The Protein Corner

Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Workout Programming Mike's Take Scapular Pull-Up Alternatives More Back Exercises Instructions Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your hands about shoulder-width apart. If you can’t reach the bar without jumping, put something on the floor under the bar that you can step on. Lift your feet off the floor and relax your arms and shoulders, letting your body weight pull your arms straight and your shoulders as high as possible (they should be almost touching your ears). Keeping your arms straight, pull your shoulder blades down and back to raise your chest and lean back slightly. Pull your body as high as possible without bending your elbows. Once you can’t go any higher, pause for a brief moment, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position. Expert Tips Keep your elbows straight throughout each rep. Bending them activates your biceps and turns the movement into the ...

Here are five of the best hip-dominant exercises you can do: Barbell Deadlift Barbell Romanian Deadlift Barbell Hip Thrust Hip Thrust Machine Barbell Good Morning Hip-dominant exercises are lower body strength training exercises where most of the movement occurs at the hips. They contrast with knee-dominant exercises , where most of the movement occurs at the knees. Here’s what the difference looks like: The primary muscles trained during these hip-dominant exercises are the glutes (primarily the gluteus maximus) and hamstrings . Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and good mornings also train your spinal erectors (the muscles along your spine). Deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts work your forearms , too, since you hold the bar in your hands. Hip-dominant exercises often involve a "hip hinge" motion, which simply refers to bending forward at the waist without rounding your back and with minimal knee bend. The Romanian deadlift is a good example of this movement patt...

Most people know capsaicinoids as the compounds that give chili peppers their spice. Recently, they’ve also caught the attention of scientists as a way to boost athletic performance, with some studies showing they boost strength and endurance and help you do more volume (sets and reps) in the gym. Until recently, though, this was mostly a hypothesis based on looking at the effects of isolated capsaicinoid molecules and a handful of human trials showing mixed results. The results of a 2022 meta-analysis conducted by scientists at Victoria University add a few missing pieces to this puzzle. They combed through 14 studies on capsaicin and capsiate (another molecule similar to capsaicinoids) and looked at three outcomes: Aerobic endurance (e.g., time trials or time-to-exhaustion tests)—cardio, basically Muscular endurance (e.g., how many reps you can do before reaching failure ) Rating of perceived exertion (RPE)—how hard exercise feels The most interesting result was that w...

Below, you’ll find four pull day workouts: a men's pull workout, a women's pull workout, a dumbbell-only pull workout, and a machine pull workout. Each includes sets, reps, rest periods, and demonstrations to help you perform every exercise. The Best Pull Day Workout Routine for Men Barbell Deadlift : 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest Chest-Supported Seated Machine Row : 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest Pull-Up : 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest Cable Pullover : 2 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest Machine Rear Delt Fly : 2 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest Bayesian Cable Curl : 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 1–2 min rest Workout statistics Total Working sets 16 Reps 104–136 Effective reps ~48–64 Estimated duration ~35–50 min An "effective rep" is a repetition performed when a muscle is already within about 5 reps of failure , when all or most of the fibers in the muscle are activated. This is a more accurate and precise way of tracking volume than coun...