Accessory exercises can be important for improving strength in the bench press. This study found that dumbbell bench and dumbbell flyes induced similar amounts of pectoral activation when compared to barbell bench. This means that these movements can be used to further strengthen the chest muscles in new ways as opposed to just bench pressing. […]
This study found that adding burnout sets to the end of a strength training workout can improve gains in muscle size and strength. This change occurred during the last 4-weeks of the study when the burnout sets were added, so it’s a great representation of how important volume, training close to failure, and variation is […]
This is one of several studies that confirmed the theory that too much cardio can interfere with gains in strength size. Cardio is still an important component of a training program, but keep steady state cardio to less than 30-mins and fewer than 4-days per week. Stick to biking, StairMaster, and elliptical as running will […]
It’s pretty well-known that too much cardio can interfere with strength and size gains. This study found that interval sprint training did not interfere with gains while still offering cardiovascular benefits. Source: Balabinis, C. P., Psarakis, C. H., Moukas, M., Vassiliou, M. P., & Behrakis, P. K. (2003). Early phase changes by concurrent endurance and […]
Using the mind-muscle connection can increase muscle activation but this study found that this strategy does not lead to increased force production. If your goal is to get stronger or push heavy weights in a particular session, using the mind-muscle connection is not the best way to go. Source: Marchant, D. C., Greig, M., & […]
Many individuals employ static stretching as a method of increasing flexibility. However, this study found that full range of motion resistance training was just as effective at improving flexibility as static stretching. In addition, the resistance training group also developed strength in this new range of motion which is incredibly important when improving flexibility. Check […]