There is a simple trick to a healthy diet: Stock your kitchen with healthy and versatile foods. Having these superfoods on hand in your pantry, fridge or freezer really simplifies the meal-making process.
In this blog post, learn which pantry essentials you should always have on hand. Plus, get your healthy shopping list as a downloadable PDF!
Healthy shopping list: Foods you should always have in the house
1. Legumes
Every pantry should contain lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas. They are great sources of vegetable protein and rich in fiber. This is also why legumes have been shown to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.(1)The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics recommends eating at least four portions per week. One portion is equal to 60-70 g of dried legumes or 125 g of cooked legumes.
Our tip:
Use beans, lentils and peas for curries, chilis, salads or brownies. They come in cans or dried (but don’t forget that you need to pre-cook these).
2. Nuts
Unsalted nuts are the perfect all-rounder: they are rich in valuable fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals. Snack on nuts between meals, put them in a smoothie or your morning oatmeal, or add them to sauces in the form of nut butters. Eating 20-60 g of nuts per day (about a handful) has been shown to have positive effects on chronic diseases like cancer, respiratory diseases or diabetes.(2)
Walnuts, almonds and the like are also high in calories: 100 g of walnuts, for instance, contain 650 calories – thus making them perfect for healthy weight gain.
3. Eggs
Are eggs healthy? They certainly are! They’re bursting with vitamins. Plus, they contain all nine essential amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, methionine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, threonine). Eggs are very versatile, which makes them a must-have on your healthy shopping list. If you eat this high-protein food for lunch in a salad, you are pretty much guaranteed to avoid hunger cravings in the afternoon.(3)
4. Onion and garlic family
Onions and garlic belong to the genus Allium. A healthy, fresh diet is almost unimaginable without these two, as they are crucial for adding flavor to the food you eat.
Onions contain essential oils and sulphur-containing compounds (sulfides). This makes them not only an herb, but a medicinal plant too: Sulfides are phytonutrients, which are said to have many benefits for your body. If eaten regularly, they are supposed to lower your risk of cancer and protect you from bacterial diseases.(4)Sulfides are always present in garlic.
5. Potatoes
Potatoes are a valuable source of potassium and a very low-calorie side dish. 100 g of this tuber have a mere 75 calories. Popular ways of eating them are as mashed potatoes, potato soup, or homemade French fries.
Storage tip:
Potatoes keep a long time if they are stored in a dark, cool and dry place. The same goes for onions and garlic.
6. Frozen berries
Fresh berries are often rather expensive. In summer, gather a few extra blueberries or strawberries and freeze them for winter. Or buy them already frozen: Frozen fruit sometimes contains even more vitamins and minerals than their fresh equivalents. Enjoy the berries in a smoothie on hot days or stir them into your oatmeal.
7. Flaxseeds
Whether whole, ground or as an oil, flaxseeds is one pantry essential you don’t want to be without. This superfood is a great source of soluble fiber, protein and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid).(5) For many people, going a day without them is unthinkable: The mucins contained within the seeds are good for your bowel health. Mix flaxseeds into smoothies and yogurt or sprinkle them over salads. But don’t forget to always drink a big glass of water when eating the seeds. Otherwise, you run the risk of constipation if you consume a large amount of them.
Did you know that…?
Cold-pressed flaxseed oil should never be heated and only used for cold dishes: The oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are destroyed by high temperatures and result in harmful trans-fatty acids. It’s best to store flaxseed oil in the refrigerator.
8. Dates
The fruit of the date palm actually contains more fiber than whole grain bread, more potassium than bananas, and they support your digestion. Due to their high sugar content, dates provide runners (as well as non-runners) with a quick boost of energy and thus curb their cravings for sweets. Dates also go well in shakes, energy balls, and brownies.
9. Green leafy vegetables
Spinach, kale and arugula: From now on, make sure that you always have green leafy vegetables on your healthy shopping list. Seasonal “green stuff” is healthy and very versatile. Mix up the ways of preparation so they don’t get boring: from green smoothies to salads and pasta to curries. Leafy vegetables are packed with nutrients and most importantly fill out your meal. That way you feel satiated without having to consume too many calories.
Great source of calcium (not just) for vegans!
Did you know that green leafy vegetables are especially good suppliers of plant-based calcium? 100 g of kale provides you with about 150 mg of the mineral (100 ml of cow’s milk contains only 120 mg). The daily requirement of an average adult is about 1,000 mg.(6)
10. Oats
Oats should also be at the top of your healthy shopping list and never lacking in your pantry. Like legumes, they are a good source of fiber and have a low glycemic index, meaning that your blood sugar levels only rise moderately and slowly after eating them. Thus, this keeps you feeling full longer.
11. Plain yogurt
Yogurt is a fantastic source of protein. Avoid the sweetened fruit yogurts at the supermarket and stick with the plain variety. This helps you cut down on sugar and calories. Plain yogurt is also a probiotic: It contains live bacteria that help optimize your gut flora. Mix some yogurt into your post-workout smoothie or enjoy it with berries and oats for breakfast.
12. Dark chocolate
Two or three pieces of dark chocolate can satisfy your craving for sweets and make you feel happy. The cocoa bean is full of flavonoids (phytonutrients) and is thus considered to be a superfood. Dark chocolate not only reduces inflammation, but it is also said to lower your blood pressure.(7)
13. Green tea
Another must-have on your healthy shopping list is green tea. It is another valuable source of flavonoids (catechin), which have an antioxidant effect. The drink provides you with caffeine (just like coffee), but the effect is weaker, more gradual and longer-lasting. So if you are looking for a caffeine kick, but coffee makes your heart race, then green tea might be a suitable alternative. Give it a try and see!
Free PDF to download: Your healthy grocery list
We have put together a healthy shopping list as a PDF to make your weekly grocery shopping easier and help stock up your pantry, too. Just download the list, print it out and take it with you to the supermarket!
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Andrea Thompson has set a Log Lift World Record of 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds). The strongwoman scored the feat at the 2022 World Log Lift Championships (WLLC) on Oct. 9, 2022, in Ipswich, United Kingdom. It extends the previous World Record by five kilograms (11 pounds). That mark also belonged to Thompson, who accomplished a 135-kilogram (297.7-pound) in the July 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength Series.”
To help her with her log lift feat, Thompson donned a lifting belt, knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, and wrist wraps. The athlete shared an Instagram post featuring her complete log lift performance. Her successful lockout with the record-breaking weight can be seen in the fourth video below:
Thompson’s output at the 2022 WLLC was so successful she extended her past World Record on her third attempt of the day. The athlete pressed 137.5 kilograms (303.1 pounds) and, evidently, with more strength left in the tank, went for the hallowed 140-kilogram figure on her fourth try. A confident beaming smile from Thompson as she appeared to wait for a down signal from the official might have told a perfect story of the athlete’s feelings at the moment.
In a post on her Instagram, Thompson thanked the former ESM champ for “always believing” in her. Meanwhile, the comments of Thompson’s log lift World Record post feature words of praise from notable figures in strongman/strongwoman congratulating the athlete for her milestone — including Paul Smith, Annabelle Chapman, and Lucy Underdown.
