squat

Squats are vital for building tree-trunk legs. But if you want to develop the most impressive quads possible, you'd better start rethinking your definition of squats. The classic versions (back and front squats) fail to effectively hit all the muscles that make up the quadriceps. That's where a...

Research on split squats and lunges shows that an upright torso position – where the shoulders are above the hip – is more quad-dominant than a more forward leaning torso position – where the shoulders are more above the leading foot. This is relevant because a Smith machine squat involves the...

SQUATS AND SHOULDER PAIN The squat is a staple. It's foundational to many other lifts. If you've experienced any increased shoulder pain from doing it, you're already be aware that squatting and shoulder health are related in some way. How exactly are they connected? And how can we fix what's...

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...

Functional Exercises for Legs and Glutes What does it mean to have strong legs and glutes? Well, it involves more than just being able to move a lot of weight. Real-world strength and resiliency are about being stable under load and having the capacity to move big weights outside the typical...

In this article, we'll show you the benefits of kettlebell workouts and the best kettlebell exercises to try. 4 Benefits of Kettlebell Workouts Kettlebell training helps improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination. It’s also great for targeting your core muscles, especially...

Visually, the squat pattern is simple. However, neuromuscularly and biomechanically it's actually very complex. It requires a number of precisely executed components to lock the movement in. Some of these include: Set the hips back without bending over. Spread the knees apart but not...

If you do the six major compound movements – the squat, hip hinge, vertical press, vertical pull, horizontal press, and horizontal pull – you're bound to see success. These are the movement patterns every complete workout program contains. Problem is, not every variation is best for everybody...

A FEW FORMALITIES Before we dive right in, there are some important things to consider prior to using this: This is in no way scientific. It's observational. Everyone is different (age, experience, sex, injury history, training style, build, etc.). Therefore, this won't be exact, and that's...

THE 4 PROGRESSIONS FOR SQUATS The squat is probably the single most value-for-time exercise, but you might hate it if you started with the wrong variation. Or you might be bored with it if you haven't taken it to a new level. Here are the progressions from beginner to advanced. Let's...

Training with a sore or injured back is tricky. If you were to avoid working it altogether, your workout would likely be comprised of vacuums, dead bugs, and pulldowns. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are plenty of modifications you can make to existing exercises that'll keep back...

There’s more total-body benefits to be gained inside the squat rack than just everyone’s favorite legday staple, the squat. And, no, we’re not talking about biceps curls, but other heavily effective moves not quite mainstream yet that you should be aware of. At one time, the squat was...

With Covid lock downs and all I had took advantage of the $$ making opportunities and started working contract and 7- day a week overtime. Worked 53 day straight one time. Lol It was crazy!!! I bought a house and built up a gym. Now that we are all healed, lol the money is back to meh… or decent...

Getting results is hard enough when you're healthy. It's damn near impossible when you're battling your own body. Pain puts the brakes on your body's ability to move and perform. But if the big lifts hurt you, you can still make progress. Here's how to make simple modifications to three common...

CHANGE, DUMB COMMENTS, AND MACHO CRAP Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In the field of strength development, this concept applies directly to exercise selection. In order to prevent injuries we need to be able to change. We...

The squat can be a tough exercise because you don't "know" when you've hit the proper depth. To fix that issue and avoid having someone call out the right depth for every rep, set up a band going across the power rack so that every time you go down your butt will touch it. That way you'll learn...

Stubbornness goes hand in hand with competitiveness. This is why most of us will look for ways to keep squatting and deadlifting even when we're banged up. I get it. My father, a champion distance runner, ran with Achilles tendinitis for 20 years. How did it finally clear up? Ice and rest – he...

What training method or diet strategy did you once think was good, but now you don't anymore? Christian Thibaudeau – Strength Coach and Performance Expert I CHANGED A LOT OF MY VIEWS OVER THE YEARS, BUT THE BIGGEST CHANGE IS RELATED TO CARB INTAKE. When I first started out in the strength...

If you start with the wrong squat variation for your body type, skill level, injury history or goal, you'll wind up with a banged-up body. Now, when I say "squat" I bet the image you have in your mind is that of a barbell back squat taken to ass-to-grass depth. That is one squat pattern...

We’ve all had those off days. You look at your workout routine and barbell back squats are on the menu. Normally you can’t get enough of leg day, but on this particular workout day, you’re feeling a tweak your shoulder or knee after the previous night’s pick-up basketball game; now back squats...