strength

Have you seen those “runners” who run on the side of the road, who seem to run solely to lose weight? The pained expression on their face as they struggle with every step because they believe that running is the best way to lose weight. This article is not for them, but if you’re serious about...

Despite what you see in your social media feeds of dramatic fat loss results, training and eating for fat loss is hard. Like really hard. Ronnie Coleman said that everyone wants to get big, but no one wants to lift heavy weights. Something similar could be said for fat loss. Everybody wants to...

Tiny tweaks in your wrist position when pumping iron can result in impressive muscular improvements. “It is often overlooked how a simple change in hand placement can make a difference in muscular results,” explains Natalie Wolfe, NASM, CPT. Without having to change an actual exercise, “Simply...

There are not many more satisfying things in the gym than pulling a heavy barbell deadlift from the floor. It’s you versus the barbell, and you win. The regular barbell deadlift is not the greatest exercise to build muscle due to a lack of eccentric contraction, but it sets the table for muscle...

Let’s face it, most of the quality nutrition information that comes out of the bodybuilding community is geared towards bodybuilders. But the problem is strength athletes don’t necessarily need to eat like that. In fact, most strength athletes would benefit from NOT eating like the typical “bro”...

It would be almost impossible to boil strength down to a single measurable in order to even suggest being “stronger” then an NFL athlete. Strength is a vague term that is often hard to define. However, in the gym we look at strength in numerical terms, most commonly weight and reps. If you...

by: Kyle Hunt When I first got into training it was bodybuilding that had my attention. I used to read all of the popular bodybuilding magazines – Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Muscular Development, MuscleMag, etc. I even read Arnold’s massive Encyclopedia to Modern Bodybuilding cover to cover...

It’s simple: There’s a LOT that contributes to strength beyond muscle mass. Now, it’s impossible to pin down exactly how much muscle mass influences strength because that would require a 20-year training study that would be utterly unfeasible to carry out. However, we can get ourselves in the...

The most reliable way to make progress is to do more. It’s certainly not the ONLY way to make progress. Exercise selection plays a role, intensity plays a role, frequency plays a role, proper periodization plays a role. But the primary contributor – hands down – is training volume. It’s been...

As we age, the general belief is that muscle loss and increased fat gain are inevitable. This is false. In this article, you'll learn how to continue building muscle mass as you age. You’ve probably had an older friend or relative tell you that after you hit your late thirties, everything goes...

To get better at performing chinups, you need to do more chinups. It would be best if you actually did the thing, which some people miss. But when doing more doesn’t improve performance, it’s time to train smart. This is where these four chinup accessory exercises come in. Chinups are one of...

Several news aggregators have recently picked up the results of a new study published in the “Journal of Nutrition.” The study suggests that eating just one cup of leafy vegetables a day could boost muscle function and strength, courtesy of the nitrates they contain. The researchers examined...

It's rare that PhD-types look at a bunch of studies and come out with some specific recommendations. They could demonstrate how a bunch of cats – when held upside-down from a height of two feet and then dropped – landed on their feet a thousand times in a row, but they still wouldn't jump to...

You probably know that vitamin D plays a role in the health of your bones and your immune system, along with reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and MS. You might also know that low levels are associated with lower testosterone levels and that women with less than adequate...

A muscular body looks good and is often a goal for many weightlifters. Clothes look (and feel) better, and compliments from others are a constant confidence booster. Not to mention, looking and feeling strong is priceless. However, the benefits of muscle mass reach beyond aesthetics. “Your...

HOW SHOULD I DO MY REPS? I never get asked that question. That's a shame because how you do your reps plays a huge part in stimulating the gains you want. Think about it. The workout itself is nothing but a long group of repetitions spread over different exercises. The basic unit of your...

Bending down to pick up a barbell in front of the body places great demands on your ankles, hips, and spine to get into the right position that's conducive to spinal integrity. I rarely have clients deadlift with a straight bar. There are plenty of safer alternatives for non-powerlifters that...

Let's look at the three types of core strength: Isometric: Holding a certain position for time with tension. Anti-Rotational: Being able to resist an external force trying to pull you out of position. Rotational/Moving: Being able to maintain controlled bracing with movement. Failure to...

Let's face it, if I gave you the choice of either growing bigger muscles, or getting bigger and stronger, you'd choose the latter. Lucky for you, an essential component of getting bigger muscles is getting stronger. This is a universal law of training no matter what type of program you follow...

When an athlete is looking for gains in explosiveness, it generally comes down to two things: Choose better parents or get stronger first. Too bad the first option is out. This leaves us with the second. If you want to get faster, jump higher, and be more powerful, get stronger first. But after...