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The Rock Shares Insane 100-Rep Workout To end Leg Day
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has shown yet another exercise that will add necessary gains.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has always known a thing or two about weight lifting and he is not shy about showing it off. On Monday, that continued as The Rock shared a video on Instagram of an insane way to end leg-day work.
Johnson has always been a huge advocate of leg day. This is why he has continued to show off exercises to try at the gym and add extra muscle. In his most recent video, The Rock performs reloaded power squats on a hack machine. He completes four total sets with 25 reps to make it an even 100 in all.
“Bad ass song to train legs to????
Smashed leg training this morning and finished with this reloaded power squat 4×25.Give it a shot next leg day.* raise the foot platform to target certain areas of the quads and glutes.
These final 100 reps at the end of your leg training are brutal, but extremely productive.
Put yourself thru hell when you train, but especially on leg day.
Legs separate the men from the boys.
Don’t skip it ??
#ironparadise ???#itsaboutdriveitsaboutpower“
The Rock is seen using the hack squat machine backward. This is a different variation to hit different parts of the legs. This is usually seen performed like a reverse leg press machine. On a hack squat machine, the lifter’s feet are planted firmly on the platform with their shoulders under the pads that carry the weight. This brings more balance and stability in order to target certain muscles.
The lifts that Johnson does in the video shows him facing the opposite way under the pads of the machine. He lowers to the ground with form that looks more like a traditional squat. Johnson also raised the platform a bit. This targets the hamstrings and flutes — two muscles that many believe do not get hit as hard while performing on the hack squat machine.
Leave it to The Rock to find a new way to destroy legs at the end of a set. It is the movement being performed and the amount of reps that will leave legs pumped after performing an exercise such as this one. The Rock has displayed many workouts on Instagram over the years and that is not going to change.
If there is one star to focus on when performing in the gym, Johnson certainly has to be at the top of the list.
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Michael B. Jordan Looks Jacked in Upper Body Training for Creed 3
Michael B. Jordan pushes himself in training to prep for Creed 3.
Ahead of the third film in the Creed series, actor Michael B. Jordan is hitting the weights hard. The Black Panther star is looking to pack some muscle onto his frame to once again embody the role of Adonis Creed in the upcoming film.
These days it isn’t enough for an actor to just be able to memorize their lines. It’s all about full immersion and in order for audiences to believe what they’re seeing on screen is true, an actor must fully embody their role. Playing a pro bodybuilder? Better hit the gym and bulk up your frame. Playing a secret agent? You better get weapons training and again hit the gym to get your body in tip top condition. And of course, there’s the superhero. That one is self-explanatory. For actor Michael B. Jordan playing such roles are nearly second nature at this point.
From Creed to Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan has had to stay in the gym to play the iconic roles of Adonis Creed and Eric Killmonger. He’s fully embraced the reality of building a body worthy of these physically demanding roles. You can’t play a boxer and not build a fighter’s physique. These days it’s just unheard of.
So ahead of Creed 3 Michael B. Jordan once again finds himself in the gym, taking his physique to the next level. In order to pull off playing a championship caliber boxer Jordan has once again enlisted the help of his long-time trainer Corey Calliet.
Veteran Trainer
An experienced bodybuilder and personal trainer, Corey Calliet is no stranger to body transformations. He’s cornered a market on training celebrities after all which means Calliet clearly knows his stuff. He’s built up his own impressive physique over time which shows that he has the formula to get into incredible shape.
Slow progress is better than No progress. Practice what you Preach or don’t Preach at all!! 35 is about to be the best year ever.
Corey Calliet is once again helping Michael B. Jordan get ready for another physically demanding role. The two have worked together in the past and clearly the pairing has paid dividends for Jordan.
Now as he prepares to once again play Adonis Creed in Creed 3, Michael B. Jordan is throwing himself into his training. Under the watchful eye of Corey Calliet, Jordan is undergoing some intense training to prepare for the role. That not only means undergoing boxing training, but bodybuilding training as well.
Creed Training
Here we can see the popular actor being put to the task with some solid upper body training.
Like they say, no pain, no gain and Michael B. Jordan is clearly embracing the notion. He’s willing to push through his limits in order to put on an authentic performance in this next outing in Creed 3. There can be no doubt that the final product will look impressive much as the last two times Jordan embodied the role.
What do you think of Michael B. Jordan and his training for Creed 3?
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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.
How Mike O’Hearn Works Out With Real Intensity For Gains
Get a great pump from this monster natural bodybuilder.
Mike O’Hearn is a bodybuilder, fitness model, actor, and entrepreneur who has had a long career both inside and out of the gym. With a massive physique and following, people fell in love with his hard style of training in the gym and his cool, personable attitude out of it.
