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Showing posts from March, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About the Presidential Fitness Test

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The economic boom of the 1940s and 50s sparked concern among parents and politicians that American kids were becoming a bunch of weakhearted squibs. They feared that prosperity was laying a primrose path for children, and that modern luxuries like school buses, playpens, and television sets were enervating their spirits and softening their bodies. Thus, the idea of the Presidential Fitness Test was born.   The Presidential Physical Fitness Test became a mandatory biannual fitness challenge for middle and high school students across the United States. It consisted of calisthenics, cardio, and stretching exercises to test children’s strength, endurance, and flexibility. As is often the case with government diktats, the Presidential Fitness Test was hated by most students and became a paragon of how compulsory workout routines soured people’s relationship with exercise.  Strangely, though, the Presidential Fitness Test has been making a comeback laterally.  Whether ...

Ep. #887: Alex Banayan on Imposter Syndrome, Clarity Challenge, and More

  In episode #884 of my podcast Muscle for Life (www.muscleforlife.show), I speak with scientist and researcher @billcampbellphd about flexible dieting. Specifically, Dr. Campbell and I talk about . . . – Results of the IIFYM vs. rigid dieting study out of his lab – What actually causes weight regain after a diet – The effect of processed food on hunger and weight loss (and a simple tip to eat more unprocessed foods) – And more! To give this episode (#884) a listen, look up my podcast (Muscle for Life), or go here: ⇒ www.muscleforlife.show/bill In this podcast, I’m once again chatting with Alex Banayan, but this time, I fielded questions from my followers over on Instagram all about mindset, success, and achieving your dreams. In case you missed my first chat with Alex and you’re not familiar with him, his book The Third Door , which is all about his 7-year journey to interview some of the most successful people in the world, has made him the youngest bestsellin...

Should You Follow a Powerbuilding Program to Gain Muscle and Strength?

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Most people think building muscle requires very different training than gaining strength. If you want to build as much muscle as possible, prevailing wisdom says you should train like a bodybuilder. Eight-to-twelve reps or more per set, lighter weights, and short, 60-to-90 second rest periods between sets. And if you want to gain as much strength as possible, you’ve probably heard that you should train like a powerlifter—1-to-5 reps per set, very heavy weights, and resting several minutes between sets. What if you want the best of both worlds?  According to some people, “ powerbuilding” is the answer.  Powerbuilding is a style of training that promises all the strength-gaining benefits of a powerlifting program with all the muscle-building benefits of a bodybuilding routine, all in a single powerbuilding program . Is powerbuilding the fitness factotum it’s painted as? Or is it just another gimmick that’s all mouth and no trousers? Learn the truth in this article. Ta...

Ep. #886: Don’t Make These (Funny) Fitness Mistakes

“Taking BCAAs in addition to eating plenty of protein is like watering your lawn . . . after a storm.” This episode is filled with similar, fun fitness analogies from my next book project.  I’ll talk more about that later, but I wanted to share some of the material from that book. It’s just for fun, and I hope you’ll laugh a bit. Press play and let me know what you think! Timestamps: 0:00 –  Please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast!  6:27 – Want 125 quick, easy, and delicious “fitness friendly” recipes? Get The Shredded Chef Mentioned on the Show: Want 125 quick, easy, and delicious “fitness friendly” recipes? Check out The Shredded Chef What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below! The post Ep. #886: Don’t Make These (Funny) Fitness Mistakes appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/uEJhCoO March 28, 2022 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

How João Used Bigger Leaner Stronger to Lose 34 Pounds and 13% Body Fat

The post How João Used Bigger Leaner Stronger to Lose 34 Pounds and 13% Body Fat appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/w0PyuAa March 27, 2022 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

These Are the Best Strength Standards on the Internet

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When you start lifting weights, your main priority should be to get stronger, but you shouldn’t worry about how your strength compares to others. As you become more advanced, though, one of the best ways to keep yourself motivated is to set strength targets.  To do this effectively, you need to know how much weight you should be able to lift on a given exercise for your weight and experience level. And this is where strength standards can be helpful. Strength standards are strength benchmarks for different exercises based on what other weightlifters with similar characteristics can achieve, and they’re useful because they . . . Give you targets to aim for that are challenging but reasonable Help you understand your strengths and weaknesses Help you see how much progress you’ve made since you began lifting weights In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about strength standards, including what strength standards are and how they’re calculated, how to us...