The Author

My name is Niel Patel, pronounced "nil," and this is my website. The "About Me" listed on the right-side doesn't give a full explanation of who I am or why I started this site. This is an introduction to give you a better understanding of me. (My story about getting into fitness can be read here).

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 and from books. However, I wasn't always able to differentiate the helpful from the wasteful. Not everyone researches how to refine their training and, unfortunately, settle with what may be faulty advice. I want to extend what I've learned - from others and by myself - to help others avoid making bad choices, mistakes, or decisions.

I started off by asking questions in forums, but coincidentally I now answer many questions. I soon realized I had many thoughts and ideas I wanted to share and as a result this blog was born. I'm not the smartest guy there is or an "expert" by any means, but I help when 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. 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.

• I am not certified by any governing institution. Certifications cost a few hundred dollars and I am not employed by a gym (or by anyone for that matter).

• 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.

Also, if you scroll to the bottom of this site you'll see:

"Niel Patel's blog by Niel K. Patel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License."

 
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.

But most importantly the blog's purpose is to educate, help, and inform people to the best of my abilities so they achieve their goals in an efficient manner. I believe training is an organic process and exercise isn't complicated or hard to understand. It's not a never-ending struggle against food and woefully dragging yourself to the gym. Failure isn't imminent. In my opinion 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 covering little and large details.
• Figure out how to test your 1-rep max here.
• A comprehensive series on women & training.
• I did a post on the TV show Ninja Warrior in relation to training.
• Miscellaneous piles for less serious posts, but still filled with random tidbits of knowledge.
• Exercise posts take up the bulk of this blog. Most are on the short-side and cover helpful strategies for training or explaining concepts, such as stretching and running technique.

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 9/1/11)