When it comes to getting a great pump, and especially for those of us only seeking the natural approach, we need to pay attention to those natural bodybuilders with incredible accolades. They’ve done it before, they know what it takes to succeed, and they are living proof that you can get huge without using any enhancing drugs to see gains. While it does take more effort from your training, diet, and supplementation, clearly it is possible to see massive gains all-naturally and Mike O’Hearn is a prime example.
For training hard and seeing all those gains you want most, looking to someone like Mike can be incredibly helpful for he wants to inspire others and share his knowledge of the bodybuilding and fitness world.
Full Name: Mike O’Hearn
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
245-255 lbs.
6’3’’
01/26/1969
Profession
Era
Nationality
Bodybuilder, Fitness Model, Actor, Entrepreneur
1990, 2000, 2010
American
These workouts from Mike will provide serious growth with a variety of exercises for all your gains and give you a chance to see results while remaining all-natural. Mike has made a great career for himself staying free of enhancing drugs and these workouts can show you how.
About Mike O’Hearn
As the youngest of 10, Mike was always picked on by his siblings. Coming from a family of bodybuilders and powerlifters, Mike’s way of living up to and exceeding expectations was to be the best out of everyone. Hitting the gym and starting his bodybuilding journey gave him not only a massive physique, but also the confidence to do just that.
His career includes notable finishes as a 4-Time Mr. Natural Universe Champion, Mr. America, Mr. International, Mr. World, and a 4-time California Powerlifting Champion. He has starred in movies and television and was featured in over 500 magazines, mostly on the cover. He also was featured in Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life. Working with charities as well, Mike’s philanthropic work involves helping animal rescue shelters so animals can find loving homes.
Mike O’Hearn Training Routine
Mike’s hard style of training is well noted and a main reason people love him. He generally works with heavy compound movements, but of course, sometimes will sneak isolation movements to change things up. Either way, he puts out as much intensity as he can. With his core lifts being the incline bench, squat, and deadlift, he is sure to target all of his muscles to aid in his absolutely shredded aesthetic.
Let’s take a look at some awesome workouts from Mike including chest, back, legs, and arms so you too can see serious growth like Mike himself.
Chest
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Incline Barbell Bench Press
3
10
DB Bench Press
3
10
Incline Fly
3
8
Decline Chest Fly
3
8
Push Press
3
10
Back
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Underhand-Grip Lat Pulldown
3
12
Cable Row
3
10
Underhand-Grip Chest Lat Rows
3
12
Elevated Pulldowns
3
10
Back Extensions
3
10
Legs
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Back Squat
4
8
Leg Press
4
10
Hack Squat
4
10
Arms
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Triceps Pushdown
3
10
Skullcrushers
3
10
Triceps Extension
3
10
Barbell Curls
3
12
Cable Curls
3
12
Cable Concentration Curls
3
10
Preacher Curls
3
10
Cardio Work
For cardio, Mike does put a bit of an emphasis on this and will break his cardio training into week cycles as follows:
Weeks 1-4, 4 days/week, 30-minute sessions
Weeks 5-8, 5 days/week, 45-minute sessions
Weeks 9-12, 6 days/week, 1-hour sessions
Mike’s Nutrition
As a bodybuilder, and someone who prides themselves on routine and a shredded physique, Mike typically eats up to 8 meals a day. About half of his meals include protein, carbs, and fat, and the other half will see a swap out for vegetables instead of carbs. Trying different things can greatly impact your gains and for Mike, what works for him may not work for others and he wants people to know that. Finding your own groove is what will help keep you on track to avoid any diet slipping.
Best Ways To Enhance Natural Gains
While diet and the right training routine are exactly what you need to see huge gains, it would be a disservice to neglect a good supplementation routine to capitalize on all those goals. What supplements can do are assist your daily routine by providing you with extra nutrients and important ingredients that are worthwhile to promote gains like muscle growth, recovery, immunity, and many more.
For those looking to increase strength and improve recovery, definitely check out protein powders, but also look into mass gainers, creatine, and BCAAs for highly effective muscle building supplements. If you struggle to get started before your workout, definitely look into a pre-workout which can offer energy and give you a great boost to help tackle any of your needs. For outside training, consider a multivitamin or omega-3 supplements to aid in health and wellness to keep you thriving inside and out of the gym.
Wrap Up
Mike O’Hearn has had an incredible bodybuilding career, among other notable professions. As someone who prides themselves on their ability to work hard and see the best gains possible, Mike is certainly one of those athletes for us all to pay attention to as we seek the best from our own workouts. Between his training, nutrition, and supplementation, Mike knows exactly what is needed to see real growth and of course, give you that massive and shredded aesthetic that others will envy. Give these workouts from Mike a try and see what they can do for your routine today.
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 Mike O’Hearn Instagram
Is Training To Muscular Failure Necessary?
