Tag: gym
Hafthor Bjornsson Invests $116,000 To Upgrade His Gym
Hafthor Bjornsson has been a professional strength athlete for most of his life, which means he has spent a great deal of time training in the gym. This is why he made his own “Thor’s Power Gym” and it is where he set the 501-kilogram (1,104.5-pound) Deadlift World Record, which stands to this day. Well, Hafthor has now decided to upgrade his gym and has invested $116,000 for that purpose. He revealed everything about this project on YouTube, where he showed off the equipment, building process, and some more technicalities behind everything.
Hafthor Bjornsson has thought about adding new stuff to his gym for some time now, but he never acted upon his desire until now. However, following a $116,000 investment, Hafthor’s gym has transformed completely. He has also acquired some equipment which will help him in the near future, as he is still recovering from a pec tear, but wants to train regardless of it.
Related: Hafthor Bjornsson Shares Intense Pre-Surgery Recovery Techniques for Gruesome Pec Tear
Hafthor Bjornsson’s Gym Upgrade
Hafthor Bjornsson’s gym is already packed with equipment. So, in order to add new stuff, he had to make some room for it. He did not want to remove anything from his gym, so the only way was to buy another unit. Luckily, the people who owned a unit right next to the one that his gym is stationed in were ready to sell. So, he bought it and connected it to his own unit.
“That was probably the reason I delayed so long, like I wanted to buy more stuff but never did it because I had no space.”
Hafthor Bjornsson first introduced his favorite purchase, the Belt Squat. This machine allows him to perform squats without a barbell and with no pressure on his upper body. The belt is locked in around the hips, so he won’t risk complicating his chest tear any further.
“This is the belt squat, which is probably the best investment that I have made, especially now, because I’ll be able to train my legs right away… I’ve been wanting this for years, and finally I own one.”
After making a 1.5-meter wide door to connect his gym to the new nextdoor property, adding some flooring, and tidying up the space, Hafthor Bjornsson showcased his new equipment.
All of the new stuff that Hafthor acquired is to suit the needs of bigger athletes. However, Hafthor’s wife was most impressed by the size of a Lying Hamstring Curl, which is almost double the size of a standard one.
“It is massive. This machine is built for big boys. This is what you would think you’d find in a Strongman gym,” said Hafthor’s wife.
Flat Chest Press and Incline Chest Press machines were placed at the entrance of the new unit. Right next to them was one Cable Machine, which Hafthor revealed to be one of his favorites.
Next up was the leg equipment, starting off with the Standing Calf Raise, which has the capacity to go much heavier than the standard ones. Next to it was a Leg Extension machine, which is not new, but was transferred to the new part of the gym.
Right next to the wall, Hafthor Bjornsson decided to place a Chest Fly Machine, which has the option to transform into a Rear Delt setup.
“This is a beauty. It is a chest-fly and back combo. The guys in the gym have been complimenting this piece a lot. All the guys in the gym love this piece, and I cannot wait until I can put my hands on this piece.”
Hafthor then presented yet another Hamstring machine, as well as a second Cable Machine. However, the next machine coming up was the Inverse Curl, which is unusual, but very helpful to big guys.
Inverse Curl is basically a machine that helps athletes perform Nordic Curls, which have proven to be one of the greatest hamstring and lower back muscle builders.
“It is very cool for heavy guys… It is a killer for the hamstrings. The more weight you put on, the easier it gets. I think it was made for big guys, because big guys have a hard time doing this specific movement.”
Another addition to the gym was the Seal Row, which is a piece of equipment adored by another elite Strongman, Brian Shaw. Now Hafthor Bjornsson has also decided to add it to the gym.
While presenting this machine, Hafthor revealed that his chest is already feeling very good. So, he will try to train on the Seal Row as early as next week.
“I am super excited to try it out. My chest is already feeling good. So, I can probably try this out next week.”
Hafthor then presented the Hip-Quad Machine, which is yet another rare piece of equipment, but also an incredible addition to the gym. The final new addition to the gym was the Hack Squat, but Hafthor did not get the chance to use it yet.
