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If you’re going to the gym, you most likely want to be healthier. You also want to add muscle to your frame, set personal records, and perform better than you did the last workout. You’re driven, and you channel that drive into rigorous weekly training sessions. But being all go, go, go, will eventually bring your progress to a screeching halt. You need to train hard. You also need to know when to ease up.

Enter: Deload weeks.

By incorporating an intentional week of easier training into your routine, you can avoid overtraining, allow for more optimal recovery, and push your progress further than if you keep grinding away. It’s a strategy used by some of the best strength athletes on the planet. Here’s what you need to know. 

Deload to Reload

• Deloads Explained
• How Deloads Work
• Who Should Deload
• When to Deload
• Will I Lose my Gains?
• Types of Deloads 
• Sample Deload Programs

What is a Deload?

A deload is a temporary and intentional reduction of training stress to promote recovery. While illness, injury, and other unexpected events may force a lifter to dial back training or take time off from the gym, many healthy lifters can benefit from a deliberate deload.

Progressive overload is the key feature of effective training for size, strength, and athleticism. Without progressive overload, gains may slow or stall over time. (1)(2) This is called a “plateau.” Deloading can help lifters push past these plateaus for continued progress. Think about taking one step back to take two forward.

Incorporating deloads reduces the risk of inefficient training by allowing a short period of recovery, which can be followed by hard training with renewed vigor. Intermittent deloads might help you avoid injury and overtraining. In a culture that glorifies the “hardest workers in the room,” hustle porn, and #grinding, it is not trendy to talk about balanced training. However, if you are willing to exchange a temporary feeling of effort for renewed progress, deloads are for you.

How Deloads Work

To understand the mechanism of a deload, strength and conditioning professionals lean on two guiding paradigms: Bannister’s Fitness-Fatigue Model and Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. 

Fitness-Fatigue Model

The Fitness-Fatigue Model describes competing aftereffects of training. Fitness encompasses the positive outcomes of training, including but not limited to increased muscle size, muscle protein adaptations, and enzyme concentrations. (2) Fatigue represents the neuromuscular effects that hurt our ability to perform.

The time frames of these aftereffects are not identical; fatigue tends to be relatively short-lived and fitness more persistent. (2) The difference between fitness and fatigue can be conceptualized as preparedness — your ability to handle another training stressor. Preparedness fluctuates throughout our training routines, typically peaking after periods of recovery and reaching its lowest point following repeated, strenuous workouts.

General Adaptation Syndrome

The General Adaptation Syndrome describes three stages of response to a stressor such as training: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Immediately after a training session, the alarm stage occurs, which is characterized by reduced performance. In the resistance stage, performance returns to baseline or slightly higher, a phenomenon known as super-compensation. (2) The exhaustion stage occurs if training stress is too frequent, too long, or too intense, and results in impaired recovery, blunted fitness adaptations, and poor performance.

Putting It Together

The Fitness-Fatigue Model and the General Adaptation Syndrome help us to understand that load, volume, and frequency are essential training considerations. Rather than suffer more science, let’s use an analogy to explore how these paradigms relate to deloads.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was cursed by Zeus to roll a stone up a mountain for eternity. In this analogy, you’re Sisyphus, damned to toil in the underworld (“gym”). Think of the stone as your training status — the higher up the mountain the stone is, the better your fitness. Your task is to map a sustainable path up the mountain.

In our analogy, picking your route up the mountain is like programming workouts. If you stay on a path that is too steep for too long — if you hit challenging workouts day-after-day and week-after-week — fatigue will accumulate and the stone will back-slide down the mountain.

Here’s the good news — you can chart a path of switchbacks and detours to promote recovery. These gentle paths and valleys are deload periods, and they allow the stone to generate momentum. This momentum is your preparedness to train. With the stone rolling faster, you’re better able to push for the next summit successfully.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Deload

Owing to the super-compensation effect, a lifter should come off a well-executed deload ready to perform and look their best. Therefore, any lifter with deadline-based performance or aesthetic goals may wish to deload immediately beforehand to enjoy the fruits of their training. Suppose you don’t have a high-priority competition, photoshoot, or other event on the horizon. In that case, the decision of whether to deload comes down to training status and your current responses to training. 

Beginners — Yay or Nay?

Anecdotally, beginner lifters with less than six to 12 months of consistent training do not typically need to deload. They have not built the strength and coordination required to tax their neuromuscular systems profoundly. If you are a new lifter, enjoy the honeymoon period of robust gains by simply tracking your lifts to ensure you’re achieving progressive overload.

Practically, a beginner’s progression may look like a five to 10 percent increase in weekly volume-load (sets x reps x weight) with gradual increases in weight for your primary exercises. Plan to deload as this period of robust progress slows — typically, six to 12 months in. Recognize that if you choose to deload as a beginner, you may appear to “lose” some size. However, this is primarily due to clearance of muscle swelling, which typically persists at least three days following hard training. (3)

Advanced Trainees

Intermediate and advanced lifters not currently following a well-designed training program will benefit most from a deload.

A well-designed program incorporates periods of reduced training stress, like intermittent reductions in load (weight), volume (sets x reps), and proximity to failure (repetitions in reserve, number of sets taken to failure or past failure).

These reductions may occur between training blocks or within training blocks. Even for lifters using a well-designed training program, a deload might still be helpful in certain circumstances, such as before a high-priority event or competition.

When to Deload

A typical deload lasts approximately one week. Leading up to a high-priority event, the lifter should deload the week prior. In the absence of a major event, programming deloads is more nuanced. Some coaches insist on planned deloads, which occur regularly (e.g., every four to 12 weeks). Others prefer reactive deloads, which describes the judicious use of deloads on an as-needed basis.

Life and training are not always predictable. Therefore, the reactive approach can help ensure deloads are programmed when recovery status is poor and it can allow hard training to continue when recovery status is strong. A variety of metrics can serve as indicators of recovery status. Technology-based methods of monitoring recovery status can be great but may require sophisticated equipment, tedious monitoring, and knowledge of exercise physiology for interpretation. Instead, you can keep track of essential training performance (sets, reps, weight) and subjective indicators, such as motivation to train, sleep quality, and fatigue.

A simple method for determining when to program a reactive deload is “one to five”. Take a one-week deload after noting one or more of the following: 

• Two consecutive training sessions of reduced performance (e.g., unintentional drop in session volume-load).
• Three consecutive training sessions with poor motivation to train.
• Four consecutive nights of poor sleep quality or consecutive days of increased generalized fatigue.
• Five consecutive workouts with no ability to progress (e.g., stagnation of session volume-load).

Now that you know when it’s time to deload, let’s alleviate a common fear related to the process. 

Will Deloads Ruin My Gains?

No.

Based on our understanding of the Fitness-Fatigue Model and General Adaptation Syndrome, periodic deloads ensure meaningful progress. However, many lifters still worry about losing size and strength from a deload.

You won’t lose your gains. The typical deload lasts approximately one week. Research suggests it takes much longer to de-train.

Following eight days of abstinence from training, intermediate and advanced lifers do not lose muscle size. (4) In fact, trained lifters who take time off do not lose significant muscle size for at least three weeks and may experience an accelerated period of growth upon their return. (5) Strength may slip away slightly faster than size, with reductions reported after two to four weeks away from training. (6)(7) Remember that a deload does not necessarily mean time off. 

