The name of this blog is Weakness is a crime for many reasons. It is not just about weakness of the body, but also weakness of the spirit, of the mind and of will. It is about teaching you to be stronger in all of these areas and about how to make your life better. I am writing now in great sadness because one of the strongest people that I have ever met has just left this world, Mr. Richard Angelo.

Many of you know Rich, he was the owner of Rich Angelo’s Karate Academy on Ferry Street in Everett, and then on lower Broadway for over 20 years. Rich was instrumental in teaching many of the area’s children and adults on how to be stronger in body, mind and spirit through martial arts and strength training. Rich was also a mentor, father figure, like a brother and a best friend to me for most of my life.

I learned many lessons from Rich in the time that we had together. Rich was my first boxing/kickboxing coach, and the best one that I ever had. He taught me how to fight and not let the punches and kicks an opponent threw at me affect my will to win (not only in the gym but in life). He taught me the value of achieving what you want in life through dedication and hard work. He, along with my grandfather and Uncles, instilled the value of integrity. He taught me that it is not what you say to people, but how you say it. He taught me how to be a great coach. He taught me to never stop learning. He taught me the value of family, even more than my own family did. I could go on for days about the lessons I learned from this great man.
I got the news of Rich’s passing form his beloved wife Cheryl this past Saturday just hours after he passed while competing in an Ironman (like a triathlon) as I was attending a bench press seminar. A friend was sent down to the gym to have me get a hold of Cheryl. I was applying one of Rich’s lessons; never stop learning, when I got the news.
I spoke with Rich just a few days before he left to compete and we talked about many things, including how he was in the best shape of his life and how I was going to return to weight lifting competition in October. I wished him the best and we made plans to have lunch when he got back. After I got the news of his passing a lot of things went through my mind, and one thing stood out more than anything, besides horrendous grief; I owed Rich a debt that could never be repaid and that he was one of the most important people in my life, and he was now gone.

A true sign of strength is letting people in your life know how valuable they are to you while they are still here. I was and still am very sad at Rich’s passing, but I feel good about one thing. I let him know how important he was to me while he was still alive. Of course he knew it, but the fact that I told him left me with no regrets. A while ago, it was the anniversary of my grandfather’s death, and my son asked me why I was so sad that day. I explained to him that it was a special day and the reason why I was sad is that I miss him every day and that I never told him exactly what he meant to me while he was alive. A few days after this, Rich and I were talking and I took the time to tell him exactly what he meant to me and how grateful that I was to him for all that he did for me in my life. I told him that when my grandfather passed I never told him these things and I didn’t want to wait until it was too late to let him know the same things.

I’d like to leave you all with a few things that you can take away from my experience with Rich:

-never stop learning

-treat people well

-act with integrity

-keep your body and your spirit strong

-never, ever quit, no matter what at whatever you are doing

-be better today that you were yesterday.

If you try and do even one of these things, you will be stronger for it. Tell someone important to you TODAY what they mean to you. You will be stronger for it.
Rest in peace Rich. We will all miss you.

As many of you know, I have been Carbohydrate Back Loading for about 2 months with incredible results.

I have lost over 20 pounds of fat and gained an equal amount of muscle in that time and I am getting STRONGER!

My good friend, Sean Hyson, an editor for Muscle and Fitness and Men's Fitness is also drinking the Kool Aid form Kiefer and has become very knowledgeable on the subject.

Sean has written a few great posts regarding Back Loading.

Read one here.

Read another one here.

While you are on his site, subscribe to his newsletter. It is full of very useful information.

For help with Back Loading, shoot me an email-I'm just about ready to begin implementing into my nutrition consultations.

It's a word that some people take for granted. It's a word some people throw around. It's a word some people live their life by.
Which one are you?
Do you live up to your word?
Do you steal a former friends work, put your name on it and say that you created it and then pass it off as yours, even after you have been found tout to be a fraud? Do you tarnish and burn relationships that took years to develop?
OR:
Do you give your word and stand by it, even if it is not the best decision?
Are you there for your friends through thick and thin?

