Lifting with the upper body is a primal feeling of strong. There is nothing that sells, “I lift weights” to a non-gym goer like broad shoulders, a wide back, and arms like bazookas. Typical bodybuilder type of stuff. Typical powerlifter type of stuff. Typical weightlifter type of stuff. The type of strength that can be developed using our strength training app, Peak Strength. But not all strong physiques are created equal.
The burliness of thiccc takes a trained eye to notice the inherently strong body being gazed upon. Whereas lean calisthenic devotees and open field sport participants each have a lean sheen of muscle that takes on a more apparently strong appearance. Us normal, young, ageing, or elite devotees to the athletic physique understand the work it takes and, that when it comes to the upper body, it isn’t all push. We need our fair share of pull too.
Mountainous pecsare nice, but they’re nothing without the great, open expanse that is the back. In our backs, we have our rear delts, our lats, our rhomboids, our traps, our erector spinae, our scaps, and a host of other muscles our more anatomically educated among our ranks can name with specificity.
To train and develop a wide back to come across like a mountain that rides, we have to implement pulling movements into our lifting routines.
Let’s dive into how to construct a legit pull day workout to not only beef up those lats, but improve athletic performance, particularly for athletes who wrestle, grapple, clinch, or need to hold onto an opponent blocking or pull in an opponent for a tackle. Or, maybe you just want to develop a more globally pleasing athletic physique.
Pulling exercises are not all upper body exercises. The deadlift is a pulling motion. The power clean and power snatch each have a pulling component involved in their execution. The hack lift is a pulling motion that hammers down on the quads, and the hamstring curl, Nordic curl, and razor curl all ask the hamstrings to pull, pull, pull. Even a pretty small, specific movement like tibialis raises have a pulling component, namely being responsible for ankle dorsiflexion strengthening so that you are able to bring your toes toward your knees.
All great exercises! Though not necessarily the most impactful exercise for sports performance training, the deadlift is a kaiju level exercise movement that does wonders for the raw, absolute strength in the posterior chain. With Garage Strength Program Design, the preference though orbits around quick, dynamic pulls performed in the initiation of Olympic weightlifting movements like the clean and snatch, or what we call Technical Coordination movements at Garage Strength (if you are interested about learning more about programming technical coordination movements, check out Parabolic Periodizationand upgrade that gray matter because someday it may matter).
Maybe a little late but, to be abundantly clear, this article is going to focus on pulling movements to help assist the upper body.
Often, we think of the upper body and think about pushing weights away from the body. Exercises like the bench press, incline bench press, or overhead press come to mind for absolute strength movements. The jerk, push press, and PA press come to mind when talking technical coordination movements–essentially moving heavy weight fast, a key to athletic development in sports performance for optimal transfer of training. Accessory movements to help develop those pressing muscles involve exercises like the miracle gro, Telle extensions, Tate press, and dips.
But for a truly strong upper body, we need to train the antagonist muscles to our pressing muscles. To do that, we can’t just think of our pulling muscles as stabilizers to accentuate our pressing abilities. No, no, no! We need to think of our pulling muscles in the agonist role. We need to see our pulling muscles in a way that make them a targeted focus in training.
We can do this by training our pulling muscles in the same vein we would our pressing muscles.
How do we do that you might ask?
Let’s learn.
Garage Strength Program Design teaches us to structure our training around a LULU split. LULU is an acronym for Lower, Upper, Lower, Upper. GSPD almost always throws an Athlete Day in the middle of the first LU and the second LU. This is a very similar training split to that used within the Peak Strength App.
On the Upper Body Power Day, we want to lift with the intention of developing power and strength. So, for instance, if we want bigger pressing muscles for that rapid elbow extension, we’ll train using the bench press to get that dynamic correspondence that comes from performing the exercise with rapid elbow extension.
The same idea can be applied from a dynamic correspondence standpoint with pull ups if we are looking to improve our pull through the water with swimming, or our completion of a takedown on the mat once securing that single leg on the shot.
We can set up an upper body power day by beginning with a technical coordination movement. Technical coordination exercises have the purpose of moving heavy weight fast. Like mentioned before, think of technical coordination movements as Olympic weightlifting exercises and their related variations.
Typically, on an Upper Body Power Day, we would use a jerk, push press, or PA press as a legitimate technical coordination exercise. But since this is a day specific to developing pulling strength, we can bias our exercise selection to accommodate.
A great way to do this is by performing a snatch high pull or a variation of the movement. One exercise that we love here at GS in this instance is the pump snatch, or better yet, the Horst Pull. Both exercises are terrific and incorporate a vertical pulling motion in a dynamic manner for proper execution.
Following the technical coordination exercise is the absolute strength movement. Absolute strength movements typically align with powerlifting exercises, namely the squat and bench press, along with their variations like the front squat or incline bench press. In that regard, for a pull day workout, weighted pull ups or heavy barbell rows (and of course their variants) rule the roost in this instance.
Usually, the spot of the absolute strength exercise on the Upper Body Power Day is reserved for the bench press. However, on an upper body day where the exercises are being biased towards a pull day workout, it can take a backseat or at least ride shotgun.
With the technical coordination exercise and absolute strength exercise(s) completed, that leaves accessory movements to finish off the day. In a pull day workout scenario, we want to select movements that target the biceps, lats, and the various musculature in the back that build upon that wide expense.
Having the first day of upper body training focused on developing power and raw strength for better impulse expression, the second upper body workout in the week seeks to put on muscle mass. That day is Hypertrophy Day.
Hypertrophy day follows a very similar structure to the Upper Body Power Day. It begins with a technical coordination exercise, which is followed by an absolute strength exercise, and finds the workout being ended with accessory movements.
However, where the Upper Body Power Day centered around developing power and strength, the Hypertrophy Day focuses on structural bodybuilding, pre-habing potential trouble areas, and building lean muscle mass because, let’s face it, bigger muscles have the ability to generate more force.
Like Hypertrophy Day’s name implies the day’s intention of building bigger muscles through structural bodybuilding, the act of increasing musculature around joints to increase stability and tendon integrity, involves a lot of chasing the pump, getting swole, and gym bro’ing out.
The bodybuilding mindset means longer time under tension, big sets of 17 reps, and all the sarcoplasmic, hypertrophic, pump inducing gainz.
With all that programming knowledge in mind, let’s look at 6 exercises that can contribute greatly to a pull day workout to develop an athletic physique, a strong back, and musculature that provides on the field, court, and mat success.
To do this, we’re going to look at two accessory movements, two absolute strength movements, and two technical coordination exercises.
Named after the man himself, John Meadows, the Meadows Row is a mainstay in a pull day workout. The Meadows Row is great for the lats, rear delts, rhomboids, traps, forearms, and biceps.
Any wrestler who has trained at Garage Strength knows the infamous Zottman curl.
Bicep curls are a hallmark of any pull day workout. The Zottman curl, though not necessarily the best for peak loading and the highest intensities, is more notorious for the forearm burn it accentuates during the eccentric portion of the movement.
Having a dumbbell in each hand, you perform the concentric portion of the lift like a typical dumbbell bicep curl, having your hand in a supinated grip. However, during the eccentric of the Zottman curl, you pivot your hand, so your grip is pronated as the dumbbells are lowered.
It is important to control the eccentric to increase that time under tension and really feel the forearms work here. The burn is for real. Better yet, as the muscles begin to fatigue, you will feel muscles in your back start to engage to help you hold on to the dumbbells.
As is the case with most swole chasing pump fest exercises, you want reps to be in the neighborhood of 17+.
The pull up is the back squat of the upper body (which makes the bench press the front squat of the upper body). A bodyweight pull up is no laughing matter in and of itself. Add in the dead hang and the difficulty increases. Then add weight and you just put the difficulty slider on hardcore.
The Hater Row is incredibly similar to bent over row, but juiced up on co-contractions and a bit of ego.
The Hater Row is performed around the idea of using the legs and other musculature to put a little English and momentum on the barbell to allow for greater intensity with loading.
It is highly recommended you use straps when performing the Hater Row. To perform the Hater Row, grip the bar where you would typically hold it for a deadlift, a clean pull, or a bent over row. From there, set up as if you were going to perform a row. But instead of trying to do the movement as strict as possible, perform the lift with more of a ‘heaving’ action. Make sure you are still performing a row and not some misguided clean pull, but also make sure you’re doing it with enough of a ‘cheat’ to handle the overloaded weights.
Reps in the neighborhood of 6 to 8 for sets work here.
Want massive traps? Do this exercise.
Want to be explosive AF? Do this exercise.
The snatch itself will get you massive traps, but sometimes that level of athleticism isn’t wanted or needed to accomplish a goal.
With that said, the ability to perform a snatch with full depth through a full range of motion should be achievable by athletes the world over. However, when the goal is only to target the upper body from a pull day workout lens, the two block snatch high pull will suffice.
To do this exercise, place a loaded barbell on blocks. With or without straps, take a snatch grip. With the snatch grip, pull the barbell in a rapid motion so that the barbell is achieving, at minimum, nipple height. The exercise needs to be done with maximal force. The intention is speed and impulse expression. Use the entirety of the body to execute the movement.
If you don’t have blocks, you can do this from the hang. Be warned, doing the movement from the hang will put a lot more strain on the lower back, so be cognizant of how that impacts your following lower body workouts.
The Horst Pull is the numero uno exercise for getting YOKED.
The Horst Pull is eerily similar to the snatch high pull and all its variations, except one major difference. The Horst Pull is performed while kneeling.
You may think this is silly, outlandish, and a waste of time. Swear to you, it is not. By performing the movement on your knees, you develop a whole new level of balance, dynamic trunk control, and an ability to coordinate musculature from the hips up through the upper torso.
The uniqueness of the movement is great for neurological adaptations.
To perform this exercise most effectively, you will want to use straps and have a foam balance pad under your knees, not only for comfort, but to have the ability to use maximal loads. From the kneeling position and with a snatch grip, take the barbell into your hip.
You will then explode through the hips and perform a high pull. You will rapidly recover into the starting position and instantly go into the next rep–boom! boom! boom! Performing each subsequent rep in quick succession creates a blast impulse rhythm and ensures swoleness will be upon your traps.
Going through a pull day workout for the upper body is taxing. If you are training to develop an athletic physique, that means you will be moving heavy weight fast, putting on lean muscle mass, engaging in structural bodybuilding, and performing exercises that bring about neurological adaptations. Selecting exercises that will make you more explosive, stronger, and build mass is needed to get the most out of your muscles for strength and athleticism to contribute to developing that wide, wide back.
Take either of the provided sample workouts and run through one of them next time you are in the gym. Or better yet, try both sample workouts over the course of a week when implementing that LULU split!
But if you are looking for a long-term fix, the premier strength development app for athletes, Peak Strength, will create a program from over 700 exercises (way more than what is provided here!) to sculpt that athletic physique you’re looking for. Try a week of workouts for free at peakstrength.app today!
3x World Champion Co-Author of the Year
King of the PA Press
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
One of the worst feelings as a running back is being able to see the edge and not being able to get there. Failure to make the play and outpace the scraping linebacker is a horrible feeling. Having the capability to get to the sideline, turn the corner, and scamper up the sideline to take it to the house is paramount to being an elite running back.
Elite running backs know how to utilize acceleration and the drive phase of sprinting, hitting the next gear to accelerate through and beyond the line of scrimmage. Blowing by interior defensive lineman and sneaking underneath rush ends are skill sets running backs need to possess. In addition to having acceleration, running backs need to value top-end speed. They also need to be able to handle big-time collisions when colliding with juggernaut sized linebackers and gap filling safeties. Bringing the wood to decimate linebackers and safeties is legit, but it is also tantamount to be successful as a running back to outpace cornerbacks and handle big hosses from the interior tugging on their jerseys.
Let’s not forget, when we think of the best running backs of all time, they can cut on a dime, juke like a joystick, explode out of a jump cut, and accelerate very rapidly.
Thinking about speed for running backs, we need to also acknowledge that running back athletes need to be able to hit the hole quickly and be able to break tackles. The contact and collisions running backs deliver and receive contribute to not only yards after contact, but letting defenders know they’re in for a hurting as the game continues.
Put all of those skill sets together, and you get a picture of what it takes to develop the speed needed to be the best running back possible for the sport of football.
Developing speed requires lower body strength. It sounds obvious, right? But it needs to be said. Stronger legs make for a greater ability to put force into the ground. The legs need to be trained using a variety of exercises.
Garage Strength Performance Design has athletes training legs 3 days a week
These days are not performed back-to-back. Typically, they are broken up by an Upper Body Power Day between the Lower Body Power Day and the Athlete Day, a rest day between the Athlete Day and Impulse Day, and an upper body Hypertrophy Day after the Impulse day.
All of which is laid out for football running backs in the premier strength training app for sports performance,Peak Strength.
Each day has a specific goal in mind. The Lower Body Power Day is primarily meant to increase strength and power. The day will begin with a technical coordination movement–think Olympic weightlifting movements–followed by an absolute strength movement–going to be a squat or a variation of a squat. The day will then end with accessory movements used for structural bodybuilding–targeting lower body muscles that need to increase in size or isolation movements used to pre-hab and improve joint stability.
That is the first day of lower body training in the week.
Athlete Day is another lower body focused day. However, though it isn’t always the case, Athlete Day is nearly devoid of resistance-based training. No need for running backs to lift on Athlete Day.
The focus of athlete day centers on plyometric movements and reflexive strength exercises. Plyometric movements, in the most simplest form, are jumps. Jumping on boxes, jumping over hurdles, and jumping up stairs are all prime examples of plyometric movements. The plyometric movements can, and should, be done bilaterally–on two legs–and unilaterally–on one leg. It is wise to pair a bilateral plyometric movement with a unilateral plyometric movement.
Reflexive strength exercises are unique exercises. They train balance, stability, and speed. They are done with light loads at breakneck speeds. Reflexive strength exercises are meant to make sport moves turn into natural reflexes.
Think of reflexive strength exercises as a way to break down on the field movements into component parts so that the running back athlete can develop the kinesthetic move sets. For instance, think of Marshawn Lynch juking Ray Lewis. To perform a juke like that a running back needs to plant, sink their hips, and accelerate out of the position. Reflexive strength exercises can help develop that skill set.
Athlete day leads into a rest day, and the rest day leads into Impulse Day.
Impulse day can be a full body workout day. However, it is ideal for it to be a lower body day. Running backs will train on this day similar to the Lower Body Power Day. The day starts with a technical coordination movement, followed by an absolute strength movement.
However, where the lower body power day’s focus is developing raw strength, the impulse day’s focus is to develop impulse.
Impulse is FORCE x TIME. It is how much force an athlete can execute in a short amount of time. Essentially, the higher the impulse, the more powerful a movement will be.
One of the easiest ways of thinking of impulse involves watching a running back sprint in the open field. Every time their foot strikes the ground, that is a moment of impulse. Short, rhythmic bursts of putting force into the ground.
Impulse is not only reserved for the lower body though. It is important to develop impulse expression in the upper body as well. Think of rapid elbow extension as a demarcation of impulse from the upper body.
For instance, training the bench press is a way to utilize the idea of dynamic correspondence to prep running backs to throw stiff arms. In our strength training app, Peak Strength, the upper body power day and Hypertrophy Day make this a large focus for running backs in the football track.
Remember, impulse is key.
With the preamble out of the way, let’s dive into the 7 speed drills running backs can do to improve their speed.
To do the banded single-leg start, you want to get into a unilateral position. Have the single leg in a near quarter squat position. With the band anchored to an immovable object, use an auditory command to single the start.
The whole factor here is to improve the first step. Loaded with the band forces the athlete to be more engaged with the trunk. The athlete needs to have dynamic trunk control triggered right off the bat.
Lead with the first step onto the box and squeeze isometrically to control the feeling.
When doing the banded single-leg start, athletes will learn how to utilize their first step, similar to running a dive or counter or zone. ALl of a sudden running backs can hit the hole quicker because the body understands how to engage the trunk on the initial step.
The banded single-leg start exercise forces the body to get forward onto the box. Running back athletes are often in the acceleration phase and the drive phase in an open skill sport like football. The banded single-leg start exercise demands and teaches a positive shin angle during the drive. Holding the band increases the feeling of every single muscular action being engaged to train to hit the hole faster.
You can do this movement two days a week, specifically on the impulse day or athlete day.
I love this movement. It is similar to the nordic curl (another great exercise). The bent knee glute ham raise targets the lower back a little bit more, engaging the trunk. The hamstrings will also get smashed. Actually, the hamstrings will get annihilated.
You can use a dumbbell or a barbell on the back to create more tension at the top position. The bent knee is done on purpose to create a greater range of motion.
Also, a lot of the time when sprinting and accelerating, running backs, in regards to hip extension, are in a bent knee position. The bent knee glute ham raise is a really good exercise to engage and train the hamstrings how to operate and get out of cuts quicker. The hamstrings, quads, and glutes will fire together and create a rapid rate of acceleration.
You can do this movement once or twice a week for three to four sets of twelve to fifteen reps on the lower body power day or the impulse day.
When you think of really quick running backs, you will notice that they are tightly wound with pretty solid mobility. They are able to get into deep squats and operate through a full range of motion.
Running backs need to be mobile. Being mobile and explosive helps running backs to be able to cut. However, with greater mobility, running backs can put their bodies in better cutting positions to be faster and more agile.
Two-block cleans are great because the technical coordination exercise puts athletes in a position where they have to accelerate a large amount of weight very quickly. The athlete has to catch the bar deep in the hole in a very mobile position, absorb the energy, and rapidly get out of the hole.
The first pull is very similar to the first two to three steps a running back takes hitting the hole. The catching of the bar and absorbing the energy is very similar to getting hit by a defender. Standing up and controlling the weight from a very mobile position illustrates the speed and power upon impact.
You need to take the weight room and apply it directly to the field. You can take exercises in the weight room that directly apply to the field through mobility acceleration, and strength work.
Do this movement once or twice a week. Slowly build up and add weight and make sure to make solid hip contact. You can do this movement on the lower body power day and the impulse day.
Ideally, you do the single-leg squat using a single leg roller for safety and the ability to up the intensity of the movement. Technological advances are valuable for enhancing performance capabilities.
It is important when performing the single-leg squat to focus on stability and a good, positive rhythm. It does not need to be absurdly heavy (but it can help).
The reason the single-leg squat is so effective is that the athlete is in a unilateral position. Running backs are almost always in a unilateral position. The movement smashes the posterior chain: the hamstrings, the glutes, and even the quads (I know, it is anterior sequence muscle). All of these muscle groups are key and are involved in acceleration in the drive phase, on being fast, and cutting rapidly out of different positions.
A single leg position also demands tremendous dynamic trunk control. Dynamic trunk control is key to maximizing the juke stick capabilities. The athlete will learn how to control their trunk and recruit their trunk in conjunction with the hamstrings and glutes, and how to optimize performance on the football field. It is a key exercise to developing speed for running backs.
Do this once a week for five sets of five unbroken reps on each leg. You can do this movement on impulse day as an absolute strength exercise.
The Gwiz jump to single leg mini hurdle hops looks like an easy exercise. It isn’t.
Start in a Gwiz position–back knee on a pad with the back foot up. The back foot has to be up; it can’t be touching the ground at all. Lead with the front foot, which is in a very deep position.
The movement will emulate the drive phase, emulate cutting, and emulate acceleration. The athlete will pull from the hamstrings and glutes, jump and drive over the first hurdle and then cycle nice and fluidly and in rhythm over subsequent mini hurdles.
The exercise carries really well to top-end speed. In addition, the depth of the Gwiz jump carries over to cutting extremely well. This exercise can be utilized to develop top-end speed, cutting ability, and unilateral stability (it also is an exercise prescribed in the premier strength training app, Peak Strength).
It is important to train the weak leg first. Training the weak leg over and over again will iron out the inefficiency. The ironing out will create the skill for the running back athlete to hit the cut from both sides. Only hitting a jump cut on a specific side will be found out by solid linebackers studying film. Being able to be explosive from both sides is a must to ascend the ranks.
Do this movement once a week on athlete day for about six to seven sets on each leg.
The Jan Jump series is a plyometric exercise that is tremendous for running backs because it forces them to combine unilateral explosiveness with bilateral tenacity.
The Jan Jump Series has athletes going side to side over mini-hurdles before making a big bilateral leap to finish it off. You want to think of the bilateral hurdle hop at the end of the series like making contact with a defender.
Initiate the hit stick!
And no lowering the head.
Plyometrics are great for making running backs more athletic, especially plyometric jump series movements. The running back’s muscles learn how to be elastic, coordinate, and fire rapidly. Your muscles also learn how to decelerate, a very underrated skill when it comes to athleticism and speed drills.
The RB 1 Jump series is a very advanced jump series. Athletes are asked to move laterally and vertically in an alternating bilateral to unilateral manner. The most difficult part of the RB 1 jump series is the unilateral landing after each hurdle hop.
The drill starts with jumping unilaterally over a mini hurdle. You land bilaterally and jump over a hurdle. Here is the difficult part–after jumping off two feet to clear the hurdle, you have to land unilaterally on a single leg!
From the unilateral landing, you go in the opposite direction of the leg you just landed on, clearing a mini hurdle. Again you land bilaterally and clear a high hurdle. And again, you land unilaterally and repeat what you just did.
The jump series concludes by jumping on a box.
Then you need to do it all again, but land on the opposite leg for the unilateral work.
You can do this once a week on your athlete day for six to eight sets.
These 7 drills will help athletes become more powerful running backs, specifically in the speed department. The exercises will create greater stability, superior force production, and expedite the field speed.
Better yet, the exercise targets multiple aspects of being fast on the field. Top-end speed is great, but the ability to accelerate in and out of the hole, in and out of cuts, and deliver a blow to tackling defenders provide much more net positive yards from the line of scrimmage.
If you are interested in stepping up your game and having access to programming and periodization designed specifically for football running backs, it benefits you immensely to download our strength training app, Peak Strength, to up your performance.
3x World Champion Co-Author of the Year
King of the PA Press
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
MMA fighters are ANIMALS! In order to become a beast in the cage, you need to train to be faster, stronger, and outlast your opponent.
This is a sport of mental resilience and physical perfection in order to compete at the highest level. The work you do in the gym is going to directly affect the performance on the competition mat.
Using weights and resistance as part of your mixed martial arts training is important, but vastly different from any other sport. The goal of strength training for mma athletes is not to maximize your absolute strength. The goal is to dial in the speed and power of your strikes while still maintaining the muscular endurance of your grip and core for grappling.
This article will help you understand how you need to strength train for MMA, the anatomical systems you should focus on, and give you an example of a strength workout for MMA.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the style of combat sports in which various martial arts are mixed together to include grappling, striking, and kicking. Some of the most common styles of martial arts to be used in MMA are judo, karate, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, and boxing.
There are so many different styles of martial arts from all over the world, but the ones I listed above are just a few that are most commonly used and popular to pick up.
MMA is one of the hardest sports on the planet…and I mean that literally. ESPN ranked the top 60 hardest sports to do and martial arts came in 6th. Boxing was ranked 1st and wrestling was ranked the 5th hardest sport.
Being an MMA fighter, you need to have an incredible amount of endurance, power, speed, and technical coordination. It is also an incredibly demanding sport on the body regarding injuries. With MMA mixing in so many forms of combat, any injury is possible in training and in competition, so strength training is essential for reducing that risk of injury by keeping the bones healthy and building good muscle.
There were a few different forms of martial arts mentioned earlier in the article that make up the different skills in MMA. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones and what specific skills they can bring to the table.
Note: Strength training programs for all the following combat sports can be found in the Peak Strength app.
BJJ is commonly referred to as a “modern martial art with ancient roots”. It is a combination of Japanese jujutsu and judo that was introduced to South America in the early 1900s.
It is a grappling-focused martial art that relies less on striking or kicks and more on leverages and timing to achieve a non-violent submission. This means using a combination of chokes and “joint-manipulations” to subdue an opponent.
Grip strength is extremely important in BJJ due the tactic of maintaining control of an opponent by holding their uniform, also known as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi.
BJJ requires extremely strong mental fortitude and mental focus to anticipate an opponent's moves and counter them to put yourself into an advantage position. From a physical standpoint, it requires a lot of explosive and dynamic movements through pushing, pulling, and core strength.
Karate is another Japanese martial art that requires technical mastery with several sub-styles based on culture and region of practice.
Unlike BJJ, karate incorporates more strikes and kicks in fluid motions to create combinations based on offensive and defensive positions. One of the main pillars of karate is that it is not meant to be used to attack first, but meant to be used as a defensive option to protect oneself. There are offensive aspects, but requires discipline and understanding of an opponent’s style.
With the emphasis being on elbow, hand, knee, and foot strikes, there is a lot of fast twitch speed that needs to be developed from a training standpoint. It also requires a large amount of core and plyometric work because of the balance required for more advanced moves in the art form.
Stemming from Thailand, muay thai is another martial art form that has been developed over centuries of practice. Similar to karate, muay thai is another strike-focused martial art involving the hands, elbows, knees, and feet. For this reason, it is known as the “Art of 8 Limbs” by those that practice it.
Essentially, muay thai is a form of boxing that originated in Thailand. The goal of muay thai is to subdue an opponent from the standing position using various strikes from the legs and arms.
The strength training for muay thai will be similar to that of karate, but may include more explosive training as the strikes are meant to produce a very large amount of force. Muay thai does not include grappling, so this martial art forces athletes to specialize in mastering powerful strikes.
Boxing may very well be the oldest form of martial arts. It is the most basic form of hand-to-hand combat. It is the use of only striking with the fists to defeat your opponent. Elbows, kicks, and grappling are not allowed. Only strikes that come from the hands are acceptable in the martial art.
If you remember, boxing was ranked the single hardest sport on ESPN’s list of the top 60 hardest sports. The reason for that being you need to be in INCREDIBLY good shape to be a high level competitor.
Even as just an amateur or someone that uses it to burn calories, it is a great workout because of the fast-paced nature of the sport.
Boxing requires immense levels of core strength, power, endurance, balance, and reactive agility to dodge strikes from your opponent. Boxing has also produced some of the greatest and most successful combat athletes ever such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, and Floyd Mayweather.
Judo is probably the closest specific martial art to MMA. Judo is another Japanese martial art that uses a combination of striking, thrusts, and different styles of grappling to beat opponents.
It combines a lot of aspects from other martial arts to give a more wholesome experience in combat. Similar to BJJ, judo also allows for the use of various choke points, holds, and positions to control an aggressor.
Along with boxing and karate, judo is one of the few combat sports that is included in the Olympics. The competition for being a judo fighter is very high and there are multiple levels of competition available for the sport.
Strength training for judo is extremely different compared to any of the other martial arts due to the variety of movements in the sport. That’s why many high-level judo athletes can easily transition into MMA and have a successful competitive career.
Being a MMA fighter, there are a lot of different types of MMA training that you will need to do - likewise for any other athlete. You’ll need to train endurance to go through rounds of competition and sometimes more than one competition in a single day. You will need strength training to build up that power and muscular endurance for striking and grappling. Then finally, you will need to engage in sparring and actual combat training to practice competing against a live opponent.
When athletes think about conditioning, their head immediately turns to cardio exercises. Which is true, a lot of conditioning and endurance work will have to come from different forms of cardio.
The truth for MMA fighters is that they have to engage and incorporate all forms of conditioning into their training. This includes examples such as HIIT, zone 2 cardio, long slow distance (LSD) cardio, and sprint interval training.
There are so many strategies to improve conditioning such as circuits, AMRAPs, distance limits, and time-based training. You can also do very high rep sets for different exercises such as lunges, jumping rope, pull ups, sit ups.
It is important for coaches to put together a comprehensive training program that includes conditioning almost every day, especially during the training camp period before a major championship or tournament. The goal of a training camp and the long term program is to peak athletes so that they are at their strongest, fastest, and in the best cardiovascular shape. Similar to the way that Peak Strength uses block programming to peak athletes for a specific date or time range.
Speed is good in MMA, but you need to find the balance between speed and power. The power of your strikes comes from the combination of speed and force production recruited from your muscles.
Strength training is a HUGE part for any sport, and just as much for MMA training. In order to perform dynamic takedowns and have the power to physically manipulate your opponent, you will need to train dynamic lifts…enter olympic lifts.
Recruiting power through the legs, core, back, and arms are key aspects of training with technical coordination lifts like power snatches, cleans, jerks, and presses.
Strength training also plays a big role in the muscular endurance for athletes so that they muscles are not fatiguing and still able to produce power over rounds and rounds of all out combat.
Finally, probably the most important part of MMA training is the real world experience. The sparring and physical combat training with an actual live opponent.
Athletes just learning mixed martial arts should start with dummies and an instructor, but as you make the jump to being a competitive athlete, it is a necessity to practice how you're going to compete.
Sparring, especially close to a competition, can be very taxing on the body so it is important to take the proper safety and recovery measures to minimize the risk of injury. Wear the right safety gear such as gloves, shin pads, padded headgear, and potentially torso pads.
If you are practicing grappling, some of the gear may hinder your ability to perform, so make sure to communicate with your coach on how to equip for each training session.
Here is an example strength workout for an MMA fighter that is 4 weeks out from a major fight / tournament, pulled directly from Peak Strength:
Like any sport, strength training is going to enhance your ability on the mat, cage, or however you compete in MMA. Although you will still need to train the technical style and combat forms for MMA, the coordination and strength developed in the gym is going to help you grow and maintain your physical base.
MMA training with weights and plyos will be spaced out differently based on the different stages of training. If you are 2+ months out from a major competition, you should be in the gym 3-5 days a week to build your strength, power, and physical base.
If you are within 8 or less weeks away from a major competition, you should do 2-3 gym training sessions a week MAX. So you can work on polishing the muscle systems that you will be using in MMA fights. At that point, you should be working to maximize your speed and power production, while still incorporating conditioning.
If you want more out of your MMA strength program, try Peak Strength’s personalized MMA programs for free at peakstrength.app or through the Apple IOS/Google Play stores. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Asst. Weightlifting Coach
2023 U25 National Champion
USAW L1
Athletes come in a variety of limb lengths. Short legs, long legs, big wingspans, small wingspans, short torsos, and long torsos. The builds vary, but one thing tends to stick out. Athletes are ripped, jacked, sleek, and have body’s that showcase their lean muscle mass.
The best athletes in the world often have six-pack abs, rippling musculature through their arms, and top shelf booties. The cool thing is, all of this musculature contributes to their athletic capabilities.
Six pack abs? Helps create core stability through the abdominals and lower back, a major player in dynamic trunk control.
