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Amidst a stacked field of elite competitors at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Nick “The Mutant” Walker might be the biggest threat to Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Ellsbiay’s stake on a third straight Olympia title. In the final stages of his Olympia preparation, a recent update from Walker on his training progress shows he seems more than ready to go muscle to muscle with a bodybuilding great.
On Nov. 25, 2022, Walker shared a glimpse of his latest physique roughly three weeks before the onset of bodybuilding’s flagship competition. Per the caption of his post, Walker weighs a massive 262 pounds in the photo. With the 2022 Olympia set to take place on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, it’s distinctly possible Walker will only be putting some finishing touches on this stacked figure in the coming weeks.
This isn’t the first instance of Walker making headlines in recent weeks. In addition to the usual updates on his work in the gym over social media and otherwise, the 28-year-old athlete has been making the rounds on various platforms, discussing what he thinks lies ahead at the 2022 Olympia. That, in turn, has almost acted as a seamless way to track his progression over the calendar year.
For example, in early June 2022, Walker weighed in at a staggering 295 pounds. Then, in early November 2022, after taking some time to disclose where his progress stood, Walker shared that he had a body weight of 277 pounds. With his latest update on the account, this means the bodybuilder steadily cut 33 pounds off of his frame in roughly six months’ time.
Finally, after revealing he had recently reunited with his coach Matt Jansen, a confident and ambitious Walker minced no words about his 2022 Olympia outlook. He told bodybuilding legend and seven-time 212 Olympia champion James “Flex” Lewis he would be “Mr. Olympia without a doubt.”
Walker has undoubtedly stayed busy during 2022 as he charges headlong into his second-career Olympia appearance. After a stunning fifth-place debut in 2021, many assume he may only improve at the 2022 iteration. All eyes will be on the bodybuilder to live up to the hype.
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If you care about creating an aesthetic physique, then you have engaged in the quest of the coveted v-taper — broad shoulders and a wide back leading down to a slim but hardened midsection.
The “swimmer’s look” is often admired, and if you want to achieve it, you need well-developed shoulders. In particular, the lateral head of the deltoid gives your shoulders visible width.
Credit: Nejron Photo / Shutterstock
The trick is that this particular body part is easily overlooked and there aren’t many exercises that directly focus on it. The lateral raise is the prime boulder-shoulder builder, but the basic movement is often poorly performed. This useful exercise is great for improving your shoulders’ size, strength, and joint health, but you can take things even further.
Here are 10 lateral raise variations to refresh your workouts and provide your muscles new stimuli to help you get rounded delts.
The cable lateral raise provides constant tension and shifts the hardest part of the range of motion from the top position — in a dumbbell lateral raise — to the bottom, stretched position.
Switching the equipment from a dumbbell to a cable pulley also changes the stimulus of the exercise and delivers a serious deltoid stretch, which is almost nonexistent with the dumbbell variation.
When to Do It
This is a great movement for working on your general technique and your mind-muscle connection, improving muscle-growth at the same time. (1) Program this exercise the same way you would do dumbbell lateral raises — at the end of a shoulder workout or “push” workout. Keep the reps relatively high, use pristine form, and focus on the muscle burn.
How to Do It
Stand next to a cable station set to the lowest point. Grab a single handle with the hand farthest from the station and flex your abs. Keep a rigid upper body and raise your arm out to your side while keeping your shoulder blade down and your wrist lower than your elbow.
Stop around shoulder-level, when you feel the load shifting away from your shoulder and to your traps. Exhale and lower with control to the starting position. Start light and avoid using momentum. If the cable station is big enough, you can do the exercise with both arms at the same time.
Leaning Lateral Raise
The leaning lateral raise emphasizes the shortened position or peak contraction. Because of the leaning position, a portion of the side delt’s range of motion is not trained because gravity’s pull doesn’t significantly affect the weight, but this allows you to use a relatively heavier weight and trigger new growth. (2)
Along with the lateral head of the deltoid, this differently emphasized range of motion also works the rotator cuff muscles, notably the supraspinatus.
When to Use It
Even though you can use more weight than the standard lateral raise, this variation is best performed after your heavier compound (multi-joint) lifts of the workout. Use it as your primary lateral deltoid exercise of the day or in a spicy superset combining this exercise, which targets the peak contraction, and a delt exercise focusing on the stretched contraction, like the cable lateral raise.
How to Do It
Grab a sturdy power rack with one hand, place your feet near the support, and lean away at an angle supporting yourself from a locked arm. Hold a dumbbell in your free hand and lift the weight sideways from a straight hanging position. You can raise the weight higher than shoulder-level without worrying about muscle recruitment, because the goal is to emphasize the shortened range of motion which means your traps will be recruited no matter what. Make sure you control the movement speed to optimize time under tension. Don’t swing the weight from the bottom position.
Seated Lateral Raise
This variation is for the “accidental” cheaters out there or anyone who has trouble controlling a strict movement. The stable, upright position makes it almost impossible to swing your torso without noticing.
The bench support ensures strict form for better muscle tension and a complete range of motion to trigger hypertrophy (muscle growth).
When to Use It
The seated lateral raise is a great way to learn the standing variation without interference from the rest of your body. It prevents involuntary cheating, as well as helping to focus with laser precision on your lateral delts. Perform it in lieu of standing raises until you feel your form is impeccable or when you want to go heavier while still avoiding any cheating.
How to Do It
Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and assume an upright torso position. Raise your hands out to your sides, near shoulder-level, without succumbing to the temptation of swinging your torso or shrugging your traps to compensate for this more challenging execution. Lower the weights with control to avoid momentum in the bottom position.
Machine Lateral Raise
Some exercise machines can be scoffed by experienced gym goers for their simplicity or design, but the fact is that they can often be as efficient as free weight exercises for building muscle. (4)
Certain machines might not be as useful for improving strength or coordination, but as long as your primary goal is building muscle, you’re covered with a well-designed machine. It might be even better in some cases. For instance, beginners can find some machine exercises easier to perform that with barbells or dumbbells. Many machines are also designed to minimize interference from non-target muscles.
When to Do It
If you’re a beginner or advanced lifter, or just want to change things to refresh your workouts and prime new growth, give this variation a try. For beginners, machines are usually very easy to use and they can ensure proper form, so you’re training the desired muscles. Advanced lifters will appreciate the fact that machines will isolate and fatigue a specific head of the deltoid, more easily accumulating quality training volume for a body part.
How to Do It
Sit down in the machine and place your elbows under the pads. Raise your elbows to your sides until they are parallel to the ground, then lower them with control. The machine lateral raise can serve as a great teaching tool for learning to “lead with your elbows” and not your wrists, focusing more on the lateral head of your shoulders and less on straining the joints of your shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
Partial Lateral Raise
You’re used to light weights when you perform lateral raises, right? It’s time to shock your muscles into growth. Research has shown that using a limited range of motion can be useful for promoting strength and hypertrophy under the right conditions. (3)
Use a shortened range of motion to your advantage and provide the lateral delts something they never experienced to promote hypertrophy — very heavy weights and super-high tension.
When to Do It
Partial movements and “calculated cheating” can be beneficial, but should be reserved for experienced lifters who’ve already mastered the full movement with good form. If you’re using heaving weights just for the sake of it, and start swinging the dumbbells like a monkey with a pair of cymbals, you might trigger injuries instead of growth.
If you’re a gym veteran that has lagging shoulders, give this high-intensity variation a go. You can use it earlier in your shoulder or upper body push workout without trouble, because it’s a heavy-duty exercise.
How to Do It
Just because it’s a partial range of motion doesn’t mean you can just whack away at it without care. Stand up holding a pair of relatively heavy dumbbells. Keep your torso stable and rigid without swaying your hips. Raise your arms to your sides, similar to performing regular lateral raises. Stop at roughly half of your usual range of motion, when your arms are at an angle toward the ground.
Even though you’re using heavier weights, it’s still an isolation exercise. To prevent trap activation and emphasize you shoulders, think about pushing the weights to the side walls and not up in the air. Avoid shrugging your shoulders with the heavy weights. Do not be afraid of trying longer duration sets of 15 to 20 repetitions to compensate for the shorter time under tension.