Thompson’s new record adds to a noteworthy catalog of accomplishments as a strongwoman. In addition to a first-place result at the 2018 World’s Strongest Woman (WSW), the athlete was in possession of the strongwoman deadlift World Record of 290 kilograms (639.4 pounds). The successful pull happened at the October 2020 edition of the WUS Feats of Strength Series. Underdown went on to break that record during the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Woman contest.
Thompson has written that her next competitive appearance would be at the 2022 Official Strongman Games. That competition will take place on Nov. 11-13, 2022, in Daytona Beach, FL. According to Strongman Archives, if Thompson finishes on the podium, it will be her fifth appearance in the top three in her last seven contests dating back to December 2018.
As the sample size of Thompson’s illustrious career shows, anything might be possible.
Featured image: @andreathompson_strongwoman on Instagram
Mitchell Hooper is the winner of the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals (GLWTF). During the competition that took place on Oct. 8, 2022, in Glasgow, Scotland, the Canadian strongman captured his first victory on the Giants Live circuit. He also made it two consecutive major strongman wins after recently taking first in the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK.
The two athletes who joined Hooper on the podium were Aivars Šmaukstelis of Latvia (second place) and the United States’ Kevin Faires (third). According to Strongman Archives, with his runner-up finish at the 2022 GLWTF, Šmaukstelis has now stood on a podium in his last four official competitive appearances. Meanwhile, Faires can now boast his first top-three placing since the 2019 Giants Live North American Open.
Here’s an event-by-event breakdown of the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals.
Nicol Stones
During the Nicol Stones segment, the athletes had to walk the two unevenly weighted stones of 114 kilograms (251.3 pounds) and 139 kilograms (306.4 pounds) for a max distance. Current Nicol Stones World Record holder Kevin Faires took the event victory with a distance of 24.61 meters.
Kevin Faires — 24.61 meters
Mitchell Hooper — 24.14 meters
Andy Black — 24.08 meters
Paul Smith — 23.1 meters
Aivars Šmaukstelis — 20 meters
Louis Jack — 19.75 meters
Eddie Williams — 16.58 meters
Mark Felix — 16.37 meters
Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 15.91 meters
Rauno Heinla — 12.75 meters
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 9.4 meters
Pa O’Dwyer — 8.58 meters
Carry & Drag
During the Carry & Drag, the competitors had the task of carrying a 125-kilogram anchor and dragging a 350-kilogram over a 40-meter course. They had a time limit of one minute. Using the athleticism that’s helped him blitz professional strongman lately, Hooper captured his first event win of the contest with a time of 22.16 seconds.
Mitchell Hooper — 22.16 seconds
Pavlo Kordiyaka — 22.96 seconds
Kevin Faires — 23.41 seconds
Pa O’Dwyer — 25.35 seconds
Aivars Šmaukstelis — 26.45 seconds
Paul Smith — 27.30 seconds
Pavlo Nakonechnyy — 27.78 seconds
Rauno Heinla — 28.57 seconds
Louis Jack — 28.84 seconds
Eddie Williams — 30.65 seconds
Andy Black — 37.37 seconds
Mark Felix — 40.40 seconds
Axle Deadlift
The 2022 GLWTF’s Axle Deadlift was about pulling 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) for a max amount of reps with a one-minute time limit. Pavlo Nakonechnyy came out on top when he successfully finished 11 reps. Nakonechnyy was the only athlete to finish with double-digit reps.
This contest’s iteration of the Dumbbell Press featured a 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) dumbbell. Whoever could clean and press said dumbbell as many times as possible within a minute would win. After a few solid results on earlier events, Šmaukstelis and Pavlo Kordiyaka tied for first in the event with seven reps.
Aivars Šmaukstelis — Seven reps (Tied for first)
Pavlo Kordiyaka — Seven reps (Tied for first)
Mitchell Hooper — Six reps
Pa O’Dwyer — Five reps (Tied for fourth)
Paul Smith — Five reps (Tied for fourth)
Pavlo Nakonechnyy — Four reps
Kevin Faires — Three reps
Rauno Heinla — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
Eddie Williams — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
Louis Jack — Two reps (Tied for eighth)
Mark Felix — No reps
Andy Black — No reps
Power Stairs
To close the contest, the athletes had to load five implements with weights ranging from 200 to 250 kilograms (440.9 to 551.1 pounds) up three respective stairs. Their final scores were determined by how many of the total 15 steps they climbed within a minute. While he didn’t win the overall competition, Šmaukstelis closed with another event victory (15 steps in 33.02 seconds).
For Hooper, his remarkable debut pro year continues with this victory at the 2022 GLWTF. In addition to his two straight victories and first Giants Live win, Hooper has now finished on the podium in five straight contests dating back to the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic in early July. The superstar kept his reaction short and sweet in a post on his Instagram.
“My first [Giants Live Strongman] win. Surreal. Let’s keep riding the wave.”
On Oct. 1, 2022, during the 2022 America’s Strongest Man (ASM) U105KG, strongman Nicolas Cambi set a Max Heavy Dumbbell World Record of 129.5 kilograms (285 pounds). Cambi’s record was part of an overall first-place performance for the athlete. It is the consecutive year he has won the contest. Cambi wore a lifting belt, knee sleeves, and an arm sleeve around his right pressing arm during the milestone.
According to Strongman Corporation, Cambi’s Heavy Dumbbell World Record surpasses the previous top figure by 75 pounds. Cole Booth held the past mark of 95.3 kilograms (210 pounds) at the 2018 TX Record Breakers.
To get in an ample position for his heavy dumbbell lift, Cambi performed what’s known as a belt clean, briefly resting the dumbbell on his lifting belt before driving it into overhead pressing position. The lifting technique appeared to allow him to generate more leg drive on the final press because it split the press into two segments. After finishing at lockout, Cambi would then hold his dumbbell overhead just long enough while waiting for the official green light — a down signal from the official.
Cambi’s unorthodox but legal strategy of cleaning the dumbbell from his belt drew the attention of fellow strongman Pa O’Dwyer. In the comments of the post of Cambi’s record lift, the Irish athlete asks Cambi to clarify that he did indeed perform a clean of his dumbbell from his belt. After receiving further confirmation from Cambi, O’Dwyer made a joking reference to The Dark Knight, writing, “Some people just want to watch the world burn, Master Wayne.”
Cambi’s second straight victory at the ASM U105 continues a successful start to his approximate six-year career. According to Strongman Archives, it’s the fourth victory of his career. To date, Cambi has only failed to make the podium on one occasion. In addition to this Heavy Dumbbell World Record, the athlete also possesses the Block Press (141.5 kilograms/311.9 pounds) and Log Lift (187 kilograms/412.3 pounds) U105KG World Record figures. He achieved both at the 2021 Clash at the Corral (CatC) contest.
Here’s an overview of notable results since Cambi began competing in strongman in March 2015:
Nicolas Cambi | Notable Strongman Results
2015 Arnold Amateur Strongman World ChampionshipsU105 — Fourth place
2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM)U105 — Second place
At the time of this writing, Cambi hasn’t alluded to his next competition. Most of his recent social media posts were from or connected to the 2022 ASM U105 competition. With yet another World Record under his belt, Cambi could elect to bask in his achievement for a little while. That is, until it’s time to break another boundary.
There’s a reason Monday is often called “International bench day.” Training for a strong, muscular chest is awesome and it can be appreciated year-round. But the bench press isn’t the only way to get there. The humble push-up is often pushed aside in the quest for a strong and muscular chest because the latest flashy chest exercise featured on Instagram might look “way cooler.” But is it as effective as the push-up? Probably not.
Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock
When performed regularly, the simple push-up and its variations will help you build bigger pecs, triceps, and shoulders, improve your relative strength, and it can even transfer over to boosting your bench and overhead press numbers.
Here are 10 push-up variations to try if you’re ready to give bodyweight training a fair shake. You will never look at push-ups the same way again.
Best Push-Up Variations
Chaos Push-Up
This challenging variation takes the standard bodyweight push-up up a notch by using a resistance band in a quite unusual way. By performing a push-up with your hands on the band instead of the floor, the highly unstable element fires up all of your shoulder and core stabilizer muscles.
The band gives you instant feedback when using anything less than perfect form. You’re forced to move at a slower speed to maintain control, and the increased time under tension does wonders for adding muscle.
When to Use it
When regular push-ups are easy and you’ve advanced to doing push-ups for seemingly endless reps, the chaos push-up will snap you out of this funk. The increased time under tension makes it great for adding muscle and it’s a great alternative exercise for dumbbell bench presses. The instability of the chaos push-up is excellent for additional rotator cuff strength if you’re coming back from a shoulder injury.
How to Do it
Loop a heavy-duty resistance band around safety pins on the squat rack, at roughly waist height. Light to moderate bands may not be able to support your body weight. The higher the band is placed and the higher your body angle, the easier the exercise will be.
Place your hands on the band in a shoulder-width grip and hold tight with stiff arms. Bring your legs behind you and allow the band to support your weight, while engaging your glutes and core. Bend your arms and slowly lower yourself into a push-up. Press yourself up, pause briefly at the top to reset and stabilize before repeating.
Decline Push-Up
The decline push-up is one of the most common variations of the classic push-up. It’s fantastic for adding muscle because it’s relatively low stress on the joints, requires minimal equipment to perform, and can be trained for very high reps which benefits size and strength.
This movement shifts the focus to the upper chest and anterior deltoid, similar to an incline bench press, for better overall muscle development of the chest and shoulders.
When to Use it
Your chest is a relatively large muscle with multiple sections, or heads, so it pays to train with your arms at a variety of angles relative to your torso. (1) Perform the decline push-up in any workout in place of your standard push-up, particularly if your workout lacks angled chest exercises or if your shoulders are bothering you from other pressing exercises.
How to Do it
Place your toes on a box, step, or flat bench and position your hands underneath your shoulders. Engage your core to keep your spine neutral, neither sagging nor excessively arched. Lower yourself into a push-up until your chest is just above the floor and your elbows are angled roughly 45-degrees from your sides. Pause briefly at the bottom and push back to the starting position. Reset your body position at lockout and repeat.
Incline Plyo Push-Up
The incline plyo push-up allows you to generate upper body power with less compressive stress on the joints than similar free weight movements.
The incline plyo push-up is an excellent regression (less challenging variation) from the clapping push-up because you press less of your body weight due to the inclined position. This can allow you to squeak a few more reps and apply more explosive force.
When to Use it
Use sets of six to 10 reps with this powerful variation as a “primer” at the start of a heavy bench press workout to recruit more muscle and ignite your CNS. (2) If you’re having difficulty with plyo push-ups from the floor, this is a good way to introduce explosive movements while building strength, speed, and power.
How to Do it
Place your hands on a stable platform like a secured bench or box, a set of steps, or a Smith machine bar. Keep your arms straight as you lean forward and position your feet back, keeping a straight line through your body. Bend your arms and lower yourself rapidly toward the bench before explosively pushing yourself up and allowing your hands to leave the bench.
As you land, slightly bend your elbows and “catch” yourself on the way down to better absorb the force. Descend smoothly into the next repetition.
Clapping Push-Up
The clapping push-up is performed with maximum force. On each repetition, your hands will leave the ground and you will quickly clap them together to display power, coordination, and control.
Power exercises like the clapping push-up train the fast-twitch muscle fibers of the body, which are capable of more growth than slow-twitch fibers. (3) This exercise is a progression of the incline plyo push-up and should only be performed when you’ve mastered the incline movement.
When to Use It
As the first exercise of the workout, before heavy lifting, perform sets of six to eight reps. This will build explosive strength and help to improve your performance with other pressing exercises following in the workout, such as the overhead press and bench press.
How to Do it
Lie on the floor in a good push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your legs straight, and your spine neutral. Bend your arms and lower yourself into a push-up position with your elbows at a roughly 45-degree angle. Before your chest touches the floor, press explosively and let your hands leave the floor. Quickly clap your hands together and get them back to the floor to catch yourself. Reset your body before the next repetition or, if you’re advanced, immediately transition into the next rep.
Spiderman Push-Up
The Spiderman push-up is an advanced variation that requires your upper body and lower body to work together with coordination, strength, and stability.
This push-up variation will increase your chest’s time under tension at the peak of your push-up contraction, which will challenge your strength and improve the hypertrophy stimulus. It also tests and challenges your core stability and hip mobility, making it an excellent “bang for the buck” movement.
When to Use It
The Spiderman push-up is excellent to insert into a conditioning workout or fat loss circuit because it trains many muscles with one movement and improves your upper body, core, and hip flexor strength. Make sure to do equal reps on both legs.
How to Do it
Assume your regular push-up position on the ground with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your chest toward the ground while simultaneously pulling your right knee toward your right forearm. Don’t allow your torso to rotate excessively to accommodate your rising leg
Pause briefly in the bottom while your chest hovers near the ground before reversing the process and bringing your foot back to the starting position while pushing yourself back up. Repeat the next repetition with the left leg. Alternate legs with each repetition. To cue the overall movement, imagine you’re a web-slinging superhero climbing the outside of a building.
Slider Push-Up
For the slider push-up, you’re using a simple slider device to reach one arm forward as you perform a traditional bent-arm push-up with the opposite arm. This variation recruits more of the serratus anterior (outer chest muscle which controls the shoulder blades), while also increasing muscular tension on your chest and triceps.
If you have shoulder mobility issues, stay within a range of motion you can control by limiting how far you reach forward. The slider push-up challenges your shoulder stabilization and may improve shoulder health over time.
When to Use It
The slider push-up is a great exercise to eventually build up to a one-arm push-up because most of the work is done by one arm while the other is providing support. For maximum focus and strength, perform this exercise near the beginning of any workout, before fatiguing your chest and triceps with other exercises.
How to Do it
Kneel on the ground and put an exercise slider or furniture slider under each hand. Rotate your shoulders to put your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a stacked position. Straighten your legs and stabilize your entire body in a front plank position. Engage your glutes and keep a tight core.
Lower into a push-up by bending one arm while keeping the opposite arm straight as it extends forward. After reaching the lowest comfortable position, pull the forward hand back while pressing the bent arm to lockout. Alternate sides with each repetition.
Suspension Strap Single-Arm Push-Up
This variation uses suspension straps, like gymnastic rings or TRX cables, to adjust your body angle which changes the intensity of the push-up. The straps also add an element of instability, which means you’re training core strength as well as upper body and lower body stabilizers.(4)
This exercise will help strengthen imbalances between sides and give you instant feedback if there is anything amiss with your pressing technique since it requires total focus and control.
