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Natural Bodybuilder Melanie Pfeifer Is Ecstatic to Train Again Post Breast Cancer Surgery
Image via Instagram @inbapnbaglobal_official
Natural Olympia Pro Women’s Physique Open champion Melanie Pfeifer is ecstatic to start training for the upcoming 2022 natural bodybuilding season after successful breast cancer surgery.
The 2022 INBA PNBA season is approaching! The INBA PNBA Workshop competition plans to kickoff the INBA PNBA season in 2022, on Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Corona, CA. With less than a month underway before the first INBA PNBA natural bodybuilding competition, many competitors have put it into high gear! Including Melanie Pfeifer, who is a 2021 Natural Olympia champion that’s undergone a recent successful post-surgery breast cancer recovery.
Melanie Pfeifer is inspirational and has a true heart of a champion. After receiving news of a breast cancer diagnosis two months before Natural Olympia 2021, Pfeifer stood firm and dominated the pro Women’s Physique Open division with a first-place finish. Moreover, she did this within 24 hours of winning the amateur Women’s Physique class.
Pfeifer’s surgery for breast cancer took place this past January. Her recovery has gone great, and she’s excited to start training again. The International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) released a complete statement on Instagram (IG). The INBA PNBA stated:
“Two months prior to the Natural Olympia Melanie was diagnosed with breast cancer and her surgery was scheduled for January 2022. @inbapnbaglobal_official and our global family are elated to hear that Melanie’s recovery has gone well and that she can’t wait to start training again.”
You can see the INBA PNBA’s complete statement below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaVjON-vffu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Melanie Pfeifer Plans to Compete in 2022
It’s safe to say that Melanie Pfeifer made her country proud after taking back a gold medal and $1,000 prize. Natural Olympia 2021 was Melanie Pfeifer’s first Natural Olympia. So, of course, she traveled overseas from Italy to make this win happen.
Melanie Pfeifer’s glory doesn’t end in there though. The Natural Bodybuilding Federation Italy (NBFI) will be hosting the INBA PNBA World Championships on June 24-26th, where Pfeifer plans to compete. And as a reigning Natural Olympia gold medalist, that automatically qualifies her for 2022 Natural Olympia.
The INBA has the top natural physiques from all over the world who meet at Natural Olympia for a chance to win gold medals, cash, and prizes. This past year Natural Olympia represented athletes from over 15 countries, including champions from Britain (Claire Burton – Women’s Physique Masters), (Mexico (Arely Ayala – Bikini Angels), Germany (Mirco Burger – Men’s Bodybuilding Masters), and America (Rebekah Rasmussen – Bikini Divas Masters).
Women’s Physique Division
The Women’s Physique division is the class Melanie Pfeifer competes in. To place well in the Women’s Physique division, its critical competitors have a considerable amount of muscle mass. Judges will score them on symmetry, muscularity, definition (conditioning), and stage presence. Muscularity is essential in other divisions, such as Bikini Divas; however, Bikini athletes won’t need as much muscle to win. Although, the Women’s Bodybuilding division has the most muscular physiques in the women’s division.
Generation Iron is happy to hear Melanie Pfeifer’s post-surgery recovery has gone well. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!
Here you can find INBA PNBA’s initial schedule for the 2022 season!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more groundbreaking news on INBA PNBA natural bodybuilders!
Serena And Venus Williams Say Bodybuilding Could Be Part Of Life After Tennis
Serena and Venus Williams have discussed the possibility of becoming bodybuilders after their tennis careers.
It is not crazy to say that Serena and Venus Williams are the two greatest female tennis players of all-time. They have had great success since becoming prodigies at a young age. While they have dominated tennis for two decades now, the duo might have some other goals to achieve off the court.
The sisters will grace the cover of Harper’s Bazaar’s Legacy Issue. During their time with the publication, both Serena and Venus Williams discussed their future plans. Neither was ready to call it quits on the court but they could use their fitness passion and skill to take on bodybuilding.
“Serena and I say we’re going to become bodybuilders after tennis. It might be extreme. It might not happen exactly like that, but you never know,” Venus Williams said.
“From such a young age, all we’ve done is work. So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free.”
The tennis duo certainly has the freedom to do whatever they want after retiring from the sport that they have played all of their lives. Serena and Venus Williams have combined to win 30 Grand Slam titles as singles players and have won 14 Grand Slam titles as doubles partners. They have also added one Olympia gold medal each as singles players and combined to win three gold medals together as partners. These came in 2000 in Sydney, 2008 in Beijing, and 2012 in London.