I have lived my life being loyal to a fault sometimes. I place a lot of value in the relationships that I forge with people. This goes for my personal life and business life.
If I make a deal with you, I live up to it. If I say I will pay you back money, I do, on time.
If I invest in you and take you in as my own, I treat you like family.
Burn me, and you are done.
Over the years I have made some very good decisions in this department.
I have also made a few really bad ones.
In the fitness industry there a  lot of people that are truly loyal. Sadly, there are some that are just maggots.

Especially around here.
No, I will not name names. You know who you are and I'm sure someone will point this post out to you.
There is no lower quality to me in person than  disloyalty.
When someone takes you in, teaches you how to do things, no matter what they are, stands by you through thick and thin, even to the point when others say to cut you loose, and you don't, what do you do?
Do you try and reconcile the relationship, or do you burn it down and do things that are totally lacking integrity?
When I was young, my grandfather, who was the only father I ever knew told me all the time that you only have 2 things in this life.
Your word and your name.
When you break your word, your name is worthless.
This has stuck with me for almost 44 years.
He is long gone, but his influence as a man of honor, and a man of loyalty in peacetime, in war time, and in relationships has guided me thorough my life. I hope to impart this on my son as well. As of now, he sees this is truly important even at 7 years old.
Read this post again, I know it is a little all over the place and angry, but a few people have shown me their true colors .

If this post helps you to re think your attitude and change for the better, that is the point.
If you don't understand why I am writing it, maybe you are the person I am writing about (figuratively).
The actual people I am writing about KNOW who they are if they read this.
The name of this site is Weakness Is a Crime.
The people I am writing about are criminals.

The following is a re-post from gregtrainer.com and was written by Greg Robins.

I'm always honest with you guys, so why change now.

Nutrition information, programs, articles, etc. can really piss me off, and ask those who know me, I don't get pissed off easily. I love to learn about nutrition, apply different strategies, and help those who seek guidance.

The issue with nutrition, in my mind, is twofold.

1. The majority of people who struggle with better nutritional habits are not under educated on the topic. Rather, they are limited by their behaviors, are not willing to change, or have a host of other issues that are mainly psychological.

2. There are way to many approaches to "better eating," just as there are way to many approaches to training. In result, people flip flop programs, lose sight of the basics, and focus on the minutia.

I am not in a position to speak professionally on psychological topics, but I will offer a few other solutions to get you back on track when navigating through the endless amounts of nutritional information available today.

1. Look for commonalities:

One thing I attribute my success to, from a training stand point, has been the ability to identify the commonalities in the programming of coaches and trainers I respect. Likewise, the same can be done for nutrition. There are marked differences between approaches such as Paleo, Precision Nutrition, Carb Back Loading, etc. However, you can also locate a lot of similarities. To name a few:

• Eat a lot of protein

• Eat your vegetables

• Limit starches and sugar

• Consume a variety of healthy fats

• Nutrient timing can make a difference

2. Keep it simple:

Don't get caught up in the nuances of more advanced approaches until you have mastered the basics. The basics are the foundation of better nutrition, and for most people making them a habit will get them where they want / need to be. Fancy supplementation, elaborate carb cycling schemes, and elimination of certain food groups all together, are not always necessary to make a positive change. What are some of the basics?

• If you are overweight, eat less

• If you are underweight, eat more

• Eat more REAL food

• Include vegetables, quality protein, and healthy fat daily

• Drink more water

3. There are no absolutes:

This a common topic in the health industry. If someone tells you that "this" is the only way to make progress, don't listen to them. Everything works to some degree. Ultimately, the best approach for you is the one you can adhere to. If you cannot adhere to your nutrition plan it won't work, plain and simple. Nutrition is largely a game of trial and error. After you have located similarities, and made a commitment to carrying out the basics, you will need to experiment with your approach in order to make these strategies a consistent endeavor.

To wrap up, don't overwhelm yourself with different ideas on how eat right. Simplify the process by focusing on what others have found to work, and using what works for you. Understand that no amount of nutritional guidance will make a difference if you are unwilling to apply it, or if you are unwilling to confront behaviors that are limiting your ability to apply it.