Can an App Really Improve Your Mobility?
I hate stretching, but I must admit that working on my mobility has helped me in the gym. For example, I love doing barbell snatches, but I used to have…
Let’s Bring Back the Dumbbell Swing
“The ‘swing’ lift is a great favorite in France,” the weightlifter and barbell-maker Alan Calvert wrote in 1911. He described it “rapidly coming into favor in England, along with the…
I Asked ChatGPT for Workout Suggestions and Wow, They Sucked
ChatGPT is one of the most exciting new toys on the internet. Ask it for just about anything that can be produced in written form, and it will oblige. Which…
What to Do When You Can’t Feel a Muscle Working
Photo: platinumArt (Shutterstock) We lift to grow and strengthen our muscles, so it’s natural that a lot of us find bodybuilders’ piece-by-piece mindset appealing: You focus on the specific muscle…
How to Get Into Position for a Goblet Squat With a Heavy Kettlebell
Photo: Berkomaster (Shutterstock) When you’re just getting started with squatting movements, a goblet squat is easy—just pick up a tiny kettlebell (or dumbbell). At that stage it’s light enough that…
‘Negative Reps’ Aren’t a Weightlifting Cheat Code
Photo: oleksboiko (Shutterstock) A new study shows that it’s possible to gain muscle from just putting weights down, without having to lift them in the first place. While this may…
10 Versatile Exercises to Do With Tiny Dumbbells
Photo: Fractal Pictures (Shutterstock) When you’re just starting to work out, small dumbbells are a godsend: You can do the same exercises as everyone else, but with less weight. When…
What Are Stabilizer Muscles (and Do You Really Need to Train Them)?
Photo: Maridav (Shutterstock) You may have heard dumbbell exercises are better than barbell ones because they work more of your “stabilizers,” or that free weights are better than machines for…
12 of the Best Exercises to Do With Resistance Bands at the Gym
Wobble Bar Overhead Press This isn’t a good replacement for a strict press, since the instability makes it so you won’t be able to use as much weight. It is,…
How (and Why) to Do Copenhagen Planks
Photo: Bucchi Francesco (Shutterstock) We last saw Copenhagen planks in our rundown of the best bodyweight exercises that actually build strength. But it’s an under-appreciated exercise, and deserves a spotlight…