Blog
Periodization vs. Programming: Are Researchers Testing the Right Thing?
Discover why many resistance training studies may not actually be testing periodization. Learn the difference between programming and periodization.
0 to 10 on Chin-Ups and Dips
Chin-ups and dips are skills that reward real training, not random exercise. Amanda’s progress from zero to ten reps shows what consistent programming, recovery, and patience can do.
Keeping Up with Current and Not-So-Current Research (August 2022)
Recent and classic research can change how coaches think about sleep, training, nutrition, toxins, longevity, and daily movement. Here are several findings worth putting on your radar.
My Favorite Leg Finisher
Twenty-rep squats hit differently at the end of a hard leg session. Done after the main work, they can build muscle, test mental toughness, and create a massive conditioning effect.
An Experienced Trainer Shouldn’t Do This!
Professionalism matters long before a client ever books a session. A sloppy trainer advertisement becomes the setup for a sharper lesson on reputation, referrals, and business standards.
Semi-Supinated Chin-Ups
Elbows and wrists don’t always love straight-bar chin-ups. Semi-supinated chin-ups offer a more joint-friendly grip option while keeping the movement brutally effective.
Reverse Squat
Squatting deep requires more than just trying to drop lower. The reverse squat teaches you to pull into the bottom position and strengthen the muscles that support full-range squatting.
Step-Up Progressions
Step-ups are only as useful as the way you progress them. Explore how changing height, direction, loading, and support can turn a simple lower-body exercise into a stronger training tool.
Grin and Bare Abs
Weighted pull-ups and dips do more than build the upper body. Used with strict form, these big movements force the abs to stabilize hard and can deliver a serious core-training effect.
Step Loading
Progression doesn’t need to be complicated. Step loading gives lifters a simple way to add weight over several workouts while keeping reps steady and effort under control.
Keeping Up with Current Research (February 2022)
February’s research roundup looks at nutrient quality, handgrip strength, sleep, sarcopenia, testosterone, hypertrophy, and other findings fitness professionals should keep on the radar.
Hip Isolation Work
Hip isolation work can sharpen the muscles that support squatting, sprinting, jumping, and lower-body control. Keep it strict, controlled, and brutally honest.
Tib Bar Raises
The tibialis anterior is ignored until shin pain, imbalance, or lower-leg weakness shows up. Tib bar raises give this undertrained muscle the direct work it deserves.
Two Steps to a One-Arm Chin-Up
One-arm chin-up training needs a progression, not wishful thinking. Mixed-grip work and wrist-grip chin-ups give lifters a practical path toward the goal.
Chi Machine Power Nap
Power naps can be a legitimate recovery weapon, and the Chi machine is one tool used to flip that switch fast. Short, strategic rest can beat dragging yourself through the day.
My Workout Supplement Ritual
Fruit and supplements can be useful when timing matters. Here’s how pre-, intra-, and post-workout nutrition can be organized around performance, recovery, and sleep.
Wrist Roller Extension and Flexion
Wrist roller work can light up the forearms from both directions. Use extension and flexion variations to build lower-arm strength with a serious burn.
Breakfast of Superfoods
Beef, liver, and eggs make a breakfast that actually earns the word superfood. Simple, animal-based, nutrient-dense, and definitely not your average bowl of cereal.
6 Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep
Better sleep starts with habits that actually support recovery. These six practical tips cover the basics for winding down, staying consistent, and improving nightly rest.
Dip Belt Calf Raises
Dip belt calf raises are simple, nasty, and effective. With a belt, plates, and a step, you can turn basic equipment into a serious calf-building setup.
Seated One-Leg Calf Raises
One-leg seated calf raises expose side-to-side differences that bilateral work can hide. Train the soleus directly and give each calf nowhere to cheat.