Posts

Can You Gain Muscle Faster with Drop Sets?

For decades now, bodybuilders have banked on the “drop set” technique to gain muscle faster. Does this work? Will it work for you? A drop set involves taking a set of an exercise—usually an isolation exercise —to muscular failure followed by another set of the same exercise to failure with 10-to-20% less weight followed by yet another lighter set to failure followed by still another usually until a certain number of total sets have been performed. With a drop set, your muscles experience more “ time under tension ” and “ pump ” than with a traditional set, and these factors, it’s claimed, can produce a stronger muscle building stimulus. Skeptics disagree, however, and usually for three reasons: While time under tension does contribute to muscle growth, research shows that using sufficiently heavy weights (~60% of one-rep max or higher) in your training is more important. That is, if the load isn’t heavy enough, it isn’t likely to stimulate much growth no matter how much time un...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Way to Do the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Image
https://legionathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dumbbell-Romanian-Deadlift-Angled.mp4   https://legionathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dumbbell-Romanian-Deadlift-Side.mp4 Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Mike's Take Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 4 Dumbbell RDL Workouts Dumbbell RDL vs. Barbell RDL: Which Should You Use? More Glute and Hamstring Exercises   Instructions Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your thighs and your arms hanging straight down.  Stand with your feet a little narrower than shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out, and a soft bend in your knees. Stand tall with your chest up, take a deep breath into your stomach, and brace your abs.  With a flat back, push your hips backward and let the dumbbells travel down the front of your legs in a straight line, keeping them close to your body the whole way. Don’t bend your knees any further as you descend—leave them in that same...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Way to Do the Cable Overhead Triceps Extension

Image
Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Mike's Take Muscles Worked 3 Cable Overhead Triceps Extension Workouts for Horseshoe Triceps What Height Should You Set the Cable? Which Handle Should You Use? Overhead Cable Triceps Extension vs. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension More Triceps Exercises Instructions Set a pulley to about chest height and attach a rope handle. Grab one end of the rope in each hand, turn away from the machine, and bring your hands behind your head so your biceps are next to your ears. Take a long step forward with one foot and keep your back foot close to the machine’s upright so you’re in a staggered stance, then lean forward at about a 45-degree angle. Let the cable pull your hands back behind your head until you feel a deep stretch in your triceps. Press the rope forward by straightening your arms, keeping your upper arms as stable as possible—some movement is fine, but they shouldn’t be shifting around much. Rever...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Quickly Do You Lose Muscle When You Stop Training?

Raise a meat hook if you’ve heard this one:  “If you don’t use your muscles, you lose them.”  This is true, but it takes a lot more disuse to lose significant amounts of lean mass than most people realize. Specifically, most research shows that you don’t begin to lose lean body mass until after two-to-three weeks of no resistance training of any kind, and then how much muscle you lose thereafter depends on how physically active you are, how many calories you eat, and how much protein you eat. Bed rest, for instance, will result in far more muscle loss than even just engaging in everyday activities (not to speak of resistance training of any kind or amount), and restricting calories and protein intake will accelerate muscle loss as well. These findings explain the results of a study conducted by University of Tokyo scientists, which had two groups of people lift weights for a total of 24 weeks. One group trained continuously throughout the whole study, and the other grou...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Cristina Lost 15 Pounds & Gained Significant Muscle and Strength in 6 Months

Image
In 3 months of Legion’s body transformation coaching , Cristina lost 15 pounds and gained significant muscle and strength. Cristina is a busy mom who cooks for her husband and two young children. She had read Thinner Leaner Stronger , but she needed help turning what she’d learned into a plan that fit her real life. She wanted to lose fat, get stronger , and stay consistent without making nutrition harder than it needed to be. With the help of her Legion coach, Cristina got the structure and accountability she needed. She learned how to manage her nutrition, train effectively, and build momentum with a plan she could actually follow. Here are her results: Cristina’s Journey Cristina signed up for coaching alongside her husband, Matt, but her goals and challenges were her own. Her biggest challenge was staying motivated while cutting calories to lose weight . Her coach gave her the accountability she needed, taught her how to hit her daily macros , and exp...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Do the Lower Chest Cable Fly (High-to-Low Cable Fly)

Image
Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Muscles Worked 3 Lower Chest Cable Fly Workouts for More Defined Pecs Is the High-to-Low Cable Fly Really Best for Training Your Lower Chest? Lower Chest Cable Fly vs. Dumbbell Fly: Which Should You Do? Want More Content Like This? Instructions Set both pulleys on a dual cable machine to the highest setting and attach a single handle to each. Grab a handle in each hand and stand 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, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Reverse the movement, letting your arms travel back and out until you fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Way to Do Lateral Raises for Defined Delts

Image
Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Dumbbell Lateral Raise Muscles Worked 3 Dumbbell Lateral Raise Workouts to Train Your Shoulders How to Do the 3 Best Lateral Raise Variations 5 Common Lateral Raise Mistakes and How to Fix Them Dumbbell vs. Cable vs. Machine Lateral Raises Want More Content Like This?   Instructions Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides and your palms facing your thighs. Lean forward about 10–15 degrees—for most people this will put your chest a few inches in front of your toes. Raise your arms out to the sides and slightly in front of your torso, with a slight bend in your elbows. Keep raising the dumbbells until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor. Lower the dumbbells until they’re about 3–6 inches from your sides, then begin the next rep (this keeps tension on your shoulders throughout each rep). Expert Tips Keep your torso as stable as possible. The more your upper body is moving duri...
Post a Comment
Read more