The most underutilized pieces of equipment in most gyms are the dumbbells. Oh sure, you might see people pumping out a few sets of biceps curls, bench presses, or flyes, but in most gyms the dumbbell racks are primarily used as a place to lean against between sets of barbell squats or benches.
The fitness magazines are full of them. The bodybuilding rags are full of them. Even T-Nation is full of them: articles about how to lose fat and discover your abs. What's missing? Simple: Info on how to stay that way once you've reached your goal.
Here's another well-referenced investigation by our friendly neighborhood warrior nerd, offering facts and tips on what might just be the reason for your progress stalemate. This is one article in which the author will actually feel better if you fall asleep while reading it!
Originally coined "The Bear" by John Davies, this series of five exercises in one teaches the body to move with great ROM in a fluid, powerful, and fast manner. It's fantastic as a total body warm-up, improving overall power production and motor skill coordination in a short period of time.
In Part One of my "no curls" arm specialization training series, I talked about the absurdity of most arm specialization routines. I proposed that most trainees do more than enough biceps curls and triceps press downs and don't really need more of either of them.
Ever since the Olympics were played in ancient Greece, athletes have been looking for an edge. At that time, athletes used some very suspect compounds in hopes of increasing their strength, quickness, and endurance. They ingested various substances with the hopes of giving themselves even a slight advantage over other athletes.
>As a collegiate S & C coach, I've noticed that an emphasis is being placed on strength and conditioning as a tool to enhance athletic performance. For example, in the last few years a majority of schools in the Mountain West Conference, including the Air Force Academy, have built new strength and conditioning facilities.