Rippling musculature through the arms? Rapid elbow extension, primarily moved through the triceps, pecs, and delts, is an important component for any athlete to possess. Rapid elbows extension comes into play with firing the hands into a defensive lineman in football or going to put hands on an opponent in wrestling.
And a top shelf booty? Glute strength may be the most important of them all, primarily because the glute muscles are huge contributors to making an agile cut crossing over a defender in basketball, sprinting at max velocity in track and field, and accelerating off first base to steal second in baseball.
When we hear the word athlete our minds go to different places. We see a football player playing the position of running back, defensive back, or tight end. We envision a soccer player dribbling at max velocity, sprinting at incredible speed to outpace a defender, and see the anticipation through the goalie’s footwork. We may even have the replay of a basketball player dribbling between their legs, using tempo to change speed, and then Euro-stepping into an open space and manipulating the release of the ball for buckets. Or you may see a wrestler turning a double leg takedown into a leg lace to expose their opponents back in freestyle wrestling.
If you are anything like me, you hear or read the word athlete, and think of professionals. People talented enough and who have, above all else, worked hard enough, to make playing a game a viable way to make a financial living are incredible at what they do. And it is rare, at least outside of baseball and quarterbacks, to see athletes at the professional, or even near professional level (collegiate athletes, developmental leagues), devoid of lean muscle mass.
An athletic physique starts with lean muscle mass. Athletes with primarily lean muscle mass have advantages. Not having excess body fat makes for less wobble. Wobble, as silly and odd as the word sounds, is a legit concept from the world of sprinting.
Wobble can be understood as all the body mass that doesn’t contribute to going faster; wobble creates more air friction and excess mass that slows you down. For instance, a sprinter who develops too much muscle mass through hypertrophy training in the upper body is doing themselves a disservice because the extra mass, though lean, is putting more work on the legs' power output to go fast. But for a linebacker in the sport of football, that excess lean muscle mass from hypertrophy training is needed for sport specific needs. So not all wobble is created equal–it’s sport dependent.
All that said, the more obvious contributor to wobble is fat that jiggles. Things like a muffin top, dad gut, and love handles are all wobblers and not ideal for an athletic physique, that’s for sure.
For an athletic physique, the lean muscle mass is shaped and sculpted in a way to allow for movement, mobility, and athletic maneuvers. Here is the big part–an athletic physique ISN’T a bodybuilding physique. With an athletic physique, we don’t want big, hulking muscles that interfere with sports performance.
But what if you are no longer a young athlete? What if your sports career has passed you by? Or you never had the athletic skills to excel at sports?
No worries. An athletic physique, though great for athletic performance and creating athletic muscle, is achievable by any person, at any stage of life, and can be realized.
Just because you are older or haven’t played sports in years (or never), you can still achieve an athletic physique by training like an athlete. The benefits will include more bone density, a benefit of all resistance based training done with weights, improve neural coordination for greater athleticism, stability, and mobility, and maybe everyone’s favorite piece of it all, you’ll see a rippling, muscular physique reflecting back at you in the mirror.
Also, training like an athlete is a great longevity cheat code. It mentally keeps you feeling young, helps to maintain explosive power, and improves life quality because you are able to not only squat and bench, but you can change direction, jump, and sprint like nieces, nephews, and children.
And if you are still in your sports career, these same methods will assuredly contribute to your sports performance.
Training for an athletic physique, we want to be in the gym working out at least 4 days a week. Garage Strength Performance Design, which is used to write and develop the programming and periodization in the Peak Strength App, uses a LULU split for training 4 days a week.
The 4 days in a LULU split include:
Each day has a specific focus/goal and is broken down into a specific order for exercise selection, which we will dive into further down in the blog.
Where the LULU split is unique compared to most traditional training splits, is that the LULU split starts the week lifting with the lower body. The use of lower body lifting is based on the mindset that the heaviest lifts are done with the lower body; so, the theory goes that using the first day of lifting in the week for the heaviest lifts, when athletes are the most rested, is a viable method. The idea is to create a global response neurologically for greater lifting throughout the week.
Day 2 in the week is then an upper body workout with a focus on power and strength and is followed by a rest day.
Day 3 returns to the lower body, but the focus shifts to impulse development. Impulse is force times time. Basically, how quickly can you put force into an opponent or object. For instance, sprinting up a hill or down a track, as the feet strike the ground and create horizontal locomotion making ground contact is impulse in action–every foot strike is force being put into the ground. The faster the force is put into the ground, the greater the impulse.
Developing impulse capabilities is key to athletic physique training.
Day 4, which concludes the week, is the final upper body day and it focuses on hypertrophy. Training hypertrophy for an athletic physique has the goal of making muscles larger, but not hulking. Remember, we want rippling, lean muscles, a big yoke, and jacked muscles that support mobility, athleticism, and rapid movements.
So yeah, we are going to chase a pump and do bicep curls for hypertrophy work. But our goal is to stay lean, avoid unnecessary wobble creation, and shape the body for an athletic physique, not a bodybuilding physique.
Garage Strength’s premier strength training app, Peak Strength, is great for developing an athletic physique. With over 700+ exercises and over 40+ sports to choose from for training, it is great for developing lean muscle mass, making your muscles more explosive, and improving athleticism at any age.
That said, there is an easter egg within the LULU split for those individuals really looking for not only that athletic physique, but that athletic muscle. And that is the fifth day you can add into the LULU split.
Athlete day is sometimes discussed as a third leg day. Why? Because athlete day is used to almost exclusively perform plyometric movements to enhance speed, acceleration, and impulse expression.
Plyometric movements are in the simplest terms jumps. Single leg jumps, double leg jumps, bounds, skips, stair jumps, hurdle hops, and box jumps are all viable plyometric options.
Plyometrics should be performed bilaterally (on two legs) and unilaterally (on one leg). A great recommendation is to pair a bilateral plyometric exercise, like box jumps, with a unilateral plyometric exercise, like single leg mini hurdle hops.
It is also wise to use a plyometric jump series on athlete day, like the Jan Jump Series
Plyometrics are great for making muscles more athletic, especially plyometric jump series movements. The muscles learn how to be elastic, coordinate, and fire rapidly. Your muscles also learn how to decelerate, a very underrated skill when it comes to athleticism.
Athlete day doesn’t just use plyometric exercises to help with developing an athletic physique. Athlete day also uses reflexive strength exercises to help develop an athletic physique.
Using reflexive strength movements on athlete day is valuable for creating neural adaptations for more athletic muscles. Reflexive strength movements are movements done with light weights at high speeds. Often reflexive strength movements are done in unilateral positions (on one leg) and involve coordination between the lower limbs and upper limbs.
An example of a reflective strength movement is the banded single leg RDL to hip lock.
Each day’s workout in the LULU split follows a workout template that is proven to develop athletic physiques. Whether upper body or lower body, the basic structure is the same with minor variations occurring based upon the day’s intention. For example, the upper body hypertrophy day will have more accessory movements and the lower body impulse day will have a greater focus on speed and dynamic efforts.
The general template goes like this:
Technical coordination movements are Olympic weightlifting derived exercises and their variations. Movements like the jerk, snatch, and clean fall into this category. The intention is to move heavy weights fast!
Variations like the high hang snatch, the power clean, and the behind the neck jerk are all viable options as well for developing that athletic physique.
Technical coordination weight training exercises are performed in the early part of the physical exercise workout regime. The reps and sets require a lot of ability and function to put stress on the shoulders, trunk, and other muscle groups.
If Olympic weightlifting movements aren’t your bag, trap bar jumps, dumbbell snatches, and dumbbell jumps are reasonable options, but aren’t ideal.
Absolute strength movements are Powerlifting derived exercises and their variations. Movements like the squat, bench press, and deadlift fall into this category. The intention is to move the heaviest loads for raw strength.
Variations like the incline bench press, the front squat, and snatch grip deads are all viable options as well for contributing to building an athletic physique.
Though the deadlift is a great movement for developing the posterior chain, a mammoth upper back, and unrivaled strength, we typically don’t use it in sports performance training.
For pulling movements, we prefer the dynamic effort and speed used in the clean and snatch. However, if deadlift is your thing, there is a place for it in the training.
Absolute strength weight training exercises are performed after the technical coordination part of the physical exercise workout regime. The reps and sets are low, but still require a lot of ability to function because of the high central nervous system demands. Depending on which absolute strength movement is done, the quads, hamstrings, glutes for lower body strength, or the chest, shoulders, triceps, delts, or biceps for upper body physical activities to build muscle.
Accessory movements are structural bodybuilding movements used to pre-hab potential overuse issues, get blood flowing to the joints, and put on muscle in lagging areas.
Accessory movements are a broad brushstroke as used here. Accessory movements can include core work to help with that dynamic trunk control, as well as plyometric movements or reflexive strength exercises used on Impulse day for contrast training.
Typically, accessory movements are isolation movements used to build lean muscle mass for filling out that athletic physique.
Being at the end of the weightlifting regime, this is a great time to perform bicep curls on the hypertrophy day, challenge your muscular endurance, build your shoulder curvature, and improve your muscular fitness.
Going through a week of training for an athletic physique means strengthening the entirety of your body like an athlete. That means you are going to be working your lower body, your upper body, and your speed. A combination of exercise selection that will make you more explosive, stronger, and build mass is needed to get the most out of your muscles for strength and athleticism to contribute to developing that athletic physique.
Take any of the provided sample workouts and run through them next time you are in the gym. Or better yet, try the whole week of programming!
But if you are looking for a long term fix, the premier strength development app for athletes, Peak Strength, will create a program from over 700 exercises (way more than what is provided here!) to give you that athletic muscle to sculpt that athletic physique you’re looking for. Try a week of workouts for free at peakstrength.app today!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
3x world champion co-author of the year, King of the PA Press
Bodybuilders have dominated the world of strength and conditioning for decades. Some people argue that bodybuilding doesn’t even make you strong, that it just makes you look big. I beg to differ!
Bodybuilders don’t just know how to look strong, but actually BE strong. Just look at Ronnie Coleman or John “Mountain Dog” Meadows. There is, in fact, a rep scheme that bodybuilders like to use that will make you the strongest you’ve ever been. That is…drum roll please…MYO REPS!
Myo reps aren't just a tool for bodybuilders, but strength athletes and performance athletes can also benefit from this monster rep scheme within their training program. I’ve experimented with the usage of myo rep sets with a few of my teams, including weightlifters, powerlifters, and throwers.
First, we’ll take a closer look at what myo reps are, what makes them effective, and then give YOU an example workout so you can hit massive PRs.
In short, myo reps are a form of endurance training for strength athletes. The goal of myo reps is to gain a very large amount of lean muscle mass.
Myo reps are a very unique way to stress the metabolic pathways of very specific muscle groups. You can use myo reps for improving larger muscle groups, but also for improving more isolated muscle groups.
Muscles like the biceps and calves, that struggle to be hypertrophic, need more volume. And that’s the goal of myo reps - to maximize the volume of reps with high-intensity weight to achieve growth.
Although in this article, we are going to look primarily at how you can properly use myo reps with compound movements to get anabolic results.
The first quality of myo rep training is a very high volume of high-intensity WORKING reps. With any workout, you can do plenty of warm up sets and count it as “training volume”.
Myo reps, on the other hand, force you to use an aggressive weight for 20 - 25 reps. This high volume is going to provide an aggressive stimulus for your body to adapt to over the course of 4-12 weeks.
Many programs will have you only doing 4-8 effective reps. The story is different with myo reps.
An example of a myo reps set is doing 1X10 at your 12RM weight or a weight where you would only have 2 reps in reserve after the initial 10. Then you would complete 6-8 doubles at the same weight. Therefore you are doing at least 22 reps at 80% or higher.
But there is an aspect that makes it even harder…
The second key aspect of myo rep training is the short rest period after the initial set. Myo reps require athletes to perform high-intensity weights under heavy fatigue. It forces a lot of lactic acid into the targeted muscle group and requires completion with a physical and mental challenge.
The rest times will vary based on the athlete’s fitness, but athletes should aim for no more than 45 seconds rest between sets.
To use the same example from above, after an athlete completes the set of 10, they will then rest for 45 seconds. After the 45 seconds, they will complete 6 doubles at the same weight with 30 seconds rest in between each double.
Sounds brutal doesn’t it?
A myo rep set is a unique take on clusters. More reps up front and less time in between. It’s going to be hard. That’s why you need to know your PRs or limits.
Picking the right weight to use is probably the hardest part of myo rep sets because you need something that will push you, but not cause muscular failure. The range you should be doing for your myo reps is 80-82% of your 1RM if that’s the only number you have.
Female athletes should be closer to that higher threshold and sometimes even above 82%. Females are going to have more aptitude for muscular endurance and handling the set mentally than men who are going to want to ego lift.
Here is the general structure for any compound myo rep set:
1 X 8-10 @ 80-82% 1RM | :45 seconds rest | 6-8 X 2 on :30-45 seconds rest all at the same weight
Myo reps are extremely taxing. Especially on athletes that like to push their limits and push the weight on the bar. That’s why I don’t program myo reps in consecutive weeks.
Myo reps require a lot of recovery and also a lot of effort to accomplish. As a coach that cares about his athletes, I cannot expect my athletes to do myo reps multiple times a week or even 2 weeks in a row.
I will usually program myo reps at the beginning of a training block during week 1 and then at the end of a training block in week 4 or 5. In the interim weeks, the myo rep sets will be replaced with traditional cluster sets or the Mattis cluster set.
Different types of athletes are going to need specific stimuli at different times within the periodization cycle. That’s why I recommend limiting the use of myo reps to early phases of the periodization cycle - that could be the exposure phase and comprehension phase if you are familiar with Peak Strength’s periodization model, Parabolic Periodization.
Strength athletes will benefit from using myo reps in the earliest possible phase of training, for us, that’s the exposure phase.
This is when strength athletes need to get back into the groove of high volume training after a big peak or a big competition. This will start 12-16 weeks out from their next major event.
The reason we want to use it so early in the training cycle is because then strength athletes will be able to increase their overall baseline strength from the jump. If we are able to establish a higher starting baseline than the last training cycle, then when we go to peak, we are primed to hit bigger numbers - in theory.
So this would be for my throwers, weightlifters, powerlifters, linemen, and strongmen out there. Now what about performance athletes?
Performance athletes like football players, baseball players, swimmers, and all the above will want to use myo rep sets about 6 weeks out from the start of their competition / championship season. In our case, that's the comprehension phase.
We do this because we want our athletes to be at their strongest and fastest right at the start of competition. Then maintain that fitness and conditioning throughout the primary competition season.
This falls in line with many of the “preseason” goals for sports. That 4-6 week training window before competitions start is the perfect time for coaches to elevate the initial baseline strength for their athletes.
I first read and heard about myo reps from bodybuilders in the mid 2000s. Myo reps piqued my interest primarily after reading about Borge Fagerli who essentially came up with the technical term of “myo reps”.
So I’m here to answer the question of if myo reps are going to be the best strategy to break down and build up your muscle fibers. Is it really going to be the answer to filling out your gym shorts?
One thing that I learned was that when you use myo reps on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups, it may tax the central nervous system too much. This is due to the large amount of metabolic stress that is put on your body in a very short period of time.
Although, if you adjust your myo reps a little and adapt them to the type of exercise you are doing, they can be very beneficial in building strength AND muscle.
So instead of doing 5-6 reps for the clusters, as you would for isolation exercises, you would bring it down to 2-3 reps per set.
Do I think that they are the end all be all for muscle growth? Not at all. But I do believe that anyone can benefit from myo rep training over the course of 4-12 weeks if they are stuck in a plateau? Absolutely!
If you are looking to break out of a strength plateau, you will see results in just 4-6 weeks. But if you want to see noticeable hypertrophic gains, I recommend using myo reps over a span of 10-12 weeks.
With isolation movements, you almost have to do the reverse of compound movements. You can bump up the reps for the initial set to 15-20 and then your clusters will be anywhere from 8-10. Although, your weight won’t be nearly as aggressive.
A reminder: myo reps are meant to build a MASSIVE amount of mass. So using them on muscle groups that aren’t showing much progress is a good way to sculpt your dream athletic physique. Really packing on that metabolic stress to earn muscle hypertrophy.
When doing isolation exercises, mechanical tension is a key factor in building muscle. And through using myo rep style resistance training, you’re able to increase that overall mechanical tension to strengthen the target muscle.
Let’s talk about real world applications. Just like any other non-white coat strength and conditioning coach, I love to run TONS of experiments. In this specific case, I used myo reps for my throwers and my weightlifters.
For the throwers, we used myo rep sets to target their bench press and their back squat. The weightlifters were focused on specifically improving their back squat.
Yes. Athletes should use myo reps within their strength training if they are struggling with progress or have plateaued in a key area that affects their performance. Our Olympic-caliber athletes saw results in as little as 4 weeks.
As mentioned previously, myo reps should be incorporated into earlier phases of the training cycle when athletes are far away from competition and working through a lot of volume. This rep scheme does fatigue the body and requires loads of recovery, so you should refrain from using it inside or close to the competition season.
Not only can myo rep training improve the overall load for muscular endurance, for example, a 6RM, it can increase the absolute strength and power of an athlete within their 1RM.
Myo reps are HARD. They’re meant to push you out of a plateau and put you on the fast lane to making progress. They are a great tactic to build size, muscle, and most importantly, strength!
I wouldn’t recommend a beginner or anyone that has a training age of less than 2 years to try using myo reps. There are other rep schemes that are beginner friendly and still offer progress, such as traditional clusters or the Mattis cluster.
With myo reps, you will see progress. It’s just a matter of how long you do them and how hard you push yourself.
Whether you’re a performance athlete, bodybuilder, strength athlete, or casual gym-goer, these are definitely a challenge if you’re looking for one. If you’re looking for other challenging rep schemes and unique ways to make progress specific to your goals, try any sport or program in the Peak Strength app for free! Until next time…PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Who doesn’t like a swole push day? An opportunity to increase tricep size, get those pecs nice and juicy, and develop athletic skills that help you pummel would-be tacklers with a stiff arm, catapult a shot put far, far away, or widen those capped delts for a broader, more v-tapered athletic physique.
The cool thing about push days is that the movements involved help you develop rapid elbow extension. In simple terms, that is your elbow going from a bent position to a lockout position. And when it comes to improving sports performance, especially for the upper body’s pushing needs, rapid elbow extension is where it is at because rapid elbow extension is essential to be competitive at high levels in many sports.
In a very broad brush stroke, the push muscles can be boiled down to the chest, shoulders and triceps for the upper body. Through co-contractions, the three groups of muscles work in tandem to stabilize and rotate the shoulders’ ball and socket joints and contribute to that rapid elbow extension that is important in many athletic endeavors.
There are many, many muscles responsible for the shoulder being the most flexible joint in the entire body that can move through a remarkable range of motion. However, the plan is to focus on the shoulder and the muscles that contribute primarily to pushing.
Where the trapezius, subscapularis, and rhomboid major muscles play a pivotal role in shoulder movement, health, and mobility, let’s hone in on the deltoids.
The deltoids are responsible for flexion and medial rotation of the arm. It is also responsible for arm abduction, extension, and lateral rotation.
The deltoid muscle is also aesthetically responsible for forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. Anatomically, the deltoid is made up of three distinct sets of muscle fibers and is broken up as followed:
The chest muscles are large. Similar to the delts, the chest muscles play a part in shoulder health, contributing to arm adduction (a movement where a part of the body is moved closer to the midline) and medial rotation, also known as internal rotation.
When you think of the chest, you think of the pecs, large muscles that stretch across the upper torso. There is a dynamic duo of chest muscles that are duplicated on each side of the body. Those muscles are:
The triceps, or if you prefer the language of Latin, the triceps brachii, literally translates to “three-headed muscle of the arm,” is a large muscle on the rear of the upper arm and it consists of three parts.
The tricep muscle is a big time contributor to extending the elbow joint and providing support and stability to the shoulder.
There are SO MANY push day exercises to choose from. There are so many upper body push day exercises to choose from the internet is still listing them all. Not only are there so many push day exercises for the upper body that the internet keeps listing them all, there are still new push day exercises for the upper body being created by humans the globe over.
Because there are so many push day exercises, the discussion is going to be limited to only 8 exercises that will work within Garage Strength Performance Design’s Parabolic Periodization model’s LULU split that is utilized with tremendous effect within the premier strength training app for athletes, Peak Strength.
On the first upper body day in the LULU split, the Upper Body Power Day, you will focus on strength and power. On the second upper body day of the LULU, the Hypertrophy Day, you will focus on muscle mass and strength.
Within each day, you will start out with a technical coordination movement to keep with the Garage Strength Performance Design methodology. Technical coordination movements are rapid exercises in which you move heavy weight fast. Technical coordination movements are synonymous to Olympic weightlifting movements and their variations. Exercises like the clean, snatch, and jerk fit the bill.
The behind the neck split jerk is a fast, powerful movement that incorporates the full body in generating power and falls under the umbrella of a technical coordination movement. The intention of the exercise is to launch the barbell from a back rack position to overhead. Because of the extreme weight that can be used in this movement, it is a great push movement to be used on an upper body power day.
Even though the entirety of the body is used to move the weight overhead, the stabilization and isometric actions, as well as the pressing movement of the upper limbs makes for great shoulder and tricep strength development.
The push press is another technical coordination movement that can be performed to build massive delts and greatly improve rapid elbow extension.
The push press is a variation of the Olympic weightlifting jerk movement and is another push day exercise that allows you to lose the lower extremities to get some extra umph on the bar to utilize more weight.
Like the behind the neck jerk, the push press will canonize your delts and chisel those triceps into a horseshoe worthy of a clydesdale.
What type of push day workout would this be if the bench press wasn’t included? Not a very good one, that’s for sure.
Since we are utilizing the GSPD (Garage Strength Performance Design) Parabolic Periodization methodology for exercise selection, similar to the premier strength training app for athletes, Peak Strength, it is important that we follow up a technical coordination exercise with an absolute strength exercise to build some raw power the likes of which Iggy and The Stooges could be proud of.
Absolute strength movements are big, compound movements where serious weight and heavy loads are moved. Think powerlifting exercises like the squat and deadlift for the lower body. But since this is an upper body push day, we’re using the barbell bench press.
The barbell bench press is such a great movement because it targets all the prime muscle groups involved in a push day. The chest, shoulders, and triceps are all fully engaged in some capacity during parts of the barbell bench press.
The close grip incline bench press is a great absolute strength variation exercise to blow up your triceps. The addition of the incline is helpful to those delts as well.
In GSPD (Garage Strength Performance Design), after the absolute strength movement, comes accessory exercises to help build joint stability, pre-hab potential areas for injury or overuse, and add needed musculature to lagging areas.
Enter the Miracle Gro, accessory movement extraordinaire for developing a massive bench press, thick and burly triceps, and the answer to all your lockout prayers for a push day workout.
An indigenous exercise to Garage Strength, the movement is similar to a skull crusher and blasts the entirety of the tricep and even gets in some mobility work through the lats and shoulders to boot. The movement forms a connection from the triceps, through the deltoids, and into the thoracic spine. It is performed with a solitary dumbbell.
It is best to perform this exercise with an ez-curl bar, though it can be performed with dumbbells or a barbell. It can also be made extra challenging by performing the movement on a decline bench and utilizing chains for accommodating resistance.
The Telle extension, like the miracle gro, targets all three heads of the tricep, recruiting motor units, and is a great accessory movement to include in your push day workout for the upper body.
And for you exercise science history buffs out there, the Telle extension was created by biomechanist Jerry Telle who was looking to stimulate growth in muscles by targeting their weak points based around various strength curves. Well push day workout enthusiasts the world over thank you for your contribution!
Face it, the triceps are prime movers during a push day workout. Training the triceps and getting a nice pump in and around the elbow joint is not only a great way to build muscle size through metabolic stress, but is a solid way to maintain joint health and maintain lean muscle mass for greater stability.
The banded lean away tricep extension is a great accessory movement and is a spot on exercise selection to end off your push day workout for the upper body. And don’t use just any bands, use the Garage Strength PowerLastic Bands to ensure the swolest pump.
This is a unique dumbbell exercise that will allow you to overload the eccentric portion of the dumbbell fly exercise to really target those chest muscles.
Dumbbell flies are a tough exercise and they are toughest during the concentric portion. By putting a twist on the movement and performing the concentric portion as a close grip press, you are able to use more weight during the eccentric portion for greater mechanical tension. Sounds like a win-win for muscle growth and strength.
Going through a push day workout means strengthening your prime movers for rapid elbow extension. That means you are going to be working your triceps, your chest, and your delts. A combination of exercise selection that will make you more explosive, stronger, and build mass is needed to get the most out of your muscles for strength and athleticism.
Take either of the provided upper body push day workouts and run through them next time you are in the gym and have an upper body push day workout scheduled. But if you are looking for a long term fix, the premier strength development app for athletes, Peak Strength, will create a program from over 700 exercises (way more than the 8 provided here!) to give you that athletic muscle to sculpt that athletic physique you’re looking for. Try a week of workouts for free at peakstrength.app today!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Serving a stiff arm, shooting a ball, throwing a shot put, or locking out a jerk. All these actions require the same thing - STRONG AF triceps. The triceps muscles are a group of muscles that serve countless roles for athletes.
Not only are triceps important for sports performance, they are important for the ego too. You can spend hundreds of hours training your biceps as you try to grow your arms. The real secret to huge arms…is huge triceps!
The triceps typically account for 55% of upper arm muscle mass, while the biceps only amount to 30%. So let’s look at some of the best dumbbell triceps exercises that you can throw into the upper body days of your strength training program.
The Triceps Brachii, more commonly known as the triceps, is a key muscle located on the back of the upper arm bone, opposite of the biceps. The muscle plays a crucial role in arm movements, such as extending the elbow joint and providing stability for the shoulder. What makes the triceps unique is its structure, consisting of three different heads: the long head, lateral head, and medial head.
The long head of the triceps is unique from the other two heads, in that it originates on the scapula (shoulder), rather than on the arm. As the longest of the three heads, the long head makes up the overall mass and shape of the triceps.
The long head extends down the back of the arm, joining the other two heads to form one common muscle tendon that inserts into the forearm. The long head is involved in movements that require shoulder extension, making it essential for actions like reaching overhead. Targeting the long head when exercising is important for well-rounded tricep development, with an emphasis on strengthening movements involving shoulder and elbow extension.
The lateral head of the triceps plays a crucial role in upper arm function and aesthetics. Located on the outer portion of the arm, the lateral head largely contributes to the overall width and definition of the triceps muscle. Originating on the back of the humerus (arm), the lateral head is actively involved in movements that require elbow extension. Emphasizing this head not only improves the appearance of the arm but also contributes to functional strength. Incorporating lateral head targeted exercises in your workout routine is key to achieving a defined and strong tricep muscle.
Located on the back of the arm, the medial head of the triceps adds thickness and mass to the tricep muscle, as it inserts into the shared common tendon. The medial head participates in movements that require elbow joint extension, providing stability and strength during pushing and lifting activities. Balancing the overall appearance and strength of the triceps muscle by including exercises that specifically target the medial head is essential for preventing muscle imbalances and optimizing upper body strength.
In the pursuit of well-defined, strong arms, the triceps play a crucial role. Dumbbells, with their versatility and accessibility, are an excellent tool for targeting and isolating the triceps.
A Garage Strength native exercise, similar to an overhead tricep extension or a skull crusher, the Miracle Gro is a great exercise to blast all three heads of the triceps while working the shoulders, lats, and core. The movement forms a connection from the triceps, through the deltoids, and to the thoracic spine. Perform the Miracle Gro to improve stability in the shoulder and that overhead lock-out position.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
The strength and conditioning space is ripe with disagreements. There are the functional gurus proselytizing asymmetrical loadings for unrivaled core stability to develop that good’ole dynamic trunk control. There are the powerlifting pure breeds who will wager their house, 401k, every source of equity, and their first born child on not performing Olympic lifts–that all you need is to squat (only to parallel) and bench. And doing so, athletes will be plenty well served in their transfer of training.
No need to ever perform the Bulgarian Split Squat according to one, and no reason to ever perform the Bulgarian Split Squat under load for the other.
Neither one is completely right. There is a balance that needs to first serve the athlete’s chosen realm of competition. Second, the programming and exercise selection needs to improve the athlete’s lagging areas. Third, the most effective way to do this is blending and hybridization of not only functional movements and powerlifting movements, but using Olympic weightlifting movements and bodybuilding movements as well.
In many cases, powerlifting movements, namely the squat, bench press, and their variations, are used to develop raw strength. At Garage Strength we refer to these lifts as absolute strength exercises, tigantic movements that develop raw strength that is needed in sporting events and can be found in our app, Peak Strength. Particularly sporting events where there is the pushing and pulling of an opponent involved.
Along with competitive play in sports involving an opponent that more often than not is in direct defiance of what your athlete is trying to accomplish, there is also the open skilled nature of athletics in general. Meaning that when an athlete is playing football, basketball, lacrosse, hockey, or wrestling, there is an undetermined set of movements that can sporadically take place. This is what we call chaos coordination at Garage Strength.
In open skill sports (think basketball, football, or soccer, as opposed to close skill sports like sprinting, discus, or weightlifting), an opponent can create the demand for an off the cuff juke or level change. Within the parameters of the game, athletes have a certain freedom of creativity that they showcase kinesthetically.
Ever see a folkstyle wrestling scramble and wonder how the athlete ended up with the takedown? Or, you ever see a running back stumble after breaking a tackle, instantly making a jump cut, and somehow be in the open field turning the afterburners on to sprint to the endzone? Maybe even watching the dribbling heroics of a professional basketball player before adroitly stepping back to launch a three point for buckets?
One thing that almost all of these athletic movements have in common is the need for balance and stability in a unilateral position.
The second thing that almost all of these athletic movements have in common is the need for unilateral strength in an absolute manner.
Enter the Bulgarian Split Squat.
The Bulgarian Split Squat is the common name for a single leg squat. This needs to stop. It is a single leg squat. Case closed. The Bulgarian weightlifting team did not do single leg squats. They took tremendous amounts of steroids, maxed out incessantly, and the system left athletes broken and butchered.
All that said, the idea around the Bulgarian Split Squat (um-hum, single leg squat) of standing with one leg perched and elevated on a bench and the other leg forward so that an athlete can squat unilaterally is an incredible concept.
The single leg squat (previously referred to as the Bulgarian Split Squat) does a few things great that athletes are able to benefit from tremendously. To begin, the ability to place load in a unilateral position is advantageous for developing raw, absolute strength.
Being that nearly all field sports in their open field demands have athletes in unilateral positions consistently throughout competitive play, it serves athletes well to be strong in such a position.
