barbell

The overall plan of any weight trainer should be to establish a routine that helps to develop lean muscle mass in a completely balance fashioned. That means that each muscle group is targeted through consistent and alternating workouts. The result is that each of the muscle groups will work in...

If you are one of those people who only like to work out your “Show Muscles” (chest, arms, abs and some shoulders) then move on, but if you are looking to have a thick, dense and well balanced upper body then stick around. I am going to discuss how to turn your Baby Back into Wide Thick Wings of...

Now that the spring is quickly approaching it’s almost time to put away those long sleeve sweatshirts/sweaters and replace them with tees and tanks! But of course, to feel confident when your arms are fully exposed, you will want to make sure that the bis and tris are looking big, primed and...

Here’s the thing: When it comes to biceps training, you can pretty much only do one thing – curl. Boring, yes, but you still desire a nice set of guns. Maybe you need to get more out of your biceps training. Maybe you need a few more tricks and techniques to get arm growth going again. The 5...

During the inception of the strength and conditioning game there was only iron. This was an era where machines didn’t exist. If you wanted to get strong and develop a muscular physique you had no choice but to touch the iron. This was also a time in the iron game when even the standard squat...

During the inception of the strength and conditioning game there was only iron. This was an era where machines didn’t exist. If you wanted to get strong and develop a muscular physique you had no choice but to touch the iron. This was also a time in the iron game when even the standard squat...

As the ultimate “show-me” muscle, the biceps has taken on numerous names such as guns and pythons among many others. Nicely, well developed biceps make any physique look instantly bigger no matter how in or out of shape someone is. Of course, big guns are forged through many hours toiling away...

The Top 7 Muscle Building Exercises Squats. Squats are the king of all muscle and strength building exercises. No workout should be without deep squats. They are performed with a barbell, generally in a squat rack. Squats not only build massive legs, but also stress most of the upper body. They...

Has your training gone stale? Do you look over your workout plan and feel like it’s time to make changes but are just not sure what? Perhaps you want to do something interesting to shock the muscles and break a plateau that has plagued you for longer than you care to remember. As great as the...

Nothing signifies strength like a big, strong back. Thick, broad and detailed lats, rhomboids, teres minor and major and a thick, cable-like lumbar are all attributes sought after by many but achieved by few. Building said back requires toiling away with the right kind of tools and applying a...

Shoulder presses, lateral raises, upright rows, and shrugs are all well-known tools of the trade and required lifts for anyone who dreams of big deltoids becoming reality. But what about picking the very best mass builder for your delts? The shoulder press is the granddaddy of all delt...

Full-body workouts don’t have to all be light weight, calisthenics-style routines intended for general populations at trendy boutique gyms. You can actually do an advanced-level, fast-tempo workout that hits all major muscle groups and build real muscle and strength, while also getting some in...

With strong legs, a solid core, and high aerobic capacity, you can do damn near anything (at least from a physical performance perspective). This legs, core, and cardio workout was created to help soldiers survive the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), but it can also be used by civilians to...

There are two schools of thought when it comes to taking training advice from the pros. Some insist that these men are, essentially, genetic mutants who respond so spectacularly to weight training that they have nothing of value to offer the rest of us mere mortals. Others agree that these men...

The "why" of warming up is well established in research and in the trenches. It helps to turn on the muscles you're about to use and reduces the chance of injury. But if you're using your warm-ups solely to "get loose," you're probably wasting valuable minutes and missing out on the potential...

Everyone reading this has one thing in common: we were all beginners at one point or another. Some of you that are here may be a beginner now. Regardless of the level you’re at, we have all learned the basic movements when we started working out. Even if you’re someone who is training at an...

Just as the bench press is the king of chest exercises, the barbell row is ruler of its domain for the lats and traps. With most other lat exercises you don’t directly fight gravity — a pulley eases the struggle on cable exercises. But with the barbell row, you can really load up on the weight...

Strongman competitions are a serious test of strength and fortitude that see athletes lifting kegs, pulling trucks, and—for the Viking press—pressing platforms loaded with rocks or other heavy objects above their heads, as seen in the above Instagram post. Unlike the traditional overhead press...

This concept may seem so basic that is does not require any explanation. Yet many times the fundamental factors are overlooked or forgotten, while more complicated factors are stressed. For this reason, I am calling your attention to the basic law of lifting in the following paragraphs. In...

Author unknown... The Suitcase-Style One Arm Deadlift is a powerful, exercise that you will rarely see anybody do. The reasons? First, it's NOT a common exercise, even though it's been around forever. Second, it's a tough exercise to do! The Suitcase-Style One Arm Deadlift places extreme...