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Training To Failure
When it comes to strength training, there are a number of different training methodologies that can be applied – some which are undoubtedly beneficial and others that lack scientific backing.
Training to failure is a highly popular method, particularly for those who aspire to develop muscle size and strength.
In particular, traditional bodybuilding training utilizes a lot of sets to failure as they believe it to be a key component of muscle growth.
However, what does the science actually say about training to failure? Is this a training method that you should really be applying to your workouts?
What Is Muscular Failure?
As the name suggests, training to failure involves performing as many reps as possible until you can no longer complete any more.
When performing strength training exercises, the working muscles are subject to fatigue. This fatigue gradually builds over time and begins to impact performance.
Providing that the exercise is maintained, this fatigue will continue to build until the muscles are unable to generate enough force in order to overcome the resistance.
What Is The Purpose Of Training To Failure?
It is not uncommon to see bodybuilders use this training technique in an attempt to force the muscles to increase in size.
Research has determined that there are three mechanisms required to cause muscle hypertrophy (growth). They are mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage.
The reason that bodybuilders train to failure is primarily to increase the amount of metabolic stress. Metabolic stress refers to the build-up of metabolites such as lactate and hydrogen ions within the muscle.
Studies suggest that the build-up of fatigue can have an anabolic effect thus increasing the size of the muscles (1).
While hypertrophy tends to be the main reason to train to failure, it is often commonly used in an attempt to increase strength or move beyond a training plateau.
It is believed that working the muscles to failure can enhance muscle activation and motor unit recruitment which may also contribute towards improvements in strength and mass (2).
The Benefits Of Training To Failure
This section will review a number of scientific findings and discuss three proposed benefits associated with training to failure.
1) Increases Muscle Hypertrophy
As highlighted, there is a good reason why bodybuilders tend to utilize training to failure. The greater amount of metabolic stress can stimulate the muscles of the body to grow.
Research suggests that muscular hypertrophy can be attained by working to failure.
As well as increasing metabolic stress, it is theorized that working to failure promotes the activation of motor units consequently increasing muscular hypertrophy.
That said, much of the research is inconclusive and more is required to definitively confirm whether training to failure causes hypertrophy.
2) May Improve Strength
In addition to improving hypertrophy, training to failure may also help to drive an increase in muscular strength.
Therefore, it is not uncommon to find powerlifters and other strength athletes also training to failure.
Studies on the matter have found a link between training to failure and strength improvements.
One particular study divided participants into two groups. The first group performed sets to absolute muscular failure while the other group performed non-failure sets.
After six weeks of training, the results suggested that the lifters participants from the muscular failure group experienced a greater improvement in strength (3).
3) Moving Past A Plateau
For those who are highly trained, hitting a training plateau is not uncommon.
A training plateau is where the body has adapted to a certain point but now will not improve any further.
This occurs when the body becomes accustomed to the training stimulus that it is being exposed to. In order to start adapting again, this training stimulus must change.
If you are not currently training to failure regularly, adding max sets will change the training stimulus which may force the body to change and improve once again.
A recent study determined this method to be highly beneficial for experienced lifters who are struggling to make substantial improvements (4).
The Drawbacks Of Training To Failure
Let’s now consider three potential drawbacks associated with training to muscular failure.
1) Technique Break Down
While the build-up of fatigue is an important part of increasing metabolic stress, it can interfere with exercise technique.
When energy is depleting and the muscle’s ability to contract is affected, it can be more difficult to ensure that you are moving in the right way.
Allowing your form to significantly deviate can increase your risk of sustaining an injury.
Not only will this increase your risk of injury, it may not effectively work the muscles that you are intending to target which may lead to suboptimal improvements in strength and size.
2) Increased Risk Of Injury
As touched upon in the previous point, allowing your technique to break down can increase the chances of poor movement and consequently elevate your injury risk.
Whether you are using a heavy weight for low reps or light weight for high reps, the risk of sustaining an injury is similar. The muscles are still being pushed to their absolute limits regardless of the volume used.
Furthermore, considering the repetitive nature of this training method, there may be an increased risk of developing overuse or repetitive strain injuries.
3) Overtraining Risk
Although training to failure does have the potential to break through training plateaus, if applied incorrectly it may actually lead to overtraining syndrome.
Overtraining is where the body cannot adequately recover from the training stimulus and, instead of making progress, it will actually begin to regress.
Strength, mass, and performance will decline and a variety of symptoms may be experienced, such as chronic fatigue, constant soreness, reduced appetite, poor sleep, and reduced immunity.
By working to failure too often, it is possible to overtrain. Therefore, you should ensure that you apply this training method sparingly in order to avoid overtraining.
Training Volume Considerations
When applying this training technique, bodybuilders tend to use lighter loads and high reps while strength athletes are more likely to use heavier loads with low reps.
