variation

Some lifters frown upon some fitness machines and the exercises performed on it. The Smith machine is one of those underappreciated piece of strength equipment mainly due to what may be perceived as its biggest drawback: the fixed bar path. But you may be surprised by how many unique Smith...

Ahh, the humble pullup. It never lies to you—you can either do it or not, and there is no “it’s all you, bro” as the spotter sometimes peels the bar from the lifter’s chest. As great as the overhead and bench press are for the upper body, pullups and chinups are the best upper-body relative...

Here’s a little secret that not every coach may tell you: Trainers will program side planks for their clients but rarely do it themselves, and I’m living proof. Excuse me while I run and hide from all the coaches with pitchforks who want my head on a stake. Anyhow, when side planks are on the...

Imagine this scenario: You are all set for your Monday workout, eagerly anticipating it since the weekend. The pre-workout went down smoothly, and you’re bursting with energy. You step into the gym and climb the stairs, and your jaw drops. The gym is packed, almost all the equipment is...

Some exercises never get easier no matter how often you do them, and exhibit A is the single-leg deadlift. The balance demands and tension on one leg make this challenging for all lifters the same goes for its variations such as the rack single-leg deadlift. There are various methods to make...

The great Dan John downplays the importance of lunges, while other coaches overplay their significance in the strength realm. No matter where you fall on the lunge scale, there is one fact most can agree on. They suck, and they’re difficult. IMO, almost every lifter will benefit by having a...

ELIMINATION CIRCUIT WITH CLIMBING REPS This is almost like a game. You create a circuit of 5 exercises covering the whole body. They all have to be big movements: 1 squat variation 1 horizontal press (barbell or dumbbell bench/incline) 1 hip hinge variation (any deadlift, Olympic lift...

THE 4 PROGRESSIONS FOR SQUATS The squat is probably the single most value-for-time exercise, but you might hate it if you started with the wrong variation. Or you might be bored with it if you haven't taken it to a new level. Here are the progressions from beginner to advanced. Let's...

If you start with the wrong squat variation for your body type, skill level, injury history or goal, you'll wind up with a banged-up body. Now, when I say "squat" I bet the image you have in your mind is that of a barbell back squat taken to ass-to-grass depth. That is one squat pattern...

No one can deny the host of benefits from deadlifts in any muscle building program. However, the main issue which arises for many lifters is that the traditional barbell deadlift leaves their lower backs beat up to the point of chronic injury and fatigue, ultimately limiting the use of this...

What is the Difference between Conventional & Sumo? There are a lot of questions centered around what’re the differences between a conventional and sumo deadlift. The first question you have to ask yourself is: What is the reason you’re performing deadlifts? If you’re looking for all around...

Per Bernal / M+F Magazine As a veteran at the gym you’ve already nailed pullup variations like overhand, underhand, and neutral-gip. However, have your utilized the Commando pullup? This specific variation increases lateral instability, which in turn will help boost your core, and widen your...

morgan-aste.jpg Per Bernal Please allow me to put this particular discussion to bed here and now, because the truth is that both free weights and machines have their advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons. In fact, the strengths of one can often be said to be the weaknesses of the...