Fine-Tuning your Ab Routine

In a previous article, I noted how the range of motion of crunches is not conducive to building a strong core. Crunches will only effectively engage the rectus abdominal muscles, while some of the surrounding important core musculature is not addressed. Ultimately, it is a basic exercises that serves...

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Stop Stretching Your Hamstrings

If I had to pinpoint one "tight area" about which many people complain most, it's the hamstrings. I'll often find gym-goers using multiple methods to stretch those stubborn muscles: asking a partner to push them deeper into a stretch, or yanking on their legs with bands. Yet, somehow, despite their...

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Why I Only Train My Core Isometrically, and Why You Should Too

My friend Michael was nice enough to write a guest post for me this week! Michael is a competitive weightlifter who has been performing the olympic lifts for a little over 2.5 years. He recently obtained his Honors Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology and plans to go on to complete a degree in Physiotherapy....

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Check Your Ribs! 4 Exercises to Fix Your Rib Position

What's wrong with this picture?Yes, this model has an incredibly impressive physique, but I'm referring specifically to her posture. Her ribs, in particular, are the first thing I notice.Rib flaring is an extremely common postural fault. I mainly see this in women, but there are many men who are guilty...

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Breathe Your Way to Bigger Lifts (Part 2)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on breathing properly for your lifts. This week, my friend Nate Henry, a competitive powerlifter, wrote a wonderful follow-up article. His strongest lifts include a 523.5 pound squat in competition, and a 535 pound squat in the gym, weighing 206 pounds. His best meet...

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To Belt or Not to Belt?

Part of assimilating into the "lifting culture" means geeking out over new purchases like shoes, wrist wraps, straps, and belts. It's easy to fill up your shopping cart pretty quickly on Amazon.com or other similar websites. The question is, how much of these items are necessary, and what is extraneous...

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Perfecting Your Plank

Several months ago, I wrote an article called "Perfecting Your Push-up," in which I gave you some insight on how to correct some common flaws in a seemingly simple (yet incredibly intricate) movement.This post will be a sequel to that post, as a solid plank is the foundation of a push-up.The plank is...

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The Ab Exercise You're Doing Incorrectly

You work these muscles 23,000 times a day, on average, but chances are, you're using them incorrectly. In our sleep-deprived, high stress lifestyles, many of us are breathing incorrectly several thousand times a day, everyday over the course of our lives.The core musculature like the rectus abdominis,...

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A Guide to Better Oblique Training: The Transverse Plane

Humans have the capacity to move freely and seamlessly through three different planes of motion: the sagittal plane, the frontal plane, and the transverse plane. Many strength programs utilize several different exercises in the first two (sagittal and frontal) planes, but neglect the transverse plane...

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Too Busy to Exercise this Holiday Season! Quick Workout Tips for You!

It is entirely possible to burn tons of fat with a short, 15 minute workout.  Today we are giving you ideas for a workout to do when you are too busy for your regular workout schedule.15 Minute Workout Options:Option AThis workout uses the 4 minute tabata protocol (20 seconds or work as fast and as hard as you can go with a 10 second rest – repeated 8 times).Be sure to warm up with a walk, step...

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Free Weights or Machines?

Ever wonder why you can lift more weight using a machine than with a dumbbell?  Free weights force you to recruit more muscle fibers to help stabilize the muscle that is doing the lifting.  Machines provide stability for you.  A recent study done by Scott Lyons, PHD associate professor of exercise science at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green stated that exercisers were able...

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