So, when applying this training method, how much volume should you use?
The training volume that you use is important and depends on your training goal, requirements, and limitations. However, that said, there are a few considerations that you must make.
Performing heavy lifts, such as the deadlift or squat, to absolute muscular failure is risky. It is likely that your form will begin to deviate well before you actually reach failure.
Pushing through with poor form is not recommended and is likely to interfere with your motor skills or, even worse, cause a serious injury.
Lifting extremely heavy weights can be risky enough even without working to failure, therefore, going lighter may be a more advantageous approach.
However, if you do decide to train to failure when using heavy loads, consider training to technical failure instead. You can read more about technical failure in the section below.
Training with a lighter load may be more beneficial from a technique standpoint as it may be easier to maintain good movement despite the fatigue build-up.
However, a potential issue with going too light is that the training volume may be too high for the body to deal with. Consequently, overtraining or overuse injuries may occur.
As mentioned, the best approach is to use training to absolute failure sparingly to begin with. As your body becomes more accustomed to this training method, you can gradually increase the frequency.
Training To Technical Failure
While there are some concerns regarding training to failure, there is a better option that can minimize these drawbacks known as technical failure.
This involves stopping once you feel or see that your technique is beginning to break down.
As mentioned, when working to failure, technique can easily become compromised which can increase the risk of experiencing an injury.
By working to technical failure, your technique will remain intact thus minimizing the risk of injury.
Furthermore, by working to technical failure it is likely you will do less volume, thus potentially reducing the chances of overtraining.
Final Word
While there are a number of scientific studies that have found training to failure to be beneficial for developing strength and size, more research is required to confirm this.
Although it may cause the body to adapt in strength and size, there are concerns regarding exercise form, injury risk, and overtraining. Therefore, this methodology should be applied to your training with care and precision.
References:
1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5489423/ de Freitas, Marcelo Conrado; Gerosa-Neto, Jose; Zanchi, Nelo Eidy; Lira, Fabio Santos; Rossi, Fabrício Eduardo (2017-06-26). “Role of metabolic stress for enhancing muscle adaptations: Practical applications”. World Journal of Methodology. 7 (2): 46–54. doi:10.5662/wjm.v7.i2.46. ISSN 2222-0682. PMC 5489423. PMID 28706859.
2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4731492/#B8 Nóbrega, Sanmy R.; Libardi, Cleiton A. (2016-01-29). “Is Resistance Training to Muscular Failure Necessary?”. Frontiers in Physiology. 7. doi:10.3389/fphys.2016.00010. ISSN 1664-042X. PMC 4731492. PMID 26858654.
3 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15903379/ Drinkwater, Eric J.; Lawton, Trent W.; Lindsell, Rod P.; Pyne, David B.; Hunt, Patrick H.; McKenna, Michael J. (2005-05). “Training leading to repetition failure enhances bench press strength gains in elite junior athletes”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 19 (2): 382–388. doi:10.1519/R-15224.1. ISSN 1064-8011. PMID 15903379.
4 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17530977/ Willardson, Jeffrey M. (2007-05). “The application of training to failure in periodized multiple-set resistance exercise programs”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 21 (2): 628–631. doi:10.1519/R-20426.1. ISSN 1064-8011. PMID 17530977.
Best Workouts to Do While Traveling
Travel presents challenges to training.
Whether it’s early-morning flights, late arrivals, modest hotel gyms, irregular eating, or, in the case of vacation travel, a disruption from routine, it’s enough to make even the most dedicated gym rat blow off training until returning home.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Travel offers the opportunity to explore new gyms and fitness studios, try new outdoor activities, and even take one’s training up a notch. For some folks, a vacation isn’t a vacation unless it involves pushing the limits of training and crossing off bucket-list feats of strength and endurance.
Any travel, including routine business trips, should involve some training since studies have suggested that frequent travel can be damaging to health and well-being.
Here are eight moves that can be done on the road in the absence of equipment and even being pressed for time. If your day gets away from you in a blur of meetings or sightseeing, it can be done in just a few minutes in a hotel room.
Glute Bridge
What it does: Traveling by plane and car is brutal on the glutes. This move activates the glutes at the start of your session.
How to do it: Lie faceup on the floor with knees bent 90 degrees and feet on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and bridge your hips to the ceiling. Only your shoulders and hips remain on the ground. Hold for two seconds and then lower your hips toward the ground without touching.
How many? 10 reps.
Quadruped Rocking
What it does: This move is a combination of two familiar yoga poses: cow and child’s pose and provides a great stretch for the quads and hips.
How: Get down on all fours and let the lower back sag. Push your hips back as far as you can, holding the lumbar arch. You should feel a stretch in and around the hips. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
3-Way Pushups
What it does: By doing three sets of 10 pushups in three different positions consecutively, we’re challenging our chest and shoulders from three angles.
