barbell

Some lifters frown upon some fitness machines and the exercises performed on it. The Smith machine is one of those underappreciated piece of strength equipment mainly due to what may be perceived as its biggest drawback: the fixed bar path. But you may be surprised by how many unique Smith...

How many times have you assumed a great workout requires a fully equipped gym with tons of equipment? Stop assuming, it’s not true. When equipment access is limited and your time is tight, it’s time to think outside the box. Forget about straight sets, supersets, and circuits. Instead, dive...

Leg day. The dreaded yet essential part of any consistent gym-goer’s training routine. Whether or not you appreciate that after-leg-day-waddling where sitting down becomes an Olympic feat, we’re here to help you get something productive out of your hard work. What is a Barbell Leg Workout...

When looking to grow a bigger, stronger backside, the barbell hip thruster is a go-to exercise as it targets the gluteal muscles better than any other lower-body movements. “The No. 1 reason most lifters perform barbell hip thrust is it builds more gluteal muscle, strength, and power than just...

There’s no better starting point than a solid bench press. The bench press is the most popular and widely used exercise globally, targeting your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is performed with a dumbbell or a barbell, which can be loaded with plates to decrease or increase weight. There...

by Andreas Abelsson Your lower back takes center stage in almost everything you do. Think of it as the command center for power and movement. From running to jumping, lifting to twisting, a strong lower back helps you perform these actions safely and with as much power as possible. This article...

If you’re trying to build strength in the gym, but you’ve hit a plateau or you just don’t know how to get the numbers climbing each week… Then this is the article for you. Check out these 3 fundamental reasons why you aren’t getting stronger in the gym and what you can do about it today to...

What Is the Landmine Press? The landmine press is an overhead pressing exercise involving a barbell and a “landmine press attachment,” which is a piece of gym equipment consisting of a metal sleeve with a pivoting joint usually attached to the floor or the base of a squat or power rack. (You...

Bret_ContrerasElite Coach First, I apologize if I left out one of your favorite exercises. Don’t take it personally. I performed these experiments in my garage, and while I have one of the baddest garage gyms in Arizona, I don’t have a lot of machines. I’m also sorry I couldn’t test more...

If you want glutes that look good and make you stronger on and off the field, barbell hip thrusts are your go-to exercise, but you better make sure your hip thrust form is on point. Since Bret Contreras, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., aka “The Glute Guy,” popularized this and invented equipment to do it on...

There are not many more satisfying things in the gym than pulling a heavy barbell deadlift from the floor. It’s you versus the barbell, and you win. The regular barbell deadlift is not the greatest exercise to build muscle due to a lack of eccentric contraction, but it sets the table for muscle...

What Is the Trap-Bar Deadlift? The trap-bar deadlift, also known as the hex-bar deadlift, is the same as the conventional deadlift except it’s performed with a trap bar. Here’s what it looks like: The most obvious difference between deadlifting with a trap bar versus a conventional barbell...

Beginners Guide – The Barbell Is King by:Justis Cousins It was around 2009 and I was a freshman in high school. My friend invited me to the school gym to start working out with him. I was ready to get big and strong! There was only one issue – we went to an art school… As a result, the gym...

A detailed look at the most potent muscle building exercises, as well as a bodypart by bodypart breakdown. Stop wasting time in the gym and start getting results! A workout is made up of only so many sets and exercises. Constructing a workout without a purpose, and without the use of the best...

If you have a rack, bar, and plates, then you have the tools necessary to train. These two full-body programs can help you achieve personal fitness success. Over the last several years, there has been a movement in the fitness world – training at home. Home gym equipment has been a big hit and...

Have you ever wondered why they call it the Romanian deadlift? It looks similar to the straight-leg deadlift but with a better name. Well, here’s why. It’s called the Romanian deadlift, or RDL for short, because it’s named after the Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad, an Olympic medalist in the...

Here’s a little-known gym fact, kirk shrug may be, he best shrug variation you’re not doing. There’s nothing more imposing than a lifter with a big yoke, otherwise known as a set of massive upper traps, shoulders, and back will make you stand in awe—and move out of their way as they toss...

Barbell back squats are arguably the king of all leg exercises, with the barbell front squat close behind. Back squats are part of the powerlifting big 3, but the front squat and the various front squat variations, although less load, is used because of the reduced stability; they have better...

With all the cool shiny gym “toys,” it is easy for you to get sucked into needing to use them all to get a great full-body workout. In reality, you don’t need much space, a lot of time, or multiple pieces of equipment to get a great training. Just take this full body landmine workout for...

Adding a simple resistance band to your row variations increases the concentric tension as you row/pull towards your body, and it increases the eccentric tension as you extend your arms. And that means new gains. Here are five ways to do it: 1. ▶️ Banded Barbell Row (Version 1) In this...