The Williams’ sisters are also at the top of the career earnings’ list in terms of female players. They grew a passion for tennis at a young age and were trained hard by their parents. This is where they leaned plenty of lessons.
“My dad always told us to plan ahead. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” Serena Williams said.
“”We never planned to just only play tennis and just only be tennis players. We planned to do more.”
This is not to say that Serena and Venus Williams will take on the challenge of bodybuilding but it is a future plan that they have thought of. It would certainly be interesting to see how their training and overall lifestyle would change if they went from the tennis court to the bodybuilding stage. If there is a duo of athletes that could make the jump, it would be the Williams’ sisters.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How Knee Sleeves Can Enhance These 5 Leg Building Exercises
The best exercises for you to use those knee sleeves.
Our knees help support virtually all movements and with help from knee sleeves, we can work to better protect ourselves so we don’t suffer from any unwanted pain or injury. For those bodybuilding, powerlifting, and weightlifting needs in general, working with only the top accessories can be a game changer when it comes to seeing great gains.
Knee sleeves work to add good compression to your knees to reduce pain and decrease swelling, increase blood flow for better circulation and the prevention of lactic acid build-up, and support your muscles to limit the number of muscular vibrations and squash muscle fatigue. With the right knee sleeves, you can better tackle workouts, so you only see the best gains.
We’ve put together the top leg building exercises for you to use a knee sleeve so you can stay supported and stable while you grow those massive legs.
5 Leg Building Exercises To Use Knee Sleeves
Back Squat
Hack Squat
Lunges
Step-Ups
Power Clean
Back Squat
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The squat is one the more popular exercises for many since it will enhance lower body growth and improve overall power. This is certainly one of those exercises that you will see promote muscle while also working to boost explosivity for sport specific and functional movements.
Knee sleeves help tremendously with squats because of the sheer load put on your knees and the movement of bending and extending. The extra support is wanted and needed by your knees.
Back Squat Benefits
Increase lower body strength: Working your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, this is a great lower body exercise to boost strength and stability while also increasing certain sport specific and functional movements.
Better power: The nature of this movement requires the best for power and explosivity and will promote both as you look to optimize performance and improve those powerful movements.
How To Do The Back Squat
Place the barbell on your traps and shoulders with your feet shoulder width apart. With a tight core, bend your knees while keeping your spine neutral, squatting down to your optimal range of motion. Once you reach the bottom, drive through your feet to return back to your starting standing position.
Hack Squat
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As an effective lower body strength and mass builder, the hack squat is great for overall lower half development. Since the weight is distributed evenly, the stress on the spine is severely reduced making this a great exercise for building muscle without excess stress.
Knee sleeves will help with this lift very similar to the squat, in that given the load and movement of the squatting motion, you can better support your knees with nice compression and overall tightness.
Hack Squat Benefits
Build lower body muscles: This will put an emphasis on your quads while also building those hamstrings, so your start to enhance those lower body gains.
Improve regular squat: With this being a slightly different movement, while still working the same muscles, you start to improve all areas of your gains when it comes to the traditional squat.
How To Do Hack Squats
Place your feet on the plate of the hack squat machine and set yourself comfortably into it. When ready, push up against the shoulder pads to release the weight from its stoppers and continue in a squatting motion. Once at the bottom, squeeze your glutes and drive the weight back up to the starting position. Repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
Related: The Best 6 Exercises To Use Elbow Sleeves For Pain-Free Support
Lunges
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Lunges are that great bodyweight or weighted exercise perfect for building leg strength and fixing any muscle imbalances. Since each leg is performed separately, you can isolate each side to handle their respective needs. Plus, this movement helps build power with the driving motion performed.
Giving your knees the support they want and need, knee sleeves will help with lunges as you look to put a priority over each side separately while also giving each knee support as the lone worker.
Lunge Benefits
Fix muscle imbalances: Working with each side separately, you can fix any muscle imbalances for that more full and well-rounded physique.
Great for runners: With a similar movement, and a lot less stress, lunges are a great exercise for runners to continue to see gains.
