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On June 27, 2022, Olympic weightlifter Kate Vibert (formerly Katherine Nye) recorded a 162-kilogram (356-pound) front squat during a training session. According to the Team USA athlete — who most recently competed at 76 kilograms — the front squat rep is a new personal record (PR) by two kilograms (4.4 pounds). Vibert wore a lifting belt and knee wraps while capturing this strength feat.
Vibert’s display of her front squat prowess comes on the heels of another staggering squat, albeit of a different variation. In late April 2022, the American weightlifter scored a 186-kilogram (410-pound) back squat for another PR.
As a weightlifter, Vibert doesn’t have to specifically focus on the front squat (which generally isn’t a part of formal strength sports competitions) or the back squat. As a result, that might make her display of leg power even more noteworthy.
In her Instagram post, Vibert referenced her coach Spencer Arnold after capturing the new top front squat.
“… Always ask for forgiveness and not permission,” Vibert wrote. “I apologize [Spencer Arnold], but ya girl made it happen, so you can’t be too mad.”
Arnold officially began working as Vibert’s coach in March 2021. Several months later, in her first-ever Olympics, Arnold helped Vibert capture a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Front Squat Olympic Connection
While the front squat isn’t a competition lift in weightlifting, it has direct carry over to the snatch and clean & jerk (the two competition lifts). Not only does a quality front squat help with the eventual lockout of the clean movement in the clean & jerk, but it can also help stabilize the back muscles and improve posture when pulling from the floor.
Vibert won’t have to deploy an official front squat in any of her competitions, but it makes sense that she finds time to train it, given its potential translation to her primary movements. A robust front squat could assist Vibert as she continues to push for new heights during her professional career.
Much of Vibert’s current training is part of her ongoing preparation for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) moves to reorganize its weight classes for that competition — in turn dissolving the 76-kilogram division — Vibert has stated she will compete at her past category of 71 kilograms moving forward.
The American athlete has plenty of time to prepare for her next Olympics as the Paris edition is still roughly two years away. In all its forms, her squat training might be a part of another outstanding achievement in the future.
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Some lifters believe the more they work out, the better their results will be. That might mean training every day of the week or grinding out monstrous three-hour sessions in the gym. However, to paraphrase a warning from the philosopher B.I.G. — mo’ training, mo’ problems.
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Excessive training is a good way to burnout and pile up injuries. But here’s an important point: excessive isn’t always the same as more. You can walk the line between “a lot” and “too much” if you follow a few key principles. You can even train twice a day if you know what you’re doing. Lucky for you, when you’re done reading this, you will know what you’re doing.
The phrase “two-a-days” might give some high school or college athletes flashbacks of yelling coaches, sweat-soaked practices, and all-around good times. But in this context, we’re talking about performing two workouts per training day instead of one more traditional workout.
Two-a-day training requires precise attention to program design for the workouts and, possibly more important, the resting periods. Training twice per day isn’t a method for beginners and it isn’t for lifters who freestyle their training when they walk through the gym door each day.
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Training twice a day requires you to not only know in advance what you’ll be doing in each session, but it requires that you actually follow the plan and improvise as little as possible.
This method has been a reliable approach for traditional sports athletes, strength athletes, and physique competitors because it can optimize performance and recovery, resulting in a greater net benefit than a more conventional approach to training. (1)(2)
Two-a-day workouts can be tailored to emphasize skill, strength, muscle size, or fat loss depending on the exercise choices, sets, reps, and intensities of each training session.
It’s also important to recognize that performing two workouts per day isn’t the same as performing two workouts every day. Just like with conventional training, rest days are necessary, likely more so for obvious reasons.
Benefits of Two-A-Day Workouts
Training twice in one day may seem like something only professional athletes need to do, but plenty of recreational lifters can benefit from hitting two training sessions in one day.
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Not only can it provide an exciting and engaging change of pace, it can yield a serious boost to strength and muscle when properly programmed. Here are more reasons to consider two-a-days.
Shorter Workouts
Performing two workouts per day may not initially sound like a time-saver, but it’s essentially based around performing brief workouts. It can be easier to schedule into your training day when you use basic at-home workouts instead of making multiple trips to the gym. You can also chop up one longer session with into two separate, faster paced minute workouts.
Whether it’s one quick training session before work and one after work or capitalizing on a free weekend to swing by the gym in the morning and afternoon, shorter, more frequent workouts can often fit better into a hectic weekly schedule because they offer more flexibility and can be “squeezed in” without sacrificing effectiveness.
