strength

One of the most repeated phrases in fitness is the concept that “consistency is key,” and while that’s true, it doesn’t take into account the fact that sometimes, for whatever reason, we are forced to take a break from the barbell. But how long can we stay away from the gym before our...

Build Capped Delts When your go-to shoulder exercises stop working, try these. Then get ready to buy some new T-shirts. Impressively rounded delts impart a dominant aesthetic. And you only get this look with significant hypertrophy of all parts of the muscle. If your progress has stalled...

ou probably don't need dozens of movements to develop strength and size - you just need the six very best ones. This is all killer, no filler! Everyone can benefit from getting stronger. But for an athlete, there’s a lot more to physical success than being strong in the weight room. If you’re a...

Can You Meet These Functional Strength Standards? A one-rep max on the bench press only measures a fraction of your real strength. Can you pass this more complete list of tests? How Strong Are You? Sure, you test your one-rep maxes on the bench press, squat, and deadlift, but those numbers are...

Pull-ups are a challenging yet rewarding exercise that builds upper body strength, particularly in the back, shoulders, and arms. Whether you’re aiming to achieve your first pull-up or increase your current number, this pull-up progression guide will help you get there. Workout Tips How to...

After years of trying to balance my cardio and strength training, I started using strength-based cardio workouts as a go-to option when my schedule—or that of my athletes—was tight. Instead of logging hours on a treadmill or pounding the pavement, I began incorporating workouts that preserve...

by Andrew Coates, Tony Gentilcore, and Luka Hocevar Three Strength Coaches Weigh In Do it when standard squats fall short. Do it for big damn legs. Just do it. Can a single-leg exercise become a primary strength tool? When three great coaches say this exercise is a staple, it must be true. And...

Personal trainers frequently hear women express a desire to “tone up” while at the same time having fear of getting “bulky” or looking “manly.” The common misconception is that lifting heavy weights for women will make their muscles big and beefy, and instead, they often opt for light weights...

Lifting heavy is about so much more than just looking good—though you’ll love the results there too. It’s about feeling strong, capable, and confident in your own skin. It’s also about challenging societal norms that tell women to be small and take up less space. It’s time to break those...

The classic pushup will never go out of style, but it can get dull, especially for those able to knock out a few sets of 20 or more reps with relative ease. However, many excellent variations exist, including the one with the coolest exercise name ever, the TRX Atomic Pushup. This isn’t just...

If you didn’t already know this past weekend was the greatest weekend in bodybuilding and bodybuilding history. Check out the full recap of the 2024 Olympia weekend, including winners in all divisions. Wings of Strength 2024 Olympia Results: Samson Dauda Wins Mr. Olympia! With 60...

Suspension training often gets a bad rap because you’re using just bodyweight, and there is no cold, hard steel in your hands. Plus, measuring progression using regular free weights is easy, but not with suspension trainers, where doing more reps is usually the best form of progression. So, some...

by Charles Poliquin Q & A with one of the world's premier strength coaches. There are two issues here: working the obliques, and waist size reduction. Working the external obliques will not ensure a slim waist. Quite the contrary, highly developed obliques will take away from your V-taper and...

When it comes to the big lifts, technique is technique. But on top of mastering the form, everyone looks for progression – and there comes a time when even the best of us run into a stymie, and our strength (and size) doesn’t increase at the same linear rate that it did when we were 21 years...

You’ve probably been told by someone during your fitness journey that doing cardio will rob you of the hard-earned muscle that you’ve amassed by lifting heavy weights. But are those ‘experts’ right? Does building muscle mean that you can’t enjoy a weekly run or even warm up on the step machine...

The standard pushup is a body-weight classic exercise that never goes out of style. But like most classics, the occasional update doesn’t go astray. The Spiderman Push Up is the answer if you want to spice up the pushup. This exercise is more than just a cool name—it’s for anyone looking to...

Find your true 1 RM and use it to build even more strength. Here’s how. I hate math. It’s boring, tedious, and I suck at it. The only math I want to concern myself with during training is meathead arithmetic, or in layman’s terms, figuring out how much weight is on the bar. When I started...

4 Strategies for Strength, Size, and Athleticism Want to build strength, size, and athleticism with one training program? All you need is this plan. I Want It All Want to build muscle and strength while also increasing athleticism? Well, some coaches say you just need to train like an athlete...

Smarter Workouts, Harder Body Build athleticism, size, and strength without living in the gym. Here's the complete program. Whether you work 9-5 or 5-9, your time is at a premium. You don’t have the luxury to waste it on ineffective programming. If you want to boost athleticism and look great...

When it comes to building functional strength and explosive power, most people focus on exercises like deadlifts, squats, and presses. But to truly maximize your performance, you need to start thinking in 360 degrees. Rotational exercises allow you to train in multiple planes of motion...