How To Do Lunges
Stand with your feet around hip-width apart and when ready, step forward with one leg. Your knee will be bent at a 90-degree angle and you will lower yourself down to the ground. Drive that leg back to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
Step-Ups
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A great exercise for that lower body, step-ups require you to focus on balance and stability while also driving power, thus building overall strength. A versatile and convenient exercise, this is a great one to slide into your routine.
Similar to lunges, knee sleeves will offer the working knee support since it is the only one driving through the movement. By allowing your knee support from the load of your own bodyweight, you can better tackle those gains and allow yourself to stay supported.
Step-Ups Benefits
Even strength imbalances: These target both sides of the body equally and can fix any imbalances, just like lunges.
Boost stability: Using your core and requiring certain lower body muscles, you build stability so you perform this exercise safely and efficiently.
How To Do Step-Ups
You can do these either with your bodyweight or some weight (dumbbell or kettlebell). Stand in front of a box or something you can step on and when ready, step one foot onto the box. Driving through your hips while keeping your core tight and your body neutral, stand up onto the box with one leg. Lower back to the ground and repeat for the other leg.
Related: The 7 Best Weightlifting Belt Exercises For Strength & Support
Power Clean
An advanced movement for serious lifters, the power clean is one that recruits many muscles and must be performed with the proper mechanics. Able to improve strength, power, explosiveness, speed, and stability, this exercise is one to take advantage of.
Knee sleeves will promote support especially since form is so key. By giving yourself the benefit of knee support, you don’t have to worry about unwanted pain or vulnerability and can only focus on this movement.
Power Clean Benefits
Develop strength and power: Build overall strength and power with this explosive movement to aid in all sorts of other movements and big lifts.
Build better posture: By strengthening lower body muscles and providing for better support, you start to build a stronger posture for not just exercise, but also everyday movements.
How To Do The Power Clean
Stand with your feet hip width apart and lower into a squat position, grabbing the bar slightly wider than shoulder width apart. With an engaged core, lift the bar so it stays close to your body and keep going until its at your thighs. From here, you will be quick and explosive as you thrust your hips forward and pull your body under the bar. The bar should catch at the front your shoulders. Lower the weight to the ground and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Benefits Of Knee Sleeves
Knee sleeves and the benefits associated with them can greatly influence your lifts and give you confidence as you protect this often times vulnerable joint.
Benefits of knee sleeves include:
Add compression: Work to reduce pain and decrease swelling by offering good compression and support to those knees.
Increase blood flow: Boost circulation for better movements and less pain by working to also prevent lactic acid build up (1).
Efficient recovery: More healthy blood and oxygen flow, along with less lactic acid build up, leads to better recovery for faster bounce back and more gains (2).
Support muscles: Support those muscles and decrease the number of muscular vibrations to assist in muscle fatigue and improve overall athletic performance (3).
Prevent future injury: By protecting those vulnerable spots, you preemptively work to prevent future injuries.
What To Look For In Knee Sleeves
When choosing your knee sleeve, it is important to look for the right fit overall. You don’t want your sleeve to be too tight so it restricts you, but you also don’t want it to be too loose so it ultimately does nothing. The material and padding play into this, along with size, because these are all factors that can affect fit.
The material should be comfortable because you’d rather work out with something that feels good as opposed to an itchy or scratchy sleeve. Padding offers comfort but may be bulky, so looking to the right amount of padding will affect your overall mobility.
Knee sleeves come in various sizes, typically 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm so doing some research into your own size will give you the best option. Typically, 3mm is for more endurance athletes and 7mm will offer more support for heavy lifters. Of course, 5mm is right in the middle.
Check out our list of the Best Knee Sleeves for amazing support, compression, and stability!
Wrap Up
Knee sleeves have the ability to help when it comes to boosting all of those lifting wants and needs and when it comes to these 5 leg building exercises, the right knee sleeve can go a long way. Look into a quality knee sleeve and see what this can do for you. By working to better protect yourself, you won’t be disappointed with your lifting results and how you feel doing it.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Vaile, Joanna; Stefanovic, Brad; Askew, Christopher D. (2016). “Effect of lower limb compression on blood flow and performance in elite wheelchair rugby athletes”. (source)
Husmann, Florian; Mittlmeier, Thomas; Bruhn, Sven; Zschorlich, Volker; Behrens, Martin (2018). “Impact of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise on Muscle Fatigue Development and Recovery”. (source)
Raabe, Margaret E.; McNally, Michael P.; Chaudhari, Ajit M. W. (2017). “The Effect Of Compression Tights On Muscle Vibration And Fatigue From A High-Intensity Run”. (source)
How Exercise Improves Your Dating Experience
There are many ways that exercise can improve aspects of life!
