strength

3 Shocking New Findings About Exercise Selection The big free-weight lifts are the best exercises for muscle and strength, right? Well, it's more nuanced than that. Here's the new science. You must focus on the big basic lifts to build muscle and strength, right? Well, not so fast. The newest...

Get Jacked and Athletic for Life Sure, getting ripped is cool. But staying jacked and athletic as you age is even more impressive. Here's how to do it. The best way to improve your physical quality of life as you age is to improve, or at least maintain, all the capacities that naturally decrease...

Got Relative Strength? Find Out Right Now. You should be able to pass these tests before you hit the bench, squat, do direct arm work, or add more ab exercises. Can you? 1. 25 Goblet Squats with 50% Bodyweight Before you graduate to barbell squats, you should be able to goblet squat to parallel...

A Natty-or-Not Question Think it's impossible to get huge without also getting super strong? Think again. Muscle size isn't always an indication of someone's strength. Some lifters are big and strong. Some lifters are small and strong. Other lifters are big and, for their size, not so strong...

How to Keep Getting Stronger Plenty of programs can help you get strong. The optimal plan depends on what's limiting you the most. Here are the three factors to consider. What’s the Best Way to Get Strong? If your main goal is to get strong, you’re probably a little confused right now. There are...

A Complete 4-Week Plan The best kettlebell workout. The most powerful kettlebell exercise plus hardcore strength work. Get ready to be better... at everything! Without challenges, the human body will soften. We thrive when we push our boundaries, reach goals, and blast personal records. We...

It’s the biggest lift in the gym, and it only takes one step to complete. Who would have thought it had so many particulars to make your reps the most effective? Well, the truth is, it does. Using some of these directives on deadlift accessories will help you break a plateau you may not have...

Arnold Schwarzenegger reaches thousands of fitness enthusiasts around the world with his motivational Pump Club, and if you think that his teachings might be limited to pumping iron, you’ll be pleased to know that the Terminator star is just as excited about form and function as he is about...

ften, the technique will add a rep to an arm set or prevent a loss of a rep or two as the workout progresses. The Trick? Nerve Transmission It has to do with nerve transmission. If you improve nerve transmission, you can increase your strength. It makes perfect sense because, anatomically...

Strength is a seductive temptress and I have no shame in proclaiming my love for her. But like anything in life that gets your juices flowing, to truly understand strength you must consider both the stuff you like and the stuff you don't like. Here are 6 very interesting things about strength...

When you hear the term "ego lifting" you probably think of one-fourth squats, curls that use everything but biceps, and bench presses that double as the spotter's deadlift workout. As a T Nation reader, you know better. However, you can easily fall prey to a more subtle version of ego lifting...

Nothin' but the Truth! During your time in the gym, you've probably noticed that the same training questions are discussed amongst athletes and fitness buffs day in and day out. You know the questions I'm talking about: "What exercises will shape and tone my muscles because I don't want to get...

There are volume proponents and intensity proponents in the strength world. The Volume proponents argue that doing multiple sets is the optimal way to train, while the intensity guys insist that one set taken to the limit is more than enough. The fact is, both philosophies will build muscle and...

WHAT'S THE BEST NUMBER OF SETS FOR STRENGTH? I watch the way people in the gym lift. In a lot of ways, I'm like a gym version of Jane Goodall or the late Dian Fossey. They watch(ed) primates, I watch primates. They observed primates picking ticks off each other, I observed primates picking tics...

You hear a lot of "rules" about exercise programming. Problem is, many of them aren't rules at all; they're just myths and misconceptions. Here are the top five: 1. A Good Program is a Balanced Program It's sounds sensible, but it's actually not true. A good workout plan isn't about balance...

WHAT'S THE BEST NUMBER OF SETS FOR STRENGTH? I watch the way people in the gym lift. In a lot of ways, I'm like a gym version of Jane Goodall or the late Dian Fossey. They watch(ed) primates, I watch primates. They observed primates picking ticks off each other, I observed primates picking tics...

Love it or not, squatting is an effective way to build muscle and strength, and it’s a non-negotiable part of any serious workout routine. One squat variation that’s worth your attention is the single leg box squat. Overall box squat variations are fantastic for many reasons, but the three main...

Are you training for bodybuilding purposes or for powerlifting purposes? Knowing the answer will make a world of difference in how you squat. Or at least it ought to. Here are the foundational differences between squatting for powerlifting purposes (increasing your 1 RMa) and squatting for...

Experience and education are both important for lifting. But if you're a stubborn asshole, neither will make a big enough difference to help you progress. Ego and personal biases are man's biggest enemies when it comes to training. It's possible to overcome them, but a lot of guys would rather...

THE SKINNY FAT EPIDEMIC There's endless information on how scrawny people can build muscle and even more information on how chubby people can lose fat. But what if you're struggling with both? Lacking muscle and carrying excess adipose tissue makes a person skinny fat, and it's an epidemic...