When to Use It
Unilateral (single-arm) presses are great for strengthening imbalances between sides, since most people naturally have one slightly more developed or slightly stronger arm. If you find one arm lagging behind the other during the bench press or overhead press, this is an effective way to target each side on its own.
How to Do it
Loop the handles together and grip the strap over your shoulder with one hand. Adjust your intensity by moving your feet closer to the anchor point (harder) or further away (easier). Slowly lower yourself while keeping your shoulders square to the floor. Don’t rotate or shift to favor either side. While learning the movement, control the range of motion and don’t let your elbow go too far past your torso. Press back, reset, and repeat. Perform all reps on one side before switching.
Band-Resisted Push-Up
Bodyweight push-ups will never truly go out of style, and sometimes you just want to add resistance to this classic exercise. Putting weight plates on your back is okay, but it can get awkward to keep them in place as you move. This is where a looped resistance band comes in.
The band’s ascending resistance will make the exercise more difficult toward the top of the push-up, which maximizes your muscles’ peak contraction.
When to Use It
The band provides the majority of resistance in the upper end of the range of motion, which will help build triceps lockout strength and muscle gains for your chest and triceps. Do this when you want to add variety to your training, build some chest muscle, and put some pep back into your bench press without joint stress from a barbell.
How to Do it
Loop a resistance band around your upper back and put the ends of the band snugly under your hands. Place your hands underneath your shoulders and rise onto your toes in a front plank position. Keep a straight line through your core and squeeze your glutes. Slowly lower yourself down until your chest is nearly touching the floor. Think about driving your hands through the floor as you press back up and fight resistance to the starting position.
Archer Push-Up
This exercise has you performing a push-up with primarily one arm while the other arm provides support, similar to a slider push-up. The wide grip and long range of motion make this one of the more advanced push-up variations.
By alternating side to side, you allow each arm to do its own share of the work. This unique training angle also works the chest differently from most exercises, which can stimulate more muscle growth.
When to Use It
If your goal is to be able to do one-arm push-ups, archer push-ups can play a big role in getting you there. It can be used as a “gateway” movement to build the pressing strength and total-body stability needed to achieve a clean one-arm push-up.
How to Do it
Get on the ground with your toes planted and your hands set well-beyond shoulder-width. Your wrists and elbows may be more comfortable when your fingers point “out” toward the side walls instead of forward. Maintain a stiff body position through your core.
“Pull” your right chest down toward your right hand by bending your right elbow. Keep your left arm straight as your body approaches the ground. Press through your bent arm to return to the starting position and repeat to the opposite side. Alternate sides with each repetition, and perform an even amount of work on each side.
Yoga Push-Up
This unique exercise is one part push-up and one part “downward dog” yoga pose. It trains strength, mobility, and flexibility in your pressing muscles, core, upper back, lower back, hips, and lower body.
Your pecs and triceps get significant time under tension and a change of pressing angle similar to a decline push-up. The “downward dog”-like position helps to improve strength and mobility in the thoracic spine (upper back), hips, and hamstrings.
When to Use It
The yoga push-up is ideal when you’ve finally decided to perform some of the mobility work that often gets forgotten. It works well as a time-efficient warm-up before any workout, especially sessions that will involve chest pressing or shoulder training because it addresses the upper and lower back.
How to Do it
Start in a regular push-up position, on your toes and hands, with your body straight from head to heel. Descend into a standard push-up with your elbows roughly 45-degrees away from your torso. When your chest is slightly above the floor, press up while pushing your hips back at an upward angle. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings as your torso and legs form an upside down “V” shape.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and pushed away from your ears. Reverse the entire movement to transition back into the starting push-up position and repeat for reps.
Muscles Worked by the Push-Up
Most push-up movements primarily work the chest, with support from the shoulders and triceps, while the abdominals and lower back work to keep a strong core.
Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
However, specific variations can emphasize the upper chest, focus more on core strength, or build shoulder and upper back mobility.
Pectorals
Your chest muscles are front and center with the push-up. Your pecs are largely responsible for arm adduction (bringing your arms closer to your centerline) which occurs when you push your body away from the floor.
Triceps
Once your elbows break 90-degrees as you press upwards, your triceps take over significantly to extend your elbows and lockout your arms. Performing any push-up with a relatively close-grip (your hands closer than shoulder-width) will also increase triceps activation. (5)
Anterior Deltoids
The shoulder muscle has three individual heads, each responsible for moving your arm in a different plane relative to your body. The anterior deltoid on the front of the shoulder works to “raise” your upper arm in front of your body. It assists your chest and triceps when pushing your body away from the ground.
Core
If your spine doesn’t stay neutral during the push-up, it all counts for naught because you’ll compromise joint health, safety, and efficiency. The anterior and posterior core — your abs and lower back — keep your torso rigid so your chest and triceps can apply maximum force. Single-arm movements like the slider push-up and single-leg movements like the Spiderman push-up require more core activation to counterbalance a reduced base of support.
Push-Up Form Tips
The most common technique flaw in the push-up is a loss of core stability. This results in an ugly-looking push-up which strains the lower back and increases the risk of injury. Your best bet is to engage your abs and glutes, and stop the movement if you find yourself losing spinal position.
Although there is nothing necessarily wrong with having your hands wider than shoulder-width apart when performing the basic push-up, be sure to keep your elbows angled near 45-degrees from your torso for most push-up movements. When your hands are placed wide, it’s more work on the shoulders (and shoulder joints) and less involvement from the chest and triceps.
Credit: lzf / Shutterstock
The cardinal sin of almost all push-ups is reaching your head down to meet the floor. This is high risk on your cervical spine and neck, and it short-changes the effective range of motion for your target muscles. You can prevent this error by tucking your chin to your chest, pulling your head back to make a “double-chin”, and staring directly at the floor.
Push Yourself with New Exercises
Too many lifters write off the push-up as being “an easy exercise.” They underestimate its value because of the general lack of load and apparent simplicity of the movement. But as any of these variations showcase, a few tweaks here and there will take the bodyweight push-up to the next level by adding extra movement, changing the angle of work, or throwing stability requirements to the mix. Tackle some of these exercises and the push-up will never seem so “easy” again.
References
Rodríguez-Ridao, D., Antequera-Vique, J. A., Martín-Fuentes, I., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(19), 7339. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197339
Sale D. G. (1988). Neural adaptation to resistance training. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 20(5 Suppl), S135–S145. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198810001-00009
D’Antona, G., Lanfranconi, F., Pellegrino, M. A., Brocca, L., Adami, R., Rossi, R., Moro, G., Miotti, D., Canepari, M., & Bottinelli, R. (2006). Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and structure and function of skeletal muscle fibres in male body builders. The Journal of physiology, 570(Pt 3), 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2005.101642
Borreani, S., Calatayud, J., Colado, J. C., Moya-Nájera, D., Triplett, N. T., & Martin, F. (2015). Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions. Journal of exercise science and fitness, 13(2), 94–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002
Kim, Y. S., Kim, D. Y., & Ha, M. S. (2016). Effect of the push-up exercise at different palmar width on muscle activities. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(2), 446–449. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.446
Bodyweight exercises are often shunned by “hardcore” gym-goers who only deem worthy exercises when you lift heaps of hard-cast iron. Yet they forget that bodyweight movements can be very beneficial, and even humbling. Some would argue that being able to lift a proverbial ton isn’t very worthy if you can’t lift yourself and master your own body weight.
