You Should Add Isometric Exercises to Your Routine
While many types of exercise can be good for lowering your blood pressure, a recent review of studies found that isometric exercise may have the greatest effect. So what is…
All the Different Bars at the Gym, Explained
The first step in lifting a barbell is loading weight plates onto the bar. At some gyms, there’s only one type of bar, and it weighs 45 pounds, and that’s…
Your Training ‘Week’ Doesn’t Have to Be Seven Days Long
How many days are in your training week? If you’re like most of us, seven. But this is because we are tools, creatures of habit, small-minded folks who cannot conceive…
No, Light Weights and Heavy Weights Can’t Give You the Same Workout
In the world of exercise, variety abounds. You can lift light weights, or heavy weights, or no weights at all. You can run fast, or run slow, or strap on…
These Are the Best Hot Weather Workouts
When it’s hot and humid out, the last thing you want to do is break another sweat. So what should you do when you want to exercise under such conditions?…
TikTok Myth of the Week: Vibration Plates
Until this week, my only knowledge of the association between vibration and fitness came from old cartoons. Watch them long enough, and soon you’ll see somebody jiggling their butt or…
What to Do With a Trap Bar in the Gym
Dumbbells and regular barbells are great, but if you’ve been ignoring that large hexagonal thing in the corner, it’s now time to make its acquaintance. The “hex bar” or “trap…
You Should Be Paying Attention to Those Smooth Rings on the Barbell
Look closely at your barbell the next time you’re in a gym. Much of the surface is roughed up with a diamond pattern. This is called the knurling, and it…
For Fuck’s Sake Please Stop Swinging Light Kettlebells
The kettlebell swing is a good exercise. It works your hamstrings and butt, it improves your grip, and it’s explosive—a quality that a lot of at-home exercises lack. But too…
How to Adjust Your Spin Bike for the Most Comfortable Ride
Whether you’ve got a Peloton at home or you’re hopping onto one of the nameless bikes in your gym’s cardio section, you’ll be a lot more comfortable if you can…