The single leg squat, being that it is a unilateral movement (done on a single limb, in this case squatting with one leg), helps isolate specific musculature.
Through use of the single leg squat, athletes will find that the muscles targeted are heavily weighted towards the posterior chain–the glutes and hamstrings get worked when executing a single leg squat.
The bodybuilding world has taught us the extreme benefits of isolation movements, machines, and partial range of motion for muscular development.
As the single leg squat is a unilateral exercise, it is exceptional for sculpting muscular symmetry and combating imbalances.
It is near impossible to escape a dominant side of the body. Ambidextrous athletes do exist. But it is rare to see athletes who throw a baseball as fast with their one arm as they do with their other arm. And it is similarly rare to see athletes who leap off their one leg as high as they do off their other leg.
In straight forward terms, and in a manner everyone can test, brush your teeth with the hand you typically don’t use. How does it feel? Natural? Easy? Or does it feel more difficult? Odd? Slightly off putting?
Accepting that imbalances will exist, it is still pivotal to train both limbs in unilateral positions to help come as close to absolute symmetry as possible.
Watching a football athlete tiptoe down the sidelines, a wrestler remain neutral hopping on one leg while their opponent has their other leg extended in the air, or witnessing a basketball athlete decelerate, accelerate, take a pen-ultimate step to prep for the leap into a dunk all understand the importance of balance in open skill athletics.
The single leg squat’s most demanding attribute is the kinesthetic awareness the body must have around balance to perform the movement effectively.
Normal, loaded squatting in a bilateral position is tough as it is. Putting any weight on your back is a laborious task in and of itself. Willfully lowering the body and standing back up with a load on your back tougher. It gets even more daunting when weights start matching, doubling, or even tripling athletes’ body weights.
Athletes will often say concerning single leg squats, “It isn’t the weight, it’s my balance that is keeping me from performing the lift.” That, there, is the problem in and of itself!
Out of convenience, the single leg squat has almost exclusively been performed using a bench to support the rear leg by an overwhelming swath of the fitness population.
Where it is convenient and a last resort tool that can work, albeit with an inability to seriously load the movement or have it done with any level of comfort from such a precarious position.
The bench does not afford a solid method for the rear foot to be comfortable. Said discomfort disrupts the eccentric portion of the movement. Additionally, the typical height of a bench, 17”, is relatively too high for the typical human’s tibia and fibula.
Technology exists for a reason. Tech makes life easier, safer, and allows for greater work to be done.
Equipment advances, also known as technological advances, are responsible for many of the evolutions in strength and conditioning development. Take the squat stand for instance.
There was a time in history where squat stands didn’t exist. For an athlete to get a barbell on their back they had to do what is historically known as a Steinborn Squat–essentially a side bend to get a bar that stood perpendicular on the ground to then on the lifter’s back. Pretty insane and pretty incredible at the same time. Athletic for sure.
Thankfully the squat stand was invented. Along with plates that bounce, bars that whip and rotate, and a myriad of other equipment developments that have allowed strength and conditioning to advance for greater athletic development.
Enter the single leg squat stand!
The single leg squat stand does a lot to benefit athletes in the strength and conditioning world to improve their athletic performance.
Because the single leg squat stand is shaped in a cylinder fashion, it is an ideal fit for the ankle crease. The ankle fitting in the roller creates a more natural position for the elevated rear leg to contribute to balance.
Because the single leg squat stand’s height comes in the neighborhood of 16.5”, it creates a more conducive range of motion when squatting unilaterally with the front leg.
Think of the couch stretch. The stretch does work. Now imagine performing the couch stretch and your foot having to be artificially elevated. Similar to performing a single squat with the rear foot hoisted on a bench. Not ideal.
As a result of using the technology of a single leg squat stand to perform single leg squat, athletes are then able to use greater loads. As the powerlifting world has taught all of us, greater loads allow for greater strength development.
Essentially what this means is that performing the single leg squat with a single leg squat stand will allow athletes to further advance their unilateral strength in the lower limbs to a greater capacity using resistance based training in the strength and conditioning environment of athletic development.
Developing balance in the single leg squat, AKA the Bulgarian Split Squat, is a trial in patience.
Before an athlete can ever develop a greater unilateral strength using the single leg squat, they need to first ingrain the movement pattern. Hopefully they are using the safest, most technologically advanced implements (the single leg squat stand) to do so as well.
With that in place, let’s look at variations of the single leg squat, formerly known as the Bulgarian Split Squat, that can be used to enhance unilateral balance.
When performing the single leg squat, athletes should start with their weaker leg. Single leg squats are a demanding exercise and, as load is eventually added, can be quite intimidating and carry even more neurological demands.
With the rear leg elevated, athletes lower their knee until making contact with the foam balance pad.
The foam balance pad is there to protect the knees and serve as a tactile cue of full range of motion being achieved. Its greatest contribution to the performance of the single leg squat is for allowing the greatest range of motion in the safest manner under the circumstances.
The bodyweight single leg squat is performed with no load. It is designed to create familiarity with the movement pattern and begin the kinesthetic patterning to eventually execute the exercise with load.
Typically the first manner in which the single leg squat is performed under load is by holding a dumbbell in each hand.
The movement is performed exactly like the bodyweight version, except athletes now hold weight in their hands.
The weight in the farmer’s carry position will create an added intensity through load, but will also put greater demand on the body’s abs which will help develop core stability and dynamic trunk control.
Core stability and dynamic trunk control are pivotal components to improving balance in the single leg squat. The improved balance in the unilateral position has great transfer of training for athletes.
The plate overhead single leg squat does not allow for as much loading as the dumbbell farmer’s carry single leg squat, but it does serve as a great variation for targeted balance improvement.
With the plate extended overhead, the single leg squat is performed in the same manner as the bodyweight single leg squat. The plate overhead puts an emphasis on thoracic mobility, while simultaneously putting the arms in a unique position that places greater demand on the core, abs, and trunk to create more dynamic trunk control for stability and balance.
An advanced version of this movement can be performed with a jump.
This is really the bread and butter of Garage Strength. When we say single leg squat, this is what we mean–a barbell loaded with weight and an athlete performing a single leg squat.
The loaded barbell is where the absolute strength and raw power finds its greatest development.
The single leg squat performed with a barbell loaded on the back not only allows the greatest load to be used, but because of the higher intensity of weight, places even greater demands on the abs and core to see some of the greatest development in dynamic trunk control.
The barbell loaded and placed on the back in a unilateral position also accentuates the need for the front leg to balance.
Balancing in the front leg requires spreading the toes and grounding the foot. The tendency when the weight gets relatively heavy is for athletes to push forward. Athletes need to drive the squatting leg into the ground and push through the surge of power the hamstring produces.
Where the back squat version of the barbell loaded single leg squat is freakin’ awesome, it isn’t the only way to load the barbell.
The beauty of using a safety squat bar to perform the single leg squat is that it does wonders for improving balance in the unilateral position under load.
Because the safety squat bar sits higher on the back, the athlete feels greater demand on the abs and core to execute greater dynamic trunk control. The stability created through the core feeds into enhancing an athlete’s balance.
Maybe the most single leg squat variation of them all, the front squat single leg squat is the creme-de-la-creme of abdominal and core stabilization development. The dynamic trunk control developed and demanded of the front loaded single leg squat is space shuttle levels of necessity.
Through the enhanced demands of dynamic trunk control brought about by the front squat position, athletes will find that when they return to the back squat single leg squat, that their balance has greatly improved.
The recommendation when first performing the front squat version of the single leg squat is to start no higher than 60% of the athlete’s max back loaded single leg squat.
The single leg squat is an advanced movement that benefits greatly from modern technology to perform the exercise in the safest capacity with the greatest loads and is programmed often within the Peak Strength App, a phenomenal tool for athletic training and development.
The need for balance in unilateral positions is crucial for amplifying athletic capacity in strength and conditioning trainees. Gradually add load in Peak Strength App in a measured, nuanced periodization programming insert variations of the movement to strengthen the core and abs, improve stability, and ensure greater balance in the movement for the best transfer of training to competitive sport.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Intelligence and Communication
Martin Luther King received his PHd from Boston University, studying systematic theology. It was likely during his time at BU where he recognized and understood the power of words, the power of being eloquent and the ability to relate to people of numerous walks of life. He studied leaders of history and recognized that for him to change an entire culture, he would need to educate and prove prejudices wrong through powerful speech and even more powerful actions.
These are character traits that are incredibly difficult to develop. Being a public speaker immediately puts you in the spotlight, it puts the leader under a microscope. As an entrepreneur, communicating to employees can be just as difficult as communicating to clients, let alone communicating to an entire society that has centuries of prejudices built into their genetic code. These are aspects we need to consider when analyzing his leadership capability and prowess. He was able to communicate his goals to his support team for well over a decade. He was able to communicate his goals and ideas to people who wanted to join his movement and influence them to stay as non-violent as humanly possible. Through positive communication, he was able to completely change a culture, through excellent leadership qualities that all leaders need to study, from business leaders to sports coaches and even political leaders.
Embracing Vulnerability
MLK consistently put himself in uncomfortable situations as a leader and sadly this is what ultimately lead to his assassination. The biggest thing I have learned from studying his decisions and guidance of the sub-culture that was the civil rights movement is that he consistently embraced engagements and discussions with people who were the polar opposite of his beliefs. However, he would always learn from those situations, he would adapt from the engagements and constantly make progress as a leader and that is what lead to his rise in power.
He used faith in the most powerful way, he used words to control a large contingency to believe in him and constantly communicated a clear cut path to achieve his goals. He engaged bigots and racists to alter their beliefs of his race and he improved his engagement methods. Conflict is hard to embrace, learning from conflict can be even more difficult. MLK looked for conflict and attacked it with the most positive methods possible. He educated not only his “enemies” but also educated his own team and his own followers on better ways to educate BOTH sides of the fight. These are incredible attributes that made him an incredible leader and someone that we all can learn from.
Entrepreneurial Leadership
By studying his own people and studying the culture of what he wanted to change, he established incredible self-confidence. When a leader has a well educated viewpoint, maintains clear cut goals, communicates those goals to all individuals properly and then learns from conflict, it makes for an absolutely incredible leader. These are aspects I attempt to bring into my own life as a father, a strength coach, a throws and weightlifting coach and as a business leader. I find it difficult enough to communicate goals with my own children and my own employees, let along change an entire culture by the young age of 39! Lessons from MLK have to be remembered and instituted regularly to ensure constant progress toward a unified cause.
Check out our MLK podcast:
]]>Finding a coach you can trust or that you are willing to let train you is a BIG STEP in anyone’s fitness journey. If you are on a school or club team, sometimes a coach is chosen for you. When it comes to your physical fitness, that decision is a little more personal.
There are more options than just working with a coach online or in-person. If you do not have the time or budget for working with a direct coach, using a weightlifting app might be in the cards for you.
Weightlifting apps can handle a lot of different functions like providing programs, tracking nutrition, workout tracking, and providing workout data. So let’s look at Garage Strength’s top picks for the best weightlifting apps in 2024.
There are a lot of factors that go into determining the “best weightlifting app”. It’s hard to pick just one because there are so many functions, features, and use cases that can make a good product.
When it comes down to it, the core of any weightlifting app is the programming. The training program you follow will be the guide that leads you to success. This is where Peak Strength shines.
Peak Strength uses a unique take on block periodization to develop consistent progress over the course of multiple programs. Each program learns and builds off the last.
The variety of programming spans across periodization for over 30 sports, strength sports like weightlifting and powerlifting, and general fitness goals like weight loss and bodybuilding. Each block lasts about 4 weeks and the goal of the app is to peak users to achieve their highest performance based on a date of your choosing.
Note: A “peak” is a goal date or time frame where you are at your strongest or able to achieve your goal. This could be a lifting meet, championship game, or even swimsuit season.
Some of the best features in Peak Strength include PR tracking across all exercise variations, training programs personalized to the equipment you have available, and a detailed exercise library with over 700 options.
Unfortunately, Peak Strength currently lacks the ability to track nutrition and advanced progress reports so you’ll need to use additional apps like MyFitnessPal or the 1stPhorm app as a supplement to your resistance training. The team has plans to incorporate this type of reporting in late 2024 or early 2025
Peak Strength is the go-to weightlifting app for people and athletes that have a long term vision. Backed up with over 15 years of research and real world implementation, the $40 per month subscription is a steal compared to the cost of most custom programming available online, essentially less than the cost of a tank of gas (or a ride-share in the city).
You can start the 7-day free trial at peakstrength.app or by downloading it from the Apple IOS or Google Play store for Android devices.
For most gym-goers, they have a specific goal: muscle toning, losing weight, and improving strength. FitBod is ready to support all aspects of your training in the gym and give you a program that you’ll enjoy using day in and day out.
Other reviews have mentioned FitBod as the best weightlifting app for beginners - it’s definitely one of the easier apps to use! FitBod does a great job at taking in a lot of information about the user and creating a basic, but very personalized program that caters to your goals.
The weights can be pretty conservative in the beginning, but FitBod is another app that will learn and develop with you over time.
You will be able to clearly see your progress over time with graphs and progress trackers to help keep you accountable. FitBod even provides anatomical diagrams that visualize what muscles you’re hitting during workouts and recommendations on recovery.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
DanEating food is a pleasurable experience. The yummy goodness of fresh vegetables and a home cooked meal is like the hug of a blanket on a chilly day when it is as cold as shivers outside and a draft is hamburgerling through the floorboards. Like that word soup being read, you want your muscle building foods colorful, impactful, and at a high level.
Envision it now. You go into the kitchen. You open the fridge. Your eyes glance over the contents. What do you land on? What is appetizing? What is for special occasions? What is your go-to meal to feel satiated? And most importantly, since you’re a dedicated athlete, or fitness enthusiast, what is it sit on the shelf of the fridge that you are going to throw in the oven or in the frying pan to let simmer so that the nutrients you consume make sure you are building some lean mass, better known as muscle, to not just recover, but get swole and yoked?
At Garage Strength, we have the great privilege of being able to train and interact with elite level athletes, many of which are currently professionals in their sport of choice; we also have a few coming up in the ranks looking like professionals to be as they grow in age and muscle mass.
We want to discuss the foods that professional athletes eat to ensure those muscles are expanding, growing, and filling out those shirt sleeves and making sure they need specially designed jeans to get over their quads, glutes and hamstrings. But first we need to look at the four macronutrients.
Let’s jump into discussing protein, carbohydrates, fats, and alcohol.
Alcohol is like stealing happiness from tomorrow. First, if you are not of legal drinking age, this is a no go. Second, if you are an athlete, fitness enthusiast, or lifter of weights, and most likely a combination of all three, alcohol is not your friend when it comes to building muscle.
See, alcohol is this weird macronutrient that for every gram of alcohol consumed there are 7 cals present. Seems odd. In addition, alcohol has been shown to lead to Type II diabetes and in general isn’t the best way to improve muscle growth.
Actually, alcohol consumption is quite at odds with professional behaviors and wanting to build muscle. Think about it. Alcohol can lead to increased joint pain and face it, training to be your very best is taxing enough, you don’t want the added irritation of your joints flaring up with ouches, soreness, and discomfort.
If complete abstinence isn’t in the cards, moderation is the path to mitigating the negative effects. Alcohol is a big part of socializing. It is embedded in cultures across the world as a social lubricant and a source of periodical merriment by giving a glimpse of carefree shenanigans with compatriots in lively living life.
Regardless, alcohol isn’t helping your muscles grow anytime soon.
You know what is going to help your muscles grow? PROTEIN!!!
Yep, protein will help your muscles grow. This isn’t a secret kept close to the vest. In the fitness world and among professional athletes alike, it is common knowledge that protein consumption is an exceptional macronutrient for building lean muscle mass for a more sturdy frame with bigger muscles, more powerful muscles, and greater potential for more athletic muscles. There is a reason why professional athletes look so jacked and walk around showcasing the athletic physique, bodily aesthetic. Protein has a major role in creating that athletic physique.
For every 1 gram of protein, the body is energized with 4 calories. The bro science and the white coat science recommend consuming 1 gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight. And because professional athletes participate in rigorous physical exercise around lifting weights, namely resistance based training, their need for protein is tantamount to building lean muscle mass for increased power and kinesthetic abilities.
Protein is also pivotal in allowing their muscles to recover and build back stronger. Acute resistance training is vigorous. Lifting weights puts a hefty amount of stress on the body, joints, ligaments, and tendons. The central nervous system feels the work toughening the body up. The intensity and volume accumulate and protein is pivotal in helping the muscles recoup and build into bigness.
These aren’t quite foods yet, but whey protein and casein protein powders are great supplements to include in a post-workout shake.
As an aside, people have dietary restrictions, whether for digestive purposes or self-determined purposes. Either way, all respect. For instance, a lactose intolerant individual isn’t too keen on whey protein or casein protein. Their belly just doesn’t digest the nutrients like people who aren’t lactose intolerant. Where a vegetarian is cool with animal derived substances like cheese, milk, and whey protein, vegans aren’t down for any digestible animal related. Having a whole foods, plant based diet with no animal by-products on the menu, plant based proteins like beans, tofu, tempeh, and lentils help fill out the needed protein profile. The carnivore and omnivores out there have the run of the menu. Chicken, fish, cow, and pig are all up for consumption after the butcher does all the serving prep.
No matter your protein derivative source, it is safe to say that protein is a prime muscle building food your muscles are joyous to receive.
Similar to protein, carbohydrates equate to 4 calories for every gram consumed.
In the fad diet industry of losing weight, getting skinny, and the scale is the only metric of success, carbohydrates get a real bad rap. Which is unfortunate. Carbohydrates, better known by their stage name, carbs, are pivotal for athletes and building muscle.
First off, carbs' numero uno role is providing energy to the body and muscles. Athletes need carbs to perform. In addition to carbs playing an important role in muscle building, they also do the following:
But not all carbs are created equal. Simple carbs aren’t completely undesirable. They do have a purpose in that they will give athletes a kick in the daire-aire an hour or two before a training session to get a pre-workout pick-me-up. Where it is beneficial in the acute moment, it can cause a cataclysmic crash. But that isn’t always bad. Sometimes athletes need a quick and immediate simple carb spike at half time of a game or immediately after a match in a tournament.
However, when it comes to carbs, the pros know that complex carbs is where it is at. Complex carb consumption is how all the cool kids go about eating food for the apex nutrient intake for muscle building desires.
A few wonderful complex carbs to consider for breakfast, lunch and dinner to include in your meals, similar to professional athletes, are:
Fats are calorically dense foods. For every single gram of fat consumed, there is an accompanying 9 calories. If you remember back to alcohol, protein, and carbs, they each had 7 cals, 4 cals, and 4 cals respectively. Fats pack the caloric intake. But just because they are loaded in calories, it doesn’t mean they aren’t an integral part of muscle building, especially if you want to do it like a pro.
It is important to note that fat macronutrient intake needs to fill out your nutritional intake, meaning that the majority of your calories need to be coming from protein and carbohydrate sources. What is left over to fill out your daily caloric intake should then be filled in with fats.
Remember freaks, cultivating your power starts with the meals you use to fuel your body. Want bigger muscles? Fuel your body with protein, protein, and protein. Carbs, carbs, and carbs. And fats, fats, and fats, while avoiding alcohol, and selecting foods that enhance your body’s ability to build muscles for that athletic physique just like the pros do. Consuming healthy, nutritional fibers and meals is key to building muscle.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Swimming is often thought of as a key total body exercise, loaded with cardiovascular benefits and the ability to improve overall fitness. Yet, when discussing how to build muscle mass, there’s one debate that seems to be unanswered: is swimming truly effective for building muscle? Let’s dive into the topic to reveal the truth between swimming and muscle development.
Before exploring the impact swimming has on muscle growth, it is imperative to understand how muscles grow. Muscles are made up of muscle fibers, which are responsible for increased muscle size.
Muscle growth is known as hypertrophy, and occurs when muscles obtain microscopic tears in the fibers in response to being put under stress. During recovery, muscle damage is repaired, and the muscle fibers adapt and strengthen to the new form of training.
Even though swimming primarily focuses on cardiovascular fitness, the ability to build muscle mass can be very different from traditional strength training. The natural resistance of water creates a unique challenge, and with consistency, visible, lean muscle hypertrophy can be accomplished.
In swimming, water provides a natural resistance that provides a challenge for muscles throughout the entire range of motion of the stroke.
Unlike exercises that are land-based where gravity, a machine, a cable, or bodyweight plays the main form of resistance, water creates challenges in every path, engaging muscles throughout each phase of the push and pull of the stroke.
Freestyle: The freestyle stroke involves a continuous motion of the arms and legs. The arms pull while the legs execute an up-and-down kick known as the flutter kick. This stroke engages the arms, shoulders, chest, back, core, and lower body muscles, requiring coordination of movement across the whole body.
Backstroke: A similar stroke to freestyle, backstroke engages the whole body in a synchronized manner. The alternating arm movements paired with the flutter kick and the core stability to stay afloat target the shoulders, neck muscles upper back, chest, abdominals, and legs, providing a full body workout.
Breaststroke: A unique stroke that involves a frog-like kick and a pull and push movement of shoulder muscles and the arms, breaststroke utilizes the chest, shoulders, arms, back, core, hips, and thighs. This stroke places a large emphasis on the chest, core muscles, hip flexors, and inner thighs, making it a powerful leg-driven movement.
Butterfly: Known for its forceful and demanding nature, the butterfly stroke requires a coordinated movement of the arms, resembling the motion of wings, combined with a dolphin kick. This stroke uses the muscles in the arms, shoulders, chest, back, core, and legs, demanding significant strength and endurance from the entire body.
Due to the endurance-based nature of the sport, swimmers often exhibit a more streamlined physique, with well-defined muscles rather than larger, more bulkier ones seen in bodybuilders. Emphasizing muscle endurance promotes lean muscle development in multiple muscle groups rather than significant muscle mass development. Because of the sheer number of calories burned during swimming, the sport does not truly allow for muscles to grow exponentially. More lean mass is produced in muscle areas that are most involved. You often see the “swimmer's body”, with large, broad shoulders and a lean core.
Shoulders and arms: Focusing on building muscle size in the shoulders and arms, strokes such as freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke will provide the most benefit. These swimming strokes engage the deltoid and shoulder muscles, biceps (front of arms), and triceps (back of arms) through the repetitive motion of pulling through the water, creating resistance. The resistance effectively works these muscle groups.
Chest and Back: To build muscle in the chest and back areas, breaststroke and butterfly are the optimal strokes for these regions. Muscles such as latissimus dorsi (mid back), pectoral muscles (chest), and rhomboids (back of arm and shoulder muscles) are worked throughout the movement. The strokes involve powerful movements of the chest and back to create a forward drive and push through the water. Breaststroke, in particular, demands a forceful contraction of the chest and back muscles during the arm pull phase.
Core strength is necessary to maintain a streamlined body position while swimming. Flutter kicks and especially dolphin kicks in the various strokes engage the abdominal muscles (front of the stomach), building core strength. The side-to-side movements in strokes such as freestyle and backstroke activate the obliques (outer abdominal muscles), contributing to torso stability and strength.
Quadriceps and Hamstrings: Working the quadriceps (front of legs) and hamstrings (back of legs) can be accomplished by working on the kicking portion of the stroke. The flutter kick used in backstroke and freestyle engages these muscles to push forward while swimming. In breaststroke, further emphasis is placed on the adductor muscle (innermost part of the leg) and the gluteal muscles during the powerful kicking motion.
Calves: The continuous kicking motion of all the types of kicks used in swimming engages the calf muscles, therefore contributing to the overall strength of foot muscles.
While swimming offers a unique set of benefits for both muscle tone and muscle-building potential, comparing it to traditional resistance training can provide valuable insights into its effectiveness.
Volume in Swimming: Compared to strength training, swimming often requires longer durations of exercise, with swimming sessions lasting anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour or more. The effort required during swim sessions improves muscular endurance and cardiovascular health. The fatiguing of the muscle groups may take longer than in formal resistance training but does overall contribute to muscle growth.
Intensity in Resistance Training: Traditional resistance training, like the programs found in Peak Strength, often involves more intense, shorter sessions with a focused target on a specific muscle group or various muscle groups. The excess load and resistance on targeted muscles may lead to quicker muscle fatigue and failure, which in turn will build muscle faster.
Swimming: The various strokes and movements in swimming ensure a more balanced engagement of muscles. Each stroke emphasizes different body parts, providing a full-body, comprehensive workout. The variety in swimming allows for a different workout every session, stimulating the unity of muscles that may not work together in resistance training.
Resistance Training: The variety of exercises possible in resistance training allows for specific muscle groups to be targeted and isolated, unlike swimming where full-body movements are implemented.
Swimming: The absence of gravity and excessive load on the joints during swimming provide a low-impact nature. The resistance of water on the joints is much gentler, making the exercise more suitable for individuals with joint concerns and those prone to and recovering from injury.
Resistance Training: Certain forms of training that involve heavy weights can lead to significant stress on joints. Those with joint issues may find swimming to be a more accessible option.
Individuals considering swimming to build muscle should take a strategic approach to maximizing its benefits.
Similarly to strength training, to witness noticeable muscle growth through swimming, consistency, and progressive overload are crucial to success. Establish a regular schedule, whether it is a few times a week or more to ensure ongoing progress. Start with manageable distances and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your swims. This approach allows the body to adapt to training, build muscle, and reduce the risk of overuse injuries.
The numerous strokes, drills, and equipment available to swimming ensure a balanced development of muscle groups in your swimming routine. Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly all offer their own set of unique benefits.
Mix up what strokes you are practicing each session, or incorporate all strokes into your workout. Add in interval training, or high-intensity swimming, such as short sprint sets to challenge your speed and muscular power. Balance the high intensity with periods of lower-intensity, longer swims to increase muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Add in equipment such as kickboards to focus on lower leg muscles or paddles and pull buoys to place extra load on the upper body muscles to increase muscle tension and endurance.
Supplement your swimming routine with strength training exercises to ensure total body muscular growth. Use strength training with weightlifting or resistance exercises to target specific muscles and improve development. Include stretching and flexibility to complement the dynamic movements of swimming. This can help to curb muscle imbalances and improve overall mobility.
Swimming is one of the best exercises for its cardiovascular benefits. It improves lung capacity, elevates heart rate, and increases cardiovascular endurance. The benefits of swimming on cardiovascular health prove it to be worthy as an addition to any fitness regimen to increase performance.
In the search for an effective and enjoyable regimen for building muscle mass, swimming is a great contender for muscular hypertrophy. The combination of low-impact water resistance, full-body engagement, and targeting of different muscles makes swimming a unique and compelling option for individuals of all fitness levels.
Although, if you want to maximize your strength gains specifically for swimming, use Peak Strength to get a personalized strength program for swimming.
Whether you are a seasoned swimmer or a newcomer to the swimming pool, the potential for muscle growth is vast and varied. The combination of water resistance, full-body engagement, and low-impact nature makes swimming a unique and compelling choice for individuals of all fitness levels.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Lifting straps can be one of the most common pieces of equipment found in the gym. Athletes have utilized straps to benefit their training by completing sets where their grip would be their limiting factor.
With any piece of equipment, like, for instance, a weight belt or wrist wraps, athletes should know when and why they should be using it. Understanding the purpose of the equipment will allow the athlete to stay mindful of their training and reap the benefits that the equipment could bring to their training.
Lifting straps are a training tool to help maintain a confident grip on a bar while completing various strength training exercises. Athletes commonly use straps for Olympic lifts, especially clean and snatch pulls. Straps are common with powerlifters for heavy deadlift training, while bodybuilders use straps for dumbbell rows and similar pulling exercises. In each case, the athlete will utilize straps to train large muscle groups in the arms or legs without significant fatigue in the hands and forearms.
Lifting straps are made from several materials. Leather and nylon are the most popular materials because of their comfortability and durability. When looking at a pair of lifting straps to buy, look for heavy-duty and highly-rated pairs to withstand workout sessions.
When appropriately used, athletes will find a secure grip on their bar even past the point where their grip will usually fatigue and give out.
While the choice of lifting straps depends on personal preference and training objectives, Kam-loop (closed-loop) lifting straps are undeniably a top pick for Olympic weightlifting movements. With Kam-loop straps, athletes can simply slide their hands through the loop, securing them in place almost instantly. This eliminates the need for complicated threading of the strap, which is common with other styles of lifting straps.
There are several different types of straps out in the market. For instance, traditional lifting straps feature a long, flat strap with a loop at one end, requiring users to thread the strap through the loop and wrap it around the bar for attachment. Figure 8 lifting straps, shaped like the number eight, offer a simple and sturdy connection, making them a favorite for many powerlifters. Whatever style you decide on, utilizing lifting straps, weightlifters can focus on perfecting their technique, pushing their limits, and achieving their Olympic lifting goals confidently and efficiently.
Lifting straps enhance grip strength for weight lifters, particularly with heavy lifting or high-repetition sets. Athletes often struggle to maintain a solid grip on the barbell, especially as fatigue sets in. Lifting straps provide a simple solution, allowing weightlifters to hold onto the bar securely, ensuring a consistent and controlled lift.
Let’s run through an example. If an athlete were to have four sets of four reps of high hang snatches, they’d discover soon that their natural grip strength would begin to wear down after rapidly completing reps. If these high-hang snatches aim to hammer a specific movement position, their grip could be too fatigued to hit the positions.
Now, if the athlete were to have a pair of lifting straps, they’ll be able to maintain an enhanced grip through the reps. By having a consistent grip on the bar, the athlete can focus on hitting proper positions in their pull.
Using lifting straps can lead to improved lifting technique. When weightlifters are not preoccupied with gripping the bar tightly, they can focus more on maintaining proper form and positioning particularly. Lifting straps are especially advantageous when performing rapid repetitions or sets with multiple reps. Straps help athletes maintain their grip and concentrate on perfecting their technique.
Weightlifting can be strenuous on the hands, and repeated lifts can cause calluses to tear and hands to become sore. Lifting straps alleviate this problem by minimizing the strain on the hands. This reduction in hand fatigue allows athletes to train longer and harder, ultimately leading to improved performance.
One of the critical benefits of lifting straps is their ability to increase training volume. Using straps during sets with triples, quads, or sets of five, weightlifters can lift heavier weights and perform more repetitions without worrying about grip fatigue. This increase in volume can lead to more significant gains in strength and muscle mass.
Straps are particularly useful during exercises involving isometric actions, such as pauses at specific points in the lift. Pauses below or above the knee can be challenging to maintain without gym straps, but with them, weightlifters can focus on their positioning and strength development during these critical moments.
