Some say that getting a pump is essential for building muscle. If you want to make your muscles grow as fast as humanly possible, getting one should be the aim of your workouts. A good muscle pump is a sign that you’ve had a good workout, and that growth is sure to follow. Others will […]
How Often Should You Have a Deload Week? Do You Need One at All?
MX4 user Frank writes in with a question about the deload week: “Do you subscribe to the idea of programming in regular deloads? If so, how and when?” What Is a Deload Week? A deload refers to a planned reduction in training volume and/or intensity, with the aim of encouraging recovery and improving performance during […]
The Hardgainer’s Guide to Faster Muscle Growth
If you’re a hardgainer who wants to build muscle, but you’re frustrated because you don’t seem to be getting anywhere, and the standard hardgainer workout advice to “follow an abbreviated training program where your workouts are brief and infrequent” hasn’t worked, this page will show you what to do. Here’s the story: Once, I got […]
Things To Know If You’re Building Muscle After 50
“Can you recommend a good routine for building muscle after 50,” asks MK via email. “I am looking to put on muscle mass and focus on muscle quality while getting lean. I done a lot on my own and have seen some pretty good results but as I have aged I am seeing that my […]
How to Get Rid of a Beer Belly (Without Giving Up Beer)
If you want to know how to get rid of a beer belly, without going on a special diet that you can’t stick to for more than a week, doing endless sit-ups or hours of cardio, or even having to give up drinking beer, this page will show you how. First things first, what causes […]
Popular Myths About Compound Lifts Debunked By Science
Compound lifts like the squat, pull-up, bench press and overhead press work large numbers of muscles. They’re a very efficient use of your training time, and I like them a lot. However, there are also a number of myths and misconceptions about compound lifts that have developed over the years. Here are some of the […]
Fat Burning Foods Every Man Should Eat: The Final and Definitive List
The other day, I came across an article titled 28 Foods That Fight Belly Fat, which claims to reveal a list of “slimming superfoods” that will “melt away that last inch of belly bloat.” There are many thousands of articles like it, all of which follow a very similar template. The author comes up with […]
PHUL Workout Routine: Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower
The other day, I came across something called the PHUL workout routine, which is short for power hypertrophy upper lower. Although PHUL is something of a misnomer (for reasons I’ll explain in a moment, it should be called SHUL rather than PHUL), it’s a solid approach to setting up a training program, and can work […]
Fasted Weight Training: Research, Pros & Cons
The other day, I came across an article in Men’s Health on the subject of intermittent fasting and exercise in the morning, which cautions against lifting weights on an empty stomach. Here’s a snippet: Lifting weights, sprinting, doing CrossFit WODS, and other high-intensity activities all depend on carbs for fuel. If you perform any of […]
Lat Pulldowns vs Pull-Ups: What’s the Best Lat Exercise?
Some say that pull-ups (where your palms face away from you) and chin-ups (where your palms face you) are the best back exercises, giving you a lot more “bang for your buck” than lat pulldowns. Personally, I take the opposite view. For most people, most of the time, pulldowns are a better option than pull-ups […]