strength

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...

We know that no matter what stage of your combat career you are in, working on longevity in such a demanding sport is essential for continued success, but what is not always clear is the best way to train in order to meet that goal. Enter Steven Sahyoun, who is a respected MMA coach who works...

If you’re looking to push your limits and transform your body, strongman medley style training is your answer. This unique training approach is not just about building raw strength—it’s about becoming a well-rounded, resilient athlete. By incorporating a variety of functional movements with...

Many people ask themselves and others if you can teach an old dog new tricks. That question can work the other way as well. Could a young pup learn a classic trick? In this case, can a young lifter benefit from an old-school lift like the strict press exercise? What You Need To Know About The...

The Bosu ball is a powerful tool for training athletes and clients across all fitness levels—when used at the right time in the right way. Whether I’m prepping athletes for high-intensity movement and stability drills or helping everyday clients improve balance, the Bosu ball workouts always...

When life gets on top of you, one of the most common excuses for skipping a workout is “I don’t have time.” We’ve all been there, even me, a certified personal trainer and a freak for exercise. But what if you only need 15 minutes to build strength, burn calories, and feel sweaty and happy...

Plateau-Busting Training Methods When you first start lifting, just about anything works. But when you hit a plateau, it's time to bust out these methods to build muscle. Few things are as frustrating as hitting a training plateau. With even the slightest whiff of stagnation, most lifters scour...

The Best of the Basics Follow these simple rules for a high-performance, bulletproof physique. Building a strong, lean, and athletic physique isn’t complicated. It requires focusing on a set of time-tested principles to help you optimize performance and longevity. Secrets? There are none. The...

Phase 1 18 of our training program was all about jacking up your nervous system: improving your capacity to recruit the highly trainable high threshold motor units (HTMUs), and inhibiting the protective mechanisms that prevent you from becoming a true beast. In this second phase, we’ll take...

Phase 1 – Jacking You Up The goal of this first phase is to prime your body for the subsequent training phases. Basically, we want to jack up your nervous system efficiency so that you’ll be much better at recruiting the all-important high-threshold motor units (HTMU’s), sometimes known as the...

I didn’t realize how much mobility training mattered until it was too late. I was standing over a heavily loaded barbell, ready to tackle a Sumo deadlift, thinking I had all my bases covered. But as I bent down, my lower back rounded because my hips lacked the mobility to hinge properly, and as...

Want to build pure brute strength? How about unadulterated muscular size? Maybe both? Here are the best set/rep schemes for your goal. People always want a cut and dry answer to this question, but it’s not that simple. There’s no one “best” set/rep scheme, regardless of your goal. But there are...