Whether you call them boulder shoulders, capped delts, or the start of a classic v-taper, a set of muscular shoulders is one the most common aesthetic goals for many lifters. That's not to mention ... Continue Reading
11 Loaded Carry Variations Worth Trying
Picking up two dumbbells and walking around might not appear to be anything special. It looks too easy. No challenge at all, maybe some cardio and working your grip a little bit. But once you start taking ... Continue Reading
Forced Reps — What They Are and How to Use Them
"Good things come after failure. You just have to keep working." In any other context, this statement reads as banal self-help advice. But relative to lifting, it’s sage wisdom gleaned from bodybuilders ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Weighted Pull-Up — Benefits, Variations, and More
Pull-ups are often called the king of upper body lifts — but do you know what is even more worthy of the crown? Adding resistance and doing more pull-ups. There will come a point when bodyweight pull-ups ... Continue Reading
The 12 Best Biceps Exercises for Arm Size
Big biceps. For some lifters, that’s the ultimate weightlifting goal. Not winning gold medals in competition or hoisting hundreds of pounds overhead. Just building some eye-catching sleeve-stretchers. And, ... Continue Reading
The 12 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Conditioning, Mobility, and Strength
Back in the day, your only weight training options in the gym were machines, barbells, or dumbbells. Sure, it got the job done well enough, but lifters were missing out on a versatile, effective, and truly ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Hip Thrust — Variations, Benefits, and Common Mistakes
It’s difficult to walk into a gym and not run into someone trying to develop their posterior chain with set after set of hip thrusts. The exercise has actually been around for a long time, but it’s gotten ... Continue Reading
4 Workouts With a Single Dumbbell for Muscle, Fat Loss, and More
You’ve heard about being “down to your last dime,” but how about being “down to your last dumbbell?” Maybe a hard economy forced the fire sale of your once epic home gym. Maybe you’re making do at a ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and More
Bodyweight exercises are often shunned by “hardcore” gym-goers who only deem worthy exercises when you lift heaps of hard-cast iron. Yet they forget that bodyweight movements can be very beneficial, and ... Continue Reading
10 Push-Up Variations for More Muscle and Strength
There’s a reason Monday is often called “International bench day.” Training for a strong, muscular chest is awesome and it can be appreciated year-round. But the bench press isn’t the only way to get ... Continue Reading
The 10 Best Dumbbell Exercises to Hit Your Lats
Most lifters in the gym are familiar with their lats — the large, fan-shaped muscle that occupies most of your back. This makes sense because “latissimus dorsi” translates to “broadest muscle of the back ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Hack Squat — Benefits, Variations, and More
When leg day rolls around, many lifters prioritize barbell exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts. That’s a generally reliable approach for building size and strength, but an aversion to machine ... Continue Reading
Try These 3 Air Bike Workouts for Conditioning, Fat Loss, and More
Modern air bikes are far from the creaky machines your parents had at the local Y decades ago. Today’s machines are overbuilt and imposing. With bigger fans, heavier components, and electronic performance ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Exercises for Tall People
It’s time for a quick lesson in physics. Don’t be scared; the training talk will begin soon. The definition of Work is “Force x Distance.” This is one of the most important concepts to understand when ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Push-Up — Benefits, Variations, and More
Push-ups might be one of the few exercises that most people on the planet have performed (or attempted to perform). Whether it’s as part of physical education in school, in a fitness test, or as a quick ... Continue Reading
Workout Splits Explained — How They Work and Why You Need Them
If you have the luxury of working out, you’re squandering the opportunity by walking into the gym without a plan. To avoid wasting your time with marginally effective training, you need to get organized. ... Continue Reading
The Best HIIT Workouts With Bodyweight, With Kettlebells, and More
Whether you call it conditioning, metcon, or plain old “cardio,” some type of cardiovascular training is necessary to achieve results you can’t replicate with standard weight training alone. While there ... Continue Reading
How to Do Dips for Chest Size and Strength
For some lifters, nothing beats the upper-body pump they get from a high-intensity chest workout. Many of these gym-goers hope to build a bigger, stronger chest by focusing on the bench press, but ... Continue Reading
The 5 Worst Exercise Machines, and 5 Machine Problems to Watch Out For
Well-designed gym machines enhance the effectiveness of your strength and hypertrophy training. They can minimize instability, allowing you to target and overload specific muscles. They can apply variable ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Reverse Crunch for Strong, Well-Developed Abs
Some people completely shy away from direct ab exercises, either out of boredom or because they believe the big compound exercises like squats and overhead presses work their abs enough. But plenty of ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Triceps Kickback for Arm Size
Mention the triceps kickback in certain lifting circles and you might generate some side eye looks of disappointment or even a bit of mocking laughter. This short-sighted response comes from the exercise's ... Continue Reading
The Best Dumbbell Ab Workouts for a Stronger, Better-Looking Core
Ab training is not only about aesthetics and making your abs look better. Yes, these workouts will check both of those boxes, but these specialized training plans can also help you understand that your ... Continue Reading
Can You Squat Every Day?
Can you squat every day? To smug middle school English teachers, the only answer is, “I don’t know. Can you?” We’re not looking for detention, so let’s rephrase rather than retort. Should you squat ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Cable Crossover for Chest Size
If you want the most well-developed chest possible, the bench press is not enough. Sure, big multi-joint lifts are very efficient at putting heaps of meat on your frame, but if you really want to take your ... Continue Reading