Nowadays, you see endless posts about how you should be happy before you start exercising or how weight loss won’t make you any happier. There’s definitely truth to of this. I think you should be fulfilled and happy to a degree before embarking on any fitness journey and dating.
However, many people find romance valuable and that area of their life is undoubtedly improved from exercise. No matter how much we tell people exercise is for health, their true intent is to look hot naked.
People don’t care that much if their doctor gives them a pat on the back for healthy bloodwork. They care if they can get laid and attract the opposite sex.
So it’s no surprise as a coach that many people seek exercise to look better and thus, improve their dating experience. In fact, many of my single clients who start exercising and improve their physiques often rave about their dating life improving. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that.
So if you somehow needed more convincing, here’s 4 reasons how exercise will improve your dating experience and get you dates on repeat.
1 – You’ll Look Better
Let’s address the elephant in the room first. People who exercise generally look better than people who don’t. While romance is not entirely physical, initial attraction and how we subconsciously treat people is largely based on appearance.
And sure, we all find different things attractive, but by and large, most people are attracted to a bit more muscle and a bit less fat which exercising helps with both, particularly strength training.
You know that you judge dates based on appearance often, so it’s only logical that you would want to put your best foot forward, or in this case, your best body forward.
This is within both male and female biology. Our brain assesses people based on appearance to make conclusions on their health and reproductive capabilities.
Men will pick women who are generally fitter because her physique communicates she’s more able to bare his children. Vice versa as well. Women will pick men who are generally fitter because his body communicates he can protect and defend said children.
Let me be clear here before I get skewered. I’m not saying looks are all that matters, but it’s one powerful way to increase your buying power as far as the dating world goes. Any politically correct fitness coach who says otherwise is speaking from a position of privilege. They say one thing, but would never switch their fit body for a less aesthetic one.
2 – You’ll Feel Better
Exercising undoubtedly makes you feel better. When you feel better, you’re more positive, confident, and healthy. Oh wait, those are all qualities that skyrockets your dating value.
So the value in exercising isn’t simply from the exterior change, but also internally. In fact, even if you exercised consistently for months and months and still see no physical changes, there is still much value.
You’re still getting healthier and your confidence would be far higher than if you didn’t exercise. Negative people who complain about their lives generally don’t exercise or at least not as much.
The personality qualities you are attracted to can be developed and nurtured through exercise. Women feeling more secure in their bodies and men feeling the confidence they need to approach women. That’s a recipe for romantic awesomeness if you ask me.
3 – You Communicate Desirable Qualities
Working out is like saving money. People who do it probably have their lives together. It’s obviously not a guarantee, but in our fast-paced world, we need to make conclusions in dating fast.
You don’t like your time being wasted, so you’re generalizing qualities about a person based on their habits. But guess what?
They’re doing the same about you, so if you want a leg up on the competition, exercise regularly, so it at least appears that you have your crap together.
And I get it exercising and grinding through weights to build muscle is hard. But having scarce dating candidates is hard too. By developing a consistent training schedule, you’re communicating discipline, delayed gratification, and responsibility which are hot characteristics.
In fact, one published study titled, “Does Exercise Make Me More Attractive? Exploring the Relations Between Exercise and Mate Value,” found more frequent exercisers had a higher perceived mate value than less frequent exercisers, independent of sex (1).
4 – Meet Other Like-Minded People
Now that you’re all steamy and confident, what’s next? Well, you can meet like minded people at the gym. It’s not too uncommon to meet and connect with like-minded individuals at the gym.
According to Canoodle.com, 62% of singles think the gym is a good place to find love and 75% of people would rather meet at the gym than at a bar.
The quality of candidates is inherently better at the gym. Everyone there is putting in the effort to get hotter, healthier, and get out of the house. Pretty attractive right?
Furthermore, it’s not uncommon for people to meet in group exercise classes, basketball courts, or the sauna.
And research often finds couples who train together often stay together, so the gym is an easy way to enhance your dating life. Get out there my friend.
