When most people complain about a lack of muscle growth, they talk about their arms or their chest. MAYBE their shoulders. Typical beach muscle stuff. But if someone complains that their legs won’t grow, you know they’re a real one. That they truly care about training hard and pushing themselves. Because growing tree trunk legs …
Some muscle groups are easier to train at home than others. Chest and quads? Easy, push-ups and squats all day. Abs? Even easier. Most great core exercises are bodyweight movements anyway. But what about hamstrings? At-home hamstring training can be a bit tricky, but with some creativity you can get the job done. Let’s assume …
The Glute Ham Raise might be the ultimate lower body accessory exercise, but if you don’t have the equipment, Nordic Hamstring Curls are your best bet. This week’s Technique Tuesday shows you how to set up and execute this brutal posterior chain movement for a better backside. I love Nordic Hamstring Curls because they’re eccentric-focused …
Last week, we discussed how to use the Safety Squat Bar to build the deadlift. This week, I’ll show you how I like to use the SSB for lower body hypertrophy training. Can’t you just use a barbell to build big legs? Sure, but there’s that whole thing about your back fatiguing before your legs. Here …
Technique Tuesday: SSB Exercises for Lower Body Hypertrophy Read More »
The glute ham raise is one of my favorite lower body accessory exercises to build the hamstrings. If your gym has a GHR, chances are you’re in a good gym (but if not, read this). A lot of strong lifters can’t even do a single glute ham raise on their first try. But with some practice, …
Technique Tuesday: 2 Ways to Make the Glute Ham Raise Harder without Adding Weights Read More »
I’m a day late with this week’s Technique Tuesday but it’s worth it because I talk about my favorite lower body accessory exercise of all time: glute ham raises. Nothing trains your glutes, hamstrings and lower back while taking pressure off your joints like the GHR, making it my go-to lower body movement to drive up the …
Technique Tuesday: How to do Glute Ham Raises for Stronger Squats and Deadlifts Read More »
I’ll be the first to admit it: I hate single leg exercises. Lunges, split squats, step-ups, they’re all torture as far as I’m concerned. But I hate them a lot less – and value them a lot more – after a year-plus of working at Cressey Sports Performance and understanding their importance in any training …
Right Link/Wrong Link: Tweaking Single Leg Exercises for Hypertrophy Read More »
Does the bar drift away from you during deadlifts? It’s a problem that I see tons of lifters (myself included) struggle with. You’ll never fully utilize the push from your legs or keep your back straight if the bar doesn’t stay close to your legs. You can think about sitting back, squeezing your lats and …
Technique Tuesday: Band-Distracted Deadlifts for Stronger Lats and Hamstrings Read More »
Lower-back pain is a problem for thousands of people, athletes and average Joe’s alike. That said, building a stronger lower back can be problematic, especially if you’re hurting. But to lift big weights, you need a strong lower back, right? Well, yes and no. There’s a bit of an art and a science to lower …
If you’ve exercised at any point in your life, chances are you’ve been duped by at least one phony fitness trend. In part 1 of this post, I covered four fitness trends that tricked me at one point or another. Here are four more: 1. NEGLECTING YOUR QUADS Somewhere along the line, it became cool to …
The Trend is Dead: 8 Fitness Trends that Didn’t Pan Out, Part 2 Read More »
