This may come as a surprise, but you don’t have to barbell bench press. Now, before you write angry letters and launch a protest campaign, listen to the full story. Unless you’re a powerlifter training specifically for competition, there are plenty of exercises that build upper body muscle and strength as effectively as the bench press. […]
Many people want to show up to the gym, exercise just enough to achieve their results, and get out ASAP to return to “the real world.” Sure, there are some who use the gym as a meditative space and nearly reach a Zen state after a few dozen sets of moving iron, but that’s not […]
Ab workouts are one of the few types of exercise that some people are instinctively drawn to whether they’re dedicated lifters or not. Many people use ab exercises as an entry point into some type of regular exercise, which is great. Hopefully they eventually move on to incorporate training their other body parts, but a […]
Ready for an efficient workout to build your upper body by creating a more sculpted chest and a more muscular back? Rethink your training week and step away from the usual workout split. Training chest and back in the same session lets you use agonist-antagonist supersets — a high-dollar term for exercise pairings that hit […]
When it’s time to target your posterior chain — glutes, hamstrings, and lower back — many lifters can be spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing effective exercises. Two of the most popular movements that end up in the spotlight are the classic deadlift and its slightly more focused twin, the Romanian deadlift (RDL). […]
When it comes to training programs, there aren’t too many “plug and play” workouts that virtually guarantee results. More accurately, there aren’t too many programs that promise and actually deliver on those results. The 5×5 workout does, and it has a 60+ year track record of success with a trail of strong, muscular, athletic bodies […]
The closer a car gets to having six-figure mileage, the more important basic care and maintenance becomes. Our bodies are, unfortunately, pretty much the same — even more so for those of us who lift weights regularly. Most of us understand that it’s a bad idea to roll back the car’s odometer and pretend everything’s […]
If you hit up your local commercial gym on any given Monday evening, you’ll see that chest training is one of the most popular workouts for many lifters. Two classic lifts regularly used in this high-priority session are the time-tested flat bench press and its close cousin the incline bench press. Whether it’s right or […]
The ability to build muscle in response to training is a part of our physiology. It’s deeply encoded in our DNA and persists throughout our lifespan. Meaning, lifters of any age and experience level should be able to add noticeable muscle to their frames. Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock If you’re deliberately and dedicatedly hitting […]
When most people think of a gym, they usually picture a room filled with heavy barbells, a range of dumbbells, and maybe a variety of machines. But, one iron jewel has been dug out of the past and has become increasingly popular over the last 20 years — the kettlebell. This simple-looking “cannonball with a […]