Landmine Lateral Raise
The landmine is a versatile tool which can provide countless exercise variations, and the lateral raise is no exception. The thick handle will challenge your grip and the unique barbell path will train your core to a greater extent than other lateral raises.
If you’re concerned with athleticism or being functional while also increasing shoulder size, this variation will provide an effective upper body stimulus.
When to Do It
This unique single-arm movement can be used either at the start of a workout to prime you for a heavy pushing exercise, during a circuit combining different athletic attributes, or at the end of your session to focus on hypertrophy.
How to Do It
Set a barbell in a landmine unit and grab the sleeve with a palm-down grip. Stand tall with the weight around pelvis-level. Brace your core, briefly hold your breath, and lift your arm “up and out” to the side. Lead with your elbow to ensure maximum deltoid engagement and keep your arm straight. In the top position, your palm should be facing forward. Slowly lower the weight to its initial position. Perform all reps with one arm before switching to the other side.
Y-Raise
This exercise is often used in rehab or “prehab” because it is restorative and not strenuous on the shoulder joint, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for building muscle.
The Y-raise is an effective deltoid-builder and it will also reinforce other key muscles responsible for shoulder health, such as the middle and lower trapezius and the supraspinatus.
When to Do It
This variation is relatively harder than many others on this list, so you’ll have to refrain from using heavy weights. As such, use it at the very beginning of a workout, to warm-up your shoulders, or at the end of your session to finish the lateral head of the deltoid.
If you have a history of joint pain, or if basic lateral raises leave you feeling achy (in a bad way, not simple muscle soreness), then make the Y-raise your middle-delt builder of choice. It’s one of the least stressful movements on your joints.
How to Do It
Get an adjustable bench and set it at a low incline, around 30 degrees. Lay face down on it with a dumbbell in each hand, hanging your arms down toward the ground. Keep your arms mostly straight as you raise your arms up and out. At the top of the motion, your body should resemble a giant “Y” if viewed from above. If you can’t lift your arms until they’re in line with your head, reduce the weight. This exercise is not meant for moving heavy weight, so aim for sets of 10 to 20 repetitions.
6-Way Raise
The 6-way raise takes the basic lateral raise up a notch by increasing the range of motion and recruiting even more muscles.
This exercise, popularized by late bodybuilding legend John Meadows, is a combination of shoulder raises in various directions. It’s designed for complete development of the deltoids and trapezius. This is the variation you want to employ if you desire to build an impressive “yoke” — the muscles of the shoulders, upper back, and neck.
When to Do It
Consider this exercise if you have a bit of experience under your belt, after you’ve mastered standard lateral and front raises. It is a great finisher, performed as the last exercise of your workout. Try this exercise at the very end of a shoulder or push session, to provide a burning session and terminate the deltoids. It’s also the perfect fit when you don’t have time or energy to perform several shoulder exercises after your main work.
How to Do It
Sit on a bench holding relatively light dumbbells and perform a strict lateral raise, bringing the weights from your sides your to shoulder-levels. From there, bring your thumbs together while keeping the weights horizontal to the ground. Next, raise your arms over your head. Then, you have to execute all of these motions in reverse — lower your arms in front of you, then bring them to your sides, and lower them down straight. That’s one single repetition.
You can understand why it would be nearly impossible to use heavy weights. Each repetition is very long, so you can’t go crazy with the load, but it provides a very long time under tension for your whole shoulders and upper traps, which is amazing for muscle growth.
Barbell Upright Row
The upright row isn’t technically a lateral raise variation, but the exercise follows the same anatomical motion — humerus abduction, or lifting your upper arm out to the side — and it trains the same target muscles in pretty much the same fashion. Using both arms to lift a barbell will also allow you to use a heavier weight, triggering more muscle growth.
This movement does have a reputation as a “shoulder wrecker,” but it actually depends upon the individual and the context. It may put stress on your shoulders and wrists, but avoiding a close-grip movement and adjusting the range of motion can help reduce the risks.
When to Do It
If you want to embark on a muscle-building, bulking phase while lifting some heavy weights, this movement is perfect for you. The barbell upright row will recruit slightly more muscles overall, but it is still focusing on the side deltoids and upper trapezius. As such, you can perform it in a full-body workout, or during your shoulder or push sessions. More weight and more muscle recruited means that you’ll trigger a greater anabolic response from the body, leading to better growth.
How to Do It
Grab a barbell or EZ-curl bar with a shoulder-width, palm-down grip and stand tall with your arms straight down in front of you. Raise your elbows to the sides to lift the barbell while keeping it close to your body. Lead the movement with your elbows, like you would do with a lateral raise. Stop when your upper arms are around parallel to the ground or near shoulder-level.
You can often go heavier with this movement, but that doesn’t mean you should shift the focus of the exercise away from the key muscled. Don’t start swinging the weight up or excessively shrugging your shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades down and think of your elbows as the prime movers. Don’t get too crazy with super-heavy weights. Sets of eight to 12 reps will do the trick for building size and strength.
Rope Upright Row
If you have persistent joint problems and can’t find a way to safely or comfortably perform the barbell upright row, try this cable variation to enjoy the same feeling and benefits.
The rope handle allows more freedom of movement in your wrists and shoulders, while the constant tension from the cable allows a good training stimulus without heavy weights.
When to Do It
With this exercise, you can’t and shouldn’t go as heavy as with a barbell. So perform it at the end of your shoulder sessions, to finish off your delts. If you’ve been afraid of the barbell upright row, or if you have generally painful joints, think about giving this exercise a go. You should be able to trigger hypertrophy with a longer range of motion and with less pain.
How to Do It
Stand in front of a cable station set at the lowest point. Attach to it a rope, grab it with your thumbs pointed down and your palms facing your body. Drive your elbows up and out, as high as you comfortably can without feeling pain. Keep your elbows higher than your wrists during the movement.
Do not specifically think about your hands, just let them move freely so you can focus solely on your deltoids. If you want to get spicy, pause at the top for several seconds.
Muscles Worked by the Lateral Raise
The lateral raise is an isolation movement focusing on the lateral head of the deltoid, but other muscles also contribute to the exercise. In fact, no exercise can technically “isolate” a single muscle, it just emphasizes one. Here are all the muscles trained by these variations.
Deltoids
The deltoids, or shoulder muscles, are composed of the three heads, all attached to the humerus (arm bone). The anterior head is on the front of the shoulder, attached to the clavicle, and shares function with the pecs — internally rotating the arm, raising it forward, and adducting it (bringing the arms together).
The lateral head is located on the middle of the shoulder and its fibers arise from the acromion process of the scapula (shoulder blade). This is the prime mover during the lateral raise, because it is responsible for arm abduction (raising it to the side). Finally, the posterior deltoid, also attached to the scapula, can be found at the rear of the shoulder and is involved in externally rotating and extending the arm.
Credit: Paul Aiken / Shutterstock
When you perform a lateral raise, all three heads will contribute to the movement, but the focus should be on the side delts. Rotating your arm internally or externally will make the front or rear delts contribute a bit more, so you can also use that to target your weakness.
Trapezius
This big and strong back muscle, going from the base of your neck to the middle of your spine, is a big contributor to the lateral raise. The traps are composed of several regions having slightly different functions, but they’re all responsible for scapular motion and stability.
Your middle and lower traps hold your shoulder blades back together and down, while the upper traps are recruited extensively because the motion of raising your arm also involves raising your scapulae, to allow full range of motion. Unless you don’t move your scapulae at all, which is almost impossible, you will feel the exercise in your upper traps.
Supraspinatus
This tiny shoulder muscle is one of the four members of the rotator cuff. It’s located on the scapula in a cavity between the acromion and clavicle and it attaches to the humerus. The supraspinatus assists the deltoids in arm adduction and will be involved during the lateral raise. Having a strong and healthy rotator cuff is key for injury prevention, strength, and longevity. (5)
Lateral Raise Form Tips
The lateral is often butchered for the sake of ego-lifting and moving more weight. This creates the typical blunder of shrugging the weight up as your arms are raised, which uses the traps assist the delts.