Watch the full video here:
Related: Hafthor Björnsson Drops The Bar on Himself After Squatting 340-kg (749.6-lb) For Two Reps; Avoids Serious Injuries
After retiring from boxing, Hafthor Bjornsson announced that he would be coming back to Powerlifting. He set massive goals, most notably, to set an All-Time World Record Total by the end of 2023. However, despite his training going extremely well, Hafthor tore his pec, which ruined his plans. Hopefully, Haftor will be able to return even sooner than anticipated thanks to the new equipment in his gym and continue to make history in strength sports.
Published: 21 July, 2023 | 9:26 AM EDT
Joey Swoll Prompts Gym to Step In for Special Needs Man Targeted in ‘Very Disturbing’ Video
Social media fitness influencer Joey Swoll has carved his own space in the industry with his gym-positivity brand. He’s not afraid to call out poor gym etiquette, whether it be while working on machines or invading others’ space by recording irresponsibly. In a recent post made on Instagram, Swoll implored Planet Fitness to step in after a special needs gym member got targeted in a disturbing locker room video.
Joey Swoll is leading the charge against the rise in toxic gym culture stemming from the growth of social media platforms such as TikTok, where the content that goes viral isn’t necessarily healthy. Many aspiring influencers take to the short-form video channel in hopes of amassing fame and fortune with all different kinds of content. However, there comes a point where it no longer seems appropriate in the training room.
A female TikToker named Jessica Hernandez made headlines after hurling insults at a man who glanced in her direction earlier this year. Swoll bashed Hernandez for twisting the situation out of context and going as far as to say that he should die for being a pervert when he actually offered to help her set up the weights on the barbell. Hernandez realized her mistake after the call-out and issued an apology message crediting Swoll and his fanbase for the wake-up call.
Bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger took notice of Swoll’s positive movement and joined forces with him for promoting the mission of making gyms a safe space for everyone five months ago.
IFBB Pro bodybuilder Mark Hunter Jr. recorded his experience of facing a hostile gym worker who falsely thought he did not re-rack the weights properly months ago. Swoll rebuked the employee for treating Hunter Jr. rudely and canceling his membership based on a misunderstanding.
Two months ago, Joey Swoll took issue with Chelsea soccer player Mykhailo Mudryk for making fun of a man whose pants dropped while working out. He called on Mudryk to reflect on his actions and work on setting a better example as a professional athlete.
Swoll criticized a female TikToker for improperly recording a fellow male gym-goer without his consent in between sets last month. He argued not everyone feels comfortable being recorded in the gym and urged her to be more considerate of others next time.
Joey Swoll Implores Gym to Step In for Special Needs Man Targeted in a ‘Very Disturbing’ Video
In a recent Instagram post, Joey Swoll requested Planet Fitness to do something after he found a video of a special-needs man getting mocked in the gym’s locker room.
“Today I was sent a very disturbing video of someone filming a special needs man in the gym locker room to post on social media and make fun of him. I’m not going to share the video. Instead, I sent it to @PlanetFitness in hopes they do the right thing and take appropriate action.”
“It’s very sad what people will do to others just for attention on social media,” he captioned.
Joey Swoll voiced his disapproval of a woman who refused to share machines while performing supersets over two weeks ago. He reproached her for rudely slamming a man who tried to use one of the four machines she was hogging and encouraged her to work on her gym etiquette.
Swoll put social media influencers on blast for getting upset over people walking in the frame of their videos working out earlier this week. He argued such an expectation can’t be set while training at public gyms and called on her to get a private gym instead.
His latest message takes his movement a step forward in making gyms a positive and welcoming space for everyone.
Published: 7 July, 2023 | 4:05 PM EDT
Hybrid Athlete Fergus Crawley Smashes 500-lb Deadlift & 5Km Run in Under 20 Mins
Hybrid athlete Fergus Crawley made a name for himself with his insane feats of strength and endurance, pushing beyond the boundaries of typical capabilities. Not only can he lift heavy weights, but he also combines them with challenging cardio workouts. In a recent post made on Instagram, Crawley smashed a huge 500-pound deadlift and ran 5 kilometers in less than 20 minutes.
