Wave loading is a training method popularized by Bulgarian weightlifters. It involves pyramiding up and down the weights in a … continue reading
Q: What is meant by the term “quad dominant”? A: Quad dominant is a popular term used in sportsmedicine that … continue reading
CriticalBench.com is a popular Web site created by Mike Westerdal in 1999. Mike is an interesting guy who knows his … continue reading
Q: What do you think about using the Olympic press rather than the jerk as overhead work for athletes—because it’s … continue reading
Q: What measures should I take in order to squat effectively? A: To make good progress on the squat, you … continue reading
I’ve been training with weights for 52 years. I enjoy it just as much now, at 64 years of age, … continue reading
Q: Thank you for clearing up the muscle-growth mystery for me [in the free e-book Secrets to Ultimate Muscle Growth]. … continue reading
Q: How many warmup sets are needed before I go to heavy sets? A: That’s a simple question, but the … continue reading
Q: What do you think of the 10-8-6 program? I started lifting in the ’70s, and health clubs commonly prescribed … continue reading
This huge compilation is billed as The Best Q&A Columns From Over Two Decades, and it’s an incredible collection of … continue reading
Q: I work with young athletes and do a lot of power cleans and squats. My question is, “What are … continue reading
Q: I bought your “Real Muscle” and seminar DVDs and your book Natural Bodybuilding. I really enjoyed all of them … continue reading
Athletes who train to improve their sports performance rely on the squat. They typically alternate a half-squat or power squat with a front squat. Some use a lunge walk with dumbbells, with a few key lifts rounding out the strength program: power cleans, power snatches, bench presses, push presses or jerks from the rack and either hyperextensions, glute/ham raises or Romanian deadlifts. Those athletes don’t have the time or energy to incorporate training tools like chains, bands and changes of weight during one rep or boxes of various heights. Unlike powerlifters, who compete in the squat, bench press and deadlift, or Olympic lifters, who compete in the snatch and clean and jerk, athletes in other sports use weight work as just one component of their training. They also have speed programs, speed-endurance training, agility training, explosive and plyometrics training and, of course, practice and competition in the sport itself. That limits the amount of strength training they can do. They cannot spend time trying to improve just one lift, such as the squat, with other supplemental lifts.
Q: Are 20-rep breathing squats effective for building muscle mass and strength? A: Short answer: Yes. I say that because … continue reading
Q: I read that Pilates is good for bodybuilding because it develops longer muscles and flexibility. I know it’s popular … continue reading
The bottom line is that you cannot overlook the unique, innate qualities of the individual when designing resistance-training programs. Some will respond better to frequent changes in exercises—e.g., every one to two weeks—while others will respond better to changes made less frequently, like every five to eight weeks.
As a rule of thumb, I would say that the musculature grows best when both high-volume phases, known as accumulation phases, are alternated with high-intensity phases, known as intensification phases. The respective length of each phase will be affected by a variety of factors, such as nutrient intake, serotonin and dopamine ratios, hormonal makeup and fiber-type makeup.
Bodybuilders who have a good structure for squats tend to have legs and thighs of average or shorter-than-average length relative to their height. Those who have back or knee limitations will find the squat only marginally effective, if helpful at all. It may even be a harmful exercise for them. Seek safer, more effective alternatives.
It takes discipline to keep your upper arm stable while you slowly curl and flex the biceps at the top of the movement. The only part of your arm that should move is your forearm. Once you get the movement down, you’ll really notice a difference in the peak of your biceps. Watch the movie “Pumping Iron” and note how Arnold does concentration curls.
Strength that starts in the gym pays off on the mat for mixed-martial-arts athletes.
Performing negative-accentuated sets—lifting in one second and lowering in six—creates microtrauma, which sets off a fat-to-muscle effect, and also acts as a density stimulator to hit the important type 2A muscle fibers.
When you can do incline curls with a pair of dumbbells in your hands that approach more than 30 percent of your bodyweight, you’ve got one power-packed set of guns. For a 200-pound bodybuilder that would be a 60-plus-pounder in each hand.
To check for glycation levels, ask your doctor to measure the concentration of glycated hemoglobin in your blood. In England a study revealed that it is one of the best measures of predicting mortality, far better than cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index.
Q: You don’t use percentages to determine training loads. Why not? A lot of strength coaches do. A: You can’t … continue reading
I want to cover aspects of keeping the older body strong, fit and healthy that I didn’t elaborate on in previous installments of this series.
STEVE HOLMAN: BUILT FOR LIFE
LONNIE TEPER: NEWS & VIEWS
DOUG BRIGNOLE: BIOMECHANICS
JOHN M. ROWLEY: LIFESTYLE STRATEGIST
ZACH EVEN-ESH: BODYWEIGHT BODYBUILDING
JON BENSON: FIT OVER 40
NICK NILSSON: MAD SCIENTIST OF EXERCISE
SHAWN PHILLIPS: THE FITNESS PHILOSOPHER
TOM TERWILLIGER: ACHIEVEMENT MENTOR
TOM VENUTO: BURN THE FAT
VINCE DELMONTE: MUSCLE BUILDING
HOLLY RIGSBY: FIT YUMMY MUMMY
MIKE GEARY: TRUTH ABOUT ABS
RUTH SILVERMAN: PUMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
JOHN HANSEN: NATURALLY HUGE
SEANZILLA: HARDCORE POWERLIFTING
DAVE GOODIN: 40+ TRAINING & MOTIVATION
JOE WHEATLEY: MUSCLE BEACH VENICE
JERRY FREDRICK: HOT SHOTS
Gregplitt.com – Iron Man Magazine Cover Shoot Preview
Jen Jewell: IM 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular Video
Taylor Matheny: IM 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular Video
IRON MAN’s 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular Video
Optimum Nutrition Athlete Nicole Spitzack – Interview
Jen Aragon – Asian Sensation [Insider Preview]
Federica Bellli Hardbody [Insider Preview]
Lauren Abraham: IM 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular Preview
Jen Jewell: IM 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular
Loni Willison: IM 2013 Swimsuit Spectactular
3 Steps to Ripped Mass–Sooner Rather Than Later
Moderate-Weight Mass Building
Small Bones, Big Arms: New Size on Your Bi’s and Tri’s
High-Rep Hyper-Growth: Only Once a Week for a More Massive Physique
TORQ Up Power-Density: A New Twist for Muscle Immensity