If a squat rack is a rack you use for barbell squats, what is a power rack? Is a power rack for more powerful squats? If so, what is a squat cage and what is the difference between that and a power cage? Confused? I sure am. Even people who routinely use these terms are … Read more
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. … Read more
Is it true that steroid users should use high reps for bodybuilding while natural non-steroid users should use heavy weight? In preparation for this article, 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 hole of … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more