journal

We want to thank you all for such a warm welcome back to the forum world! With a successful restart to our forum journey, we have decided to get some sponsored cycle logs going! If you are interested in keeping a live journal of your progress, take a look at the criteria below to see if you are...

Your first Project Get Shredded journal entry is due! Click here now to update ! For the first week ONLY, there will be a 1-week grace period. At a bear minimum, your first entry MUST be submitted by Sunday, June 13th! You have only 1 week to post and edit your existing journal entry, at...

After a great restart to our forum journey and overwhelming support from all of you guys, we have now decided to start cycle logs on the forum. Interested vets can contact us via PM. We are excited for you guys to start documenting your journeys with us! Please note the eligibility criteria...

Bodybuilders often rely on muscle activation data to figure out how to train a certain muscle group. However, when it comes to the lats, we have a ton of studies showing similar activation in rows and pulldowns with a variety of grip widths. So why do bodybuilders still use both types of...

We often see bodybuilders performing a limited range of motion with dumbbell flyes. Why is this the case? - 💥 This study shows us that muscle activation in a dumbbell flye decreases significantly at the top of the exercise. This is because you get too great of a mechanical advantage over the...

Before we get into the nitty gritty of training any muscle group, it’s always important to review the anatomy of the muscle group as well as any agonist muscle groups. - The biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis are the primary elbow flexors. The biceps are the only muscle that crosses both...

When we talk about tendon stiffness, we're essentially discussing how well a tendon can transmit force. A less stiff tendon can be thought of as a thin rubber band whereas a stiffer tendon would be a much thicker rubber band. Which one snaps with more force? The thicker one, of course! Adding...

The lats are pretty similar to the pectorals in many of the variables mentioned on the graphic. However, the lats are closer to an even split between fast and slow twitch fibers. This means that the lats typically experience a little less damage and soreness when compared to the pecs and have...

How the type of cardio you do (and when) can influence your results. - There's good evidence indicating the interference effect is local [2, 3]. Lower body dominant cardio (specifically, running and cycling) doesn't interfere with upper body muscle development. So one effective way to program...

People like to get hung up on the “ideal” number of reps per set when training for growth. Research has shown that there really is no “ideal;” you can grow in just about any repetition range as long as you train close to failure. Now, some repetition ranges will be better for improving strength...

Most bodybuilders understand that the deltoids can be divided into three regions. Interestingly enough, research has shown that these regions can be further divided, with both the middle and posterior head having three distinct subregions. Therefore, the middle deltoid head plays a role in...

Boron is a non-essential dietary mineral that some have proposed to be a testosterone booster. This proposal has mostly been based off of rodent studies or subject populations of post-menopausal women. Results with other populations are scarce and conflicting so there’s really no conclusive...

Most lifters would probably agree that music helps motivate them during their workouts. If you’re one that doesn’t listen to music during training, you might want to start. This study found that subjects who listened to their own music performed significantly more repetitions to failure at 75%...

Frank Schwab,Yahoo Sports•November 11, 2019 Charles Rogers, a brilliant college receiver at Michigan State who didn’t pan out as the second overall pick of the 2003 NFL draft to the Detroit Lions, died at age 38. The news of Rogers’ death came from former high school and college teammates...

Bodybuilders often employ short rest periods in an effort to promote gains in muscle size, but that’s probably not the best method. Studies such as this one show that using longer rest periods (3-minutes) is more effective for promoting gains in size and strength than short rest periods. This is...

A common concern in the fitness field is that high protein intakes can impair kidney function. Unfortunately, this theory has been based off of studies or clinical work involving individuals with pre-existing kidney disease. If you do NOT have kidney disease, it is highly unlikely that a high...

Muscle gains can also be specific to the range of motion used. This study found that quarter squats emphasized the upper thigh whereas full squats developed the entire thigh. Therefore, changing the range of motion in an exercise can be an effective method of targeting certain regions of the...

Betaine is a naturally occurring osmolyte found in a handful of foods. Betaine may promote water retention in muscle cells which can increase cell swelling during exercise, AKA: help you get a better pump. This increase in cell swelling may also benefit protein signaling after exercise. Betaine...

The hamstrings are right around a 50-50 split between fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. This means that a wide variety of repetition and rest period ranges should be used to train the hamstrings. In addition, remember to include BOTH knee flexion-based and hip extension-based hamstrings...

The lats appear to be a pretty even fiber type split, with around 50% fast and 50% slow twitch fibers. This means a wide range of repetitions and rest periods should be used and you should also (occasionally) utilize aids like lifting straps to ensure that your grip is not failing before your...