Single leg exercises suck. There’s no two ways about it. They’re awkward, clunky and leave you gasping for air AND unable to climb stairs for days at a time. But exercises like lunges, split squats and 1-leg RDLs have their place in many programs as a way to keep the hips and lower back happy …
I had a good conversation recently with some of our members about cardio for lifters – more specifically, why “lifting weights faster” isn’t cardio and whether cardio is actually important if you want to get stronger. My exercise science Master’s program was basically a funnel for people to work in cardiac rehab, so our focus …
Happy Monday (on a Tuesday… oops)! This week’s Mindset Monday teaches you how to use your eyes to control your body AND mind. They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul. But as our predominant information-gathering sense, the eyes also hold the key to our mind and what we’re thinking about on a …
When you’re faced with a task, a challenge or a situation that involves hard work, do you think… I HAVE to do this. or… I GET to do this. Many of the daily actions involved in training and high-level performance aren’t what most would consider fun. Unfortunately, many of us let our feelings get in …
Here’s our first edition of Mindset Monday, a weekly post that will dive into the mental aspect of lifting, training and competing. Our mind ultimately limits what the body can do, so if we can master our mind, our physical potential is limitless. Our topic this week is Focus Phrases, words or short phrases we …
Band-assisted pull-ups are often touted as the go-to way to help people inch closer to an unassisted bodyweight pull-up. But there’s a better way: partner-assisted pull-ups. You see, the problem with band-assisted pull-ups is that most people can START a pull-up, but then get stuck about halfway up – just as the band starts to go …
Big arms might let people know that you work out. Six-pack abs might tell the world that you eat right. But a big back immediately screams that you’re a savage who loves lifting heavy. Wide lats, thick rhomboids and tall traps command respect. Plus a strong upper back is the foundation of all the big …
The second installment of my blogs geared toward the hypertrophy-challenged (read part 1 on how to grow your legs here) focuses on the beloved pectorals. Or chest, if you’re anatomically-challenged. Even though almost everyone prioritizes their chest by training it first in the week (Monday is international bench press day every week, after all), few …
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 …
Having long arms may put you at a disadvantage for benching pressing big weights, but with hard work and smart training, you can still develop elite-level pressing power. Kate (shown below benching 150×3) is a great example: long arms and built to deadlift, but has worked incredibly hard to become a strong bencher. These tips …
