“He was so huge. He was so fantastic. There was no way I could even think of beating him. But I'd been so taken back by my first sight of Sergio Oliva that I think I settled for second place before we ... Continue Reading
Bodybuilder Nick Walker On “Training to Win” His 2021 Mr. Olympia Debut
When bodybuilding fans think of the elite of the sport, names that come to mind include Mr. Olympia Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, Brandon Curry, and Phil Heath. One man who wants to include his name on that ... Continue Reading
Guilherme Malheiros Is the Future Star CrossFit Needs
Most of the CrossFit community didn’t know what they’d get with Guilherme Malehiros on the roster at the 2021 CrossFit Games. But Brazil did. Twenty-one-year-old Malheiros grabbed attention from fans ... Continue Reading
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is the Greatest Strength Athlete of All Time
Known as a country uninviting for the faint of heart, Australia is home to extreme weather conditions and dangerous creatures, both on land and in its surrounding waters. One of Australia’s ... Continue Reading
25 Years of Transformation — The Physique of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
On July 8, 2021, action movie star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took to his Instagram page to share a photo of his physique during the final week of shooting for the DC Universe blockbuster film Black Adam. ... Continue Reading
Why You Should Learn to Love the 20-Rep Squat Set
Gains rarely exist in your comfort zone. To get bigger and stronger you need to do more than you did the week before. This doesn't mean you should deadlift until your back gives out (please don't do this), ... Continue Reading
The Heaviest Deadlifts Ever Pulled
Some people say the squat is the king of the lifts, but we’re not sure it deserves the title outright: After all, there’s something just damn impressive — and impressively simple — about picking up really ... Continue Reading
The Story of How Body Part Splits Rose to Popularity
The past two decades have seen a wonderful and much-needed rise in evidence-based training, much of which is available online. This means that many gym-goers now worry about volume, intensity, reps to ... Continue Reading
Nest of Giants: The History of Icelandic Strongmen
The small island nation of Iceland is a country with an international reputation of strength and tenacity. It’s a land of Norse gods, towering vikings, and a people molded by its harsh terrain. This ... Continue Reading
The Untold History of the First Mr. Olympia Contest
Bodybuilding has, in the past decade or so, become a very complicated affair. Since the creation of physique and classic categories, aspiring competitors can choose from a host of different competitions, ... Continue Reading
Innercity Weightlifting Provides Social Change Through Strength
Innercity Weightlifting (ICW) is a nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts that aims to "to reduce gun violence by amplifying the voice and agency of people who have been most impacted by ... Continue Reading
Adaptive Powerlifter Marybeth Baluyot Is Not Your Inspiration Clickbait
Marybeth Baluyot has no interest in being an "inspiration" to average athletes, at least not in a way that suggests she should be worth less than them. A competitive powerlifter, occasional ... Continue Reading
Meet the Man Who Just Made the Heaviest Bench Press of All Time
No big deal, just the heaviest bench press of all time. In late June, 35-year-old Will Barotti made a jaw-dropping multiply equipped bench press of 1,105 pounds (501.2kg) and the biggest bench in ... Continue Reading
Does Powerlifting Improve Jiu-Jitsu Performance?
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and deadlifts are about the coolest ways to spend your time, but should you train them both? Probably not. Why? We’ve roped in Chad Wesley Smith to answer this hotly debated ... Continue Reading
The Unbelievable Life of Naim Süleymanoğlu, the Strongest Pound-for-Pound Weightlifter Ever
On screen there is a man, a man possessed of incredible athletic ability. In other countries he would be revered and celebrated but here, he is caught between two worlds, two countries, and two systems of ... Continue Reading
3 Essential Prehab Exercises To You Keep Lifting for Longer
The longer you’re in the lifting game, the risk of picking up a niggling injury becomes more of a factor, especially as you get older. You cannot prevent traumatic, collision, or accidental injuries but ... Continue Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Strength Sports for Masters Athletes (And Why They’re for You)
The last thing we want anyone to think is that if they’re over 35, fitness is out of their reach. There are countless folks in that “Masters” age group lifting hundreds of kilograms and competing at elite ... Continue Reading
The Tale of the First 1,000lb Bench Press
When I was a child, I was fascinated by feats of strength. Weaned on episodes of World’s Strongest Man and superhero cartoons from an early age, I was, and continue to be, curious about the limits of human ... Continue Reading
5 Shoulder Pulling Exercises Every Powerlifter Should Do
When you’re a powerlifter and you think of pulling, your brain is most likely going to head right into deadlifting. That makes a lot of sense: there’s really nothing like ripping a loaded barbell off ... Continue Reading
10 Nutrition Myths That Need to Die (With Jordan Syatt)
About half of all Americans are trying to lose weight, and with the weight loss service industry being worth billions of dollars — some estimates put it at over seventy billion dollars — ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Athletes Call for Donations to Help Fight Australian Bushfires
Sixty-three thousand square kilometers burned, over 2,500 buildings destroyed, 25 people dead, hundreds of millions of animals lost. The smoke is so widespread that it’s darkened the skies of Auckland, ... Continue Reading
No, You Don’t Need Steroids to Look Like Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani is probably best known for starring in HBO’s Silicon Valley (but you should really see his movie The Big Sick) and he’s making headlines this week because of a pretty remarkable ... Continue Reading
The Surprising History of 20-Rep Squats
"The sphere of physical endeavor might very aptly be grouped into two classifications: those who just naturally seem to excel and those who must depend upon hard work and long training to achieve anything ... Continue Reading
The 4-Move Circuit for a Bulletproof Rotator Cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that help to maintain shoulder health and stability. Contrary to popular belief, you don't want a strong rotator cuff, you want a stable ... Continue Reading