Longtime readers know how much I have always loved and promoted bodyweight exercises. Renegade Strength Club members know how much I love gymnastic holds such as the front lever. I believe this should be part of everyone’s training arsenal and is an incredible lat exercise that is nearly unmatched. The first, most basic progression of the front lever simply involves holding yourself parallel to the ground in a fetal position with your back rounded and your knees on your chest. Do that 3-6 times per week for 3 sets of 10-15 seconds until it becomes easy. Then move on… continue reading.

By David Claiborne As a strength coach, one thing that I always try to make sure I do is to learn from the best. That is why last month, I traveled (once again) up to New Jersey to learn from one of the guys who originally got me in this industry and I turn to frequently for information to help take my coaching, and my clients and athletes results up another notch. Sure, I could join his Inner Circle (I did), and just read his blog posts (I have been for 3+ years now), and say… continue reading.

Can you can gain muscle without getting fat? Anyone can eat a ton and lift heavy weights for a few months. The result is they will gain weight. That’s for sure. Unfortunately, in 99% of cases, more than half of it will be fat. That’s never  a good look. But by following a proper diet and adding in some type of high intensity conditioning work a few days per week you actually can build muscle without getting fat. Traditional medium intensity cardio methods will eat away too much muscle and should be avoided for this reason. Besides it’s… continue reading.

Maybe you screwed up last year. You showed signs of weakness or lost your way. Maybe it was your fault or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe your dad died or you got fired or divorced. Thing is, none of that matters now. You don’t have to forget any of the hardships you endured but you do need to leave them behind you. Sitting around thinking about what was or what could have been does no one any good. When my step dad, Ed, died a few years ago it seemed like all I could do for the next few weeks was… continue reading.

I’ve posted this infographic on my Facebook and Twitter pages a few times but since I figure not everyone sees those all the time it’d be a good idea to post it here. Plus I like to review it myself from time to time to make sure I’m not spending more than three or four hours per day sitting… because, uh… that shit equals DEATH!!! Sitting is killing you Via: Business Insider PS. If you have to sit because of your job then you definitely have to do more mobility work on a… continue reading.

I polled the Renegade Nation on my Facebook and Twitter pages asking for your favorite rock songs. I wanted strictly rock, not metal. So Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Social Distortion and that kind of stuff. Some of the answers we got could definitely be considered metal and what category do you put Rage Against the Machine in? Anyway, here’s a compilation that will hopefully give you some good ideas to your workout play mixes. Please do me a favor and post your top 3-10 favorite rock training songs that AREN’T already listed here. continue reading.

What food you put in your body is probably the single most important decision you make every day. A lot of us have that down and always make very healthy choices. Or so we think… Unfortunately, what’s a healthy choice for me may not be a healthy choice for you. Everyone reacts differently to certain foods. For the most part you can’t go wrong with lean protein, vegetables and berries. Those foods seem to be tolerated very well by the majority of people. Once you veer off that list it gets a little bit more complicated. Foods like grains, eggs,… continue reading.

Yesterday, the magical streak of Tim Tebow came to an end and there were a lot of happy people. That’s because people hate Tim Tebow. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots put a temporary end to Tebow-mania as Brady showed the youngster how the position of quarterback is meant to be played. As a result there were a lot of unhappy people. That’s because people love Tim Tebow. He’s a polarizing figure who, over the last few months, has become one of the biggest sports stories of the year. Like him or hate him I think there’s a lesson… continue reading.

Even if you’re training Renegade style, on the best programs in the world, you can always make your workouts a little better. Most Renegade workouts are written with public gym goers in mind or those with limited amounts of stuff in their basement or garage gym. But if you have access to other stuff the training can be greatly enhanced. With access to unlimited tools I would write many programs differently. Here are some very important notes regarding my programs and changes you can feel free to make: 1) Sub in Trap Bar Deads for the Straight… continue reading.

“Everybody’s doing something. We’ll do nothing!” If I told you that I’ve got a secret that will help you stay healthier and make far better strength gains this year than any year ever before would you be interested? Yes? Okay, here it is… Do nothing. Don’t lift weights. Don’t do bodyweight stuff. Don’t run sprints. Just do nothing. For a month. Now before you all get to thinking I’ve lost my mind (which happened many moons ago) let me explain. First of all, what I’m going to tell you doesn’t apply unless you’ve been training properly for at least three… continue reading.

There are thousands of people who read this site every day who will never make it to Jersey to train at Renegade. So I debated even posting this since it won’t really apply to most of you. But then I realized that no, that’s wrong. It will apply to anyone who trains hard, takes this stuff very seriously and expects the same of all around them. I’ve mentioned my close friend, Mark Crook plenty of times before. He would be a great addition to any serious gym or group of training partners anywhere in the world. He brings it each… continue reading.

“Before I studied the art, a punch was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I studied the art, a punch is no longer a punch, a kick is no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick is just like a kick.” — Bruce Lee The difference between a good, highly experienced strength coach and a C-level, inexperienced one is that they can make complex subjects seem simple. They know enough not to overwhelm beginners with too much information and not to shout out… continue reading.

My company’s logo depicts a recreation of a picture of Arthur Saxon taken in 1906. That’s because I’ve been obsessed with “old school” strength training methods for over 23 years. Whether we’re talking music, sneakers or training I’m old school through and through. From Hackenshmidt to Paul Anderson to Mentzer to Kaz, they’ve all been a huge influence along the way in shaping the Renegade Method and how I design training programs today. Vince Gironda was another big influence who was light years ahead of his time. Like me, Vince was a renegade; a rebel who never… continue reading.

Use these tips and you’ll get jacked. End of story… 1) Make Farmers Walks a Staple They build your traps, core and grip while developing tremendous total body strength and stability. And nothing is more functional than picking up something heavy and walking with it. Do them once a week for 3-4 sets of 30-60 seconds each. 2) Start Wearing Knee Sleeves Before You Need Them By the time you realize that you should probably start wearing knee sleeves it may be too late. The damage may already be done. There is no one who couldn’t benefit from wearing knee… continue reading.

The straight bar chin up with your palms facing you places too much stress on the wrists, elbows and shoulders and should be eliminated from your program. Even if you haven’t experienced it yet chances are good that a steady diet of supinated (palms facing you) straight bar chin ups may come back to bite you in the ass… or elbow, eventually. Pull ups (palms facing away from you) on a straight bar are a bit safer but could also be eliminated if you want to be ultra conservative or you have any shoulder problems. The simple solution is to… continue reading.