The problem is that the traps will then overshadow the shoulders, because they are a relatively stronger muscle, which leaves the shoulders undertrained. Keep your shoulder blades down and limit scapular motion to a minimum. A good cue is to try to lift the weight outward, not upward. This will cue your lateral delts to be recruited first.
Credit: Kzenon / Shutterstock
Hand and arm position can also be difficult. If you’re not careful, you can very easily ask for the assistance of a closely related muscle: the anterior deltoid. The front delts are already overstimulated by many pressing movements, so it’s often best to focus on your side delts with this exercise. To do that, drive the weight with your elbows and have your wrists lower than your elbows at all times. You can even slightly rotate your arms internally (forward) to focus more on the outer delts. And keep your elbow close to in-line with your shoulder, not far in front of your body.
Finally, another mistake caused by ego is to employ excessive momentum. This increases the risk of injuries, recruits the traps too much, and diminishes the range of motion. Flex your abs hard to stabilize your upper body and prevent swinging. Use your shoulders, not your lower back, to lift the weight.
Raise Your Shoulders to the Next Level
The lateral raise is a must for any lifter who desires broad shoulders. Focusing on your side delt is the best way to get there and achieve the coveted v-taper look. If the simplicity of the classic dumbbell lateral raise isn’t enough and you’re ready for more challenges, include one of these variations in your training plan to get your delts to the next level.
References
Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
Peterson MD, Pistilli E, Haff GG, Hoffman EP, Gordon PM. Progression of volume load and muscular adaptation during resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Jun;111(6):1063-71. doi: 10.1007/s00421-010-1735-9. Epub 2010 Nov 27. PMID: 21113614; PMCID: PMC4215195.
Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J. Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review. SAGE Open Med. 2020 Jan 21;8:2050312120901559. doi: 10.1177/2050312120901559. PMID: 32030125; PMCID: PMC6977096.
Schwanbeck SR, Cornish SM, Barss T, Chilibeck PD. Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 Jul;34(7):1851-1859. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349. PMID: 32358310.
Schwanbeck SR, Cornish SM, Barss T, Chilibeck PD. Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 Jul;34(7):1851-1859. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349. PMID: 32358310.
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Many strongmen train in gyms that specifically support their sport. After all, Atlas stones, yokes, and farmer’s walk handles aren’t readily available in many health clubs, and most commercial gyms are focused more on the general population than strength sports athletes.
That certainly didn’t stop four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw and 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall from training legs (or at least attempting to) at a Planet Fitness in Colorado. Shaw posted a video of the session on his YouTube channel, which you can see below:
Since most Planet Fitness gyms don’t have squat racks, the pair started their workout with Smith machine squats. Thanks to the sheer width of their frames, it took Hall and Shaw some time to get used to the machine. In the end, they both worked up to five 45-pound plates on each side of the bar, even though Shaw had to hold onto the other end of the machine to execute his squats properly.
The duo also tried their hands at an abdominal crunch machine before moving to the leg press. They eventually loaded up the machine with six 45-pound plates on each side and another on top of the sled, which they moved with ease. Next up were the leg extensions, adductor, and abductor machines.
The final exercise of the day was a personal challenge between the two strongmen. They entered the gym’s circuit training room and performed one rep on each of the 20 stations with max weight, and the man who could complete all 20 in the fastest time won. Hall finished in 1:15.09, while Shaw was slightly behind at 1:19.
Shaw is in the middle of an off-season, but Hall is nearing a return to competitive strongman after five years. He’s getting ready to serve as captain of Team UK at the World’s Strongest Nation contest, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England. The captain for Team USA in that competition will be the 2019 World’s Strongest Man champion, Martins Licis.
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It doesn’t take much to convince most people in the gym to curl. If you want an impressive physique, an intense pump, and more strength in the gym, you’ll find time to do some curls.
Credit: Kzenon / Shutterstock
But with so many curl variations, which movement do you pick? And how often should you do them? How do you fit curls into an already packed training program? These are the questions you need to tackle, so you can make a more informed decision and win a one way ticket to Armsville.
To get to the bottom of it, let’s look at two classic biceps-building staples: the hammer curl, which is performed with a neutral (thumbs-up) grip and the standard dumbbell biceps curl performed with a supinated, or palms-up, grip. By starting from square one, you’ll learn enough to begin building your arms efficiently and effectively.
These two exercises may appear nearly identical, but the relatively subtle difference in grip is responsible for a big difference in results.
Muscle Recruitment
The function of the biceps muscle is to create flexion (bending) at the elbow and supination (rotation) at the wrist. The thumbs-up position of the hammer curl avoids supination and more specifically targets the brachialis and brachioradialis, while a fully supinated grip (palms up) emphasizes the biceps brachii. (1)
The brachialis is a strong elbow flexor, separate from the “main” biceps brachii on the front of the upper arm. The brachialis sits underneath the biceps, closer to the bone. It’s believed that targeting the brachialis will have the effect of “pushing up” the biceps to make it appear larger, not unlike wearing shoe lifts to appear taller.
This anatomical trickery may not yield significant results, because the biceps brachii is still stimulated to grow regardless of the grip used, but it’s worth a try. Hammer curls also recruit the brachioradialis, which is a relatively larger muscle running along the top of the forearm and over the elbow joint, near the lower portion of the biceps.
Credit: antoniodiaz / Shutterstock
The hammer grip also slightly emphasizes the short head of the biceps, while a supinated grip activates the long head of the biceps muscle more strongly. (2) Due to this, you will usually feel a difference in your arm tension when performing either movement. Both variations do work both heads of the biceps, but the emphasis is shifted slightly from one to the other.
Muscular Tension
The supinated grip puts the biceps into a slightly longer stretched position. This is why you usually feel tightness when your arm is fully straightened in the bottom position. The neutral-grip position of the hammer curl puts the muscles into a slightly “rested” position, rather than a long stretched position.
To create more tension in the bottom position of a hammer curl, you can perform the exercise seated for an incline hammer curl, which brings your arms behind your body. You can create even more tension using a supinated-grip curl by bringing your arms in front of the body by performing a preacher curl or spider curl.
Exercise Similarities
These two dumbbell curls are, fundamentally, similar. They require you to move a weight with strict elbow flexion, which brings the weight from your hip-level to near-shoulder height.
Targeted Biceps Training
The biceps curl and hammer curl are both isolation exercises, which creates motion at one single joint (the elbow, in this case). This type of movement is different from a compound exercise, which creates motion at two or more joints — the chin-up, for example, involves both the shoulder and elbow joints.
By restricting movement to a single joint, muscular stress is focused on the target muscle and isn’t distributed significantly across multiple muscles. This is why it’s important to use strict form and keep your elbow near your ribs when you curl.
Credit: YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV / Shutterstock
If you swing the weight and let your elbow get away from your torso when you curl, you create movement at the shoulder joint which can take activation away from the biceps muscle.
Technique Differences
When watching a lifter performing a hammer curl and comparing them to a lifter performing a standard biceps curl, one key difference will stand above anything else.
Hand Position
A change as seemingly simple as turning your hand one way or the other might not look like a big deal, but it’s responsible for determining which arm muscles are recruited and how hard they’re worked.
With a thumbs-up hand position, your brachioradialis is put into a mechanically stronger position to move the weight. The biceps brachii, while still recruited, is moved into a less strong pulling position due to the structure of the muscle, tendons, and surrounding structures. (3)
This subtle, yet highly effective, change in grip isn’t unlike performing pull-ups (with a palm-down grip) compared to performing chin-ups (using a supinated or palm-up grip). In this case, again, a simple change in hand position shifts the muscular emphasis from your back (with pull-ups) to your biceps (with chin-ups). (4)
Because the brachialis is only responsible for elbow flexion, and not supination, it’s a relatively stronger arm muscle. (5) This is why many lifters can perform hammer curls using heavier weights than they use with biceps curls. This also makes the two exercises very effective for supersetting together, performing a set of biceps curls until muscular fatigue and then immediately performing additional repetitions with hammer curls.
How to Do the Hammer Curl
Stand up holding a pair of dumbbells at arms-length, with your hands facing in to your center. Pull your shoulders back and flex your abs. Pin your elbows to your sides.
Curl the weight by driving your thumbs up to the fronts of your shoulders. Pause briefly in the top position before straightening your arms back to the starting position.
Form Tip: The brachialis, which is targeted by the hammer curl, responds very well to slow lifting speeds. (6) Instead of performing hammer curls with a powerful, explosive movement, slow down to keep that muscle under more consistent tension. Take three seconds to curl the weights to the top position, pause for one second, lower the weights in three seconds, and pause at the bottom for one second.
Benefits
The hammer curl allows you to use relatively heavier weights, which can help strength gains.
This exercise targets muscles not typically emphasized with other curl variations, particularly the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Hammer Curl Variations
The hammer curl is primarily defined by using a neutral grip or thumbs-up curling position. You can hit your arms with some variety by using the same hand position with a variety of movements.
Kettlebell Curl
This is the most common way to add biceps training to a kettlebell workout. By grabbing the kettlebell by the “horns,” your hands are put in a primarily thumbs-up position and you get the benefits of a hammer curl using a single kettlebell.
The kettlebell curl can be easily added as a type of transition exercise between larger movements, like squats or rows, or it can be used as a finisher for extra arm training after a high intensity workout.
Cross-body Curl
This single-arm hammer curl variation, sometimes called a pinwheel curl, moves the weight across your body instead of moving directly forward. This movement reduces the range of motion, which lets you use a slightly heavier weight.
The crossbody curl is often done alternating arms with each repetition, but can be performed with one arm at a time for even more time under tension.
How to Do the Biceps Curl
Stand up holding a pair of dumbbells at arms-length, with your palms facing forward. Pull your shoulders back and flex your abs. Pin your elbows to your sides.
Keep your hands level with your palms facing up as you curl the weights toward your shoulders. Don’t allow your elbows to come forward in the top position. Lower to a full extension.
Form Tip: Use a slow eccentric (lowering phase), taking up to three seconds to extend your arms, but drive up powerfully and raise the weight in one second. This will place the biceps under tension during the lowering phase and allow strong force production when lifting the weight.
Benefits
The biceps curl emphasizes the biceps brachii on its own, with limited involvement from other muscles.
This staple exercise is relatively simple to learn and program, making it an efficient exercise for any biceps-training program.
Biceps Curl Variations
The classic supinated biceps curl can be adapted to many different movements, adjusting range of motion, muscular tension, and other variables to provide a different muscle-building stimulus.
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
The preacher curl offers stability from the pad and prevents cheating by removing the ability to swing the weight. That makes this one of the most strict and most biceps-intensive exercises around.
The stretch in the bottom position can be extreme, depending on your flexibility. Reduce the risk of injury by working within your own effective range of motion and, if necessary, avoiding full lockout with this exercise to reduce strain on the biceps tendons.
Cable Curl
The cable curl is a high-tension variation that uses a cable pulley instead of free weights. This constant tension creates a greater trigger for muscle growth compared to dumbbells, which rely on leverage and gravity to produce resistance.
The cable curl can be performed with a variety of handles, as well as single-arm, for even more variety and growth stimulus.
Knowing the Best Curl for Your Goal
The great thing about this decision is that you almost can’t get it wrong. It’s not like choosing between a back squat or a front squat, which are performed very differently and yield very different results. It’s more like deciding if you’re going to put the cereal or the milk in the bowl first. The end result is basically the same, but you get to pick the order you prefer. However, there are just a few things to consider.
For Strength
If you are training primarily for strength, include more hammer curls in your program. Being able to get more training volume to the brachialis is going to give you more assistance in exercises like pull-ups, rows, and even deadlifts. Because the brachialis is a stronger arm muscle, you can use heavier weights for an even greater strength stimulus.
For Muscle Size
If your goal is physique-focused, work more on supinated-grip biceps curls. This will take the muscles through a greater range of movement, which is a major key for hypertrophy. (7) Pairing this type of training with some hammer curls using slower tempos will trigger major arm gains, while also making sure you have trouble lifting your toothbrush the next day.
Better Curls for Better Arms
Biceps training definitely doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be well-planned for maximum results. Now that you know why and when to use each exercise, you’re in a better position to design a routine that takes your arm workouts to the next level.
References
Naito, A., Yajima, M., Fukamachi, H., Ushikoshi, K., Sun, Y. J., & Shimizu, Y. (1995). Electromyographic (EMG) study of the elbow flexors during supination and pronation of the forearm. The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine, 175(4), 285–288. https://doi.org/10.1620/tjem.175.285
Jarrett, C. D., Weir, D. M., Stuffmann, E. S., Jain, S., Miller, M. C., & Schmidt, C. C. (2012). Anatomic and biomechanical analysis of the short and long head components of the distal biceps tendon. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 21(7), 942–948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2011.04.030
Kleiber, T., Kunz, L., & Disselhorst-Klug, C. (2015). Muscular coordination of biceps brachii and brachioradialis in elbow flexion with respect to hand position. Frontiers in physiology, 6, 215. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2015.00215
Youdas, J. W., Amundson, C. L., Cicero, K. S., Hahn, J. J., Harezlak, D. T., & Hollman, J. H. (2010). Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or perfect-pullup rotational exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(12), 3404–3414. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181f1598c
Plantz MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Brachialis Muscle. [Updated 2022 Feb 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551630/
Kulig, K., Powers, C. M., Shellock, F. G., & Terk, M. (2001). The effects of eccentric velocity on activation of elbow flexors: evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(2), 196–200. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200102000-00004
Baroni, B. M., Pompermayer, M. G., Cini, A., Peruzzolo, A. S., Radaelli, R., Brusco, C. M., & Pinto, R. S. (2017). Full Range of Motion Induces Greater Muscle Damage Than Partial Range of Motion in Elbow Flexion Exercise With Free Weights. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 31(8), 2223–2230. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001562
Pre-workout nutrition is one of those areas where people love to lose themselves in the minutiae. They obsess over what to eat, when to eat it, and how much of it to eat. Instead of just getting into the gym or out into the world and getting active and lifting something heavy, they read blogs and watch videos for weeks, searching for the one pre-workout meal to rule them all. They end up avoiding the gym altogether because they can’t figure out the “perfect” pre-workout meal, or whether they should eat something at all.
Even when you figure out what to eat before a workout, you can go too far. You know the type of guy. This is the guy who travels with a suitcase full of powders, pills, and packaged foods. He’s so wedded to the pre-workout ritual that he can’t skip a day—even on vacation. If he doesn’t get his 40.5 grams of waxy maize, 30.2 grams of whey isolate, and preworkout blend of superfoods he can’t operate in the gym. He crumbles without the perfect, most optimal pre-workout nutrition.
Don’t be like this. Let me tell you what to do so you can stop stressing about what to eat before a workout. Let’s simplify things.
General Rules for Pre Workout Meals
What you eat will depend on what kind of workout you’re doing, what your goals are, and what kind of diet you’re already following, but there are general rules that apply to everyone.
Keep things light. No heavy meals. If you eat too large a meal, you may have trouble digesting it, or some of the energy that’d otherwise go to your muscles will be diverted to your gut.
Eat foods you know you can easily digest. No surprises.
Salt your meals. Sodium is an enormous boon to exercise performance, particularly if you’r on the lower-carb side of things.
Powders are fine. While whole foods are usually ideal, for quick pre-workout nutrition, protein and carbohydrate powders can be very helpful and beneficial.
Include 15-20 g collagen and 50-100 mg vitamin C. This a great way to improve connective tissue health when taken pre-workout.
Protein and carbs are more important, dietary fat less important pre-workout. If all goes well you’ll be eating the fat on your body.
Oh, and you don’t have to eat anything. You can fast (it’s what I typically do). It’s just that this article is intended to help people who are interested in pre workout nutrition..
