On its face, there is so much that’s plainly wrong about the idea of deadlifting barefoot. There is an inherent (and logical) presumption that your shoes are designed specifically to protect your ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Drag Curl to Build Your Arms
Biceps exercises come in many different shapes and sizes. The main objective is to build the biggest pipes possible, but you don’t necessarily have to marry yourself to a single variation forever. The drag ... Continue Reading
The Anatomy of Your Chest Muscles, Explained (and How to Train Them)
There’s a reason gym rats all over the world celebrate “International Chest Day” every Monday. For physique-minded, stringer-tank-clad gym bros and “how much ya bench?” strength athletes alike, the ... Continue Reading
How Strong Is Phil Heath? Examining the Seven-Time Mr. Olympia’s Training Style
When you’re nicknamed “The Gift,” chances are you’re going to ruffle a few feathers. But bodybuilder Phil Heath backed up his boisterous moniker with real results, winning seven consecutive Mr. Olympia ... Continue Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Body Recomposition
If you follow fitness, bulking and cutting may seem like all the rage. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts aim for the singular goal of fat loss or muscle gain, alternating between the two to gradually ... Continue Reading
The Anatomy of Your Back Muscles, Explained (and How to Train Them)
If you’re new to the gym, training your back can be a little bit like playing a game of Battleship: The muscles are there, but you aren’t exactly sure where — or how to hit them accurately. Without a ... Continue Reading
10 of the Most Memorable Bodybuilding Comebacks
Everyone loves a good comeback story, and bodybuilding fans have witnessed plenty of them over the decades. The sport has seen multi-time champions return to reclaim their crowns, perennial runner-ups take ... Continue Reading
How Much Does a Barbell Weigh?
An average conversation between strength sports enthusiasts often includes questions about numbers: How much do you bench? What’s your one-rep max with the clean & jerk? Answering those questions isn’t ... Continue Reading
Your Definitive Guide to the Conventional Deadlift Vs. Sumo Deadlift
If you’re a regular gymgoer, you may know that the sumo deadlift gets some bad press. The age-old argument rages on — is the sumo deadlift cheating? Many argue that it is an exercise in its own right, with ... Continue Reading
Hammer Curls vs. Biceps Curls: Which One Is Really Better for Bigger Biceps?
Let us paint a picture that you’re probably familiar with: It’s go-time for your next arm workout. We’ve all strode confidently into the gym ready to smash some weights and then stopped short, stuck in ... Continue Reading
Bulking on a Budget? Try These Foods and Tips
Bulking is a rite of passage. Maybe you’re looking to pack on as much muscle as possible, move up a weight class, or simply trying to fill out your next shirt size. Regardless, navigating a bulk is full of ... Continue Reading
Does Powerlifting Build Muscle?
Powerlifters may well be ripped. But the job of a powerlifter is not to burst through shirt sleeves with those bulging biceps. Instead, they’re aiming to build as much strength as possible in three lifts: ... Continue Reading
How to Do 100 Push-ups a Day, Advice and Programming from a CPT
The push-up is one of the most fascinating exercises in the world. On the one hand, It’s so challenging that one-third of a survey conducted on 1,400 Americans believed they’d struggle to complete just ... Continue Reading
10 Bodybuilders With Some of the Most Chiseled Abs in the Sport’s History
All physique athletes need a solid set of abs — it's a virtual prerequisite before stepping on stage. But a select group of bodybuilders went beyond the standard six-pack and crafted midsections that ... Continue Reading
Your Guide to Concentric Vs. Eccentric Training — Which Should You Emphasize, and When?
For building muscle, strength, or any goal you can think of, repetitions will drive your results. Breaking down every single rep you do into its specific components — that is, a concentric and an eccentric ... Continue Reading
The Nine Best Wrist Curl Variations to Supercharge Your Grip
In virtually every exercise you perform, your wrists are in play, assisting with the stabilization of either the weight or your body, and helping to hold things together. Your wrists are paradoxical; elite ... Continue Reading
From Jumping Jacks to Burpees: The Origins Behind 7 Common Exercise Names
When we dig into the history of exercise names, we begin to learn about the evolution of the fitness industry in general. Some name origins are easy to figure out — many moves are typically named after the ... Continue Reading
The 7 Treadmill Benefits You Need To Know About
The treadmill is about as recognizable as the dumbbell when you enter the average commercial gym. Early on in your fitness journey, you may have even started your workouts on the treadmill before ... Continue Reading
The Definitive Guide on How to Lat Spread Like a Pro Bodybuilder
Towards the end of the seminal 1977 bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron, Mr. Universe Franco Columbu stands onstage for the prejudging at the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest in Pretoria, ... Continue Reading
Do Different Row Grips Matter?
Clang. Your barbell makes music as you set it back in the rack after your second set of rows. Breathless, you glance over your shoulder. A nearby gymgoer unracks another bar — loaded just a bit heavier ... Continue Reading
A Couch to 5K Training Plan for Strength Athletes of Different Experience Levels
In the 2010 film The Fighter, real-life boxing champion Micky Ward accepts a fight with the much heavier Mike Mungin after being assured that Mungin is out of shape and “just got off the couch.” When ... Continue Reading
These Are the Differences Between Powerlifting vs. Powerbuilding
Powerlifting and powerbuilding are both extremely popular styles of training. It’s hard to deny the visceral joy of getting stronger, and building muscle can be just as satisfying. Powerlifting is both a ... Continue Reading
What’s the Average Biceps Size and How Do You Stack Up?
If someone strolls up to you in the middle of the gym and abruptly commands you to flex, chances are that you’re going to ball up your fists, raise your arms, and bang out the classic front double biceps ... Continue Reading
The Differences Between Hip Contact vs. Thigh Contact in Weightlifting
In many ways, the sport of weightlifting is like skipping rocks: If you aimlessly chuck a rock out into the water, it’ll hit with a distinct plunk and sink right to the bottom. But if you get low and sling ... Continue Reading