Articles & Guides
Learn how to build muscle, burn fat and stay motivated.
Standing Calf Raise vs. Seated Calf Raise: Which Builds Bigger Calves?
Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab. Calves have always taken a backseat to other “look at me” muscles such as arms, chest and abs. Even the quads get more attention than the weak and puny lower leg minions. Ever to stay in the shadows...
Sprinting for Lifters: A Guide to Muscle Building Cardio
I have a confession to make. I’m sick of coaches misrepresenting themselves online. Of course, in the big scheme of things this happens all the time. Just log into Instagram or other social media and you’ll see it first-hand, usually in the form of a scantily clad young man or woman claiming fitness...
Unconventional Arm Workout To Spark New Muscle Growth
The traditional recipe for bigger arms might go something like this: Barbell and dumbbell curls, triceps pressdowns, nosebreakers and maybe some other cool-looking overhead cable extension curl raise thingy. If this sounds like it was taken from your own playbook for bigger guns and haven’t seen muc...
The Solution to Long-Term Muscle Mass Gains: An Overview of the P.B.S. Model
Most guys can design an effective workout, but they are clueless when it comes to designing an effective program. This is a big problem and one of the major causes of stalled progress. What works now won’t work forever. The body is an incredible adaptive mechanism. This is great for your survival an...
So You Want To Be Big?
Successful training programs don’t happen by accident. They are well planned. To obtain results you have take time to learn how to approach resistance training to achieve a result. Many gyms have people who start training, but 60 percent will stop training after many months of training because they...
Snatch Grip Deadlifts For Explosive Muscle Growth
There’s no debate: deadlifts have a seat at the grown-up table. They are one of the best bang for your buck exercises. Compound full body movements that require total body tension and strength form the basis of any high-performance training program. I have a love/hate relationship with deadlifts. On...
You've Been Doing Leg Day Wrong All Along - Here's What You've Been Missing
Despite the wide variety of exercises that we continue to use, there are still those standout variations and modifications that get overlooked. The slideboard lunge is one of these variations. When performed with an uncommon tool, this common movement transforms into a “squat-type/knee-dominant” exe...
Skinny Fat: Signs, Dangers, & How to Fix Being Skinny Fat
Skinny fat. Is there a more frightening combination of words to a lifter? Those who are skinny fat face quite the dilemma. They’re too skinny to pass off as a strongman or powerlifter. And they’re too chubby to be aesthetically pleasing with their shirt off. Not to mention the number of health conce...
6 Advanced Exercises to Take Your Arms to the Next Level
There is a common expression that is used in all aspects of life - “keep it simple.” However, another popular phrase is “variety is the spice of life.” When it comes to training, it's no different. Simple movements can always be effective, but there are times that change can be necessary to kickstar...
The Best Trap Exercises You've Never Tried
Everyone knows how to train their traps. All you have to do is shrugs right? But, if just doing standard shrugs worked, then why do so few people have mountains sitting on top of their shoulders? The traps are a symbol of dominance. They scream power and physical assertiveness like no other body par...
Should You Use High Volume or Heavy Weight to Build Muscle?
It’s an age old question that encourages a world of debate when answering. The truth of the matter is, there’s no real right answer. Consider a few things that can influence this. How Do You Build Muscle? If we’re talking about building muscle and not truly focusing in on our lifting performances...
You Have Six Pack Abs, But How About A Serious Serratus?
Cory Gregory is the Co-Founder of MusclePharm. You know you’re lean when you’ve got abs. But when it comes to getting super freaky, you know you’re there when your serratus anteriors are absolutely diced. The serratus anteriors are the finger-like muscles attached on your rib cage and they can undou...
10 Bodypart Training Series Main Page
Part 1: How To Eclipse The New Year With Your New Barn Door Back! Part 1 focuses on building the back, and includes back anatomy, exercises and workouts for every need. Natural bodybuilder Brad Borland presents a 10 part muscle building super series. Part 1: How To Eclipse The New Year With Your New...
5 Secrets to Gains Your Trainer Isn't Telling You
There’s a secret code in our DNA that's hardwired into all of us. We all want gains. Ok, I made that up, there isn’t a secret code in your DNA. Here’s what is true, though: there are countless people out there in the daily grind. Dedicated people up early to pump iron, meal prepping, protein shaking...
The Savage 4x4: Strength/Hypertrophy Hybrid Workout
It’s time to get insane! Your current workout is boring, and you’re hungry for a change. You want something that isn’t the same old, same old grind? Well, here you go brothers and sisters of iron. Lock and load, it’s time to rock. The Savage 4x4 is a strength and hypertrophy workout system. You wil...
Run The Stack: A Tool To Build Muscle Using Machines
I am a huge advocate of barbell and dumbbell training. If you've read any of my previous articles and workouts, this fact should be apparent. This article is a first for me. I've never written about machine training, primarily because I haven't used a machine in a very long time. In 2007 I made the...
Road Warrior: How To Build Muscle While Traveling
I'm a road warrior - flights from my home city at 5am every Monday and returning to my residence every Thursday night at 11pm. Four Days and three nights without a full kitchen can be a challenge, but I don't let that de-rail me from reaching my fitness goals. Here is how I eat to gain while traveli...
How to Use Reverse Pyramid Training to Maximize Gains
Set personal records in the gym with this Reverse Pyramid Training workout. The sample RPT MASS 3 day split is perfect for intermediate lifters looking to bust through a plateau! Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT) is a training style in which the first set of a given exercise is performed with the heavi...
Rest More, Lift More: The Secret Sauce for Turning Seconds into PRs
Lifters often associate a good workout with lots of sweat and muscle soreness, so sitting around “resting” seems counter-productive. This idea about resting leads to shorter rest intervals and, sometimes, no rest at all—and thus drop sets and supersets were born. Building muscle and power involves h...
Revamp Your Routine With Whole Body Training And A New Diet
Are you stuck in the same training rut? Do you have so many training injuries that you’re ready to switch up your routine and try something new? A great way to get your mind and body excited about intense training all over again is by incorporating whole body routines back into your regimen. It’s ge...
6 Resistance Training Myths That Never Die
Resistance training (i.e. lifting weights) really should be the foundation of most any individual’s gym routine, even if their goal isn’t to be a competitive athlete or “bodybuilder”. Even endurance athletes can stand to benefit by incorporating resistance training in their workout regimen. There se...
Rep Quality: A Detailed Look At Effective Repetitions
It's easy to focus on advanced training principles but it's just as easy to look past the basics. This is something I see all the time – guys talking about advanced concepts but who have no idea of basic principles. One great example is recovery. I often hear guys talking about working out 6-7 days...
Paralysis by Analysis: 10 Reasons You're Not Making Gains
I can’t begin to tell you the number of pointless Facebook debates I’ve witnessed between coaches and lifters alike discussing minute details which likely only account for a 1-2% difference in body composition and strength. Sure, 1-2% can make a fairly sizeable difference when you’re competing again...
The Real & Basic Muscle Growth Science Broken Down for Bros
You want to build muscle, and you’ve seen some workouts and exercises that might get you there. And that’s okay if you just want to hop around until something works for you. But if you truly want to excel at building muscle, then you should know some of the science behind what goes on. If you can un...