Improved Performance
Two training sessions per day, targeting the same body parts in each session, has been shown to increase strength gains compared to one session per day. (3)(4) This makes it an ideal technique when the goal is to increase strength and power.
Shorter workouts combined with relatively lower volume per session allows a greater focus on form and power output with less cumulative fatigue during the workout. This lets you focus on maximum performance without worrying about pacing yourself throughout a longer workout.
More Muscle
When you dial in the correct balance of training stimulus and recovery methods, you put your body in an ideal position to build more muscle. Research has shown that increased training frequency can lead to increased muscle growth because weight training stimulates protein synthesis, which is ultimately responsible for adding new muscle (5)
Training twice per day certainly falls under the high-frequency umbrella. When supported by proper nutrition to encourage muscle growth, two-a-day sessions can be a highly effective approach for packing on size.
Drawbacks of Two-A-Day Workouts
Training twice a day has the potential to become too much to recover from if the training and recovery methods are improperly planned or planned well and not followed.
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Two-a-days aren’t suitable for every lifter. The most significant requirement is an ability to follow a predetermined plan and stray from the program as little as possible. There are a few other potential issues.
They’re Time Consuming
As counterintuitive as it sounds, two-a-day workouts can be time-saving because the workouts are typically brief. However, they can also be difficult to schedule if you’re unable to train at home, if your gym is a relatively long distance away, or if your work hours are exceptionally long.
It’s a tired cliche to say “if you want it bad enough, you’ll find time.” The fact is, not everyone can feasibly perform two workouts per day. As much as the training session itself can be shorter than a standard workout, it still requires twice as much planning and preparation. Having the most basic equipment at home can make it more likely, but this approach isn’t for everyone.
Recovery is Essential
Recovering from any training session is essential for progress. Recovering from two-a-day sessions is even more important to avoid digging a deep hole of muscular stress that you can’t crawl out of.
When you’re training twice a day, your nutrition plan needs to deliver enough total calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats to allow optimal performance in each session and deliver a net-positive result in strength and muscle. (6)
Time spent between workouts should, ideally, be non-strenuous. If you work a high-activity manual labor job and plan on training twice a day, your baseline physical stress is already increased and fitting in added training sessions requires that much more attention.
No Ego Allowed
Allowing your ego to get in the way during a workout is almost always a bad idea but, okay, it happens. In a normal workout, presuming you get away injury-free, there’s no real harm done with a spontaneous extra-heavy set once in a while.
But when you’re training twice a day, that extra work comes with an extra recovery cost because you’ll have more effort to recover from with just a few hours before your next training session. If you’re the type of lifter who has trouble ignoring that little devil on your shoulder telling you to pile on an extra plate, you’ll probably run into issues with two-a-days.
Who Should Do Two-A-Day Workouts
Two-a-day training isn’t reserved for elite athletes. Whether you’re looking for a short-term change of pace or a restructuring of your training plan, you can use two-a-day workouts for a bump in size and strength.
Strength Athletes
Competitive strength athletes — powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters, strongmen and strongwomen, and CrossFit athletes — have frequently broken their training days into multiple sessions, often using each separate workout to focus on a specific lift or type of training.
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Recreational lifters who don’t compete but want to prioritize strength can also benefit from a similar approach. For example, you might perform only deadlifts in one workout followed hours later by less intensive back and hamstring exercises.
Training for Body Composition
If you’re trying to put on muscle, training twice daily can yield greater potential gains than one workout per day. This is due to increased protein synthesis (triggering muscle repair and growth) and a chance to increase overall training volume, which is associated with muscle gains. (7) For example, working a body part with eight sets twice daily compared to 12 sets in a single workout.
If your goal is to burn some fat, knocking out two workouts per day increases your daily caloric expenditure, making it easier to achieve the caloric deficit needed for fat loss. Training twice per day may also increase excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which is the increased rate at which your body burns calories in the hours after a workout. (8)
General Sports Athletes
Two-a-day training sessions may be most familiar with general athletes — football, baseball, hockey, combat sports, etc. It’s not uncommon for these athletes to practice their specific sport in one workout and return to the gym hours later for a strength and conditioning session.
This approach allows each specific session to be performed with minimal fatigue from the previous session since the type of training is so different. There’s little carry-over between throwing a football and squatting a barbell. This allows greater focus and improved performance in each targeted workout.
Programming Two-A-Day Workouts
Proper programming is one of the make-or-break points of two-a-day training. Regardless of your goal, several general principles should be followed when setting up a two-a-day routine.