Most fitness enthusiasts find inspiration from their favorite athletes and eventually decide to pursue an area of their interest whether it be strength, cardio, endurance, or bodybuilding. Former US Navy Seal David Goggins carved out his own space in the fitness community with his ironclad mind and crazy achievements in long-distance running. His friend Cameron Hanes is another popular figure known for his intense training methods, long-distance running, and bowhunting activities.
Scottish athlete Fergus Crawley falls under a similar category of high-performing individuals. He started out as a powerlifter with impressive wins on the regional circuit, including at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 European Championships. He decided to move on from professional competition and became a hybrid athlete to test his limits. He stands as one of only two men to have performed 500-lb squats and completed a sub-5-minute-mile on the same day.
In July 2020, Crawley challenged himself to the brutal task of running a mile in under five minutes, squatting 501 pounds, and running a marathon in a single day. He started off with the squat and later recorded a 43.9km (27.28 miles) run in five hours.
Crawley took on the insane 1200Twelve Challenge, where he lifted over 1,200 pounds combined on all three powerlifting lifts and completed The Outlaw Ironman Triathlon in under 12 hours in July 2021.
Hybrid Athlete Fergus Crawley Smashes 500-lb Deadlift & 5Km Run in Under 20 Mins
In a recent Instagram post, Fergus Crawley crushed a 500-pound deadlift and ran five kilometers in under 20 minutes.
“500lbs Deadlift + 5km: under 20 mins,” he wrote. “For those that’ll ask: I’m 181cm tall, and weigh 93.5kg.”
Fans shared their reactions to his unreal feat in the comments.
“You should do a thousand pound deadlift and run a sub 3hr marathon next,” commented a user.
“This is wildly impressive! People who haven’t lifted that much or ran that pace have no idea how hard this is! Great work!” wrote another.
“Damn, that’s impressive.”
“Jheeze. Inspo right there”
“THE HYBRID ?”
“What a fucking animal”
“Gotta step my game up.”
With fitness a number one priority for many right now, running has become a go-to activity. However, some social media personalities bite off more than they can chew. This was the case for YouTuber Tom Morley who attempted to run a 5K for 30 days straight. Unfortunately, on day 22, he broke his leg and had to suspend the challenge. He reported losing nine pounds as a result of the change in lifestyle.
RELATED: Fasted Running Explained: Benefits and Precautions
Fergus Crawley added another tremendous achievement to his already stacked record book. His latest offering will inspire many fans to work out and improve their fitness game.
Published: 28 June, 2023 | 3:55 PM EDT
Joey Swoll Calls Out Woman Hogging Machines for Supersets: “I’m Sorry You Don’t Own The Gym”
Fitness personality Joey Swoll is gaining momentum on his mission to make gyms more welcoming environments. In a recent Instagram video, Swoll called out a woman who shamed a man for trying to use one of the many machines she was hogging at the gym.
“Here’s an idea, how about instead of taking a video to make fun of this man and call him a clown to make yourself out to be a victim which you’re not, you handle it like an adult,” shared Joey Swoll.
Gym etiquette has become Swoll’s life mission as of late. Over the years, he and many others have observed bullying, harassment, and even violence at local gyms and fitness centers. He coined this problem “toxic gym culture,” and has taken to various TikTok and Instagram videos to spread his message.
In his latest endeavor, Swoll condemned the actions of a female influencer who occupied multiple machines for supersets instead of sharing the equipment in a courteous manner. In the video, a man decides to ‘work in’ and completes a set of back extensions. However, the female believes he not only crashed her video but violated her personal space a handful of times.
Joey Swoll Torches Woman for Bashing Gym-Goer & Hogging Machines: ‘You Make Yourself Out to Be the Victim, Which You’re Not’
Here is the woman’s caption for reference:
“I was using the hyperextension machine and doing sets back and forth & no lie this man was 4 inches from my ass each time I tried to finish my sets bc of how I set up My Little space to film & he so rudely went in my frame. Like sir… you clearly saw me doing something,” the influencer shared.
Swoll believes the man who used the back extension machine did nothing wrong. He added that supersetting with three or four different exercises at the gym is poor etiquette.
