Though oftentimes derided on the gym floor, the leg press machine has nevertheless become a staple of weight lifting life through the globe. Yes it's not as 'hardcore' as the squat and yes it's oftentimes abused by bros quarter repping but this piece of equipment has a long and interesting history behind it. A long… Continue reading Who Invented the Leg Press?
For whatever reason some training systems remain in the public psyche while others fall to the wayside, continued only by a few dedicated and often fixated trainers. Thus while nearly every intermediate and certainly every advanced trainee is familiar with manipulating rep ranges, few seem to stray outside the comfort zone of 5 x 5,… Continue reading Forgotten Training Protocols: 4 x 10 Clusters
The passing of Dr. Fred Hatfield in 2017 saw the passing of one of the lifting community's most prolific coaches. Known as 'Dr. Squat' thanks to his own immense strength, Hatfield also helped to popularise scientific forms of training. The above article, written sometime before 2001 is perhaps the most comprehensive guide I've come across… Continue reading Fred Hatfield, ‘I May Know Diddly, But I Know Squat!’ (2001)
Lifters today often take machine training for granted. From leg presses to leg extensions, its easy to think that such inventions have existed since the dawn of the gym age. This of course, is entirely wrong. While machines have crept into nearly every gym these days, lifters in the past century had to be inventive… Continue reading Sigmund Klein and the invention of Leg Curl?
The passing of Dr. Fred Hatfield in 2017 saw the passing of one of the lifting community's most prolific coaches. Known as 'Dr. Squat' thanks to his own immense strength, Hatfield also helped to popularise scientific forms of training. The above article, written sometime before 2001 is perhaps the most comprehensive guide I've come across… Continue reading Fred Hatfield, ‘I May Know Diddly, But I Know Squat!’ (2001)
Mentioned at various points on this particular site, the Zercher Squat has been described by many as one of the most effective but painful methods of building big quads. Uncomfortable to the nth degree, this lift isn't exactly the most popular amongst gym goers. A point which leads us into today's post. Why invent such… Continue reading The History of the Zercher Squat
The passing of Dr. Fred Hatfield in 2017 saw the passing of one of the lifting community's most prolific coaches. Known as 'Dr. Squat' thanks to his own immense strength, Hatfield also helped to popularise scientific forms of training. The above article, written sometime before 2001 is perhaps the most comprehensive guide I've come across… Continue reading Fred Hatfield, ‘I May Know Diddly, But I Know Squat!’ (2001)
"Wrap a band around your bicep until it begins to go numb, then pump out 30 reps with a light weight... Trust me, the pump is worth it." These are not the words of an enlightened man but rather my first experience of Kaatsu or Blood Restriction Training. Brought to my attention by a training… Continue reading The History of Kaatsu Training
Forced Rep, Negatives, Free Weights & Machines - People have called me mad. They say no sane man would inflict my degree of discipline on himself. Perhaps they're right, but I feel that extremism in the quest of your best is no vice. If I seem to be in be in the iron grip of… Continue reading Andreas Munzer – The Ideal Way to Massive Legs (1995)
Image Source. Just this week we spoke about Dr. Karl Klein and his 1960s research on the back squat. As a quick reminder, Klein found that squatting below parallel or pushing the knees over the toes was detrimental to the knee's stability and long term health. Klein and those following in his wake advised against… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: Cyclist Back Squats
