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New Rules of Lifting

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November 29, 2007

Bio Fuel

Like the blurb on the main page says, I’m an award-winning journalist, a non-award-winning blogger, and an author of fitness and nutrition books.

I wrote the Male Pattern Fitness blog on this site for three years, but in the spring of 2007 launched a new MPF, as part of the Sports Blog Nation network.

My latest book, and my most exciting and challenging one so far, is The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which includes contributions from Alwyn Cosgrove (workouts) and Cassandra Forsythe (research and nutrition programs).

Despite the title (and the fact it has the same editor and publisher, as well as training programs from the same coauthor), it didn't start out as a sequel to The New Rules of Lifting. The original title was Lift Like a Man, and we didn't decide to make it part of the New Rules branding empire until after it had been written, edited, and illustrated.

In retrospect, it's hard to believe we didn't think of it sooner, but at least we came to our senses in time.

My other books include The Book of Muscle (with Ian King), The Men's Health Home Workout Bible (with Mike Mejia and many other contributors), and The Testosterone Advantage Plan (with Jeff Volek, Mike Mejia, and Adam Campbell).

According to my resume, I’m former fitness editor of Men's Fitness magazine and former fitness director of Men’s Health, and I’m certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (C.S.C.S.) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

I graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1979, and later attended the Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. “Attended” is a nice way of saying I didn’t graduate. I got nine of the 10 required course credits, and actually had two projects finished that I could’ve submitted as my master’s thesis. But I was already deep in debt and about to get married, and decided not to write any more checks to USC. Somehow, the university survived and my career went forward.

Speaking of my career: I started working part-time at Weider Publications my first year of grad school, and in 1992 took a full-time job as a copy editor at Men’s Fitness. I stayed there six years, the last three as fitness editor.

My MF colleagues and I won several Maggie Awards, which are given by the Western Publications Association, including one for personal columns and essays. (I wrote two of the three we submitted the year we won, so I can claim a majority of the award.)

I moved to Men’s Health in 1998, and became fitness director in 2001. But 2000 was really the paradigm-changing year for me at MH. I was a consultant on a book called The Men's Health Hard Body Plan, which came out that year in the middle of a massive reorganization of the company's book division and was a surprise hit. Meanwhile, I'd started working on Testosterone Advantage Plan, along with Adam Campbell, who'd just joined the MH staff, and Steve Salerno, the new MH Books editor. That book, which came out in late 2001, was another surprise hit.

My final feature for MH is this one, about my son's autism.

But the one with the biggest impact is "Death by Exercise." It was one of three stories from the July-August 2003 issue of MH that earned a National Magazine Award in the Personal Service category. The others were “A Tale of Three Hearts,” by Peter Moore, and “100 Ways to Live Forever,” by Adam Campbell and Brian Good.

As a spokesman for the magazines I worked for and a passionate advocate for better living through exercise and good nutrition, I’ve been quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, and numerous other publications. TV appearances include CBS Early Show, Fox News Channel, Extra!, Entertainment Tonight, VH-1, and countless local stations in New York, L.A., Philadelphia and other markets. I think I’ve done radio in every city in America and a bunch in Canada.

I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with my wife and three children.

Posted by LouSchuler at 12:12 PM