Short answer: Compound movements like squats and deadlifts require а strong mid-section and spinal erectors. The job of those muscles is to stabilize the spine and allow efficient transfer of the force generated by the legs, hips, and back to the bar. The abdominals and the trunk muscles are the pillars keeping the “edifice” together. […]
Contrary to popular belief, many of the popular barbell strength routines marketed towards beginners do not produce aesthetic (lean & mean) physiques. Those training methods have severe technical deficiencies turning them into factories for skinny-fat men with poor upper body development and viciously drained central nervous systems from heavy squatting and deadlifting. Here are the […]
Short answer: In most cases, the classic barbell squat is a very adequate quadriceps builder that can get you to your maximal quad potential. The strongest points of the squat are its closed-chain nature and the convenience that it offers in terms of programming. The squat allows you to overload the quads with very heavy […]
I learned about pistol squats over ten years ago. I read about them in the blog of a dude following the training principles of Pavel Tsatsouline. To this day, I remember a quote from that blogger: “I do 5×5 pistol squats and have no complaints about how my legs look.” Was he right, though? Are […]
The bar was loaded. My back was covered in chalk. The belt was squeezing my waist like a pair of pliers. A rhythm that could make a dead heart beat again, and a guitar escorting your soul to the place where deities live, were coming out of my headphones. I got under the bar – […]
Dedicated to those who ”can’t find pants” that fit after squatting for 3 months. You’ve read about it on the Internet. You’ve read about it in the sacred muscle books. You’ve heard others talk about it. You were told there are alive witnesses. You wanted to be one of them and signed the contract. You […]
High rep squats are tough and will definitely test your mental and physical capacities. Still, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that you need a third testicle to do a 20-rep squat routine. This is a false belief that the permabulkers and their coaches have been using to infect many naive beginners. The stress on […]
Dedicated to the guy who sent me 29 messages entitled “How much do you squat, moron?” I was sitting at my desk, eating acne inducing food when suddenly something in me broke, and I gave up all resistance. “This is it. I am going to the gym. I want to get big.” “This is it. […]
The squat is a natural movement for the majority of the healthy human population. However, when you introduce a heavy barbell, the story changes. To paraphrase Mike Tyson – “Everybody has a plan until the weight gets heavy.” In other words, once the bar is loaded with a heavy enough weight, the pretty form disappears like […]