The legend of Jesse grows every day (as do his forearms, lats and ego…just kidding! He’d agree his forearms are not his strong suit!) All kidding aside, not many walk into @goldsgym.venice and lift these things off their cradle. And @hubermanlab I agree, @mikeohearn likely uses these for rotator cuff work! Two handed or one handed this was still damn impressive. Hats off to Jesse. Must have been the legends on the wall watching that inspired this… #goldendumbbells #strength #lift #athleanx #hecamehesawhelifted
COMING SOON: I got a chance to meet with my good friend Dr. Andrew Huberman @hubermanlab at the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach where so many legends trained with high intensity and incredible effort. Andrew and I talked shop and went through an arm workout together where applied science, anatomy, and biomechanics…and some plain old fashioned effort! As you know, I preach smart training at all times and putting the science back in strength so what better workout partner could there be to get our swole on?!
Keep an eye out for the full workout and Humberman Lab podcast! #athleanx #hubermanlab #train #workout #getafterit
Training is like a symphony. The muscles are your instruments. The timing is your tempo. The result is pleasing to the eyes rather than the ears…and when you do it right you can literally feel it in your soul and know that you have. None better than the master of muscle himself @schwarzenegger to describe what I’m saying. Let the gains begin! #biceps #trainingtips #musclebuilding #bicepcurls #athleanx
No kettlebell? No problem. A dumbbell works just as well here. Be sure to “wring” it out forward and backward to hit both the flexors and extensors of the forearms. Also, unwind S-L-O-W-L-Y to challenge the eccentric control of these muscles rather than letting the weight drop like a bad habit on the way down! Let the burn (and the gains) begin! #forearms #exercise #wristcurls #gym #athleanx
This little finisher is enough to make you go looking for a fire blanket to wrap around those forearms of yours. It’s a variation of the classic “21” style, sliced range reps. Starting in the mid to lower half of the reverse forearm curl range…rep out between 5-10 and remember to extend the wrists back at the top of every rep for more extensor muscle involvement. Then do full range reverse curls. Then move it to the top range for the same wrist extended reverse curls for 4-5 reps. Finish once again with full range reverse curls. Trust me. This works and it works quickly. If you need visual proof of the effect, watch the veins come screaming to the surface looking for a chance to breathe lol between the first and last rep. Give it a shot! #forearms #onfire #forearmworkout #arms #gym
Pull-ups are tough, but they’re being made tougher because of a few key reasons.
1) disproportional pull to push muscle focus
2) weak grip
3) poor core strength
4) overhead shoulder mobility restrictions
5) and most of all…they are a brutally honest revealer of low strength to bodyweight ratios.
Yes, the more you weigh the harder they get BUT, the leaner you are at heavier body weights and the more lean muscle you carry the easier they become once again! Carrying a lot of excess body fat? They exponentially get more difficult where even a single extra rep becomes significantly harder to get.
So, in many ways they become the ultimate quick and simple reflection of one’s musculoskeletal fitness. How many can you do? Age and gender will change the numbers BUT you should still be able to do them…and yes…always more than 5. Don’t sell yourself short, instead work on your weakness. You’ll be rewarded in many more ways than just being able to do more pull-ups. Let the gains begin #pullup #pullups #lats #backworkout #athleanx
It doesn’t get much better than the barbell row for building strength, size and stability of the entire back. That is…if it’s done properly. Your pull point not only determines the exercises targeted muscles but it also sets the stage for allowing the low back to be in its proper position on every rep. Watch this quick two point refresher before your next back or pull training session! Your lats will not only be appreciative of the short term size upgrade but your lower back will be thanking you long term! Let the gains begin… #athleanx #gym #backworkout #rows #weightlifting
This one works as a perfect shoulder warmup that can be done anywhere, or as a test to see just how much work you need to put into improving that overhead shoulder mobility. The catch? It’s not JUST about being able to move a joint through its available range of motion. If the muscles surrounding that joint and are responsible for stabilizing that joint aren’t recruited properly…then motion could be limited for completely different reasons (but still limited regardless of the cause). This drill helps to wake up that rotator cuff in just a few slow, deliberately performed reps. Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you! Let the gains begin… #mobility #shoulderwarmup #shoulderexercises #stretch #athleanx
I often get asked “where’s a good place for a beginner to start?” when it comes to a solid lifting routine. My answer has less to do with specific exercises or specific muscles and more to do with movement patterns that need to be trained if you are to build a successful foundation on which you’ll continue to add to for years to come. Here’s a breakdown of an example of how this may look. #totalbodyworkout #trainsmart #lift #beginnerworkout #athleanx
Joint mobility work is not the only way to “unlock stiff joints”. Sometimes, it’s the tissues surrounding the joints that are the real limiter. When it comes to the shoulder, there are lots of potential “sticking” points. If overhead range of motion seems limited without much pain as your reason, then give this one a try. This one move takes just one minute and has been responsible for some pretty significant range increases with minimal setup. My overhead throwing athletes almost always have lat tightness limiting their shoulder range and this has been a go-to for that. #shoulders #rangeofmotion #mobility #physicaltherapy #athleanx shout out to @mvmtperformance and @twstraining who have helped many with this important movement as well. Stay tuned for a wrist mobilizer for those lacking extension making pushups difficult or limited
You don’t just lose muscle and strength as you age, but you lose the speed at which your muscles can fire - and the power drop off is real. The good news? Purposely integrating movements done at faster, more explosive speeds can keep these type II fibers trained and the dropoff is mitigated (yet never fully eliminated). I get it, age comes for everyone and Father Time is undefeated. He just doesn’t have to get you as quickly as he gets others. Put up a fight. #trainfast #trainexplosive #power #train #athleanx
The concept of training to “failure” can be elusive. It can mean one thing to one person and something totally different to someone else. But it really shouldn’t. It should have an objective way of knowing whether you’re there or not. For me, mechanical failure is failure. When you can no longer safely perform a rep in good form (a little cheat is acceptable and often necessary). In other words, when the exercise you’re doing no longer resembles the exercise and instead you’re looking more like a monkey f*cking a football, then you know it’s time to stop…but just make sure you’re taking those good for reps as far as you can humanly take them while still preserving their safety and efficacy. Here’s a curl in action. Let me know if the visual is helpful. #failure #trainhard #push #gym #athleanx