When it comes to training your back, pull-ups aren’t your only option. The inverted row — sometimes jokingly called the Australian pull-up because your body is “down under” the bar — targets your back, shoulders, and biceps.
Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
The inverted row is highly effective because it provides benefits to beginners and experienced lifters alike, improving pulling strength, back muscle size, and whole-body stability and coordination. Here’s how to perform a perfect inverted row, along with everything you need to know about this powerful and overlooked exercise.
Simple and Effective Inverted Row Demonstration
Call it an inverted row, a bodyweight row, an Australian pull-up, or even the light-hearted but derogatory “fat man pull-up.” Whatever term you use, the movement is the same. Take a look at the straightforward technique and then continue learning.
How to Do the Inverted Row
The inverted row is a relatively less challenging bodyweight back exercise compared to the classic pull-up because you’re lifting a lower percentage of your body weight. This makes it a perfect exercise for newcomers. Nevertheless, improper execution will lead to poor muscle recruitment and minimal benefits, so pay attention to good form.
Step 1 — Get Into Position
Credit: Breaking Muscle / YouTube
Lie on the ground in a rack or Smith machine and reach your arms toward the ceiling. Note the spot slightly above your fingertips, and set a barbell in the rack at that height. Return to a lying position with your chest under the bar, and take slightly wider than shoulder-width, palms-down grip.
Keep your legs straight and your heels on the ground. Maintain a stiff core and hips to keep your body in a straight line.
Form tip: Because the resistance comes from leveraging your bodyweight, you can easily scale the exercise to suit your strength level. The steeper your body angle, the easier the exercise will be. The more horizontal your body is, the more challenging it will be. However, your back should not be able to rest on the ground in the stretched position. Instead, if necessary, elevate your feet on a bench or step to increase the difficulty.
Step 2 — Pull Your Chest to the Bar
Credit: BarBend / YouTube
Flex your abs, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and pull yourself up until your torso touches the bar. It should make contact near your lower chest. Think about driving your chest “up” through the bar toward the ceiling.
Do not let your elbows flare out too much on your sides. Keep them relatively close to your body to improve the recruitment of your lats (back muscles). In the top position, don’t bend your legs or let your glutes hang down.
Form tip: If your chest cannot reach the bar, adjust the height and reposition to reduce the difficulty. Achieving a full range of motion is critical for building strength, stimulating muscle growth, and improving shoulder and upper back joint health.
Step 3 — Stay Tight As You Lower
Credit: Breaking Muscle / YouTube
Keep your entire body tense and keep your shoulder blades squeezed together as you slowly straighten your arms. When you’ve reached full lockout, your back and shoulders should still be slightly off the ground.
Pivot your body on your heels, don’t bend your legs during the exercise. Let your back, shoulder, and arm muscles do the work of lifting and lowering.
Form tip: Maintain a stiff posture and an engaged core for maximum benefits. Ensure total-body tension and do not relax during the eccentric (descent or lowering phase).
Inverted Row Mistakes to Avoid
Just because the inverted row is a bodyweight exercise doesn’t mean you get a free pass to butcher basic technique. Good form matters as much with bodyweight exercises as with free weight movements. Review these frequent mistakes to make sure you’re not doing them.
Losing Posture
The main muscles of the inverted row are the back and the arms, but the whole body is involved in the lift. If your glutes start dropping down and you lose tension and posture, the mechanics of the exercise will change and you will reap less benefits. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your shoulder joints.
There’s one acceptable exception to the “straight line” rule: To significantly improve your leverage and make the exercise easier, you can bend your legs and plant your feet flat on the floor. However, you should still keep a straight line from your knees to your shoulders while maintaining tension in glutes, core, and shoulder blades.
Avoid it: Push your heels into the ground to tense your legs and contract your glutes. Imagine having a string attaching your hip bones to the ceiling.
Rowing Too High
In the top position of each repetition, the bar should touch the lower part of your chest. If you’re positioned incorrectly and pull too high, with the bar hitting your upper chest or neck, you turn the exercise into a type of face pull variation.
Credit: inimma / Shutterstock
This is a mistake because it decreases activation of your bigger lat muscles and increases recruitment of your rear deltoids (shoulders) and upper back. A higher pulling position also causes your elbows to flare out to the sides, which can increase strain on your shoulder joint, especially if you lack shoulder mobility.
Avoid it: Prior to beginning your set, when setting up the bar position, be sure your lower chest or upper abs are lined up under the bar. This helps to put you in a good pulling position before the movement even begins.
Pulling with “Broken” Wrists
When any exercise becomes difficult, because of fatigue or excessive weight, the body will naturally try to recruit additional muscles to come to the rescue. This can happen with the inverted row if your arms are much stronger than your back, when your wrists bend during the movement.
Credit: Jasminko Ibrakovic / Shutterstock
Pulling with bent or “broken” wrists will shift more stress to your arms and can cause joint pain and discomfort. It also excessively fatigues your gripping strength which will limit the amount of back work you can achieve.
Avoid it: Keep a neutral wrist position at all times, from the stretched position to the top contraction. Think about pulling with your elbows instead of pulling with your hands. If you have wrist pain, use a neutral grip by placing a football bar (sometimes known as a Swiss bar) in the rack instead of a straight barbell or by switching from a barbell to suspension straps (like a TRX).
Benefits of the Inverted Row
The simplest exercises can sometimes be overlooked, but they are often the ones that can provide major benefits. The inverted row can provide several benefits in terms of strength, muscle mass, and core stability.
More Muscle
Just like the pull-up, the inverted row is a fantastic exercise for building muscle mass in the back, arms, and forearms using just your bodyweight. In fact, it can recruit more lat and upper back muscle than a traditional barbell row (1) The inverted row makes it easy to accumulate volume (repetitions and/or sets) to stimulate muscle growth in your target muscles. (2)
Pulling Strength
Bodyweight movements have a reputation of being less effective for building strength because you can’t move extremely heavy weights but, if you’re a beginning lifter, it can prove very efficient. (3) As a multi-joint exercise, the inverted row is indeed an ideal choice for building pulling strength. (4)
Credit: Donny Podrasky / Shutterstock
The inverted row demands whole-body coordination and power. Like many bodyweight movements, you can eventually add resistance, like a weighted vest, to provide basic progressive overload. This will challenge the back, biceps, and grip strength of any experienced lifter.
Less Lower Back Stress
Rowing exercises usually involve the lower back to maintain proper posture and provide stability, but this can often be a limiting factor, especially for lifters with pre-existing lower back problems.
The inverted row creates very little spinal load because your spine isn’t put under any significant strain. As such, if you’re having back pain, it is an ideal option for a rowing movement with nearly zero stress on your lower back. Moreover, it also engages your core, which has been linked to less lower back pain and a better core and spinal health. (5)(6)
Muscles Worked by the Inverted Row
A properly done inverted row can be one of the most efficient back exercises in your arsenal. It recruits multiple muscles in your back without straining the often overused lower back like many alternative movements. As a pulling exercise, the inverted row also recruits several support muscles.
Latissimus Dorsi
The lats are the biggest and strongest back muscles. They go from your hip bone and lower spine to your humerus (arm bone) and are heavily involved in moving your arm through a variety of motions. Because they cover so much of your torso, the lats also contribute to spinal stability and trunk movements. They are the main target of the inverted row.
