What if you only trained the squat, bench press, and the deadlift? What kind of results would you get? What would your body look like? What would you be missing out on? The squat, bench press, and the deadlift are three great lifts, and they make an excellent foundation in most strength training programs. Usually, … Read more
Key Points: Deadlifts and squats both work your hip extensors (=your glutes), but differ in that squats work your quadriceps more than deadlifts do, and deadlifts work your back more than squats do. The average squat to deadlift ratio is 1:1.23 in men, and 1:1.25 in women. Squats are well-researched and proven to improve jumping … 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
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
Key Points: Twenty-five resistance trained men were randomly assigned to either a deadlift group or a squat group. Both groups trained three times per week for six weeks. The squat group increased their squat 1RM by 13.3% and their deadlift 1RM by 6.7%. The deadlift group increased their squat 1RM by 4.7% and their deadlift … Read more
The incline bench press and the flat bench press are both great exercises for building your chest and shoulder muscles. While they train the same major muscle groups, there are still some differences. In this article, I break down five of the biggest differences between the incline bench press compared to the classic flat bench … Read more
Key Points: Deep squats (120–140° knee flexion) lead to greater muscle growth in the quads, glutes, and adductors than shallow or half squats (60–90°). You improve your strength the most at the depth you train at. Deep squats, however, have greater carryover to shallow squats than vice versa. The required squat depth in powerlifting is … Read more
Have you hit a plateau in your deadlift, and want to start gaining strength again? Look no further than our deadlift program for powerlifting: Deadlift Disco. Our own deadlift program is one of the most popular training programs in our workout app, and thousands of lifters have used it to hit new deadlift PR’s since … Read more
Key Points: Twelve resistance-trained men were tested in 1RM and in isometric (static) contractions in bench press in 12 different positions: from chest level to extended arms. The weakest point was at a height of 4 cm off the chest. This was true both in a 1RM bench press and in isometric contractions. In a … Read more