muscles

A proper warmup is an essential part of any exercise program. When it comes to performing warmups for sprinting, it’s non-negotiable—and for good reason. Running full speed on cold muscles, or muscles that aren’t properly warmed up is a recipe for disaster and a fast way to tear a hamstring...

Pushups are one of the simplest forms of exercise, requiring no equipment and very little space to practice in, and yet the numbers are pretty surprising as relates to how many reps the general population can execute in a row. M&F takes a look at some of the figures and typical benchmarks that...

One of the most analyzed muscles in the fitness universe are those three muscles on your upper thigh, the hip flexors. Are they weak, or are they tight? There is much confusion about them, and a lot of blame gets laid on them regarding performance in and out of the gym. With a Physical...

This story has been told a few thousand times, but we’ll go again. In his bodybuilding heyday, Arnold Schwarzenegger was so embarrassed by the size of his calves that he cut off all his training pants at the knees (or maybe he just wore shorts) to shame himself into calf training. History tells...

Back when I first started bodybuilding in the early 70s, there was much more mysticism surrounding the exact process that resulted in getting your body to grow big muscles than there is today. Working out in a gym, weightlifting, body consciousness, etc., are cemented into our society on all...

Tiny tweaks in your wrist position when pumping iron can result in impressive muscular improvements. “It is often overlooked how a simple change in hand placement can make a difference in muscular results,” explains Natalie Wolfe, NASM, CPT. Without having to change an actual exercise, “Simply...

It could be argued that the three most popular pieces of gym equipment are in no particular order are the flat benches, standing cable machines and the lat pulldown machine. Take a look around your gym, while the adductor machines remains empty. Often you will find lifters milling around these...

Keira D’Amato will represent Team USA in August when she competes in the 2023 World Championship Marathon in Budapest, but while she’s at the top of her game right now, a series of injuries had forced her to take a hiatus from running altogether. Fortunately, successful surgery and discovering...

Here’s something most of us can agree on: Lunges are awful. No matter the type of lunges you are doing side lunge, reverse lunge, forward lunge. Very few people jump for joy when it’s time to do lunges —even less are able to jump afterward because of the exercise’s brutality. Like downing...

There are tons of articles on neglected or forgotten muscles and movements, but IMO the king of neglected is the humble, simple, but not easy farmer’s carry. Holding weights in your hands and walking, what muscles do this work, and how does this improve me? Just because this exercise is not...

A strong and healthy back reaches beyond how much weight you can lat pull. It encompasses a solid range of motion, proper posture, identifying weaknesses or imbalances, and correcting them. Considering the back has 40 muscles both large and small starting at the top of the neck and all the way...

A mini band is a 9-inch flat looped band that’s great for targeting the smaller muscles of your hips, glutes, thighs, and shoulders. These bands are versatile, portable and can be added to both bodyweight or weighted exercises to add strength to smaller muscles that may be preventing your larger...

The quads, hamstrings, and glute muscles should be the focus of your leg training because training them will give you the most bang for your exercise buck. But there is one muscle group that is neglected from the usual leg day workout; the adductor muscles. Adductor exercises are often...

Has your progress stalled while on your quest to put on lean muscle mass? Check out these 4 tips to bust through those plateaus and put on more muscle mass! Head over to the mirror, strip down to your “skivvies,” and take a good, long and critical look at yourself. Meticulously analyze your...

The six-pack muscle, the rectus abdominals gets all the attention, and rightly so. When your diet is dialed in and you’re strong and lean, the six-pack is the center of the attention. But the two muscles on either side of your rectus abs called the oblique muscles are either an afterthought and...

by Matt Weik Not sure if you’ve heard of the latest trend in self-massage tools, but it’s called a “massage gun,” and it is basically a portable electric muscle massager. These nifty devices are just one of the countless pieces of equipment that you can use, along with your bodyweight and...

by Matt Weik Regardless of whether you’re a beginner doing your first workout or an experienced lifter on a strict regimen, one thing you will encounter is post-workout muscle soreness. If you’re pushing yourself, you can count on experiencing some sort of soreness following a grueling workout...

Although walking up (or down) the stairs after leg day can be a grueling task, there’s nothing more painfully satisfying than when the post-workout muscle soreness hits. It gives the feeling of accomplishment and confirmation that you put in the work. On the other hand, if you’ve ever wondered...

Strength athletes will get more reps out of their sets if they stretch their muscles between sets. And we're not talking about the muscles you're training, but their antagonists. So when you're training the latissimi dorsi you need to stretch the pectoralis major. Sports scientists at the...

The strength of the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings form the foundation of lower body movement. These muscles as a unit allow you to run, jump, hinge, and squat like a rockstar. There are plenty of great exercises, like the reverse hyperextension, that train these important muscles but...