Upper Back
This includes your trapezius, rhomboids and posterior deltoids — all involved in scapular (shoulder blade) motion and joint health. These muscles work similarly to move the shoulder blades in several ways, assist in pulling motions, and contribute to stabilizing the scapulae during pressing movements.
Biceps
Of course, we all know the biceps. On the front of the upper arm, it is the biggest arm muscle and goes from the radius (forearm bone) to the scapula. The biceps are recruited to perform the inverted row, but other relatively smaller muscles will help the biceps flex (bend) your arm.
The pronated (palm down) grip used during the inverted row actually puts an emphasis on the brachialis, the strongest arm flexor muscle. (7) It is actually located just under the biceps, and can help your biceps appear larger because a well-developed brachialis will “push” it higher.
Forearms
Your forearms will be trained by nearly every back exercise because your grip transfers force from the weight toward the target muscle. Several muscles work throughout your forearms, but the forearm flexors on the palm-side of your lower arm are responsible for your grip and will be taxed the most. The brachioradialis, the biggest muscle on the opposite side of your forearm, will also assist in flexing your upper arm.
Core
In order to maintain proper posture and be more efficient during this exercise, you’ll have to engage your whole core. All of your abs (rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis), your erector spinae (spinal muscles), and some hip muscles are recruited synergistically. Your abs are the anterior core muscles running on the front of your torso while the erectors are along your back (beginning at the lower back, they run up to your neck).
Your core muscles do not move through a range of motion during the inverted row, but are contracted isometrically to maintain a strong, stable, and safe body position.
Who Should Do the Inverted Row
The inverted row is versatile and demands bare minimum equipment —any bar or beam that can support your weight. Lifters with a variety of goals and abilities can incorporate this exercise into their routine.
Beginners
The inverted row is an ideal pulling exercise for beginners starting to master their own body’s resistance. The exercise can be scaled in an instant to your strength level by either raising the bar or bending your legs to make it easier, or placing your feet on a bench or adding a weighted vest on — or both — to make it harder.
As pull-ups are significantly harder for inexperienced lifters without a base of strength, the bodyweight row is a great first step to increase pulling strength, general fitness, and whole-body tension.
Physique Enthusiasts
Be it a bodybuilder or someone that just wants to pack on some size, many lifters overlook the inverted row as a muscle-building exercise. Despite being a bodyweight exercise, it can be more efficient than some other rowing exercises, especially for targeting your lats and strengthening your upper back. It also has the benefit of being low-stress on your lower back, so you won’t interfere with recovery from low-back intensive exercises like squats or deadlifts.
General Fitness Advocates
Whether you’re a CrossFit enthusiast, sports athlete, or a Regular Joe that wants to improve their functional fitness, the inverted row is a multi-function exercise for developing several physical qualities. You can program it to improve strength, muscle size, muscular endurance, whole-body stability and coordination. You can even build cardiorespiratory capacities by tossing it into a circuit workout to improve your fitness as a whole.
How to Program the Inverted Row
Bodyweight movements are very versatile in programing, and the range of repetitions can vary considerably depending on your goals and strength level. If you’re a newer lifter, focus on only performing high-quality repetitions and treat it exactly like any other resistance exercise — no cheating on your form to squeeze out extra reps. A more experienced lifter can add external load or use a high training volume to make the movement more challenging.
Unweighted, Low Repetition
When you are at the early phase of training and still developing fundamental strength, coordination, and body awareness, your goal is to improve your form and build a general base. You cannot do too many repetitions because you lack the strength to do it without your form breaking down. Three to five sets of four to six repetitions is a good range to stick with.
You can also use a “total reps goal” approach instead of specific sets and reps. Aim for a modest number, roughly 20 repetitions, and complete them in as many sets of quality repetitions as needed. It could take 15 sets or it could be four. Over time, aim to reach the target in fewer total sets.
Unweighted, High Repetition
If you’re a strong lifter, you can use bodyweight training for high repetitions to build muscle while sparing your joints from excessive loading stress. (8) Aim for two to three sets of at least 15 repetitions to failure while keeping a good form. This will provide a great pump and will challenge more your core and postural muscles because of the longer set duration.
Weighted, Medium Repetition
If you can add external resistance to the lift using a weighted vest, a backpack, or a pair of chains draped across your torso, you can treat this exercise like any other resistance training movement and hit it hard and (relatively) heavy. The traditional bodybuilding scheme of three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions will be your best bet to promote hypertrophy and provide a challenging time under tension.
Inverted Row Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic movement, you can very easily switch the focus of the exercise to accommodate your goals or individual needs. Here are some simple tweaks to provide variation to your inverted rows.
Supinated Inverted Row
Using a palms-up grip is a simple change if you want to experience more biceps growth, because the arm muscles will be in optimal alignment. As such, most lifters will also be stronger and will be able to bang out more repetitions or use more weight.
This is similar to using chin-ups in place of pull-ups. The adjusted hand position changes muscle recruitment and emphasizes the biceps and forearms over the muscles of the back.
Neutral Grip Inverted Row
The neutral grip, or hammer grip, can be a welcome relief for lifters with achy shoulders, elbows, or wrists. The stress on these joints is drastically reduced because brachialis and brachioradialis recruitment is increased. As an added bonus, building these muscles will help you build a set of classic Popeye arms.
To perform it, use a football bar (or Swiss bar) instead of a straight barbell. If your gym doesn’t have one, you can use a neutral-grip “V-bar” attachment from the pulldown station and set yourself up parallel to the barbell. Suspension straps, like a TRX or gymnastic rings, would also be effective.
Ring Row
Using any suspension straps like a TRX or a pair of gymnastic rings is the most versatile and joint-friendly row option. You can use whatever grip you want: palm-down, neutral, or palm-up. You can even add a natural twisting motion by rotating your hands during each repetition. Begin pulling with a palm-down grip and rotate to neutral or palm-up as you approach the top position.
The main benefit is that the ring’s instability will challenge your core and your shoulders. This variation is the hardest, but the required stabilization will greatly improve your core and shoulder health and stability, which transfers to overall athleticism and power in other upper body exercises.
Inverted Row Alternatives
Variety is the spice of life, and of muscle growth. (9) If you’re ready to switch things up or if you don’t have a spot to perform the inverted row, you’re covered with these effective alternatives.
Seal Row
The seal row is the free weight equivalent of the inverted row. Lie prone (face down) on an elevated flat bench and grab a pair of dumbbells or a barbell — there even are specially designed stations for this exercise with easy to grab weights. Pull the weights from the stretched position beneath the bench toward your chest, as if performing an upside down inverted row.
Because your body is fully supported, cheating with momentum is very difficult. It also nearly eliminates any strain on the lower back, like the inverted row. With this variation, there’s no need for total-body stabilization, so you can solely focus on using your pulling muscles and develop a great mind-muscle connection.
Pull-Up
They say the pull-up is the king of upper-body bodyweight exercises, and for good reason. It’s a tremendous back-builder. When you’re comfortable with inverted rows, get started with this vertical bodyweight exercise.
Like the inverted row, the pull-up will target more of your lats than your upper back. You can use the same grip variations and set/rep programming schemes as the inverted row.
Bent-Over Barbell Row
The standard barbell row might be an upper body pulling exercise in its purest form. Grab a barbell, bend forward and gather tension in your whole body, and start rowing heaps of iron.
