About Donald Christman

Case studies show that caffeine overdose can lead to major outcomes and, in rare instances, even death. This shows that even though helpful, caffeine is still a drug, and too much caffeine can cause various side effects. So, after sifting through relevant scientific papers and following that with an in-depth interview with my physician, I decided to gather all the potential dangers of caffeine... Read more >

I have tested and reviewed many brain-boosting supplements in the market, and recently Gorilla Mind Smooth caught my attention with what it claims to achieve. After hundreds of hours of research and consultation with my dietitian, I decided to try out the product and test its actual results. In this Gorilla Mind Smooth review, I will provide the details regarding the product, what it contains,... Read more >

Weatherman Al Roker recently opened up about his fitness journey, sharing the secret behind his 45-lb weight loss. The longtime “Today” show weatherman shocked many people with his before and after photos on social media. As a fitness trainer, I always approach celebrity fitness loss stories with an analytic mind to determine whether my clients can see them as inspiration and benefit from... Read more >

As a personal trainer, I work with many athletes and elderly clients who are taking Prednisone for various health issues. While many people take this prescription steroid for legitimate reasons, it has also become a popular performance enhancer. During a conversation with my doctor over an old knee injury I have, we got talking about how effective this drug is and how long it may take to start... Read more >

As a fitness trainer, I cannot stress enough the importance of consuming enough protein. Some of my clients have difficulty getting the amount they need through whole foods, so I usually advise them to include a protein shake in their routine because it can boost their protein intake by an average of 25 grams. The question that arises quite often is whether drinking protein shakes on rest days... Read more >

Liver damage is one of the most serious diseases that people can deal with, but what many people don’t fully understand is how fatty liver is linked to weight gain. What’s worse is that there can be a positive feedback loop where fatty liver makes you gain weight, and obesity worsens your liver problems. To figure out how this disease can impact your weight loss efforts and whether there... Read more >

I don’t think any other substance causes more heated debates than fat. But it always amuses me how many people end up in discussions with a complete misunderstanding of what fat is and how it’s important for our health. And I totally understand this confusion when you have to deal with trans fats, unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, visceral fat, brown fat, and many... Read more >

During my fitness career, I usually advised my clients challenged to lose excess belly fat to add stomach fat burners to their diet and exercise routine. However, far too many fat burners on the market today have an ineffective formula and lack scientific evidence to back it up. So I decided to gather a few of my clients and my team at Total Shape to conduct intensive research and testing on 20... Read more >

I always tell my clients that if they want to lose weight faster in a cutting phase, they have to get their diet and workouts right first. Only then should they consider taking fat burners like Inno Shred. The problem with many products like Inno Shred is that they spend way more on marketing than on creating a useful and effective formula to help lose weight and burn fat. So we brought in our... Read more >

Men who are experiencing low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and a reduced sense of well-being can benefit from taking pre-workout supplements that help boost testosterone. However, a few athletes I've worked with reported abnormal semen analysis results after taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Having been asked if pre-workouts can have adverse effects like PEDs, I spent six weeks... Read more >

Testosterone levels decline as we age, and with that, our energy, stamina, muscle strength, and libido take a hit. I strive to help my middle-aged fitness clients counteract the effects of declining natural testosterone levels with diet, exercise, and a testosterone support supplement. Lately, I kept hearing about Roman Testosterone Support around the gym, so I conducted thorough research into... Read more >

What you take before your workout is just as important as what you take afterward. Apart from your typical workout supplements, pre and post-workouts help you build muscle, assist with weight loss and aid the overall recovery, so I decided to synthesize my knowledge about them in this article, so I can better educate my clients. Let’s take an in-depth look at what the main differences are and... Read more >

As a fitness coach, there are certain conversations at the gym that I can count on daily. One of those topics is how to lose weight and get results fast. One of the supplements that gets brought up regularly is carnitine, so I decided to take a deeper look into l-carnitine supplementation and get the science-backed facts on its effectiveness as a weight-loss tool. After a few weeks of online... Read more >

As a personal fitness coach, I work with a lot of athletes and bodybuilders, and it happens too often that I notice clear signs some of them have been taking anabolic-androgenic steroids. The sudden muscle growth and side effects are very obvious, and they can have a significant health impact that is completely avoidable. A much better alternative is aiming for significant muscle gains with a... Read more >

Almost all pre-workout formulas contain the same main ingredients - creatine, BCAA, L-citrulline, caffeine, and beta-alanine. They all have different roles - to improve energy, endurance, vasodilatation, etc. And I always advise my clients to supplement their training with pre-workouts because they improve motivation and output in the gym. But some of them recently asked me if vitamin B is good... Read more >

Over the years, I've trained many athletes and bodybuilders who perceived steroids just as synthetic products designed to speed up muscle growth and improve performance. Steroids are primarily produced by the body, and they were synthesized in the lab less than a century ago to actually mimic the structure and function of their natural counterparts produced by our glands. To help my clients and... Read more >