Tagged with 'bodybuilder'

A massive back is a status symbol among bodybuilders. Much like the ever-coveted big legs, having a back that turns heads is an indicator that an athlete has put in the heavy-duty work. You don't acquire a thick cobra backside by doing sissy movements, half repping, and training lightly. You have to put some elbow grease into it. Shawn Smith shares some tips for building a massive back.

You need a professional approach to achieve great success in life, especially in bodybuilding. Athletes use their mindset to stay on the straight and narrow so they can arrive at their goal as efficiently as possible. None of this is by chance. It's all by design. John Jewett explains the importance of an Olympian mindset and how it can get you to the top of the game.

Protein powder has always been popular, but EAAs and BCAAs have been on the rise more recently. When should we use each? Should we use one or the other? Or all together? John Jewett tells us how and why in his latest article.

Shawn Smith gives us an inside look into his Chicago Pro prep, what he's dealt with, what changes he's made, and how he's improved since Tampa last year.

Renee Jewett, one of Animal's newest athletes, details in her fitness journey from start to IFBB Wellness Pro.

We often crave bad food because it's tasty, and even when we restrict that, we may still want it. Chris Tuttle shares some tips on how to avoid temptation.

As athletes, we evolve as the years go on. Whether it's diet, training, our look, or all of the above, we progress forward and change as needed. Things that worked back in the day may now not apply to our present circumstances. Chris Tuttle has adjusted his training since he started. Here's how.

Stop doing cardio and you will never lose your gains—this answer seems like the obvious one, right? It’s commonly thought that in concurrent training—the combined training of aerobic and resistance training—endurance training creates some interference that can limit hypertrophy signaling. As a result, bodybuilders all around have been trying to limit cardio to prevent muscle gains from slipping away, but if implemented correctly, cardio won't steal your gains. From a bodybuilding standpoint, cardio must happen sometimes to create the energy deficit possible to get stage lean. From an off-season perspective, there is some merit to continuing cardio for general health reasons, such as aiding sleep and stress management, and allowing those squats to wear out your quads before wearing out your lungs. I am going to cover how to implement cardio with the least impact to strength and hypertrophy gains.

Not too many people can say they’ve placed second twice at Mr. Olympia. Derek Lunsford can. But in true champion form, these runner up spots are not enough for him. He’s after the gold. To come up short two years in a row is a hard pill to swallow, but those that are destined for greatness are the best at looking introspectively and making adjustments, both physically and mentally. Derek catches us up on the changes he’s made going into the 2020 Olympia with plans to nail this one down.