This exercise will demand superior whole-body engagement, particularly your glutes and hamstrings to counterbalance the load. If you want to improve your pulling strength, back muscle size, and total body stability, get familiar with this classic movement.
FAQs
Are inverted rows and pull-ups the same thing?
No. Despite both being bodyweight pulling exercises, they are different. One is a vertical movement pattern while the other works horizontally. This means that muscle recruitment will be similar, but not exactly be the same. The inverted row will recruit more of your upper back, for instance.
Pull-ups are also harder, because your body is completely hanging in the air and you’re required to lift proportionally more of your body weight. The inverted row has your feet supported on the ground and angled, which means that you’re lifting a lower percentage of your body weight.
As a bodyweight movement, when should I do the inverted row?
There are no clear rules because it will depend on your specific goals and strength levels. If you want to develop your strength or technique, include them at the start of your workout. If you’re using them to build muscle mass, they can be performed later in session, after your muscles are fatigued from other exercises.
If you really want to speed up your strength and technique gains as a newer lifter, you can also use the grease the groove technique. Perform a single set of a few high-quality repetitions, several times throughout the day (for instance, you can do it at home under a sturdy table), waiting at least 30 minutes between each set. This training method will develop your strength, coordination, and skill so that you quickly become very good at the exercise.
Get Back to Bodyweight Training
The inverted row is a highly effective addition to any training program, whether you’re just getting started in the gym or if you’re well-experienced. While the pull-up has a much more widely known reputation as being “the” bodyweight back-training exercise, the inverted row deserves plenty of attention and can deliver plenty of results. It shouldn’t be treated as an introductory exercise that’s forgotten once you build some strength. It’s definitely time to get on the ground and start pulling.
References
Fenwick CM, Brown SH, McGill SM. Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Mar;23(2):350-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181942019. PMID: 19197209.
Brigatto FA, Lima LEM, Germano MD, Aoki MS, Braz TV, Lopes CR. High Resistance-Training Volume Enhances Muscle Thickness in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Jan 1;36(1):22-30. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003413. PMID: 31868813.
Lipecki, Krzysztof & Rutowicz, Bartosz. (2015). The Impact Of Ten Weeks Of Bodyweight Training On The Level Of Physical Fitness And Selected Parameters Of Body Composition In Women Aged 21-23 Years. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism. 22. 10.1515/pjst-2015-0014.
Brandão, Lucas & Painelli, Vitor & Lasevicius, Thiago & Silva-Batista, Carla & Brendon, Helderson & Schoenfeld, Brad & Aihara, Andre & Cardoso, Fabiano & Peres, Bergson & Teixeira, Emerson. (2020). Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 34. 1. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003550.
Joan Aguilera-Castells, Bernat Buscà, Azahara Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe, Alicia M. Montalvo & Javier Peña (2020) Muscle activation in suspension training: a systematic review, Sports Biomechanics, 19:1, 55-75, DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2018.1472293
Kumar T, Kumar S, Nezamuddin M, Sharma VP. Efficacy of core muscle strengthening exercise in chronic low back pain patients. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2015;28(4):699-707. doi: 10.3233/BMR-140572. PMID: 25467999.
Kleiber, T., Kunz, L., & Disselhorst-Klug, C. (2015). Muscular coordination of biceps brachii and brachioradialis in elbow flexion with respect to hand position. Frontiers in physiology, 6, 215. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2015.00215
Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Oct;29(10):2954-63. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000958. PMID: 25853914.
Baz-Valle E, Schoenfeld BJ, Torres-Unda J, Santos-Concejero J, Balsalobre-Fernández C. The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PLoS One. 2019 Dec 27;14(12):e0226989. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226989. PMID: 31881066; PMCID: PMC6934277.
A general perusal of Jaisyn Mike’s social media will say he’s quite confident in his abilities. The two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion in the +120-kilogram division seems to make it a point to showcase unique feats of strength and power. The 44-year-old competitor’s latest training accomplishment is no different.
On Oct. 6, 2022, Mike uploaded a video to his Instagram profile where he completed a 192.8-kilogram (425-pound) bench press for 20 reps while wearing wrist wraps and a lifting belt. According to the post’s caption, the show of endurance is a personal record (PR) for Mike.
Per other posts on Mike’s Instagram, his bench press work and general training are related to preparation for the 2023 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals. While he has competed in the Masters 1 (ages 40-49) category of late, Mike plans to feature in the Open portion and in the 140-kilogram weight class at that specific contest. It would be his first full powerlifting meet since the 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals in October of that year. Mike has participated In bench-only competitions in the time since. Per a press release from USAPL, the 2023 Nationals will take place on Sept. 14-17, 2023, in Memphis, TN.
Competition prep aside, this sort of bench press display is nothing new for Mike, who seems to have centered on that aspect of his strength of late. Recent marks from his routine are right in line with this new PR.
Just several days before he finished this 20-rep set, Mike successfully locked out a 230.4-kilogram (508-pound) bench press for 10 reps. Earlier in the same week, Mike pushed through a 190.5-kilogram (420-pound) bench press for an older 20-rep PR.
When not pushing himself on the bench press, Mike has excelled all the same in the gym. The powerlifter shared an early-October 2022 clip of himself completing a raw 365-kilogram (804.6-pound) deadlift for a one-rep PR. This was a rapid progression from a 354.7-kilogram (782-pound) deadlift that Mike logged in late-September 2022.
According to Open Powerlifting, here’s an overview of Mike’s all-time raw competition bests:
Aside from winning the 2023 Nationals, Mike’s other primary goal appears to be a desire to eclipse a 362.9-kilogram (800-pound) deadlift on a sanctioned lifting platform, especially after some of the recent 900-plus-pound pulls from other powerlifters.
Whether Mike can successfully make a run in the Open at next year’s Nationals remains to be seen. Nonetheless, his recent training progress would indicate he seems to be on the right progressive track.
Featured image: @mr.athletic_over_everything on Instagram
Chris Bumstead has an argument for being one of the more accomplished and recognizable faces in modern bodybuilding. Yet, despite his successful run, he isn’t satisfied. The three-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champ (2019-2021) is pushing hard to make it four consecutive championships this December.
On Oct. 5, 2022, over his YouTube channel, Bumstead shared a comprehensive look at his recent training. This time, he focused on his legs. After already diagramming how he trains aspects of his body like arms and shoulders earlier in the off-season — the new clip is another detailed look at how one of bodybuilding’s superstars is preparing for the Olympia stage again.
Here’s a complete rundown of Bumstead’s latest “killer leg day” before the 2022 Mr. Olympia commences on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension, Hip Adduction
Bumstead treated the first part of his leg workout like a warm-up. He didn’t have a concrete number of repetitions or sets he wanted to reach. It was more about getting his lower body muscles prepared for the meat and potatoes of his training session. The leg curls and leg extension were for Bumstead’s hamstrings and quads, while a few sets on a hip adduction machine loosened up his adductor muscles along the inner midline of his thighs.
Mid-way through this warm-up series, Bumstead removed his shoes and trained in socks for the remainder of his workout. He has previously stated this leg day ritual helps him feel more stable during exercises and improves his mind-muscle connection.
