lower

Have you heard the term out of sight, out of mind? This can be applied in many gym settings where some beginner and intermediate lifters train the mirror muscles—you know, abs, pecs and biceps—and forget those all-important posterior muscles. That’s where the inverted row comes in. One muscle...

Former M&F cover models Frank Sepe and Don Saladino may be known for their “Sleeveless” workouts, but they are about much more than arm training. They push themselves hard on leg day too. As they do with their other workouts, Sepe and Saladino find ways to make lower body exercises more...

When back pain strikes, you think you’re the only person suffering, but that’s not the case with back pain. In the U.S., many people will suffer from chronic or acute low back pain at some point in their lives. And about 2% to 10% of people who experience low back pain develop chronic low back...

The Romanian deadlift exercise was named after the Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad, an Olympic medalist in the ’80s and ’90s. Vlad performed this deadlift variation after finishing his Olympic lifting, and some fellow lifters asked him what he was doing. He said he did them to make his entire...

The most popular movements to build absolute strength are the barbell squat, deadlift, bench, and overhead press. With these exercises, the barbell moves in a relatively straight line for you to build more size and strength. But these are not the only exercises you should be doing in fact there...

Have you seen lifters turn a barbell squat into a good morning by losing upper back tightness? Now the problem isn’t that the good morning exercise isn’t a great exercise, but the issue here is placing the lower back in a risky position. A squat is a squat, and good mornings are good mornings...

The dead bug exercise is a silly name for any exercise, there’s no getting around that. The movement doesn’t appear to do anything that beneficial, which is why many lifter may shrug it off and ignore incorporating it into their routine. That’s a real shame because when the dead bug is...

Body part splits, movement based training, or upper/lower splits? Which of the three main ways to train is going to be most beneficial to you & your goals? I’m probably going to be one of the very few people you hear say this over the course of your training journey: There’s NO “best method” to...

Here is a ranking of the best exercises for building a thicker and wider back based on personal experience and the training articles of top IFBB pro bodybuilders. This is not necessarily a determination of exercise order, but the exercises that are most effective for muscle fiber recruitment and...

Has your progress stalled while on your quest to put on lean muscle mass? Check out these 4 tips to bust through those plateaus and put on more muscle mass! Head over to the mirror, strip down to your “skivvies,” and take a good, long and critical look at yourself. Meticulously analyze your...

This High Volume Training Upper/Lower workout program combines high volume training with high frequency training to help you build lean muscle mass! WORKOUT SUMMARY Main Goal Build Muscle Workout Type Split Training Level Advanced Program Duration12 weeks Days Per Week 4 Time Per Workout90-120...

Are you stuck without a squat rack and bench? This 4-day upper/lower split will show you exactly how to get strong, and add muscle with only a barbell at your disposal. WORKOUT SUMMARY Main Goal Build Muscle Workout Type Split Training Level Intermediate Program Duration8 weeks Days Per Week 4...

Reach your muscle building goals with this balanced 4 day training split that mixes heavy compound exercises, machines, cables and incorporates 3 second negatives. WORKOUT SUMMARY Main Goal Build Muscle Workout Type Split Training Level Beginner Program Duration10 weeks Days Per Week 4 Time Per...

Get your bench press moving in the right direction with this 2 phase program. Lifters spend 8 weeks building muscle, and 8 weeks peaking towards a new one rep max. WORKOUT SUMMARY Main Goal Increase Strength Workout Type Split Training Level Intermediate Program Duration16 weeks Days Per Week 4...

The barbell bentover row is the mack daddy of all the rowing variations. It strengthens your upper and lower back, shoulders, biceps, forearms, and grip. Plus, being in the hip-hinge position under load for time improves your lower and upper back endurance. Guess what that’s good for? You...

The strict overhead press is the gold standard when it comes to overhead pressing. Using nothing more than your upper body you press a barbell strictly overhead with no help from your lower body. There’s no doubt strict overhead press is a fantastic exercise for strength and mass and requires...

There’s a reason why cable machines have become as occupied like benches on a Monday. This versatile machine gives you great options to train your upper and lower body. And all the attachments —from ropes, D-handles, and straight bars — allow you to attack your muscles with different grips and...

“I’ve got a monster of a lower-back stretch for you,” says Dr. Mike Wasilisin, founder of MOVEU. “It is stretching your quadratus lumborum.” What is a quadratus lumborum, you ask? You probably know it as your QL, or the deepest of all the back muscles. Located on both sides of your spine, it...

The strength of the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings form the foundation of lower body movement. These muscles as a unit allow you to run, jump, hinge, and squat like a rockstar. There are plenty of great exercises, like the reverse hyperextension, that train these important muscles but...

The single-arm row is often thought of as the poor cousin of bilateral rows. Then the Meadows row came along. This row variation allows you to go hard and heavy without being inhibited by big and bulky dumbbells. The late John Meadows, a former IFBB bodybuilder and head coach of Mountain Dog...