Types of Deloads

Deloads can be structured in many ways. At the core of each protocol is a reduction in volume, load, and/or the proximity sets are taken to failure. Select a deload protocol based on your goals and preferences.

Traditional Deload 

Best for: Planned or reactive deloads for the “set it and forget it”-type of trainee.

What it is: The Traditional Deload is straightforward. It reduces volume aggressively and decreases load modestly to leave you feeling fresh. It is appropriate for many lifters with goals ranging from strength to hypertrophy.

How to Do it: Cut the number of sets you typically perform by 50%. Cut the load you lift for each exercise by 20%. 

Autoregulated Deload 

Best for: Planned or reactive deloads for lifters with strength-, size-, and athletic-oriented goals.

What it is: The Autoregulated Deload works particularly well for strength athletes because they can continue to lift heavy while ensuring coordination and technique are maintained throughout the deload. A prerequisite is a willingness and ability to gauge your level of effort by estimating repetitions to failure or repetitions in reserve (RIR).

This model uses RIR to more precisely determine how many repetitions you should perform in each set. By doing so, we individualize the number of repetitions performed per set. The final repetitions leading to failure in each set are the most physical and neurologically taxing; this method eliminates those repetitions while allowing progressively more repetition volume as your recovery status improves.

How to Do it: First, reduce the number of sets you planned to perform (or usually perform) by 50%. For any sets you’d perform with fewer than five repetitions, perform one single rep at the weight you’d typically perform four repetitions with (e.g., one rep at approx. 90% 1RM). For all other sets, forget about your repetition target.

You will perform each of your sets until the point you feel you have four RIR or four reps left in the tank. Advanced trainees have been shown to accurately predict when they have four RIR within ±1 repetition. (8) General population trainees typically estimate with similar accuracy. (9) So, don’t worry about your accuracy; you’re more accurate at estimating repetitions to failure than you think. 

Physique Deload 

Best for: Planned deloads for aesthetics; planned or reactive deloads for those with hypertrophy goals; reactive deloads for lifters with sore joints.

What it is: The Physique Deload is modeled after peak week practices of bodybuilders. (10)(11) High-volume, moderate-load lifting is maintained at the beginning of the week to deplete stored energy in muscle called glycogen. Then, training is drastically cut to allow for super-compensation and maximization of glycogen content. Since muscle glycogen carries plenty of water, the result is bigger and fuller muscles. The final four days of the week are taken “off”. Rest assured, the volume load you completed early in the week will carry you through the deload.

How to Do it: For the first three days of the deload, training should be maintained or shifted to moderate weight (e.g., 65-80% of your one-rep max) and moderate-to-high repetition volume to ensure sets approach failure (e.g., eight to 14-plus repetitions). Don’t lift the final four days of the deload. During this time, you can perform light cardio and stretch.

Progressive Taper Deload

Best for: Planned deload for event performance. Dedicated lifters should enjoy friendly competition.

What it is: This deload will ensure your resistance training will not interfere with your ability to dominate your local 5k, obstacle course relay, or stand-up paddleboard race. This taper is shorter and less complicated than a typical pre-meet powerlifting taper, but it incorporates the same principles — maintain a high intensity and aggressively cut volume. (12) It is also applicable for athletes preparing for strength events or leading up to a one-repetition maximum (1RM) or multiple max rep attempts.

How to Do it: Maintain planned or typical load. Reduce set volume in a step-wise fashion. On days one through three, cut sets by 50%. On days four through six, cut sets by 75%, and rest on day seven.

Deload Examples

To be effective, the deload program must be individualized to your current training status and program design. This section uses general, isolated workout examples to illustrate how to use the deloads discussed above. Per the descriptions above, planned or usual programming modifications should be conducted throughout the week. 

Note: Any exercise marked with the same letter is to be performed as a superset, meaning the movements are done back-to-back with no rest between movements. 

Traditional Deload Example

*Reduce the number of sets by ≈50% **Reduce load by ≈20%

Autoregulatory Deload Example

*Reduce the number of sets by ≈50%

**Sets are performed until 4 Repetitions in Reserve (RIR)

***Load is maintained for the Autoregulatory Deload

Physique Deload Example

*Maintain set volume. Shift repetition volume to moderate or moderate-high (8-14+ reps)

**Shift load according to set volume to facilitate sets approaching failure. Notes: Some exercises from Planned or Usual may not require modification if already within range. No lifting the final four days of the Physique Deload week.

Progressive Taper Deload 

*Reduce set volume by 50% for the first three days. Reduce by 75% for days four to six. Rest Day 7.

**Planned or usual load is maintained for the Progressive Taper Deload.

Wrapping Up

As training and life stressors accumulate, fatigue begins to overshadow fitness. The solution is a deload —a light week of training that promotes recovery. Deloads are not fun, sexy, or impressive. We deload for the super-compensation effect and increased preparedness to train. If you’ve deloaded for an event, enjoy the opportunity to express your fitness or savor the feeling of achieving your best physique.

If you’ve completed a deload to prepare for the next training cycle, be sure to re-test your strength. Use this information to re-calibrate your training loads and percentages going forward. Just as Sisyphus tirelessly pushes his stone, the smart lifter must constantly seek ways to optimize training. Fortunately, the path to effective training is simple: deload, reload, overload, and repeat.

References

1. Lambrianides, Y., Epro, G., Smith, K., et al. (2022). Impact of Different Mechanical and Metabolic Stimuli on the Temporal Dynamics of Muscle Strength Adaptation. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, e-pub ahead of print. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004300.
2. Chiu, L. Z., Barnes, J. L. (2003). The fitness-fatigue model revisited: Implications for planning short-and long-term training. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 25(6), 42-51.
3. Damas, F., Phillips, S. M., Lixandrão, M. E., et al. (2016). Early resistance training-induced increases in muscle cross-sectional area are concomitant with edema-induced muscle swelling. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116(1), 49-56.
4. Haun, C. T., Vann, C. G., Osburn, S. C., et al. (2019). Muscle fiber hypertrophy in response to 6 weeks of high-volume resistance training in trained young men is largely attributed to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. PLoS One, 14(6), e0215267.
5. Fisher, J., Steele, J., & Smith, D. (2013). Evidence-based resistance training recommendations for muscular hypertrophy. Medicina Sportiva, 17(4), 217-234.
6. Joo, C. H. (2018). The effects of short term detraining and retraining on physical fitness in elite soccer players. PloS One, 13(5), e0196212.
7. Sousa, A. C., Marinho, D. A., Gil, M. H., et al. (2018). Concurrent training followed by detraining: does the resistance training intensity matter?. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 32(3), 632-642.
8. Odgers, J. B., Zourdos, M. C., Helms, E. R., et al. (2021). Rating of perceived exertion and velocity relationships among trained males and females in the front squat and hexagonal bar deadlift. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 35, S23-S30.
9. Hackett, D. A., Cobley, S. P., Davies, T. B., et al. (2017). Accuracy in estimating repetitions to failure during resistance exercise. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(8), 2162-2168.
10. Escalante, G., Stevenson, S. W., Barakat, C., et al. (2021). Peak week recommendations for bodybuilders: An evidence-based approach. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 13(1), 1-24.
11. Alves, R. C., Prestes, J., Enes, A., et al. (2020). Training programs designed for muscle hypertrophy in bodybuilders: a narrative review. Sports, 8(11), 149.
12. Grgic, J., Mikulic, P. (2017). Tapering practices of Croatian open-class powerlifting champions. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(9), 2371-2378.