Aim for at least six hours of rest between each workout. This allows enough time to minimize general fatigue.
Have at least one meal between training sessions. This further enables muscular recovery and encourages rehydration and glycogen replenishment, which fuels performance in each session. (9)
Make the workouts as different as possible. This can be done by emphasizing different body parts, using different sets, reps, loads/intensities, or using different exercises. It’s another way to minimize cumulative fatigue by reducing overlap between workouts.
Build your work capacity and progress gradually. Don’t dive into two-a-day workouts, five days a week. Transition from your current training plan by replacing one or two training days with two-a-day sessions and, after a few weeks, add additional sessions if desired. This helps your body acclimate to the increased stress and avoid overtraining. (10)
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There are also several specific considerations to set up an effective plan according to your goal. Approaching two-a-days with a well-designed plan is essential for results.
Skill Session/Weight Training
This is familiar territory for general sports athletes. You work on your sport in one session and hit the gym later in the day. This approach can be adapted to anyone who participates in recreational sports like tennis, MMA, pickup basketball, adult-league dodgeball, or whatever you’re into.
This is one of the simplest plans to program because the movements performed are inherently different in each session and overlap is minimal. Still, you want to work on your skill-specific training and then train weights.
Cardio Session/Weight Training
This approach is popular with competitive bodybuilders as it works exceptionally well for body composition changes. By separating weight training (muscle-building) and cardiovascular exercise (fat-burning) stimuli, you can make the most of each session for greater overall results.
The sessions can be performed in either order, depending on your schedule and preference. Cardio training isn’t shown to burn significantly more fat when performed first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, as some popular suggestions recommend. (11) Hitting the weights during the day and a long walk at night after work, for example, is equally effective.
Weight Training/Weight Training
Performing two weight training sessions per day requires precise planning to balance recovery and muscle-building/strength-building stimulus. But when set up correctly, it can be one of the most effective ways to train.
This approach can be used for strength-focused workouts with a priority lift (like the squat, an Olympic lift, bench press, etc.) in a single workout followed later by minor assistance work (like lunges, ab training, general upper body exercises, etc.).
It can also be designed to split up traditional training splits like full-body workouts, upper/lower splits, or push/pull/legs splits. Chop your standard workout roughly in half and perform one section in each workout. For example, you could train your whole body each day with several lower body exercises in one session and several upper body exercises in the next session.
For an upper-body-focused workout, you could perform chest and triceps exercises in the morning with back and biceps exercises at night. “Leg day” would be a few quad exercises followed hours later by your hamstring and calf training. Have a big dinner that night. You’ll have earned it.
Recovering From Two-A-Day Workouts
Recovery is always the other side of the training coin. When you’ve decided to train twice daily, recovery methods like nutrition and sleep become much more important because you are applying extra strain on your body’s systems.
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Here’s how to make your recovery as effective as your training plan.
Nutrition
Whether you’re trying to build strength, add muscle, or even burn fat, you won’t get far with two-a-day workouts if your nutrition doesn’t supply enough calories. Ample calories from all three macronutrients — protein, carbs, and fat — are needed to fuel intense workouts that build size and strength.
Regarding fat loss, “calories in vs. calories out” is a general and somewhat accurate guideline. (12) Fundamentally, you need to burn more calories than you take in. Two-a-day workouts increase the “calories out” by increasing your daily activity, which means you may not need to cut your calorie consumption drastically.
This logic is why many bodybuilders add a cardio session to their weight training regimen. Eventually, they reach a point where it’s not feasible to cut out more calories in the form of food, so they perform more calories to increase their caloric burn.
Creating a calorie deficit of roughly 500 calories daily is a realistic, reliable, and effective target for sustained fat loss. (13) Many people would instead hit that extra gym session while cutting back very little on their diet compared to reducing their intake more significantly. As long as your rate of fat loss is one to two pounds per week, you’re on a steady path to losing body fat and preserve muscle and strength. (14)
Sleep
Sleeping is an under-appreciated way to boost your results in the gym. If you’re not getting seven to nine hours per night, your recovery, gym performance, hormone levels, muscle mass, and strength gains will be compromised. (15)(16) That’s how important a good night’s sleep is.
Before you think about training twice a day, address your sleep quality and quantity. Adding two-a-day sessions on insufficient sleep will just be burning the candle at both ends.
Rest Days
You may have read about gold-medal Olympians training twice a day, seven days a week, or elite-level powerlifters going through eight or nine workouts per week combining weight training with restorative cardio-type sessions. That can work for world-class athletes who’ve spent years building the ability to thrive under extreme stress.
