Can’t Do a Chin-Up? Neither Could Leo… But That’s About to Change. Leo started training with me back in September. Our initial focus was body composition—shed fat, lay the foundation. Now that he’s lean enough, it’s time to build muscle, and few exercises rival the chin-up for upper-body strength and development. This morning, we tested…
Here are two ways to perform negative-accentuated lying leg curls. Method #1 Method #2 The key is to lower slowly for a count of 8 seconds in a smooth and uniform fashion from the top to the bottom. If it gets to a point where you cannot control the movement and it lowers too quickly…
If you’re going to do pull-ups, do them right! Instead of grinding out 3–4 sets of 10 “ugly” reps, flip the script: do 10 sets of 3–4 quality reps. You’ll get a better training response with far less risk of injury. If you struggle to complete even a few solid reps, focus on the eccentric…
The Sicilian Crunch put me on the map many moons ago—consider this its reverse. It’s a negative-accentuated glute-ham raise that emphasizes the knee flexion component of the movement. If your gym has this machine, give it a try: Expect your hamstrings to be sore for a few days.
The hanging-band method sounds like church bells and feels like a “new religion” for many people! So, what kind of results can you get with this method? Take a look at A 15-Year-Old Making Progress in the Gym, and then check out the video below to see how many weighted chin-ups that same 15-year-old—now 16—cranked…
Everyone trains their upper and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves—but neck training often gets neglected. That’s a mistake! Remember: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and your posterior chain is no exception. Eccentric Method A strong neck is important, and one of the best ways to build it is through…
Try negative-accentuated lateral raises in your next shoulder workout. Raise the dumbbells with bent arms, then lower them slowly with your arms straight. This variation emphasizes the eccentric phase of the movement and puts your delts under serious tension. A few controlled reps can go a long way. To explore more negative-accentuated training methods, check…
As 2019 comes to a close, let’s take a look back at our most popular and impactful articles of the year. These posts sparked conversation, challenged the norm, and offered practical strategies to help you train smarter. Here are the top 10, plus a bonus: 1. Heavy Hip Thrusts Are Dangerous One of the most…
That’s 15-year-old Joseph struggling with chin-ups in the first part of the video. The second part shows the results of just five sessions of eccentric training. So how did we improve his performance? Take a look at his program: A1. Mid-Grip Barbell Bench Press: 5 x 5 @ 5-0-X-0, 90sA2. Standing Rope Face Pull: 4…
If you’ve been doing lateral raises for years but your shoulders haven’t budged, science may be able to help. Muscle growth requires a sufficient amount of tension and time under tension. During a standard lateral raise, the maximum amount of tension occurs when the arm is straight out to the side, parallel to the ground—this…