Featured Image: paul prescott / Shutterstock

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The humble sled has made its way from American football gridirons, into strongman gyms, through CrossFit “boxes,” and has arrived as a mainstay of everyday training. The sled’s rise to ubiquity is fueled by its versatility and the fact that it’s just plain fun to grind along the pavement or turf.

Sleds are commonly used for sprint training (1), and can help build a muscular physique, stimulate strength, and help ramp up one’s conditioning, bolster fat loss, and help recovery. Rein in your gear — a sled, a long and sturdy strap or rope, and some weight plates — and get ready to work.

Best Sled Workouts

• For Muscle
• For Strength
• For Conditioning and Fat Loss
• For Recovery

Best Sled Workout for Muscle

Build Muscle Without Barbells

If you want to build a big and balanced physique, here’s a sled workout that hits all major muscle groups with emphasis on the arms and legs. If you’re already performing gym-based hypertrophy work three or more times per week, add this sled workout once per week. If you train in the gym fewer than three times per week, add this sled workout twice per week on non-sequential days.

Remember, volume is key for hypertrophy. Use a weight for each exercise that allows 8 to 12 good repetitions. If you go much lighter, your workout duration drags on and can turn into a quasi-cardio session. If you go much heavier, you will not achieve optimal volume. Once you can perform two or more full reps past your repetition target on the final set, it’s time to increase the weight by five to 10%.

 

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Each rep should be performed with intent to maximally “flex” the target muscles. This can improve the mind-muscle connection and help to trigger growth. (6) Also, for efficiency and effectiveness, this workout is structured as a series of supersets.

Sled Pull-Through

• How to Do it: Face away from the sled holding the rope or straps in front of your thighs. Hinge forward at the hips, reach back between your legs, and step into tension. Drive your hips forward and stand tall by contracting your glutes and hamstrings.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Backward Sled Drag

• How to Do it: Face the sled while holding the rope or straps at arm’s length. Lean away from the sled and take small steps backward, intentionally flexing the quad with each step and extending each leg to complete lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12 per leg.
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Sled Push

• How to Do it: Load the sled moderately heavy — approximately 85% of your back squat one-rep max (1RM) (sled weight plus weight plates total) is a good place to start, although the ground surface and sled design will affect the amount of ultimate amount of weight you will need to use to hit the rep target. (7) Grasp the vertical or high handles on the sled with your elbows bent, crouch down in a lunge stance. Drive through your front leg to move the sled. Step through with your other leg and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12 per side
• Rest time: Rest two to three minutes before repeating the first exercise.

Sled Hand-Over-Hand Row

• How to Do it: Attach a rope or strap to the sled and load it moderately-heavy — 100% of your barbell bent-over row is a ballpark estimate. Plant your legs wider than shoulder-width in a semi-squat position and grab the rope tug-of-war style. Pull the sled toward you. Focus on pulling primarily with your outstretched arm by drawing your elbow and shoulder blade back. Rotate your torso and reach with your opposite arm to reset for the next repetition.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12 per side
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Sled Chest Press

• How to Do it: Remove the rope and adjust sled weight as needed. Dig into a stable, staggered stance with your hands on the upright posts. Push the sled as if performing an incline bench press. Keep your hands on the sled and take one step forward to stretch your chest and shoulders for each rep.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest two to three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Sled Hammer Curl

• How to Do it: Attach the rope and adjust sled weight as needed. Stand facing away from the sled with your arms at your sides and a neutral-grip on the ends of the rope. Keeping your upper arm stationary, pull the sled forward by curling the ropes toward the front of your shoulders. Take one step forward to reset with your arms by your sides for each rep.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Sled Triceps Kickback

• How to Do it: Stand facing the sled and hinge forward at the hips while keeping a neutral spine. Hold the ends of the ropes with your hands near the front of your shoulders. Lock your upper arms along your ribcage. Pull the sled toward you by straightening your arms. Step back to regain tension on the muscles and repeat for reps.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest two to three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Sled Workout for Strength

Developing maximum strength is predicated on moving heavy loads. The sled allows you to transfer kinetic energy between your lower body and upper body. This helps build total-body strength with functional, athletic carryover.

Strength-Building Sled Plan

During this workout, you’ll use leg drive to overcome inertia and friction, which will allow for supramaximal upper body pushing and pulling. Then, finish off the lower body with a heavy sled drag.

 

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Load your sled heavy for each exercise. Performing straight sets with long rests will help maintain intensity for superior strength gains. (8)(9)

Sled Hinge and Row

• How to Do it: Start facing the sled. Hinge forward at hips with a neutral spine. Hold the rope or straps with arms outstretched overhead and reaching towards the sled. Step back until you feel the muscles under tension. Row the sled toward your body as you extend your hips and stand upright. Think “reach then row” and “long then tall.”
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Sled Push Press

• How to Do it: Grasp the highest handles on your sled and lean into them with your hips and knees bent. Angle your body so your chest is at a 45-degree angle toward the floor. Your arms should be bent with your hands near your shoulders. Powerfully drive the sled forward with your legs and finish the movement by pressing with your arms. Step forward to reset and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Heavy Sled Drag

• How to Do it: If you have a sled harness, now’s the time to use it. If not, face away from the sled and hold the rope or straps firmly over each shoulder. Aggressively lean away from the sled as you walk forward by driving through your hip, knee, and ankle one leg at a time.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-8 per leg
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Sled Workout for Conditioning and Fat Loss

Although the sled can be used effectively for building muscle and strength, sleds were originally used for conditioning-type workouts for total time or distance before being adapted to other programming and goals.

It remains a highly effective tool for cardio training that can be adapted to lifters of all capabilities and experience levels.

Sprint Interval Training

Sprint interval training (SIT) is a bucked-up type of high intensity interval training. SIT workouts are 30-second max efforts with two to four-minute rest periods. This may be the best way to improve the amount of oxygen the body can take up and use (VO2 max). (10)

In addition to the energy flux that occurs during and after training, SIT can be a wonderful protocol for long-term fat-loss. Boosting VO2 max helps you to become a fat-burning machine because the ability to utilize oxygen is fundamental to aerobic metabolism, which uses fat as the primary substrate.

Intervals should hit a target heart rate of more than 90-95% of maximum, but it isn’t easy to sprint all-out while looking at a heart rate monitor. So, go by feel and shoot for the maximum intensity that you can sustain for the 30-second interval. A healthy and robust cardiovascular system is a prerequisite for this intense style of training, so be sure you’ve received medical clearance if there’s any concern.

Sled Push

• How to Do it: Load the sled moderately — a total weight 60-80% of your bodyweight works well for most. Grab the high handles on the sled and sprint straight ahead as hard as you can for 30 seconds. Recover with your hands on your thighs or on the sled.
• Sets and Reps: Begin with 6 x 30-second all-out intervals per workout. Gradually work up to 10 intervals total. (11)
• Rest time: Rest two to four minutes between each interval.

Sled Workout for Recovery

To be clear, there is no such thing as a “recovery workout” — at least not in isolation. Workouts are a form of physical stress. Physical stress cannot fill the role of rest, nutrition, and sleep. However, swapping a taxing workout with a less taxing one can promote relative recovery. Your recovery status will be better than it theoretically would’ve been had you hammered through the hard workout.