For everyone else, four to six training sessions spread out over the week should be plenty of stimuli to work towards the majority of goals. Interspersing hard training with focused rest/recovery days will allow your body to respond by building strength and muscle.
Incorporating rest days also allows you to enter each session with more energy and focus, which means more intense training, a greater stimulus response, and a greater need to rest.
Sample Two-A-Day Workout
The most basic template for two-a-day training is fairly straightforward: Perform workout one, rest several hours, then perform workout two. Like all programs, the details will decide whether you’re on the right track or not.
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Here’s an example of how to set up a two-a-day plan. Take the framework and adapt it to your own goal.
Two-A-Day Workout for Muscle Size
This sample program follows an upper/lower split and delivers six workouts per week. It includes two days of two-a-day workouts and three rest days. That’s likely more training and more rest than some lifters are doing right now.
Training twice in one day may sound like a daunting commitment. Or, if you’re a die-hard gym lover, it may sound like paradise. Both are a little right. With proper planning, enough self-discipline to stick to the plan, and paying as much attention to recovery outside the gym as lifting in the gym, two-a-days might be your ticket to new PRs and new gains.
References
Andrade-Souza, VA, Ghiarone, T, Sansonio, A, et al. Exercise twice-a-day potentiates markers of mitochondrial biogenesis in men. The FASEB Journal. 2020; 34: 1602– 1619. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201901207RR
Hartman, M. J., Clark, B., Bembens, D. A., Kilgore, J. L., & Bemben, M. G. (2007). Comparisons between twice-daily and once-daily training sessions in male weight lifters. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 2(2), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2.2.159
Corrêa, D. A., Brigatto, F. A., Braz, T. V., DE Carmargo, J. B., Aoki, M. S., Marchetti, P. H., & Lopes, C. R. (2022). Twice-daily sessions result in greater muscle strength and similar muscle hypertrophy compared to once-daily sessions in resistance-trained men. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 62(3), 324–336. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0022-4707.21.12118-8
Häkkinen, K., & Kallinen, M. (1994). Distribution of strength training volume into one or two daily sessions and neuromuscular adaptations in female athletes. Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology, 34(2), 117–124.
Dankel, S. J., Mattocks, K. T., Jessee, M. B., Buckner, S. L., Mouser, J. G., Counts, B. R., Laurentino, G. C., & Loenneke, J. P. (2017). Frequency: The Overlooked Resistance Training Variable for Inducing Muscle Hypertrophy?. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 47(5), 799–805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0640-8
Kerksick, C. M., Arent, S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Stout, J. R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C. D., Taylor, L., Kalman, D., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D., Arciero, P. J., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Ormsbee, M. J., Wildman, R., Greenwood, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Aragon, A. A., & Antonio, J. (2017). International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4
Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Krieger J, Grgic J, Delcastillo K, Belliard R, Alto A. Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jan;51(1):94-103. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764. PMID: 30153194; PMCID: PMC6303131.
MacKenzie-Shalders, K., Kelly, J. T., So, D., Coffey, V. G., & Byrne, N. M. (2020). The effect of exercise interventions on resting metabolic rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of sports sciences, 38(14), 1635–1649. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1754716
Murray, B., & Rosenbloom, C. (2018). Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. Nutrition reviews, 76(4), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy001
Armstrong, Lawrence & Bergeron, Michael & Lee, Elaine & Mershon, James & Armstrong, Elizabeth. (2022). Overtraining Syndrome as a Complex Systems Phenomenon. Frontiers in Network Physiology. 1. 794392. 10.3389/fnetp.2021.794392.
Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., Wilborn, C. D., Krieger, J. W., & Sonmez, G. T. (2014). Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7
Howell S, Kones R. “Calories in, calories out” and macronutrient intake: the hope, hype, and science of calories. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Nov 1;313(5):E608-E612. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00156.2017. Epub 2017 Aug 1. PMID: 28765272.
