If there’s one way most lifters can improve their training plan, it’s not about fixing their time spent training. It’s about fixing their time spent not training. Rest between sets is an extremely undervalued variable in program design. Many lifters know that resting for a few minutes allows better recovery and lets them move heavier
Workouts
Ask 10 lifters to name the body part they’re training on any random day, and you’ll probably hear some familiar answers — chest, back, arms, biceps, maybe even legs. But very few will say they’re working triceps. There’s generic “arm day,” which includes the triceps. But they rarely get a spotlight, and that’s a mistake.
Practice makes perfect, right? Wrong. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing the correct skill is more important than repeating any random thing and hoping for the best. Whether you’re practicing piano, pull-ups, or paella, you’ll only improve if you ingrain the right technique. When it comes specifically to weight training, one of the most effective
Training the shoulders may not be at the top of the list for most lifters. It doesn’t even make the list at all for some, and they skip it entirely. But the shoulders (a.k.a. the deltoids or delts) can serve a vital role in many goals. Whether you want to add more muscle, get stronger,
If you were to challenge someone to get into shape without stepping into a gym, they’d be confused. It’s as if some people still believe you can only build muscle, get stronger, or improve conditioning by lifting weights or using machines. That’s just not true. Bodyweight training is convenient, can be done anywhere, and can
Although it isn’t one of the “mirror muscles” — body parts looking back in your reflection like the chest, shoulders, and arms — a well-developed back will balance your physique. A strong back will also improve functionality and aid performance in other exercises such as the bench press, deadlift, and shoulder press. It’s easy to
Leg workouts have a well-earned reputation for being one of the most intense sessions a lifter can put themselves through. Because the legs are a group of several muscles instead of one single body part, a complete leg day requires plenty of work applied to plenty of exercises. Here are some of the best workouts
Arm training gets a bad rap as being “all show, no go.” That mindset ignores the full range of benefits that come with training these essential muscle groups (in addition to a building good-looking pair of arms). Want to bring up your bench press? A strong set of horseshoe triceps will help you when locking
A well-developed chest is a calling card of lifters who’ve spent months, if not years, dedicated to hard training. From lifters bench pressing jaw-dropping weight and bodybuilders hitting the classic “side chest” pose to beginners learning how to do a push-up, chest training has always been a high priority for anyone looking to build muscle
If you lift, then you probably want to look like you lift. And for many gym-goers, looking the part includes owning a pair of arms that put the seams of your sleeves to the test. Aesthetically, big arms are imposing and signal to others that you do indeed hoist iron. Functionally, bigger and stronger arms