The Mighty Mission

To promote a lifestyle geared toward overall health, well-being, safety, strength, sanity, lasting results and peace of mind; to foster awareness of a healthy, steroid-free approach to exercise and diet; to enhance the visibility of informative storytelling on the choice between going natural and using chemical enhancement; and to remind people to have fun.

Working out is more than an internal journey. It's a fun adventure of places, spaces, and playing with fancy stuff. It's community, whether you work out alone or not. And it's an investment, so here's some straight talk about how much it costs to work out.

Not all women want to look like fitness models and not even fitness models actually do. Lifters like me wear baggy clothes, eat chocolate, avoid cardio, lift hard and make strange noises in the gym. If you really want to make progress, you might start by appreciating how fabulous you look right now. For more reality checks, treat yourself to Why don't you look like a fitness model? by lifting and grappling diva Krista Scott. And another thing: high heels are bad for you.

Weightlifters and strength athletes, if you lift on percentage cycles, help yourself to my chart. Starting from five pounds on the 45# bar, you can calculate load from 50% to 130% of your max, in 5# increments, in pounds or kilograms.

Curious about bodybuilding? It can be dangerous, bizarre and funny. If you're curious about the dangers and absurdities of the bodybuilding world, click here.