Champagne, C. M., Broyles, S. T., Moran, L. D., Cash, K. C., Levy, E. J., Lin, P. H., Batch, B. C., Lien, L. F., Funk, K. L., Dalcin, A., Loria, C., & Myers, V. H. (2011). Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance trial. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(12), 1826–1835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.014
Garthe, I., Raastad, T., Refsnes, P. E., Koivisto, A., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2011). Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 21(2), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97
Bird, Stephen P. PhD, CSCS1,2 Sleep, Recovery, and Athletic Performance, Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2013 – Volume 35 – Issue 5 – p 43-47 doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3182a62e2f
Auyeung, T. W., Kwok, T., Leung, J., Lee, J. S., Ohlsson, C., Vandenput, L., Wing, Y. K., & Woo, J. (2015). Sleep Duration and Disturbances Were Associated With Testosterone Level, Muscle Mass, and Muscle Strength–A Cross-Sectional Study in 1274 Older Men. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(7), 630.e1–630.e6306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.04.006
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On June 26, 2022, strongman Jacob Finerty completed a block press of 175.5 kilograms (386.6 pounds) during the 2022 Wrath of the Strongest contest in Sacramento, CA. With this strength mark, Finerty now possesses the World Record block press as an Open competitor. He surpasses 2020 America’s Strongest Man (ASM) Champion Marcus Crowder, who captured a 172.3-kilogram (380-pound) block press at the 2022 Strongman Showdown in Fairmont, WV.
Finerty did not disclose his specific body weight for the record block press, but he did don a lifting belt, knee wraps, and elbow wraps for the successful lift. Check out the feat below, courtesy of strongwoman Nadia Stowers‘ Instagram profile:
To some athletes, the block press is a notoriously difficult challenge because the “block” implement often has an awkward shape and is clunky to handle. There is no standardized way to complete a block press. Many find themselves cleaning and pressing the implement like they would for a log press or even using their bellies to put the block in a front rack position for an overhead press.
The footage of Finerty’s lift makes it appear he opted for the latter overhead press strategy.
Finerty’s Moment of Triumph
Per his Instagram profile, Finerty refers to himself as “the strongest dude you’ve never heard of.” Though, with functional strength feats like this World Record block press and a World Record natural stone press of 145.1 kilograms (320 pounds) from the 2021 805 Strongest in Newbury Park, CA — that moniker might not apply for much longer.
Finerty understandably had a lot of emotions in discussing the path to his new record over social media.
“386.6 pound World Record Block Press block is one of the hardest implements to press in my opinion, and that’s why it means a lot to me,” Finerty writes. “The goal today was 406 [pounds], but the Sacramento heat said hell no. It took me several attempts because I couldn’t stop passing out.”
As Finerty struggled to lock out the record rep, he notes that his coach — former ASM Champion (2011) Travis Ortmayer — was instrumental in getting across the de facto finish line.
“Having the legendary Travis Ortmayer [there] was gigantic,” Finerty writes. “His words were as intense as his competition style. On my last attempt, he saw that I was falling forward, so he moved the platform without asking me. On that attempt, I pressed it and got it.”
Finerty has not shared when his next competition will be at the time of this writing. A quick perusal of the training he features on his social media would indicate that whatever Finerty’s next contest is, it will likely feature some sort of potentially awkward implement.
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Throughout his nearly decade-long career as a strongman, Robert Oberst has assuredly picked up many nuggets of knowledge along the way. He likely couldn’t have competed for as long as he has if he didn’t learn the tools of the trade regarding proper training and technique.
On June 26, 2022, Oberst shared some of his professional strength experience on his YouTube channel by outlining three tips for a quality deadlift.
In its many variations, the deadlift is a staple compound movement across parts of the strength sports world. Not only is it a competitive fixture in strongman and powerlifting contests, but it’s a great movement for anyone looking to develop leg and back strength. (Provided they execute the movement with good technique.)
As an eight-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competitor, Oberst assuredly knows the core components of what goes into a stellar deadlift rep. Is tips are as follows:
Tip 1 — Slightly Arch Your Bacl
Before Oberst does any deadlifts, he starts his walkthrough by emphasizing body positioning. He stresses that slightly arching the lower back creates more stability when pulling the weight. The American strongman compares this tenet to the process of another compound movement in the back squat.
“If you are an experienced lifter, you know that at the bottom of a squat, when you get down there, you get a little bit of an arch,” Oberst says. “Your butt starts to flex out, nice and tight, and that actually ends up stabilizing you much more. It’s the same at the bottom of a deadlift. You want to have that slight arch in your back. Make sure that that part of your body is braced and ready to lift.”
Tip 2 — Actively Extend Your Arms
Next in his deadlift guide, Oberst muses about athletes making sure they keep their arms long during their pulls. As Oberst notes, keeping the arms long through a rep will make the range of motion on a deadlift shorter and ultimately easier to lift.
“You want to make sure your arms are long and strong, as tight to your body as you can without keeping you from being able to stand up,” Oberst says. “That keeps your arms nice and straight. The closer [the barbell] to your body, the straighter [the arms] are going to be.”
