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)
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
A legend in the Iron Game both for his physique and the intensity brought to his training, Tom Platz or the 'Golden Eagle', is synonymous with one of the most impressive quad sweeps in bodybuilding. In a rare bit of training footage, uploaded to Youtube courtesy of  'neandertalensis66', the below clip details Platz's understandings of… Continue reading Tom Platz Leg Day
An exercise designed to enact as much pain as possible. That at least is the thought that almost inevitably runs through my mind during a set of Bulgarian split squats. Heavy squatting? Fine by me. Heck throw in breathing squats for fun. I can grind through that. But high volume split squats? That's an altogether different… Continue reading The History of the Bulgarian Split Squat
Written by Peary Rader in Ironman magazine in 1971, the following article details the great man's love of the heavy squat as a means of hypertrophy. Despite his own opinion on squat mechanics (see our 'Magic Circle' article), Rader was unwavering in his claim that heavy squatting was the most effective training for all. An interesting read and… Continue reading The Squat …For Everything?
For many gym goers the back squat is the Holy Grail for leg development. Known as a means of separating the serious trainers from the weekend warriors, the exercise has taken on a near mythical place in gym lore. Yet like all things, too much of a good thing can lead to stagnation and poor… Continue reading Three Old-School Squats You’re Not Doing
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?
Having briefly discussed the history of the back squat some time ago, efforts were made over the past few days to create a similar account for the front squat. Sadly, perhaps owing to the popularity of its older brother, histories of the front squat are virtually non-existent as many writers seem to take its existence as… Continue reading The History of the Front Squat
Chances are at some point in your lifting career you've done a few sets of Romanian Deadlifts. Â From athletes to bodybuilders, thousands of muscle fanatics have used the exercise to bring up their hamstrings and lower backs. Given the popularity of the movement, you may be surprised to learn that this exercise is a relatively… Continue reading Who Created the Romanian Deadlift?
Ah yes, the dreaded Smith Machine. Criticised for its unnatural movements, failure to fully tax the muscles and its generally unappealing design. Who invented the Smith Machine? Why did they do it and how did it become so popular? These are some of the questions answered in today's blogpost on the history of the Smith Machine!… Continue reading The History of the Smith Machine
