strength

Split squats, lunges, squats, leg presses, and deadlift variations get most of the love in your leg routine because they’re responsible for most of your leg gains. But a neglected exercise often gets overlooked in many lifters’ routines in the step up exercise. It looks so simple because all you...

Our bodies are three-dimensional (3-D) movement machines, yet some gymgoers don’t tap into the potential of our 3-D movement. But what is 3-D movement and what does this have to do with lateral exercises? Let gets nerdy for a hot minute. The human body has three planes of motion: the sagittal...

The almighty didn’t etch these ten unofficial commandments in stone and send them down through the clouds to me. So, naturally, they’ll always be open for debate. But having been in gyms for over 30 years and coaching clients in the beauty of strength training for the past 13 years, I’ve picked...

Considering the triceps muscle makes up two-thirds of your upper arm mass, it’s no secret that triceps-focused exercises like certain dip variations should dominate arm day. Triceps dips (or bodyweight dips) are a classic, tried-and-tested exercise known for not only adding strength and size to...

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...

You never really understand how important incorporating grip strength exercises into your routine are until it gives out just as you’re trying to lock out a heavy rep. Grip strength is something you are born with and is part of your DNA. Way back in the 19th century, Louis Robinson, an English...

Glen Pendlay was so modest when he came up with the idea for this row, he called the strict barbell row. He saw a weakness in the traditional barbell bentover row and set about to improve it with the Pendlay row. The legendary American weightlifting coach who unfortunately is no longer with us...

The “bodybuilder look” has come to be identified as a very specific thing. Comments are often made about the physiques of boxers, wrestlers, sprinters, and all sorts of other athletes to the effect of “he looks like a bodybuilder.” What does this mean? There have been big and muscular men...

The biggest disadvantage with banded exercises is after a certain point, they stop getting you stronger. They only come so thick and stretch so far before the possibility of breaking. A breaking band might seem funny in a workout fail video, but when it’s coming at you — not so much. But when...

Let’s face it, your quads and glutes get a lot of love in the gym, but your hamstrings? Sadly, probably not so much. When you’re flexing in the mirror (and you know you are), how often do you admire your hamstrings? If you don’t notice then visually, there’s a good chance as well you don’t...

Devan and Morgan Kline recently marked Burn Boot Camp’s 10th anniversary. With around 400 franchises in the United States, the couple wanted to celebrate by providing the Muscle & Fitness family with an exclusive online upper body strength workout. “We’re just gonna give you a little sample of...

Power up your pre-workout with citrulline malate, a key ingredient to improve your strength, reduce muscle soreness, and improve your overall performance in the gym. Pre-workout is a crucial piece to your success before you hit the weights at your next training session. It gives you focus...

Power up your pre-workout with citrulline malate, a key ingredient to improve your strength, reduce muscle soreness, and improve your overall performance in the gym. Pre-workout is a crucial piece to your success before you hit the weights at your next training session. It gives you focus...

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...

The majority of strength exercises are done either standing, seated, or lying face up and face down. But when was the last time you included kneeling exercises into your workout routine? Two neglected kneeling exercises positions are the tall kneeling(both knees on the ground) and the...

Don't let the lack of weights hinder your gains! Here's a list of the absolute best bodyweight exercises that pack on the muscle without the use of dumbbells, barbells, or machines. Don’t have access to a fully stocked gym replete with every machine and contraption imaginable? Bodyweight...

A detailed look at myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, types of hypertrophy training, and the best hypertrophy programming to maximize muscle mass gains. Chances are if you've been working out for any length of time, you've most likely heard someone's opinion on hypertrophy. Some claim...

Learn which 3 exercises are the best for building a massive back. Each exercise includes the proper performance technique and rookie mistakes to avoid. If you’re really after size and a whole lot more strength, the truth is, you’ve got to take your focus off the "mirror muscles". Having well...

For truly massive quads, you've got to hit them hard in the gym. Try these 4 training tricks to start packing on more size and strength! Have you ever noticed how everything we do is in front of our bodies? The anterior muscles like the pecs, front deltoids, abdominals, hip flexors, and quads...