Dear Friend,

Though I still consider myself a young man, I've noticed I don't move the same as I did in my 20's.

Just in the last couple of years, while weight training, I've started to feel things I've never felt before and hear things I've never heard before.

Ten years ago, I used to squat heavy. Really heavy. It wasn't unusual for me to stack six plates on each side. Wrap my knees, tighten up my weight belt, grab the bending bar, and grunt out as many reps as I could.

I approached all the big lifts—bench, military, etc.—in a similar manner. But to be honest, it hurts my lower back, knees, shoulders, and wrists to even think about doing such a thing now. And I'm only in my mid-30's!

Don't get me wrong. I still hit it hard in the gym. Intensity, after all, is the impetus for results. But I also plan to be around for a great many more years. In fact, I intend to continue lifting weights until I'm 100 years old and beyond. So I've become much more proactive in keeping healthy and strong and preventing injury both now and in the future.

My focus has turned from big and heavy to things like core strength and joint health. And inside this issue of Real Solutions online, I'm glad to share two articles in this issue on those topics.

The first is on rotational force, which is just the "official" way to talk about maintaining the strength and flexibly to turn your waist on a dime with no lower back pain. While the exercises were devised for athletes on the field, they translate well to everyday movements.

In addition, we have two new Clinical Reviews that discuss the importance of recovery and some novel methods to enhance your body's ability to do just that.

But make no mistake, I'm still a weight lifter, and I still focus on both strength and mass. What can I say? I'm a bodybuilder at heart. So we've got an exciting special report on the new "Monster Maker" Morph, which I'm sure you'll enjoy (especially you "hard gainers").

So please, sit back, grab your favorite protein shake (Eat-Smart's mine!), and discover what we can do to continue lifting weights and maintaining a lean, healthy, strong body.

Yours for a stronger body, for years and years to come,


Stephen Adele
Editor-in-Chief, Real Solutions
CEO, iSatori

P.S. Don't miss our News & Events section this month! Find out how our favorite fitness celeb, Jen Hendershott, faired in last week's Fitness Olympia, discover our new friends of the Energize Bullet, and learn how you can help protect our health freedoms!

• Not Your Usual Core Training
• Back to Issue 73 Table of Contents

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