Tip 3 — Push Your Knees Past the Arms
In Oberst’s final piece of deadlift advice, the strongman advocates for putting the knees past the arms while pulling. Oberst believes that an athlete’s knee positioning is perhaps the most essential aspect of a successful deadlift — even more critical than hip height.
“For a standard deadlift…I need to make sure that my knees are past my arm, so when I pull, my knees are over the bar,” Oberst explains. “That is so important that my trainer even explained to me, ‘Don’t worry about high your hips are.’ I don’t care how high your hips are! We’re at the beginning, at stage one of building back your deadlift. And at stage one, it’s the most important thing to make sure your knees are past your arms.”
His core deadlift tenets aside, Oberst has been keeping busy of late. In April 2022 — after recovering from a torn shoulder tendon that knocked him out of much of the 2022 season — Oberst stated that he will retire from strongman competition after the 2023 WSM.
Oberst’s squad — which features names like Trey Mitchell, Nadia Stowers, and Inez Carrasquillo — will square off against Team UK, led by captain and 2017 WSM Champion Eddie Hall. On his team, Hall will have the support of athletes such as reigning two-time WSM Champion (2021-2022) Tom Stoltman. That competition will occur on November 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England.
From training advice and team endeavors to pondering his individual future, it certainly seems Oberst has no shortage of creativity in staying active.
Featured image: American Monster Productions on YouTube
Sunshine, beach days, camping, cookouts—there’s a lot to love about summer. My favorite part of summer is when the seasonal summer vegetables hit my community farmer’s market. Strolling past table after table laden with freshly picked berries, heirloom tomatoes, and green vegetables galore makes me happy deep in my soul.
Summer’s also ripe (no pun intended) for getting out and digging in the dirt in your own backyard or patio planter boxes. Even if you don’t have a lot of space or a green thumb, you can get started with a little herb garden or a single tomato plant. There’s something incredibly satisfying about eating food you grew, even if it’s just sprinkling fresh parsley over your spaghetti squash chicken parmesan. You’ll feel like you’re starring in your own cooking show once you master that technique of sprinkling herbs and finishing salt from high above the plate. Bam!
The point is, fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the highlights of the season, so take full advantage of what these summer months have to offer.
8 Summer Fruits and Vegetables We Love
Asparagus
Depending on where you live, you might be able to harvest asparagus anywhere from late winter to early summer. Green asparagus is most common, but don’t miss the opportunity to try the purple or white varieties if you find them. All types of asparagus are delicious grilled, sautéed, or roasted, but take care not to overcook it. Limp, slimy asparagus is less than appealing. Ot, try shaving raw asparagus into salads using a vegetable peeler.
How to store asparagus: Trim the ends off the spears, then stand the asparagus upright in a jar of water in the fridge. Asparagus only keeps for a few days, so use it asap.
How to preserve asparagus: Asparagus can be frozen or pressure canned, though both change the texture significantly (and not always pleasantly). Also try pickling it.
How to freeze asparagus: Trim off the woody ends before freezing. Optionally chop the spears into two or three pieces each. Blanch the asparagus for two minutes for thin spears or up to four minutes for thick spears. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container.
Freshly picked berries are one of the absolute highlights of summer. Even low-carb and keto folks make allowances for berries due to their high nutritional value and relatively low carbohydrate content compared to a lot of other fruits. You’ll find all manner of berries at your summer farmer’s market, including blueberries, strawberries, and “brambles,” the family of berries that includes raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, huckleberries, and marionberries, among others.
How to store berries: To wash or not to wash, that is the question… and there’s no clear answer. Some people argue that you shouldn’t wash berries until you’re ready to eat them. Others claim that you should give them a dunk in a 3:1 solution of water and white vinegar to kill mold spores and prolong shelf life. (Except raspberries—everyone seems to agree that you shouldn’t wash raspberries until just before eating.) If you go the vinegar bath route, let them soak for a minute or two, give them a good rinse, and lay them out to dry on a kitchen towel. Either way, store berries in the fridge in a container lined with a thin towel to absorb moisture. Reuse plastic clamshells from the store or use a covered glass container, but keep the lid cracked. Change out the towel if it becomes damp. Store different types of berries in separate containers, as some spoil faster than others.
How to preserve berries: Freezing is the best way to preserve berries. You can also pressure can them as preserves or jelly, but look for recipes that don’t contain heaps of added sugar.
Cucumbers have a long and storied history as one of the first domesticated plants. What’s your favorite type of cuke? It probably depends on whether you grew up eating the thicker-skinned slicing cucumbers most common in America, English cucumbers with thinner skins and fewer seeds, smaller and more delicate Persian cucumbers, or something else altogether. There are almost 100 varieties to choose from.