References
1. Dobersek, Urska, et al. “Does Exercise Make Me More Attractive? Exploring the Relations between Exercise and Mate Value – Evolutionary Psychological Science.” SpringerLink, Springer International Publishing, 13 Nov. 2020, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-020-00270-w.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Hardcore Truth With Johnnie O. Jackson: How To Improve Focus In The Gym
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Johnnie O. Jackson shares the hardcore truth on the importance of focus – calling it the single most determining factor in bodybuilding success.
What separates a pro bodybuilder from everyone else? Genetics? Certainly to some degree. Drugs like steroids? This is a misleading factor in the true success of a bodybuilding athlete. The true difference between a bodybuilding legend and the many aspiring who miss the mark comes down to focus. A bodybuilder like Phil Heath or Ronnie Coleman combine all of their strengths into one singular focus beyond what any normal person perceives possible. That’s how they became Olympia legends. In our latest episode of Hardcore Truth, Johnnie O. Jackson breaks down the importance of focus and tips on how to improve your mental sharpness while training.
Whether you are a pro bodybuilder, aspiring novice bodybuilder, or just someone looking to get healthier with daily exercise – focus is the biggest factor that holds us back from success. A large majority of Americans are overweight and unhealthy. This isn’t because exercise is extremely challenging. It’s because in today’s day and age – it’s hard to focus on something. Especially if it’s something that you don’t particularly want to do.
Of course, aspiring bodybuilders should, at the core, love training. But bodybuilders need to not simply train. They need to rearrange their entire lifestyle to sculpt their physique. This requires such an incredible amount of focus that only a rare few can do it. This is true for all successful pro athletes in all sports. Johnnie O. Jackson understands this – and it’s part of how he was able to build a reputation as one of the strongest bodybuilders currently living.
While the concept of focus might seem like an abstract innate ability – it’s also a tactic that we can work on and train just like a muscle. The more we train our ability to focus, the more we can find success in what we aspire to do. That’s why Johnnie O. Jackson is sharing his key tips on how to focus in bodybuilding – especially for those who struggle to stay in the right mindset.
The biggest key piece of advice Johnnie O. Jackson shares is to focus on yourself first and foremost. This may be extra challenging if you have a partner, spouse, or children. But despite this – an aspiring bodybuilder needs basically learn how to balance being selfish with the rest of what life throws at you. For example, Jackson believes that far too many weightlifters focus on what other people are doing in the gym. They may be judging their form, or perhaps in awe of how much another person can lift. This is all wasted energy and takes focus away from your main goal – to train in the gym.
Johnnie O. Jackson recommends putting away the phone and learning how to completely ignore other members in the gym. Sure, it’s okay to be inspired if the guy next to you is Ronnie Coleman throwing up massive lifts with a massive physique. But watching that will only take you so far. It’s through consistent training, adapting, and learning that you can reach those same levels. That all requires singular focus to achieve.
Johnnie O. Jackson also emphasizes learning to focus on your diet. Yes, this is a major factor in building your ideal physique. But once you start to nail your diet, your physique will start to show huge changes. This will encourage you to train harder and improve even more. It helps you more easily focus when your diet is correctly matching your training. It creates a cyclical effect. What was once hard to focus on becomes easier the more each part of your bodybuilding lifestyle builds on the other.
Lastly, Johnnie O. Jackson also cannot stress how important it is to focus on the mirror. Where in other walks of life this would be seen as vanity, for bodybuilding this is a necessity. Practice posing and really focus on how you look in the mirror. This helps identify weak points, which can then help you direct your focus to more specific areas for further improvement. Not enough bodybuilders put focus on posing – and it shows when they step onto stage.
You can watch Johnnie O. Jackson go into full detail about how to improve focus in bodybuilding by watching the latest episode of Hardcore Truth above. And don’t forget to swing by every Thursday for new episodes!
Channing Tatum Almost Rejected ‘Magic Mike 3’ Role After Claiming Training Is ‘Unhealthy’
Channing Tatum was almost not part of the third movie saying he had to “starve himself.”
It has been 10 years since Channing Tatum led a charge that took the world by storm and that charge was ‘Magic Mike.’ A movie full of male strippers quickly turned into a box-office hit and a sequel was made in 2015. Now, the third and final film of the trilogy is in the works but Tatum revealed that he almost had to pull himself out of the film.
Tatum recently appeared on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ and was asked about the new movie. He did not hold back on his feeling of playing Mike Lane in the film because of the training to prepare for the role.