What to Eat Before High Intensity Interval Workouts
Since running, cycling, and rowing sprints and intervals burn through a ton of glycogen, most conventional sources recommend ample carbohydrates before the workout—around 4 grams per kilo of bodyweight in the hours leading up to the session. These aren’t “wrong.” If you’re a serious high intensity athlete training to compete or perform at very high levels, you should eat a good amount of carbs before your training sessions. That will maximize force output and optimize subsequent training adaptations. And besides, you’re burning through your muscle glycogen, boosting insulin sensitivity and opening up a ton of space for dietary carbohydrate to be partitioned.
If you train hard and intensely enough, you can even eat a big carb-rich pre workout meal and still reach ketosis after a session.
Unless you’re going for a specific goal and absolutely must avoid all carbohydrates, I’d recommend that everyone who wants to eat a meal before a HIIT session have 15-30 grams of fast-digesting carbs along with 30 grams of protein, half of which is collagen, 45 minutes before a workout. If you want to go a bit higher carb, get 40-60 grams two hours before in addition to the 15-30 45 minutes before.
Again: you don’t have to eat before sprints or HIIT. But if you do eat, this is what I recommend.
What to Eat Before Low Level Aerobic Workouts
The kind of low level aerobic training I recommend in Primal Endurance—where your heart rate never exceeds 180 minus your age, where you can breathe through your nose and hold an easy conversation, where it feels easy enough to maintain for well over an hour if you had to—doesn’t require much pre-workout nutrition.
If you’re metabolically-flexible or fat-adapted, I recommend fasting before these workouts to really boost fat burning and mitochondrial biogenesis. No need for food at all.
If you’re more carbohydrate-dependent, you can still probably get away with fasting, but you can also eat 15-20 grams of easily digested carbohydrates and 20 grams of protein. That could be a scoop of whey isolate protein powder, some collagen peptides, and a small potato or an apple. It could be a few eggs with a banana.
What to Eat Before Strength Training Workouts
As lifting can be a very glycogen-intensive activity, you can treat this similarly to HIIT or sprints only with a stronger focus on protein. If you’re going to eat before a lifting session, aim for 30-40 grams of protein (half from collagen), either from whey isolate or actual food plus collagen. Eat 15-30 grams of easily digestible carbohydrates, like bananas, rice, potatoes, dates, or other fruits. You could even sip on some coconut water.
Specific Foods That May Be Helpful Before a Workout
There are specific foods with uniquely ergogenic effects. that you should consider including in your pre-workout meals.
Pomegranates: A pomegranate extract has been shown to improve blood flow and increase blood vessel diameter when taken 30 minutes prior to a workout.1 Higher carb, particularly if you eat the seeds or sip on the juice.
Coffee: Provides caffeine, which has been shown to improve exercise performance. Zero calorie (unless you add milk and sugar).
Coconut water with extra salt and blackstrap molasses: This is my go-to “electrolyte energy drink,” providing potassium, carbohydrates, sodium, and magnesium. It’s a good way to add some digestible carbs to your pre workout meal along with excellent hydration.
What I Eat Before Workouts
I usually fast before workouts. It just works for me.
In fact, except for very rare occasions, either I go into the workout fasted or take 20 grams of collagen beforehand. Since collagen doesn’t directly contribute to muscle protein synthesis or affect mTOR or autophagy or fat-burning, I consider these to be fairly equivalent. The only thing that changes between fasted training and pre-training collagen is the collagen plus 50-100 mg vitamin C helps me fortify my connective tissue.
Anything resembling lower level “cardio,” like walking, hiking, standup paddling, and bike rides are all done totally fasted.
Before heavy lifting or sprints sessions, I’ll drink 20 grams of collagen peptides with some vitamin C. This isn’t to “fuel” me. The collagen provides the raw material my connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, cartilage) needs to adapt to the training stress and the vitamin C helps that collagen go where it’s supposed to—the connective tissue. This drink doesn’t contain many calories, nor does it provoke a huge insulin response that derails the fasting benefits. I’m technically breaking the fast because I’m consuming calories, but I’m retaining most of the benefits.
I favor collagen on heavier or more intense days because at my age, I’m most interested in maintaining the integrity of my joints. Having intact and durable ligaments, tendons, and cartilage is what allows me to play and stay active as I age. It’s not the big muscles, which are easy to maintain once you’ve got them. It’s the connective tissue.
If you’re trying to decide whether you should eat or not before a workout, I’ve explained the potential benefits of fasted workouts before. To summarize, fasted workouts can:
Enhance insulin sensitivity
Increase a biomarker known to correlate with muscle hypertrophy
Improve lean mass retention in endurance athletes
Improve capacity to perform without calories
Help you burn more fat and potentially lose more inches off your waist2
Keep in mind that fasted training isn’t optimal if your primary concern is gaining mass. It’s great for lean mass maintenance, fat burning, and even gaining strength and muscle provided you eat enough calories when you do eat, but for pure muscle hypertrophy and weight gain and absolute performance you’re better off eating.
It’s probably smart to try both pre-workout meals and pre-workout fasting to see what works best for you.
However there’s nothing wrong with eating actual meals or taking in protein/carb supplements before a workout, nor is there anything wrong with fasting. All that matters is what works for you—what helps you stay consistent with training, what gets you the best results, what makes training the most enjoyable.
Use this article as a guide, but don’t let it decide for you. What do you eat before your workouts?
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Madeline Sturt and Jay Crouch are the winners of the 2022 Down Under Championship. The two CrossFitters managed to pace ahead of the respective Women’s and Men’s fields to capture their Individual titles at the contest that took place on Nov. 18-20, 2022, in Wollongong, Australia.
On the Teams side, LSKD Gold — featuring Briony Challis, Christee Hollard, and Emily de Rooy — took first place for the Women, while Men at Work — featuring Noah Ohlsen, Saxon Panchik, and Chandler Smith — won out for the Men.
Here’s an overview of the top five finishers in each of the participating competitive categories at the 2022 Down Under Championship:
Here’s a quick rundown of the Individual results event by event from the 2022 Down Under Championship.
Event One — Randy
The first event gave the competitors six minutes to perform 75 snatches as fast as they could. The weight for the Women was 25 kilograms (55.1 pounds), and it was 35 kilograms (77.1 pounds) for the Men.
Katelin Van Zyl finished in two minutes and 40 seconds to win, while Sturt tailed just behind in two minutes and 52 seconds for the Women. On the Men’s side, Rees Machell (two minutes and 51 seconds) edged out Jay Crouch (two minutes and 53 seconds) by two seconds for the win.
Event Two — Nasty Girls V3
In the second individual event of the contest, the athletes had to work through the Nasty Girls V3 — finishing three rounds of 50 single-leg squats, 10 ring muscle-ups, and 10 hang cleans for time. The Women’s weight on the hang clean was 52.5 kilograms (117.5 pounds), and it was 80 kilograms (176.3 pounds) for the Men.
Sturt (eight minutes and 44 seconds) paced ahead of the Women, taking first place by 21 seconds. As for the Men, Peter Ellis (eight minutes and 47 seconds) bested Crouch (eight minutes and 50 seconds) by three seconds.
Event Three — John Cleary Shuffle
For this event, the CrossFitters were given 10 minutes to finish 11 sandbag cleans, a sandbag carry, nine sandbag cleans and a sandbag carry, and seven sandbag cleans and one sandbag bear hug carry. The Women’s sandbags weighed 45 kilograms (99.2 pounds), while the Men’s worked with 60 kilograms (132.2 pounds).
Grace Walton managed to finish her cycle in four minutes and five seconds for the Women’s victory, while Jake Douglas (three minutes and 31 seconds) strode ahead of a second-place Crouch (three minutes and 45 seconds) for the Men.
The roughly middle event of the 2022 Down Under Championship mandated respective time limits of 20 minutes (Men) and 23 minutes (Women). The athletes had to run 1,200 meters, then they had to do 12 rounds of four strict handstand push-ups, eight chest-to-bar pull-ups, and 12 squats. All of this happened with the Women wearing 14-pound weighted vests and the Men’s wearing 20-pound vests.
Marnie Sykes finished in 15 minutes and 19 seconds for the Women, and Crouch took the event win in 13 minutes and 57 seconds on the Men’s side.