“So let me get this straight you’re upset with that man you call him a clown, you say that he’s rude all because he sees the back extension is open while you’re off doing 2-3 different exercises supersetting setting up your camera and he decides to use it… and because he’s in your space while you’re filming as if your video is more important than another member’s workout, it’s not.
I’m sorry, you don’t own the gym. Not to mention it’s not good gym etiquette to do three or four different exercises supersetting and hog a machine,” Swoll said. “Not everything needs to be filmed and posted on social media. The gym is a shared space there’s going to be conflict, sort it out. You need to do better mind your business,” Joey Swoll said via Instagram.
Given the sheer number of conflicts Joey has encountered during his movement, it’s evident there is still a lot of work to be done. However, his efforts got the attention of bodybuilding legend and former seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. Back in Feb., ‘The Austrian Oak’ praised Swoll for his continued work in making gyms and exercise locations more welcoming for everyone.
Toxic gym culture affects bodybuilders as well. Last September, Charly Young, an NPC athlete, faced verbal abuse from a man who shouted at him for just taking off his shirt and posing in the gym. Swoll commended Young for his calmness and criticized the man’s angry tirade.
RELATED: Female TikToker Snaps on Gym Worker, Accuses Him of Being a Pervert for Staring, Joey Swoll React
This isn’t the first time Joey Swoll has taken aim at filming inside gyms. Last week, the influencer made an example out of a woman for filming a workout without any respect for those around her. Following his latest effort, hopefully, in time, gyms continue to become more accepting places for people of all fitness levels.
Published: 22 June, 2023 | 2:18 AM EDT
The Only Rules You Should Break In The Gym
The Gym Rules You Need To Break To Take Your Gains To The Next Level
As cliché as it might sound, the rules are meant to be broken. The gym isn’t one of the safest places to be in so you need to be careful about the rules you’re going to be challenging.
If your goal is to live the fit lifestyle, you need to design your training keeping longevity in mind. We have compiled a list of so-called rules you should break to maximize your results in the gym while minimizing the risk of an injury.
Never Train To Failure
It’s no secret people love to throw around fancy words to look smart. Gym bros emphasis the fact you shouldn’t work out to failure as you might risk overtraining your muscles. Overtraining is easier said than done.
Overtraining is the state when your body can’t keep up with your workouts, and your immune system and central nervous system take a hit. Only around 2-5% of the people who workout train hard enough to hit the state of overtraining. So, don’t limit yourself and go as hard as you can in your workouts.
Avoid Cardio While Bulking
Most people make the mistake of cutting out cardio from their routines when they’re in their off-season and want to bulk up. Some of these people mistake bulking up with fattening up.
Cardio is important no matter if you’re trying to shed the extra kilos or trying to put on some size. The cardio helps in burning off the extra calories and makes sure you’re putting on quality muscle and not fat.
Perform High Number of Reps For Conditioning and Low Reps For Strength
High reps for cutting and a low number of reps for strength have to be one of the most common myths amongst lifters. Tweaking the number of repetitions you perform in a workout can’t solely change your body.
The results from the number of reps don’t work in a vacuum. Other things like your diet, training split, and the amount of cardio you’re doing will play a big role in the results you’ll be getting. Changing the number of reps can act as a shock for your muscles but it solely isn’t big enough a change for your muscles to show any significant results.
Prefer Free Weights Over Machines
This is one of the first things the gym bros tell the newbies. The gym bros argue the golden era athletes built their physiques in bare bone gyms and the fancy machines don’t help in carving an aesthetic body.
Avoiding the machines can be a big mistake as the isolation you’ll get by using the cables and pulleys will always be better than using barbells or dumbbells. Your workouts should strike the right balance between isolation and compound lifts.
Always Use A Full Range of Motion
Almost everyone, at some point in time, has been disturbed in-between a set by a gym bro asking you to perform the exercise with a full range of motion. The gym bros tell you that if you don’t follow a full ROM, you’ll not be getting any results.
On the contrary, when you follow a full ROM and lockout your elbows on the top and let your muscles relax on the bottom of the movement, you’re taking the tension off the muscles and putting it on the joints. It’s okay to limit your range of motion so there is constant tension on your muscles.