Other workout strategies to promote relative recovery involve programming exercises that stress different systems (e.g. aerobic rather than phosphocreatine), train different capacities (e.g. high-rep muscular endurance instead of low-rep strength), or target different muscles (e.g. small muscle groups rather than big muscle groups).

Better Recovery with Smarter Training

This workout accomplishes all the above for most lifters: It’s a different type of stress using different rep ranges targeting different body parts. As a bonus, sled exercises involve minimal eccentric muscle contraction, which is the type of contraction associated with increased micro-damage and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). (12)

This means sled training is likely less disruptive to your muscles. So, when you are beat-up or feel it might take a megadose of caffeine to get you through your planned workout, switch it out in favor of this sled workout.

Zombie Sled Walk

• How to Do it: Attach your rope or tow strap to an empty sled or a sled with minimal weight on it. Face away from the sled, hold the ends of the rope with your arms locked out in front of you, and walk. By holding the rope or straps high, the zombie sled walk trains your serratus anterior and hits quads harder. (13) As a bonus, it will get you some aerobic cardio, too.
• Sets and Reps: Three sets, performing each set until your grip begins to fail or you reach 300 total steps, whichever comes first.
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Lateral Sled Walk

• How to Do it: Stand sideways to the sled and hold the rope at a comfortable height. Drag the sled by sidestepping in a crossover pattern. Your trail leg progresses by stepping in front of the lead leg, then recover the lead leg by uncrossing your legs.
• Sets and Reps: Three sets, performing each set until your grip begins to fail or you reach 150 steps, whichever comes first. Be sure to complete one set with each side facing forward before moving on.
• Rest time: No rest before returning to the previous exercise.

Sled Pec Flye

• How to Do it: Face away from the sled and hold one end of the rope or strap in each hand with your arms outstretched to the sides at shoulder-height. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and pull your hands together in front of your chest. Step forward, reset the starting position, and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 15
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Sled Reverse Flye

• How to Do it: Face the sled holding one end of the rope or strap in each hand with your arms outstretched in front of you at chest-height. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows, pull your hands apart until they reach they are in line with your shoulders. Step backwards, reset the starting position, and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 15
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.

Sled Face Pull

• How to Do it: Face the sled while holding the ends of the rope with a palms-down grip and arms straight and level with your eye-line. Draw the sled toward you by pulling with your shoulders and bending your elbows, so your hands end up near your head. Step back and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 15
• Rest time: Rest one to two minutes before returning to the first exercise.

How to Warm-Up for Sled Workouts

Although hauling your sled and weight plates out of storage may be a decent way to increase body temperature, a specific warm-up for sled workouts ensures you are ready to perform at your highest level.

The sled-specific warm-up intentionally takes your joints through movements and positions representative of the various sled exercises included in the four sled workouts above. For example, despite the similarities between sled pushes and squats, pushing a sled is much more ankle-dominant than traditional squats, so  spend some time preparing your ankles and calves.

 

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The hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and trunk will all get some attention in this warm-up, which is designed to prepare your body for your best sled workout.

Sled-Specific Warm-Up

• Supported Squat with Trunk Rotations: Grab the handles of your sled for support as you drop into a deep, “ATG” (ass-to-grass) squat. Release the handle with one hand and reach up and out. As you reach, keep your eyes on your palm by rotating and extending your trunk. Return your hand to the upright and repeat with the other hand. Perform two sets of eight rotations in each direction.
• Deficit Push-Up: Place two weight plates on the ground slightly wider than shoulder-width. Assume the push-up positioning with one hand on each plate. Keep your trunk and hips braced in a straight line, slowly lower your chest between the plates. Push back to the starting position. Perform two sets of 10 reps.
• Resistance Band Three-Way Row: Put some weight plates on your sled to keep it in place and loop a light-to-moderate resistance band around your sled. Sit with your legs outstretched and your feet braced on the sled. Perform a low row by pulling your shoulder blades together and drawing your elbows to the sides of your ribcage. Next, perform one mid-height row by pulling your shoulder blades together and drawing your elbows back at mid-chest-height. Finally, perform a high row by pulling your blades together and pulling the band toward your neck. Going through three positions counts as a single repetition. Perform two sets of 10 reps.
• Standing Dynamic Calf Stretch: Stand facing the weighted sled with a staggered stance. Place your hands on the sled’s highest handles. Keep your back foot flat on the ground and lean into the sled without moving it. Move your shin forward to stretch the calf of your rear leg. Pause for one to two seconds in the stretched position, release tension, and repeat for reps. Perform two sets of 10 repetitions per leg.
• Pogo Jump: Stand upright and perform crisp, ankle-driven jumps in place. Use the landing to propel you into the next repetition. Imagine jumping rope without the rope. Perform two sets of 20 reps.
• Broad Jump: Sit back into your hips and knees to create a countermovement for your jump. As you take off and jump forward, throw your arms up and out in front of you. Absorb the landing with a squat. Step back to the starting position and repeat. Perform two sets of five reps.

Push Yourself to Results

The sled is a versatile and fun training tool that can build slabs of new muscle, accelerate your strength gains, support brutally effective sprint sessions, or promote recovery when you’re feeling run down. Stay consistent and soon you’ll become a regular Sled Zeppelin when you find a whole lotta love for these pushing, pulling, and dragging exercises. Just remember, sled training imposes unique demands unlike other weight training movements, so don’t skip the sled-specific warm-up before attempting any of the workouts.

References

1. Williams, J., Baghurst, T., Cahill, M. J. (2021). Current perceptions of strength and conditioning coaches use of sled tow training. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(3), 601-607.
2. Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., et al. (2019). Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 51(1), 94-103.
3. Wackerhage, H., Schoenfeld, B. J., Hamilton, D. L., et al. (2019). Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 126: 30-43.
4. Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D. I., Vigotsky, A. D., et al. (2017). Hypertrophic effects of concentric vs. eccentric muscle actions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(9), 2599-2608.
5. Carvalho L., Junior, R.M., Barreira, J., et al. (2022) Muscle hypertrophy and strength gains after resistance training with different volume-matched loads: a systematic review and meta-analysis. AppliedPhysiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 47, 357-368.
6. Schoenfeld, B. J., Vigotsky, A., Contreras, B., et al. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. European Journal of Sport Science, 18(5), 705-712.
7. Winwood, P. W., Cronin, J. B., Posthumus, L.R., et al. (2015). Strongman vs. traditional resistance training effects on muscular function and performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(2), 429-439.
8. Schoenfeld, B. J., Pope, Z. K., Benik, F. M., et al. (2016). Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(7), 1805-1812.
9. Keogh, J. W., Newlands, C., Blewett, S., et al. (2010). A kinematic analysis of a strongman-type event: The heavy sprint-style sled pull. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(11), 3088-3097.
10. Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle: Part 1: Cardiopulmonary emphasis. Sports Medicine, 43(5), 313-338.
11. Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-intensity interval training, Solutions to the programming puzzle: Part II: Anaerobic energy, neuromuscular load and practical applications. Sports Medicine, 43(10), 927-954.
12. Hody, S., Croisier, J. L., Bury, T., Rogister, B., & Leprince, P. (2019). Eccentric muscle contractions: risks and benefits. Frontiers in Physiology, 536.
13. Lawrence, M., Hartigan, E., & Tu, C. (2013). Lower limb moments differ when towing a weighted sled with different attachment points. Sports Biomechanics, 12(2), 186-194.

