Does Core Training Really Improve Athletic Performance?

Everyone knows that to be a better athlete, you need to strengthen your core – right? Are you sure? This assumption has now been passed down from one generation of athletes to the next. Let’s look at the latest research and real-world experience to see if core training will really make a difference in your performance. 

How to Find YOUR Top 10 Muscle Building Exercises

Stop using someone else’s top-10 muscle-building exercises! The popular trend is to have bodybuilders and fitness influencers share their top-10 exercises. As with most things fitness, this is interesting, but rarely helpful. Instead of trying to use someone else’s best exercises, here is how you can find YOUR top-10 exercises for building more muscle.

Machines Are as Good as Free Weights to Improve Performance???

Everyone knows that to improve performance, you have to use free weights! Right? Are you sure? The latest research might suggest otherwise. Let’s dive in and see what’s going on and what you need to do as a coach or athlete to improve your sport, work, or life performance.

The Best Preacher Curl for Building Bigger Biceps

If you want to build bigger biceps, preacher curls might be your ticket to the gun show. Preacher curls were popularized by the first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott back in the 1960s. Scott's hard work at the preacher bench built him an amazing set of arms. They were also a favorite of the late strength coach Charles Poliquin who also had great biceps. Early EMG research by Tudor O. Bompa and Lorenzo Cornacchia in their book “Serious Strength Training” showed that preacher curls caused the most electrical activity in the biceps. Now, recent research shows how to get the most out of this powerful biceps builder. 

Body Transformation: Fast Results or Lasting Results?

At the start of each New Year, gyms are full of highly motivated people looking to transform their bodies. They demand fast, dramatic results. If you want to make the fastest results you possibly can, I will show you how to do it. However, few understand that rapid body transformation comes at a price that you might not want to pay. 

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

How to Tell if a Lifter or Bodybuilder is Drug-Free

Is He Natty or Not? The internet is full of these arguments and debates. Can you tell if someone is on steroids? While there is hard to say with 100% certainty, there are clues. Let's have a look at how real-world experience and science can help us answer this question. Then, let's look at what approach you should take to build your best body. 

Volume Load vs. Rest Intervals for Maximizing Muscle Gain

What is the best way to maximize your muscle growth? Should you follow bodybuilding tradition and use short rest intervals? This approach is thought to improve testosterone and growth hormone secretion, increase metabolic fatigue, and give you a great pump! Alternatively, you could take longer rest times. This approach would let you lift more weight (or get more reps with the same weight), thus increasing your overall volume load (i.e. total reps x weight). Which approach should you choose? Let’s see how the latest science (and some practical training wisdom) can help you build more muscle. 

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash