Four Oddball Lifts that Work
You’ll notice that these are stabilizer-focused lifts—that’s a common theme in sussing out the value of new lifts as well as old ones that have been rediscovered.
Increased Intra-Play Demands of Modern Gridiron Football
Up-tempo play calling has changed the pace of gridiron football, and with it, the energetic demands placed on athletes.
Our Evolving Understanding of Hypertrophy — Comparing New and Old Theories
Science is in a state of constant development. This article examines several recent studies that provide new theories on hypertrophy.
Novel Stimulus or Stupid Human Trick?
Cutting through the clutter of fitness information out there, here’s a checklist to help you to figure out what works (and what doesn’t) for your training and the training advice you offer others.
Ten Time-Proven, Big-Three Technique Tweaks for Happy Joints
Are you getting beat up from squatting, benching, and deadlifting? Here’s a handful of tips to help cure what ails you.
Morning Metabolism and Circadian Rhythms
If Diet-Induced Thermogenisis is in fact a variable we can control through a choice on whether/how to distribute our calories across the day, it could be the example of magic metabolism claimed in so many fitness tip listicles.
Adaptive Thermogenesis — The Beauty and the Beast of The Biggest Loser
Starvation Mode is the not-so-accurate term for your body’s reaction to extreme caloric deficits. What price do you pay for rapid weight loss?
Old School PE — Valuable Today?
In today’s world of athletics, does the 1975 work of Dauer and Pangrazi hold up?
The Fuzzy Case for Forskolin
You’ve likely heard of this plant extract gaining traction in the supplement industry, but is there any science behind the hype?
Health Considerations of Powerlifting Technique
Consider the major powerlifting movements, cues, and technical adjustments that may prove helpful in both improving strength and prolonging health.
An Updated Deadlift Cycle for Average Joes
This 16-week cycle is for gym rats who have been lifting long enough to have good technique but aren’t interested in peaking for a meet.
Mobility for the Desk Jockey
If you’re anchored to a desk at work, performing these daily exercises will keep your body moving the way it’s supposed to.
Your Body and Your Boss: My Encounter with Employer Wellness Programs
Even if you’re active, your fitness goals might not line up with standards set by workforce health management — especially if they use BMI. Here’s what I recently learned about these wellness policies.
The Murkiness of High School Prep: Are Collegiate Athletes Prepared?
How prepared are freshmen athletes for the rigors of strength and conditioning at the collegiate level? A recent survey asked this question and the results are in contention.
How To Understand, Prevent, and Correct Shoulder Instability
The shoulder is a complex and vulnerable joint for competitive athletes and lifters. Use these techniques to get your shoulders healthy and keep them moving pain-free.
To Stretch or Not: What Does Scientific Study Say About Stretching and M...
Several popular training programs call for a regimented stretching protocol as part of every workout. Is this all hype, or could it be the secret to your next 25 pounds of muscle?
Of Levers and Lifting
The human body is a system of levers. When we understand the concepts of these mechanisms, we then increase our force-production capabilities.
Into the Jaguar's Lair with Kip Eng
In our endeavors to present diverse methods of training, we sought an authority outside our realm of expertise.
How Fred Hatfield Overhauled Evander Holyfield's Training
Dr. Squat turns The Real Deal into a more destructive, pugilistic powerhouse.
The Team elitefts Original Soundtrack
What does it take to crank your training intensity? Team elitefts goes all Siskel & Ebert on that.
Muscle Protein Synthesis and the Anabolic Window
When God closes a gym door, he opens an anabolic window.
Mythbusting Fasted Cardio
Does performing cardio with low blood sugar levels increase fat burning? Muscle gain? Performance?
3 Contrarian Training Strategies
You are embarrassing! You come in here…doing those stale-ass sets, in that stale-ass program, as part of your stale-ass training cycle…and you expect results?
Research Process Pitfalls
How to sidestep through the minefield of collegiate bureacracy and pier-review boards.
The Muscle Research Proposal Process
Those guys involved with the Manhattan Project did not have to deal with the politics and bureaucracy of modern day musclehead research. This guide will help you get that doctoral dissertation moving forward.
Revisiting Duchaine
Fourteen years after his death, is Duchaine seen as supplement swindler or human performance pioneer?
Science of Lifting: The Research Process Uncovered
Doing research? Follow these four steps and get your project done.
Science of Lifting: Westside for the Average Joe
I want to offer a personal counterpoint to this idea that Westside style programming is only applicable to elite or enhanced lifters.
Science of Lifting: Personal Genomics (Part 1)
Right now, and in the right circumstances, understanding your personal genome might be a powerful tool for improved health.
Science of Lifting: Quick Thoughts (Part 5)
In this QT, we will look at the latest research on heavy lifting and heart health.
Science of Lifting: Capturing a Buckled Spine in Real Time
When a coincidental injury occurs in a well monitored lab study, it’s definitely something to write home about.
Science of Lifting: Quick Thoughts (Part 4)
Brandon returns with a quick look at hypertrophy and running.
Science of Lifting: Quick Thoughts, Part 3
This edition of quick thoughts looks at hypertrophy and muscle length, the final frontier, long-term dilemmas, and the interactions of illness and intense training.
Science of Lifting: Isometrics
Isometric lifts, lifts where the muscles contract without causing movement at the involved joints, might be an under-appreciated tool for lifters and athletes.
Quick Thoughts on the Science of Lifting, Part 2
While some are getting busted, others are finding new ways to improve. All in the work of science.
Beyond the Cortisone Shot: Iontophoretic Therapy
I underwent three rounds of iontophoresis a few months ago for an aggravated nerve/tendon issue that I’m having with both arms.
Quick Thoughts on the Science of Lifting
It’s something to be concerned with if you’re a competitive athlete because folks are obviously getting busted.
The Science of Strength: Reading Research, Pt. II
Being statistically significant doesn’t mean a result has practical applications, however; it’s just measurable, and that measurable amount may or may not be of interest to you.
The Science of Strength: Reading Research, Pt. I
It’s important to know that scientific/medical papers are rarely “how-to guides.” Instead, they seek to answer very specific questions.
Strength 101: Part IV - Training Periodization
Parallel systems train multiple skills simultaneously, and they progress mainly by manipulating volume, intensity, and technique as a way of teaching the body what to expect from a competition.
Strength 101: Part III – Organizing Training
Understanding training organization is the biggest sticking point for many lifters.
Advice for the Over-worked Strength Coach: An Outsider’s Perspective
Ensure these factors are achieved, and your athletes will have success under the bar.
Strength 101: Part I Strength and the Body
The following series is intended to give new lifters some general information on major aspects of weightlifting science.