Featured Image: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock

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The 2022 Official Strongman Games (OSG) will take place on November 11-13, 2022, in Daytona Beach, FL. As a significant contest in the strongman sphere, the respective competitors will show off their strength and conditioning to try and capture a victory in East Florida. 

On July 13, 2022, the OSG organization revealed the events for this year’s contest over their Instagram profile. 

2022 Official Strongman Games Events Schedule 

Day 1 — Friday, November 11th, 2022

• Viking Press
• Farmer’s Walk

Day 2 — Saturday, November 12th, 2022

• Axle Deadlift
• Sandbag to Shoulder

Day 3, Finals (Top 10 athletes in each division) — Sunday, November 13th, 2022

• Car Walk
• Circus Dumbbell
• Atlas Stones

 

 

 

 

 

 

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At the time of this writing, the OSG organization has not done an official release that reveals this year’s roster of athletes. Names like Nick Best and a host of other Men’s Master’s division competitors are locked in, but Best revealed those additions on his personal Instagram profile. He appears to be a relative exception on that front. 

Similarly, the competitive divisions and their exact numbers are also unconfirmed. All that is clear is that the top 10 finishers in each division will advance to the Finals on Day 3. For the first time, the Finals will also include a third event.

If this year’s OSG is anything like the 2021 edition, it may feature these respective divisions:

• Women 64 Kilograms
• Women 73 Kilograms 
• Women 82 Kilograms 
• Women’s Open
• Women’s Masters 
• Men’s 80 Kilograms
• Men’s 90 Kilograms 
• Men’s 105 Kilograms 
• Men’s Open
• Men’s Masters 40+ 
• Men’s Masters 50+ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Related: How To Build Muscle: The Training And Diet Guide For Beginners And Advanced Lifters]

2022 OSG Event Breakdown

Here are some more specifics on the events that the competitors can potentially expect in Daytona Beach based on last year’s iteration of the OSG.

Note: The overall format, weights, and time restrictions, if any, are unconfirmed for the schedule of events. These details are primarily speculative.

Viking Press

A new addition to this year’s OSG, the Viking Press will test the athletes’ overhead strength. They’ll use an implement with either a straight barbell or parallel handles that are attached at the end of either a lever system or a landmine apparatus. The event may be about capturing one max rep or trying to finish as many reps as possible in a set amount of time. 

Farmer’s Walk

In another change-up from last year’s competition, the Farmer’s Walk will be a part of the 2022 OSG. A Farmer’s Walk typically tasks athletes with carrying two large dumbbells (or other implements) in their hands to test their grip and core strength. Usually, the athletes must walk with their implements for max distance in a set time. 

Axle Deadlift 

The Axle Deadlift might be the replacement for last year’s Deadlift Ladder. An axle deadlift is a variation where the barbell is several inches thicker than a traditional barbell, demanding more of the athlete’s grip. This event will also likely either be for a max rep or to attain as many reps as possible in a short time. 

[Related: The Best Leg Workouts With Bodyweight, With Dumbbells, For Size, And More]

Sandbag to Shoulder

The Sandbag to Shoulder will potentially give the athletes the task of repeatedly lifting a sandbag to their shoulder from the floor for max reps. A judge may give the signal for a good rep before the athlete can drop the sandbag and start the process anew. The Sandbag to Shoulder may resemble a stone-to-shoulder event where competitors have the same task with the same set-up but with a large stone. 

Car Walk

In the first return of an event from last year’s competition, the set-up for the Car Walk might be easier to predict. In 2021, the athletes had to walk a heavy car frame down a 15-meter course as fast as they could within a minute. Notably, this year’s Car Walk starts the Finals, while last year’s was featured on Day 1. 

Circus Dumbbell 

As the 2022 OSG draws to a close, the finalists should again see their overhead strength tested with the Circus Dumbbell. A circus dumbbell is essentially a larger dumbbell with a larger grip and more length. In strongman events, athletes often have the task of pressing the circus dumbbell with a single arm, either for a max rep or for max reps. 

Atlas Stones

In strongman tradition, the OSG will finish with the famed Atlas Stones. If this year’s event is anything like 2021, the competitors will likely have to lift six differently weighted massive stones onto their respective pedestals before time runs out. The winner is the person who lifts the most stones in the fastest time. 

[Related: The Best Shoulder Workouts For More Muscle, For Strength, For Beginners, And More]

A Host of Intrigue

This year’s OSG will undoubtedly showcase an assortment of fascinating storylines across the board. With a slight change-up in format and demands, mid-November 2022 in Daytona Beach could prove to be a doozy. 

Featured image: @nickbeststrongman on Instagram

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On July 13, 2022, over Instagram, strongman Mitchell Hooper shared footage of himself capturing a 184-kilogram (406-pound) log press for two reps. Per Hooper, this log press feat is a new personal record (PR).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Related: The Best Shoulder Workouts For More Muscle, For Strength, For Beginners, And More]

Hooper’s log press training is part of his preparation for the 2022 Shaw Classic. The Log Press is one of this year’s staple events and will kick off Day Two of the competition. The contest will take place at the Budweiser Events Center on August 13-14, 2022, in Loveland, CO.

Here’s the confirmed, current roster for the 2022 Shaw Classic:

2022 Shaw Classic Roster

• Trey Mitchell — Defending Champion
• Brian Shaw — 2021 Runner-up
• Mitchell Hooper
• Žydrūnas Savickas
• Tom Stoltman
• Luke Stoltman
• Oleksii Novikov
• Evan Singleton
• Gabriel Rheaume
• Aivars Smaukstelis
• Bobby Thompson
• Maxime Boudreault
• Konstantine Janashia
• Gabriel Peña
• Kevin Faires
• Jerry Pritchett

Here’s the schedule of events for both days of the 2022 Shaw Classic:

Day One — Saturday, August 13, 2022

• Max Hummer Tire Deadlift
• Super Yoke Event
• Circus Dumbbell
• Throwing Event (Bag or Keg)

Day Two — Sunday, August 14, 2022

• Log Press 
• Frame Carry Arm-Over-Arm Medley
• Car Leg Press for Reps
• Atlas Stones

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Related: How To Build Muscle: The Training And Diet Guide For Beginners And Advanced Lifters]

Staying Busy

It’s been quite an eventful past few months for the 26-year-0ld Hooper.

Ever since a promising debut at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) — where Hooper blitzed Group 2 of the Qualifying Round  and placed eighth in the Finals — the Canadian become one of the more noteworthy names in strongman. That WSM performance helped earn a Wild Card nod to the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic in early July, where he finished in second place. Now, with the 2022 Shaw Classic roughly a month away at the time of this writing, Hooper will have competed in three major strongman contests in just over two and a half months.

Hooper is staying occupied and diligent with his training, too. Before this new log press double PR, the strongman deadlifted a staggering 425 kilograms (937 pounds) for two singles during a late June 2022 training session. (His best-ever deadlift is 475 kilograms.) That lift occured before the Strongman Classic, but it could also help Hooper excel on the Max Hummer Tire Deadlift at the Shaw Classic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Related: The Best Arm Workouts For Beginners, With Dumbbells, And More]

A Tall Hurdle

According to Strongman Archives, Hooper has never won an international contest. If he’s going to change that history at the Shaw Classic, he’ll have to top some of the biggest names in strongman.

