could happen. Correction: it is happening.

My only minor complaint with Legal Muscle is the cartoony cover. I think this book is way too important and way too good to have a caricature of a stereotypical roidhead on the cover. The book is also pretty expensive at $50, but the info is truly priceless. And remember, a consultation fee with a lawyer might be upwards of $2500, so $50 for this information isn't bad.

Hands down, this is the most important book ever written about steroids. It will leave you both outraged and educated. If information is a weapon, then this book is a tactical nuke.

Rating: 9 — CS

The Grizzly Lever Action Powerlifting Belt

Most of us know by now that you don't need a belt all the time in the gym, but for max lifts, powerlifting meets, and strongman competitions, belts are still useful, if not indispensable, tools.

Most bodybuilders use weight belts in the traditional style: wide in the back, narrow in the front. Frankly, many of these guys only wear belts in the gym for show and because it makes their waists look smaller and their backs look wider. If that's why you wear a belt, then quit reading this review and go throw another pizza in the oven. Let’s get serious about belts that'll assist you in lifting heavy weights. These two belts are for hardcore, hard working powerlifters, and strength athletes. Period.

If you're serious about strength training, either of these powerful belts will make you stronger and increase your poundages while squatting, deadlifting, hefting heavy stones, flipping cars, or whatever makes you sweat.

The Grizzly Lever-Action Belt is ideal for powerlifting competitions and max effort workouts. Simple adjustments with a screwdriver allow you to move the lever to tighten or loosen the belt. When that lever clamps down, you feel secure and ready to rock. Under no conditions I've encountered has the lever ever moved at all while in use. Powerlifting competitions, strongman competitions, and crazy workouts in the gym haven't fazed it whatsoever. Get used to a real belt such as this and you'll laugh at the wimpy, thin leather belts on the guys watching themselves in the mirror. The Grizzly runs about $80.

The Raw Power Heavy Duty Belt

Raw Power's belt epitomizes what "heavy duty" really means. Just carrying this hunk over your shoulder is work. Forget it's in your gym bag and you may strain your shoulder picking it up!

My example of this beast features double belt buckles rather than the lever (but that's also available). The Raw Power Heavy Duty is so heavy, so stiff, so strong, it's real work to secure it tightly enough around you.

My only caution is to make certain you're wearing a couple of shirts, a sweatshirt, or a squat suit, as this extremely thick and durable belt may squeeze your flesh uncomfortably when you go down for a lift. This one will cost you 50 to 60 bucks.

My guess is that the big guys, say 250 pounds or more, will do best with the Raw Power Heavy Duty Belt. Anyone will benefit from the Grizzly Lever-Action Belt. Either of these should prove to be almost lifetime purchases, suitable for the top levels of competition and the toughest workouts in the gym.

Grizzly Rating: 10

Raw Power Rating: 9 — JK

Your Body Revival: Weight Loss Straight Talk by Dave Draper

Simply put, this is the finest single "diet" book to come down the pike. Sure, we've published a hell of a lot of diets in Testosterone over the years, and the bookstore shelves are cluttered with diet and inspirational tomes designed to help you keep crap out of your pie hole, but Dave Draper has put it all together in a way that strength athletes of all levels will understand and benefit.

You’re saying to yourself, "Draper is a genetic freak; what can he teach me?" Hey, this guy has been through it all, from his competitive bodybuilding days in the ‘60s through all kinds of self-imposed stress, to wrestling with the aging process today. Draper has a great deal of wisdom to impart to those willing to learn.

Your Body Revival doesn’t tell you what to eat, nor how to train. Rather, using anecdotes and simple dietary logic based on both experience and science (heavy on experience at the dinner table and in the gym), Draper leads the reader on a journey that's eye-opening and revealing.

This is an easy to understand, simple book. Put his dietary logic into play and you'll find yourself walking around in a healthier, more muscular body. Simple enough for you?

Rating: 9 — JK

The Ultimate Guide to Massive Arms (EDT) by Charles Staley can be purchased at www.edtsecrets.com or www.myodynamics.com.

The Cryocup can be purchased from a variety of online sites; just type the name into any search engine and look around for the best price and cheapest shipping. (The shipping will cost almost as much as the cup unfortunately.)

Title medicine balls are available at Title Boxing: http://store.titleboxing.com/leatmedbal.html

Legal Muscle by Rick Collins can be purchased at www.legalmusclebooks.com or by calling 1-800-525-6758.

The two lifting belts can be found at www.grizzlyfitness.com and www.rawpowerfitness.com

Your Body Revival costs about $19 and can be found at www.davedraper.com/your-body-revival.html.

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