How to do it: Do 10 traditional pushups (hands directly below the shoulders) followed by 10 “diamond” pushups (index fingers and triceps touching), followed by 10 wide-grip pushups (hands wider than the shoulders)
How many? 10 reps of each.
Straight Leg Lowering
What it does: This hamstring stretch also challenges the muscles of the chest and torso.
How to do it: Lie flat on your back with arms at your sides and legs straight up above your hips. Keeping one leg straight, slowly lower the other to just above the floor. Return to starting position and repeat. The key is to keep toes pointed toward your shins and back flat on the floor.
How many? 10 reps per side.
Plank-to-Pushup
What it does: It challenges your overall core stability by combining two effective moves in one.
How to do it: Begin in a forearm plank position. Push from your triceps, placing your right hand on the ground and then your left hand, gradually rising to pushup position. Return to forearm plank by placing your right forearm down and then your left.
How many? 10 reps.
Squats
What it does: Even without weights, this resets your posture and opens up the hips, which is especially important while traveling.
How to do it: Start in the position with feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight and your body in alignment from ankle to ear. Bend the knees, keeping them over the ankles but not over the toes, and lower your butt as if sitting in a chair. Sit your hips back and down until the thighs are parallel to the board. Slowly rise, returning to the start position. Bend at the hips, keeping the back straight.
How many? Two sets of 10 reps.
Mountain Climbers
What it does: This tests your hip mobility and core strength.
How to do it: This movement mimics mountain climbing. Think of the ground as your mountain. Start in pushup position, with the balls of your feet on the ground. Alternate driving your knees forward to their corresponding arms for 30 seconds. Keep your hips down for the entire motion.
How many? 2 sets of 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest in between.
Wall Sits
What it does: It tests your quads and can be done anywhere on the road. It’s a perfect hotel room exercise.
How: Stand a foot in front of a wall and sit down, back flat, as if you were sitting in an invisible chair.
Prescription: 2 sets of 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Pete Williams is a NASM-CPT and the author or co-author of several fitness books, including Core Performance and Every Day is Game Day. His work has appeared in publications such as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, and USA Today.
Pro Natural Bodybuilder Comments on Recent Deaths in Bodybuilding
Pro natural bodybuilder believes the state of bodybuilding is in a sad state right now.
Brandon Wadas, a professional natural bodybuilder, believes that the competition for bodybuilding is so enhanced that’s it’s causing many bodybuilders to die. Drug abuse is leading to deaths piling on top of each other in the sport. However, the evolution of bodybuilding is morphing positively with the awakening of natural bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding History
Bodybuilding in its simplest form is the pursuit to build your most compelling physique possible. It’s been around since early mankind. The ancient Egyptians and Greek societies would use stones to build strength and muscle. It traces back to as early as the 16th century in India where weight training became common using Nals – stone dumbbell weights.
Although bodybuilding has been around from our primitive days, the sport of bodybuilding can be traced back earnestly to the 19th century. For those who have been following bodybuilding since the dawn of time, you may remember Eugen Sandow, whom the Mr. Olympia statue is modeled on, from the 1890s.
Although bodybuilding began as an innocent way to develop the human body to its full potential, drug abuse has become problematic in the sport over the last century.
Drug Use in Bodybuilding
The competitive nature of the sport and the quest to be the best has made drug use common in bodybuilding. The deaths of many renowned faces, including George Peterson, Shawn Rhoden, and Rich Piana, from drug abuse, are coming to light.
To compete at the top level of IFBB, you need to be the most humongous and ripped as possible. The physiques of top competitors require more than the human body is capable of naturally. This is leading top bodybuilding athletes to abuse drugs. (1) Unfortunately, many competitors have died during peak week or have been rushed to the hospital from severe dehydration.
Is there a way to prevent this unfortunate ultimatum?
The Rise of Natural Bodybuilding
That’s where natural bodybuilding swoops in. Natural bodybuilding hasn’t been around quite as long as original bodybuilding. However, its popularity is growing and it’s a promising progression of the sport.
The earliest natural bodybuilding show dates back to 1977 when The Hercules Aphrodites took place, with Karl Marshall coming out on top. In 1990 Denny Kakos founded PNBA (Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association) and further expanded it to INBA (International Natural Bodybuilding Association) in 1994. It hasn’t grown nearly as much as the IFBB since it’s not as glamorous.
The PNBA/INBA organization looks out for its athletes and levels the playing field of competition by requiring all bodybuilders competing to undergo drug testing from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – the pinnacle of drug testing for professional sports.
Final Word
Drug abuse is putting many athletes’ lives at risk in bodybuilding. Natural bodybuilding is growing, and it supports natural competitors, which makes competing just and safe for bodybuilders.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to learn more about natural bodybuilding and the results of its latest events!
