I had a new article posted over at T-Nation last Monday called Delt-Building Duo: Two Supersets for Super Shoulders. 

I discuss two of my “secret weapons” for helping clients improve their shoulders - the Delt Triad and the Killer Delt Complex.  There’s also a how-to with pics to help you get the exercises right.

If your shoulders do not have the development you’d like, them you have to give these a try.

Yours in health,

Dr Clay

Question: I have a.. I guess problem. Every since I was like 8 I started developing fatty tissue around my chest…and now I have more than I want, so yeah kinda like man boobs I guess.

And its pretty embarassing u know, to have to take my shirt of and all that. The thing is I have done martial arts for more than a year now, I do pushups and lift weights and all that.

SO is it just my diet that I need to change, or something else?  Please help me get rid of my man boobs!  Thanks.

Answer: You’re certainly not alone.  Many, many men (teenagers especially) have fatty deposits (aka man boobs) around the areola and lower chest.

This typically occurs as a result of a slight hormone imbalance, often due to puberty.  As testosterone levels elevate in young men, some end up converting too much of the “excess” testosterone into estrogen.  This estrogen leads to fatty deposits around and under the nipple area.  Clinically, this is called gynecomastia.

Many people outgrow the condition when the sex hormones return to normal.  But in some men the man boobs persist.  If this is the case, they usually have to be surgically removed.  The surgery is fairly simple and typically has a quick recovery time. 

Before you opt for surgery, however, get as lean as you can.  This will get rid of as much fat in the chest area as possible.  This often eliminates man boobs (gyno) or at least reduces the severity.  But if you’re still not happy with the shape of your chest, then I would begin looking for an experienced surgeon.

~ Dr Clay

The following question was posted on bb.com - my reply follows. 

Question: Hey so honestly, can someone tell me if it really is good or bad to work out every day with maybe one day off? Some say it doesn’t allow your muscles to fully recover and some say its a myth? Can someone please say why it is good to workout everyday or why it is bad?

Thankyou!!

Answer: Any routine will work if:

1) your CNS (central nervous system) is allowed to ‘recuperate’ between workouts
2) each muscle is allowed to ‘recuperate’ before it’s trained again
3) not so much times passes between workouts that the training effect has passed (i.e. the muscle atrophies)

Any program that fits these basic parameters will work. But the catch is that an infinite number of factors affect these parameters.

So, could you train every day and make progress? Yes, if the program is adjusted accordingly. Could you tan every day and get darker but not burn? Sure, if you didn’t tan too long or too intensely - same with exercise.

~ Dr Clay

Just to explain, the blog you’re reading is my “personal blog.”  Unlike the majority of the updates to the site, it will not (typically) be posted on the home page.  The reason is that www.DrClay.com is about helping you look and feel your best. 

My personal blog is simply for me to share my thoughts, feelings, celebrations, frustrations, etc…  It’s my psycho babble if you will.

So, to keep the site about you, and not about me, my personal blog is quietly tucked away in this “corner” of the site. 

With that out of the way… it’s hard to believe that over half of the year is gone already, and yet another week has gone by.  Here in the Bay Area we have been experiencing a ridiculous heat wave with highs over 100 the last few days - geez!  I’m ready for some cooler weather.

You’ll probably be surprised that I’m a bit of a weather nerd.  I like to keep up with temps and average temps (and rainfall) of different cities around the country.  For example, the high in Juneau, Alaska this week will be primarily in the 50’s while it will typcially be about 106 or so in Desert Hot Springs, California. 

Speaking of dramatic variation, here in the East Bay it was as high as 108 a couple days ago; yet on the same day it was about 70 degrees just a few miles away in San Francisco.  Maybe I should go into the city for some relief…

I’ll close this random “anything goes” blog of mine by showing you what the view from the back of a cable car looks like.  Remember the cable cars you used to see in the Rice-a-Roni (the San Francisco treat) commercials?  I finally rode one.  I’ve gotta admit, I was like a kid on there - hanging off the side and snapping pics all the while. 

So in case you can’t ride one of the cable cars, at least you now know what the view is like!

Yours in health,

Dr Clay