Yes, a barbell makes the world go round when you’re crushing through a PPL routine that includes mostly compound exercises (i.e., bench press, squat, or deadlift). But when you transition over to an intermediate split, you’ll find that your trusty old barbell isn’t as reliable as you once thought. Forget about hitting your brachioradialis — hammer curls are impossible. And don’t expect to continue adding plates to your tricep extensions … [Read more...]
Swolverine PlantPro5 Review (Pea Protein Powder)
Powerlifting belt? Check. Weightlifting shoes? Check. Shaker bottle? Check. A protein powder that doesn’t trigger a digestive nightmare? *crickets* Whey and casein proteins might be a staple in the standard muscle-building diet. But they’re also notorious for wreaking havoc on sensitive GI tracts. And if you have food allergies, are vegan, or value all-natural supplements, whey and casein are out of the question. Enter pea … [Read more...]
5 Best Roman Chairs & Hyperextension Benches to Buy
Before you learned about the principles of building a strong and chiseled core, you stuck to what you knew. Planks, glute-ham bridges, Supermans, and the occasional weighted crunch. But now … the gains are stalling. A thousand sit-ups a day are more a cardio exercise than anything. And the only way you’ll get back on the right track is by adding angles, weight, and isolation exercises to core day. Good luck doing that with basic home … [Read more...]
5 Best Bodybuilding Supplements for an Aesthetic Body
To sculpt an aesthetic body, you need the bodybuilder’s trifecta: A high-protein/low-fat diet, a proven hypertrophy split routine, and legitimate fitness supplements. The last one is where many hard-gainers fail miserably. After all, not just any pre-workout powder or creatine capsule will do — and no supplement is a “magic fix” if your diet and lifting routine are subpar. The #1 supplement is the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard … [Read more...]
7 Best Creatine Pills & Capsules for Muscle Mass [Reviews]
Ask any buff guy at the gym what his secret to mass is. A small percentage will get weirdly defensive and say, “Who’s asking?” But the majority of guys will talk about the wonders of supplementing with whey protein and creatine. And they’d be right … especially about creatine! Studies show that creatine can help athletes double “normal” gains in 4-12 weeks and boost 1RMs on the bench press by 15 pounds in a month. If you’re ready to … [Read more...]
5 Best Foldable Weight Benches (For Your Home Gym)
You’ve got the barbell, a dumbbell set, and a growing stack of weight plates in your home gym. The next logical “step-up” is a foldable weight bench. Foldable weight benches like the Fitness Reality 1000 Super Max Weight Bench have three undeniable benefits: You can significantly expand the list of exercises in your home workout program — bench presses, rows, shoulder presses … hell, even pistol squats.They fold up … [Read more...]
Buff Dudes’ Journey for the Goblet of Gains [Review]
Sure, adding inches to your arms, loading a couple of extra plates to the barbell, and leaving the gym with shaky muscles are all satisfying experiences when building mass is your goal. But here’s the thing: Most workout routines are flat-out boring. The monotony of doing the same six workouts week in and week out slowly sinks in. And for the sake of entertainment, you ditch the plan altogether after a few weeks…before you … [Read more...]
Steve Cook’s Big Man on Campus Workout [Full Review]
College folks, you know the struggle. Between the draining three-hour lectures, high-pressure exams, nonstop social gatherings, and non-existent spending money, bulking up just misses the cut on your growing list of priorities. You’re doomed. Hello, college 15. Enter Steve Cook’s wildly popular Big Man on Campus Workout…a fitness program built for college students like you who are tight on time and money. Now, we know what … [Read more...]
Greg Doucette: The Ultimate Anabolic Cookbook [Review]
If you’re like a lot of us, cooking isn’t exactly your “forte.” You somehow manage to burn waffles in the toaster, set off the smoke detector whenever you make chicken, or forget the one ingredient that keeps the whole dish from being a sloppy mess. It’s an unfortunate skill to lack when you’re eyeing muscle growth. Mainly since your only alternatives—microwaveable foods or take-out—are high in all the … [Read more...]
Jim Stoppani’s 6-Week Shortcut To Shred [Full Review]
Let’s face it. The only “shortcuts” to bulking up and shredding fat are unsafe, unsustainable, or flat-out illegal. So when Jim Stoppani—a health consultant to the stars with a doctorate in exercise physiology to his name—began flaunting a program called “6-Week Shortcut to Shred”… That was a bit of a head-scratcher. But we’re going to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he does … [Read more...]
