As you hit your 40s, 50s, and beyond, you realize that you can’t do what you did in your teens, 20s, or even early 30s. Weights that once felt like feathers start feeling like boulders. Loads that used to be part of your warm-up sets suddenly become your working sets. It’s inevitable—just part of aging….
Back in the March ’98 issue of Muscle Media, strength coach Charles Poliquin introduced a unique form of training that involved flexion of one limb with simultaneous extension of the opposite limb. For example, you would do a dumbbell curl with the right arm while doing a cable pressdown with the left arm. This method…
Research shows that undulatory, or wave-like, periodization is highly effective. Alternating between periods of higher intensity (intensive phases) with periods of higher volume (extensive phases) will give you great results from your training. Your nutrition should vary to accommodate these changing energy demands – fewer carbs during intensive phases and more carbs during extensive phases….
restore (r-stôr, -str): Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University A question I often receive is: “I’ve read so much about the importance of restoration, but to be honest, my life is crazy right now! How can I realistically fit this stuff in?” This is a common dilemma and one of the primary reasons…
Trying to superset or circuit train in a crowded gym can feel like an impossible task. You grab a bench, turn around for two seconds, and—boom—someone’s taken it. Now imagine trying to occupy four or more pieces of equipment at once. Good luck! But don’t worry—there’s a smart way to do it. The key is…
Legendary bodybuilders like Tom Platz and Robby Robinson built their incredible physiques by lifting heavy for high reps. That was one of the secrets to success back in the day—select a heavy weight and keep lifting it rep after rep until you absolutely can’t lift it anymore. As the Iron Guru, Vince Gironda, once said:…
I’ve written about the best time to train in the past, but here are some additional viewpoints from Russian and Eastern European authorities on the topic: As you can see, there’s conflicting advice—some experts say morning, some say afternoon, and some say evening. The bottom line? Find what works best for you and your schedule,…
Here’s a superset routine that targets the entire body one joint at a time. It follows a split routine where the lower body is trained on Day 1 and the upper body on Day 2. Each workout starts with a proximal pair of exercises and progresses distally with each subsequent pair. In other words, larger…
As you hit your 40s, 50s and beyond, you realize that you are no longer able to do what you did in your late teens, 20s and even early 30s. Weights that used to feel like feathers start to feel more like boulders. Loads that were once part of your warm-up sets, all of sudden…
When I first started lifting seriously in a commercial gym, my routine consisted of one body part a day. I’d go to the gym and absolutely trash that poor body part. A typical two-hour workout was like a boxing match. I’d use about every exercise available to hit that body part from all angles until…