Straps can enhance lat activation, especially during the turnover phase of the snatch. Weightlifters often struggle to maintain an upright posture and prevent excessive arm bending during high-repetition snatches without straps. Straps provide better wrist awareness and a stronger connection to the bar, allowing for improved lat activation and snatch performance.
One of the most significant advantages of using lifting straps when dealing with a torn thumb callus is maintaining continuity in training. When a callus tears, it can take time to heal fully. Athletes can continue their training regimen using lifting straps without a prolonged break. This keeps their progress on track and prevents detraining effects that may occur during extended breaks from lifting heavy weights.
Thumb tape offers a simple yet effective solution. By carefully wrapping the thumbs with this specialized athletic tape, weightlifters can create a protective barrier over the torn callus.
First, you’ll go to the Garage Strength website and pick up a pair of our lifting straps. They’re a comfortable leather and nylon combo, and you’ll be confident that your grip on the bar will stay.
When the athlete is ready to use the lifting straps for a lift, knowing which strap goes on which hand is crucial. Most straps indicate which straps go on the left or right hand. If you have a pair of our Garage Strength straps, the “L” and “R” are stitched into the strap to indicate what straps go on the left hand and what goes on the right.
Place the lifting straps on your wrists, with the garage strength label on the back of your wrist. Again, most companies will have some indication of the proper orientation. To make sure, check the manual for assurance.
While keeping the same hand-to-strap orientation, hover the hand over the top of the bar. Holding this position, roll the tail end of the lifting strap underneath the bar.
Roll the end of the lifting strap under the bar until you feel secure and confident in the strap and your grip.
Once you feel secure and the lifting strap tight, move to the next hand to complete the same steps.
We always recommend having the thumb under the bar for the most secure position. Some lifters may pull with thumbs over the bar, but when they switch back to hook gripping with no straps, their grip will be awkward, possibly throwing them off. By keeping the thumb underneath the bar, the athlete will be more confident in their pull and have less disconnection between the grip with straps and the hook grip without straps.
Before any usage of lifting straps, ensure the condition of the straps. Any wear and tear found from these straps could lead to the abrupt loss of control while in a less-than-advantageous position.
Before any usage of lifting straps, ensure the condition of the straps. Any wear and tear found from these straps could lead to the abrupt loss of control while in a less-than-advantageous position.
Weightlifters can use lifting straps when performing pause variations of lifts. Pausing below or above the knee can help improve technique and strength in specific positions. For example, pausing below or above the knee can help improve lower back and hamstring strength. Using straps ensures that the grip fatigue doesn't limit the strength benefits of these exercises
Lifting straps are ideal for hang variations of lifts, including high-hang and low-hang snatches. The low hang snatch teaches athletes to keep a tighter bar path -- it prevents bumping the bar forward. Similar to the pause snatch, the low hang variation also helps the athlete strengthen the posterior chain and improves knee movement in a position we call "no man's land."
The high hang variation improves the athlete's finish and teaches connection with the upper body. High hang variations are also great for improving speed for athletic performance. Lifting straps make training with these variations more accessible at heavier weights.
During exercises like snatch pulls, deficit pulls, rack pulls, RDLs, barbell rows, and other heavy pull variations, lifting straps can help athletes execute these movements safely and effectively. These heavy-pulling exercises contribute to increased absolute strength, which, in turn, enhances overall lifting performance.
High-repetition sets of pull-ups are a grueling test of upper back strength and endurance. As your muscles fatigue, maintaining a firm overhand grip on the pull-up bar can become increasingly challenging. This is where lifting straps prove to be a smart choice, even for bodyweight exercises like pull-ups.
Lifting straps are a valuable tool for athletes looking to improve technique and increase training volume. However, athletes should use straps strategically while doing snatch/clean pulls once to twice a week, as well as hang snatches once to twice a week. By incorporating lifting straps properly into their training routine, weightlifters can experience significant benefits that translate into better performance on the platform and in the gym.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
The hang clean may be one of the most important yet underrated movements in all of lifting. Hang cleans are used across weightlifting, CrossFit, and elite sports..........
]]>The hang clean may be one of the most important yet underrated movements in all of lifting. Hang cleans are used across weightlifting, CrossFit, and elite sports performance for developing strength, power, and technical coordination.
Different types of hang cleans target various physical adaptations. A low hang clean builds the posterior chain and improves core stability. A high hang clean helps athletes develop speed and fast twitch muscles.
As a movement that requires technical coordination, the hang clean can be intimidating to athletes trying it for the first time. This article will take you through exactly what you need to do to perfect the hang clean and how to use it to become a FREAK!
The hang clean is an Olympic weightlifting movement that requires athletes to pull the bar to a front rack position from above or below the knee.
Hang cleans are a compound movement that engages the entire body. The primary systems that are used include the posterior chain, legs, core, and upper back. Yes, the arms are used when you hang clean, but just to hold onto the bar, as your back is primarily responsible for pulling the bar through the movement.
Many athletes use hang cleans as part of their training since it is very effective for training power production and translating to sports performance. Hang cleans are also popular in CrossFit workouts because they use several muscle groups simultaneously to challenge participants. The hang clean is often used in CrossFit as part of a complex, which means an athlete must string together multiple movements before or after the hang clean. For example, a deadlift, followed by a hang clean, and finally, a push jerk. A complex, as the name suggests, increases the difficulty of the exercise and introduces additional fatigue.
All types of cleans, full or power, help to develop a tremendous amount of dynamic trunk control. The core helps us transfer the energy from the force applied into the ground up through the body and into an object, a critical component of success for athletes (think of a shot putter or a football player holding a block). Hang cleans are considered a technical coordination movement because they mimic positions that athletes see in competition. When athletes practice movements in positions that are similar to those they would see on the field and add resistance in the form of weights, they are going to be stronger and more powerful in those positions.
Hang cleans can be and should be incorporated into the training for all athletes, especially for explosive athletes like football players, throwers, sprinters, and swimmers. Now let’s check out how to do a hang clean.
When doing a hang clean, we will break the lift down into a few specific positions so athletes maintain an ideal bar path and can safely perform the movement. When we refer to “positions,” we are referring to the posture of your body and the technique at certain points of the lift.
One thing to note is that hitting these positions will be much easier by bracing properly and keeping your back, lats, and entire trunk stiff throughout the lift.
To start the hang clean, you must deadlift the bar off the floor. You can also pull it off an elevated rack, but most commonly lifted off the floor.
The starting position is just holding the barbell with a double overhand grip (preferably hook grip) in front of you.
At the beginning of the lift, you want to make sure your back is straight, the scaps are squeezed together, and the lats are engaged so that you don’t lose tension as you go into the eccentric portion or “the hang.”
Once in the starting position, the next part of the hang clean is the actual hang. You can choose between a high hang or a low hang. A high hang will stop above the knee, while a low hang will stop below the knee.
To start the hang, keep your back straight, looking straight with your head up, and begin to push your but back. The idea here is to focus more on hinging at the hips rather than bending over.
By pushing your butt back and hinging at the hips, you are able to load the glutes and control the bar to the hang point more controlled rather than isolating most of the load on your back. Loading the glutes and hamstrings also allows you to clean more weight because as you pull out of the hang, you will be able to stay in your heels longer and increase the length of your second pull.
Coach’s Note: The “second pull” refers to the pulling of the bar to the front rack position after contact is made at the thigh.
After you reach the hang position above or below your knee, you will go into the actual clean. To clean the weight, you will push through the heels and middle of the feet as you pull the bar up the thigh.
Simultaneously, push the hips forward and knees through under the bar. The bar should make contact somewhere from the mid to upper thigh.
Right after contact and as you start your second pull, your body should be in a position called triple extension. This means that your body is fully extended in three places: your ankles/feet, your knees, and your hips.
As you triple extend, continue to pull the bar with your traps, upper back, and arms to prepare for the catch of the clean in the correct position.
Coach’s Note: Keep your lats and back tight so the bar stays as close to your body as possible.
The catch portion of the clean is the hardest part for beginners because there is so much going on at once.
To catch the clean, continue to pull the bar up to your collarbone. At the same time, your feet will need to slide outward into a slightly wider stance so you can absorb the weight in a stable front squat position.
In order to achieve the front rack position, you need to wrap your elbows under the bar when the weight is at its peak height. When you wrap your elbows, allow your wrists to fall back in order to not injure them.
As the bar lands on your collarbone and your body starts to absorb the load, keep your chest up and upper back very tight so that you are not losing the weight forward.
Coach’s Note: If you do not keep your lats and entire back tight, your back will round, then you catch the weight, and you will either lose the weight forward or fall backward.
Depending on if you are doing a power clean or full clean will determine whether you have to go past parallel and stand the clean up. Regardless, your feet should land flat on the ground either just before or at the same time you enter the front rack position with the bar across your collarbone and front deltoid muscles.
The last thing to do to complete your hang clean is STAND UP THE FREAKING WEIGHT! Use your quads, hamstrings, glutes, core muscles, and back to stand up the clean in a front squat position to reach the final standing position.
There will be times when you might do a hang clean, land on your toes, and then standing up the weight will feel very hard - or you might even just sit back and fail to stand it up. To stand up the weight easier for cleans, try to land on the heel to the middle of your foot.
There are a number of hang clean variations that target different adaptations. Especially for sports like Olympic weightlifting and throwing, these few exercises will depend on weak points that athletes face in their performance. Let’s take a look at common variations of hang cleans.
The high hang clean is a hang clean that limits the eccentric hang to above the knee. The bottom of your hang should look like you are in a quarter squat position.
High hang cleans are a great tool to develop fast twitch muscles and improve athleticism. They require you to reduce the length of your first pull of the clean to focus primarily on elongating the second pull.
This also requires speed and trunk control to stay stable when catching the bar. High hang cleans should be used by weightlifters, throwers, football players, and other fast-twitch athletes as it helps practice producing and absorbing force in a short amount of time.
The low hang clean is often going to be the variation that extends the eccentric hang below the knee without putting the weight back on the ground.
Athletes will often be able to lift more with the low hang clean than the high hang clean because the glutes and hamstrings are loaded more than with a high hang clean.
Low hang cleans are especially helpful for Olympic weightlifters who have a hard time pushing through their heels in the first pull of a clean and those who have trouble getting their knees back fast enough.
Hip cleans are not often used in Olympic weightlifting, but they are beneficial for throwers and football players.
Hip cleans rely more on the upper body than any other variation because the bar does not move from your hips. You can hinge at the hips to engage the posterior chain and swing them forward to help elevate the weight, but the bar should stay in the hip crease the entire time.
These are often done as power cleans as a movement to develop impulse and rapid power.
Power cleans can be done as hangs, from the floor, boxes, hips, or any other starting point. The difference between a hang power clean and a full clean (squat clean) is in how deep athletes go into the squat. The higher you catch a power clean and stand it up, the better.
The hang power clean requires a high level of rigidness and trunk control. They are specifically good for larger athletes who may not have good ROM to develop power and still incorporate Olympic lifts into their strength training.
A rounded back can happen at any point during a hang clean. It can happen off the floor, during the hang, in the catch, and even standing up the weight.
Rounding your back can lead to serious injury. Especially when you are doing Olympic lifts.
You can reduce the rounding of your back by keeping your back tight, squeezing your scaps, facing forward, and keeping the lats squeezed to your side.
Sometimes inexperienced athletes will muscle their hang cleans up to their collar bone without making contact. If you don’t make contact at the hips, you will have a harder time increasing weight and progressing with hang cleans.
You can improve on making contact by doing slower eccentric hangs to keep the bar as close as possible so you can make contact when you pull out of the hang.
After making contact at the thigh, the second pull starts to bring the bar to the collarbone. If you don’t pull enough with the arms and upper back, the bar can end up crashing on you or just not even get under the bar at all.
A lack of core and upper body tightness can lead to back rounding, a caved chest, or an imbalanced front squat position.
Make sure to keep your core, which consists of the abs, obliques, back, lats, and entire trunk, tight throughout the entire lift.
When athletes try to bring their knees under the bar too fast or use too much leg drive through the toes, they will tend to jump back.
Jumping back will lead to missing the bar forward or landing on your toes, which will often lead to a missed lift. You can reduce jumping back by focusing on low hang cleans and keeping the heels grounded longer.
Slow elbows will affect the font rack position of a clean. This is when you aren’t getting the elbow under the bar fast enough after pulling the bar up your torso.
You can increase the speed of your elbow by practicing with a technique stick or and loosening the lat so that your lats are able to be more mobile into the catch.
Hang cleans are a very versatile Olympic lift that benefits weightlifters and athletes alike. Each variation has its own specific benefits and adaptations.
The hang clean requires a high amount of neural drive and uses a lot of high threshold motor units. Through repetition, the body becomes more experienced with the movements, giving the brain and central nervous system a greater ability to contract more muscle fibers at a faster rate, and acceleration improves. As a technical coordination movement, it is great for developing strength, power, and mind-muscle connection. It even has a hand in developing speed because of the shortened pull range and requires athletes to get under the bar faster and move the weight with more intent.
It’s important to keep the entire trunk rigid throughout the lift, keep the bar close to the body, and bring the elbow around quickly to get a good front rack position. If you aren’t able to do a full clean due to limited mobility in the hips, knees, or ankles, the hang power clean is great for developing similar adaptations.
You can find weightlifting and sport-specific strength programs that incorporate hang cleans inside the Peak Strength training app. Sign up for Peak Strength today for a full week of FREE training so you can become an athletic FREAK!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
When you think of defensive superstars, you think of Deion Sanders, Brian Dawkins, and Ray Lewis right? These are the play makers and the “show” of the......
]]>When you think of defensive superstars, you think of Deion Sanders, Brian Dawkins, and Ray Lewis right? These are the play makers and the “show” of the defense…none of which are a defensive tackle.
What about defensive tackles? How about ‘Mean’ Joe Greene?
The defensive tackle is sometimes overlooked because it’s a supporting role to stop the run. But it also has its spotlight moments with sacks, stripped balls, and blocked passes.
In this article, we’ll go over what a defensive tackle is, what they do, and tips on how to be one at the highest level.
The defensive tackle (DT) is a crucial element of the defensive line. Defensive tackles operate primarily in the interior of the line of scrimmage. This is a position that gets action every single snap, no matter the play.
Typically stationed between the defensive ends, a DT's primary responsibility is to prevent offensive plays from succeeding, especially those up the middle. Defensive tackles are also responsible for disrupting the quarterback if they succeed in breaking through the offensive line.
If you are running a 3-4 defense, you will only have one defensive tackle lined up with the center. This is the nose tackle. If you are running a 4-3 defense, there will be two defensive tackles in the defensive line lined up with or slightly inside of the offensive guards.
Defensive tackles need to be able to make a statement and attract double-teams which free up the pressure on defensive ends and linebackers. This position is a good balance between direct playmaking and supporting the other areas of the defense.
DTs have a number of roles that directly impact the success of the defense. Size and strength are going to be key characteristics needed to be successful in this position.
At the heart of a defensive tackle's game on the football field lies the task of closing gaps and holes created by the offensive line. This role is vital for stopping forward progress through rushing plays.
Closing these gaps requires both strength and speed. The lineman will usually be assigned a specific "gap" every play to plug to ensure running backs or even quarterbacks cannot get past them. The goal is to fill gaps any way they can, either with their bodies or by pushing an offensive player from his position.
Defensive linemen must be the aggressors to fill gaps and maintain control of the play. They need to be the first players to make contact off the line of scrimmage. They can't just sit and wait for the offensive line to come at them.
They also need to be aggressive toward the ball through the offensive line. If an excellent defensive tackle can identify the play before the snap, they can put themselves in a position to get past the offensive line and make a big play in the backfield.
If you’re someone like Aaron Donald or Fletcher Cox, getting into the backfield may be a little more challenging when you’re double or triple-teamed. Sometimes, that will be okay because good DT’s help take pressure off other positions, especially if you’re one of the best tackles in NFL history.
DT’s need to be quick, but they also need to be sturdy to handle the pressure of additional players that might block them. Talented defensive ends and linebackers can get into the backfield - leading to a play that might not have happened if the offense wasn’t so focused on blocking the defensive tackle.
When defensive tackles aren’t plugging holes or occupying offensive lineman, their ultimate goal is to stop the ball. By whatever means necessary.
This could be tackling the ball carriers before making a breakout run, sacking the QB in the backfield, or stripping the ball for a turnover. Defensive tackles need to be aware of the ball at all times then they can determine the steps to get themselves or their teammates to the ball.
To be a great defensive tackle, you need to be a big boy…a really big boy. The standard is six feet tall or above and closing in on 300 lbs body weight, if not over that.
Size is a big part of being a DT because offensive players will try to move you out of the way for rushing plays. The bigger you are, the harder it will be for anyone to move you. Both height and weight are important aspects of being a defensive tackle.
As a bigger player on the field, you should also be one of the strongest, so you are a perfect candidate to go head-to-head with the interior offensive line.
Strength and size go hand in hand. As you put on size, your strength will increase naturally. When you increase your calorie intake to be in a calorie surplus and focus on a high-protein diet, your body is provided with the nutrients and energy to grow stronger.
Although, you still need to continue to improve your strength in the weight room with a program like Peak Strength to accomplish your roles.
Strength is going to come in handy when pushing an offensive player around to fill gaps or break into the backfield. It’s also going to be important for shedding blocks.
Offensive linemen and defensive linemen share a lot of similar qualities, the only difference is the side of the ball that they play on. Centers, guards, and tackles are all going to be very strong and very big, so getting past them or away from their grip is a challenging task that requires serious strength.
Since defensive tackles need to be aggressors, they need to be FAST! It’s important to be fast off the line and produce more force than the person you are going against.
Impulse is the production of a lot of force in a short period of time. Impulse is important in every single play for linemen because lineman at the highest levels make contact in 0.4 seconds, and that engagement lasts for about another half second before the block is shed.
Offensive linemen have to train sustained impulse! This means your first step has to be explosive and, after you make contact, your body will recruit more of your high threshold motor units.
Explosiveness and impulse can be developed through plyometrics or by doing weekly athlete days. Impulse will also develop by doing olympic lifts as part of your strength training in the weight room.
Dynamic trunk control is going to be one of the main things that affects the balance of a lineman. That and also footwork. These two adaptations or traits are important for defensive tackles so they are not easily moved.
Being balanced on your feet and having good dynamic trunk control is going to improve the overall movement pattern of your body on the field.
Finally, field vision is a necessity for any defensive tackle. Defensive tackles are the closest defensive player to the ball before the snap. So having a vision as to what play might be coming and where the ball is headed can be the difference between a made play and a missed play.
Field vision is important for any football player to excel in their position, but it is especially important for defensive tackles so they understand whether they should attack the ball directly or play a supporting role and allow another position to make the best possible play.
In order to be a D1 defensive tackle, you should aim for these numbers:
Lifts like cleans, snatches, and jerks are great movements for power development. These dynamic lifts require athletes to produce force, absorb it, and then reapply it. That’s why you see so many football programs incorporating power and full cleans into their strength programs. These should also be used in off-season training to maintain the ability to produce power year-round.
These lifts also help improve range of motion and target the power positions that defensive tackles will be in throughout a game. Using olympic lifts forces athletes into deeper positions which translates to other lifts, increases hypertrophy, and improves overall performance.
A defensive tackle needs to have good grip strength in order to grab quarterbacks and running backs. Grip strength training is an overlooked aspect of training, but something that is essential for any football player on defense.
Using tools like Garage Grips or a thick bar in training helps simulate holding and applying force to an object simulating an ankle.
Plyometrics are great for developing the actual athleticism of a defensive tackle. Using plyos will improve speed, impulse, and reaction time. Being able to cut, move, and react better than an opponent is going to provide a leg up on any play.
A great example of a defensive tackle that incorporates plyometrics into their training is Aaron Donald. He uses speed and twitchiness to his advantage which compared to relying just on size and strength. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very strong athlete, but he is also balanced in his speed and overall athleticism.
This is something a lot of athletes slack on…recovery, mobility, and SLEEP. It’s even more important for defensive tackles because of their size and playing time.
With all the weight, stress, and direct impact that defensive tackles are put through in a game, it is important to take the absolute best care of their bodies. Mobility and recovery not only helps with preventing injuries, but also improves athletic performance over the time as the body heals and adapts to the stress it is put through.
The defensive tackle is an instrumental part of the interior defensive line and the defense as a whole. They are some of the strongest and most complete players on the field and are establishing dull content with opponents on every play.
Defensive tackles need to be big, strong, and explosive in order to succeed in their goals of filling gaps and breaking into the backfield. Both a supporting and playmaking role, the defensive tackle should be an all around athlete that excels in strength, speed, balance, and awareness.
If you want to become a better defensive tackle or football player in general, try the Peak Strength app to get a fully custom program that fits your exact position. In the app, you’ll find a dedicated strength program, mobility workouts, and over 700 exercises to improve your performance on the field. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
How much weight can you add to your dip? It’s probably not something you’ve thought about testing your max on, but it’s something I’ve done in the past…with 315 lbs!
I don’t recommend using dips as a way to test your 1RM, but they are a good way to test the strength endurance of your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Dips are one of my favorite accessories for developing size, strength, and stability in the upper body.
In this article, I’ll share the exact muscles used for weighted dips, how to execute the movement safely, and the benefits they provide.
Weighted dips work various muscle groups in the upper body such as the arms, shoulders, and the chest. Aside from the upper body, the core is also incorporated into the movement to help keep the body stable. When it comes to the primary muscles involved in this exercise, let’s take a closer look at what is targeted when you do weighted dips.
The chest consists of two primary muscles: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor.
The pectoralis major is the larger and more prominent of the two chest muscles. It's responsible for various movements of the arm, including adduction (bringing the arm toward the body), flexion (raising the arm), and internal rotation.
The pectoralis major has two main heads: the clavicular head (upper chest) and the sternal head (lower chest). Weighted dips, when executed with a forward lean and the elbows flared out, emphasize the sternal head, promoting its development and adding depth and thickness to the lower part of the chest.
Situated underneath the pectoralis major, the pectoralis minor assists in the downward movement of the scapula or shoulder blade. While it's not the primary target of dips, the pectoralis minor is indirectly engaged, especially when stabilizing the shoulder joint during the movement.
The angle of your body during the dip plays a crucial role in targeting the chest. Leaning forward shifts more of the load onto the pectoral muscles, as opposed to maintaining a more upright position, which emphasizes the triceps.
In addition to the triceps, weighted dips also incorporate the biceps and other flexors in the arm
Arguably the most targeted arm muscle during dips, the triceps are responsible for elbow extension. Comprising three heads – the long, medial, and lateral heads – the triceps are heavily recruited when pushing yourself back up from the lowest point of the dip. The added weight from weighted dips amplifies the load, compelling the triceps to work even harder, leading to enhanced strength and muscular hypertrophy.
Though dips are primarily a tricep exercise, the biceps play a stabilizing role. As the antagonistic muscle to the triceps, the biceps help control the rate of descent during the lowering phase of the dip, preventing a rapid or uncontrolled drop.
Situated beneath the biceps brachii, the brachialis also acts as an elbow flexor. During weighted dips, it assists in controlling the downward movement and contributes to the upward push.
Located in the forearm, this muscle also contributes to elbow flexion. While it's not a primary mover in the dip motion, the brachioradialis offers additional stabilization and control, particularly during the descent phase.
The shoulder plays a pivotal role during weighted dips, providing stability, movement control, and force production. The primary shoulder muscles involved in weighted dips are:
The front part of the deltoid muscle, the anterior deltoid, is significantly activated during the weighted dip. As you lower yourself in the dip movement, the anterior deltoid works concentrically to help control the descent. When pushing up, this muscle contracts to help lift the body and the additional weight, playing an integral role in shoulder flexion.
The back section of the deltoid muscle, or the posterior deltoid, provides stabilization during the dip movement. While it's not the primary mover, the posterior deltoid counterbalances the forces applied by the anterior deltoid, ensuring smooth and coordinated shoulder action.
These are a group of four smaller muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that surround the shoulder joint. Their primary role is to stabilize the head of the humerus within the shoulder socket. These muscles work diligently throughout the dip motion, ensuring the shoulder joint remains secure and properly aligned.
Begin by securing a weight belt around your waist. Attach the desired weight plates or kettlebells to the chain of the belt, ensuring it's properly fastened. Note that you can also use Powerlastic bands, or chains if you do not have a dip belt.
Approach a dip bar or parallel bars, placing one hand on each bar.
To get into the starting position, jump or step up to achieve a locked-out arm position. Your arms should be straight, shoulders down and slightly back, with the body elevated off the ground. Keep your legs straight or slightly bent, with your feet crossed behind you for balance.
Before descending, engage your core muscles. This engagement will aid in stabilization and protect your spine and pelvis throughout the movement.
Lean slightly forward and bend your elbows to lower your body. Your elbows should track outwards but remain close to your body. Continue to descend until your shoulders are at the same level, slightly below your elbows, or as far as your mobility allows.
From the bottom position, explosively push through the palms of your hands, extending your elbows and raising your body back to the starting position.
Depending on your strength and the weight added, perform the desired number of repetitions maintaining the form described. For body weight dips, I would recommend shooting for 10-12 reps, while doing anywhere from 6-10 for weighted reps.
Safety Note: Always ensure that the added weight is secure and will not shift or fall during the exercise. Also, if experiencing shoulder pain or discomfort, reconsider the depth of your dip or reduce the weight.
Doing weighted dips can lead to various adaptations and provide benefits to recreational lifters and also performance benefits to athletes. Here are some of the key benefits from doing weighted dips:
Compound movements are great for building muscle mass, and dips are no exception. Even though they are a compound movement, we like to use dips as accessory lifts for hypertrophy toward the end of a workout.
For most lifters and athletes, bench press, overhead press, and jerks will be the core lifts of an upper body day, so dips can be pushed later into a workout when you want to ramp the volume. Doing bodyweight dips for sets of 10-20, even a burner set of 30, is excellent for getting a swole pump at the end of your workout.
Weighted dips are going to be a great finisher that recruit a lot of high threshold motor units as well as neural drive to stay stable. When doing weighted dips, 6-10 reps is a good range where you can still build muscle mass and increase weight simultaneously.
Staying stable in the dip position is a test of the shoulders and upper body strength but is also a test of core stability. When you throw on a dip belt or a chain, your body must work harder to stay stable.
Especially if you’re using a dip belt, the weight may sway slightly. Weighted dips will help build core strength by forcing you to control the eccentric portion of the movement.
Weighted dips work on the same primary muscle groups as the bench press, the pectorals, and the triceps. Increasing strength and stability in these muscles provide a solid foundation that can lead to improved bench press performance. The ability to handle heavier weights in the dip will correlate with a stronger bench pressing capacity.
The triceps play a key role in the final lockout phase of the overhead press. Strengthening them with weighted dips can remove triceps weakness as a limiting factor in pressing weights overhead. Moreover, the anterior deltoids activated during dips also play a role in the overhead press, providing added strength and stability.
In weightlifting, the jerk involves a rapid push to get the bar overhead, heavily relying on the triceps for the final lockout. The power and tricep strength developed from weighted dips can significantly aid this motion, making the lift smoother and more efficient.
For athletes, the explosive power, and upper body strength derived from these exercises is invaluable. Whether you're a rugby player pushing an opponent, a running back throwing a stiff arm, or a thrower tossing a shot, the strength translates over to performance.
Dips should be in your workout routine, regardless of whether they are modified, assisted, just body weight, or weighted. The muscle groups that work together in dips will benefit you as someone looking to grow their arms or improve their upper body for their sport.
Ensure you take the proper steps and progressions to work up to weighted dips. Once you add weight, your triceps will blow up, and you’ll be looking SWOLE in no time. If you want to find progressions and other exercises that develop your upper body, try the Peak Strength app and get 7 free workouts based on your exact goals.
Tag me on instagram @ghostfacedmillah the next time you incorporate a dip exercise into your workout. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
There are several ways to grip a barbell and hold a deadlift. There is one way in particular that allows individuals that struggle with grip strength to lift HEAVY weights. That’s a hook grip deadlift.
Hook grip is the go-to grip style for weightlifters, crossfitters, and some competitive powerlifters. It’s not just used for hook grip deadlifts, but also snatches and cleans.
The hook grip allows athletes to perform dynamic movements without worrying about the barbell slipping from their hands. Although there are arguments that it is uncomfortable, not suitable for small hands, and bad for your hands, there are a lot of benefits to it too.
In this article, we cover what hook grip is and if it is really worth using this grip style for deadlifts and other movements.
Hook grip is a double overhand grip on a barbell where the thumb is pressed against the barbell by the overlap of the other fingers on your hand, thus establishing a “hook” with the overlapping fingers.
The hook grip helps establish a tighter and more secure connection between the fingers and the barbell because instead of just the thumb being used to hold the grip in place, you are using 2-3 fingers. The amount of fingers you use to overlap your thumb will depend on your hand size, your comfort level with hook grip, and the movement you are doing.
Hook grip is most commonly used in olympic weightlifting movements like the snatch and cleans. Hook grip is also sometimes preferred by powerlifters for deadlifts since it can provide a more secure grip compared to mixed grip. Both weightlifting and powerlifting do not allow straps to be used in competition, so hook grip was adopted to maintain a secure grip on the barbell in competition.
The deadlift is the key powerlifting movement where the hook grip is needed. The other two lifts in powerlifting, the squat and bench, do not use a hookgrip since the power needed for these lifts does not require extraordinary grip strength.
Powerlifters will use hook grip deadlift for a number of reasons, especially as they practice their competition lifts.
A regular double overhand grip is not an issue in terms of rules, but can become an issue as powerlifters approach maximal lifts. Double overhand grip does not provide the same security as hook grip. It all goes back to the amount of pressure applied to the connection point - 2-3 fingers worth of pressure provide more than just a thumb.
So then why don’t all powerlifters just use mixed grip? That’s legal right? Yes it is, but there are reasons why powerlifters still prefer a hook grip deadlift over a mixed grip deadlift. The main one stems from bodybuilders - lat imbalance. Some athletes may experience uneven growth in their back because of doing mixed grip for an extended period of time.
Another common argument to mixed grip, is that some powerlifters may not be able to get into a good starting position with mixed grip. An example of this stems from one of our own powerlifters, Swole Kyle. Kyle prefers utilizing hook grip deadlift over a mixed grip deadlift because he can get into a more balanced position since he competes at a higher weight class.
Weightlifters are most well known for consistently using hook grip in their training. There are two main reasons, the obvious one being able to maintain a secure grip while moving the bar from the ground to overhead.
The second reason is because hook grip actually reduces the ROM of the wrist, so that a weightlifter’s wrist does not bend back too much overhead. This is especially helpful in the snatch when the weight has to be moved from the floor to overhead in a single movement.