Rise and Grind 6-Week Muscle-Building Plan [Full Review]
In the fitness community, we know what goes into building muscle: The rep schemes, the intensity levels, the protein in the diet, the right supplements, and even the ideal amount of sleep each night. But following these guidelines is much easier said than done. We always assume that spending more time in the gym and trying “ground-breaking” training styles will guarantee bigger and faster gains. In other words: We try to … [Read more...]
Dead Wedge: A Good Deadlift Jack Alternative? (Review)
Here’s something we can (likely) all agree on: Loading and unloading a barbell between sets of deadlifts can be a real pain (both literally and figuratively) and a waste of time and energy when you should be resting. And, if your gym doesn’t have a deadlift jack, you don’t have another option. You risk throwing out your back and limiting your PRs every time you mess with the plates on deadlift day. Well, not so … [Read more...]
Swolverine Whey Protein Isolate Review (Tasty Gains!)
What’s the most common word in a gym rat’s vocabulary? Protein. Let’s face it. If you want to get leaner and build more muscle, you have to keep your protein intake higher than the average person. And supplementing your protein with a high-quality whey protein powder is a convenient way to do it. But if you want a clean and delicious option that actually has enough protein packed into every scoop… which do you choose? Well, based … [Read more...]
Athlean-X Ultimate Arms Workout Program [Full Review]
Here’s something nobody can dispute: Compound lifts are ideal for full body strength and muscle gains. Back, chest, hamstring, and quad exercises, they’re all an essential piece of the framework for a solid full-body workout routine. But seriously. Who’s going to turn down a routine that puts a little extra emphasis on the arms? Especially when your bicep and tricep gains are lagging behind your chest, shoulders, and back. Enter … [Read more...]
Athlean-X Total Beast Workout Program [Full Review]
Here’s a fact you already know: Targeting each muscle group several times per week is the most efficient way to build serious mass and strength—and this is an idea that’s been scientifically proven time and time again. But here’s the thing: As much as you want to be bigger and stronger than you already are, a strict mass-building routine leaves other areas of fitness in the rearview. Agility, power, speed. You know, the things you … [Read more...]
Athlean-X Max Size Muscle Building Workout [Review]
8-12 reps per set, 1+ gram of protein per pound of body weight, targeting each muscle group twice a week, sleeping 7-9 hours a night. All of these strategies are scientifically proven to trigger greater muscle growth to some extent. But they mean next to nothing if you’re what they call a “hard gainer.” You just can’t seem to bulk up or put on weight, no matter how extreme the changes you make in the gym or the kitchen are. Don’t give … [Read more...]
Athlean-X AX1 Workout Program Review (Worth the Price?)
We all have goals of getting fit and making strides toward our ideal physiques. That’s precisely why we scour the internet for the “perfect” muscle-building program, cut fast food and empty calories, and load up our diets with insane amounts of protein. Thus, the bulk/cut cycle begins. But does anybody really like the constant bouncing between bulking and cutting, rapid switching between being lean and being big, and crazy diets that are … [Read more...]
Athlean Xero Bodyweight Workout (Complete Review)
You know this by now: The only way to ensure massive gains from head to toe is by loading up the barbell with tons of plates and pushing yourself to your limits. Bodyweight exercises are nothing more than convenient. Your last resort when the gym is closed. Right? Well, the Athlean Xero Bodyweight Workout is taking that long-held belief and turning it on its head. The claim—build muscle, burn fat, and boost your athleticism with no … [Read more...]
Athlean-X Monster Maker Workout Program [Full Review]
One of the most hotly-contested topics in the locker room is the ongoing debate between old-school training styles and cutting edge training advancements. You can have one, or you can have the other…but you can’t have both. And definitely not at the same time! Right? Well, that may not be true anymore, especially if you consider the potentially groundbreaking program that is the Athlean-X Monster Maker Workout Program. So is … [Read more...]
Athlean-X Elast-X Resistance Bands Review (Worth it?)
There’s no at-home fitness gear quite like resistance bands. They’re small enough to tuck away in a drawer, have customizable levels of resistance, and make muscle growth a reality….even when your gym is closed, or you’re short on time. So what about the Athlean-X Elast-X resistance bands? Are these resistance bands the real deal, or do they regularly go out of stock because they’re simply attached to the brand? Well, keep reading to … [Read more...]
3 Best White Weightlifting Belts [Reviews]
The color of your weightlifting belt won’t suddenly add 200 pounds to your squat or help you push through another set on the overhead press. But we have to admit: A white weightlifting belt looks pretty sleek. So if you’re looking to add some flash to your gym gear and rock a pure white belt instead, we recommend the Contraband Black Label 4010 4-Inch Nylon Weight Lifting Belt. Keep reading to learn about this white weightlifting belt, … [Read more...]