How to store cucumbers: Cucumbers are happy hanging out in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator.
Eggplants, aka aubergines, are a dietary staple around the world. Fun fact: despite their vegetably taste, eggplants are actually fruit—berries, to be more precise, because they grow from a single flower.
How to store eggplant: Eggplants don’t last long after harvesting, and they don’t like cold. You can keep them in the fridge for a day or two, but they’ll start to wither after that.
How to preserve eggplant: You can try freezing or pickling, but it’s really best to eat eggplant fresh.
Yes, green beans are legumes, but before you toss that green bean casserole, I have good news. Green beans are, and have always been, considered Primal-friendly as long as you don’t have any issues eating them. Fresh green beans don’t have the same phytate concerns as dried beans, and many folks who avoid dried beans can enjoy green beans without issue, at least occasionally.
How to store green beans: Keep in a storage bag in the crisper drawer. Try to use within three days or so.
How to preserve green beans: Frozen and home-canned green beans are both fantastic, or try pickling them.
Herbs don’t just make food taste good, they also offer a variety of health benefits from antioxidant properties to treating digestive distress. All herbs flourish in the summer. They’re easy to grow indoors or out, in small containers or large garden beds. Perfect for beginning gardeners or folks who want to plant a small kitchen garden.
How to store herbs: When possible, wait to cut fresh herbs until you are ready to use them. If you buy them from the market, pull off any dead leaves, trim the bottom of the stems, and place bundles of herbs in jars of water like flower bouquets. Store jars of tender-stemmed herbs like parsley and cilantro in the fridge, optionally covered loosely with a food storage bag. Woody herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme can stay on the counter. Basil should also stay on the counter; cold temps make the leaves turn black. Refresh the water as needed. Most herbs will keep for a couple weeks or more with this technique.
How to preserve herbs: When it comes to preserving herbs, you have two main options. The first is drying–using a dehydrator or let fresh herbs dry in the sun. You can even use a microwave to dry herbs! The second is freezing– blend herbs in olive oil, avocado oil, or water, then freeze in ice cube trays. Oil-based herby sauces like pesto and chimichurri also freeze well jars or ice cube trays. Or make compound butter, which can also be frozen wrapped in freezer paper. (Tip, slice it before freezing so you can thaw individual pats of butter as needed.)
You can also use infuse fresh herbs into oil, salt, or spirits like vodka or gin.
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than garden fresh tomatoes? There are a million and one ways to enjoy summer tomatoes, so eat up! (And yes, for the record, tomatoes are a fruit.)
How to store tomatoes: If your tomatoes aren’t quite ripe when you get them home from the farmer’s market, you can place them in a loosely closed paper bag on the counter to encourage ripening. For ripe tomatoes, there’s considerable debate about whether the counter or the crisper is the appropriate place to keep them. Some say the crisper saps them of flavor, so you should only refrigerate them if you need them to stay fresh for longer than a few days.
How to preserve tomatoes: Can whole tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, or one of the many salsa and sauce recipes featuring these delectable fruits. Salsa or sauces freeze well, too. Dry tomatoes and store them in oil.
Like eggplants, zucchini are botanically classified as berries (as are cucumbers and pumpkins!) Zucchinis are prolific, which is why your neighbor with the green thumb is always trying to pawn off excess zucchini come late summer. They’re also incredibly versatile as an ingredient in everything from salads to desserts, so accept any and all offers of free zucchini!
How to store zucchini: Keep in the crisper and try to use within a few days.
How to preserve zucchini: You can freeze zucchini, but probably best ways to preserve it are to make zucchini chips in the dehydrator or zucchini muffins or bread to stick in the freezer.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
As the 2022 Mr. and Ms. Olympia begin to inch closer and closer, many bodybuilding competitions leading up to mid-December may become more vital in that journey. One of those road markers was the recent 2022 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Sheru Classic Italy Pro League contest, which took place on June 25, 2022, in Rome, Italy.
