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Want to build pure brute strength? How about unadulterated muscular size? Maybe both? Here are the best set/rep schemes for your goal. People always want a cut and dry answer to this question, but it’s not that simple. There’s no one “best” set/rep scheme, regardless of your goal. But there are...

Loading Schemes for Optimal Progress Four smart rep schemes you can apply to almost any workout. “You know what I like about training with you, Thibaudeau? At the end of the workout I have the feeling that I accomplished something.” To me, that statement best exemplifies what productive...

The New Science of Training to Failure A recent study shows that training to failure is the true key to muscle growth... regardless of the weight used. If your goal is size, this is a must-read. Pop quiz: What’s better for gaining muscle size? Performing technically sound, explosive reps on...

In the world of strength training, there’s one day that stands out as both revered and feared: Leg Day. It’s the day that separates the dedicated from the indifferent, the strong from the weak. Too often, people skip leg day or go through the motions, avoiding the discomfort that comes with...

How to build High-Performance Mass Building muscle size, strength, and explosive power – as a single strategy – produces the absolute best gains, period! Here's how. I have to admit that when I’m out in public I think of myself as looking powerful, like a bodybuilder. But on the other hand, I...

It’s one thing to be a world-class athlete, and it’s another to be successful on the media side of sports. Imagine doing both at the same time. That has been what Wendy Fortino has been doing for the last couple of years now. The IFBB Pro League Figure competitor has been a host of several shows...

The 2024 Olympia Weekend at the Resorts World in Las Vegas, NV on October 11th and 12th will feature all 11 of the IFBB Pro League divisions. The most inspirational competition of those 11 for many fans must be the Men’s Wheelchair division. The athletes who will face the judges and spectators...

The critically acclaimed Pumping Iron (1977) still holds up as one of the greatest ever films to cover the bodybuilding genre. And, almost 50 years on, the docudrama still holds up as a masterpiece for anyone who wants to make gym gains. One of the many moves that The Terminator star broke out...

Obese man preparing semaglutide Ozempic injection. Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names of semaglutide, a GLP-1 analog that mimic a fullness hormone and helps overweight and obese people lose weight.© imyskin/Getty Images Overweight and obese people with heart disease were less likely to die...

7 Ways to Screw Up Your Gains Adding more weight to the bar always works for strength and muscle gains, but many people manage to mess it up. Here's how. Resistance training consists of performing movements against a load. Your muscles produce tension and force to complete the loaded movement...

4 Simple, Proven Guidelines Why does training have to be so complicated? Well, it doesn't. Here are four workout tips that are easy to apply and always work. Figuring out this training thing can be confusing. It shouldn’t be. It’s the “experts” who make it confusing. They’re not trying to...

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...

Effort vs. Volume vs. Load: Part 1 What's the best way to train for size gains? Effort, load, or volume-based training? Here's what you need to know. What works better for hypertrophy? High-volume training or low-volume/high-effort (intensity) training? What about “powerbuilding?” In short...

About 6'3" 216 pounds, definitely getting a lot leaner. One of the lightest I've ever been, I feel so small! Even though I lost about 20 pounds I'm adding muscle

Follow the Rules, Build Size and Strength Stick to these rules to build size and strength. There's no way you won't grow! Follow these rules and you’ll build muscle and strength. Period. This is the best way to optimize workout quality. Each day off allows you to maximize recovery and growth...

LEG PRESS + REST-PAUSE = GAINS The rest-pause method works great with the leg press. Load up the leg press with your 15RM weight (the most weight you can lift for 15 reps) then get at least 25 reps in one set. How? By taking short 30 second rests. (Rack the weight during these short breaks.) So...

You may think you're training hard, but are you really selecting the right weight for the rep range you're working in? This study highlights the important differences in weight selection in people who train by themselves versus those who train under the supervision of a coach or personal...

You see it at every gym: quarter-squat lifting with heavy weight, or ass-to-grass movements but with a rounded back that looks like the Gateway Arch. Those who don't care to squat like a pro make excuses, "I have bad knees," "I'm not a powerlifter, and "I look better than you." Those who do care...

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW... Training economy is huge. You should always strive to get the greatest effect out of the smallest energy expenditure. Sequencing your workouts so each exercise feeds into the next is an effective means of reducing or eliminating warm-up sets. Methods include...

As we learned in part 1 of this series, the squat pattern can take on many identities, and the best version is the best version to suit your comfort levels, body type, and individual goals. Depending on the skill level of the individual, the training effect that can be received from squat...