Key Points: Hamstring muscle activity in the squat is low compared to exercises like good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts, and leg curls. Squat training twice a week for 10 weeks yielded no muscle growth in the hamstrings (~0.6%), while the muscle volume of the quads, glutes, and adductors all increased by 5–7%. From a biomechanical standpoint, … Read more
What’s the difference between pulling movements such as pull-ups and lat pulldowns compared to rowing movements such as barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and cable rows? This article will briefly examine the differences in terms of what muscles these exercises work. If you’ve read my article on how to train your back muscles, you know that … Read more
Male and female muscles get bigger and stronger by lifting weights. But is it harder for women to build muscle? Do males have more muscle mass than women? Those are just two questions we’ll answer in this article. Male and Female Muscle: Similar but Different Men and women have many things in common. However, subtle … Read more
A few days ago, we received a question about supersets from a reader named Agneta: “Could you talk about the good vs. bad when it comes to supersets? I find that they are time-savers, but I don’t really see many people talking about them.” You are absolutely right, Agneta: supersets are time-savers! But are supersets … Read more
Key Points: The bench press works the lateral head of your triceps well – even better than tricep extensions. The bench press does not work the long and medial head of your triceps well – but tricep extensions do. Combine bench pressing with tricep extensions to work all heads of your triceps. Does bench pressing … Read more
Key Points: Lat pulldowns have been shown to work (and grow) the biceps muscle just as good as barbell curls. At least in untrained subjects. Adding barbell curls to a program of lat pulldowns doesn’t lead to further muscle growth in the biceps. Once again, in untrained subjects. Rows only work your biceps half (50%) … Read more
This training program is available for free in our app StrengthLog! Download it for iOS or Android. My friend Emelie wanted to get bigger and stronger, but wasn’t sure of how she should go about it. Since I can’t keep my opinion to myself, I went ahead and suggested a training program which will accomplish exactly that. You will … Read more
Key Points: Short rest periods (<1 minute) between sets sharply decrease the number of reps you can do with a given weight. Resting 3–5 minutes between sets leads to greater muscle growth and strength gains than resting one minute, given that you perform the same number of sets. By supersetting exercises for different muscle groups, … Read more
Soy, soybeans, and soy protein: muscle-building alternatives to meat, healthy legumes, or hormone-altering cancer beans? Few foods are as controversial as soyfoods. As always is the case when it comes to controversial stuff, the truth is entirely black or white. Soy means different things to different people. For the weight-lifting fitness aficionado, soy protein for … Read more
Key Points: No, it’s not important to consume protein quickly after a workout. This is true despite the fact that your muscle protein balance is negative until you consume protein. A meta-analysis found no difference in muscle growth or strength between groups consuming protein within one hour before or after strength training, and groups who … Read more