“You have to starve yourself. I don’t think when you’re that lean, it’s actually healthy for you,” Tatum explained.
Channing Tatum continued to explain how it is not as easy to lose weight now than it was when he was younger. At 41 years old, Tatum almost rejected this role but would be willing to revisit the idea way down the line.
“It’s hard even if you do work out to be in that kind of shape.”
“The only one I said I’d actually do — before we decided on this version — was the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ version when we’re like 70. When we’re 70, I want to get the team back together, for sure.”
Channing Tatum is known for his versatility as an actor. He has appeared in movies where he is asked to dance, such as the Magic Mike movies and ‘Step Up.’ Tatum has dabbled in romance in ‘Dear John’ and is also more than capable of comedy, which we saw in the Jump Street films alongside Jonah Hill.
While an agreement was put in place to make ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance,’ this is much longer than Tatum expected the series to go on. In fact, he thought it would be a one and done film.
“In my opinion, we had chewed up all the meat on the bone, story-wise. Pun intended, I guess. They’re essentially movies about guys made for women. We didn’t plan on making a second one.”
“Then all of our ancillary characters were so good and fun that we felt like, ‘Let’s do another movie and give those characters more real estate that we didn’t have before.’”
Channing Tatum has sported a great physique in many roles and this is headlined by Magic Mike. While it is part of his career to stay in shape, it does not make it easy for some roles. There is no release date for the final Magic Mike film but we know it is in the works.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
TikTok Fitness Influencer Shares Strange Voicemail Left By Gym Employee
TikTok influencer @kenyastephh claims a gym employee stole her phone information to leave the voicemail.
Unfortunately, there have been recent stories coming out about female gym goers being approached or harassed by other gym goers or employees. This is something that has come to light again on TikTok. Fitness influencer with the username @kenyastephh shared posts to her TikTok account showing a strange voicemail left by a gym employee on her cell phone.
In December, two news stories went viral where a gym member actually followed a woman home after her workout. Another instance came to light about a creepy gym goer approaching a woman while working out and spotting her without consent. This is not appropriate behavior for the gym and this is why women are beginning to share their stories.
The most recent came from @kenyastephh where she shared another instance to her 17,000 followers on the platform. She claims that her phone information was taken from the database at the gym and used to make a call.
““Hello, this is EOS Fitness… I saw you doing glute spreads,” a man can be heard saying in the video before cutting out.
The fitness influencer continued to explain the incident in her caption and got plenty of positive responses from commenters.
“Friendly reminder to men to please not do things like this. This is very scary, too many weird things happen. I’m sorry for the women and wish this wouldn’t happen. I wasn’t in the room for more than five minutes and I got the call. I always wear a jacket around my waist to avoid this stuff. I was just trying to take some pics before my workout.”
The user @kenyastephh reported the incident to the gym manager asking her name and information to be removed from the database. She shared her location while performing the exercise and expressed how this can be a scary thing for females at the gym.
No one was hurt in this incident but it seems to be something that is happening more frequently. Gym goers are beginning to share their stories and put others on notice. The gym should be a safe place where people go to better themselves, both physically and mentally. It is a good thing for stories to be shared so the proper punishment be handed down.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How The Horizontal Row Enhances Solid Back Development
This exercise can seriously increase your pulling power.
When it comes to the movements we as athletes need to master, two come to mind: pressing and pulling. Virtually all movements are either pressing or pulling oriented and what you will find is that pressing motions tend to be quite common in training. The bench press is the easiest example off the bat to use for a pushing exercise, same as a push-up. It’s literally in the name.
But for our back muscles and our attempts at getting as wide of lats as possible, sometimes we need to emphasize more of those pulling motions. What the horizontal row can do is really boost your pulling capabilities so you never lack in pulling ability and the risk of a muscle imbalance is greatly reduced.
Let’s take a look at the horizontal row and see what benefits this exercise has on all our gains, especially when it comes to pulling and getting the most out of our back muscles. From what is it, to muscles worked, and the benefits of this exercise, you will most likely want to add this to your routine.
We’ll show you steps on how to perform it and some of the best alternatives for those days you feel like changing it up. With the results to prove it, this exercise just found a home in your workout routine.
What Is The Horizontal Row?
