About Me

It's pronounced "nil"

As simple as this may sound I'm a regular guy who likes exercise, specifically strength training. I've learned a considerable amount about exercise and nutrition online, from books, and experience. However, I wasn't always able to figure out what was helpful or a waste of time. Not everyone researches how to refine their training and unknowingly settle with what may be faulty advice. I want to extend what I've learned - from others and by myself - to help others in their own endeavors.

In high school, my friend asked me to join shot put where I really embraced weightlifting. I then began asking questions in forums, then answering others' questions, and now I regularly have family and friends asking for my help. Eventually, I realized I had many ideas I wanted to share with other people. As a result this blog was born. I'm not an "expert" by any means, but I provide whatever help I can. It's important to note,
  • While my parents would have loved it, I am not a board certified doctor, registered dietitian, nutritionist, or professional of any sort. I am not certified by any governing institution. If you have an injury, illness, or condition that requires medical care, please use common sense and immediately seek out and consult with a board certified practitioner.
    • After interning for 10 months, I became an assistant coach at Krank in Nutley, NJ in the start of 2015.
    • What I write reflects my viewpoints on strength training and various topics. It is purely opinion based on my experiences. I also do not generate any revenue from this site, the posts, or any of the links listed throughout the site.
    Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of this site you will see the following:

     
    This means material on this site is free for copying, distribution, transmission, and can be adapted provided these rules:
    (1) Credit is given to the original author - me.
    (2) It is not used for commercial purposes.
    (3) Reuse of anything here must abide to these same guidelines hereby outlined.
    The blog's purpose is to educate and help people to the best of my abilities to achieve their goals in an efficient manner. I believe training is an organic process. Exercise isn't a complicated matter. It isn't a never-ending struggle against food and woefully dragging yourself to the gym. Failure isn't imminent. I believe exercise can be enjoyed and everyone is capable of becoming strong and fast.

    Again, I'm not an expert. I like to think I know a thing or two - just check out the posts. I base my information from many areas such as Olympic weightlifting, strongman training, powerlifting, grip work, old time lifters, and so on and so forth.

    I'll leave it at that. If you're new here then welcome. I suggest using the labels to see past posts and the Exercise Index to browse various topics. There are a lot, but here are some you may enjoy and find useful:
    • Psychology-based posts - A bit lengthy, but well worth the read.
    • Olympic weightlifting posts cover a variety of details that prove to be the most popular entries.
    • Figure out how to test your 1-rep max here.
    • A comprehensive series on women & training.
    • post discussing the TV show Ninja Warrior in relation to training.
    • The topic of Program Design is often covered and explained.
    • Exercise posts take up the bulk of this blog. They cover helpful strategies for training or explaining concepts, such as stretchingrunning technique, and selecting training shoes.
    • My own personal story about getting into fitness can be read here.
    There may be others, but go look around and see if something catches you attention. I'll update this page in the future to reflect any changes.

    (Updated 5/13/15)
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    Niel Patel's Blog by Niel K. Patel is licensed under a
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