Hook grip will actually help stabilize the wrist in a limited position instead of overextending for a better catch position.
Athletes should know how to hook grip! Not specifically for deadlift, but for snatches and cleans. Since these movements are used so much in sports performance to help build power and speed, it’s important athletes know how to safely use hook grip.
Athletes should also know how to hook grip for injury prevention. Even though athletes might cake on lifting chalk, we still constantly see bars slip out of their hands when doing standard double overhand grip.
Hook grip still helps develop grip strength, while allowing athletes to perform dynamic lifts like snatches and cleans safely. Even in crossfit, athletes will get more benefit from utilizing hook grip for their olympic movements compared to standard grip technique.
When you’re setting up for a hook grip deadlift, start placing your hand on the bar so that the barbell is going straight across the middle of your open palm.
Next, you want to take your thumb and curl it under the bar - think about grabbing the bar with just your thumb.
A big mistake people will make is by bending their thumb, and having the side of their thumb pressed against the barbell. DO NOT do this, it will hurt like CRAZY when you go to pull. Make sure that the barbell is cradled comfortably in your thumb.
Once the bar is cradled in your thumb, overlap your index finger and middle finger over your thumb. You want to have the middle segment of your middle finger overlapping the area in between your thumbnail and middle thumb joint.
DO NOT overlap your middle finger over your thumbnail, otherwise that will be very painful when you pull as well.
If you have larger hands and you feel like your grip is not as secure as you would like it to be, you can overlap a third finger over your thumb. Now your hook grip is set to deadlift, snatch, or clean. Take into consideration that as you sweat you may need to apply lifting chalk to your hands, thumb, and other fingers to keep the grip secure.
Hook grip is uncomfortable when you start using it. Like anything you do, your body will not be used to it until you do it regularly. After some practice, doing a hook grip deadlift, snatch, or clean will not hurt.
Hook grip deadlift specifically can hurt because you will go heavier with a deadlift than you would a snatch or clean. But it also depends on the bar you use. Using a deadlift bar or power bar will hurt more because the knurling on the bar will be more aggressive. In comparison, an Olympic weightlifting bar does not have as aggressive knurling, so hook gripping can be more comfortable.
There are two ways that hook grip deadlift can hurt. The first is incorrect thumb position. If your thumb is not cradling the bar, and instead, the side is pressed into the barbell, it will put a lot of pressure on your thumb.
The second way is that early on, the skin on your thumb is not used to doing hook grip. Your skin is vulnerable to ripping or tearing due to the friction between the force of the weight and the knurling in the bar. To minimize tearing skin, use thumb tape that's hook grip safe and chalk for training.
Even though using thumb tape is not legal in competition for powerlifting, it is still good to have it to reduce thumb related injuries in training while performing the hook grip deadlift.
You can also use lifting straps the majority of the time unless you are preparing to compete.
Mixed grip deadlift is the use of one hand gripped overhand on the bar and the other hand gripped underhand on the bar. Mixed grip is the second way that powerlifters will deadlift in competition aside to hook grip deadlifts.
Mixed grip has benefits of its own compared to hook grip. With a mixed grip, you can minimize the rolling of a barbell since you are pulling it overhand and overhand. Mixed grip is also more comfortable for deadlifts, making it easier to do more reps.
Double overhand grip, as mentioned earlier, is when the athlete is grabbing the bar with both hands overhand, but not in a hook grip. This is when your pointer and middle finger are directly connected to the bar and the thumb is used to hold the grip together.
This deadlift grip requires more grip strength and limits the amount of weight someone can pick up compared to mixed grip and hook grip deadlift.
To do a neutral grip deadlift, you need a trap bar or dumbbells. This is a standard overhand grip, but instead of your arms in front of you, they are beside you. This is really just another way to do deadlifts that uses more vertical leg drive rather than lower back pulling power, but that’s information for another blog.
If you are an athlete, weightlifter, crossfitter, or competitive powerlifter, hook grip is worth learning. Hook grip is an effective way to lift more weight without needing to specifically train grip strength.
You don't have to train hook grip all the time. Straps are a great alternative for heavy training lifts, but you need to make sure you get enough practice with the hook grip if you plan to compete since straps are not allowed in competition.
If you are a bodybodybuilder or just trying to stay in shape, you can live without it. You’re better off just using lifting straps. And if you’re really worried about slacking on your grip strength, you can do grip-specific training with Garage Grips or other grip exercises.
To make your hook grip more comfortable going forward, look into using thumb tape and lifting chalk. These two gym bag essentials will help minimize skin irritation and injuries to your thumbs from lifting. Once you’re stocked up, then you’re ready to smash some insane weights with your new grip set up. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Can you really build your chest just by using resistance bands? With the right exercises, yes, you can.
Resistance bands offer a lot of variation when incorporating them into your chest workouts. You can use them for a full-body workout, but in this article, we’ll focus on resistance band exercises targeting the chest.
Bands are a great addition to any gym bag because they are portable. I take our Garage Strength Powerlastic Bands every time I travel. In the unlikely event there isn’t a gym where I am traveling, or I don’t have time to make it, I can always find a way to get a quick pump with resistance bands.
Now let me share some of my favorite resistance band chest exercises with you.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Does your coach have favorites? Have you wondered how you can get under the “favorites” umbrella? It's actually pretty simple. Are you doing these 5 things?
At Garage Strength, many of the athletes discuss my “umbrella” athletes. The lifters or wrestlers or weightlifters that I go out of my way to do extra work for. Maybe I move their boxes for them or I grab them an extra bag of chalk, pack them some pre-workout or even get them a coffee here and there.
The Umbrella Athletes definitely know what is going on, they know their position in the gym and they also know the expectation behind their position of power. Recently, this question was raised to me more nearly a dozen times in a matter of a few days. “How can we get under your umbrella?”
I started to really think about the question and what I see as consistencies behind my “favorites” and why they tend to get preferential treatment. Let’s dive into five specific elements that bring them under the circle of favoritism.
If you want to be a favorite athlete of mine, you BETTER work your ass off. That means day in and day out, in every single aspect of the specific sport in which you are competing. A work ethic is 100% necessary to becoming a champion and becoming one of my favorites. That means show up on time, warm up properly, have specific training cues, smash training and then smash recovery and constantly get better!
Often times we forget that working your ass off includes outside the gym and training period. Ideally, there will be a MINIMAL amount of partying, a minimal amount of extracurricular activities that can take away from a progressive plan to accomplish something great. Working your ass off means nutrition should be on point, mobility work should be optimized, meditation is embraced and constant individual progress is understood as a necessity to get to the top!
Complaining is a waste of energy. That means positive energy is completely sucked out of you for absolutely no reason. Not only does complaining and bitching lead to a negative response internally, it also leads to a negative response from a training group.
The best training partner I ever worked with was Anthony Myers. Anthony was one of the hardest working athletes I have ever been around, both in the weight room and on the football field. He never quit and was ALWAYS positive. Anthony was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma in October 2018, a terminal brain tumor. For the next 10 months, Anthony showed up to training as though he was preparing for his next football season.
Eventually, his brain tumor started to impact his motor skills. He lost control of his left arm, his gait was negatively impacted and he could only use his right side in training. He never EVER bitched. Every single training session was a chance for him to get stronger, for him to get better, for him to progress as an individual.
Anthony had more reasons than anyone to complain, he could have used any excuse in the book and no one would have faulted him, but instead, he went into full-blown BEAST MODE. Every single day he stepped into the gym, everyone raised their intensity and heightened their output. That is what makes a great training partner, that is what makes a champion and that is what separates the great people from the mediocre.
Anthony passed away December 4th of 2019. He was my favorite athlete I have ever trained and he always will be and that’s because all he wanted to do was train.
Nothing bothers me more than designing a full 16-week training schedule, diving deep into technical work and strength work, creating optimal routines for recovery and figuring out the absolute best ways for an athlete to succeed...only to see them be their own worst enemy during competition.
Competition jitters are completely normal as is self-doubt and second-guessing. However, something I have learned from therapy is to recognize negative responses and negative behaviors to various situations and to learn skills to handle those negative stressors. I try to bring these skills into training/coaching and mentorship and believe that all athletes can consistently improve their mental outlook during competition. BUT, I still have individuals who prefer to engage with self-sabotage instead of conquering their doubt.
Jacob Horst was one of these individuals. He consistently doubted his freakish athletic ability. He would hit monster lifts in training, push himself harder than most athletes and do a decent job handling technical criticism. However, he would step onto the competition platform and completely shit his pants. He would become a “deer in headlights” and act as though he never competed.
At Garage Strength, I have developed a system of analysis known as “Athlete Reactive Analysis.” I use this method to peak all of my athletes. This system is solely responsible for me being able to peak athletes like freight trains. Athlete feedback and tracking is absolutely key to their success in their sport. That means all forms of training and stimuli better have a means of data recording! However, many of my athletes REFUSE to track their weights, distances, feels, etc...and they aren’t under my umbrella!
To Find Out More about Athlete Reactive Analysis, CLICK HERE
Nick Gwiazdowski is one of the best athletes that I coach. He is also one of the best freestyle wrestlers on the planet and one of the best NCAA Heavyweights of all time. Every single time that Nick gets a new program, I know that I will get a phone call, I will discuss the program from start to finish, Nick will ask for videos and then as we progress through the program, Nick will update his weights daily and comment with his general feeling. If anything crazy happens on the mat during training, Nick will let me know and we will adapt his training. This is why Gwiz is one of the best in the world. He provides consistent feedback that enables me to make better decisions which ultimately puts him in a better spot as an athlete!
I want to be the best throws coach in the world. I want to be the best weightlifting coach in the world. I want to be one of the best strength coaches ever. I want to contribute to the field of sports performance and I want to share my lessons with the world. My athletes know this and they comprehend the magnitude of that expectation.
The best athletes I train know what I expect from them, they know I want them to become a world championship qualifier, they know I want them to become an Olympian, an All-American, a National Champ, a State Champ...they KNOW I want them to become the best version of themselves!
That is the greatest expectation of all. Every athlete that trains under me knows that I challenge them every single damn day to become the greatest version of themselves. If they have the athletic talent and mental fortitude coupled with my energy and intensity and periodization, they know that we can achieve that expectation. If they don’t comprehend or embrace that expectation then all of the energy and work is brushed by the way-side and they will not be living under my special umbrella!
Greatness is a difficult realm to embody. Having a special spot under the umbrella of favoritism is also a difficult spot to earn AND it is a difficult spot to exist. The spotlight is on, the accountability becomes more and more serious as the days pass and the intensity of the fire increases over time. But that is what makes champions and that is how athletes can earn a special place in my training system.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
A strong and athletic upper body means jumping onto a pull-up bar at a local park and banging out an easy set of 10-15 reps.
Across all areas of fitness, whether it is sports performance, bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit, or calisthenics, pull ups are favored in workouts for a reason. Doing pull ups, or even just doing A pull up, is a standard test of strength in the back and arms. The military also uses pull ups as a test of physical fitness.
If you want to increase the number of pull ups you can do, there’s no better movement than the WEIGHTED pull up.
SO…keep it simple. You don't have to do hundreds of reps of curls, lat pull down, or bent over rows to increase the amount of bodyweight pull ups you can do. Of course those help, but why not just add more weight to your pull ups?
In this article we take a specific look at how weighted pull ups can improve your athletic fitness, different variations we pulled from Peak Strength, and the benefits for your daily life.
When you perform a pull up, the primary muscles you're engaging are located in your back. Specifically, the latissimus dorsi (commonly known as the 'lats'), rhomboids, and trapezius work in unison to move your body upwards.
These muscles contribute to a multitude of everyday activities, from simple tasks like lifting grocery bags to more demanding ones like moving furniture. But how does a pull-up test your athletic fitness?
As you ascend, the weight of your body (plus any additional weight you've introduced) acts as resistance, challenging your back muscles. Each repetition requires these muscles to contract and work hard, thereby strengthening them over time. Because of the lengthening and contraction of these muscles, your body’s upper body strength and pulling power are tested to see if you are strong enough to pull your own body weight to a target.
Grip strength has become a pretty big focus in fitness recently, and pull ups are a great way to test grip strength and the endurance of your grip.
Your grip is essential for tasks that involve manual dexterity, like opening jars, and it can also enhance performance in sports and activities that require hand strength, such as rock climbing or playing tennis.
When you perform bodyweight pull ups, your hands are your connection to the bar. You need to grip the bar firmly enough to support and lift your body weight, which can be a strenuous task if you've added extra weight. This tests your grip strength in a significant way, and over time, the repeated effort can lead to improved hand and forearm strength.
If you’re a sweaty guy like me, you will probably start to lose your grip as you go higher in reps and volume. Don’t be afraid to use chalk when you do pull ups because this won’t take away from working your grip, it will only help stabilize it.
Finally, pull ups are an excellent test of upper body endurance. Unlike strength, which refers to the amount of force a muscle can exert, endurance is about a muscle's ability to sustain effort over time.
In a standard pull up, your upper body muscles — including your back, arms, and shoulders — must maintain the effort to lift and lower your body over multiple repetitions. As you add weight, these muscles must work even harder to sustain this effort. Thus, the act of performing pull-ups, particularly weighted pull ups, challenges and builds your upper body endurance.
This endurance can translate to better performance in other areas of your life, from sports to everyday tasks that require sustained physical effort. The amount of pull ups you can do is a great benchmark to determining your pulling overall endurance.
While the standard pull up is a killer workout in itself, various grip variations, ways to add resistance, and different pull up bar options can help target different muscle groups and prevent workout monotony.
Each one of these variations and more can be found inside the Peak Strength app, but let’s look at some of the different ways you can do pull ups to target specific adaptations.
This is your standard pull up.
The normal grip pull up is perhaps what most people visualize when they think of a pull-up. With your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing away from you in the starting position, this variant primarily targets the latissimus dorsi muscles in your back.
The normal grip pull up also engages your biceps, brachialis (the muscle underneath the bicep), brachioradialis (a muscle of the forearm), and the infraspinatus (one of the four rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder). Introducing weights in this form can drastically enhance your upper body strength, size, and endurance.
The neutral grip pull up, done with palms facing each other, requires a special type of bar or gym equipment with parallel handles. We use monkey bars in this case.
This grip is a fantastic way to emphasize different muscles and add diversity to your workout routine. Neutral grip pull ups distribute the load more evenly across your back, biceps, and forearms.
Similar to chin ups, neutral grip pull ups are going to recruit more from your actual arms rather than isolate your lats and back. They are often recommended for beginners or those with shoulder issues, as the parallel grip typically reduces shoulder strain.
In a close grip pull up, your hands are placed closer together on the bar than in the standard version. This variation targets your lower lats more intensely and also engages your biceps and forearms significantly.
One thing to note is that the close grip pull up can be more challenging than the normal grip pull up due to the increased demand on your arm muscles. That’s why if I give my athletes close grip pull ups, they will most likely be chin ups rather than pull ups so that they can get a fat bicep pump.
The last variation I'll mention is one that I have already partially mentioned. Here we have the underhand grip, or just call it a chin up.
This variant differs from others due to the palms facing towards you during the exercise. The underhand grip emphasizes the biceps more than other pull up variations, making it an excellent exercise for those aiming to boost arm strength and size. While the back muscles are still heavily involved, the bicep emphasis can make chin ups slightly more manageable for beginners than the standard pull up.
A weight belt, or dip belt, is a popular choice for adding weight to pull ups, known for its effectiveness and convenience. The belt wraps around your waist, and additional weights (like weight plates) can be attached to it through a chain.
This piece of equipment allows you to add substantial weight in a manner that's evenly distributed around your body's center of gravity. Therefore, it minimally affects your form, helping maintain the effectiveness and safety of the exercise. Remember to start with lighter weights, gradually increasing the load as your strength improves.
Another approach to adding weight to your pull ups involves holding a dumbbell between your feet. This method is beneficial for those who may not have access to a weight belt.
The process is straightforward: you grip a dumbbell between your ankles or feet and perform your pull up as usual. However, this technique may limit the amount of weight you can add, as it requires you to squeeze your adductors to keep the weight in place.
Be sure to keep your core engaged as well to stabilize your body and prevent any swinging motion.
Chains are not found in most gyms, but are still an effective way of adding weight to pull ups.
You wrap the chain around your neck, so that it sits on your shoulders, and the added weight challenges your muscles as you pull yourself up. Chains have the advantage of increasing resistance more at the top of the pull up, where you're typically strongest due to the nature of the chain's weight distribution.
This can provide a unique and challenging stimulus for your muscles. However, be cautious of the potential strain on your neck and always ensure the chain is securely fastened. Don’t tilt your head down while the chain is in place, just look forward or slightly up.
Finally, we have the method of using a resistance band. Connect one end of the band to a heavy object (dumbbell or kettlebell) on the floor or have a partner stand on the bottom of it, and loop the other end around your waist or foot.
As you pull yourself up, the tension in the band increases, adding resistance to the exercise. This method is excellent for those who want to progressively overload their muscles without using traditional weights. However, be aware that the resistance curve with bands is different: it will be easiest at the bottom of the pull up and hardest at the top.
This variation is perfect for people that struggle with finishing their pull ups as they get higher in volume so this will work on the final few inches of the movement.
Aside from the standard pull up bar, there are variations that you can do to target different areas of improving your pulling power or improving your stability in your pull ups. Here are my favorite three:
Pull up rings, or gymnastics rings, offer an excellent alternative to the traditional pull up bar.
Known primarily from gymnastics, these rings are suspended from a high point, offering 360 degrees of movement. The instability of the rings presents an additional challenge, recruiting stabilizing muscles in your arms, shoulders, and core that might not engage as much with a fixed bar.
Pull ups on rings have the advantage of allowing your arms to move more naturally, potentially reducing strain on the shoulders. You can also easily adjust your grip (underhand, overhand, or neutral) on the fly, enabling you to shift the emphasis on different muscles within a single set.
For those looking to incorporate neutral grip pull ups into their workouts, monkey bars provide an excellent solution. Found in many gyms and playgrounds, these bars are perfect for varying your pull up routine.
Neutral grip pull ups on monkey bars target your muscles slightly differently than traditional pull ups. The parallel position of the hands means you'll recruit your lats, biceps, and forearm muscles more evenly.
This can lead to well-rounded strength and muscle development. Plus, alternating your grip between sets can help prevent overuse injuries and enhance muscular balance.
Finally, let's explore something we like to experiment with here at Garage Strength: towels hung from pull up bars.
This method involves draping one or two sturdy towels over a pull up bar and gripping the ends to perform your pull ups. Towel pull ups add a significant challenge to your grip strength, as the material is harder to hold onto than a solid bar. This extra demand on your forearms can boost your grip strength over time.
Moreover, the slightly unstable nature of the towels forces your core and upper body muscles to work harder to stabilize your movements, making the exercise more challenging and rewarding. Note that this method requires a strong grip, so it might be more suitable for those who have already mastered the traditional pull up and are looking to add an extra layer of difficulty.
What are the benefits of adding weight to the standard pull-up exercise? You can expect to see specific advantages in your strength, muscular endurance, and core stability.
Inside the Athletic Fitness Program in the Peak Strength App, the pull-up rep test measures absolute strength and endurance every few months. By incorporating weighted pull-ups into your strength program, you will notice that the number of unweighted reps you can perform in the rep test will improve within the first few months. How? ...
By adding external load to your pull ups, you're challenging your muscles to lift a heavier load than they're accustomed to. This increased demand prompts your body to adapt, resulting in stronger muscles over time. Adding more resistance to any lift is going to help break down muscle and lead to greater strength gains.
To recap, weighted pull ups primarily target the muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms. The lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps, and forearm muscles all work in unison during this exercise. By strengthening these areas, you enhance your overall physical performance, and improve your proficiency in the exercise.
Endurance pertains to how long your muscles can sustain a given activity. Weighted pull up sets provide a potent test and booster for your muscular endurance, especially in your upper body.
The act of repeatedly lifting and lowering your body—plus the added weight—over multiple repetitions and sets pushes your muscles to their limits. This sustained effort stimulates your muscles to adapt and improve, boosting their ability to perform under strain for longer periods.
As you add weight to your pull ups and perform higher volumes with the weight, you will ultimately be able to do more pull ups with less weight. So if you are testing for a PT test or testing in Athletic Fitness, do weighted pull ups to increase your overall number of reps over time.
Though pull ups are primarily an upper-body exercise, they also offer significant benefits for your core. Adding weight to your pull ups compounds these benefits even further. How so?
When you perform a pull up, your core muscles—including your abs, obliques, and lower back—work hard to stabilize your body, keeping it straight and preventing unnecessary swinging. As you add weight, these muscles must work even harder to maintain proper form and control during the movement. This consistent engagement strengthens your core muscles, enhancing your balance, stability, and overall body coordination.
Strong core muscles are essential for virtually every movement you make, from picking up a heavy box to swinging a baseball bat. Plus, a strong core helps protect your spine and prevent injuries, making it a crucial component of overall fitness.
The standard pull-up can be performed as an athletic fitness test almost anywhere. Adding weights to your pull-up routine with a weight belt or chain provides added strength benefits and increases the level of difficulty.
If you are struggling to find ways to add load, get a little creative! Grab a dumbbell and hold it between your feet, or ask your child to hold onto your waist.
Use the pull-up variations like neutral grip, towel pull-ups, and ring pull-ups to diversify your routine and avoid injury.
To get individualized programming specific to your sport or fitness goals, check out the Peak Strength app for one week of free training. Try these weighted pull-up exercises and more inside the app!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
What’s in your current gym bag? I know some athletes that just show up with a water bottle and that’s it. That’s fine if your gym already has what you need, but....
]]>What’s in your current gym bag? Do you show up with a water bottle, and that’s it!? Whether you are at your home gym or the local muscle house, make sure you have everything you need to get the most out of your training. Always be prepared by having a stocked gym bag.
This article will touch on all the essentials for everyday use and some luxuries you can compile for top performance. Let’s take a look at what you need to have for the perfect gym bag.
How could we have an article about gym bag essentials without mentioning the actual gym bag?
A durable gym bag is an investment towards your convenience, organization, and the longevity of your training equipment. Look for a gym bag with multiple compartments to keep your gear organized and easily accessible. Weather-resistant features, such as waterproof materials, are also key for protecting your items from damage.
Additionally, size matters. Your gym bag should comfortably accommodate all your gear without becoming an unwieldy burden. Overstuffing can lead to wear and tear, and struggling to fit in everything can add unnecessary stress to your training routine if you’re shuffling around to find gear.
But also keep in mind that your gym bag might have to fit in a locker in the case the gym you go to has a strict locker room policy for gym bags.
Some might prefer pump covers or stringers, but think about how your clothing is actually going to impact your lift. The right gym clothes can impact the quality of your training, and as such, deserves a dedicated spot in your gym bag. Pack your clothes into your gym bag the night before training so you aren't tempted to skip a workout due to lack of preparation.
Choosing workout clothes made of elastic materials allows for an unrestricted range of motion, important for performing exercises correctly and efficiently. These fabrics adapt to your body's movements, reducing the risk of injury and improving your overall athletic performance.
Additionally, your workout clothes should also be breathable. Breathable fabrics are designed to wick away sweat, keeping you dry and comfortable during your training sessions. This moisture-wicking ability helps maintain your body temperature, prevent skin irritation, and minimize distractions so you can fully focus on your workout.
If you’re looking to pick up some clean workout clothes for the gym, you can check out what’s on sale in the Garage Strength apparel store. We have limited-time apparel lines every season so feel free to add on to your workout outfit.
The role of the right gym shoes in athletic performance shouldn’t be overlooked. Yet, the type of footwear you choose can significantly impact your stability, form, and safety during gym workouts, especially when it comes to weightlifting.
Weightlifting shoes are designed with elevated, solid heels, enhancing stability and allowing for a deeper squat while maintaining proper form. Squat shoes, often synonymous with weightlifting shoes, also serve this purpose, improving the effectiveness of your lifts.
Alternatively, cross-trainers are a versatile choice, providing a balance of flexibility, cushioning, and stability, making them suitable for a variety of workouts. Sneakers, on the other hand, can be perfect for lighter gym days, cardio, or agility training, thanks to their comfort and mobility.
Want to lift more weight? A good weight belt as an absolute gym bag essential.
Lifting belts come in various materials and thicknesses, each offering unique benefits. Leather belts are typically more rigid and durable, providing excellent support for heavy lifting. Nylon belts, on the other hand, offer more flexibility, making them suitable for workouts requiring a wider range of motion.
A lifting belt creates more intra-abdominal pressure when you brace during a lift, helping stabilize your whole midsection and protect against potential internal injuries. They also allow for improved power transmission from your hips to your upper body, which can contribute to lifting heavier loads.
This should be a no-brainer, but bring a freaking water bottle!
During gym workouts, our bodies lose significant amounts of fluid through sweat, leading to potential dehydration, which can drastically hinder performance and recovery. Carrying a reusable water bottle enables constant access to water, promoting consistent hydration throughout your training session.
A good water bottle should ideally have insulation properties to maintain water temperature, and a tight seal to prevent leakage. This ensures your drink remains refreshing throughout your training and your gym equipment stays dry.
If you don't have a water bottle, make it a priority to pick up some water either on your way to the gym or at the gym if it's available. (Sponsors welcome!)
One effective tool that may often be overlooked is the lifting strap. These simple but reusable pieces of equipment can transform your lifting routine, making them an essential addition to your gym bag.
Lifting straps work by providing an extended grip to the bar, allowing athletes to handle more weight in pulls, bent over rows, or deadlifts. This additional grip strength ensures you can challenge your muscles to their fullest potential without your workout being limited by your grip.
I’m sure we all feel the same way about commercial gym music…
This is where we might need our own earbuds or headphones during a lift.
Having your own set of earbuds isn't just about personal enjoyment. The right soundtrack can boost motivation, help maintain pace, and make your workout more enjoyable. Research even suggests that music can have a profound impact on exercise performance, endurance, and perceived effort.
By having something like wireless headphones in your gym bag, you ensure that you control your workout environment to a great extent. They allow you to tune into your own world, creating a personal zone of motivation and focus amidst the shared space.
While it's common for athletes to keep supplements at home, having them readily available in your gym bag can be a smart move.
Pre-workout supplements can be beneficial to consume just before your training session, providing an energy boost and enhancing focus. Having them in your bag ensures you won’t miss the optimal intake window even when you're on the go.
Creatine, known to enhance strength and muscle mass, can also be handy to have post-workout. In addition to creatine, having a protein supplement available immediately after your training can kick-start the recovery process by providing essential amino acids for muscle repair and growth.
On a similar subject as supplements, who gets a little hungry toward the end of their workout? Hopefully not just me.
While it's not an absolute necessity, bringing a snack or a granola bar is a smart move that can ensure your energy levels stay optimal before, during, and after your workout sessions.
A pre-workout snack can provide the necessary fuel for your body to perform at its best. Opt for something light and easily digestible, such as a piece of fruit or a small serving of whole grains.
For a post workout snack, it's important to replenish your energy stores and start the recovery process. A granola bar, packed with a balanced mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, can serve this purpose excellently until you have your next meal.
Finally on our list of gym bag essentials is the gym towel. This is different from a regular towel that you would use for a post workout shower. Gym towels are usually smaller and more portable.
While most gyms have cleansing wipes and resources in place, carrying your own towel provides an extra layer of assurance. Before using a piece of equipment, a quick wipe down can ensure that you're training in a clean environment. Post-workout, wiping off equipment is a respectful and considerate gesture towards your fellow gym-goers.
Additionally, a gym towel can serve as a barrier between you and shared gym equipment, helping to reduce direct contact and the potential spread of germs.
Your gym bag doesn’t need to be an entire camping bag of goodies and random equipment. Bring what you need to lift well and usually only stuff you would use every day.
The first half of the list does a good job of pointing out what you should be bringing every day to ensure you’re set up for success. A couple things we didn’t mention in the article that are honorable mentions include:
One thing we can help you with, if you don’t know where to start, is a program.
Although it might be on your phone, or written down somewhere, it’s a good idea to have a program that helps you achieve your long term goals. Peak Strength provides programs for athletes and general lifters alike for specific sports or even if you are just trying to lose weight.
Try Peak Strength to get 5 free workouts and have your program be a gym bag essential as well. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Stop letting PRs slip away by using the wrong chalk. As with any athlete, there might be a preference for what equipment you use during training. That includes lifting chalks.
Lifting chalk is used to protect hands during training, improve grip security, and also prevent injuries from uncontrolled weights. Do not get lifting chalk confused with regular chalk that you used to play outside with. This chalk is easier to clean up, often cheaper, and often has minimal ingredients to reduce skin irritation. Yes…there are different options and forms of lifting chalk.
So what are the options?
Aside from traditional blocks of chalks, you’ll find new ways to dry out hands for activity such as lifting, throwing, or climbing. The two other ways that you can get better grips with chalk include liquid chalk and chalk balls.
We’ll dive deeper into the benefits and compromises of each one, but it’s important to understand your options right off the bat.
Throughout this article, we’ll touch on why magnesium carbonate is the go to solution for drying your hands during training and how the different variations may be ideal for your gym bag. Then to top it off, we’ll give you the Garage Strength recommendations for the gym chalk you should be using depending on the type you’re looking for.
Lifting chalk is a staple in gym bags and athletic venues around the world, yet many people don't fully understand what it is, why it's used, or what it's made of.
First things first, what exactly is lifting chalk?
Despite what the name might suggest, it's not the same chalk that's used on classroom blackboards. Lifting chalk is a topical substance primarily used to dry out the hands. It absorbs the sweat and moisture that often accumulate on our palms during strenuous activities, which in turn enhances grip and reduces the chances of an unfortunate slip-up.
Different types of athletes use lifting chalk, not just weightlifters. Rock climbers rely on it to keep their hands dry while scaling rough terrains, helping them maintain a secure hold on rocks and equipment.
Throwers, such as shot put, discus, and javelin athletes, use it to better control their equipment during the heat of competition. Even gymnasts and pole dancers apply lifting chalk for a secure grip during complex maneuvers.
Interestingly, lifting chalk isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are various types that cater to different athletes' needs, with each variant boasting unique attributes.
The most commonly used forms are block chalk, loose chalk, liquid chalk, and chalk balls. Block chalk, often a large lump of solid chalk, is popular for its longevity and cost-effectiveness. Loose chalk is essentially block chalk that's been crushed into a powder and is favored for its easy application. Liquid lifting chalk, a blend of chalk and alcohol, is praised for its mess-free application and longer-lasting effects. Lastly, chalk balls are small sacks filled with chalk, reducing waste and preventing excessive dust.