The horizontal row exercise is also commonly referred to as the inverted row, bodyweight row, horizontal pull-up, and a host of other names. With this exercise being one of just bodyweight, it only requires a bar as your point of contact. Training many upper body muscles, it is a great pulling enhancer when it comes to your pulling capabilities in terms of strength and overall stability (1). As a great dynamic exercise, athletes of all levels can enjoy this in their workout and really benefit for back building and overall balance work.
Muscles Worked
For this exercise, your entire upper body gets some good work done which will prove to be great in the long run for all your gains. Plenty of back muscles will feel a burn including your rhomboids and upper back, mid traps, and lats. For those other upper body muscles, your biceps, forearms and other gripping muscles, and your core will all be needed to not only effectively perform this exercise, but also act as essential movers. Your core will be a primary point of engagement as that is where much of your balance and stability will come from.
Benefits Of The Horizontal Row
Build Foundational Strength
When it comes to building strength, we often focus on those exercise that give our muscles a serious pump. But what we often neglect is the functional strength required to really boost our everyday lives, not just those in the gym. Functional strength allows us to live more positive lifestyles as everything we do in the gym translates over into our everyday activities (2). As a great way to eliminate muscle imbalances, for those who do a lot of pushing exercises, look to build functional pulling strength to counteract any imbalances you may have.
Helps Promote Posture & Good Technique
This is a hard exercise to perform and an even harder one to cheat on. Don’t try and cheat yourself with this because your form won’t allow it. This requires you to have an engaged core and flat back and anything less than that will ultimately hurt your gains, and quite negatively. Since this exercise allows you to form good technique and have good posture, this will translate nicely into other areas of your training.
Round Out A Stellar Physique
As mentioned earlier, this is a great exercise to help tackle any muscle imbalances by counteracting those dominate pushing exercises. But what this can do is really widen your lats and give your back a stellar physique you want most. As bodybuilders, we need a well-rounded physique to show off and by tackling both muscle imbalances and building a great base of functional strength, you will be more than ready to take the stage.
How To Perform The Horizontal Row
Here are the steps to performing the horizontal row:
Grab the bar around shoulder width apart in grip as you lay on the ground. The bar should be directly over your chest and your legs will be extended out in front of you. Your heels are the only point of lower body contact. Engaging your core and glutes, lift yourself towards the bar off the ground and touch your chest with the bar. Slowly lower yourself to the starting position and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Horizontal Row Alternatives
For those who want to mix things up a bit, these alternatives are great to still provide similar benefits and work your body just as well as the horizontal row.
Pull-Ups: A staple exercise for many, pull-ups work for back development and can lead to that desired V-shape we all know and love (3).
Seated Cable Row: A great pulling exercise that enhances upper body growth, but provides less stress on the low back.
Barbell Row: Works to develop a strong back, improve posture, and increase the amount of weight on your deadlift as it really challenges your pulling ability.
Wrap Up
For those of us lacking in pulling strength, it is important to focus on these movements to enhance that area of our gains. With muscle imbalances being all too common, unfortunately as a result of our massive pushing exercises, working to tackle and eliminate those will only help work out that well-rounded physique we want to see most. With great benefits to back growth, wide lats, posture, and physique, this exercise should be in your routine as soon as possible to get you competition ready. Check out the horizontal row, watch how the pros do it, and put this in your back day, for those wide lats will thank you in no time.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Hori, Naruhiro; Kawamori, Naoki; Chiu, Loren Z. (2009). “Pulling movement in weightlifting exercises from a biomechanical standpoint”. (source)
Weiss, Tiana; Kreitinger, Jerica; Wilde, Hilary; Wiora, Chris; et al. (2010). “Effect of Functional Resistance Training on Muscular Fitness Outcomes in Young Adults”. (source)
Ronai, Peter; Scibek, Eric (2014). “The Pull-up”. (source)
Hafthor Bjornsson Looks Impressive in Training Leading Up to Eddie Hall Fight
Hafthor Bjornsson is looking sharp in the lead up to his bout with Eddie Hall.
Hafthor Bjornsson is looking more than ready to take on the challenge of Eddie Hall as he looks incredibly sharp in training. With their boxing match not too far away Bjornsson is looking rather impressive ahead of the clash.
The sweet science is more than just about swinging fists. When it comes to boxing being good at punching simply isn’t enough to secure victory. It takes grit, determination, and of course solid defense and footwork. Having experience in the ring is also a top requirement to excel in actual competition. Hafthor Bjornsson has come to learn this very fact well. As the day fast approaches for his showdown with Eddie Hall, it’s clear that Bjornsson has the upper hand.
