training

By Bret Contreras When I was in graduate school, I was a pretty busy guy. I was teaching high school mathematics during the day and attending grad school at night. I started reducing my training frequency, volume, and duration and noticed that it didn’t impact my strength levels too much. This...

Pro Bodybuilders For bodybuilders, keeping a log is not so important. Strength is critical for muscle growth but it’s not everything. Doing what many bodybuilders do and utilizing “instinctive training” can deliver excellent results over time. Once sufficient strength is built up, they don’t...

"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...

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...

By Bret Contreras Eat, Lift, and Condition to Lose Fat and Maintain Muscle By Marc Lewis and Travis Pollen With summer just around the corner, fat loss and concurrent muscle preservation is on just about everyone’s mind. The trouble is, there’s a whole lot of gimmicky — not to mention...

BY BRET CONTRERAS, PHD, CSCS Yoga and Pilates are excellent forms of exercise that have numerous health benefits. I encourage you to give each a try to see if you enjoy the training. This article does not attack Yoga and Pilates methodology, it attacks the marketing tactics used by some of...

BY BRET CONTRERAS, PHD, CSCS Ever since I started consuming fitness information over two decades ago, there’s been a myth that won’t ever seem to die. The myth states that lifting light weights for high reps will tone the muscles, whereas lifting heavy weights for lower reps will bulk the...