Have you ever been injured in the gym?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Header image courtesy of Envato Elements
How to Implement Reactive Deloads
Ever wonder how to cause less fatigue and add deloads into each week’s workout plan?
Here’s the dream. You go to the gym. You lift weights. You sleep and recover. Then, your muscles get bigger and you lift bigger weights. Rinse and repeat forever until you look like a Greek statue on steroids.
Unfortunately, getting stronger linearly forever like this is not possible. It appear this way when you first start lifting, but as you inch towards your genetic ceiling, things get tricky.
You realize, you’re building significantly less muscle as you advance in your training career. You’re forced to train a bit harder and because of the loads you’re lifting, fatigue is accumulating on your body.
Adding 5-10 lbs to the bar every week is now an impossible fantasy.
This is where hardcore lifters often learn about deloads where you reduce training variables so fatigue can dissipate. However, the common practice of deloading is pre-planned and usually requires a week of not making progress for the whole body.
This works well in powerlifting where deloading is often popularized, but many people who are primarily training for size would do better with reactive deloads.
Instead of a preplanned deload week for your entire body, reactive deloads are autoregulated deloads that only require you to reduce training variables for the body parts necessary.
This allows you to maximize on progressive overload and only deload when you need it. Here’s how to do it.
When is a Deload Necessary?
To reactively deload properly, you need to know when it’s time to deload. This means you need objective metrics, not subjective feelings.
Sometimes, people get sore, have a poor’s night of sleep, or simply feel unmotivated where they think a deload is warranted. However, the human body is a beautiful adaptable machine. It can adapt in ways you don’t realize it’s doing. This is why, you could feel like utter piss, but still be recovered.
Because being recovered for your workouts objectively means your performance is returned to baseline. So if you could bench 185 for 3 sets of 8 this week just like you did last week, your bench press is fully recovered. If you can perform even better, then you’ve recovered and your body has adapted to do more. Brownie points.
So before identifying the need for a deload, you need to be tracking your perforamnces consistently. This is basic 101 type of stuff that still gets ignored by dudes going to the gym for decades. Without tracking, your performance, you might be deloading when you don’t have to. For example, soreness doesn’t necessarily mean deload. If you take an unnecessary deload, you wasted a week that could’ve netted you more gains.
Alternatively, without tracking your performance, you might be missing out on deloads you should’ve taken. Remember how I said, you can feel like piss but be recovered? Well the opposite is also true. You can be unrecovered but feel great.
You might feel fresh and the weights might be moving well, but without tracking your performance, some people don’t realize their performance keeps dropping as they’re body is collecting fatigue faster than this country is collecting inflation.
So once you’re tracking your performance, you’ll know it’s time to do a reactive deload when you do your first set and your performance drops. This is a clear sign for a reactive deload which I’ll show you how to do in just a sec.
But let’s say you match your performance on set 1, but barely made it out alive to do so. Chances are, your performance will drop on set 2 as well, so you might as well do a reactive deload. There’s no point in risking it for the biscuit and digging yourself a deeper recovery hole.
How to Implement Reactive Deloads
Once you’ve determined it’s time for a reactive deload, you will turn all subsequent sets for that exercise into speed work. This means you drop the load significantly. It doesn’t matter by how much, but 50% is a good rule of thumb. This allows you to accelerate the movement on the concentric at a fast tempo.
Eccentric tempo should still be controlled to maintain technique. Rep target should be much lower as well to minimize fatigue. To keep it simple, I have all of my clients aim for 5 or 6 reps for all reactive deload sets.
The speed work allows you to reach high levels of muscle activation while allowing neuromuscular fatigue to drop along with relieving stress on the joints and connective tissue.
These sets should feel super easy. It’s tempting to add more weight or do more reps, but that’s defeating the purpose. You’re adding unnecessary fatigue when you should be clearing fatigue.
It’s also so easy that it’s tempting to skip the set altogether. However, speed work allows you to train the movement keeping it fresh in your nervous system and can boost your performance in that lift later on which is always great when you return to training that movement hard.
After you’ve deloaded that movement, you have the option to do a reactive deload for all other movements in your training week that directly involves that muscle.
