My best deadlift to date is 260 kg (570 lb). Here are all of the different tips and ideas I can think of for improving your deadlift. 👇 A deadlift 🧵…

New (free) pull-up program available in the app. Simple and sinister. app.strengthlog.com/programs…

*can’t be bought yet

Beginner Barbell Program (Full Routine!) youtu.be/SCYzaRngDiM?si=Ulgr…

Five Easy Steps to Improve Your Deadlifts youtu.be/gwpC11zTbns

10 a day, everyday, goes a long way.

Winston Churchill in the White House… Not wearing a suit because he is at war

Thanks Jimi! (And guys, check out the web app layout in the pic! Accessible on desktop/laptop at app.strengthlog.com)

StrengthLog now has its own subreddit! Click the link below to join. :) reddit.com/r/strengthlog/

❓ How big an energy surplus should I be on to build muscle? When does the surplus get unnecessarily big? 🤔 💡 A study from last year looked into this, and put trained participants on three different levels of caloric intake while following a strength training program for eight weeks: • One group only ate around 170 calories more per day, on average. • Another group ate around 500 more per day. • And the third group ate 700 cals more per day. After eight weeks, all groups had gained similar amounts of muscle and strength, and the only difference was that the two groups eating the most calories had gained more fat. The group only eating 170 cal more than usual hadn't gained any fat. 🧑‍🔬 This was a very small study with only 17 participants, but it hints that you don't need a big surplus to gain muscle. 📈 A smaller surplus sustained over a longer time period might help minimize fat gain while still giving you sweet muscle and strength gains. 👉 Follow me for more study reviews! 💪 Reference: 📚 PMID: 37914977

🔎 A new meta analysis compared one-sided exercises to two-sided exercises to see which is superior for muscle and strength gains. • Two-sided exercises are also called bilateral and an example is the squat. • One-sided exercises are also called unilateral and an example is the lunge or bulgarians split squat. 🏋️ For strength gains there were 9 studies comparing bilateral and unilateral training, and we saw the principle of specificity at work, and participants improved their strength the most in the type of movement they trained. 💪 For muscle growth, there were, to my surprise, only two studies comparing muscle growth between bilateral and unilateral training, and they didn't show any difference. Both types of exercises seem to work just fine. And you can really get the best of both worlds by doing one bilateral exercise, and one unilateral. 👉 Hit follow for more study reviews! 👍 Reference: 📚 Sports Medicine, December 2024, Comparison of Muscle Growth and Dynamic Strength Adaptations Induced by Unilateral and Bilateral Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

An new study tested how much force eleven trained men could produce at different heights in the squat. They performed two types of squats: 1️⃣ A normal, moving, one-rep max. 2️⃣ Isometric squats, pushing against a fixed barbell at ten different heights, set apart by 6 cm. (2.5 inches) They did this standing on force plates, measuring how much force they produced. It turned out that in the isometric condition, they were basically weaker the lower they got. They produced forces equivalent to around 170 kg (375 lb) in the bottom, and around 280 kg (620 lb) in the top. But in the dynamic squat, they were weaker around 12 cm (5 inches) up from the bottom, likely because they had help from the bounce and stretch shortening cycle. 👉 Hit follow for more study reviews! 💪 Reference: 📚 PMID: 38689586

Dumbbell vs Cable Lateral Raises: Which is better for growing your side deltoid muscles? 🤔 There's a hypothesis that cable lateral raises are superior because they load the side delts more in the lengthened position. Conversely, dumbbell lateral raises load the side delts more in the shortened top position. A new study (still in pre-print so not peer reviewed) had participants train cable lateral raises with one arm, and dumbell lateral raises with the other arm, twice per week for eight weeks. Size of the side delts was measured before and after the training. And, after eight weeks of training, both sides grew to the same extent! Seems like the dumbbell lateral raise is an equally fine option for growing your shoulder muscles. Just make sure you don't swing the weights up! 👉 Follow me for more study reviews on training! 💪 Reference: 📚 Dumbbell versus cable lateral raises for lateral deltoid hypertrophy: an experimental study. Larsen, et al. (2024)

Can you train your whole body using just a barbell? Can you NOT? 🤔

Contrary to popular opinion: stretching before or after a strength training session is not a necessity! 1️⃣ It does not improve muscle recovery. 2️⃣ It does not reduce muscle soreness. 3️⃣ And strength training isn't stiffening to begin with. It's the opposite! Full range of motion strength training has been shown to be as effective as stretching for increasing flexibility. Do you have a particular range of motion you want to increase, or just like stretching in general? Then go ahead and do it! But if you don't like stretching, don't feel like you need to spend time doing it just because you're strength training. 👉 Hit follow for more tips on training! 💪 References: 📚 PMID: 33917036 📚 PMID: 34025459

What are the differences between standing overhead presses and seated Smith machine presses?

Thanks for listening, fellas! 🥰

StrengthLog users: have you yet tried planning your training (or just messing around) in our new web interface for desktop and laptop? app.strengthlog.com/ (Not intended for use on the phone, that's what the app is for!)