strength

"Why am I not getting stronger?" Probably because you're breaking the rules. Follow these eight rules and save yourself years of frustration and weakness. 1. Train Consistently Consistency is the name of the game, and the lifter who trains week in and week out will experience steady gains in...

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW... There is no "best training program" for everyone. What works great for others in the gym may work terribly for you. Likewise, what has worked very well for you may not do jack for someone else. You must develop the confidence to abandon the training programs that...

The Problem You’re captured by hostile terrorists and held captive in a large jail cell with just a bunk bed in the corner, a barbell, and plenty of plates. The commander informs you that you’re free to lift weights during your captivity, but you can only perform ten barbell exercises. If...

Lifting novices often omit the more "complex" exercises that they don't understand how to perform or work their way into. Instead of deadlifting and squatting, they stick to machine and isolation exercises that don't require much coordination. As experienced lifters, we make similar mistakes...

Many strength coaches recommend a slow eccentric phase while strength training. They suggest a slow and controlled “tempo” while lowering, with the view that this might cause greater strength gains. Some other coaches go one step further, and also recommend using a slow tempo during...

The machines versus free weights debate has literally been going on for decades. Certain key figures that spearheaded this controversy, such as Arthur Jones, didn’t do a good job of representing this debate as his knowledge of sports science was insufficient. He was biased as the inventor of...

When the presently reviewed study (1) was published, my inbox was inundated with people telling me I needed to review it for MASS, since I’m on the record arguing that muscle growth does, in fact, contribute to strength gains (2). I always aim to please, so here we are. I’m pretty sure this was...

If you want to take time off of training (or you’re forced to take time off of training) what should you expect? How long does it take to lose muscle and strength? How long will it take to regain muscle and strength once you return to training? What can you do to mitigate your losses? This...

There has been a plethora of research comparing high- and low-load training over the past decade. This article breaks down everything you could want to know about those comparisons, while also tackling a new study that may have implications for long-term adherence with low-load training. Note...

It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your goals are, there are going to be times when your strength training has to take a back seat. It could be for a week, a month, or perhaps even a year or more. There are going to be seasons in life when you simply have less time and attention to devote to...

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...