This will be based more on feel. If you initially had a small drop in performance, just deloading that movement should suffice. However, if you had a bigger drop in performance and overall, feel pretty beat up, deloading from all relevant movements for the week is wiser.
Nonetheless, you don’t deload from all exercises. For example, if deloaded from Romanian Deadlifts, you can still keep progressing your biceps curls and lateral raises because those muscles/movements are still recovering. Push them hard and don’t let weeks of growth slip by where they don’t have to.
Time to Reactive Deload
So let’s say last week you did hack squats for 3 sets of 12, 11, and 10 with 200 lbs. This week, you’re expected to do better and possibly even max out the rep range to get 3 sets of 12 with 200 lbs. However, your first set sucked. You only got 9 reps instead of 12. The remaining 2 sets are now reactive deloads where you’ll do sets of 5 with 100 lbs.
Next week, you’re likely to hit 3 sets 12 with 200 lbs and then you can keep pushing the weight or reps up from there.
That’s essentially what training comes down to. You train hard and push your performance up. When you can’t train hard, you dump fatigue strategically as if you’re breaking up with a deadbeat girlfriend. Then once the baggage is gone, you keep moving on up.
Rinse and repeat and you can get more strong and muscular than ever before. This alone simplifies your training as well and destroys the need for complex periodization models.
Habits of Successful and Motivated Fit People
What Successful and Motivated Fitness Enthusiasts Do Differently
Only the people with the right habits can be successful in building muscle mass, losing weight and reaching their physique goals. It should be no surprise that most successful gym-goers have similar habits.
Many people join a gym but only a few of them stick to the fit lifestyle while the others drop out after not seeing much progress and losing motivation. The article will help you in joining the former group and sticking to your goals.
Start With A Goal
Most people start working out with an end goal (building muscle or losing weight) in mind. They soon start feeling overwhelmed by it and start wasting their time in the gym. While the end goal is crucial, the importance of short-term goals in your fitness journey is indispensable.
If your end goal is to step on a bodybuilding stage after a year, have monthly and weekly goals which help you get closer to the end goal. Checking off these smaller milestones will also help in keeping you motivated.
Prepare and Stick to a Schedule
Some people think that bodybuilders have no other job than working out. While the truth is, people with great physiques are successful in time management and maintaining harmony in their work-training-life.
Devise a schedule which compliments all the three aspects. You shouldn’t be drained out after a workout before you reach office or your family. Your training should fuel your work-life balance and vice-versa.
Be Disciplined
Discipline towards the fit lifestyle is what separates the fit people from the quitters. You need to have a military-like discipline towards your training, diet and recovery program if you want to transform your physique.
It could mean skipping a hang-out with friends because you need to hit the gym. Reaching the gym at the same time every day and following the process day in and day out isn’t easy but will surely get you results in the long run.
Plan in Advance
It’s rightly said, “people who fail to plan, plan to fail.” You aren’t going to be successful in transforming your body if you’re always firefighting. You need to plan your training, diet, meals, and recovery in advance to get the most out of them.
Planning can be easy but sticking to your plans is what matters. You’ll be in situations where you’ll be tempted to make “one exception” and that will soon turn into two and more. Plant your foot down and go with your plan in such scenarios. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Expand Your Knowledge
To constantly evolve your physique, you need to be on the lookout for new methods and techniques. In bodybuilding, if you’re not going forward, you’re sure to go back in reverse gear.
Once you’ve mastered a training technique or a diet plan, learn a new one. With the advancement in research in training and nutrition science, there are new concepts coming out regularly. Staying up to date with them can keep you motivated to stay ahead of the curve.
What according to you are the other habits of successful gym-goers? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Nick Walker Shares Back Workout Used During Offseason To Build Incredible Size
Nick Walker continues his offseason prep for the Olympia with huge workouts including this one to build his back.
Nick Walker put together an incredibly successful rookie season and it now one of the top performers in bodybuilding. He decided early on to put all of his focus into the 2022 Olympia and he is doing just that. Walker recently shared a huge back workout that will build width and thickness.
Walker finished as the Arnold Classic champion last year before finishing fifth in his first Olympia in October. He is looking to build off this performance and it was the reason he did not defend his title in Columbus this year.
