Originally published on December 13, 2008 What is the Valsalva Maneuver? The valsalva maneuver was named for Antonio Valsalva, an 18th-century physician. Used as a way to evaluate the cardiovascular system, it is often done, both consciously and unconsciously, by those engaged in vigorous movement; especially where those movements encounter resistance, as with strength training. […]
High Reps Work Better for Steroid Users?
Is it true that steroid users should use high reps for bodybuilding while natural non-steroid users should use heavy weight? Gain Muscle Scientifically Without High Reps? Today I decided to peruse a few books on ‘how to gain muscle scientifically.’ Since I figure anything worth doing is worth overdoing, I ended up down the rabbit […]
Are Humans Designed to Run?
Whenever you hear a fitness professional talk about what humans were “meant” to do or designed to do, your bullshit meter should be pinging. Online fitness gurus love to vomit forth all sorts of hypotheses about what the human body was designed to do. And, when I say hypotheses, I mean uneducated, ignorant guesses. Those […]
3 Big Front Squat Benefits That are Exaggerated
Originally published on June 22, 2011 The front squat exercise gets a lot more love than it used to. It’s really about time. True, the back squat is still called the King by many but the front squat has come into its own. However, for an exercise that is purported to have so many benefits […]
How to Start Strength Training: A First Routine
This method for beginner strength training is not so much a routine as a method for learning and honing in your strength training lifts so that you can become very good at them at the same time as building up your initial strength very quickly. This is not just a way to start strength training […]
Bodyweight vs. Weights: Is Bodyweight Superior?
Originally published on February 13, 2010 The body weight boom is on. To hear people talk you’d think that calisthenics and body weight exercises, in general, had just been invented last year and were the best thing since the campfire. Gymnastics skills have been joined to the traditional and well-known exercises to create a very […]