Now, let's discuss the primary component of lifting chalk: magnesium carbonate (MgCO3).
Magnesium carbonate is a white, inorganic compound that's been the athlete's choice for decades. It's preferred over alternatives because it's excellent at absorbing moisture without making the hands feel overly dry or chalky.
Additionally, it doesn't usually cause skin irritation, which can be a concern with continued use of some substances.
Apart from its stellar moisture-absorbing properties, magnesium carbonate also provides a certain level of friction that enhances grip. The fine particles of the chalk increase the surface area of contact between the hand and the object being gripped (be it a barbell, rock, or javelin).
This friction plays a crucial role in providing the lifter, climber, or thrower with the control they need during their activity.
Magnesium carbonate is not only effective but also safe. It's non-toxic and doesn't pose a risk if inhaled in small quantities (although, of course, one should always try to avoid direct inhalation). Magnesium carbonate is easily washable, which means you can get rid of it as soon as you're done with your training session or competition.
While chalk can be used with various applications, some scenarios warrant the need for lifting chalk more than others.
When it comes to using lifting chalk, the primary deciding factor is how sweaty your hands are. If your palms are excessively sweaty, they'll naturally become slippery, compromising your grip.
This is where lifting chalk comes in.
Lifting chalk helps absorb the sweat and provides a layer of friction which can significantly improve your hold. Therefore, irrespective of the workout, if your hands are damp and your grip feels unsteady, it's time to reach for the chalk.
Specialized athletes, such as weightlifters and gymnasts, use weightlifting chalk in a more targeted manner. Olympic lifting, with its dynamic movements, requires a rock-solid grip on the bar.
Whether it's the big pull of a clean and jerk, or securely catching a snatch in the hole, having a good grip is non-negotiable. Chalk should often be liberally applied before almost every lift to ensure the bar doesn't slip mid-motion.
Gymnasts, on the other hand, utilize gymnastics chalk for an array of athletic feats. From the parallel bars to the rings, a reliable grip can mean the difference between a perfect routine and a dangerous fall.
Before each performance, gymnasts should apply a generous coating of chalk to their hands, and often their wrists and forearms, to keep their grip firm and steady.
For general athletes and gym-goers, lifting chalk can be employed whenever they feel their grip faltering. Exercises like pull-ups, deadlifts, and rows are prime examples.
In these movements, the entire weight of the bar (or the athlete's body, in the case of pull-ups) hangs from the grip of the hands. When fatigue sets in and sweat starts to build up, chalk can should be used to get hose reps in safely and comfortably.
Powerlifters and weightlifters can use lifting chalk in a slightly different way in competition. For them, chalk's utility extends beyond just the palms.
In movements like the back squat or the clean, the bar is often positioned across the shoulders or collarbone. Sweating in these areas can cause the bar to slide, disrupting the lift or, worse, causing injury. To prevent this, these athletes can apply chalk to these areas, providing an extra layer of security to keep the bar in place.
Let's not forget the rock climbers, who often rely on chalk to conquer challenging ascents. Given the nature of the sport, climbers can't afford a weak grip. Here, chalk becomes a necessity, not a luxury. Before and during a climb, they will frequently chalk up their hands to ensure a reliable hold on every precarious ledge and crevice.
In the end, the use of lifting chalk boils down to personal preference and the demands of your sport or workout. Not all activities will necessitate chalk, and not all athletes will prefer it.
However, for those exercises or sports where grip plays a pivotal role and sweat is a common enemy, lifting chalk can provide a substantial advantage. Its usage isn't restricted to any specific point during a workout, but rather linked to your individual need – typically when sweat starts interfering with your grip or equipment stability.
Lifting chalk can provide shot putters with a more reliable grip on the shot, especially during the outdoor season when humidity and perspiration can make the shot slippery.
Before the throw, athletes will typically apply a generous layer of chalk to their fingers and palm. This ensures a firm and confident hold on the shot, enabling them to channel their strength more effectively during the throw.
Additionally, shot putters often place the shot against their neck during the initial stage of the throw. This positioning, although crucial for leveraging power, creates a risk of the shot slipping due to sweat or skin oils. To counter this, athletes often apply chalk to their neck area. The chalk provides an extra layer of friction, keeping the shot securely in place throughout the rotation and launch.
Block chalk is the OG of lifting chalk. It comes in large, solid squares that can be broken down into smaller chunks or ground into a fine powder chalk for when it’s needed. Its popularity stems from its effectiveness and economical value, offering a substantial amount of chalk at an affordable price.
You can often get 4-8 blocks for around $20
Block chalk’s dry texture effectively absorbs sweat and enhances grip, while being easy to apply as you can get really specific since you hold it. However, it’s also the messiest of the three main types of chalk.
The chalk dust tends to disperse in the air and on the floor, which can lead to additional cleanup work and potential respiratory irritation.
Transporting block chalk can be somewhat cumbersome, given its bulkier size if not broken down and can get a gym bag really messy if it spills inside the bag.
Some gyms may also have restrictions on using block chalk due to its messiness. Despite these downsides, for athletes who value efficacy and value for money, block chalk remains an appealing choice.
This is the chalk we use at Garage Strength for our athletes because it is easy to share and a block lasts about half a week even with hundreds of athletes coming through the door every day.
Liquid chalk is a modern twist on traditional chalk, combining magnesium carbonate with alcohol to create a quick-drying paste. As the alcohol evaporates after application, it leaves behind a layer of chalk that’s resistant to sweat and offers a solid grip.
One of the biggest benefits of liquid lifting chalk is its convenience.
It comes in compact, spill-proof bottles that are easy to transport. Plus, the application is a breeze — simply squirt, rub your hands together, and now you’re chalked up. The low-dust, low-mess nature of liquid chalk makes it a favorite among gym owners and cleanliness-conscious athletes.
However, liquid chalk tends to be more expensive than its counterparts and doesn’t last as long.
It also dries out the skin more than other types, which can be an issue for individuals with already dry or sensitive skin. Some athletes find the grip provided by liquid chalk to be less effective than block chalk, but this largely depends on individual preference.
A chalk ball is essentially a small sack filled with crushed chalk, which is released through the fabric when squeezed. Chalk balls combine the effectiveness of block chalk with the reduced mess of liquid chalk, offering a sort of middle-ground option.
The main advantage of chalk balls lies in their mess-minimizing design. As the chalk is contained within the sack, the amount of dust that escapes into the air and onto the floor is significantly reduced. Chalk balls are also reasonably portable, making them a good option for climbers and athletes on the go.
On the downside, chalk balls may not provide as thorough a coating as block or liquid chalk, as the distribution is more controlled. Also, depending on the fabric's permeability, getting enough chalk out can occasionally be a struggle, especially as the ball nears the end of its lifespan.
TO be honest, it’s hard to define the “best lifting chalk” on the market. Because in reality, the best lifting chalk is going to be something simple, convenient, non-irritable, and dry. That is magnesium carbonate to a tee. Instead of talking about the best lifting chalk, let’s look at our favorite options for each.
You know we had to throw a shameless plug in here. Garage Strength lifting chalk is the day-in and day-out chalk that athletes like Hayley Reichardt, Jake Horst, and Eric Favors use for their training sessions.
Our lifting chalk is exactly what you’d expect: a block of premium magnesium carbonate.
If you are an athlete or are prone to some serious training sweats, you might want to look into higher quality chalk like this. This is the formula elite athletes use in the dead of the humid, Pennsylvania summer where 90 degrees makes you sweat more than a dry 105.
Garage Strength lifting chalk absorbs moisture instead of mixing with it so that your hands stay dry and protected without the caking of lower quality chalks.
Although this is not liquid chalk or a chalk ball, Garage Strength lifting chalk is a good solution for athletes and conditions where you will be sweatier than usual.
When it comes to just snagging some chalk and running with it, Ader Gym Chalk is a good go-to. Ader chalk is hard to beat when it comes to value and it stays true to being just straight magnesium carbonate.
There’s nothing fancy, no gimmicks, and nothing that makes this chalk the “ultimate chalk to use” and that’s why we love it. Before we started making our own lifting chalk, we used Ader here at Garage Strength.
Ader was used in every chalk bin, used by every athlete that walked through the doors, and every thrower that was tossing bombs in the shot circle. Ader has helped Garage Strength develop freak athletes like Nick Singleton and world medalists like Hayley Reichardt.
For about $15 per pound of chalk (8 2oz blocks per package), it’s perfect for stocking fully loaded gyms, or lasting the average at-home lifter for about 6 months.
If you’re not getting chalk through Garage Strength, Ader is the next best thing.
Togear offers a great liquid chalk set which is probably the easiest and cleanest chalk to transport.
Although we aren’t the biggest fans of liquid chalk and it’s not something we use for our athletes, this is a good solution for individuals. I know that some gyms like LA Fitness and YMCAs may be stingy abotu chalk usage, but that’s primarily with block and dusty chalk.
As bad as it sounds, if you are lifting at a commercial gym where they might call you out for using chalk, Togear liquid chalk is a good solution to sneak around those rules.
I’m not saying you should break the rules of the gym you go to. Always respect the rules of any fitness campus you visit. Just if you decide to go through with it anyway, liquid chalk will be a lot less noticeable compared to chalk or a ball.
Togear’s set is easily portable, has minimal ingredients to reduce skin irritation, and cleans up easily. The only thing you may run into trouble with is the effectiveness of the chalk when dried and having to reapply generously to get the grip you want.
If you are in the loose powder club (unlike me) then you will probably want to go with the Bryo Refillable Chalk Sock. Especially if you are a traveling lifter of one.
The Byro sock has an extra level of mess protection with the secondary chalk bag that comes along with the ball. The Primo Chalk Ball doesn’t come standard with this.
This sock and ball is not meant to house block chalk, at least in its blocky form. This is for those carrying around the powder chalk and prefer the refined chalk to apply to their hands.
Refiling the sleeve is inexpensive, but may get messy as you pour. So just be careful that when you are ready for a refill, that you do it outside or in an area that is easy to clean up.
The chalk you use is really up to your preference and what your gym allows, but if you are training at a performance gym or at home, the chalk block is the way to go. Even if you go to a commercial gym that allows chalk, find a Tupperware or a Ziplock baggie to house your chalk block throughout your workout.
The chalk block is easy to share, quick to replace, and can be broken down into a powder if that is the form you prefer. Garage Strength lifting chalk is what our throwers, football players, weightlifters, and general fitness clients use everyday to become the best versions of themselves.
As someone that may drive to a gym that doesn’t provide complimentary chalk or attend a gym that is strict with chalk rules, liquid chalk may be a better option. Although you will probably end up paying a little extra for a chalk that doesn’t provide the same secure grip as a block or a ball.
For chalk that can withstand the brunt of 2-3 hours of intense and probably sweaty training, check out Garage Strength’s lifting chalk for details and specs. If you want to train to be a freak, you have to be prepared like one. Lather the chalk and don’t let go of any goals you’re working toward.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
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You’re a climber, not a bodybuilder! But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train in the gym to improve your strength as a climber.
Strength training with weights will make climbing easier and actually improve your overall muscular endurance. Rock climbing is a game of strength, endurance, balance, and precision - each of these attributes playing a vital role as you ascend.
The sheer physical demands of climbing mean that even the most dedicated climbers can hit a plateau. That's where strength training comes in. It helps you push past these barriers and reach new heights - literally!
Resistance training will boost overall strength, particularly in key muscle groups like the back, arms, and core, enhance grip strength, and even improve your range of motion and ankle flexion. This means you will need to go to a gym with weights and not just a climbing gym.
In essence, strength training fortifies you for the diverse, demanding movements of climbing. In this article, we'll go into the hows and whys of strength training for climbers, providing you with actionable exercise to start doing immediately.
Rock climbing is an intense, full-body workout that demands skill, strength, and endurance. As climbers, you might often question whether incorporating weight training into your regimen would be beneficial for pushing muscles. The short answer is - yes, absolutely!
And if you need a weight training program for climbing, try Peak Strength, to get 5 free workouts made specifically for climbers!
Weight training is typically associated with strength athletes or performance athletes. However, its value extends far beyond sports that require immense power production. Strength and weight training for rock climbers can have significant effects on climbing performance, enhancing not only overall strength but also endurance and mobility.
Strength training is all about developing muscles and improving physical adaptations. For rock climbers, this does not necessarily mean turning into a bulky bodybuilder. Instead, it's about refining the right type of strength in specific muscles, ensuring better climbing efficiency and reducing the risk of injury.
Rock climbing involves prolonged physical activity, which requires an exceptional level of muscular endurance, particularly in your back, arms, and core. The stronger these muscles are, the longer they can withstand fatigue.
A well-crafted weight training program can help improve muscular endurance by conditioning your body to efficiently use energy. This can translate into a significant advantage on the climbing wall, where repeated hand, arm, and body movements can quickly lead to muscle fatigue.
In rock climbing, your hands are your lifelines. An effective weight training routine can dramatically improve your grip strength, giving you the ability to hold onto climbing holds better and for longer periods.
Incorporating exercises like wrist curls, dead hangs, and farmer's walks into your training routine can bolster grip strength. In turn, a stronger grip can improve your climbing technique, boosting your overall performance. But we will touch on some additional exercises toward the end of this article.
Strength training is not just about lifting heavy weights. When properly implemented, it can significantly enhance your flexibility and range of motion. Exercises that focus on full-body movements, such as snatches, cleans, or squats, can help improve mobility in your lower body.
This improved mobility can be particularly advantageous in climbing scenarios where precise foot placement is needed.
Improved ankle flexion, achieved through weight training, can assist in providing a more solid base when standing on tiny holds. This, in turn, allows for more dynamic movements while climbing.
Incorporating strength training into your routine not only increases your power and endurance but also improves your mobility and flexibility. So yes, rock climbers should definitely consider lifting weights as part of their training regimen.
So let’s actually take a look at what aspects of your body you need to prioritize when you spend time in the gym.
Rock climbing is a sport where a strong grip can make the difference between success and a potential fall. However, it’s not so much about absolute grip strength as it is about grip endurance.
While a powerful grip can certainly assist with harder holds, grip endurance ensures you can maintain a steady grasp over extended periods, a critical requirement in rock climbing.
So, how do you train for grip endurance?
Time holds are an excellent place to start. By maintaining a grip on a pull up bar, dumbbell with thick grips, or a specially designed grip tool for extended periods, you are effectively training your hands to endure the stresses of prolonged climbing.
Try exercises like dead hangs from a bar or grip squeezes with a stress ball. Start with short intervals and gradually increase the duration as your endurance improves. Remember, the goal is to prolong your grip, not maximize your lifting power.
Climbing is a significant upper body workout, placing considerable demands on your biceps, lats, upper back, and forearms. Like grip training, the focus should not just be on absolute strength but rather on muscular endurance.
And no, climbers don’t really need to max out their bench press.
Incorporate exercises like pull-ups, dumbbell rows, and resistance band curls to target these muscles. These will engage pulling muscles and help with the main action of climbing.
However, instead of lifting heavy weights for fewer reps, aim for lighter weights and higher reps. This will help build endurance in these muscles, allowing them to withstand the long-term demands of climbing. A well-rounded routine should aim to build both strength and stamina, thus enhancing your overall climbing performance.
This might sound similar to hypertrophy, which it basically is. You are trying to progressively improve your body’s relative strength so that it gradually lasts longer even as you may gain muscle from strength training.
While rock climbing may seem heavily upper-body oriented, the importance of a strong lower body cannot be overstated.
Exercises like the snatch and clean are excellent for climbers as they simulate the explosive and functional movements used in climbing.These strength training exercises not only help develop strength but also enhance stability and balance in the lower body.
While performing these movements, make sure to keep the volume low. The goal is to promote functional strength and stability rather than bulk up. Such training will also help improve ankle flexion and overall leg development, both of which are crucial for successful rock climbing.
By moving weight and creating force at different joint angles with feet shoulder width apart, your body will adapt to improving the coordination and functionality of the limbs and joints. This will ultimately make you stronger and a better climber.
The core plays a vital role in rock climbing, providing the necessary balance and stability. Given the constant tension and usage that climbing places on the core, it's essential to prioritize core strength training.
The focus, again, should be on endurance sets and pose holds. Exercises such as planks, Russian twists, and mountain climbers are excellent options. These easy examples can be done even at your climbing gym with no equipment.
Try performing these exercises in higher rep sets or holding poses for extended periods to increase endurance. As your core strength improves, you'll likely notice an improvement in your climbing ability, as a strong core allows for more control and stability during climbs.
You can do weighted core exercises here and there, but the endurance of your core will outweigh the need for building the absolute strength of your core.
This exercise adds a unique twist to the traditional pull-up and is a phenomenal tool for developing the kind of grip strength and endurance that can dramatically enhance your climbing performance.
Towel grip pull-ups not only engage the usual muscle systems – your biceps and latissimus dorsi (lats) – but also provide an additional, and significant, challenge to your grip.
This exercise requires you to grasp a towel (or two), hung over a pull-up bar, instead of the bar itself. This change puts a considerable emphasis on your grip strength, closely simulating the gripping action in rock climbing.
The towel grip pull-up is a comprehensive exercise that also targets your biceps and lats. The pulling motion helps build endurance in these muscles, preparing them for the repeated exertions of a long climb. By increasing the muscular endurance of these key muscle groups, you'll find that you can climb for longer periods before fatigue sets in.
To incorporate towel grip pull-ups into your training, here's an example set you can start with: Perform 4-5 sets of 10 towel grip pull-ups. After the tenth pull-up in each set, try to maintain a hold until failure. This additional hold will help further improve your grip endurance and simulate the starting position if you’re required to be in a narrow grip.
This classic upper body exercise is not just a test of strength and endurance but also an excellent simulator of the actual climbing movement. Adding a timed component to the ascent and a slow descent brings it even closer to the climbing experience.
Timed rope climbs introduce a level of intensity that prompts activation of high threshold motor units and boosts neural drive, leading to greater strength gains.
Just like with climbing specific training, the quick ascent requires a rapid and powerful contraction of muscles, particularly the lats, which are primarily involved in pulling your body upwards.
The real game-changer, however, is the slow descent. It introduces an eccentric component to the exercise - a type of contraction where your muscles lengthen under tension. This slow, controlled descent mirrors the strain your muscles face while navigating down a rock face.
Eccentric contractions are known to cause more muscle damage, leading to stronger and bigger muscles as they repair and grow.
Try doing 6-8 timed rope climbs with a slow descent in each of your workout sessions. Each climb could look something like this: Push for a quick ascent, then slowly lower yourself down, taking about double the time you took to climb up. This tempo ensures a balance between the strength-building, fast ascent and the endurance-focused, slow descent.
A true two-for-one exercise, hanging leg raises provide an intense workout for both your grip and your core, essential areas for improving climbing performance.
In a hanging leg raise, you're suspended from a bar (like in a pull-up), but instead of pulling your body upwards, you raise your legs until they're parallel to the ground or higher.
This movement significantly engages your core muscles, improving their strength and endurance. Additionally, the 'hanging' aspect of the exercise gives your grip additional work.
At this point in your workout, you may treat this exercise like an accessory or supplemental work, so your hands may be tired or sweaty. If you have already used gym chalk and you still have a hard time gripping the bar, you can use lifting straps to assist you even when your grip is starting to give out.
Performing this exercise with just body weight allows the focus to remain on muscular endurance, crucial for rock climbing. While hanging leg raises can be done with weights for added resistance, rock climbers will benefit more from unweighted sets, aiming for higher reps.
So, how should you integrate hanging leg raises into your workout? A suitable scheme would be 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps. Importantly, after the final rep of each set, hold your legs in the raised position until failure. This static hold provides an extra challenge to your core muscles and pushes your grip endurance even further, a fitting simulation of a challenging climb.
The premise of PVC roller walks is simple: You walk on a PVC roller, similar to those cartoons of characters running on a log in the water. The rolling motion underfoot demands considerable balance and proprioception, helping to enhance your footing and stability - vital elements for clinging onto narrow, uneven rock surfaces.
Besides working on balance, PVC roller walks also provide strength benefits. Walking on the roller engages the small muscles in your feet that you may not normally target, reinforcing them over time. This strength development can lead to more secure and efficient foot placements when climbing.
Another significant benefit lies in the enhancement of ankle mobility. As you roll your feet over the PVC pipe, it helps loosen up the plantar fascia (the connective tissue that spans the bottom of your feet), facilitating better ankle movement.
Improved ankle mobility can translate into a wider range of climbing movements, including more effective heel and toe hooks.
To integrate PVC roller walks into your training schedule, aim for 4-5 lengths of about 10-15 meters each. As your balance and foot strength improve, you can challenge yourself further by holding a light weight above your head while walking.
If you don’t know where to get the right PVC roller, you can get one from our site here.
If you just skipped to the bottom for an easy answer, the answer is YES! Rock climbers should definitely weight lift to improve their muscular endurance, strength, and mobility. You will become a better climber and even reduce injury risk.
There are a number of ways to improve your performance as a climber or just making it easier to actually climb. Improving your grip strength, core strength, and relative strength are all key benefits of strength training in the gym.
So what does an actual gym workout for a climber look like? You can get 5 free workouts for rock climbing with our app, Peak Strength, which is in the IOS or Google Play store. With over 700 unique exercises, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a workout that helps you become a better rock climber. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Have you been ignoring the best workout split ever? Maybe you’ve been doing it without knowing it, but is the PHUL program right for you? PHUL stands for...........
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Have you been ignoring the best workout split ever? Maybe you’ve been doing it without knowing it, but is the PHUL program right for you?
PHUL stands for power hypertrophy upper lower. It’s a four day a week workout split for athletes and general lifters alike. The first two days concentrate on power-based movements, capitalizing on compound exercises to bolster overall strength.
The latter two days, however, shift to hypertrophy, where the volume increases to promote muscle growth and endurance. By integrating these two critical aspects of fitness into one program, a PHUL workout provides an inclusive platform for holistic physical development.
PHUL is a great introduction to variation-based programming for beginners or bodybuilders that want to include power training into their split. If you want something similar, but more advanced than PHUL, we created the Peak Strength app to help improve athletes through long-term development. In this article, we will touch on what PHUL is, an example of a weekly PHUL program, and different exercises to incorporate into your weekly training.
The PHUL workout split is a 4-day routine that covers all aspects of stimulating the muscles through different levels of intensity. The first day is the power day, focusing on heavier weights and less volume. The second day is hypertrophy which will jump the volume, decrease the weight slightly, and build a massive pump. The third and fourth days are strictly for isolating the upper and lower body muscles.
On power days, the emphasis is on lifting heavier weights, while scaling back on the total number of reps. This might sound counterintuitive to some, but it is actually a crucial strategy for enhancing muscle power. The heavy weights ignite your muscles' highest capacity, triggering stronger contractions, while the lower reps prevent muscle fatigue, allowing you to maintain that high-intensity effort throughout the session.
The number of reps usually ranges from three to five, spanning three to five sets, thus ensuring the overall workout intensity remains high. This approach not only keeps the workout time-effective but also makes it more results-oriented.
For instance, if it’s a lower body power day, exercises might include squats, deadlifts, or leg presses. For an upper body power day, think of bench presses, rows, or overhead presses. The aim here is to push your muscles to their limit with heavier weights while challenging your strength, fostering power in the process.
The power day is all about engaging your muscles in a different way to promote growth and strength. It sets the tone for the rest of your PHUL week, fostering a solid foundation from which you can build upon throughout the week.
On hypertrophy days, the primary focus is to induce muscular growth. Instead of striving for maximum strength, the emphasis here is to create microtears in your muscle fibers through increased volume, meaning a higher number of sets and repetitions with lighter weights.
This approach stresses the muscles for a prolonged period, stimulating muscle protein synthesis and enhancing muscle growth during recovery periods.
You'll typically aim for 8 to 12 reps across 3 to 4 sets, with exercises tailored to continue the work you started on power days. For instance, on an upper body hypertrophy day, you might perform dumbbell bench presses, lateral raises, or bent over rows.
Similarly, on a lower body hypertrophy day, exercises like leg extensions, hamstring curls, or lunges could be included.
It's important to remember that while the weights are lighter compared to power days, the intensity remains high due to the increased volume of reps and sets. The hypertrophy day is your key to increasing muscle mass and getting that size that you’re stringing for to improve overall performance.
By taking a day's break between the hypertrophy day and the upper body day, your body gets the much-needed time to repair muscle fibers and replenish energy reserves.
This paves the way for an effective upper body day where your strength and stamina are at their peak, enabling you to tackle a demanding workout with finesse.
Your upper body day will begin with compound exercises such as the bench press, military press, or bent over rows. These exercises are great for targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously, enhancing your overall strength and muscle mass.
Following the compound exercises, you will move onto isolating specific upper body muscle groups – the back, shoulders, chest, biceps, and triceps. Each of these muscle groups plays a pivotal role in defining your upper body aesthetics and functionality, and deserves dedicated focus.
Exercises like lat pull-downs, shoulder presses, chest flyes, bicep curls, and tricep extensions can be incorporated into your routine for targeted muscle hypertrophy and development.
The upper body day is there to further develop the upper body adaptations you are working toward, highlighting the power and muscle mass you've built throughout the PHUL workout split.
Remember, the purpose is to challenge each muscle group, while still respecting your body's need for recovery. Embracing this balanced approach will help you achieve the defined, powerful upper body that you aspire to have.
The lower body workouts signify the culmination of your weekly fitness efforts. Focusing on power, strength, and muscle hypertrophy, this day is dedicated to strengthening the legs, arguably the foundation of your physique.
Your lower body day starts with compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, or cleans. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups at once, fostering a strong neurological and high-threshold motor unit response during your workout that stimulates muscle growth and boosts your metabolic rate.
As this is the last working day in the weekly split, it is an opportunity to push your boundaries and add more weight to the bar. This focus on high intensity encourages the adaptations of muscle hypertrophy and strength in your lower body while challenging your overall endurance and fitness.
Following the compound exercises, the next stage involves isolation exercises targeted at the hamstrings, quads, and glutes. Isolation exercises such as hamstring curls, leg extensions, and glute bridges allow you to focus intensely on these specific muscle groups, refining and sculpting them for a balanced, aesthetically pleasing lower body.
This day provides a powerful ending to your PHUL workout split, ensuring your lower body muscles are as well-defined and robust as your upper body ones.
Check out the program below for a look at how a PHUL workout (power hypertrophy upper lower) will look as a general program.
This compound movement not only engages your core and lower body but also stimulates your upper body, making it a comprehensive powerhouse of an exercise.
On a power day, the primary focus is on lifting heavy, and back squats are tailor-made for this objective. By loading the weight onto your shoulders, you create a direct pathway for the force from your legs to travel upwards, engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This makes the back squat a perfect exercise for pushing weight and fostering overall power.
The clean is another necessary addition to the power day of your PHUL workout split. Beyond the sheer power and strength that this full-body movement fosters, it also demands a high level of technical coordination, blending agility, speed, and precision into your power training regimen.
When performed correctly, the clean engages nearly every muscle in your body – from the legs driving the initial lift, the core stabilizing the body, to the arms pulling and catching the bar to develop athletic adaptations during an upper body power workout.
The deadlift effectively targets several major muscle groups, builds core stability, and is instrumental in developing absolute strength.
The deadlift is a compound movement that demands engagement from your legs, back, and core, thereby delivering an all-around power boost. It's renowned for its ability to build an impressively strong posterior chain – the muscles that run up the back of your body, including your hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles.
Given its intense, full-body engagement, the deadlift is typically performed in fewer repetitions but with heavier weights. Athletes often do 8 to 10 sets of doubles or triples, pushing their absolute strength to the limit while maintaining form and control.
One of the primary reasons the bench press stands out on power day is its ability to handle heavier loads. The exercise enables you to safely and effectively push your upper body to the limits of its strength and power capacity. Despite its suitability for hypertrophy day due to its multi-joint nature, bench press truly shines on power day when the goal is to exert maximum strength.
Typically performed with lower reps but higher weights, bench press provides a robust way to build strength, improve muscle size, and enhance power in the upper body. There really is no question that it’s a staple upper power exercise.
Unlike the military press, which focuses primarily on the shoulders and triceps, the push press introduces the lower body into the equation, thereby making it a better exercise for hypertrophy workouts.
By integrating your legs' explosive power, the push press allows you to handle more reps since you are not strictly isolating the upper body, leading to increased volume. This is particularly beneficial for hypertrophy training, where the aim is to stimulate muscle hypertrophy through an accumulation of training volume.
Lat pulldowns primarily target the large muscles in your back, known as the latissimus dorsi, or "lats," but they also engage your biceps and forearms, offering a more holistic upper body workout. Any hypertrophy workouts that are that skip on a lat exercise are leading you down a road with an incomplete core.
Their advantage over pull-ups comes in the ability to fine-tune the weight for increased volume and the opportunity to perform drop sets. This is where you gradually decrease the weight while increasing repetitions without rest, intensifying muscle fatigue and maximizing muscle breakdown.
As a variant of the traditional bicep curl, hammer curls uniquely target both the biceps and the brachialis, a muscle of the upper arm. In addition, they place a significant amount of stress on the forearm muscles, contributing to overall arm development.
One of the distinguishing aspects of hammer curls is their ability to isolate and emphasize the long head of the bicep. This can lead to improved shape and size of your biceps, enhancing the muscular 'peak' when your arm is flexed.
When it comes to strengthening and enlarging your triceps, skull crushers make an excellent addition to Hypertrophy Day in your PHUL workout split. While the exercise is often associated with tricep development, it also indirectly contributes to building your biceps by working on the muscles' antagonist group.
The way skull crushers are performed - with an emphasis on the full extension and flexion of the arm - encourages significant muscle breakdown in your triceps, which indirectly stimulates the biceps, contributing to overall arm growth.
On the upper body day of your PHUL workout program, the dumbbell military press offers a fantastic route to boosting shoulder strength and stability.
Utilizing dumbbells allows for a natural range of motion, accommodating any individual joint limitations or mobility restrictions you might have. This exercise is highly adaptable, with options such as neutral grip, pronated grip, or alternating press, each targeting different aspects of your shoulder and upper body muscles.
The dumbbell press also promotes unilateral strength and balance, as both sides of your body have to work independently to lift the weights.
What sets the miracle grow apart from a dumbbell pullover is its full range of motion, making it an excellent compound exercise to target your lats and triceps, while still engaging your chest muscles to a lesser extent.
Starting in the same position as a regular dumbbell pullover, you fully extend your arms and lower the dumbbell behind your head. The key difference is in the movement control. Instead of using your chest to bring the weight back, you engage your lats to control the lowering of the dumbbell and use your triceps to push it back to the starting position.
