LeanLifter’s Ring Protector Project

A couple years ago, I came up with a simple and effective wrap/cover for rings to protect against scratches. Basically, without protection, the ring is going to get ruined. But taking it off has a whole different set of problems (the hassle, the risk of losing it, PLUS your spouse is probably not the biggest fan of you being ring-less).…
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6 Tips to Do More Pull-ups & Chin-ups (part 2)

Last week, guest writer John Sifferman shared the first part of his advice on how to increase the number of pullups you can do.   Have you started using his tips yet?  If not, click here for part one. A quick summary is: Tips for Beginners (0-5 Reps) In the beginning, the key to success is building skill-specific strength by practicing…
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6 Tips to Do More Pull-ups & Chin-ups (part 1)

I get a ton of questions online as well as from my in-person trainees about chinups and pullups.  There are a lot of people out there still trying to get their first legit chin.  Maybe that's you.  Maybe you aren't comfortable admitting it.  It's odd because some really strong men and women sometimes struggle with chinups and especially pullups. As…
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Complexes for Fat Loss, Strength Retention, and Heart Health

Barbell complexes are great for burning fat while preserving muscle In business, you need to run away from “get rich quick” schemes. Similarly, nearly all the promises in the fitness world fall short. Some are useless. Some are damaging. Many work, but they take WAY longer than promised before you get results (at least for most people). You may have…
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What Is Carb Loading and When Should I Carbo Load?

Me, at the Spartan, "hitting the wall" It was September 21, 2013.  I was about 6 hours into the Spartan World Championship Beast, in Killington VT. I was bonking. No, not the fun kind.  Here I mean bonking as in "hitting the wall", an unfortunate experience many endurance athletes experience. What was going on?  I'd done this event twice before. …
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Technical Proficiency and Failure Training – How To Know When It’s Safe To Push To Failure

If you push to failure before mastering the lift, you'll look like this guy I just read a great article by Charles Staley that adds a whole new dimension to evaluating your experience level with lifting weights.  I've written in the past about how to rank yourself from Newbie to Pro but his take is refreshing and simple. The context…
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