strength

Long before Dan John invented the Goblet squat, there was another anterior-loaded squat being performed called the Zercher squat. Zercher squats were the brainchild of 1930s St. Louis strongman Ed Zercher, who according to training lore, didn’t have a squat rack where he trained. Instead, he...

It’s good to be strong. We don’t need to use this article to go over the endless benefits of having more general strength. We all know what they are. What this article will highlight is something that the fitness world could do well to put to question. Let’s start things off with a...

If you have ever missed a bench, the number one limiting factor that I’ve found is tricep strength. I know others will argue about lat strength, shoulder strength and so on, but tricep strength – or the lack thereof – has always stood out to me as the biggest limiting factor, especially when it...

Any strength training program should apply six basic laws of training to ensure adaptation and keep people who embark on training free from Injury. Especially the young and inexperienced trainers who decide to train without proper instruction from qualified training instructors or specific...

Bench press Monday is a global institution in just about every commercial gym. So is bench press Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… You get the picture. Weekend warriors and all-round keyboard tough guys commonly speak as if a 300 pound bench is easily performed by every other gym rat. The reality is...

So let me guess. You're at the gym each day trying to get bigger and stronger. In fact, almost every free moment of your life is spent obsessing about adding muscle and strength. You read all the magazines, buy all the best supplements and construct workout plans so complicated they make Jay...

At first you'll love this tip, then you might hate this tip. Let me explain. Most of us want more grip strength. It becomes frustrating when a dumbbell starts to slip during rows, or we fail to hit a deadlift PR (personal record) because our grip gave out. And we're not supposed to use straps...

So let me guess. You're at the gym each day trying to get bigger and stronger. In fact, almost every free moment of your life is spent obsessing about adding muscle and strength. You read all the magazines, buy all the best supplements and construct workout plans so complicated they make Jay...

As a strength coach who works with high level athletes and an educator who trains the trainers - I'm always being asked what I think is the biggest mistake trainers, athletes and exercise enthusiasts make in the gym. My answer is always "most don't train the CNS". You see - there are actually...

Although you may be capable of doing numerous impressive acrobatic style movements in the weight room, I’m willing to bet that the first exercise you ever attempted was a pushup. While simple in its set up and execution, the exercise works over half of the muscles in your upper body. The push...

The key to designing really effective short, mid, and long term resistance exercise programs is to develop a system that efficiently plans, organises and manages all of the exercise variables. Periodisation can be defined as a system for program design that plans appropriate cycles and training...

There’s a problem with being strong. It’s hard to think of any negatives associated with improving your strength. But it’s important to remember that training for one goal will always come at the expense of other goals. We’ll be the first to say: for 95% of the population, improving overall...

Over the decades, few books have stood both the test of time and the tests done in the gym. The publication rate of new books promising you the key to more muscle and less fat seems to keep up with new Starbucks openings. Which books are worth their weight (pun intended) and your hard-earned...

Chinups and pullups remain some of the the best performance indicators of your relative body strength, plus they build serious upper body strength and muscle. They also build the upper back strength necessary for keeping a neutral spine while squatting and deadlifting. And let’s not forget...

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, "oh, you just want to do 10-15 reps of every exercise, and you'll put on tonnes of size." Others might say, "no, you just want to lift heavy all the time. That's...

The age-old debate of whether lat pulldowns or pull ups are superior for maximum back development has been going on for quite a while. With the new invasion of the functional philosophy quickly gaining its proverbial ground over the last few years, it would seem it is an easy choice. Of course...

Introduction The goal of the Muscle & Strength strength building guide is to provide you with all the tools you need to build strength as quickly as possible. You will learn about popular strength building workout structures and exercises, how to improve your bench press, squat and deadlift...

1. “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general.” - Mark Rippetoe 2. "Biceps are like ornaments on a Christmas tree." - Ed Coan 3. "The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard...

No matter if you’re looking to set a new PR, run a faster 5K time, or to get ready for football season, gaining strength through accessory exercises is a vital component to improving performance. Hitting the weights, will not only help you gain strength, it also helps both build muscle and shed...

Why Everyone Should Lift Weights written by JAMES CLEAR STRENGTH TRAINING I'll say it plain and simple: you should be lifting weights. But not necessarily for the reasons that you might think. For example, I don't believe that strength is the main benefit of weight training. Now, don't get me...