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…
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…
Research can provide golden information to health and fitness professionals. If you’re a personal trainer, here are some recent findings to help you stay ahead of the pack: One Egg a Day Keeps the Doctor Away Based on the results of this meta-analysis, consumption of up to one egg daily may contribute to a decreased…
Many females struggle with parallel-bar dips much like they do with chin-ups. If you perceive that you’re unable to do an exercise, sure enough, you’ll fulfill that prophecy! Rather than a negative perception, focus on the “negative action” and your ability to do dips will improve considerably. You can lower more weight than you can…
To lift a weight, muscular force must exceed the downward force of the load. The opposite occurs when lowering a weight—motor units deactivate until the downward force surpasses the muscular force resisting it. With fewer motor units engaged, greater tension is placed on the remaining muscle fibers, leading to hypertrophy but often resulting in soreness….