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All good ideas. I can set the idle higher and prevent it from stalling, but it's an abnormally high idle to do so. Levers are stock and adjusted pretty well. I'll bleed the clutch check and that first. Then try the chemtool (never used it before) and see if that helps. If so, I'll prolly overhaul the carbs. I hope it's not a bearing issue. That would mean more work than I have the time for right now.. TJ

'97 Relevant mods: DynoJet stage 1, K&N Filter, Jardine RT1 slipons. Thing has been in perfect tune for years. (did the dyno runs myself at a local dealership) This quirk is fairly recent, like within the last month or so. I'm just hoping it's not gearbox or counterbalancer related (or anything cryptic like that). I don't see how it could be valve clearance, and it's definitely not a CCT issue. (no rattles or clacking, etc.) TJ

I'm getting a slight "lugging" of the engine in neutral. Doesn't happen as long as the clutch is in. If I pull the clutch in any gear (including neutral) everything is hunky dory at idle. However, if I'm in neutral and I don't squeeze the clutch, the motor will start to lug a bit. It will even stall if the engine is cold. Thoughts? TJ

Yikes! He has the worst form, ever, on the one arm military press with dumbbell. You're making a big mistake if you let your spine get into that sort of position. Your spine should always be in lordosis if you intend to hoist anything over your head (IMO) TJ

I can't tell by looking just at that page. I'd actually want to see the recommendations. Bear in mind, alot of these questions are already answered by the sports medicine community. As I've mentioned before, most success comes from training holistically and with periodization. (emphasis on recovery and nutrition as well) TJ

cute. TJ

Stay away from grains in general. There's no particular "safe" grain or even "safer" grain. Grains are the most allergenic substances (barring dairy) that you can actually consume. They wreak havoc on your immune system (in subtle ways) and are attributed to being the cause of several degenerative diseases: arthritis, diabetes, etc. Wheat is one of the only monoploidal things on the planet -- how's that for unnatural. The only reason wheat, corn, and soy are so popular today is not because they're healthy -- it's because they are cash cows that can be grown almost anywhere in the world and turned into any type of processed food product. TJ

Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can possibly cook with. It maintains it's saturated state even when raised to high temperatures (like frying) without de-naturing. It is MUCH safer to cook with than the unsaturated (hydrogenated) oils like canola and safflower. The medium chain triglycerides that are in coconut oil are super metabolic -- they give you almost as much energy (as easily) as glucose. That's why I drink 1/4 cup of pure coconut milk every day 2 hours before I hit the gym to lift. The benefits of coconut oil are many.. TJ

That's actually a dangerous signal to send your body. The last thing you want it to do is to adapt to metabolizing proteins (amino acids). 1) it's hard on the kidneys 2) it leads to catabolism and lower resting metabolic rate You should eat a diet higher in fat if you want your body to get better at metabolizing fats. (train it to do what you want it to do) Do a web search for something called "The Fat Fast". That's the closest thing your going to find to something that "jumpstarts" fat metabolism. TJ

Best sources are from roots such as Ma-Huang. Twin Lab makes supplements that have the correct proportion of Ephedra & Caffeine (from Ma-Huang and Guarana). You can add a baby aspirin to that.. By the way, you won't "gain back the weight" when you stop taking the stack. The stack doesn't "make you lose weight". It repairs your own natural thermogenesis. (or thermogenic response). The best way to maintain it, after stopping the stack, is to always expose yourself to the cold whenever you can. This includes skipping the heater and big warm jackets in the winter time. I do my best to go without warm clothing in the winter -- unless the temp drops below freezing. TJ

Don't weigh yourself every day -- the results are misleading. Weigh yourself once a week at exactly the same time in the morning (before eating breakfast). That will give you the most consistent results. I don't use a scale much any more, but when I did, it was always at 8am saturday morning. (for instance) TJ

I'm actually up about 10 lbs.. Why? Trying to put on a bit more mass. I lost a ton of weight (and muscle) trying to get back into motocross racing. Went from a lean 200 down to 183. Big mistake. Lost quite a bit of strength and it still left me too heavy to compete with the 150 lb. guys in the 250 cc vet class. Oh well.. So now I'm full steam ahead on a growth program. I plan to take it up to about 215 and cut to 210. The heaviest I've ever been was 217 when I tried a stint in full on body-building (normally I lift for strength -- not size). Bad idea -- even though I was lean, my blood pressure went way up. Yes, it's true -- muscle and fat weight put similar stresses on the cardiovascular system. So now, it's back to my usual -- strength as a focus, but keep it under 210 lbs. total. TJ

Won't be very effective. The ephedra that actually makes the ECA stack work is not the same as the synthetic ephedrine that's in asthma stuff.. Tell her to get some natural ephedra -- or even try some yohimbine, which has a better thermogenic effect on women. TJ

If you're trying to get lean while getting stronger then put the cardio (short 10-15 min sessions) after your lifting. Why? 1) That cardio will help deplete the last of your glucose/glycogen stores and you'll run mostly on free-fatty acids (or ketones) afterwards 2) Taking the day _completely_ off from activity in between lifting days will help you recover faster and make more progress gaining strength. TJ

One of the _original_ low-carb diets was done by an individual who had a strong propensity for hard liquor. I can't remember the guys name, but I'll try to dig up the article. I think it dated from the 1860's or so.. TJ