Event Five — Regionals 12.5
Next, the CrossFitters had to perform a snatch ladder with double-unders during the Regionals 12.5. The Women began their snatches at 50 kilograms (110.2 pounds) and worked their way up to 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds). The Men started their snatches with 80 kilograms (176.3 pounds) and finished at 135 kilograms (297.6 pounds).
Christina Livaditakis won the event by completing the 87.5 kilogram snatch followed by 28 double-unders on the Women’s side. Isaac Newman won the Men’s tiebreaker over Douglas by working through 30 double-unders after a 130 kilogram snatch.
Event Six — Regionals 16.6
The second-to-last event of the competition was a doozy. It had both groups of Individual athletes ride 1,000 meters on a C2 Bike, do a 30-meters handstand walk, 10 overhead squats (70 kilograms/154.3 pounds for the Women and 100 kilograms/220.4 pounds for the Men), 500 meters on a rowing machine, 50 burpee box jump-overs, and five more overhead squats. The time limit was 16 minutes.
In what was undoubtedly instrumental in her eventual overall podium result, Livaditakis completed the entire exhaustive workout in 11 minutes and two seconds — 34 seconds faster than the next-best Women’s athlete. Meanwhile, Crouch started to cement his overall victory by concluding his workout in nine minutes and 17 seconds.
To cap the competition, the CrossFitters had one more gauntlet during the Regionals 16.7 event. With a six-minute time limit, they had to perform 21 thrusters (30 kilograms/66.1 pounds for the Women and 45 kilograms/99.2 pounds for the Men), three legless rope climbs, 15 more thrusters, two legless rope climbs, nine more thrusters, and one final legless rope climb.
To put the cherry on top of her competition victory, Sturt won the event with a sterling time of three minutes and 27 seconds. Meanwhile, Peter Ellis snuck onto the final podium by winning this event.
As the 2022 CrossFit season draws to a close, Sturt, Crouch, and the respective other winners in the rest of the competitive divisions can hold their heads high. The 2023 CrossFit season awaits, and they may well be riding a wave of momentum into it.
Featured image: downunderchampionship on Instagram
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Rongo Keene is the winner of the 2022 Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic (MVMSC). During the contest that took place on Nov. 18-20, 2022, in Reykjavík, Iceland, the Australian athlete captured his first victory since the 2016 Australia’s Strongest Man (ASM) contest.
The two competitors who joined Keene on the podium were Canada’s Maxime Boudreault (second) and Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted (third), respectively. For Boudreault, it’s his first podium finish since winning the 2022 Canada’s Strongest Man (CSM) in late August. Meanwhile, Melsted once again finished in the top three at the MVMSC after a second-place result at the 2021 iteration.
Here are the final standings from the 2022 Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic:
Here’s an overview of the respective results at each event of the 2022 MVMSC.
Event One — Rock Press
The weight of the six stones during the opening rock press event of the 2022 MVMSC ranged from 100 to 150 kilograms (220.4 to 330.7 pounds). In the end, Keene, Melsted, and the United States’ Jacob Finerty finished in a three-way tie for first place. They all successfully lifted the fifth stone, which weighed 138 kilograms (304.2 pounds).
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) | Tied-fourth
Pierre Motal — 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) | Tied-fourth
Ryan England — 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) | Tied-fourth
Event Two — Natural Stones
In an event akin to the famed Atlas stones, the respective athletes had to lift four stones ranging from 130 to 185 kilograms (286.6 to 407.8 pounds) in the fastest time possible. Iceland’s Kristján Jón Haraldsson lapped the rest of the field, being the only athlete to finish lifting all four stones in less than 30 seconds en route to the event win.
Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Four stones in 26.73 seconds
Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — Four stones in 32.17 seconds
Maxime Boudreault — Four stones in 33.21 seconds
Ervin Toots — Four stones in 34.13 seconds
James Jeffers — Four stones in 38.79 seconds
Stefán Karel Torfason — Four stones in 45.41 seconds
Vilius Jokužys — Three stones in 16.33 seconds
Rongo Keene — Three stones in 19.39 seconds
Jacob Finerty — Three stones in 21.74 seconds
Mika Törrö — Three stones in 24.97 seconds
Colton Sloan — Three stones in 25.12 seconds
Pierre Motal — Three stones in 25.96 seconds
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — Three stones in 33.68 seconds
Ryan England — Two stones in 19.9 seconds
Event Three — Hammer Throw
The hammer throw event — where the competitors hurl a 21-kilogram (46.3-pound) hammer implement as far as possible — finished the first day of the contest. Iceland’s Stefán Karel Torfason won the event when he threw his hammer 9.9 meters.
To start the second day, the competitors had to carry around the usual Husafell stone weighing 186 kilograms (410 pounds) in a circle for a maximum distance, with one rotation being 35 meters. Lithuania’s Vilius Jokužys ultimately finished on top when he took his stone 83.9 meters.
Vilius Jokužys — 83.9 meters
Maxime Boudreault — 80 meters
Colton Sloan — 75.3 meters
Stefán Karel Torfason — 70.9 meters
Ervin Toots — 67.2 meters
Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 58.9 meters
Rongo Keene — 51.4 meters
James Jeffers — 51.2 meters
Mika Törrö — 49.6 meters
Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — 48.9 meters
Pierre Motal — 48.7 meters
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — 45.4 meters
Jacob Finerty — 36 meters
Ryan England — 35.9 meters
Event Five — Stone-to-Shoulder Medley
In the stone-to-shoulder medley, the athletes had to lift four successive stones weighing from 100 to 145 kilograms (220.4 to 319.6 pounds) to their shoulders as fast as they could. Keene had the best result, lifting all four stones in 34.16 seconds, more than two full seconds faster than the next-best competitor.
Rongo Keene — Four stones in 34.16 seconds
Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — Four stones in 36.2 seconds
Maxime Boudreault — Four stones in 36.91 seconds
Colton Sloan — Four stones in 52.07 seconds
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — Four stones in 54.77 seconds
Ervin Toots — Four stones in 1:01.89 seconds
Vilius Jokužys — Three stones in 22.69 seconds
James Jeffers — Three stones in 22.73 seconds
Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Three stones in 26.69 seconds
Jacob Finerty — Three stones in 30.02 seconds
Pierre Motal — Three stones in 31.35 seconds
Ryan England — Three stones in 35.66 seconds
Mika Törrö — Three stones in 38.91 seconds
Stefán Karel Torfason — Two stones in 12.39 seconds
Event Six — Farmer’s Walk
In a slight shift from the usual farmer’s walk structure where equally weighted handles are carried, the competitors had to carry two differently weighted implements (137 kilograms/302 pounds and 142 kilograms/313 pounds) in each hand for the farthest distance. Finland’s Mika Törrö took his respective weights 35.88 meters for the win.
To kick off festivities on the final day of the 2022 MVMSC, the athletes had to complete as many reps of a 325-kilogram (716.5-pound) axle deadlift as possible within a 75-second time limit. Melsted paced ahead of the field by pulling seven reps.
Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — Seven reps
Rongo Keene — Five reps | Tied-second
Colton Sloan — Five reps | Tied-second
Pierre Motal — Five reps | Tied-second)
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — Five reps | Tied-second
Jacob Finerty — Four reps | Tied-third
James Jeffers — Four reps | Tied-third
Mika Törrö — Three reps | Tied-fourth
Stefán Karel Torfason — Three reps | Tied-fourth
Maxime Boudreault — Two reps | Tied-fifth
Ervin Toots — Two reps | Tied-fifth
Vilius Jokužys — One rep | Tied-sixth
Ryan England — One rep | Tied-sixth
Kristján Jón Haraldsson — N/A
Event Eight — Log Press Medley
The final event of the competition featured the log press medley, where everyone had to successfully press four logs with weights ranging from 110 and 165 kilograms (242.5 and 363.7 pounds) in the fastest time. Famed for his shoulder press strength, Boudreault was able to coast to the event victory and cement his overall second-place finish.