The field includes four-time WSM Champion (2009-2010, 2012, 2014) Žydrūnas Savickas, eponymous organizer, and fellow former WSM winner (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) Brian Shaw, 2020 WSM champion Oleksii Novikov, and two-time reigning WSM champion (2021-2022) Tom Stoltman.

Hooper has arguably already put himself on the strongman map. If he can beat these legends, there will be no denying his arrival as a strongman superstar.

Featured image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram

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On August 3-7, 2022, in Madison, WI, reigning five-time Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey, will attempt to become the most successful individual CrossFit athlete of all time at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games. To prepare for a possible sixth consecutive CrossFit Games title, Toomey regularly trains with her coach and husband, Shane Orr — who founded and owns PRVN Fitness.

With this year’s edition of the CrossFit Games on the horizon, Toomey saw fit to share a peek at the “World’s Fittest Women’s Garage Gym” on July 12, 2022, over her YouTube channel. While it’s not their only facility, Toomey and Orr regularly use the garage gym location to train. The gym is located in Nashville, TN.

[Related: The Best Bodyweight Workouts For Muscle, Strength, Conditioning, And More]

What’s in the Fittest Garage Gym

Toomey begins the tour by showing off a rack of medicine balls and dumbbells in the front. The gym is primarily used for PRVN’s fitness programming, and these pieces of equipment play a significant role. Per Toomey, there aren’t any 70-pound dumbbells because the gym’s space isn’t necessarily about maximizing pure power and strength. For similar reasons, the top weight of the medicine balls for wall balls is 20 pounds.

A Rogue Echo Bike flanks the rack of equipment. Toomey says she likes using the bike for its stability and because it’s a quality way to work on cardio in the event of any joint pains. Alongside the bike is a rig with a pull-up bar that lets Toomey perform some standard CrossFit movements like muscle-ups, toes-to-bar, as well as dead hangs. The rig also has J-hooks that can hold a loaded barbell, allowing Toomey to perform exercises like back squats and front squats.

Next to the rig, there are assortments of weight plates, an identical second rig, and a plyometric box. The collars for the barbells are magnetic and attach to the beams of the rigs.

The back of the gym houses a second Rogue Echo Bike and a Concept 2 BikeErg. The floor by these bikes has a pair of kettlebells, and the wall above them has some fractional weight plates hanging. There is a Rogue Monster lite rack that can fold into the wall for more overall space in the gym.

Finally, in the corner, there’s a rowing machine that can stand upright to save space, along with a pair of barbells. There’s a staircase next to the rowing machine, and a whiteboard in front of those stairs — which athletes use to write out training routines.

 

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[Related: Why You Should Be Greasing The Groove During Your Workouts]

The 2022 CrossFit Games Are Next

Toomey captured first place during the 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals. She followed that performance by winning her leg of the CrossFit Semifinal — the 2022 Torian Pro. Such output might indicate Toomey is ready to make CrossFit history and win her sixth straight Games championship. She might have to overcome 2021 CrossFit Rookie of the Year Mal O’Brien, who has been training with the person Toomey could surpass in terms of all-time Games wins — the retired five-time Fittest Man on Earth®, Mat Fraser.

Winning another CrossFit Games will be a tall task for Toomey, but it’s certainly nothing out of the ordinary based on her already legendary career.

Featured image: @tiaclair1 on Instagram

The post Tia-Clair Toomey Gives an Inside Look at the Comprehensive PRVN Fitness Garage Gym appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Hey folks, Board-Certified Health Coach Chloe Maleski is here to answer your questions about what to eat when PMS’ing or on your period. Struggle with cravings during that time of month? We’re here with guidance and support! Have a question you’d like to ask our health coaches? Leave it below in the comments or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

Daniella asked:
“Any advice for eating Primal when I’m on my period or PMS’ing? I do fine the rest of the month but get ravenous and hangry the week before my period and crave all the carbs. Then, during the first two days of my period, I just want to comfort myself with junk food.”

Great question, Daniella. The female reproductive cycle has a huge impact on our hormonal system, metabolism, and nutritional needs. This is yet another reason why there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to healthy eating and living. The optimal diet not only differs from person to person, but also for each individual depending on circumstances and wellness goals. Factors such as time of month, time of year, phase of life, health conditions, and activities all have an impact on appetite, cravings, and nutritional needs.

As women, our monthly cycle offers a wonderful barometer and starting place for touching into those needs and how they shift. While this may be most obvious for women who have a regular menstrual cycle, it’s also true for those who have entered perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

Some great news for all those phases of life: Primal eating sets you up to thrive and goes far to eliminate or reduce unwelcome changes such as slower metabolism, extra weight gain, and sugar and carb cravings. Indeed, many symptoms widely considered to be “just PMS,” “just genetics,” or “just part of aging,” are not predetermined at all! Sure, the hormonal and other changes that accompany our reproductive cycle are very real. Same goes for changes in that cycle over a lifespan and the impact of genetics on that process.

Thing is though, any symptoms are a sign of underlying imbalance in our body-mind ecology. Such imbalances are not simply the result of genetics or “what happens to us.” Our eating and lifestyle choices are a major contributing factor. This doesn’t mean we can fix everything through Primal eating and living. It does mean that we have way more power and agency than many realize. Choices and habits, over time, either align with our biology and allow us to thrive…or work against it, and against ourselves.

PMS, Period Symptoms & Diet

What’s this have to do with PMS and period symptoms? A lot! I suspect you already know this, which is why you’re here: Eating Primal, asking questions, wondering how you might fine-tune the “self-experiment” that is you.

As your question implies, we do not need to simply accept sweet cravings or other PMS and period symptoms as “the way it is.” Indeed, as a Primal Health Coach, many of my female clients report success in reduction or elimination of PMS and period symptoms after sticking with a Primal diet consistently for 21 days. Consistency is key here—particularly when it comes to seeing the most significant, most sustained outcomes.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you never eat food outside of Primal parameters. But to see the biggest results, sticking with the true spirit of the 80-20 rule is pivotal. In other words: Aim to eat real, whole Primal food 100 percent of the time while recognizing that life circumstances sometimes get in the way. Occasional off-roading won’t derail your wider efforts (so long as it truly is occasional); simply re-set and recalibrate by returning to Primal meals.

Eating Primal and still feeling PMS’y? You’re not alone and that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Some women do stay 100 percent Primal and still experience intense hunger, sugar and carb cravings, moodiness, and other symptoms before and during their period.

One reason for this is the impact of changing hormones. During menstruation, a woman’s serotonin levels are at their lowest.¹ Carbohydrates increase the availability of the primary amino acid precursor to serotonin: tryptophan.² In simple terms, this means craving carbs during your period is totally natural! It may also indicate that you are low in serotonin, and your body wants more of it.

This does not mean eating all the carbs will help, however—loading up on grains and sugars will likely make symptoms worse.

Still, the days leading up to menstruation may be the perfect time to increase consumption of healthy Primal carb sources. Think: yams, squash, potatoes, fruit, and moderate amounts of dark chocolate.

Turns out, our body is primed to do exactly that during the mid-luteal phase of our cycle, two weeks before menstruation. Estrogen dominates at that time, and we are optimized for glycogen storage.³

Yet again, our body’s innate intelligence for the win! Our job is to listen and, to the extent possible, adjust eating and lifestyle patterns to support and align with biology.

Of course, if your symptoms are particularly intense or even debilitating, you’ll want to check with your doctor or another licensed medical practitioner to troubleshoot other potential causes or underlying conditions. This doesn’t mean they’ll find anything wrong—but getting as much information as possible allows you to make the best-informed decisions.

