Q: Is it true that you can predict how big someone’s biceps can become by measuring his wrist? Can you also tell me how I should exercise my arms by taking certain measurements?

A: The answer to both questions is yes. Taking musculoskeletal measurements of clients and patients has taught me that I can use those measurements to predict the potential circumferences of various muscles. I can also—after 20 years of trial and error—determine the “correct” exercises for each body­part based on the size of the joints and bones.

Q: I’ve been training for more than 20 years, and I’ve had trouble with getting my chest to grow. No matter what I do for chest, it lags behind the rest of my bodyparts. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Ah, yes, the chest problem. You’ve come to the right place. I’ve had some trouble keeping my own chest development in line with my other bodyparts. It’s usually better to ask a bodybuilder who’s struggled and made gains in a particular area than to ask someone with a genetic advantage in that bodypart. Those who have struggled and made gains have tried every possibility, whereas the guy with the huge chest (or other bodypart) has been gifted in the gene pool and would have great pecs no matter what he did.

Those of us who live the iron life never weigh as much as we want to. The more-is-better mentality dictates that the higher the number you see when you step on the scale, the more you’ve accomplished as a bodybuilder. Many guys practically become obese just to hit a certain target bodyweight, like 250 or 300 pounds.

Sticking points bring progress to a grinding halt and can turn what normally are positive workouts into hours of disappointment. They’re especially bothersome on an exercise that you believe to be the most important in your entire program, such as the back squat, power clean or flat bench. Figuring out how to move past the sticking point isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s seldom easy.