Maxime Boudreault — Four logs in 30.63 seconds
Eythór Ingólfsson Melsted — Four logs in 38.28 seconds
Rongo Keene — Three logs in 24.09 seconds
Colton Sloan — Three logs in 30.63 seconds
Ervin Toots — Three logs in 31.97 seconds
Ryan England — Three logs in 32.36 seconds
Kim Ujarak Lorentzen — Three logs in 36.37 seconds
Jacob Finerty — Three logs in 1:00.86 seconds
Vilius Jokužys — Two logs in 14.72 seconds
Mika Törrö — Two logs in 17.54 seconds
Stefán Karel Torfason — Two logs in 19.46 seconds
Pierre Motal — Two logs in 19.8 seconds
James Jeffers — Two logs in 20.86 seconds
Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Two logs in 29.58 seconds
The 2022 calendar year has been productive for Keene. With this victory in the 2022 MVMSC, the Australian athlete has now notched three podium finishes in five 2022 contests. Capturing a victory in one of the bigger strongman competitions might be the perfect cherry on top.
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In the Asian powerlifting circuit, Sen Yang has been a mainstay for quite some time. He’s a former Asian Powerlifting Federation (AsianPF) World Champion — both as an Equipped (2016-2017, 2019) and Raw competitor (2019). Of late, he’s been making a name for himself under the international strength spotlight.
On Nov. 19, 2022, during the latter portion of the schedule at the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Equipped World Championships, Yang successfully locked out a 440.5-kilogram (971.1-pound) equipped squat. The display of leg strength is an all-time IPF World Record in the 120-kilogram weight class, and places Yang alongside other unique competitors who captured equipped World Records at the same contest. (Note: As the final results are calculated, Yang’s exact position and finish remain unclear at this time.)
According to the IPF database and Open Powerlifting, this squat World Record for Yang surpasses his previous best equipped squat of 440 kilograms (970 pounds) at the 2022 IPF World Games by half a kilogram. Yang has featured as a simultaneous AsianPF and IPF powerlifter since November 2015 and has generally steadily improved in the years since. The athlete also appears humble over his latest achievement, given his quiet bows to the respective spotters for his World Record lift in the clip of the squat.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more notable results from Yang’s powerlifting resume:
Sen Yang | Notable Career Results
2011 AsianPF Asian Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place | First career full power meet victory
2016-2017, 2019 Asian PF Asian Powerlifting Championships (Open/Equipped) — First place
2016-2017 IPF World Sub-Juniors and Juniors Powerlifting Championships (Juniors/Equipped) — Second place
2018 IPF Equipped World Championships (Open/Equipped) — Third place
2019 IPF Equipped World Championships (Open/Equipped) — Fourth place
2019 AsianPF Asian Classic Powerlifting Championships (Open/Raw) — First place
2022 IPF World Games (Super/Equipped) — Second place
On a pure strength basis, Yang appears to have a well-rounded profile of power — even outside his new IPF World Record squat in the 120-kilogram division. Here are the athlete’s all-time equipped competition bests:
Sen Yang | All-Time Equipped Competition Bests
Squat — 440.5 kilograms (971.1 pounds) | IPF World Record
Given the versatility and competitive profile Yang has amassed at this stage of his career, it’s fair to wonder what else he has up his strength sleeve. If he can get a World Record now, he might have opened up a Pandora’s box of pending milestone accomplishments.
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Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving formally or just see the end of November as the beginning of a drawn-out “holiday season,” many people spend the day eating, drinking, and being merry with friends and family.
Credit: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock
While some lifters jump at the chance for a socially sanctioned cheat day, which too often blends into a cheat week once leftovers are factored in, others are on the fence about the potential effects such indulgence has on their fitness plans and hope to avoid counteracting any hard-earned progress in the gym.
Here are some of the most effective tips to get the best of both worlds — an indulgent holiday without sacrificing results.
Most lifters intuitively connect the dots between increased calories and increased exercise. On a cheat day, or any high-calorie day, it makes sense that you might be able to “undo” or minimize any excessive calories by pushing yourself harder than usual in the gym.
This is fundamentally true and mathematically accurate — trying to burn more calories when you eat more calories should create balance — so it’s important not to let your cheat day turn into a “rest day.”
Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock
A slew of research has shown that training after a large meal can help to control increased glucose levels. (1)(2) When blood glucose levels rise, the body often goes into fat-storage mode. However, the body’s physiological response to training can hijack that signal and re-route it toward building muscle or burning fat. (3)(4)
By stimulating your body with a good workout, you can essentially shift the physique-boosting odds in your favor when you know you’ll be hitting a cornucopia of holiday goods. If the thought of squatting on a full stomach makes you a little queasy, know that training before the meal, rather than after, has also been shown to be beneficial. (5)(6) Alternatively, taking a simple half-hour walk after dinner is another effective option. (7)
Whether you gather your cousins for a turkey bowl in the backyard or hit the garage gym for a quick lifting session, the key point is to make sure you get some focused activity or exercise when your daily calories take a jump up.
Program Your Workout for Better Results
If you do hit the gym for some lifting, it shouldn’t be a half-hearted session with your mind focused more on dinner plates than weight plates. To get the most benefit from a workout on the day of an extra-large meal, treat the session like any other rather than just going through the motions.
To burn the most calories in the gym and outside of it, you need to use sufficient training intensity and ample volume. (8)(9) That means working with weights that are at least 70% of your one-repetition max for multiple sets in the six to 12-rep range.
Ideally, you’d follow a full-body workout focused on big exercises like squats, presses, and rows. This will be an efficient way to train multiple muscle groups quickly and efficiently. If you’re traveling away from home and can’t find a gym, a simple bodyweight workout can still get the job done as long as you crank up the intensity with challenging exercises.
Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock
While cardio exercise can be an effective option, it’s hard to beat the intensity and muscle stimulation that weight training provides. (10) Any type of training can help make the best of a big food day, but if you have the opportunity, grab a lifting session.
Overtrain or Over-Reach
Another potential way to approach training through the holiday is to crank up your workouts beforehand, putting your body into a state of over-reaching — a short-term scenario where you significantly tax your body’s recovery systems before backing off, setting up a “rebound” that can produce major results. (11)
This could be as simple as squatting every day leading up to the big meal or performing the popular 10,000 kettlebell swing program. Whichever route you take, the general idea is to push hard with a focused short-term plan before the calorie surge, knowing that you’ll ease up and allow your body to adapt.
If you’ve already been pushing yourself for weeks or months and are feeling run down, you may not technically be overtrained, but you might be on the way there. (12) This would be an ideal time to dial back on the training in the short term, flood your body with nutrients, and come back refreshed and ready to tackle a new training plan.
Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock
“Relative energy deficiency in sport” is a complicated way of saying that some athletes consistently under-eat and/or train excessively, which affects their performance in the gym or on the field. (13) Adjusting their food intake, as well as their training program, is essential for correcting the hormonal problems caused by insufficient calorie intake. Going whole hog (or whole turkey, in this case,) can play a big role in addressing the problem.
Homemade is the Way
The Thanksgiving table might be the centerpiece of many family arguments ranging from “You’re dating who?” to “You voted for who?” but one of the less dramatic disputes might come from declaring the best dish of the night.
Whether it was Aunt Dottie’s pumpkin cheesecake, Uncle Elmer’s deviled eggs, or Cousin Eddie’s green bean surprise, you can bet it was something made with their own two hands in the family kitchen. It most likely wasn’t simply picked up, paid for, and unwrapped. Not only is homemade food typically fresher and tastier than store-bought dishes, but it’s typically less processed and made with relatively healthier ingredients.
Research has shown a connection between ultra-processed foods and increased fat gain. (14) Highly processed foods are also more likely to contain high levels of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium — a potentially health-damaging trifecta. (15)
When it’s time to finally sit at the table and dig in, dedicate more room on your plate to the foods made by hand rather than the stuff you can get at the supermarket. Even if it’s homemade mashed potatoes loaded with cream and butter, you’re ahead of the nutritional game compared to sodium-packed, instant-whip potatoes that lack both flavor and fiber.