References
1. Sepehri, G., Mousavi Fard, M., & Sepehri, E. (2009). Frequency of Anabolic Steroids Abuse in Bodybuilder Athletes in Kerman City†This article has been published in the Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in Persian language. Addiction & health, 1(1), 25–29.
Best Clothing Brands For Fitness & Workout Apparel (Updated 2021)
Get the best apparel to aid in all your workouts!
For those of us who take health and our workouts seriously, we know how challenging it can be to stick to our routine at times. Some days the last thing we want to do is partake in a grueling workout. But if we have the necessary tools and activewear to look and feel good with our performance at a reasonable price, then that choice to get up and go just got a whole lot easier. Looking into the top companies dealing with strength and conditioning, as well as just every day comfort wear, can be incredibly challenging to decide. Ultimately, in an age where countless numbers of brands and companies exist, we have to trial and error products to make sure we find a wardrobe that works with your athletic training of all styles.
Here is our list of the Best Clothing Brands for 2021 to help make that stressful choice just a bit easier. You deserve the best workout clothes and the companies that represent them should reflect that, so don’t settle with anything other than great with your workout gear in the gym.
Best Clothing Brands For 2021
Best For Bodybuilding & Strength Sports: Generation Iron
Generation Iron provides comfortable, versatile, and stylish apparel perfect for heavy lifting, cardio-based work, and everyday wear.
Generation Iron is a digital media company delivering to you health, workout tips, strength sports, news, and premium entertainment. With an experienced staff and a real desire to bring you great access to bodybuilding and other strength sports, Generation Iron is your one stop shop dealing with all things health and workout related. Generation Iron apparel is casual, high-quality, comfortable, versatile, breathable, but more importantly, stylish so you look and feel great inside and out of the gym. With a great selection of Generation Iron tees and other shirts, bottoms, hats, great tank options, and accessories, to premium and featured lines like Lords & Lions and Strength Wars Apparel, the options you have to look and feel great are endless with this workout gear and some of the best workout clothes for the gym to definitely boost performance from all athletes with a great collection.
Best For Performance: Under Armour
Under Armour has some of the best workout clothes perfect for any style workout, plus with big names backing this reputable brand.
A well known brand in the community, Under Armour is on a mission to inspire you with solutions to your performance that you never could have imagined. Under Armour began in 1996 with a cut-off t-shirt and since then, has never looked back. A leader in athletic wear of all styles, their casual clothes range from everything athletic including high intensity and high performance tanks, compression tees, compression shirts, pants, sports bras, leggings, mesh jackets, and shoes to offer a one stop shop for all things dealing with your workouts and moisture wicking material to get rid of sweat. With backing from big names in sports, you can’t go wrong with a reputable group like Under Armour for your workout clothing so you can have the best workout possible, even in a yoga class or the gym, to elevate performance.
Best For Total Fitness: Reebok
Reebok has deep passion and roots in fitness and is always seeking to push boundaries with their quality clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Reebok is an American inspired global brand with a deep passion and roots in fitness and gear of all styles. As a company always seeking to push boundaries, their products continue to improve and work to affect change in peoples’ lives. With apparel that everyone of all ages can enjoy, you can’t go wrong with a great fit from Reebok. Shirts, bottoms, shoes, and accessories, this long-term and sustainable company is willing to sacrifice quantity over quality. As a company who’s helped change the game with a great movement, Reebok is a great brand to try when it comes to workout clothing and gear and the brand line offers more than just quality clothes for every sport from great materials to assist your lifestyle and everyday function.
Best For Maximum Comfort: Lululemon
Lululemon produces high-quality and completely comfortable clothing ranging in many different styles and perfect for any workout you do.
Lululemon took the world by storm, coming out of Vancouver, Canada and quickly spreading like wildfire since their apparel is high-quality and completely comfortable and ranges from all styles. As a company who believes in culture and community, they seek to spark real conversations to take place so we all can effectively make change happen. With apparel for both men and women, this brand is one that offers comfort and versatility, as well as moisture wicking gear and quick drying, and it is rare to go one day without seeing someone in Lululemon gear. While it may have a slightly more expensive price tag, their apparel is worth every penny for the prices out of this gym or everyday wear so you pretty much feel like you’re in control the entire time.
Best For Footwear: New Balance
New Balance designs great activewear with top of the line shoes for men and women with comfortable and versatile apparel.
Known mainly from their shoes, New Balance is an activewear brand bigger than just sneakers of any style. They seek to drive meaningful change to communities around the world by helping each and every person achieve their own personal goals. As a point of pride, this mission is one to continue to advance their company in an upward direction. With top of the line shoes for men and women, but also a huge range of tops and bottom, including leggings for active use, New Balance continues to be a notable group in the footwear game, as well as your athletic gym clothes.
