muscles

The deadlift is the best pound-for-pound movement across the board for building a resilient frame equipped with full-body strength and power. A primary staple exercise in every training program through various forms and progressions/regressions, the deadlift is a key component to human movement...

Rest Days Believe it or not, our bodies recover on the days AWAY from the gym, not while we are actually training. To better understand this, think of your muscles like a cut. When you cut yourself, you leave the wound alone so that your body has the time it needs to repair the damaged...

5 Muscle-Building Mistakes (And How To Make Gains) By Brad Schoenfeld 1) You Always Train in the Same Rep Range The claim that muscle growth is maximized in a moderate rep range (6-12 reps per set) continues to be a source of debate in the fitness field. Although this theory is backed by some...

To stay healthy and progress on your upper body lifts, you've got to take care of your shoulders! Add these 6 exercises to your routine to improve shoulder stability. One of the greatest issues facing athletes and weightlifters is the ability to stay healthy while lifting weights and training at...

When it comes to posture, upper back strength, and completing the rounded caps of the deltoid, the face pull is the exercise for you. Read on to learn more. When it comes to posture, upper back strength, and completing the rounded “cap” of the deltoid, you can’t get any better than the face...

Step into a commercial gym around 5 PM any day of the week. Sure you'll come across some "strong" people who can lift heavy weights, but if you take a closer look, it'll become painfully obvious that most meatheads have simply lost the ability to move with any semblance of fluidity. Poor daily...

If you want to increase mobility, strength, power, or muscle mass, you need to create a pain-free environment from which your body can function. But if you've gotten little to no relief from foam rolling, corrective exercises, and modified variations of the big lifts, you need to learn these...

GROWN MEN DON'T NEED BRO SPLITS You're not 15 anymore. The traditional bro split where you train one body part each workout (usually 5 workouts a week) isn't efficient or effective, especially for an adult with a job who actually communicates with real-live women in their non-pixilated form...

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS Contrary to popular belief, the "pump" is NOT increased blood flow to your muscles. Instead, it's fluid accumulation. Specifically, this fluid accumulates in the spaces between your muscle cells (the interstitial space). As you lift weights, the contractions of...

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS Contrary to popular belief, the "pump" is NOT increased blood flow to your muscles. Instead, it's fluid accumulation. Specifically, this fluid accumulates in the spaces between your muscle cells (the interstitial space). As you lift weights, the contractions of...

It's not every day you see tree-trunk legs on a guy who's over 6'2". The truth is, it's difficult to build enough mass to disperse over such a long body. A tall guy can spend years developing himself and he'll often pale in comparison to a shorter, more compact lifter who's done the same thing...

It could be argued that the three most popular pieces of gym equipment are in no particular order are the flat benches, standing cable machines and the lat pulldown machine. Take a look around your gym, while the adductor machines remains empty. Often you will find lifters milling around these...

Collagen protein is an important source of energy for your body. But did you know that it has many other benefits? From lean muscles to smooth skin, collagen offers a lot! There are two main kinds of protein: Whey and Collagen. Both provide great benefits but they do different things. We’re...

If you hit the gym often but can't get the V-shape you want, you're probably not paying enough attention to your shoulder muscles. And that's why it's crucial to select the best shoulder workout to fit your goals. But exercise plans for these muscles should be about more than aesthetics...

The calf muscles are neglected by many gym-goers, and those who do train their calves seem to treat them like a "cool down" after annihilating every other muscle in their legs. It’s no surprise that people often complain they can't get their calves to grow. The reality is they just don’t put...

Did you know that back pain is one of the most common chronic conditions in Canada? Every four out of five adults between the ages of 30-50 will experience at least one episode of back pain at some point in their life [1]. Whether you’re looking to build muscle for the aesthetic, increase...

One of your goals, when you hit the gym, is probably well-defined pecs. A built chest gives the appearance of strength, but also stabilizes the shoulders, improves posture, and promotes overall upper-body strength. The chest is made up of two major muscle groups—the pectoralis major and...

Targeting excess facial fat is tricky as evidence that you can spot-reduce body fat remains limited [1]. The good news is there are a handful of studies suggesting facial exercises can help define and rejuvenate facial appearance by strengthening muscles of the cheeks and jaw [2]. However...

FOR ABS, SQUATS AND DEADLIFTS SUCK A few studies have taken the position that multi-joint, free-weight exercises such as barbell squats and deadlifts activate "core" muscles better than isolation core exercises. These studies have led many trainers, coaches and exercise enthusiasts to...

The angled deadlift is for intermediate to advanced lifters who have enough experience with the basic pulling and pressing exercises that they're ready for a new challenge. This exercise hits the posterior-chain muscles you'd use in a traditional deadlift, along with the shoulder and arm...