Strike First and Strike Hard
Yesterday we talked about the conservation of variation concept. Continuing on, we’ll go over some quick and easy ways to avoid unnecessary variation that can stall training progress. Specifically, we’ll …
Avoid Training Plateaus with the Right Amount of Variation
I’d like to introduce to you something that could leverage massive results for you in your training and help you avoid training plateaus along the way. It’s a concept known as Conservation …
Everything That Happens is Because of You
I was reminded last week of how a simple change in perspective has the power to change everything. This stark reminder came about because I didn’t have my winningest week …
When Best To Fail
Here’s an interesting follow-up to last weeks post on training to failure. So far we’ve covered sets to fail versus proximity from failure and what that means for fatigue. What …
Training To Failure Is Training To Fail
Fresh out of the lab, we have a new study comparing the effects of strength training to failure or without failure on trained participants. The aim of this study was to …
Should We Train to Failure or a Relative Intensity?
Should we train to failure, or is it better to leave a couple of reps in the tank? We know we should be training hard, but what’s hard enough or too …
Resting Between Sets, What Do We Know?
I’m often asked how long we should rest between sets and as always, the answer isn’t exactly black and white. Fortunately, there is a lot of research in this area …
Shots Fired
I’m often asked about what can be done to speed up recovery. More often than not I find myself responding with… ”Recovery from what?” Because we also need to know what …
The Power of Fish Oil and Strength Training
As we enter our later years, we’re entreated to the gradual decline of muscle mass, physical capacity, metabolic rate, cognitive and respiratory vigour. Strength training is proven to be a …
Squats, Muscle Damage and Recovery
Some closing thoughts on Monday’s post for you where we talked about squats, muscle damage and recovery. The time curve of voluntary muscle activation recovery following a workout and muscle soreness …
How To Ruin Your Monday
As far as I can tell, in gyms all over the world, Monday remains the unofficial international bench press day. Where the first and freshest day of the week (for …
Does Stretching Between Sets Help?
Many moons ago our ancestors of the old intuitive-lifting era claimed that stretching between sets helped you grow more muscle. Previous research has suggested that passive interset stretching might positively …
Strength Training Could Save Your Life
We know that aerobic exercise has a wonderfully preserving influence on the heart and lungs. But how does resistance training alone stack up to helping us lead longer, healthier lives? Can …