Daniel Richter 
“If you are your own coach, you have an idiot both for a coach and athlete.” Coaching yourself can be fun and liberating, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Two of the greatest ones are: Laziness. Are you lifting the same weights for the same number or sets and reps as you … Read more
Key Points: A new meta-analysis found that focusing externally (e.g., moving the bar) significantly increases muscular strength. In the long term, training with an external focus might lead to larger strength gains. For muscle growth, there is some evidence that an internal focus (e.g., contracting the muscle) might be superior. *** Where should you direct … Read more
Don’t know what to train? Got a kettlebell? Then I’ve got you covered, buddy. Here’s a short and sweaty kettlebell workout that will leave your glutes, legs, and lungs pumping. It doesn’t take much longer than ten minutes but is still a great workout. This is one of the workouts in our Advent Calendar 2021, … Read more
Key Points: A new study compared quad muscle growth from five weeks of squat vs. leg extension training. Leg extensions were found to provide superior muscle growth in the rectus femoris compared to squat training. Vastus lateralis tended to grow more in the distal parts (25% and 50% of femur length) from squat training but … Read more
Your legs hold some of the largest and strongest muscles in your body. They provide your base of support and your means of transportation, and are as such paramount in all sports and activities where you stand on two feet. In terms of muscle symmetry, your leg muscles round out your physique by giving you … Read more
Your quad muscles, or quadriceps, are by far the largest muscle groups in your body. They’re the prize of your legs, making up the front of your thigh. And, if you’ve been training them diligently: they’re the muscles bulging out under your pants or shorts. Since your leg muscles are so important for sports, and … Read more
One of the trickier lifts a beginner lifter might want to learn is the squat. Since we don’t spend a lot of time sitting in a deep squat position in the western world (at least after we’ve left childhood), we tend to get stiff and lose the mobility to do so. Luckily, what is lost … Read more
Are you feeling hard-pressed to decide whether you should focus on building muscle or getting stronger? Are you past the beginner stage and stuck on a strength plateau that you cannot bust through? A daily undulating periodization (DUP) program for powerlifting might be just what you need. In this post, I’ll explain what DUP is, … Read more
“Don’t judge a person’s strength by looking at their arms. Look at their butt!” Your gluteal muscles, or simply glutes, are one of your largest and strongest muscle groups. The glutes have long been eye-catching symbols of youth, virility, and also – strength. Since the glutes sit at the center of your body, they are … Read more
Do you want a big and strong chest? Then you need to develop both the upper, middle, and lower chest muscle fibers. In this post, I’ll list some of the best lower chest exercises and how you can put them together into a workout. In order to understand the exercise choices, let’s begin by taking … Read more