I just got back from a 10-day vacation in Florida, where I managed to train six times—twice at a gym, twice in our condo (check out the photo of me doing “piggyback” split squats with my son on Twitter), and twice at a beach workout area in Fort Lauderdale. But the most memorable training session…
If someone watches you while you train, your performance will improve. This is known as the Hawthorne effect (also referred to as the observer effect), and it’s one of the key benefits of personal training. The Science Behind Supervised Training A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise examined the impact of…
Most people associate the hack squat with a sled machine, but this exercise was originally performed with a barbell. Named after old-time strongman and champion wrestler George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt, the movement resembles a deadlift more than a squat. However, unlike a deadlift, the hack squat primarily targets the quadriceps rather than the posterior…
I know, you’ve heard it before: “You can build muscle and lose fat, and all it takes is 20 minutes a week!” There’s probably an infomercial airing right now making the same claim. But the program I’m about to reveal actually delivers. Here it is—don’t blink because it’ll go by fast… Loading parameters: 1 set,…
As I put this plan into action, I quickly realized that some workouts stretched beyond 90 minutes, with one even hitting the 2-hour mark. To prevent excessive muscle breakdown, I supplemented with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and glutamine, which significantly reduced post-workout soreness. To support recovery and muscle growth, I increased my calories, mainly through…
In early August 2010, my wife and I took the kids to the cottage for a week. Just before the trip, I put my How to Get Lean in One Week plan into action, intentionally overtraining for six straight days to induce a supercompensation effect. The idea was simple: push my body hard, then let…
Rule #1: Doing high-rep sets at the beginning of a workout increases lactic acid levels and inhibits the recruitment of high-threshold motor units, decreasing strength. Rule #2: Pyramiding from high reps to low reps crosses too many borders and confuses the body. Keep intensity within a narrow range. Rule #3: There’s an inverse relationship between…
During an episode of The Motivation and Muscle Podcast Show, Brooks Kubik, author of Dinosaur Training Secrets, discussed how weightlifters in the 1930s and ’40s naturally gravitated toward high-protein, low-carb diets. Without modern nutrition courses or research, they relied on instinct. When they prioritized protein, salads, and vegetables, they felt better, looked better, and performed…
On page 81 of The Elite Trainer, I discuss a controversial topic in strength training: Are Olympic lifts necessary to improve athletic performance in sports other than Olympic weightlifting? Let’s explore what some of the top experts in the field have to say. Bret Contreras: Comparing Olympic Lifts to Powerlifting “For decades, coaches have debated…
Prescribing a specific number of repetitions is not always ideal in strength training. Sometimes, regulating time under tension (TUT) is a better approach than simply counting reps. One example we looked at a few weeks ago was the wrist roller exercise. When Time Under Tension Works Best Certain exercises make it difficult to count reps…