Hack Squat
For his first big movement of the day, Bumstead started with some hack squats. The athlete did an initial set without any plates attached to the machine to get a sense of the movement, and slowly added weight as he progressed. Bumstead’s final working set featured him completing nine reps with nine 45-pound plates on each side, followed by a “back-off set” using seven plates for 12 repetitions.
During a between-set rest period, Bumstead was approached by recently retired, seven-time 212 Olympia winner Flex Lewis. The coincidental meeting likely occurred because the training location, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY, is known as “the East Coast Mecca of Bodybuilding” and regularly hosts a who’s who of bodybuilders and sports stars.
Single-Leg Press
Bumstead shifted to the leg press machine, where he performed a few heavy sets of the movement unilaterally to give both of his legs equal attention. After his sets, he discussed the importance of listening to your body during a workout, especially when you’re having a high energy, high performance day.
“Sometimes you just have to ‘read the room,’” he said. “One day if you feel a lot stronger, if it feels too light, or feels too easy, don’t just do 10 reps to do 10 reps. Rack the weight. Put more weight on. ‘Buckle up for the ride.’ That’s the quote for this year.”
Leg Extension
To center on his quads, Bumstead returned to the leg extension machine as a main lift, not simply a warm-up. While he did a few more challenging sets, Bumstead makes sure not to load too much weight so as to keep any potential punishment on his knees at a minimum.
Instead, he achieved a deep stretch in the bottom position of each rep and worked through a long range of motion for maximum work.
To shift focus on his glutes and hamstrings, Bumstead performed a few sets of a Romanian deadlift with a loaded barbell. The bodybuilder had two plates per side for sets of 12 as he worked through this part of his routine. Bumstead noted that his glutes and hamstrings were still fatigued from the single-leg press, making this relatively light weight more than enough.
Sissy Squat
As he neared the end of his workout, Bumstead implemented some sissy squats into his routine. The movement, which asks the quads to lift the majority of a person’s body weight, can help strengthen connective tissues and muscles in the knees and legs. Bumstead appropriately powered through some sets of sissy squats as best as he could before finally moving off of quad work.
Seated Leg Curl
Bumstead had everything come full circle for this workout when he finished with seated leg curls to give his hamstrings attention. After he “beat up” his legs with textbook-perfect repetitions here, the bodybuilder called it a day.
Bumstead will have to overcome a few noteworthy peers to win his fourth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title. There’s former two-time champ Breon Ansley (2017-2018), whose reign ended with Bumstead’s first title in 2019, and Terrence Ruffin, an athlete who usually finishes around the top of the Classic Physique Olympia. Late riser Neil Currey might be someone to watch as a dark horse, too.
However, if this glimpse at Bumstead’s commitment to building powerful legs says anything, his impressive run in the Classic Physique division may well continue.
It might be impossible to have familiarity with strongman as a sport and not know the exploits of the Stoltman brothers. Among their individual achievements, Tom Stoltman is the two-time defending World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion (2021-2022), while his older brother Luke won the 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM). In a shift from their usual task of lifting hefty objects, the two brothers decided to train in a different kind of athleticism.
On Oct. 5, 2022, the Stoltmans uploaded a video to their joint YouTube channel where Tom and Luke take cues about how to swim from extreme adventurer and ultra-marathon swimmer Ross Edgley. Edgley is notably the first known person in history to swim around Great Britain’s length of 1,780 miles (2,864 kilometers). The trio decided to conduct the swimming lesson in an undisclosed portion of the North Sea somewhere in the United Kingdom.
Given that temperatures in the North Sea are a “little chilly” for swimming in early October — roughly 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) — it might have been safe to assume the group would outfit themselves in heating gear.
Instead, the Stoltmans elect to jump into the water while wearing just swim trunks with swim goggles for their vision. Once they’re in the water, Edgley relays his personal process for swimming, especially when he’s in the middle of an ultra-marathon.
Edgley details something he calls the “catch-up stroke,” where one arm doesn’t make its own individual stroke through the water until it “catches up” with the other arm. The objective behind the technique seems to be about efficiency and saving energy while in the water, given the apparent shorter strokes.
For the Stoltmans, two elite strongmen who each weigh 350-plus pounds, this technique is a means of “slowing down” their strong arms to focus their power and channel it into a quality swim.
The group seemingly puts Edgley’s technique into successful practice as the camera pans over them swimming through a current in the North Sea. To close their day, the Stoltmans and Edgley spend some time relaxing in the sauna and a small cold pool.
After their short foray into autumn swimming lessons in the North Sea, the Stoltmans have a stocked strongman slate ahead of them.
The brothers will compete at the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals on Oct. 8, 2022, in Glasgow, Scotland. Luke is the contest’s defending champion, while Tom was last year’s runner-up. Both Stoltmans will then team up as members of Team United Kingdom at the 2022 Giants Live World’s Strongest Nation on Nov. 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England. Strongman legend and 2017 WSM champ Eddie Hall will be their team captain.
Even after swimming with an extreme adventurer, the grinding strongman mentality seemingly never stops for these two elite competitors.
The sport of powerlifting, on the whole, doesn’t seem to be short on young stars and up-and-comers at the moment. With a fresh performance under his belt, there might be another big name to throw into a growing competitive ring. On Oct. 2, 2022, during a victory at the Australian Powerlifting League (APL) Strength Quest II, 19-year-old powerlifter Theo Maddox broke two raw Teen 18-19 World Records in the 140-kilogram weight class. The contest took place at the GroundZeroW Gym in Arundel, Australia.
Maddox’s first record was a 390-kilogram (859.8-pound) deadlift that Maddox pulled from a sumo stance with a mixed grip while wearing a lifting belt. The pull surpasses Max Shethar’s previous figure of 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) from the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Ragnarok Invite II. Maddox’s second feat was a 962.5-kilogram (2,117.5-pound) total, exceeding Jackson Powell’s past mark of 897 kilograms (1,977.5 pounds) from the 2022 United States Powerlifting Coalition Big Bend Classic.
Here’s an overview of Maddox’s complete performance at the 2022 APL Strength Quest II, where he also earned all-time raw competition bests on his squat and bench press:
Theo Maddox (140KG) | 2022 APL Strength Quest II Top Stats
Squat — 355 kilograms (781 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
Deadlift — 390 kilograms (859.8 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
Total — 962.5. kilograms (2,117.5 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
With four competitions to his name according to Open Powerlifting, Maddox has yet to lose in his budding competitive career. Here’s a rundown of his complete career results:
Theo Maddox | Complete Career Results
2020 New Zealand Powerlifting Federation (NZPF) WBOP Regional Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
2020 NZPF Nationals (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
2021 NZPF North Island Championships (Juniors/Raw) — First place
2022 APL Strength Quest II(Teen 18-19/Raw) — First place
Despite his most recent impressive result undoubtedly putting him on the powerlifting map, Maddox didn’t appear satisfied with a record-breaking output. As the 19-year-old athlete would explain in a post on his Instagram, he’s treating this stellar finish as a learning experience.
“Look, it wasn’t the day I wanted, but it was good to get on the platform again after so long off,” Maddox wrote. “I have a lot to learn and improve upon, and that’s honestly very exciting to have acquired all this new information. I am now in a very good position to build some of my foundations up and work on my weaknesses. A break will do me good, however. I need to take care of my mental [health] and plan a fair amount out. Talk less, do more. Talk is cheap, after all.”