What To Look For In Your Apparel
Here are the key takeaways when looking at brands and what you should look for in your apparel:
Comfort: Quality and durable workout clothes can also be soft and comfortable and wick away sweat and moisture to be breathable for our training.
Versatility: Make sure you can use inside and out of the gym and has good materials for functional use and better movement.
Affordability: You can find high-quality, breathable apparel for your body that doesn’t break the bank.
Style: To look good, means feeling good, and feeling good, means bigger gains and your body will show it. A brand should be traditional, resistant, and supportive for your goals.
How We Choose
When looking into these companies, and all companies honestly, we have to look towards what will make a brand stick out. Comfort and quality of the material is arguably number one. Your apparel should be durable and comfortable, especially if you plan on partaking in some of those grueling workouts. Versatility is another big factor in choosing apparel because you want to be able to use these clothes inside and out of the gym. Of course, sometimes that just can’t happen but on the whole, versatility is a priority with your workout clothes and workout gear. Lastly, price matters, and we take affordability into consideration with putting this list together as well.
FAQ Section For Best Workout Apparel Brands
What is the best brand for bodybuilding?
Generation Iron. Generation Iron provides the greatest content when it comes to bodybuilding and other strength sports through an experienced staff and love of strength sports. Generation Iron created apparel that reflects the needs of all bodybuilders and is comfortable, versatile, and looks awesome to wear along with the rest of the everyday collection.
Why are some companies more expensive than others?
This could be a result of a number of reasons. Material and where it comes from, as well as manufacturing costs and other expenses all factor into the total price of a product. For more luxury or well-known groups, you start to pay for the name attached so that affects the price as well.
I love a brand that isn’t on this list. Is it not reputable?
If a company you are a fan of is not on the list, it by no means indicates that it is a bad or not reputable brand. Ultimately, these companies above were favorites of our knowledgeable and experienced team seeking to bring the top options we can to the table.
Wrap It All Up
Finding a good company to get apparel, sportswear, and activewear from can be challenging. We know. That’s why this list will hopefully help take care of some of those problems you’ve faced in the past when it comes to choosing the right brands and apparel to pair with your workouts. Look into this list above and really seeing what these groups have to offer you is important. You won’t be disappointed by the results in the gym and out of it when you look good, feel great, and perform even better to be a champion and live a healthy lifestyle while still being affordable.
Generation Iron may receive commissions on purchases made through our links. See our disclosure page for more information.
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 Under Armour, Reebok, Lululemon, New Balance,, and Envato
Could This Be the End of the Road for Roelly Winklaar?
Roelly Winklaar has fallen on tough times.
After his last few performances were less than impressive, the notion that the career of Roelly Winklaar could be on borrowed time is been floating around. After coming in ninth place at the Romania Muscle Fest Pro, is the end of the road near for the bodybuilding veteran?
Competitive athletes all have a shelf life. No one can compete forever in their chosen sport. It takes diligence, the right game planning, the right nutrition, a multitude of elements to compete at the highest levels. Knowing this high level athlete give it their all with every opportunity they can. But the clock is always ticking and no one can compete forever.
Every athlete faces the crossroads of competing and retiring. Its exactly where Roelly Winklaar may find himself currently.
After disappointing showings in his last several stage appearances, Roelly Winklaar appears to have lost a step. The last two years have been tough on everyone, but appears to have been particularly trying for Winklaar.
After being stuck in Turkey due to the pandemic Roelly Winklaar couldn’t train like he usually does. It’s likely that the bodybuilding veteran faced other undisclosed trials as well. But what is clear is that Winklaar hasn’t been in top form as of late. His most recent showings at the Prague Pro and the Romanian Muscle Fest Pro left onlookers with questions. Could the best years of Roelly Winklaar be behind him?
Roelly Winklaar couldn’t crack the top six at the Romanian Muscle Fest Pro. In fact the veteran bodybuilder had to settle for ninth place at the show. It’s a far cry from his dominant victory at the 2018 Arnold Classic Australia or his strong showing at the 2018 Olympia taking third. Even when he wasn’t cracking into the Olympia top three Winklaar was still able to acquit himself well. But now it seems that he just can’t find his stride.
So there’s a couple of ways Roelly Winklaar could maximize his efforts to give it his final push. His recent performances could be a long game to rack up points to qualify early for the 2022 Olympia. If he’s able to qualify early it will allow him to work on his physique ahead of the 2022 show. But perhaps stepping away from the stage could be the one thing Winklaar needs. The rest and recovery could do his body good and the time off could allow him to train and work on things rather than burning the candle at both ends.
So could these recent showings be a sign of Roelly Winklaar slowing down? Or could we see the bodybuilding veteran bounce back?
