Fitness

There’s a simple formula for size and strength gains. Supply the signal to force adaptation to occur without doing too much damage in the process. In other words, you do the work necessary to force the muscle to grow bigger and stronger but consciously take steps to minimize three things: Spinal compression Joint degradation CNS (central nervous system) fatigue Like Lee Haney said, “Stimulate, don’t annihilate.” Today we’re going to focus on CNS fatigue. If the CNS is not recovered or ready to perform at max capacity your training and thus, your results will suffer. Here are seven ways to… continue reading.

There are at least an equal amount of people who ruin their athleticism through their strength training efforts, as there are people who improve it. The majority of guys who have been training for more than a decade have worse athletic ability than they did ten years earlier. It’s sad but true. Many typical training protocols will slowly but surely ruin your athleticism. The overemphasis on maximal strength, the shortened ranges of motion, the imbalances created, the injuries accumulated… It all adds up and one day before you know it you tear a hamstring playing a leisurely game… continue reading.

Guest Post by Renegade Inner Circle Member, Mark Lockwood I was stuck.  I mean really stuck. One day’s gains were next week’s losses and, by the end of the year, I was usually right back where I started. Six years of hard training had given me good relative strength in the big lifts, but very little had changed in recent years. I was starting to wonder if at age 39 it was even possible for me to make substantial gains. Then I stumbled onto Jay’s website and I was hooked.  The guy had some different thoughts on training and tons… continue reading.

Most direct triceps exercises place too much stress on the elbows. That’s why compound pressing movements are your first line of defense in the war against tiny arms. At the top of the list is dips, preferably done on rings. Close grip pushup variations, both handstand and regular are also highly effective. Next up is any type of close grip pressing movement which can be done full range, on the floor or off of two or three boards. If you want to do an isolation exercise be sure to do one of these first. That will warm up your elbows… continue reading.

Question: Jay, wrestling season is almost over and I have a few guys lined up to come in after the season. I have a general idea of what I want to do with them, but just wanted to see if you have any special considerations for these guys. Right now, my plan of attack is: 3-4 week recovery period with lots of SMR, stretching, rehabbing nagging injuries and imbalances, and bodyweight work Off-season training- work a lot of strength work with submaximal weights, explosiveness with jumps, med ball work, and Olympic lifts (dumbbell only). Also work on muscular… continue reading.

I’ve covered this topic before but judging by some of the questions I receive I may not have been clear enough. So I’m gonna try it again… Fuck bulking and cutting. Clearer? The concept of bulking and cutting is old school bullshit that went out with fanny packs and jean shorts. For the initiated it means that you eat like crap for several months while training hard and heavy. The theory behind it is that it’s impossible to gain large amounts of muscle mass without getting fat in the process. So you accept a bunch of fat gain along with… 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Iron Guru, Vince Gironda was legend in the world of Physical Culture. Here are seven of his best tips. 1)    Get sufficient sleep each night. Growth can only take place after recuperation. Get plenty of rest. 2)    Build up enthusiasm for each workout. Going through the motions of training will not produce results. You would be better off not training. 3)    Cycle your training. Never do today what you can’t supersede tomorrow. Don’t perform more exercises or more intensity than necessary to maintain an upward growth pattern. 4)    Never continue your workout so you run out of steam before… continue reading.