The Protein Corner

In 6 months of Legion’s body transformation coaching , Mark lost 30 pounds, 20% body fat,     and built eating habits he could actually sustain. In the past, Mark struggled to stay on a diet. He had a hard time fighting off junk food cravings , and eating pizza would often throw him off his goals. He wanted to lose weight and get stronger , but he needed a plan that was easy to stick to so he wouldn’t have to keep starting over. With the help of his Legion coach, Mark found a better way. He learned how to manage his meals without feeling tired or hungry, and he was surprised to find that he finally stopped craving junk food. Here are his results: Mark’s Journey Mark’s main goal was to lose enough body fat to bring his weight back into the 170s. But sticking to his diet long enough to see results was always his biggest challenge. He also worried about gaining too much weight during a bulk and having to cut 30 pounds again in the future. He wanted to learn...

Instructions Set both pulleys on a dual cable machine to shoulder height and attach a single handle to each. Grab a handle in each hand and stand centrally between the two cable stacks, allowing the cables to pull your arms out to your sides. Take one or two steps forward and get into a staggered stance. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend in the elbow and your elbows should be slightly behind your torso. Lift your chest, pinch your shoulder blades together and down and take a deep breath (this keeps your torso stable throughout each rep).  Bring your hands together in a wide arc in front of your chest, keeping that same slight bend in your elbows the whole way. Reverse the movement, letting your arms travel back and out until you feel a deep stretch in your chest. When you’re finished, step back between the cable stacks and release one handle at a time. Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips 3 Cable Fly Workouts to Grow Your Chest Can You Us...

Table of Contents + Overview Instructions Expert Tips My Favorite Grip for the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown What to Do if Your Lat Pulldown Machine Doesn't Let You Do Single-Arm Pulldowns Single-Arm vs. Two-Arm Lat Pulldown: Which Should You Do? How to Add the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown to Your Routine Want More Content Like This? Overview The single-arm lat pulldown is a back exercise performed on a lat pulldown machine. You attach a single handle to the cable, grab it with one hand, and pull it down to the side of your chest before reversing the movement back to the fully stretched starting position. Instructions Attach a single handle to the lat pulldown machine and adjust the thigh pad so it locks your lower body in place when seated. Grab the handle with your right hand while standing, then sit down and let your body weight pull the handle down with you. Nudge your thighs under the pad and plant your feet flat on the floor. Sit slightly behind the cable rather than d...

The dumbbell fly is a pec isolation exercise performed lying on a bench. You hold a dumbbell in each hand above your chest, lower them out to your sides in a wide arc, then reverse the movement to bring the weights back together. It’s a staple in bodybuilding chest workouts because it lets you train your pecs even when your shoulders and triceps are tired from pressing. It also trains them through a longer range of motion than most presses, with a deeper stretch on the chest—something research suggests is important for muscle growth. Table of Contents + Dumbbell-Fly Instructions Expert Tips A Dumbbell Chest Fly Workout to Grow Your Pecs Who Should Do the Dumbbell Chest Fly? How to Feel Your Chest When Doing Dumbbell Flyes Why "Squeeze Your Pecs at the Top" Is Bad Advice Dumbbell Chest Fly vs. Other Fly Variations Want More Content Like This? Instructions Sit on the edge of the bench with the dumbbells standing on end on your thigh...

The best exercises for building your forearms are ones that rely on grip strength to hold or pull a heavy weight—deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, pull-ups, shrugs, and all heavy rows.  And most of the time, these classic strength training exercises are all you need to build a pair of proportionate, strong, muscular forearms.  Nine times out of ten, when someone claims their forearms are “undersized,” the culprit is a lack of heavy pulling, not a lack of dedicated forearm exercises.  That said, if you feel your forearms are lagging despite your heavy pulling, there are two things you can do about it: Use weightlifting straps sparingly.   Weightlifting straps make it easier to hold heavy weights, especially on deadlifts, rows, and lat pulldowns.  This prevents your grip strength from becoming a limiting factor in your sets, but it also reduces how hard your forearms have to work.  I recommend you use straps sparingly to get the best of both worlds. Specifically, I recommend usi...