The Mutant has decided to make some changes this offseason. That includes increasing his number of rest days and training different body parts together. This session, he hit a massive back workout and ended with some hamstring work. Walker shared the workout on his YouTube page where viewers can watch and see what he has to say on the regimen.
Cable Pull-Downs
The workout began with cable pulldowns as a way to warm up the muscles in the back. He explained that this is a way to “get the lats fired up” before going into the rest of the workout. Walker hit cable pulldowns for five sets of 12-15 reps. He performed the reps slowly, which is a method he uses often to focus on technique and exhaust the muscles more and more.
Bent Over Reverse-Grip Barbell Rows
Nick Walker moved to the upper back next and bent over reverse-grip rows were on the list. He performed this exercise with a barbell and worked up to 315 pounds at the end. The barbell row is a favorite of many to build the upper back and Walker decided to hit it with a reverse grip. He performed a few reps before getting up to his final weight for 10 reps.
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
One-arm dumbbell rows are a way to isolate each side of the back. Walker was ready right away here with no arm up needed. He performed two sets of 12-15 reps using the 150-pound dumbbell. This was a quick part of the workout before he moved onto the next item.
Drive-Piece Machine Rows
Nick Walker continued with more rows bu this was a bit more in-depth. He decided to mess around with the degree and extent of resistance during this exercise. Walker hit two sets to warm up before taking on his new method.
“I’m going to hit them with the 10-10-10… Pin it from where it makes harder to stretch. Then we’re going to do 10 when it’s harder to stretch in the shortened position. Then 10 when it is hard in the whole thing.”
Seated Free-Motion Cable Pull-Down
This exercise saw four sets. ick Walker began with his first working set then took on a rest-pause method. He performed 15 reps followed by 15 seconds of rest. Walker then did five more reps, rested 15 seconds, then finished with four reps. This machine had the pulleys wide, which allowed for a better range of motion.
Machine Rows
One set of machine rows ended the workout. Walker once again performed the rest-pause method. He began with 10 reps before resting 15 seconds then finished with some more reps.
Nick Walker decided to hit hamstrings before leaving the gym. He completed lying leg curls and belt squat RDL to target the back of the legs.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Joey Swoll Defends Man Who Is Falsely Accused Of Staring At A Female Gym-Goer
Joey Swoll continues to defend actions in the gym speaking out against toxic culture.
Joey Swoll is at it again. The fitness personality has gained even more popularity in recent months as he has used social media to show examples of toxic gym culture and speak against it. In his recent example, Swoll is defending a male gym-goer who is being accused of staring at a female while she is working out.
This is not the first time that Swoll has shared a video of a female accusing a man of staring. In January, Swoll shared a similar story but the man was just trying to watch the television that the female was blocking. In other instances, there have been ego lifters and outright rude lifters who try to make other people look foolish.
In this video, a female gym-goer is preparing to do an exercise with dumbbells. As she is getting ready to perform her set, there is an older man that can be seen looking in her direction for a few seconds. Swoll explains that this is a normal occurrence, especially in public, and that the man was not harassing the woman.
“You also say normalize not staring. You were in this man’s peripheral. You picked up some weights. He looked over for a few brief seconds to see what you were doing and then he looked away to mind his own business. I do this. People are in a public space. People are going to look at you.
There’s a difference between staring like a creep and simply looking at somebody to see what they’re doing. Women are harassed and disrespected at gyms. You are not one of them. You need to do better. You need to mind your own business.”
The caption on Joey Swoll’s post reads “Women are harassed in gyms and it needs to stop. This is NOT it.”
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to find stories about females being harassed while at the gym. This is another way TikTok is being used as females share stories on the platform to get the word out and make sure that it does not happen to anyone else. Swoll believes this was taken too far by the female.
“In the video, you say, ‘minding your own business’.
Well, in reality, when you’re filming in a public space, you’re not really minding your own business. It’s okay to do that, but you need to be respectful of others.”
Joey Swoll also calls out the female for filming inside the gym, which has become more common over the years. He explains that this is not minding her own business and this could take up unnecessary space.
