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
What Is TDEE? Your Guide to Total Daily Energy Expenditure
What you do in the kitchen and what you do in the gym are intrinsically linked. Nutrition for athletes is the physical fuel behind everything from bodybuilding workouts to finally cracking the strength ... Continue Reading
Weightlifting Blocks vs. the Hang: The Differences & When to Use Each
The barbell starts motionless on the floor at every weightlifting competition and ends up at arm’s length overhead. That’s the game; get an object from point “A” to point “B” as quickly and efficiently as ... Continue Reading
Do You Have the Work Capacity for Powerlifting?
It sounds silly at first, sure: When you think of work capacity, your mind calls forth images of sweat pouring down your face, your heart pounding in your chest, and the ominous, authoritative beeping of a ... Continue Reading
How to Build Muscle and Strength With Calisthenics Training
Calisthenics is a timeless style of exercise. It comes from the ancient Greek words kállos and sthenos, meaning beauty and strength. The beauty of strength training throughout history is that it’s always ... Continue Reading
An Overview of Powerlifting Vs. Bodybuilding: The Differences You Need to Know
Every gymgoer chooses to walk a certain path when they first set foot in the weight room. Your “why” — that is, what got you into exercise as a health habit in the first place — dictates what you want out ... Continue Reading
The 8 Best Biceps Stretches to Support Long-Term Arm Thickness and Strength
Picture this — you crush your biceps curls and pull-ups at the gym, and the next day you feel that sweet pain of not being able to straighten your arms. Your biceps muscles flex and supinate your forearms. ... Continue Reading
What Is Isotonic Exercise (and Why Does It Matter?)
Resistance training has undergone plenty of evolution over the years; modern-day gyms carry far more than treadmills and punching bags. That said, when it comes to improving your fitness, all roads lead to ... Continue Reading
How to Avoid Burnout in CrossFit — 10 Strategies for Maintaining Your Motivation
If you’re a CrossFitter, you probably don’t put a high premium on taking it easy. The nature of a good CrossFit WOD — that’s the workout of the day for the uninitiated — is to test the limits of your ... Continue Reading
What Are the Differences Between Powerlifting vs. Weightlifting?
Strength is strength. Fortunately, there’s a lot more to it than that. Human beings have competed in tests of strength since, essentially, the dawn of time. From crude rock-lifting competitions to the ... Continue Reading
What Is Unilateral Training and Does it Really Fix Imbalances?
The last time you fought through a heavy bench press, you might have noticed one side of your body fighting harder than the other to lock out. That precarious tilt of the barbell is a prime indicator of a ... Continue Reading
This Is Layne Norton’s PHAT Training, Explained
The absolute best way to grow muscle, get strong, or become more powerful is routinely up for debate within fitness circles worldwide. Everyone seems to have their preferred method. Between personal ... Continue Reading
Cardio for Strongmen and Strongwomen to Supercharge Your Conditioning
The sport of strongman — which includes strongwomen — is known for spotlighting absurdly heavy lifts of incredibly awkward objects. But it’s not just about picking up weights and putting them back down. ... Continue Reading
The 8 Best Barbell Hip Thrust Alternatives to Try on Your Next Leg Day
Nowadays, everyone seems to be hammering the hip thrust — and with good reason. A pair of well-developed glutes are something of a status symbol in the gym. Strong, powerful gluteal muscles can help you ... Continue Reading
Yoga for Bodybuilding: How Getting Flexible Helps You Gain Muscle
The myth of the muscle-bound bodybuilder needs to vamoose. If you’re an Open competitor at the Mr. Olympia, you may not be able to hit the splits (although, some of the best posers in bodybuilding ... Continue Reading