Credit: YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV / Shutterstock
The same principle holds especially true for desserts. Store-bought cakes, pies, and cookies fall exactly in line with the types of ultra-processed foods that should be on your own personal no-fly list. Even the most decadent homemade pecan pie topped with fresh maple-infused whipped cream would be a better nutritional choice than any off-the-shelf “defrost and serve” pies.
Because the homemade goods are reliably tastier (unless you’re dealing with an atrocious home cook), you’ll be more likely to actually savor and enjoy each bite, making a second or third slice entirely unnecessary.
Put More Protein and Vegetables on the Plate
This tip is a bit obvious, but if there’s one reliable way to set yourself up for minimal fat gain, around the holidays and year-round, it’s to focus on eating more protein and vegetables and less of anything else.
A higher protein intake has been associated with a lower rate of fat gain, even with significant calorie intake. (16) Getting enough protein will also boost your recovery from the tough workout you were sure to complete before eating.
Credit: Brent Hofacker / Shutterstock
The order in which you eat the food on your plate is an extremely simple yet overlooked way to improve your nutrition. You can control post-dinner blood sugar levels by essentially “padding” your stomach with protein and vegetables before carb-laden foods like potatoes or oven-fresh dinner rolls. (17)
When you sit down to dinner, be sure to grab a generous portion of the bird, but don’t forget to pile on the roasted Brussels sprouts and honey-glazed carrots before getting to the stuffing or yams.
Go Easy on the Drinks
Holiday season or not, most dedicated lifters understand that alcohol intake is generally counterproductive to any physique goals.
Credit: Africa Studio / Shutterstock
Not only does drinking booze impact sleep and recovery, which affects your training, but certain cocktails and hoppy IPAs contain as many calories, or more, as regular soda. The same people in the gym who wouldn’t dream of downing a bottle of sugar-filled pop with dinner sometimes don’t hesitate to throw back a DIPA (double IPA) or a sugary cocktail (or two).
If you are going to imbibe, and it’s certainly ok if you do, stick to lower-calorie options. Mix liquor with soda water or diet soda instead of high-calorie mixers. Or opt for a beer with a lower alcohol percentage (5% or less). Plenty of breweries like Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Brooklyn Brewery, and even Budweiser make both low-calorie and non-alcoholic options.
Indulging in an adult beverage may be tempting around the holidays, but one of the simplest ways to stick to your fitness goals is to limit your drinking to the bare minimum. If that minimum is zero, even better.
Alcohol intake is shown to be associated with fat gain, so it makes sense that limiting your liquor can help keep you on the nutritional straight and narrow. (18) Of all the food-based debauchery Thanksgiving offers, monitoring or outright restricting your alcohol intake is the simplest way to avoid going too far off the rails from your standard diet plan.
Most of All, Enjoy
Thanksgiving is often seen as the first snowball in an avalanche of holiday parties, each one making it more and more difficult to stick to a rigid training schedule, let alone keep some semblance of dietary discipline. But, take a breath.
As the saying goes, “how you eat from November to December is less important than how you eat from December to November.” If you’re truly consistent for 48 or 50 weeks out of the year, then you won’t be pulled too far from center over the holidays.
When you’re dialed in to your plan the majority of the time, you can indulge in (and potentially benefit from) what researchers tantalizingly call “planned hedonic deviations,” or cheat days. (19) When you spend that day being de-stressed, not distressed, around friends and family, then it’s all the more worthwhile.
Credit: Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock
Unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder whose contest is the day after Thanksgiving, you probably don’t have to worry too much about overdoing the big meal. Apply as many of the previous tips as possible, for sure, but ultimately you don’t have to be “that person” who brings a baggie of low-carb beef jerky to the dinner table or who says “no thanks” to grandma’s handmade cookies.
Let the Season Begin
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be too stressful. Okay, actually, it probably does when you factor in traveling, inevitable family drama, and marking the tip of the iceberg that is that holiday season. But at least now, you don’t have to worry about derailing your progress in the gym. So that’s one stress you can take off your plate, which conveniently leaves a little more room for turkey.
References
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Borror, A., Zieff, G., Battaglini, C., & Stoner, L. (2018). The Effects of Postprandial Exercise on Glucose Control in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(6), 1479–1491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0864-x
Fujita, S., Rasmussen, B. B., Cadenas, J. G., Grady, J. J., & Volpi, E. (2006). Effect of insulin on human skeletal muscle protein synthesis is modulated by insulin-induced changes in muscle blood flow and amino acid availability. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 291(4), E745–E754. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00271.2005
Ross, R., Janssen, I., Dawson, J., Kungl, A. M., Kuk, J. L., Wong, S. L., Nguyen-Duy, T. B., Lee, S., Kilpatrick, K., & Hudson, R. (2004). Exercise-induced reduction in obesity and insulin resistance in women: a randomized controlled trial. Obesity research, 12(5), 789–798. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2004.95
Katsanos, C. S., & Moffatt, R. J. (2004). Acute effects of premeal versus postmeal exercise on postprandial hypertriglyceridemia. Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, 14(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1097/00042752-200401000-00006
Bittel, A. J., Bittel, D. C., Mittendorfer, B., Patterson, B. W., Okunade, A. L., Abumrad, N. A., Reeds, D. N., & Cade, W. T. (2021). A Single Bout of Premeal Resistance Exercise Improves Postprandial Glucose Metabolism in Obese Men with Prediabetes. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 53(4), 694–703. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002538
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As a powerlifter, Daria Rusanenko first made her hay in her native Ukraine, winning several contests of the Sub-Juniors and Teen variety in the mid-2010s. Years later, as a seasoned competitor and if her latest performance says anything meaningful — the athlete could be ready for a significant breakthrough to bona fide strength sports stardom.
On Nov. 19, 2022, during the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Equipped World Championships in Viborg, Denmark, Rusanenko captured a 275.5-kilogram (607.4-pound) equipped squat. Rusanenko entered the competition as an 84-kilogram Juniors competitor, making her top squat a Juniors and Open all-time IPF World Record in the same division. (Note: At the time of this writing, it is unclear precisely where Rusanenko finished in her category, as results continue to be tabulated.)
This squat performance isn’t the first time Rusanenko has turned heads with a record mark on an international stage.
According to the IPF database, the athlete is also the Sub-Juniors squat IPF World Record holder in both the 76-kilogram (240 kilograms/529.1 pounds) and the 84-kilogram divisions (225 kilograms/496 pounds). The first leg strength milestone occurred during the 2019 IPF World Juniors & Sub-Juniors Championships, while the latter happened at the 2019 iteration of the IPF Equipped World Championships. Suffice it to say: This young powerlifter has already demonstrated plenty of leg power in the recent past.
Here’s an overview of Rusanenko’s all-time equipped competition bests:
On a competitive basis, over an approximate seven-year career, Rusanenko can boast 17 victories with nine other podium finishes. Here’s an overview of some of her more notable contest results:
Daria Rusanenko | Notable Career Results
2015 UkrainePF Donetsk Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place | First career victory
2016 UkrainePF Ukrainian Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place
2017 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Classic Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
2017, 2019 EPF European Equipped Powerlifting Championships(Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place
2017, 2019 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — Second place (2017) | First place (2019)
2019 EPF European Equipped Powerlifting Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place
2019 IPF World Juniors & Sub-Juniors Championships (Sub-Juniors/Equipped) — First place
2020-2021 UkrainePF Ukraine Powerlifting Championships (Open/Equipped) — First place
At the time of this writing, Rusanenko doesn’t appear to have a consistent social media presence, making it unclear what her future plans for any competitions resemble. Though, given her equipped prowess, it’s probably fair to expect another resounding result — one that might include another World Record — the next time she steps on a sanctioned platform.
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Pre-workout nutrition is one of those areas where people love to lose themselves in the minutiae. They obsess over what to eat, when to eat it, and how much of it to eat. Instead of just getting into the gym or out into the world and getting active and lifting something heavy, they read blogs and watch videos for weeks, searching for the one pre-workout meal to rule them all. They end up avoiding the gym altogether because they can’t figure out the “perfect” pre-workout meal, or whether they should eat something at all.
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