Legs win bodybuilding competitions, period. Moreover, a well-developed lower body contributes to the coveted “X” shape and signals to everyone else in the gym that you take your training ... Continue Reading
The 15 Best Posterior Chain Exercises for Stronger Lifts and Bigger Glutes
When you’re training, you might tend to forget about the things you cannot see. That’s why many lifters run the risk of overemphasizing their “mirror muscles” like their chest, biceps, and quads. Because ... Continue Reading
The 8 Most Underrated Accessory Exercises for Weightlifters
Weightlifting programs are more than just the snatch and clean & jerk. During practice of the lifts, you tend to find other things to focus on that can benefit your performance. This is where your ... Continue Reading
How to Make Bodybuilding Gains With the Smith Machine
Hardcore bodybuilding is all about slinging big weights and making serious gains. There’s a reason that most physique athletes favor the barbell or cable tree — Pumping Iron isn’t chock full of clips of ... Continue Reading
How to Get in Shape When You’re Constantly Traveling or Shifting Schedules (Brought to You by Future)
Getting in shape is hard enough without time constraints — busy schedules, jobs that require a lot of travel, or who don't know what their schedule will look like ahead of time. If that sounds like your ... Continue Reading
The Sled Push May Be the Ultimate Leg-Builder (Yes, We’re Serious)
Here's an unpopular opinion: The sled push is as effective for building leg muscle and strength as the deadlift and squat. Hear us out before you, and your mob of gym bros come at us. The secret sauce lies ... Continue Reading
Snatch Grip 101: How to Build Beefier Forearms and a Stronger Pull At the Same Time
Training is a series of choices. There is a broad range of unique bars, grip orientations, and exercises that you can use to get respectably strong. Some choices allow you to make certain gains by ... Continue Reading
Fight Right — How to Use Strength Training for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or BJJ, is having a moment. The grappling-based martial art — which took shape in the 1920s — gained some popularity in the early-90s when BJJ pioneer Royce Gracie dismantled a series ... Continue Reading
The Best Deadlift Warm-Up — How to Prepare for Strong Pulls
If your goal is to build total-body strength, the deadlift deserves to be your bread and butter. A deadlift is a pull from the floor to the hip, and, perhaps most importantly, allows you to work with ... Continue Reading
Learn the T-Bar Row to Build a Thicker, Stronger Back
Building a bigger, stronger back is something many strength and power athletes are after. When your back is stronger, you can deadlift more, make your squats more stable, and even bench more weight. Not to ... Continue Reading
The Best Unilateral Exercises to Even Out Imbalances and Help You Get Stronger
When you want to build max strength, you’ll typically aim for bilateral exercises. Those are the moves where both sides of your body are doing the same thing at the same time. Think of your basic compound ... Continue Reading
10 Benefits of Double Kettlebell Swings for Strength Athletes
Small adjustments to big lifts can make a huge difference in your strength training and conditioning. For example, adding an extra kettlebell to your swing routine — so that you’re working with a pair of ... Continue Reading
The Best HIIT Workouts for Any Fitness Goal
Long workouts are for the birds. Why spend two hours in the gym if you don't have to? If you’re looking for a way to break out of a mental or physical rut in training, a few good HIIT workouts will do just ... Continue Reading
What is a Cool-Down, and Do You Even Need One?
You only have an hour to dedicate to your gym time today, and you want to spend the bulk of it actually working out. Although you might not want to, you know that warming up properly is essential for ... Continue Reading
The Best (and Worst) Bodybuilding Exercises to Cheat Your Form On
The form police are a diligent bunch. From the deepest reaches of social media comment sections to unwelcome solicitations in the weight room, you can always find someone willing to “help” you with your ... Continue Reading
The Best Bodybuilding Arm Workout, Customized to Your Experience Level
The fabled gun run — an entire workout dedicated to crafting the juiciest arms possible. While some may think that big compound exercises are enough (and for certain goals, they may be), there's just ... Continue Reading
Take Your Olympic Lifting Up a Notch With the Power Snatch
Olympic lifting isn’t just about heavy barbells and deep squats. The power snatch is a beginner variation of the snatch that trains your speed above all else, since you have to be faster than usual in ... Continue Reading
The Best Loaded Carry Workouts for Brute Strength and Shoulder Stability
Picking up something heavy and putting it right down again is both impressive and tough. But sometimes (AKA, grocery day), you don't just need to pick something up. You need to bring it to a new location. ... Continue Reading
Why You Should Love to Hate High-Intensity Interval Training
The lifting platform is your happy place. Heavy doubles and triples are what make you want to get up in the morning even though your bed is super comfy. But when anyone comes near you with anything that ... Continue Reading
So…What is a Deload Week and Do You Need One?
You dream about lifting heavy and being on the platform is the best part of your day. All your friends know that your gym time is sacred, and you can barely take a proper rest day without itching for iron. ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Dumbbell Front Raise for a Stronger Front Rack Position
So you want boulder shoulders and to be able to hoist heavy weights overhead. You know that strong and powerful shoulders are built with presses, so you’ve got a lot of them in your program. But if you ... Continue Reading
7 Types of Protein Powder Explained: Which Is Best For You?
When you walk into your local supplement shop, you'll likely come face-to-face with an endless selection of supplements, including many of the best protein powders. The colorful shelves and assorted ... Continue Reading
The 16 Best Plyometric Exercises to Power-Up Your Training
Jumping around is about way more than…well, jumping around. Plyometric training can enhance your full-body coordination, overall strength, cardiovascular fitness, and power (meaning your ability to move a ... Continue Reading
How to Modify Your Workouts for Strength Gains
Some days, you start your workout feeling absolutely indestructible. Anything you’ve got programmed for today, you’re going to crush — and then some. Other gym days feel awful. You won the fight just by ... Continue Reading