Known for its comprehensive engagement of multiple muscle groups, including the back, biceps, and forearms, the bent over row is a versatile tool for muscular development.
Even if a barbell isn't accessible, this exercise remains adaptable with dumbbells, ensuring you continue to reap the benefits. Ultimately, bent over rows can be a game-changer for your PHUL workout routine, enabling you to enhance your athletic performance and achieve your fitness goals.
Primarily targeting the upper chest, front deltoids, and triceps, the incline bench press provides a great combination of power and hypertrophy work for fitting into your PHUL workout.
The unique angle of incline bench press allows for a broader range of muscle engagement than its flat bench counterpart. It emphasizes the upper pectoral muscles and shoulders more intensely, fostering balanced muscular development and power. This can aid in improving postural alignment and enhancing overall athletic performance.
The leg press primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. It allows for the development of these crucial muscles without requiring extensive stability or balance, making it a great choice for both beginners and seasoned athletes who may be recovering from certain injuries.
Moreover, the versatility of the leg press should not be underestimated. By altering foot positioning, you can emphasize a different muscle group more effectively. For instance, placing your feet higher on the platform targets hamstrings and glutes more, while a lower foot position puts greater emphasis on the quads.
Incorporating single leg squats into your PHUL workout provides an excellent means to develop lower body strength, balance, and fast-twitch muscle fibers. This unilateral exercise demands stabilization, coordination, and engages the core, adding an additional layer of complexity and benefit to your lower body training day.
One of the best ways to perform single leg squats is with a single leg roller stand. This tool assists in maintaining form and balance, enabling you to delve deeper into the movement while reducing the risk of injury. By doing so, you can maximize muscle engagement, particularly within the hamstrings and quadriceps.
What sets front squats apart is the dynamic trunk control and upper back stability they foster. As the barbell is placed at the front of your body, your torso works overtime to maintain an upright position, helping build a robust and stable core.
Moreover, the enhanced engagement of the upper back helps improve your posture and overall body mechanics. Front squats target your quads more directly, which can complement the hamstring focus of traditional back squats.
Nordic curls are exceptional in targeting the hamstrings, one of the most pivotal yet often neglected muscle groups in lower body training.
Unlike some other lower body exercises, nordic curls provide an intense eccentric load on the hamstrings. This unique loading stimulates muscle growth and significantly increases strength in this crucial muscle group, improving athletic performance and reducing the risk of injury.
If you have trouble doing nordic curls as they are, you can modify them by holding on to some powerlastic bands from behind.
Using the PHUL workout routine is actually a really good way to make strength gains while still getting the recovery you need to consistently make progress. By incorporating heavy intensity at the beginning and end of your training week, with hypertrophy in between, you’re sure to see improvement in all areas of your overall fitness.
The PHUL workout is one the best ways to be introduced to power-based training in and out of season because it still allows athletes to do sport specific practices. If you want to go beyond the typical PHUL workout, get specialized programming for each sport, and get access to over 700 exercises, try out Peak Strength for free on the Apple or Google Play stores.
Try using PHUL (power hypertrophy upper lower) then upgrade to Peak Strength to become an absolute BEAST. PEACE!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
This is how to sprint faster: practice shorter sprints, incorporate resistance to your sprints, and train in the gym 2-3 times a week. When you do those three things, you will see your top maximum speed increase and your distance times drop.
We'll break down the anatomy of a sprint, starting from the crucial moments before the sprint begins, the explosive start, and the subsequent phases leading up to the finish line. We will discuss in-depth the mechanics involved in each of these phases, and the techniques for high intensity speed training
You’ll also get specific drills designed to improve your sprinting speed, focusing on different points of a sprint. This means finding drills that improve getting out of the blocks, developing the drive phase, and reaching maximum speed ASAP.
Alongside these drills, we'll introduce strength exercises, including variations of cleans, single leg squats, and nordic hamstring curls. These exercises are targeted at developing fast twitch muscle fibers, muscle strength, and core stability - all vital for a powerful sprint.
Whether you're looking to smash personal records, or outpace the competition on the playing field, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and techniques to get FAST AF!
Launching your sprint effectively is a blend of balance, power, and technique. It all begins with the starting position: adopt a crouched stance, with your feet shoulder-width apart for stability. Position one foot slightly ahead of the other to align with your natural stride and balance.
Next, focus on loading your quads. Your quads are the powerhouse of your sprint start. Bending at the knees loads energy into these muscles, preparing them for the explosive launch. Think of your quads as a coiled spring, ready to uncoil and propel you forward.
Importantly, maintain a balanced position. This involves your entire body: your feet grounding you, your core engaged, and your upper body leaning slightly forward. This forward lean isn't just about balance; it’s about direction and momentum. A slight forward angle means gravity is on your side when you start your sprint, pulling you in the direction you want to go.
The moment of ignition is critical. In one swift, explosive movement, extend your legs and drive off the balls of your feet. Channel the energy you've stored in your quads, pushing the ground away from you as you launch yourself forward.
Perfecting your sprint start is about optimizing these mechanics. It's an intricate interplay between balance, strength, and momentum. Remember, speed isn't just about how fast you move your legs; it starts with how swiftly and efficiently you can transition from stillness to motion.
Your sprint should move smoothly from the explosive start into the crucial drive phase. This phase is all about building momentum, increasing stride length, and harnessing your full power to achieve maximum speed.
In the initial meters of the drive phase, take shorter, quicker steps. This high-frequency foot turnover helps you build speed and continue the forward momentum from your start.
Gradually, as your velocity increases, let your stride lengthen. But remember, the goal isn't long strides for their own sake, but efficient and powerful ones. Your feet should land directly beneath your body to maximize forward propulsion and prevent braking forces.
Keeping your core tight and engaged during this phase is key. It will maintain your balance, control your limbs, and direct your power forward, not side-to-side. A solid core is the platform on which efficient, powerful sprinting is built.
Your arms are not just bystanders in this performance. Pumping them strong and rhythmically in sync with your leg movement provides balance and contributes to your overall propulsion. Your arms should swing back and forth from the shoulders (not side to side) with elbows at about a 90-degree angle.
Ideally, the drive phase should last no longer than about 10 meters. Staying in this phase too long is inefficient, as it delays reaching your maximum speed. Understanding and refining these mechanics can lead to significant improvements in your speed and performance.
Now, your transition from shorter, quicker steps to longer, powerful strides should be complete. Each stride now should cover more ground as you propel yourself forward with maximum force and velocity.
Your core remains vital in this phase. Keeping it braced and engaged maintains your balance and ensures efficient transfer of power from your torso to your limbs. This provides the stable platform necessary for your arms and legs to work in harmony, creating the momentum to maintain top speed.
Your gaze should be straight ahead, locking onto your finish line. The only time you should really worry about your surroundings is if you are in active play for football, soccer, or similar sport. This helps maintain your alignment and discourages any lateral movement that might detract from your forward momentum.
Do NOT slow down as you approach the finish line. Instead, aim to run through the finish, maintaining your top speed. Plan to decelerate only about 5 meters beyond the finish. This ensures that you’re maximizing your speed throughout the entirety of your sprint, rather than prematurely slowing down.
In the pursuit of greater sprinting speed, drills are an essential tool to fine-tune your technique and power. Using different drills with different levels of resistance will help with the different phases of your sprint progression.
One of the most effective exercises to kickstart your speed gains is the sled sprint.
Weighted sled sprints add resistance to your sprinting, pushing your muscles and neural drive to deliver higher power output. This drill particularly enhances the drive phase, aiding you in transitioning swiftly and smoothly into a full-on sprint.
Setting up is simple: load a sled with a weight of around 25-35 pounds. This strikes a good balance, providing substantial resistance while allowing you to maintain a sprinting motion. The aim is not to overload the sled, but to create a scenario where your body has to work harder to maintain speed and power.
Not everyone has a sled for sprints, so an easy way to add resistance into short sprints is using Powerlastic bands. You can put the band(s) across your stomach or waist while a partner holds the ends behind you.
Then you can easily incorporate resistance based speed training wherever you go because of how easy the bands are to transport.
If there's one drill that can revolutionize your sprinting start and drive phase, it's hill sprints. By sprinting uphill, you're naturally compelled to lean forward and position your feet correctly. It's a practical, intuitive way to develop the correct mechanics without even thinking about it.
Running up an incline encourages the proper foot landing - directly beneath your body. This is vital to generating forward propulsion and minimizing braking forces during your sprint.
Hill sprints simulate the start of the sprint, helping you refine your explosive start and transition into the drive phase. This form of training applies the principles of resistance training, making your body work harder during each stride. As a result, your explosive power and speed improve when you return to level ground.
You don't need a mountain for effective hill sprints; a slope of 10-25 meters is plenty. Why? Because the focus here is on the initial start and drive phase of your sprint. Repeating this short, intense effort drills into your muscle memory the explosive start and the swift transition into a full sprint.
Another drill for high intensity speed training to ramp up your sprinting speed is the 10 and 15 meter sprint. Short, yes, but it’s about the intensity here.
These sprints require maximum effort from the get-go, compelling you to reach top speed as quickly as possible. This makes them the perfect tool for developing both the drive and finishing phases of your sprint.
With 10 and 15 meter sprints, you're not only building your sprinting speed but also cultivating your sprinting endurance. Yes, each sprint is short, but the repetition of maximum effort trains your body to recover quickly, adapt to intense bursts of speed, and maintain this intensity over successive sprints.
For this drill, aim for a set of 5 to 10 sprints. Remember, each sprint is a maximum effort run; you're striving for top speed as swiftly as you can from the start.
10 and 15 meter sprints are a straightforward, effective drill for elevating your sprinting speed and technique. By pushing for maximum velocity in a short distance, you're honing your ability to explode into your sprint and maintain top speed - skills that will transform you into a more powerful and efficient sprinter.
A key part to increasing speed and sprinting faster is getting in the gym. You can only get so far with just running. The only way you’re going to increase your maximum speed potential is through incorporating strength training 2-3 times a week. Here are some exercises to include in your gym days.
The Clean, in its various forms, is exceptionally beneficial for developing explosive power and tightness, both of which are crucial for sprinting.
Incorporating these three Clean variations into your strength training regime can dramatically improve your sprinting speed. These exercises mirror the explosive movements required during a sprint, training your muscles and neural system to perform these movements more powerfully and efficiently. So, whether you're powering off the start line, accelerating into the drive phase, or maintaining speed and power during your sprint, Cleans are a valuable tool in your speed-building arsenal. Remember, a faster sprint is not just about moving your legs faster, but also about generating more power and efficiency with each stride.
First, let's talk about one-box Cleans. This variation is an athlete's best friend if they're looking to improve acceleration through the drive phase.
One Box Cleans require a powerful extension of the hips and legs to lift the weight, mirroring the drive phase's forceful stride transitions. Regular practice can translate into more explosive, efficient acceleration when you're sprinting.
The next variation I recommend are two-box cleans. This variation is all about working on that explosive start.
It's a true test of instantaneous power production as the lifter has to rapidly engage the neural drive to create a substantial amount of power, tightness, and force. Just like exploding off the blocks at the start of a sprint, two-box Cleans train your body to generate maximum power in a flash.
Lastly, I recommend doing hang cleans. This variation emphasizes maintaining tightness through the drive phase.
The hang clean's triple extension - extending the hips, knees, and ankles simultaneously - mimics the powerful movements required during the drive phase of a sprint. This exercise helps build power in your core and quadriceps, enabling you to maximize force through the front of your foot during sprints.
If there's a strength exercise that mirrors the balance, power, and coordination required for sprinting, it's the single leg squat. A prime unilateral movement, the single leg squat demands engagement of the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.
Single leg squats are essential for building fast twitch muscles in your legs. These muscle fibers are the key to explosive power and rapid acceleration - just what you need to blast off the starting line and maintain top speed.
Similar athletes like track cyclists will use single leg squat stands for their single leg squats to maximize the power output they can achieve from each leg.
When you perform single leg squats at a rapid pace with lighter weights, you specifically target these fast-twitch fibers, priming them for the speed and quickness required in sprinting.
Single leg squats are also phenomenal for developing overall muscle strength. By performing this exercise with heavier weights, you engage and challenge your muscles, promoting growth and strength. This contributes to a stronger push-off during each stride, leading to longer, more powerful strides and, ultimately, faster sprinting.
The unilateral movement mimics the one-legged nature of sprinting, making it a practical and effective strength exercise for sprinters. Whether you're looking to develop your fast-twitch muscle fibers or build powerful leg muscles, incorporating single leg squats into your strength training routine can be a game-changer for your sprinting speed.
One of our favorite exercises to enhance your sprinting speed is the nordic hamstring curl. Why?
This exercise provides a unique combination of core and hamstring strengthening in one dynamic movement. A stronger core and hamstrings result in a powerful stride, a necessity for faster sprinting.
Nordic hamstring curls are more than just a hamstring workout. This movement simultaneously works the core, teaching your body to maintain stability and control while exerting force.
Another benefit of nordic curls is their effectiveness in developing fast twitch muscle fibers, similar to the single leg squat. By incorporating this exercise into your training, you're conditioning these fibers to fire more quickly and powerfully, contributing to a faster start and more potent acceleration.
Recommended sets for nordic hamstring curls are generally in the range of 6-8 reps. This is a good range to stimulate some hypertrophy while allowing you to focus on contracting each rep.
Assisted Nordic curls, using powerlastic bands, are a great alternative that allow you to gradually build up your strength and control. This is for if you decide to up the volume of reps or have trouble with regular nordic curls.
The significance of sprinting for track athletes is undeniable. Track sprinters need to master explosive speed to excel in events like 100m, 200m, and 400m. Every millisecond counts in these races, making sprint training vital for competitive edge.
Considering varied sprint distances are the key events for track, sprinters should user the exercises above.
For football and rugby players, sprinting is a game-changer. Whether it's a footballer sprinting down the field to catch a pass or a rugby player breaking away from a tackle, raw speed can create scoring opportunities and swing the momentum of a game.
Sprint training should be heavily emphasized for positions like running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and defensive backs.
In basketball, sprinting comes into play during fast breaks. The ability to quickly transition from defense to offense - and vice versa - can be the difference between scoring a critical basket or falling short.
All basketball players should be more than proficient with sprints and have it incorporated into their training almost every day.
Soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse also heavily rely on sprinting. These are sports with large playing fields, where athletes need to cover significant ground quickly, be it to score a goal, defend their territory, or simply keep up with the dynamic flow of the game.
These may require more endurance rather than sprinting, but sprint training is still a key element to these sports in order to make game-changing plays.
Finally, baseball and softball players benefit greatly from sprint training. Think of a batter sprinting to make it to first base, or an outfielder running down a fly ball. The ability to sprint short distances quickly is going to be the key to many plays that affect any game.
Sprinting itself can yield great results, especially if you practice everyday. Although, if you want to reach your maximum potential, you need to incorporate resistance training and strength training into your week.
Focusing on lower body, core, and coordination movements are going to help you get the speed gains that you are looking for.
Finding strength programs for increasing speed is hard, because a lot of programs shy away from weight or lack speed training and focus only on weight. We designed Peak Strength to create strength programs specific to athletes like sprinters, football players, and field sports players to increase their performance.
Check out Peak Strength for a personalized program designed to make you faster, stronger, and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to head to head speed.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Are you ignoring one of the best, if not the best exercises for your hamstrings? Among all the exercises targeting these powerhouse muscles, the nordic hamstring curl shines prominently, offering a challenging exercise that doesn’t involve any weight.
You might actually need a band to help you do more than a few.
In this article, we bring the focus on nordic curls, explaining their execution and exploring their profound benefits. We’ll touch on how nordic hamstring curls can bolster hamstring durability and enhance the overall functionality of the posterior chain - a key factor in athletic performance across a multitude of sports.
Whether you're an athlete looking to improve your sprinting ability, trying to prevent a hamstring strain, or a fitness enthusiast looking to better understand and implement hamstring workouts, nordic curls will sure to make a statement.
In the realm of strength training, the nordic hamstring curl is an exceptional exercise, targeting the hamstring muscles, specifically the biceps femoris, with the power of one's body weight.
Consider it as an inverse leg curl.
This movement, often performed with the aid of a pad or a partner holding your ankles, offers an intense workout for the posterior chain and core.
To execute a nordic hamstring curl effectively, begin by kneeling on both knees, facing forward. Regardless of if you are using foam pad or on the floor, you need to bend at the knee joint.
Maintain a rigid torso and back, while keeping your hands at your sides. The goal is to control your body's descent, as if entering into a bow, until your chest gently touches the ground or the pad beneath you. This descent recruits key muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, inviting them into a symphony of strength.
When your chest meets the floor, that’s when you curl and the contraction begins.
With a focus on the hamstrings, activate your posterior chain to rise back to the starting position. In essence, you're performing a hamstring curl, but instead of using a weight machine, you're leveraging the weight of your body.
Nordic hamstring curls not only strengthen the hamstrings, but also bolster the overall health and functionality of your posterior chain. When performed correctly, this exercise can significantly enhance athletic performance and injury resilience, making it a worthy addition to any strength and conditioning routine.
For athletes striving for peak performance, nordic curls are an exercise that can increase verticals, improve acceleration, and overall power in the lower body. They are one of the key exercises we use for athletes across almost every sport to help improve the performance of the lower body.
In sports like football and track, where explosive speed and power are critical,the nordic hamstring curl works wonders. The exercise helps increase the rapid force production capability of the hamstrings, crucial for swift acceleration and deceleration.
For basketball players, these curls are particularly useful. They enhance jumping power, benefiting both defensive blocking and offensive shooting. A powerful posterior chain can even help you dunk if that is something you're striving for.
In essence, nordic hamstring curls are an investment in your performance longevity. By fortifying the hamstrings and the posterior chain, you're building a robust defense against common sports injuries, like hamstring strains. Even more, they also help bring tension off your knee flexor muscles.
Incorporating the nordic hamstring curl into your routine is not merely a boost to your present athletic prowess—it's a strategic step towards a more durable, resilient, and high-performing athletic future.
Aside from a nordic hamstring curl, another exercise integral to developing strong and resilient hamstrings is the good morning. Just like a nordic hamstring curl, good mornings specifically target the posterior chain, which makes them great for speed development.
When performing a good morning, we recommend an athlete to choose between using a barbell or powerlastic bands, each with its unique benefits.
Barbell good mornings allow for substantial weight loading, encouraging the development of hamstring muscle mass and overall strength. The load forces your hamstrings to work hard, stimulating growth and power.
On the other hand, banded good mornings offer a different, yet equally valuable, avenue for development. The resistance from the band assists in fostering explosive power and speed.
With a powerlastic band, the tension increases as you ascend from the hinge, requiring your hamstrings to explosively contract to complete the movement. This action trains your muscles to react quickly and forcefully, a valuable asset in many sports situations.
Good mornings, whether weighted with a barbell or performed with powerlastic bands, are an effective way to enhance hamstring strength, power, and speed.
Another Garage Strength favorite deserving attention is the single leg squat. While primarily recognized as a quad-dominant movement, its role in hamstring development is also significant and not to be overlooked. Especially if you have access to a single leg roller.
Single leg squats offer a unique blend of strength training, balance, and coordination. When an athlete descends into the squat, the hamstrings are actively engaged, co-working with the glutes and quads to control the downward motion. At the squat's bottom, the hamstrings play a vital role in pushing off and driving the body back upward.
Moreover, the completion of the lift relies on the hamstrings to stabilize the body and control the upward movement. This action encourages enhanced muscle fiber recruitment, contributing to both muscle growth and overall hamstring resilience.
For athletes, incorporating single leg squats into a workout regimen contributes to improved balance, increased unilateral strength, and bolstered lower body power. In addition, with its focus on functional movements, it can translate directly into better sports performance.
The next leg exercise on the list is the sliding hamstring curl. This exercise is a fantastic tool for athletes aiming to enhance hamstring strength and control, using their own body weight as the primary resistance factor.
Initiating the sliding hamstring curl, athletes lie flat on their back with heels positioned close to the butt. Employing a set of floor sliders or a similar surface that facilitates smooth movement, the athletes lift their hips off the ground, similar to performing a hip extension.
Concurrently, they straighten their legs, pushing the heels outward and engaging the hamstrings during the motion.
Once the legs are fully extended, athletes must contract their hamstrings to pull the heels back towards them all while maintaining lifted hips. This action demands intense focus and body awareness, as dropping the hips will reduce the isolation of the hamstrings and diminish the exercise's effectiveness.
This engagement and strengthening of the hamstrings can lead to enhanced athletic performance, better running mechanics, and a lower risk of injury from a hamstring strain.
Last on our list of hamstring exercises, let's bring back razor curls, a great movement that intensifies the focus on the contraction of the biceps femoris.
To be clear, this is not the same as a nordic ham curl.
Razor curls resemble the original nordic hamstring exercise, but introduce a variation in the starting position and execution. With the hips hinged forward, the athlete begins with the body in a horizontal line rather than a vertical one, recruiting a more focused engagement of the hamstrings.
The exercise unfolds as the athlete extends the body forward in a controlled horizontal motion, reaching a point where the body is almost parallel to the ground. It is at this point that the hamstrings get a call to action, pulling the body back to the starting position.
This movement requires an intense, isolated contraction of the hamstrings, providing a fantastic stimulus for strength and muscle development.
Razor curls are an excellent exercise for athletes seeking a more targeted approach to hamstring strengthening while preventing hamstring injuries.
There are dozen of loaded and unloaded exercises that you can use to strengthen your hamstrings. We just find nordic hamstring curls to be one of the best accessories for developing the performance of your posterior chain. For more exercises to incorporate into your workouts, check out the Peak Strength app for programming specific to your goals and hundreds of exercises to add into your training.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
The food and drink we consume before a workout can have a tremendous impact on our ability to perform. From the quality of our exercise to our energy levels, recovery rate, muscle growth, and even our blood flow - all are influenced by what we fuel our bodies with before a workout.
In this article, we'll explore how different nutrients - such as fast-acting carbohydrates, quality fats, and even stimulants like caffeine - interact with our bodies during exercise. We'll examine how the right pre workout nutrition can provide a quick energy boost, how it influences muscle protein synthesis for better strength, and even how it affects intra-workout recovery and blood flow to help you maintain your performance longer and recover faster.
I’ve even asked some of the professional athletes that train here at Garage Strength to offer specific examples of what to eat before hitting the gym, the track, or the pool. Our objective is to empower you with the knowledge to make informed dietary choices that align with your fitness goals.
So, whether you're a seasoned athlete, a fitness newcomer, or a coach looking for ways to optimize your team's performance, there's something in here for you. Let's dive into the world of sports nutrition and unleash your true athletic potential!
Carbohydrates are super important for our bodies, especially when we need to exert a lot of energy. They are our body's primary source of energy. Now, not all carbs are created equal. We've got fast-acting carbs (also known as high-glycemic carbs) and slow-acting carbs (low-glycemic).
Fast-acting carbs are like the first responders of the carbohydrate world. They rush to your body's rescue when you need energy, and fast! This makes them perfect to consume 60-80 grams around an hour before a workout.
You will find fast acting carbs in a lot of sugar-loaded treats like chocolate and candy, but we are looking for better options that won’t give you a sugar crash after 15 minutes. Examples of good fast-acting carbs include delicious fruits like bananas or mixed berries, hearty oats, and even certain types of healthy sugars like those found in honey.
When you eat these kinds of foods, your body quickly converts them into glucose, which is a type of sugar. This glucose enters your bloodstream, and boom - instant energy! It's like your body has its very own internal power plant, and you just switched it on full blast.
Now, let's compare this to slow-acting carbs. Foods like brown rice or sweet potatoes are examples of complex carbs. They're still good for you, but they release energy more slowly and over a longer period. They're like a slow, steady campfire, rather than a quick fireworks display. So they're better to eat a few hours before or after your workout, not right before.
Remember, it's all about timing. If you're about to do a heavy lifting session or a long run, fast-acting carbs can be your best friend. They give your muscles the quick energy they need to perform at their best.
On the flip side, you wouldn't want to fuel up on fast-acting carbs before bed. They'd give you lots of energy when your body is trying to wind down for sleep. So, next time you're preparing for a workout, grab a banana, a bowl of oats, or a spoonful of honey.
Don't let the word 'fat' scare you - the right kinds of fats can be a good catalyst for getting the most out of your workouts. We often think of fats as the bad guys of nutrition. But just like carbs, not all fats are created equal. We have healthy fats, and we have not-so-great fats.
Good fats come from natural, whole foods. Think of fresh avocados, dark chocolate, or organic butter. These are loaded with nutrients and can provide your body with long-lasting energy.
However, fats don't typically act as quickly as carbs to give you an energy boost. These fats are going to help you sustain energy for longer, but won’t light up and kick in as fast as carbs. That's why fats aren't typically recommended as a pre-workout food, but more 1-2 hours before you exercise.
Then we have fats found in certain oils and processed foods. These are often called 'inflammatory fats'. Why? Because they can increase inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is just our bodies trying to protect themselves from something it doesn't like. While a little inflammation can be a good thing (like when you're healing a scrape or a bruise), we want to minimize it during workouts.
Imagine trying to run a race while you're carrying a heavy backpack. That's kind of what it's like when your body is trying to exercise with lots of inflammation. It's working extra hard just to do the normal stuff, let alone the additional work you're asking it to do with your workout.
Also, consuming fats right before a workout could interfere with the effects of caffeine or a pre-workout sports drink, if you're into those. Fats slow down the speed at which your stomach empties, which can slow down how quickly you feel the effects of your caffeine kick.
Now, that doesn't mean you should avoid fats altogether. Good fats should be a part of your overall diet because they support brain health, help your body absorb vitamins, encourage the ability to lose weight, and keep your heart healthy. Just remember, when it comes to pre-workout nutrition, it's typically better to reach for fast-acting carbs.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in several foods and beverages. It's found in coffee, tea, and even dark chocolate. While it's best known for warding off sleepiness, it has several other notable effects that can augment athletic performance.
Caffeine increases heart rate and improves blood flow, facilitating oxygen supply to your muscles and boosting your workout performance. It also enhances concentration and reduces perceived exertion, making those strenuous workout sessions feel somewhat more comfortable. However, like any good thing, it must be consumed responsibly.
How much caffeine is sufficient to reap these benefits? Sports medicine suggests that a dose of 150-200mg is generally enough for an average person - roughly the amount in two cups of brewed coffee. It's essential to note, though, that caffeine sensitivity varies significantly among individuals. Some may require less to experience its effects, while others may tolerate more.
Across fitness, caffeine supplements, such as pre-workout powders, pills, and energy sports drinks, are quite popular. While these can be effective when used correctly, they can easily lead to excessive caffeine intake if not monitored. Overconsumption of caffeine can have undesirable effects, such as dehydration and heart problems, not to mention the infamous 'caffeine jitters' and post-caffeine energy crash.
Moreover, sports medicine has found that habitual use of high-caffeine supplements can lead to tolerance, requiring you to take more to achieve the same effects. This potential for dependency is another reason to use these products judiciously.
Almost every weightlifter I asked had the same answer for what they ate before a training session. Hayley Reichardt and Jake Horst both took bananas, oranges, and applesauce as their go-to pre workout fuel.
Fruits like bananas, oranges, or a Go-Go Squeeze applesauce packet are the perfect snack for someone heading to the gym or a crossfit workout. They are very light on the stomach and provide quick energy that won’t create a sugar crash like candy.
Runners and swimmers that are moving at a constant pace for the majority of their workout need sustained energy for their workouts. This means eating good fats like nuts or avocado 1-2 hours before a workout and then pushing something quick like a banana, apple, or oats with honey before hopping in the water.
Throwing requires mass and quick bursts of all out power. If you are entering a throwing practice or weight room session, don’t be afraid to load up on calories ahead of time. Elite shotputters, Eric Favors and T’Mond Johnson, recommend eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with whole grain bread or a couple Nutri-Grain apple cinnamon baked breakfast bars before training.
Football players need to stay hydrated throughout intense workouts, because there’s a good chance they are going to do a lot of running and doing a lot of work outside in the sun. This is where fruits with high water content and vasodilatory effects come into play.
We want to maximize blood flow, while having the fast-acting carbohydrates to produce the energy we need. This means eating nuts 1-2 hours before practice and then watermelon, banana, or strawberries 20-30 minutes before practice starts.
When you consume food, your body breaks it down into different nutrients, all of which serve specific roles. Carbohydrates, for instance, are broken down into glucose - the primary energy source for your body. Consuming the right types and amounts of carbohydrates is therefore crucial for maintaining optimal energy levels.
Proteins and fats, on the other hand, are processed more slowly, providing a sustained energy release over a longer period. These nutrients also play critical roles in other bodily functions like building muscle mass and hormonal regulation, respectively.
By carefully selecting what we eat, we can manage our energy levels effectively. This, in turn, influences our workout performance, recovery, and overall health. Remember, your body is an intricate machine; the better the fuel, the better it performs!
Your pre-workout meal might also play a crucial role in releasing the Mechano Growth Factor hormone during your workout. Consuming a protein rich meal before hitting the gym can kick-start this process of muscle protein synthesis. This is where proteins are broken down into essential amino acids in your body, which act as the building blocks for lean body mass.
In particular, a certain amino acid called leucine plays a star role. Foods rich in leucine, like dairy, meat, and eggs, are especially beneficial. When you consume these foods before a workout, they increase the levels of leucine in your bloodstream, which in turn triggers muscle protein synthesis.
A good example of a small snack before a workout is half a turkey sandwich. Although, keep the majority of your protein consumption saved for after your workout so that your body will absorb the nutrients more effectively as it recovers.
The circulatory system is our body's highway, delivering oxygen and nutrients to our muscles. As you can imagine, better traffic flow on this highway can significantly enhance our workout performance.
The foods we consume before a workout can influence our circulatory system's efficiency. Certain nutrients have 'vasodilatory' properties, meaning they help to expand our blood vessels, facilitating improved blood flow.
For instance, nitrate-rich foods like beetroot and spinach have been shown to increase nitric oxide levels in the body, enhancing blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles during exercise. Similarly, amino acids such as arginine and citrulline, found in foods like watermelon and nuts, have vasodilatory effects and can be beneficial when consumed pre-workout.
I think there are a few edible items that have made their claim as the best pre workout food throughout this article. When in doubt of what to eat before you lift, grab a banana, applesauce, or a granola bar to have the energy you need to get through your training session.
Depending on how you train or what you will be doing that day, there are different foods and snacks that will make a better impact on your workout.
If you need more help and more guidance on what to eat throughout the day and even after your workout, check out our high performance nutrition plans that will cater to your goals and help hold you accountable to everything you need to put in your body.
