2011 is quickly drawing to a close, and I thought I’d take this time to review some of the more popular blog posts from this past year. Collectively all of them made the list either because they were the most viewed, had the most responses/comments, or I just felt they kicked ass and thought you should read them again; or if you’re new to the site, for the first time.

Everyone does a top ten list. Ten is lame, so I thought I’d become a trend setter and go with twelve – albeit in two parts.

It’s interesting, though.  In dissecting the stats, those posts which I felt I put a lot of time and effort into, weren’t necessarily the most popular.  Jerks!

Conversely, some posts, which I literally put together at the last minute, were an instant hit.  I don’t get it.  Nevertheless, it’s readily apparent that there’s a lot of diversity on this site (not to mention I have no idea how to interpret my Google Analytics page), and there’s really no one “category” that reigns over another. It seems, at least transparently, I have a nice mix of geeky content and infotainment that appeals to a wide variety of people.  It works, so why fix what ain’t broken?

With that, I can’t thank all of you enough for the support.  Here are some of 2011’s highlights.

High Heels, Deadlifts, and Attitude (Part I and II)

I had a handful of superb guest bloggers this year:  Kellie Hart Davis, Jason Bonn, Michael Gray, Jonathan Goodman, etc.  But it was this two part post from personal trainer and co- Girls Gone Strong* founder, Molly Galbraith, that stood out.

* For those out in the dark:  look for the Girls Gone Strong page on Facebook.  They do an amazing job at putting out solid content geared towards women.

Perfecting the 1-Legged RDL

My “Exercises You Should Be Doing” series is one of the more popular staples on this site, and this post I did on the 1-legged Romanian Deadlift seemed to resonate with many people.  Maybe it was the killer commercial gym story at the beginning to set the tone, or maybe it was the random picture of Jessica Alba.  Either way, it worked.

My Case Against the Leg Press

Here, I opened a can of worms and left myself open for public scrutiny, but felt I made a solid case as to why I’m not a huge fan of the leg press. For 95% of people, 99% of the time, they’re worthless.  And, what’s more, I somehow managed to include a joke about Tom Selleck’s mustache into the mix.  If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will.

Mistakes Skinny Guys Make: Eating Like an Olsen Twin

One of my goals last year was to start an on-going series that, unlike those shitty Transformers movies, didn’t suck.

This was the inaugural post that marked the beginning of my Mistakes Skinny Guys Make saga. I think the title says it all, but you should read it anyways because there is a lot of useful information in there.

Don’t You Think You Look Tiny: A Psychological Look Into the Female Brain

This was actually a surprisingly popular post, and I was amazed at how many people chimed in with their own personal stories of others – friends, family, colleagues – giving them backhanded compliments about their transformations.

This post only reiterates why I absolutely LOVE reading things on behavioral economics.

Intimidate the Weight

This one was an absolute blast to write, and I get fired up reading it every time. I’m so sick of people going through the motions when they train, and with little to no purpose.  GET ANGRY!!!