strength | Top Form Fitness

8 Benefits of Strength Training For Women

I wish all the women who are afraid that lifting weights will “bulk them up” would show me their muscle-building secrets! I’ve been busting my ass for years to gain a few more pounds of muscle mass! Where does this fear come from? Certainly not from personal experience. Men and women need to approach their resistance training program with a similar intensity. Of course there will be small variations in each individual’s workout, but to get results both men and women need to participate in a challenging strength training program as part of their overall exercise plan. […]

Josh Hewett2020-06-14T19:48:00-04:00

Priorities of Function (Guest Post – Frank DiMeo)

For more than twenty years before I transitioned to the world of strength and conditioning; I was heavily involved with martial arts training. There was a very distinct progression of how we learned and trained. The priorities of function were adhered to and a very strong base of foundational techniques was established. For instance, the front kick was learned and practiced long before a back kick. A back kick would practiced long before a spinning back kick was learned. In strength and conditioning, the priorities of function are also extremely important. The main reasons for this are to invest your training hours wisely so the return on your investment is a solid base of strength and correct technique. If a person cannot do a full ROM bodyweight squat, he has no business trying to do a squat with a barbell. The human tendency is to be very impatient, and that can sabotage your progress [...]

Josh Hewett2014-11-29T00:01:57-05:00

5 Benefits of Supplementing with Creatine

Despite being one of the most well-researched sports nutrition supplements around, there still seems to be a lot of misunderstanding surrounding Creatine. In this article I will attempt to clear up some of this confusion, explain exactly what creatine is, introduce Five Big Benefits of Creatine, and provide a few links to some of the relevant research. What is Creatine? First of all, let’s take a look at what exactly creatine is. Here is a simplified description: the basic currency of energy in your body is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). When your body uses it, it gives up a phosphate group becoming adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Creatine is stored as creatine phosphate (CP) in your body. Before your body starts using glucose for energy, it first breaks down ATP as a quick energy source. So when your body needs energy quickly (ie: power for the first few reps), the creatine “donates” its phosphate to [...]

Josh Hewett2020-06-14T22:06:32-04:00

Build a Stronger Deadlift for Full Body Strength

The deadlift is the Grandaddy of all strength training movements. It’s a very basic, compound (multi-joint), ground-based exercise that builds full body strength. Performed correctly, this exercise can help you develop a crushing grip, solid core, strong back, thick traps, powerful legs, and protect your lower back from injury. However, if performed incorrectly it can lead to back injury, so learning the proper technique is a necessity! […]

Josh Hewett2011-08-30T17:11:12-04:00

High Intensity Training Techniques (HITT)

Getting results from your training is strongly related to the intensity at which you train. If you don’t engage your exercise program with the appropriate intensity you are missing out on the progress you could be achieving. Even with the best training program and the most productive exercises, if you don’t challenge yourself you aren’t likely to see significant results. High intensity training requires a certain mental toughness, effort, and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone. The video below demonstrates 4 methods of increasing the intensity in your workouts using a technique called “set-extension”, which means you will employ these methods at the end of a set, once you have already reached momentary muscular fatigue. […]

Josh Hewett2011-05-06T20:27:33-04:00

Name:
Email: