Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu used to experiment in the gym to find ways to fix weaknesses. One thing they discovered was that doing squats with a wider stance helped build the inner thighs (check out page 123 of Arnold’s autobiography Total Recall for more details). This is one area that I’ve been focusing on…
For several weeks now, 15-year-old Joseph has been working hard on hanging-band squats and assisted chin-ups. Friday night he was able to see what effect that type of training has had. After working up to 45 pounds a side on hanging-band squats, he was ready for conventional squats with the “big plates”. No problem! Now,…
My son has become a wizard on digital devices. Give him an iPhone, iPad or iMac, and he’s right at home. Of course, I’m not a big fan of Wi-Fi, so I make sure that he keeps any mobile device on airplane mode as much as possible. I’m also not a fan of the posture-destroying,…
Different strokes for different folks. I prefer high-bar, ass-to-grass squats. If you’re not used to doing full squats, you can use chains to lighten the load at the bottom. Here I’m doing full squats with 185 pounds on the bar and 140 pounds of chains. At the bottom there’s roughly half the weight left on…
You can get very technical with the answer if you wish, or you can make things simple. Let’s take the “easy” route: A) Olympic Front or Back Squats: maximum knee bend B) Semi-Stiff-Leg Deadlifts or Good Mornings: minimum knee bend C) Power Squat or Bent-Knee Deadlift: somewhere between A and B Sure, there are structural…
For those who’ve read my article 14 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Full Squat Benefits!, here are four more reasons to consider. 1. The vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), a prime stabilizer of the knee, has three innervation points and serves to protect the knee in the bottom position. Performing full squats will strengthen this aspect of…