You’re Not (Only) What You Eat

If you’re doing the above and still experiencing PMS and period symptoms, remember that Primal eating is only one aspect of the 10 Primal Blueprint Rules. Other key ones here include:

• Get plenty of sunlight.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Move frequently.
• Sprint once in a while (probably outside of period time, when your energy isn’t lagging).

I realize the last one, in particular, isn’t the most popular advice. But before you rule it out, give this a read and know that “sprinting” doesn’t look the same for everyone and is way easier and more accessible than you might think!

It also tends to move the needle when it comes to overcoming stubborn plateaus in hormonal and metabolic symptoms. Consider sprint sessions during times of the month when your strength and energy are at their highest. Then, come period time, shift into regular, daily movement that doesn’t leave you fatigued.

More generally, the above “rules” have a huge impact on our hormonal ecology, as do stress levels. If you’re eating Primal and still getting PMS or period symptoms, look there. Troubleshooting PMS and period cravings can be as simple as shifting to a Primal diet and upping your Primal carbs, getting enough sleep and sun, and moving your body in healthy ways.

That said, everyone is unique and your perfect protocol won’t look like everyone else’s. For custom-made support, consider working with a Primal Health Coach one-on-one! We can help you get clear on what diet approach and lifestyle practices are best for you. Visit myprimalcoach.com to learn more and get started!

Do you crave certain foods when PMS’ing or on your period? Has this changed since going Primal? Let us know and drop other questions for me in the comments!

The post Ask a Health Coach: Eating Primal on Your Period appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Andrew Hause has risen to powerlifting esteem largely thanks to his squat strength. A recent deadlift feat could point to a future where he’s similarly famous for the staggering amounts of weight he can pull.

On July 12, 2022, over Instagram, Hause — who competes in the 140-kilogram division — completed a 420-kilogram (926-pound) raw deadlift during a training session. The figure is a personal record (PR) for Hause and is 50 pounds more than his competition best of 397.3 kilograms (876 pounds) from the 2021 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) The Showcase Super Classic. Notably, Hause completed that top competition deadlift raw with wraps.

 

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[Related: The Best Leg Workouts With Bodyweight, With Dumbbells, For Size, And More]

Hause captured this raw PR from a conventional stance while using a mixed grip — where the athlete positions one hand in an underhand position and the other in an overhead position.

In the caption of his Instagram post, Hause references the upcoming 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro as his next sanctioned competition. That contest will take place at The Salisbury Center in Manassas, VA, from July 29-30, 2022.

Hause’s Recent Path

Hause showing off his deadlift prowess comes on the heels of a recent noteworthy squat achievement.

In early July 2022, the powerlifter completed a 467.8-kilogram (1031.4-pound) squat with wraps PR. He managed to do this while losing roughly 15 pounds a few weeks before the successful attempt. Despite the health obstacle, the squat mark likely shouldn’t have been too surprising given Hause’s history. With a squat of 456.3 kilograms (1,006 pounds) from the 2021 RPS The Showcase Super Classic, he is the current all-time squat Junior World Record (Raw With Wraps) holder.

An approximate week after he squatted 25 pounds more than that record in training, it seems the athlete is well on his way back to full capacity, as this new deadlift PR demonstrates.

Hause’s massive deadlift drew the attention of several prominent powerlifting figures on Instagram, including Larry Wheels, Phillip Herndon, and Eric Lilliebridge. Each of these athletes shortly congratulated Hause in the comments.

 

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[Related: The Best Back Workouts For More Muscle, For Strength, For Beginners, And More]

The Road Ahead

Hause has made the next imminent goal on his ledger clear. Per the caption of his Instagram, the powerlifter intends to surpass his best-ever competition total of 1,105.8 kilograms (2,438 pounds) from the 2021 RPS The Showcase Super Classic at the 2022 American Pro.

Notably, Hause needs to add only 20.1 kilograms (44.3 pounds) to his total to set a new all-time raw with wraps World Record in the 140-kilogram division. Lilliebridge holds the current record with a total of 1,115 kilograms (2,458.1 pounds) from the 2016 United Powerlifting Association (UPA) Iron Battle on the Mississippi.

At the time of this writing, it is unclear whether Hause will compete raw or with wraps at his upcoming contest. However, according to Open Powerlifting, the athlete has only competed raw once in six career contests. That said, if Hause can exceed both his previous best deadlifts and squat figures in training in some fashion — it seems likely he’ll reach his lofty ambitions.

The 2022 WRPF American Pro will take place on July 29-30, 2022, in Manassas, VA.

Featured image: @daspowerhause on Instagram

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Watch Polish powerlifter Agata Sitko compete at any sanctioned contest, and it’s easy to forget she’s only 19 years old. The powerlifting community got a recent emphatic reminder of this fact.

On July 8, 2022, during the 2022 World Games, Sitko (76KG) broke three equipped International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Records with a 195-kilogram (429.9-pound) bench press, a 261-kilogram (575.4-pound) deadlift, and a 726-kilogram (1,600.6-pound) total. By the time the competition finished, Sitko’s overall strength and conditioning helped her take home the gold medal in the 76-kilogram division. The powerlifting portion of the contest took place in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 7-10, 2022.

 

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[Related: The Best Leg Workouts With Bodyweight, With Dumbbells, For Size, And More]

Notably, in addition to her three equipped Open World Records, Sitko achieved a personal competition best in each lift. Here’s a complete overview of her performance in this competition:

Agata Sitko (76KG) | 2022 World Games Top Stats

• Squat — 270 kilograms (595.2 pounds) | Personal Competition Best
• Bench Press — 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) | Equipped World Record | Personal Competition Best
• Deadlift — 261 kilograms (575.4 pounds) | Equipped World Record | Personal Competition Best
• Total — 726 kilograms ((1,600.6 pounds) | Equipped World Record | Personal Competition Best

To add further context to Sitko’s dominant performance, she extended the three successive new World Records by a considerable amount.

According to the IPF database, Sitko’s new equipped bench press World Record surpasses Tetyana Melnyk’s previous mark by six kilograms (13.2 pounds). Sitko’s new equipped deadlift World Record exceeds her own mark by 10.5 kilograms (23.1 pounds). Finally, to put a cherry on top, Sitko’s total was 21.5 kilograms (47.4 pounds) more than her past equipped World Record of 704.5 kilograms (1,553.1 pounds).

 

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The 2022 World Games were scored on a pound-for-pound basis. That means Sitko not only attained the best bench press, deadlift, and total for the 76-kilogram competitors — she also had the highest score relative to her exact competitive body weight of 76 kilograms (167.5 pounds).

