Johnny started a new training routine consisting of pull-ups, dips, squats, and push-ups. Insecure about the outcome of similar training, he asked a big bro for advice. “Is this routine any good,” said Johnny. “No, it’s garbage. I can see exceptional shoulder and ankle imbalances forming,” replied Chris. “Muscle imbalances? What are you talking about, […]
It takes about one or two gym visits to meet a captain upper body – a lifter devoting most of his time and effort to the arms, chest, and back. The usual excuse of the biceps warriors for not training the legs is a history of volleyball or basketball. “I used to do a lot […]
Films have the power to alter people’s perception of reality. Many of the values and beliefs that we have accepted for granted are a direct result of strong propaganda originating from the entertainment industry. I often catch myself using phrases from popular sitcoms. Sometimes I do that even when I am alone and talking to […]
Criticizing the grotesque and distended guts of professional bodybuilders has become the norm. I did so myself in a couple of posts last year. I still believe that looking like you are about to give birth to an alien is by no means a pretty sight, especially when you are trying to be a visual example of how […]
Over the last few weeks, I have been visiting an old gym close to work. I used to go there two or three years ago. On the third day of my return, I saw a guy who used to teach me how to do Scott curls. He was one of those naturals with a decently […]
Before nattyornot.com I had another website dedicated to lifting. When I told one of my friends from high school about it, he said: “Aren’t you ashamed that you look so skinny and yet you have a site about lifting?” I was indeed skinny, but I wasn’t selling people the secret to exceptional muscle growth. My […]
Every day 100 new people join the YouTube Fitness parade. Whenever you search for something training related on the Internet, the results are always the same – tons of videos made by popular fitness YouTubers. Over the last few years, the spam has reached epic proportions. The most annoying part about the fitness YouTubers is […]
Most fitness and powerlifting media promote dips solely as an assistance exercise for the bench press, but the truth is that the dip can be a primary lift too if you give it an opportunity to shine. Have you ever wondered why the bench press is always treated as the Queen of all pushing exercises? […]
One of the telltale signs of drug abuse among bodybuilders and fitness models would be the ultra-thin skin. To understand what I mean by that pinch the skin at the back of your hand. It will be very thin even if you are obese. Many steroids users have skin that thin all over their bodies. […]
The Russian Bear protocol is a relatively popular hypertrophy routine designed by Pavel Tsatsouline. It requires you to perform only 2 exercises. In the original program, the movements of choice are the deadlift and the overhead press. The first major flaw of this routine is the high deadlift volume. I’ve heard of people doing deadlifts for […]
One of the many dogmas that the functional training community has installed in our brains is that lifting straps are pure evil and only low-life moronic wannabe bodybuilders use them. This is one of the reasons why people are afraid to rely on straps for exercises like the deadlift. FOREARMS vs. HIPS & BACK Your forearm […]
According to my observations, the muscle groups with long muscle bellies and short tendons grow the fastest when trained frequently and intensely. Those, however, vary for different people. As I wrote in the article about calves, some lifters will never develop that muscle group to something impressive regardless of training, food intake or drug use because […]