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
Jujimufu: Eddie Hall & Thor Bjornsson Boxing Is The “Best Thing For Their Personal Lives”
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Jujimufu believes Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson were smart to transform their physiques for boxing.
What started out as beef turned into a boxing match. That boxing match transformed the physiques and lives of two legendary Strongmen. Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson, after trading some heated words related to Strongman, were set to face each other in a boxing match for a special event. Hall ended up suffering a bicep injury putting off the event (for now) but both athletes remained focused on their boxing training. Thor even set up different matches to get some competition experience under his belt.
Now both athletes have become incredibly lean and shredded – a far cry from their original Strongman size and shape. Both have been astounding fitness transformations – and Jujimufu believes it was the smartest thing they could have done for their health and longevity. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Jujimufu explains why now was the right time for both Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson to transition into boxing.
The idea of two Strongmen becoming boxers sounds a bit absurd on the surface. While these athletes are heavy lifters – that does not require nearly any of the required training and skill needed for the boxing ring. What could have been a stunt turned into an impressive life change for both Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson. Now over a year later, this seems like no stunt and rather a possible new future for both athletes.
Jujimufu is an athlete who is more than familiar with transitioning into a new fitness endeavor. Jujimufu started out with a life in calisthenics, stunts, and gymnastics and this past year transition into competitive bodybuilding to see where that leads. He just recently made his debut at the Olympia Amateur 2021. That’s why we asked him for his thoughts on Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson’s transition into boxing.
Jujimufu had nothing but positive things to say about the transition. In fact, he thinks that now was the perfect time for these two strongmen to make a change. They had already solidified their names as legends in Strongman. Moving to something new not only can lead to new opportunities but can also be a smart move for their personal health and future.
While strength is important in boxing, it’s also a very aerobic sport. Requiring endurance and bursts of speed. By not only focusing on strength and size, both Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson have made some incredible transformations to their physique. Thor in particular has dropped over 100 pounds.
“I think it was the best thing that both of them could have done for their personal lives,” Jujimufu stated in his interview. He continued:
“Because Thor just broke the deadlift record. Eddie Hall had the deadlift record for a while. They are both legendary strongmen in their own rights. But staying 450 pounds is not the smartest thing for their health in the long term… It’s genius. Let’s do a boxing match so it gives him a reason to lean down and get his health in a different state where he has more longevity. Thor looks amazing. He’s shredded.”
On top of the health benefit, their decision to do a boxing match has garnered a lot of attention. Will these two Strongmen become pro boxers? That might not be the case – but the matches Thor has done brought in numbers and certainly when he faces Hall it will be a blockbuster. This was a good business move and inspired them both to change their lifestyles possibly for the better.
You can watch Jujimufu’s full reaction to Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson’s boxing transformations in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Victor Richards Makes Statement On Recent Death Rumors
Victor Richards spoke out recently on rumors from last week about his death.
On Wednesday, it was falsely reported that Victor Richards had passed away. After many reports began coming out, the daughter of Richards reached out directly to Generation Iron to confirm that he was alive and well. In fact, she spoke to Richards that day but he was unavailable to comment.
““I’M PLEASED TO ASSURE YOU THAT MY FATHER IS IN FACT ALIVE AND WELL. AN INACCURATE FACEBOOK POST HAS CAUSED A WILDFIRE OF FALSE INFORMATION THROUGHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWS OUTLETS. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONCERN, MY FAMILY APPRECIATES ALL OF THE LOVE THE BODYBUILDING COMMUNITY HAS SHOWN TO MY DAD.”
On Saturday night, Victor Richards took to Facebook to release a video and make a statement on these rumors. Richards was seen in the video with his son and made a long statement as the caption.
“My dear brethren and family members, I want to let you know that I’m well and sound and have never been as healthy as I am today.
Victor Richards continued his message by explaining that he was spending some quality time with his son over the last week. Richards and his son had a busy schedule full of activities.
I’m sincerely sorry for the pain and heartache that the enemies have caused you through their venomous tongues. I did not mean to keep you in suspense but had my little 6 year old with me for the week and had made prior plans for some fun activities with him and there was no way I was going to allow the demonic spirits of slander, obstruction, destruction and death to disturb our peace. We thank God that the enemy did not have the power to disturb our space and peace as we were able to complete all our planned activities including a stay at the coast, visit to the aquarium and attending his basketball game today. It was extremely important for our spirits and sanity to stay away from social media and the phone during this period.
I must also admit that I’m very blessed and fortunate to have such loving fans, friends and family around the world that care so deeply about me. Your love and concern were deeply felt in my spirit and soul and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.
Please stay tuned for I shall be making a video announcement in the next couple of days. May the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless and protect you and your loves from the evil of wicked men.
I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ!?”
Victor Richards ended his message by thanking his family and friends, along with those who have cared for him. Richards will be making another video some time this week to make further comments.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.