Swoll has made it a mission to defend those who are wrongly called out or exposed in the gym for different reasons. He does not believe the man was doing anything wrong in this video and wanted to make sure that people improve themselves in the gym. This is the only way to eliminate the toxic gym culture.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Up Your Leg Game With These Forgotten Moves
There are some underrated moves to complete on leg day for maximum gains!
Leg day has come again, so it is time to leave your sweat and tears on the gym floor and to build that teardrop instead.
Today I am going to take it back to the old school with a couple of compound moves that you don’t really see anymore, and the reason for that could be that it is ‘out of sight, out of mind’, or that people are relying on machines instead.
Whatever the reason may be, you don’t have an excuse anymore.
Why compound movements?
Apart from being more efficient and working more muscle groups simultaneously, a study from 2017 concluded that ‘resistance training programs involving multi joint (compound) exercises appear to be more efficient for improving muscle strength and maximal oxygen consumption than programs involving single joint (isolation) exercises.’
So let’s look at forgotten exercise No. 1.
The Barbell Hack Squat
Many people are so used to using a hack squat machine that they have no idea as to the existence of this move.
Now the primary muscles targeted during this move are the quadriceps, but being a compound movement your hamstrings and glutes will be the secondary muscles involved.
How to do it:
Set up the bar as you would with a deadlift
But this time you will be standing in front of the bar, with the bar starting behind your heels
Feet shoulder width apart
Then grasp the bar with an overhand grip
Keep the back straight
Then lift the bar upwards, while driving your heels into the ground and contracting your quad muscles
Then slowly squat back down, and return the bar back to the ground
And repeat
Tip: Ensure not to graze the backs of your legs while doing this move, so if you are a beginner practice first.
Why should I add this?
The deeper your squat gets the better your athletic performance could potentially become, as a study from 2012 looked at the ‘influence of squatting depth on jumping performance’, and it found that ‘deep front and back squats guarantee performance enhancing transfer effects of dynamic maximal strength to dynamic maximal speed strength capacity of hip and knee extensors.
Even though this isn’t a front or back squat it could help improve those particular multi joint moves.
Now let’s look at forgotten exercise No. 2.
The Jefferson Squat
Now this is a move you may not have seen in your gym, but Kai Greene brought it back into prominence some years ago, and if Kai Greene uses this to help build his wheels, then why wouldn’t you add it into your routine?
Now another name for this lift is the straddle deadlift, as even squat is in the title it is performed in a deadlift fashion.
This is a quad dominant exercise but it will also target your adductors, glutes and hamstrings also.
What is the Jefferson Deadlift?
Essentially it is the same exercise, as you use the same stance, same grip, everything is the same except that the main difference between the two movements is the shape of your back and the joints being flexed.
As during the jefferson squat you keep your spine erect and back straight, as you want the emphasis to be on the knee flexion, during the jefferson deadlift you will lean slightly forward as the emphasis will be on hip flexion.
It may take some practice and some mind to muscle connection to differentiate between the two moves.
How to do it:
As mentioned before you will be straddling the bar using a split stance
Front foot will be facing out, with the facing away from you (so you will be in a right angle position, or L shape)
Squat down to pick up the barbell with the front hand using an underhand grip, and the backhand using an overhand grip
Keep the core tight
Then stand up and really emphasis the push through the heels and really pushing the knees out, do not allow the knees to cave in (pronate)
To ensure good depth, use smaller plates, and lighter weights to ensure immaculate form
The slowly come down back to the starting position
And repeat accordingly
Tip: If doing the jefferson squat ensure you do not round your back and be sure to keep the back foot on the floor at all times.
Why should I add this?
Although it looks awkward to set up, and yes it really can be, it is a great variant for anyone who cannot back squat and a study from 2015 ‘indicated that the deadlift exercise may be effective in decreasing pain intensity and increasing activity for most patients with a dominating pattern of mechanical low back pain.’
Yes I realise I am not talking about the jefferson deadlift variation but with the set up being the same, even though the deadlift technique is not mentioned by name in the study it should be applicable to the jefferson squat also.
There you have it, you now have two new badass compound moves you can add to your leg day armoury.
So until next time, keep pumping!
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744434/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592763/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21694556/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835729/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28704312/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22797000/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23442291/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22344055/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7046193/