On my way to the bus station I passed by a toilet shop with a huge window and did what many victims of the lifting game do – I started scanning my reflection for abnormal muscle development. I had to keep the scan short because people working in the store started looking at me as […]
I’ve had many breaks from training due to low motivation. The first major episode took place when I got sick of the squat or die mentality installed deep into my brain. However, a few months passed and the accumulation of barbell nostalgia made me want to train again. Yet when I set my foot on […]
To make money you need a crowd, preferably a big and dumb one. If that’s not covered, the bank manager will not be smiling. Have you seen the people who do magic tricks and dance on the street? Their business plan is simple – higher traffic = more potential revenue. The same is true for […]
Visiting training forums/cults could be a highly dangerous activity when you don’t know what you are doing. Every training forum has an exclusive vibe and a bag of broscience that all recruits are expected to embrace. Since you are always judged according to the forum’s prejudice, it is very difficult to have a meaningful conversation with the […]
If you go to a training forum and write that you are 6′ and 160lbs, you will be advised to eat more to avoid evaporation from the planet and get to the magic 200-220 pounds. Cool, except that it‘s not nearly that easy. Most people have extremely delusional ideas how much one could weigh without […]
LOOKING UP and/or FORWARD According to the mainstream manual, looking forward and slightly up is the classic way to squat. This technique is designed specifically for the high bar squat and is based on the belief that the body follows the eyes. You go where you look and since we want to go up during […]
Broscience and bodybuilding love each other. One of the reasons for this strong union is the fact that many muscle warriors rely on anabolic steroids to build their muscles. Once the mass is acquired, they start to make up theories which the noobs buy without blinking. In other words, the drugs catalyze broscience. Today, I […]
Isolation exercises attract massive hate from the “functional” crowd, but in most cases, single joint movements are simply misunderstood. What are the benefits of isolation exercises? The value of isolation exercises is contained in the term – “isolation“. The main goal of single joint movements is to work on a specific muscle directly. This is […]
Your height and bone structure determine your weight class. By default, a tall man cannot compete as a lightweight, whereas somebody who is 5’5″ will fit there perfectly. In order for a tall guy to do well in barbell sports, he has to compete in a higher weight class. The only lift which allows skinny […]
The so-called “noob gains” represent the 5-10lbs of muscle gained during the first 6-12 months of serious training. Those will be easiest and fastest gains that you will acquire as a lifter. Past that point, the progress will slow down tremendously. Noob gains differ from person to person. If you are really skinny, I mean […]
What makes a good squatter? The length of your torso and femurs has a significant impact on your squatting style. The best squatters are lifters with short femurs and long torsos. The illustration below makes a comparison between squatters with short (left) and long (right) femurs. Remember: The bar always forms a straight line through […]
I just finished reading the newest article on StartingStrength.com written by none other than the trainer of champion powerlifters Marty Gallagher. I like that man. What he writes always intrigues me, albeit not exactly in a positive way. I understand what he is saying, but I also see many noobs getting caught in a path […]