Unlike Eddie Hall who hasn’t seen real action inside a boxing ring, Hafthor Bjornsson has already had a number of bouts to his name. While they may have been exhibition matches, Bjornsson had some quality opposition that have gotten his feat wet in the pugilistic arts.
These exhibition events will no doubt help the 2018 World’s Strongest Man in a number of ways. Firstly Hafthor Bjornsson will have an edge in terms of dealing with an adrenaline dump. It’s a factor that few truly understand. Those initiated in combat sports understand that nerves, fear, anxiety, and excitement can all come into play when stepping into the ring. These elements can have an effect on less experienced competitors who are unfamiliar with dealing with an adrenaline dump. The exhibition matches Bjornsson went through are sure to have helped him deal with said elements.
In general Hafthor Bjornsson appears to have received better training than his rival Eddie Hall.
156kg / 343lbs and Counting!!!
Purposely kept heavy throughout my camp for Power and I fully intend on delivering it ⛰ ??
And don’t worry I can work for 10 rounds!
I’m calling this journey….
‘The Desolation of Thor’ ?
Almost time for that big crybaby to pay!
Despite his tough talk and willingness to trade blows, it’s clear from. The video that Eddie Hall isn’t the most technical boxer.
On the other hand Hafthor Bjornsson is looking much sharper and more technical than Hall by far.
26 days out.
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
10 Exercises To Add Variety In Your Next Workout
Try these Exercises in Your Next Workout
Just like us humans, no two exercises are created equal. Most people stick to the same exercises in their workouts. Performing the same routines over and over can lead you to hit a plateau.
There are a few incredibly effective exercises which can target your muscles in a unique way. The exercises in this article will help you break the plateau and will take your gains to the next level.
Chest
Floor Dumbbell Chest Flyes
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Most people make the mistake of not following the full range of motion while performing the bench dumbbell flyes. The floor dumbbell flyes force you to touch the floor with your elbows at the bottom of the movement and touch the dumbbells at the top of the movement.
Incline Pin Press
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The upper pecs are a weak muscle group for most people. Incline pin presses are a great way to overload your upper pecs. Incline pin presses also add a layer of safety to the compound exercise.
Back
T-Bar Rows
T-Bar rows are one of the most underutilized exercises when it comes to building a thick back. The T-Bar rows were one of Arnold’s staples and they should also be a part of your exercise arsenal.
Bent Over Lat Pull-Down using Seated Cable Row
The problem with the normal lat pull-down is, you can use momentum to bring the weights down. Bent over lat pull-downs on the seated cable row will eliminate the use of momentum and you will have to use your lats to pull the weights.
Shoulders
Reverse Seated Alternate Hammer Strength Press
The normal shoulder presses focus on the anterior delts, while the reverse seated alternate hammer strength presses focus on the medial deltoids. The hammer strength presses will help you in building the separation and roundness of your shoulder caps.
Biceps
Arm Blaster Barbell Curls
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For most guys arms are their favorite muscle group to train. Most guys let their ego get in the way of building a nice pair of guns. The arm blaster helps in isolating your pythons and will help in building the size, conditioning, and the bicep peak.
30’s
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30’s will completely annihilate your biceps. In this exercise, you need to perform 10 reps of barbell curls on the bottom half, 10 reps on the top half and 10 full reps. 30’s are an extension of 21’s and are way harder.
Triceps
Cable One Arm Triceps Extensions
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Most people go too heavy on the cable triceps extensions and lean onto the bar. Stand straight next to the cable pulley machine and maintain a full range of motion. Hold and squeeze your triceps at the bottom of the movement.
Legs
Platz Hack Squats into Sissy Squats
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Tom Platz arguably had the sickest legs in the bodybuilding industry. One of his not-so-secrets were the Platz hack squat into sissy squats. This exercise targets your quads and will help you in building that tear-drop.
Good Mornings
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It is harder to develop your hamstrings as compared to your quads as you can’t see your hamstrings in the mirror and it is harder to develop a mind-muscle connection with them. Maintain a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back as you bend to lower the barbell. Imagine using your hams to lower the weights as compared to your back. Doing this will help you get a better pump.
Which is your favorite exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements.