I was crazy naive and stupid. More often than not, I would fall for the following reasoning: All mainstream ideas (e.g., bodybuilding magazines) are lies and deception. Alternative systems are the key. In other words, I trapped myself in the web of the Good Cop – Bad Cop strategy. One of the doctrines that […]
Being a natural ectomorph fighting gravity comes with frustration that only others in the shadow of ectomorphism can understand. I am one of those guys. I know how it feels to live the life of an ecto dancing with barbells. This post goes to you fellow ecto warriors. You will never lift alone. 1. The […]
Believe it or not, the front lever and its counterpart the planche will not cause significant if any hypertrophy. Why? The number of reasons is longer than you may think. 1.Skill-based movements are not optimal for hypertrophy and basic strength development. When a movement is complex and demands too much skill, it immediately becomes less […]
The online muscle consciousness needed a long time to realize that the popular training program Starting Strength does not promote as much muscle growth as it was originally believed. You are certainly not gaining 60lbs of red meat during your first year of training even if you drink your milk and do squats with plenty of hip drive. I am […]
For many years, I have been trying to find the secret to bigger muscles. In this post, I will share my observations on the most common roads to hypertrophy. Strength = Muscle size? Many gurus (e.g., Mark Rippetoe, Lyle McDonald, Pavel Tsatsouline) have been saying for years that more weight on the bar equals bigger muscles […]
Pump vs. Growth Stimulus There is a big difference between getting a pump and stimulating muscular growth. The pump is nothing more than blood rushing into the muscles – an effect that can be achieved with extremely light weights. However, the light weights will never promote growth because the stress on the body is too little. When […]
Besides high levels of strength and explosiveness, most Olympic weightlifters display a solid muscular development too. This raises a question – can a man develop a large musculature by doing the two Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk) and their variations? Size Vs. Strength Olympic weightlifters and bodybuilders are a very good example that […]