Eat like a beast, train like a beast. PEACE.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
Need another exercise to help strengthen your back, improve pulling power, and increase the size of your back? Add bent over rows into your programming as another compound movement to build your back, lats, and arms.
The bent over row is a variable exercise that can be used with any equipment like barebells, dumbbells, bands, or anything that you can pick up and pull to your body.
By including bent over rows into your workout, you can improve weak points in your back and other muscle groups by modifying the movement into one of the many variations.
In this guide, we will teach you how to do overhand, underhand, and dumbbell bent over rows.
The bent over row, a staple in any strength training routine, is incredibly versatile in its execution due to the variety of equipment that can be used. Let's discuss each piece of equipment and how it can enhance your rowing experience.
The classic choice for the bent over row. A barbell allows for a balanced, bilateral movement that challenges your strength and stability. The symmetrical loading helps improve your posture and core strength as both sides of your body need to work equally.
Barbells come in all different shapes and sizes and you can find some specialty barbells with different handles. You can find thick barbells that will test your grip strength and even something like a multi-grip barbell if you want to do a bent over row with a neutral grip to isolate certain back muscles.
Integral to any barbell row exercise, weight plates allow you to adjust the resistance according to your strength level and training goals. They come in a variety of weights, enabling gradual progression and flexibility in your training.
Probably the cheapest and most common plates you can get are iron plates. You can also use bumper and or calibrated plates for these. Just be careful not to slam or drop iron plates as they are more susceptible to cracking compared to bumper plates.
Dumbbells provide an alternative to the barbell for the bent over row. The dumbbell row offers the benefit of unilateral movement, allowing you to work each side of your body independently. This can help address any muscle imbalances and provides a unique stimulus for back muscles.
Using dumbbells is another way to adjust your grip which can isolate different muscles or even increase your overall range of motion. Dumbbells are going to be found at any gym and easy to use if you are somewhere like a Plant Fitness that does not have free weight barbells.
Lifting straps are particularly useful when your grip strength becomes a limiting factor in lifting heavier weights. By wrapping the straps around the barbell or dumbbells, you can secure a firmer grip, allowing you to focus on activating your back muscles without worrying about the weight slipping from your grasp.
Lifting straps should really be a staple of any gym bag because they can be used for deadlifts, snatches, Romanian deadlifts, and other exercises that require grip strength. Not saying they should be used all the time, but they will definitely help with pulls and getting more reps out of heavier weights.
Thick grips are rubber cylinders that attach to your barbell or dumbbells to increase the grip's girth. This small change can significantly impact your workout by improving your grip strength and recruiting more muscle fibers in your forearms and biceps.
Thick grips provide a unique challenge and can stimulate new muscle mass and neural adaptation. They are also easier to find and often more comfortable than a thick grip bar. Thick grips can be taken anywhere and are another gym bag essential next to chalk and lifting straps.
Another tool to enhance your grip, lifting chalk, absorbs sweat and reduces the slippery effect that can occur during intense workouts. This ensures a safe and secure grip, allowing you to focus on your form and muscle contraction.
Some gyms may not allow lifting chalk to dry your hands while lifting, but most do. Chalk is going to allow you to hold on to the bar with a tight grip and reduce the chance of a bar slipping out of our hand.
Similar to lifting chalk and straps, thumb tape is used to improve grip security. It's particularly beneficial if you're prone to blisters or calluses, as it can provide a layer of protection against the friction between your skin and the bar.
Thumb tape can be crucial for people that use hook grip for bent over rows as it will help protect the thumb from overstress.
With bent over rows, athletes will often start with a barbell bent over row. Having the right grip and positioning will determine which muscles you are targeting throughout the exercise.
Let’s check some of the different bent over row variations:
To set up for a barbell bent over row, you need to establish a grip. You can use both an overhand or underhand grip.
If you are starting with an overhand grip, we recommend placing your hands at the same width you would hold the bar for a clean, usually shoulder width or a little wider. Grip width will differ between athletes, but a good rule to follow is to keep your pinky on or just inside the innermost ring on your barbell.
Once your shoulder width grip is set, hinge at the hips by pushing your butt back with your knees slightly bent. As you push the hips back, keep your arms straight and stop once the bar is right at the top of your knees. This bent over position will be your starting position.
From here, you are ready to start rowing and targeting the row muscles. Before pulling the bar toward you, make sure you are braced properly.
Think about rolling your elbows back toward your pockets so that they don’t flare out to the side. Also think about keeping your lats and entire back tight by squeezing your lats around your spine.
As you brace, pull the bar to the top of your belly button. Squeeze your lats and shoulder blades (aka your scaps) together at the top of the movement then control the bar back to the top of your knees.
If you choose to use an underhand grip, the same principles apply. Except this time, for the grip width, you will keep your index finger on or just inside the innermost ring of the barbell.
The underhand bent over row will work your biceps a little more than doing overhand rows. Although, the positioning will be the same throughout the movement.
Stay hinged at the hips, keep your chest high, and control the bar with your back to isolate the focused muscle groups. Still squeezing the shoulder blades and scaps together at the top of each rep.
If you do not have access to a barbell or are working to correct imbalances, you can use dumbbell rows as a substitute.
All positions and cues will remain the same except for your hand position. Since you are using dumbbells, we recommend having your palms facing the sides of your knees so that you can maintain a neutral grip throughout the exercise.
As with any exercise, there are some mistakes that we see athletes make when performing the bent over row:
Legs locked out: make sure to keep a slight bend in the knee to have a stable hinge position and keep unnecessary pressure off of the lower back.
Rounded back: remember to squeeze your lats, shoulders, and scapulas back, tight around your spine so you don’t lose tension and collapse the chest.
Hitching the weight: as you fatigue, you might notice yourself bouncing or hitching to complete reps with the help of momentum. Use a light to medium weight that can be done for 4-6 sets of 5-20 reps, so you can isolate the target muscle groups.
The bent over row is an exercise that packs a punch when it comes to muscular development, offering a multitude of benefits to a variety of muscle groups. It's a compound lift, which means it targets several muscle groups simultaneously, including the mid-back, lats, biceps, and rear delts.
Let's delve into these muscle groups and the benefits they gain from this powerful exercise.
The mid-back, including the rhomboids and the trapezius, is put under a considerable amount of stress during a bent over row. The exercise stimulates these muscles to contract as you pull the weight towards your chest, contributing to their growth and strength. This results in improved posture, reduction in back pain, and increased functional strength for day-to-day tasks and other lifts such as the deadlift.
Bent over rows are also remarkable for targeting your latissimus dorsi – or 'lats.' These large muscles on the sides of your back are responsible for the coveted 'V' shape. By pulling the weight in a rowing motion, you engage the lats, developing their size and power. This not only contributes to an aesthetic physique but also improves performance in sports and activities that require pulling or swimming movements.
While the bent over row is primarily a back exercise, it also significantly recruits the biceps. As the secondary muscle group, the biceps engage when you pull the weight towards your body. This simultaneous stimulation aids in developing thicker and stronger arms, improving your performance in other lifts like the bicep curl or chin-up.
Lastly, the bent over row is an effective exercise for targeting the often-neglected rear delts (posterior deltoids). These muscles are essential for shoulder health and balance. The rowing motion places a direct load on the rear delts, strengthening them and improving shoulder stability. This can lead to improved performance in overhead lifts and a reduced risk of shoulder injuries.
The bent over row is a great way to build power and strength in your pull for any sport and can be easily added to any workout routine. They can translate to your clean, snatch, and other sport-specific movements. The cool thing about rowing exercises is that there are plenty of barbell row alternatives that you can swap for the traditional barbell row. If you want to see other alternatives and movements similar to the barbell row like chest supported row or seated cable rows, check out the Peak Strength app for exercise variations that meet your exact goals.
Some key cues to remember as you continue using bent over rows in your workouts are to:
You can superset your bent over row with bench press, military press, or any kind of pressing motion. We often program this as the third exercise after an athlete’s sport-specific movements. Doing contrast work is a great way to build muscle mass while improving your overall performance. Check out what we recommend with Peak Strength and become a BEAST like all the other Garage Strength athletes!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
The quest for bigger arms is a common goal among fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike. Defined and developed arms not only showcase physical prowess but also offer functional benefits in everyday tasks and various sports. In this article, we'll delve into a series of exercises, tools, and training methods designed specifically to stimulate growth and strength in your arms.
We'll explore exercises that target the biceps, triceps, and shoulders — the three major muscle groups responsible for the size and shape of your arms. These exercises range from classics like dumbbell curls and tricep extensions to less conventional methods like Meadows swings and Z presses. We'll also highlight the importance of including compound lifts in your routine, as these exercises engage multiple muscle groups and promote overall muscular development.
It’s time you learned some new exercises and strategies to get bigger arms faster that come straight from the Peak Strength app. Having fuller and bigger arms as an athlete, you will most likely benefit from having bigger and stronger arms with these exercises that are used to peak elite athletes around the world. Stick around and read further to learn how to get bigger arms.
This curl variation is unique, thanks to its reliance on the shoulder's stability to isolate and engage the bicep head. When your shoulder is in a fixed position, it allows your bicep to take on the full load of the exercise, leading to more effective muscle recruitment and development.
The high cable bicep curl is also remarkable in its application of constant tension throughout the movement. The use of a cable provides a continuous load on your muscles, unlike free weights, which have a variable tension depending on the movement phase. This constant tension maximizes muscle activation throughout the entire range of motion, from full extension to peak contraction.
Now, let's dive into the technique behind this bicep-boosting exercise.
Step up to a high pulley machine, grip the cable with your palm facing forward, and ensure your feet are shoulder-width apart for stable ground contact. Start with your arm fully extended and out to the side while gripping the cable. This is your starting position.
As you initiate the curl, breathe out, and slowly contract your bicep, moving your hand towards your shoulder. Your elbow should remain stationary and in line with your shoulder during this movement, ensuring your bicep bears the brunt of the work. Remember, the idea is to isolate the bicep, so avoid using your back or shoulders to help lift the weight.
Hold this peak contraction for a moment to squeeze the bicep muscles and maximize muscle fiber engagement. Then, gradually return to the starting position while inhaling, maintaining tension on the cable throughout the movement.
The high cable bicep curl is a versatile addition to your arm day routine. By placing emphasis on the long head of the bicep, this exercise enhances your arm's shape and size while also improving the appearance of your upper arms when flexed.
A final tip: while the urge to lift heavier may push you to compromise form, remember that proper technique trumps all. Start with a manageable weight that allows you to maintain proper form throughout all the biceps exercises. Make sure to choose a weight where you can do 5 sets of 17 to 20 reps for best results.
If you're seeking killer biceps exercises to stretch and strengthen your biceps, the incline curl is your answer. The incline url is known for its ability to maximize the lengthening of the bicep head, which is crucial for overall bicep development and upper arm growth.
The unique advantage of the incline curl lies in the bench angle. The more you lay back, the better the stretch in your bicep, as you're fully extending the bicep muscle. This stretch provides a more significant range of motion than traditional curls, resulting in enhanced muscle activation and growth.
But what makes this stretch so valuable? A full stretch encourages more muscle fiber engagement, leading to more significant muscle damage - a good thing if you’re trying to get bigger arms. This damage is what your body repairs and strengthens during recovery, leading to bigger biceps.
Now, let's discuss the right way to perform the incline curl for optimal results.
Start by setting up an incline bench at around a 45-degree angle. Sit on the bench with your back firmly against the padding and your feet planted on the floor for stability. Hold a pair of dumbbells at arm's length, palms facing up. Ensure your arms hang down straight and fully extended - this is your starting position.
Curl the dumbbells upwards towards your shoulders while keeping your elbows stationary. The only moving parts should be your forearms. Avoid using your shoulders or back to lift the weight; the goal is to isolate the bicep.
Once you've achieved peak contraction at the top of the lift, squeeze your biceps for maximum engagement. Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the entire movement.
Now we are going to get into the realm of classic bodybuilding with the Zottman Curl, an exercise that combines the best of both worlds for bigger biceps and forearms. This old-school move might just be the missing link to your arm workouts for achieving bigger arms.
The Zottman Curl stands out for its unique blend of regular and reverse grip curls. This dual movement targets both the biceps in the concentric phase (lifting phase) and the forearms in the eccentric phase (lowering phase). By switching to a reverse grip during the eccentric phase, you engage the often-overlooked muscles in your forearms, leading to more balanced arm development.
The eccentric phase of any exercise is where most muscle damage (and thus growth potential) occurs. By focusing on this phase with the forearms in the Zottman Curl, you can effectively stimulate growth in this area while still maintaining bicep engagement.
Let's break down the technique for this all-encompassing arm exercise:
Start by standing upright with a dumbbell in each hand, arms fully extended, and palms facing your torso. Then curl the weights while rotating your wrists so that your palms face you at the top of the movement. At this point, your biceps should be fully contracted, and the dumbbells should be at shoulder level.
One ready to lower the weight, rotate your wrists again, this time so that your palms face outwards. Maintaining this grip, slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while breathing in. This reverse grip eccentric phase is where your forearms come into play, controlling the weight as it lowers.
Remember, control is key in the Zottman Curl. The slower and more controlled the movement, the more tension and engagement in your biceps and forearms, leading to more effective growth stimulation.
Let's roll into the fourth exercise in our quest for bigger arms - the Forearm Roller. This unique exercise utilizes a simple setup, often a PVC or metal pipe with a rope and weight attached, to deliver a potent and challenging workout for your forearms and biceps.
The Forearm Roller is a game-changer for targeting grip strength and forearm development. Regular use of this tool will not only bulk up your forearms but also significantly improve your grip control, a critical component in many exercises and sports.
Why is grip control so crucial? A strong grip allows you to hold heavier weights, maintain better control during movements, and increase your overall lifting capability. Additionally, in sports like climbing or martial arts, a powerful grip can be the difference between success and failure.
Now, let's unravel the technique behind the Forearm Roller.
Stand on an elevated surface like a box or step to allow the weight to move freely. Hold the roller with both hands, palms down, and arms extended in front of you at chest level. Ensure the rope is fully wound around the roller with the weight at the top. This is your starting position.
Gradually unroll the rope to lower the weight by rotating your wrists in a controlled manner. Keep your arms and the roller at chest level throughout the movement. Once the weight reaches the bottom, it's time to roll it back up.
To do this, rotate your wrists in the opposite direction, winding the rope back onto the roller. Keep the movement slow and controlled to maintain tension in the forearms. You don’t need to go crazy with the weight here. Although, if you want to increase the load, you can always move your hand placement to in front of your hips instead of having your arms straight.
The triceps, in fact, make up about two-thirds of your upper arm mass. Enter the overhead neutral grip tricep extension, an exceptional exercise that targets both the triceps and shoulders for well-rounded arm development.
This tricep-centric exercise, performed either standing or seated, utilizes dumbbells and a neutral grip to engage your triceps and shoulders effectively. The overhead position puts your triceps under constant tension, enhancing muscle activation and promoting growth. Plus, the neutral grip encourages shoulder stability, adding an extra layer of challenge to this exercise.
Let's break down the technique for this power-packed exercise:
Begin either standing with your feet hip-width apart or seated with a straight back. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, raise your arms overhead, and align the dumbbells directly above your shoulders. Keep your palms facing each other in a neutral grip. This is your starting position.
Keeping your upper arms still, lower the dumbbells behind your head by bending your elbows. Your elbows should stay close to your head to maintain tension in the triceps. Lower until your elbows form about a 90-degree angle, ensuring a good stretch in your triceps.
Then extend your elbows to lift the dumbbells back to the starting position, squeezing your triceps at the top of the movement.
Remember, it's all about control with the overhead neutral grip tricep extension. Keeping your movements slow and steady will ensure maximum muscle engagement and prevent unnecessary strain.
One of the many staple arm exercises here at Garage Strength is the miracle gro. The miracle gro is one of our favorite upper body exercises that leads to a killer pump. This exercise is going to stretch out your lats, biceps, and triceps.
When you first do these triceps exercises, it might be reminiscent of a dumbbell pullover, which it is in a sense. Often these pullovers will be used for the lats and chest. This one is going to focus on your lats and especially triceps.
Start with your upper back on a bench long ways so that your shoulders are running along the long bench pad. Then raise your body up so that you are in a table top position and your upper beach is leaning on the bench.
To start a miracle gro, take the dumbbell and push it up and above your head. Your face should be staring right at the bottom of the dumbbell. Then extend the dumbbell behind your head and don’t be afraid to arch your back to deepen the stretch.
You want to lengthen the lats and triceps as much as possible, so you can let your elbow bend once the dumbbell is completely behind you. Once you’ve fully lengthened, pull the dumbbell back over your head and use the triceps to extend the weight back to the starting position.
This is one of our favorite arm exercises for stimulating muscle growth and arm training. Do this for 5 sets of 10-12 to get absolutely swole in the weight room.
The journey to bigger arms continues, and our seventh stop is the banded lean away extension. This tricep exercise harnesses the power of powerlastic bands to provide a flexible and effective alternative to cable systems.
Performing these triceps exercises standing and in large reps, you'll target the triceps intensely, similar to using a cable system. The elastic band offers consistent tension throughout the movement, keeping your muscles engaged for longer. This sustained tension can stimulate muscle growth, making it an excellent tool for bigger arms.
Let's delve into the technique for the banded lean away extension:
Begin by securing your powerlastic band to a solid anchor point at about waist height. Stand facing away from the anchor point, holding the other end of the band with one hand. Extend your arm overhead, keeping your elbow close to your ear. Lean away from the anchor point to create tension in the band. This is your starting position.
Bend your elbow to lower the band behind your head, maintaining tension in the band throughout the movement. Keep your upper arm stationary and your elbow close to your ear.
Then tend your elbow, pulling the band back to the starting position. Squeeze your triceps at the top of the movement for maximum muscle engagement.
The banded lean away extension is a high-rep exercise, so aim for high volume sets. Start with a band with manageable resistance, focusing on maintaining constant tension and perfecting your form. As your strength improves, you can increase the resistance or reps to continue challenging your muscles.
The road to bigger arms doesn't end with arm isolation exercises. Compound exercises, like our eighth exercise, the close grip bench press, can supercharge your tricep and shoulder size by engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
The close grip bench press, done with a barbell on either a flat or incline bench, is a powerful exercise for building both strength and size. It primarily targets the triceps, but also heavily engages the shoulders and chest, providing a full upper body workout. The ability to handle a heavier load than most arm isolation exercises makes it particularly effective for increasing absolute strength and stimulating muscle growth.
Let's dive into the technique behind the close grip bench press:
Lay flat on a bench with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Grip the barbell with your hands a full hand length closer than your normal flat bench grip. This should be right about shoulder width apart. The narrower grip will place more emphasis on the triceps without straining the wrists. Lift the bar off the rack and hold it straight over your chest. This is your starting position.
Slowly lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body to maximize tricep engagement. Be mindful not to let your elbows flare out as this can shift the focus away from the triceps and onto the shoulders and chest.
Then push the barbell back to the starting position, fully extending your arms and squeezing your triceps at the top of the movement. Since this is a compound exercise, you don’t want to go crazy with the volume here. Do 4 sets of 4-6 reps to get stronger and grow your upper arms.
We arrive at the ninth exercise in our arsenal, which starts off the best shoulder exercises for bigger arms, the seated dumbbell overhead press. This compound movement is instrumental in building strength and size in your shoulders and triceps.
Using dumbbells instead of a barbell allows for a more individualized range of motion, which can be especially beneficial for those with limited shoulder mobility. The seated dumbbell overhead press also engages your core, providing a comprehensive upper body workout.
Now, let's delve into the technique behind this powerful exercise:
Start by sitting on a bench with a back support, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height, elbows bent, and palms facing forward. This is your starting position.
Push the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended, and lock out your elbows. Keep the movement controlled, ensuring the dumbbells remain balanced in your hands.Then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control and keeping tension in your shoulders and triceps.
This is a great compound movement to engage other muscles in the upper body and establish good levels of stability. Do 4 sets of 9-12 reps for increased hypertrophy over time.
The tenth entry on our list to bigger, stronger arms brings us to the Meadows swings. This unique shoulder exercise, performed with dumbbells, is an exceptional isolation movement for the rear and lateral deltoids. It stems from the genius of famous strength and fitness icon, John Meadows.
Unlike a full lateral raise, the Meadows swing restricts the range of motion to the first quarter of a full raise. This is where the highest motor unit recruitment and muscle engagement occur, leading to more effective and safer muscle development.
Now, let's explore the technique behind the Meadows swings:
Start by standing with a dumbbell in each hand, your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing each other. This is your starting position.
Initiate the movement by raising your arms laterally, keeping your elbows and hands moving together in a controlled manner. Stop the upward motion when your arms are at a 30-degree angle, or about a quarter of the way up of a full lateral raise.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to your sides, maintaining the tension in your deltoids throughout the movement.
By focusing on this specific range of motion, Meadows swings effectively target the deltoids without the potential pain and injury risks associated with full-range lateral raises. This makes them an excellent option for individuals with shoulder mobility issues or previous injuries. Incorporating Meadows swings into your routine can lead to well-rounded shoulder development, complimenting your overall arm growth.
Still don’t know how to get bigger arms? Let me introduce you to the Z press, hailing from the great land of Lithuania and stemming from the inspiration of Žydrūnas Savickas. Performed seated on the ground with a barbell, this compelling compound exercise targets not just your shoulders and triceps, but also your upper back and core.
Unlike a traditional seated military press, the Z press is performed without back support. This is intentional, encouraging athletes to focus on stability when pushing weight overhead. The lack of back support adds a layer of complexity, forcing your core to work harder to keep the pressing motion stable. The result is a total upper body workout that enhances stability in other fundamental movements, like bench press and push press.
Let's walk through the technique of the Z Press:
Start by sitting on the ground with your legs extended in front of you, spreading them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart for balance. With your chest up and back straight, grip the barbell at shoulder-width, and position it in front of your shoulders. This is your starting position.
While keeping your core engaged and back straight, push the barbell straight up until your arms are fully extended, with a lockout in your elbows. Your line of sight should follow the barbell or stay directly forward.
Lower the barbell back to the starting position in a controlled manner. Make sure to keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
Performing the Z press requires a high level of focus, stability, and strength. Start with a manageable weight, focus on maintaining proper form, and increase the weight as your stability and strength improve.
Incorporating the Z press into your workout routine not only brings you closer to achieving bigger, stronger arms but also helps to improve your stability and core strength. We constantly preach dynamic trunk control here at Garage Strength, so incorporating DTC into our upper body and arm workouts is a must for athletes.
The last exercise on our list are banded face pulls. This compound movement, performed standing with a band attached to an anchor point, focuses on the rear delts and biceps, delivering high-volume stimulation.
Banded face pulls offer a contrasting movement, making them a perfect complement to pushing exercises like military press or tricep extensions. By incorporating both pushing and pulling movements into your routine, you ensure a balanced, well-rounded development of your upper body.
Now, let's explore the technique behind Banded Face Pulls:
Position yourself a few steps back from the anchor point, facing towards it. Grab the ends of the powerlastic band, extending your arms fully in front of you at shoulder height. This is your starting position.
Begin the movement by pulling the band towards your face while keeping your elbows high and in line with your wrists. Aim to pull the band apart as you bring it closer to your face, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position, maintaining resistance on the band throughout the movement. This will ensure constant tension on the rear delts and biceps. Since they are banded, feel free to up the volume and do sets of 20-30 along with your pushing exercises.
When it comes to building bigger, stronger arms, one piece of equipment stands out as an absolute must-have - the humble dumbbell. Dumbbells are a versatile and effective tool, crucial for developing both size and strength in your arms.
The unique advantage of dumbbells is that they allow a greater range of motion compared to other weight training equipment. This increased range allows you to fully stretch and contract your arm muscles, which is key for stimulating muscle mass.
Dumbbells also facilitate unilateral training, allowing you to work one arm at a time. This can help to balance asymmetries and prevent potential strength disparities between your arms.
Additionally, they offer a myriad of arm exercises, targeting the biceps, triceps, and all parts of the shoulder. From bicep curls and tricep kickbacks to overhead presses and lateral raises, you can perform a comprehensive arm workout with just a pair of dumbbells.
Powerlastic bands provide variable resistance, meaning the tension increases as the band is stretched. This causes your muscles to work harder in the fully contracted position, which can stimulate significant muscle growth. The biceps and triceps, for instance, receive peak tension during exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions at the point of full muscle contraction.
Moreover, powerlastic bands are a fantastic tool for high-repetition training, promoting muscle endurance and delivering that coveted muscle pump. They're also incredibly versatile, enabling a variety of exercises that target different areas of the arms, much like dumbbells.
Finally, the bands are portable and convenient. You can use them virtually anywhere, making them an excellent choice for those who prefer to work out at home or while traveling. These tube-style resistance bands, crafted from durable latex, offer a unique and highly beneficial approach to upper body training.
A frequently overlooked piece of equipment in the quest for stronger, bigger arms are thick grips. These simple attachments, which increase the diameter of your barbells or dumbbells, can have a transformative effect on your arm training.
Thick grips challenge your hands and forearms significantly more than standard bars. This is because the increased girth of the bar requires a stronger grip, thus engaging and strengthening your forearms to a greater extent. Enhanced forearm strength and size not only contribute to the overall look of bigger arms, but also support your ability to lift heavier weights in all upper body exercises.
Using thick grips can also benefit your grip strength, a key element in many strength training and functional movements. A stronger grip will allow you to handle heavier weights, thereby facilitating greater muscle growth in the arms over time.
TUT is particularly effective for arm training as it encourages better muscle fiber recruitment, particularly in the slow-twitch fibers that respond well to endurance-based exercises. Slow, controlled movements, both on the lifting and lowering phase, increase the time your muscles spend under tension, leading to greater micro-tears in the muscle tissue. These micro-tears, when repaired by your body, lead to more muscle mass.
A drop set involves performing a set to failure, then immediately reducing the weight and continuing for more reps until you reach failure again.The key advantage of drop sets lies in their ability to fully exhaust your muscles, thus eliciting a high degree of muscle fiber recruitment. This pushes your arms past their usual limits, stimulating more muscle mass.
Moreover, drop sets increase the overall volume of your workout, a crucial factor for hypertrophy. They also enhance muscle pump, increasing blood flow and nutrients to your arm muscles, which can further encourage growth.
A super set involves performing two arm exercises back-to-back with no rest in between, typically targeting opposing muscle groups, such as the biceps and triceps.
This technique provides dual benefits for arm growth. Firstly, super sets increase training intensity and volume—two key drivers of muscle hypertrophy. By working two muscle groups without rest, you're essentially doing more work in less time.
Compound lifts are a cornerstone of any effective strength training program, and how to get bigger arms. Unlike isolation exercises that target a single muscle group, compound lifts engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This includes the muscles in your arms.
Incorporating compound lifts such as the bench press, overhead press, or pull-ups into your training regimen can significantly enhance the growth of your arms. These exercises not only engage your arms directly but also stimulate the release of muscle-building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone.
For some people, growing their arms can be a challenge because of genetics or just getting stuck in the same cycle of training over and over again. These 12 exercises are a great place to start for making strides to having bigger arms. Getting bigger biceps, bigger triceps, and bigger shoulders won’t feel like a chore when you mix in these tactics.
If you want to find more exercises and more variations that cater to the resources you have, check out the Peak Strength app. This is an app we developed for athletes and fitness lovers to help them perform at the highest level they can. Try these exercises and tools to break the mold of basic training and become a BEAST!
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance
If you are a weightlifter, powerlifter, or crossfitter, you NEED to have a shoe that is effective for training. Making sure you have the right shoes for lifting is just as important as making sure you have the right lifting belt or the right pre workout. By wearing regular soft-sole sneakers and running shoes, you are just asking for an injury.
Weightlifting shoes have a number of benefits like the ability to improve your range of motion, reduce the risk of injury while lifting, and increasing the amount of weight you lift. Although, there is a sea of shoe makers and brands that are all trying to catch your eye with their “latest new technology”.
Once you start to look past the shoe shine, you’ll find that there are shoes better for different types of lifters and different types of needs. That’s why we are here. In this article, me and some of the other weightlifters here at Garage Strength are going to give you some much needed insight to help you find the best weightlifting shoe for you.
Although I’m the one putting all the thoughts together into one piece, we have an entire team of olympic weightlifters weighing in on the shoe debate. A couple of notable names that helped make these picks include:
Hayley Reichardt - World medalist, Pan Am Champion, and Senior National Champion
Jake Horst - World team member, Pan Am medalist, and 4X Senior National Champion
Anna McElderry - Former Junior world team member & medalist, former junior Pan Am member and medalist
DJ Shuttlesworth - 2016 U25 94kg Champion, clean and jerks 200kg
So it’s safe to say, the reviews are coming straight from the source. Now let’s take a look at what our team came up with across the board.
Having a well rounded shoe for training and competition is important for any competitive athlete. Even for lifters that are just trying to get more proficient in the movements that they are focusing on. You need something that you can wear everyday but also provides consistent benefits as your training needs change.
A good lifting shoe needs to be durable, functional, and comfortable for training throughout an extended period of time. There are a lot of things that go into a good weightlifting shoe, but for general usage, there is one that stands just a head above everyone else.
The weightlifting shoe that our team decided provides the most all around benefit is the Nike Romaleos 4. It’s a great pick for any lifter because of the balanced and stable sole, comfort improvements from previous iterations, and the medium heel height.
This is the current shoe that Hayley Reichardt wears for training and competition. This is also the shoe I recommend for any weightlifter that is looking to get serious about the olympic movements.
This lifting shoe is lighter than most, averaging between 12-13 oz and has an effective heel height of 20mm/0.78”. The heel height is a little lower than some other popular options, but we find it useful for athletes so they aren’t being pushed forward as much during the snatch and clean and jerk.
The Nike Romaleos 4 are very reminiscent of the great Romaleos 2, but may encounter some durability issues with high usage due to the comfortable mesh of the shoe. The slight tradeoff is going to be comfortability for long term durability after a year or so of wear.
Hayley also mentioned that the Nike Romaleos 4 is more comfortable than other shoes she has worn as they did not take as long to break in due to the slightly softer heel.
Welcome to the Garage Strength Blog, where it is my goal to provide you with the experience and knowledge I've gained in the strength and conditioning world over many years of learning from both successes and failures. I train elite-level athletes in a multitude of sports from the high school to professional levels, already producing 5 Olympics and 30+ National Champions. If you want to be the next champion I train, check out my strength programs below!
Join for free educational videos EVERY WEEK on strength coaching and athletic performance