Charles R. Poliquin, one of the most influential strength coaches in the world, has unexpectedly passed away at age 57. The cause of death is currently unknown. The announcement was made in English and ... Continue Reading
Why Everyone Hates This “Fit After 50” Article
If you like fitness and you have a social media account, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen the scorn heaped upon a recent Reader’s Digest article. Apparently, if you’re over 50, you shouldn’t do… pretty ... Continue Reading
The Benefits of Towel Pull-Ups, Rows, and Much More
Believe it or not, you have a tool that can strengthen your grip sitting in your room, and you probably use it for everything but grip training every single day. What's this magic exercise implement? A ... Continue Reading
5 Benefits of Heavy Thrusters
Heavy front squats and push presses are two movements that are beneficial for building strength, muscle mass, and athletic potential for strength, power, and fitness sports. Thrusters, often seen in ... Continue Reading
7 Downsides of Being Crazy Lean
Sure, a strong deadlift is cool but you know what’s really cool? Six. Pack. Abs. Or eight-pack abs. Just getting super, stupid, crazy lean, bro, that’s what it’s all about. We’re being sarcastic here ... Continue Reading
How Ultra High Rep (25+) Sets Can Improve Your Strength and Size
One of my favorite bodybuilding strategies involves ultra-high reps for growth: sets of 25, 50, or even 100. I love a challenge, and these ultra-high-rep sets require pushing yourself to the limit, even ... Continue Reading
The Ideal Body Fat Percentage for Powerlifting
If you read my last article, you know that the Pioneer Tribute meet didn’t go all that well for me. And you know that I believe it didn’t go well because I tried to diet too hard, got too lean, and ended ... Continue Reading
Beltless Deadlifts: Their Benefits and How to Use Them
The question of beltless training, specifically for the deadlift, is a pretty great topic in strength training. Everyone has an idea that beltless deadlift training can be beneficial for their gains, ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons You Suck at Powerlifting Meets
You did it: you took the journey and brought your friends and family along – you competed in a powerlifting meet. Leading up to it, you posted training video after training video on social media, snapped ... Continue Reading
5 Mobility Drills to Help You Through Lifting Sticking Points
“No Pain, No Gain!” We have all heard that at some point or another along our fitness or athletic journeys. Pushing through pain is sometimes said to make you stronger, more resilient, and tough. When in ... Continue Reading
Could Your Memories From PE Class Impact Exercise Habits?
Believe it or not, your daily exercise habits are influenced by a lot more than what we tend to believe. For example, every day our exercise habits can be related to our current physical, mental, and ... Continue Reading
5 Things To Do the Week Before Your Weightlifting Meet
After months of tough training, dialing in your technique, failed attempts (and some mild cursing), it’s finally show time. That’s right — it’s Meet Week. As a longtime athlete and performer, I’ve ... Continue Reading
This Is CrossFit Burnout (and How You Overcome It)
If you’re a seasoned CrossFitter, chances are you’ve reached a point where doing “constantly varied functional movements at high intensity” can feel a bit … bleh. You know those days when you walk into ... Continue Reading
So You Wanna Be A Powerlifter? The Peak and Taper
In our previous episode, we talked about the general outline of a program for a powerlifter. In this program, we’ll get a bit more into the nitty-gritty about what it means to ‘peak’ and to ‘taper’ which ... Continue Reading
5 Powerlifting Lessons From a Zen Monk
As a lay zen monk with the Kwan Um School of Zen and long-time lifter of all things heavy, it has thrilled me to see so many articles about the benefits meditation has on the strength athlete. I have even ... Continue Reading
3 Practical Tips for Powerlifters Using Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a pretty popular style of diet, so I’m not going to go too in-depth into explaining it. If you have questions, I strongly suggest that you check out this article, which ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Stay Strong (and Sane) During a Weight Cut
Since my last meet — the 2018 US Open — I’ve been slowly dieting down, from 214 to 202, to prepare to compete in the 181-pound class at the USPA Tribute meet this August. During that cut, I’ve maintained ... Continue Reading
Should Athletes Wear Flip Flops?
If you’re an athlete, you’ve heard the overused lifting cue “find your feet.” Or to start your squat “from the ground up.” Or “grip the floor” when lifting. Or “push through the floor” when ... Continue Reading
5 Useful Strength Training Lessons Everyone Can Benefit From
Alright, maybe the list below is common sense, and maybe you already knew these. Regardless, I felt like this article was appropriate for any strength athlete or lifter who needed a friendly reminder, ... Continue Reading
Why Do I Yawn When I Lift?
You’re psyched up. You’ve had pre-workout coffee, jogged up a sweat, mobilized, done your warm-up sets, hit your working weight, and after your first working set… you yawn. Shake it off. Another set. ... Continue Reading
The Untold History of the Overhead Press
The Military Press is undoubtedly one of weightlifting’s most elusive challenges. Done correctly, and with strict form, the Press can humble even the greatest ego. Done incorrectly, the Press turns into a ... Continue Reading
3 Simple and Effective Methods to Increase Workout Intensity
Most of the time, when I write about programming, I’m trying to argue that less is more. I really believe that optimal training involves balancing work and recovery, and that many lifters underestimate ... Continue Reading
Is the Kettlebell Clean & Jerk the Ultimate Cross-Training Tool for Athletes?
As an athlete, you are looking for an edge. You want to be as fast, strong, powerful, mobile, and durable as you can while staying healthy. At the same time, since you are an athlete and the name of ... Continue Reading
Could Baking Soda Be the Best Workout Supplement You’ve Never Tried?
While this sounds like your grandma’s folksy remedy for a kickass workout, baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) might actually have application for strength sports, especially metcons, HIIT, and ... Continue Reading