Here are the best stats and the final point totals for the podium finishers in the 76-kilogram weight class, per The World Games website:

Women’s 76KG | 2022 World Games Podium Results

1. Agata Sitko (Poland) — 119.12 total points | Body weight — 76 kilograms (167.5 pounds)

• Squat — 270 kilograms (595.2 pounds)
• Bench Press — 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) | Equipped World Record 
• Deadlift — 261 kilograms (575.4 pounds) | Equipped World Record 
• Total — 726 kilograms ((1,600.6 pounds) | Equipped World Record

2. Kelsey McCarthy (U.S. Virgin Islands) — 109.44 total points | Body weight — 66.6 kilograms (146.8 pounds)

• Squat — 242.5 kilograms (534.6 pounds)
• Bench Press — 170 kilograms (374.8 pounds)
• Deadlift — 212.5 kilograms (468.5 pounds)
• Total — 625 kilograms (1,377.9 pounds)

3. Francesca Parrello (Italy) — 106.25 total points | Body weight — 75.4 kilograms (166.2 pounds)

• Squat — 257.5 kilograms (567.7 pounds)
• Bench Press — 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds)
• Deadlift — 247.5 kilograms (545.6 pounds)
• Total — 645 kilograms (1,422 pounds)

 

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At the time of this writing, Sitko hasn’t confirmed when she will next feature in an official competition. The 2022 European Open, Sub-Junior, Junior & Masters Classic & Equipped Bench Press Championships could be a potential option. Those will occur in Budapest, Hungary, on August 2-7, 2022.

For now, it stands to reason the Polish athlete has earned time to bask in the glow of all her latest achievements.

Featured image: @theipf on Instagram

The post Powerlifter Agata Sitko (76KG) Captures 3 Equipped World Records at 2022 World Games appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a common issue. While rates seem to have leveled off in the past decade, they haven’t decreased—and they’re still higher than historical norms. As with any health condition that seem to “appear” all of sudden across society, we have to wonder if something about the modern world is triggering a rise in ADHD. Plenty has been written about diet and other relevant environmental inputs that have changed in recent decades. What about another, arguably more recent shift—technology? Does technology increase or worsen ADHD? To answer that, we have to go back. We have to look at Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in an ancestral context.

Living with ADHD Then and Now

A 2008 study found that among two rural tribes of Kenya—one nomadic, one settled in villages—those with genetic signatures of ADHD living in the nomadic (and more ancestrally aligned) group were more successful, having higher body weights and more lean mass (muscle). Their genetic drive actually improved their ability to contribute to the group and succeed in the nomadic, hunting, and foraging environment, whereas in the settled group those with ADHD signatures were lighter and less nourished.¹

What is this genetic signature? It’s a variant of the dopamine 4 receptor—DRD4-7R—that dulls the intracellular response to dopamine in carriers. What’s dopamine have to do with ADHD? Dopamine is often called the pleasure neurotransmitter, but it’s really the motivation neurotransmitter. Dopamine is a wanting chemical that compels us to seek, do, move, to make things happen. To do so, it triggers reward pathways in the brain using other chemicals.

When you “win” at anything, you get a hit of dopamine. The hit of dopamine is intended to perpetuate the action that got you the victory. It’s supposed to keep you pushing forward to greater wins and greater rewards despite turmoil and difficulty. For instance, dopamine raises the fatigue threshold during intense exercise.² It actually makes you stronger and more resistant to suffering and hard times, and not just in exercise but in business, hobbies, everything that requires effort.

This is where ADHD comes in. If dopamine isn’t as “effective” in a person with ADHD, they have trouble pushing through the drudgery and the early tough moments to see something through, whether it’s studying, writing a paper, or following through with an idea for a business.

The genetic signature in question increases a person’s drive toward novelty, thrill-seeking, and even food and substance abuse issues. In other words, it pushes them toward “easier wins.” This drive makes sense in a hunting and gathering setting where you have to be willing to expose yourself to dangerous situations, explore new locations, and relentlessly pursue food and sustenance. There are a lot of moving parts out in the wilderness, and the tasks you have before you are acutely stressful and intense. They’re closer to video games than studying for an exam.

That’s why the Kenyan nomads with ADHD signatures did so well and the Kenyan villagers with ADHD signatures did not: the nomadic environment is set up for ADHD and settled life is not. Consider consumer technology in the modern industrial world instead of rural Kenya or America in 2022. Consider what outlets a kid with ADHD would have had access to years ago and what he has access to now. How can a kid direct his or her energy today compared to 30 or 30,000 years ago?

• 30,000 years ago: Nature, foraging, hunting, exploring the surroundings, swimming, climbing, fighting, playing, learning about plants, making tools.
• 30 years ago: TV, video/computer games, classmates, friends, outside unstructured play, sports.
• Today: social media, smartphones, computers, tablets, TV, video/computer games, inside play, multiplayer games, playdates, travel sports.

Technology and ADHD

Today, you’d be hard pressed in many areas to find kids playing outside, let alone kids playing without any adult supervision. Their lives are manicured and curated. They have fewer “natural” outlets for their attention and far more artificial or technological outlets. And those technological outlets like video games and social media and smartphones are engineered to trigger the kind of “easy” dopamine hits that people with ADHD are so attracted to.

It’s probably not that tech increases ADHD. It’s that for kids with ADHD or a predisposition toward it, technology and social media create a self-reinforcing outlet, an easy source of dopamine without much effort, that can lead to ruin. Tech can certainly worsen ADHD. Technology use, especially at nighttime, has been shown to worsen sleep quality and quantity. This effect is pronounced in kids with ADHD. How much sleep a person gets has a direct link to ADHD symptoms.³ Technology use is also replacing physical activity, another risk factor for ADHD. The less you move, the less you play, the less you engage in intense physical activity, the more likely your ADHD is to express itself.

And as with anything, the problem with ADHD is how it expresses itself. Are you ignoring all responsibilities in life and playing an open world RPG video game for 15 hours straight as your life crumbles around you? That’s a problem. Are you playing an open world RPG video game for 15 hours straight while thousands of paying subscribers watch you? That’s a little different. You’re doing something you love and making income off of it. The material issues with excessive artificial light exposure and staying inactive sitting on a couch and avoiding any natural light still apply, but the life outcome result of being a video game streamer is superior to the outcome of just being a gamer.

As you can see, there’s a lot of nuance here. How ADHD is expressed differs a lot, even if it looks the same to an outsider. One major misconception of ADHD is that it prevents you from focusing on anything. No, what it does is make it harder to focus on anything that doesn’t grab you. If there’s drudgery involved, if it’s a slog, someone with ADHD will have trouble sticking with it. Remember how dopamine helps people endure tough situations, like in intense exercise? If dopamine doesn’t hit as hard (as happens with many people who have ADHD), drudgery will be harder to endure. Someone with ADHD can go into hyper focused mode if they’re really engaged with something.

The problem is that drudgery is part of life. Many things worth doing and worth learning require some level of drudgery before they start getting interesting or paying off. Technology, to sum up, can worsen ADHD and make overcoming that drudgery to get to the good stuff much harder:

• It can interfere with sleep, and sleep deprivation is a risk factor for ADHD.⁴
• It can be too easy a dopamine outlet, taking focus away from more meaningful and productive pursuits.⁵
• It can take up quality time a person would otherwise spend being physically active, which has been shown to improve cognitive and executive function in ADHD.⁶

People with ADHD want action. They need acute bouts of intense activity and engagement. That used to happen all the time in the real world simply as part of growing up and living. In today’s more indoor, curated, low-energy, arguably neutered lifestyle, real life action is hard to come by. The most reliable way now for your average person with ADHD to get the same mental fix is through technology: video games, social media, Youtube, TikTok, messaging apps.

That’s the hurdle you have to leap to lessen the negative effects of technology in ADHD. You need to bring adventure back into your life. You need physical activity. You need competition. You need intensity and, perhaps even a little danger.

Do you have ADHD or know someone who does? How has technology affected their outcomes?

The post Is Technology Causing ADHD? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.