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ARTICLES
Weighted Ab Exercises: 3 Simple Movements
When people start their fitness journey, getting well-developed abs is usually one of the main goals. I was no different. Looking back, I used to do a ton of crunches in the hopes of getting ripped abs. But I did all of this without putting enough thought into my...
Training Frequency: What is the best workout split?
In the past two articles, we have looked into training volume and intensity. Based on these articles, we now know that most people should train every muscle group with about 10-20 sets per week in a 5-15 rep range. If you get this right, you will experience...
Training Intensity: Best Rep Range For Muscle Growth
Introduction In the previous blog post, we've looked into training volume and muscle growth. The main takeaway was that training every muscle group with about 10-20 sets per week is a good starting point for muscle growth. But as you can imagine, just how many plain...
Weighted Ab Exercises: 3 Simple Movements
When people start their fitness journey, getting well-developed abs is usually one of the main goals. I was no different. Looking back, I used to do a ton of crunches in the hopes of getting ripped abs. But I did all of this without putting enough thought into my...
Training Frequency: What is the best workout split?
In the past two articles, we have looked into training volume and intensity. Based on these articles, we now know that most people should train every muscle group with about 10-20 sets per week in a 5-15 rep range. If you get this right, you will experience...
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The Romanian deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for training a hip hinge. In today's post, I will discuss 4 Romanian deadlifts form tips. Swipe left for more.
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First, you want to make sure that your knees are mostly stationary during a Romanian deadlift. Letting the knees travel forward is a common mistake. With the Romanian deadlift, we focus on training a hip hinge. So keep your knees in a mostly stationary position while pushing your hips back.
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Next, you also want the weight to stay close to your body. Letting the barbell travel forward places more stress on your low-back. When you lower the bar, think about keeping the bar close to you so that there is more resistance on your hamstrings and less on the back.
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Also, with a Romanian deadlift, you don't have to touch the floor with the bar. If you try to lower the bar all the way to the floor, you will have to round your back at the bottom of the movement. For most people, stopping the Romanian deadlift once the bar is slightly below the knees is a good goal.
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On the last slide of this post, you can find some useful alternatives of the Romanian deadlift for home-training!
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🎵 Background music by @iamryanlittle
💪🏼A week ago I posted a gym-replacer legs training session with dumbbells. Many people requested also an example leg-session with bands, so here is a simple template!
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In this workout, we have 6 exercises focused on training your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. The reason I have chosen the Bulgarian split squat as a replacement for barbell squats is that just doing banded squats often does not provide enough resistance to make the exercise challenging. Doing the exercise 1-legged allows you to train the legs hard without using much external weight.
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Next to the split squat, we also have a hack squat and box squat variation in this workout to target the quadriceps even more. Exercises like hamstring curls, hip thrusts, and Romanian deadlifts in this workout are focused more on training your hamstrings/glutes.
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Now, about the effectiveness of band training, i training with resistance bands even worth the effort? If it's your only option for the moment, yes. Training with bands is better than nothing. A 2016 study found that elastic training (with tools like resistance bands) is effective for muscle strength in healthy adults [1].
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Music by @iamryanlittle
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References:
1. de Oliveira, Poliana Alves, et al. "Effects of elastic resistance exercise on muscle strength and functional performance in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of physical activity and health 14.4 (2017): 317-327.
📚 Rest-pause training may sound like one of those "fancy training tricks" that are overhyped, but it can be an effective training tool if used properly [1].
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With rest-pause training, you basically take your first set close to failure, rest for less than 20 seconds and then repeat the process 3-5 times without changing the load. This allows you to accumulate volume with a certain weight in a time-efficient manner, so it's handy for when you're short on time.
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For instance, if you are in a hurry and need to perform 3 sets of 10 reps with tricep pushdowns, you can set a volume goal of 30 reps and use rest-pause sets (see picture above) to quickly finish your workout. Recent research indicates rest-pause training is an effective strategy to use if you're training for muscle growth [2].
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Since a breakdown in form (due to high muscular fatigue) is common when individuals do rest-pause training, it's a good idea to use this training tool only with simple isolation lifts to minimize the risk of injury.
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References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21940213
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28617715
🧋Detox diets have gained popularity the past few years. Typically, these "detoxes" involve only drinking a set of smoothies/juices for a few days up to a week, with no other meals. But there is no compelling evidence to suggest that detox diets improve toxin elimination or realize long-term fat loss [1].
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The human body has built-in systems through which it eliminates the toxins in your body with the help of your kidneys, liver, colon, respiratory system etc.
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A literature review on detox diets actually concludes that detox cleanses should be discouraged by health professionals due to the limited amount of research available and the possible health risks involved (e.g. vitamin deficiencies as a result of very low-calorie dieting) [2].
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Basically, instead of wasting your energy on a detox cleanse, it's best to leave the "detoxing" of your body up to vital organs we all have that are designed to eliminate toxins. For your fat loss efforts, a sustainable diet that puts you in a calorie deficit makes a lot more sense.
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Lastly, this may go without saying, but there is nothing wrong with drinking green smoothies. The point is that only drinking green smoothies to "detox" is not a good idea.
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References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18075624
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25522674
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The obliques run down the side of your core. The obliques have 2 primary functions, which is lateral flexion and torso rotation. In today's post, I will show you 7 oblique exercises to give you an idea of the different effective obliques movements out there.
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I show exercises that can be done at the gym or simply at home. The first 2 exercises are Hanging Oblique Raises & Diagonal Lying Leg Raises. The Diagonal Leg Raise is an exercise you can do at home with no equipment. Next, we have Cable Wood Chops and Russian Ab Twists. These exercises train the obliques via torso rotation.
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We can't talk about obliques training without mentioning Side Planks! If traditional Side Planks are quite easy (you can hold for 30+ seconds), try Side Planks with a leg raise, as shown in slide 4. Both of these plank variations train your obliques via anti-lateral flexion. A good exercise for training anti-rotation is the Pallof Press. This exercise may look easy, but if you use enough weight, you'll feel the obliques being challenged hard.
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Lastly, a common mistake with obliques training is doing side bends while holding a plate with both arms. The weights you lift counteract each other and the obliques don't do much work. Instead, try doing an exercise like single-arm farmers walks to challenge the obliques.
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🎵 Music by @iamryanlittle
🎬 New YouTube video about "Lean Bulking" is now live! Visit the link in my bio or go to YouTube.com/iWannaBurnFat for more details. In the rest of this post, I'll discuss some bulking basics.
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A bulk essentially refers to purposely eating more calories than your body requires to support muscle growth. There is research to suggest eating more calories helps increase muscle growth by facilitating anabolic processes and helping you train harder [1, 2]. But this doesn't mean you should start force-feeding yourself. Muscle growth remains a slow process for natural lifters. This is why I prefer the slower version of a bulk, often coined a "Lean Bulk".
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Research by the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences found that trying to bulk aggressively through severe overfeeding results in more fat gain for no additional muscle growth [3]. Having a slow-and-steady approach when bulking is beneficial. This will require some patience, but that's part of the process when gaining muscle is the goal.
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For most lifters, seeking to gain no more than 1.5% of your body weight per month is an effective way to minimize fat gain during a bulk while still being able to support your muscle growth goals [1]. In my new YouTube video, I go into detail on how you can calculate bulking calories and discuss the science behind Lean Bulking. Check it out!
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References:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31247944/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6710320/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23679146