This year’s Sheru Classic Italian Pro featured three competitive divisions — Men’s Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, and Bikini. The winners of these categories were Marco Ruz (Classic Physique), Ali Bilal (Men’s Physique), and Kristina Brunauer (Bikini). With their respective victories, each of these athletes has earned automatic qualification for the upcoming Mr. and Ms. Olympia. Meanwhile, the second to fifth-place finishers in each division all earned points for their own hopeful qualifications. Both contests will occur on December 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Here’s a rundown of the Men’s Classic Physique results from the 2022 IFBB Sheru Classic Italy Pro, courtesy of NPC News Online:
2022 Italy Pro Results | Men’s Classic Physique
Marco Ruz
Emanuele Ricotti
Edwin Underwood
Mehmet Emin Baydill
Shanti Mitchell
Kelvin Hinde
Issa Al Hasani
Giovanni Randazzo
Ayham Alaws
Philipp Jendnelek
Ruz’s victory follows a recent relative hot streak. The French athlete previously most notably came in fourth place during the 2021 New York Pro. Before that, he came in second in the Middleweight division at the National Physique Committee (NPC) Worldwide Amateur Olympia. The size of Ruz’s muscles, his conditioning, and his work with body parts like his arms, legs, back, and abs were apparent. Ruz has never competed in a Mr. Olympia before and will now get the opportunity this December.
In the other competitive Men’s division on hand at the 2022 Italy Pro, another athlete enjoyed one of the better finishes of their career. Here are the full results:
2022 Italy Pro Results | Men’s Physique
Ali Bilal
Youcef Djoudi
Furkan Er
Fabian Faber
Burak King
Kenny Privet
Nishant Bansal
Andrea Mosti
Manoj Patil
Marecl Treichler
Fresh off earning his IFBB Pro Card in December 2021, Bilal’s win at the Italy Pro will similarly give him his first chance to compete at the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Last but not least, there were the athletes competing in the Bikini category. With her automatic bid in the 2022 Ms. Olympia official, winner Kristina Brunauer can try and improve upon a 16th-place finish from last year’s contest.
With approximately six months before the 2022 Mr. and Ms. Olympia contests, there are assuredly still plenty of opportunities for rising bodybuilders to earn their spots. The two competitions will take place concurrently on December 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
On June 18, 2022, powerlifter Dora Justice (57KG) scored a bench press of 72.5 kilograms (159.8 pounds) during the 2022 Powerlifting America (AMP) Classic (Raw) Sub-Junior, Junior, and Master Nationals in Orlando, FL. Justice’s raw bench press mark is a new National Record in the Masters Tier 3 competitive class.
The 64-year-old Justice’s display of cheststrength on the bench press helped her eventually attain second place in her division, as she also completed each of her nine lift attempts. Fellow Texan Lynne Homan took home first place in Justice’s division.
Justice’s results from the 2022 AMP Masters Nationals align with much of her competitive career. Here are her top stats from this contest:
Dora Justice | 2022 AMP Classic (Raw) Masters Nationals Top Stats
Squat — 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds)
Bench Press — 72.5 kilograms (159.8 pounds) | Masters Raw Tier 3 National Record
Deadlift — 99.9 kilograms (220.4 pounds)
Total — 242.5 kilograms (534.6 pounds)
Justice has featured as a competitive powerlifter for nearly two decades, especially in bench press contests. Her first-ever competition was while lifting as a Masters 45-49 athlete during the 2003 World Powerlifting Federation (WPF) World Championships. At that time, Justice went by the name “Dora Puente.” According to Open Powerlifting, her competitive name shift happened in May 2019.
Throughout her extended career, Justice has maintained a sterling record, only falling short of first place in three instances. Here are some of the more noteworthy results from her powerlifting resume:
Dora Justice | Noteworthy Career Results
WPF World Championships (Single) — First place (2003, 2006; Masters 45-49) (2008; Masters 50-54)
2007 WPF World Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place | Masters 50-54
2009 North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) North American Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place | Masters 2
2011 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Longhorn Open (Raw) — First place | Masters 2
2012 USAPL State Championships (Raw) — First place | Masters 2
2017 NAPF North American Bench Press Championships (Single) — First place
2019 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Bench Press Championships (Raw) — Second place | Masters 3 and Open
2019 USAPL Bench Nationals (Raw and Single) — First place
2020 USAPL Iron Wars (Raw) — First place | Masters 3
2020 USAPL Winter War of Waco (Single) — First place | Masters
2021 USAPL Raw and Equipped Bench Nationals — First place | Masters 3
2022 AMP Bench Press Nationals (Raw and Single) — First place | Masters 3
2022 AMP Masters Nationals (Raw) — Second place | Masters 3
At the time of this writing, Justice has not confirmed when her next competition will be. Though, according to the Powerlifting America Instagram feed, Justice was an audience favorite because of her energy before and after lifts. Given Justice’s evident joy for her craft in mind, it seems likely the Masters powerlifter will be smiling and locking out massive weight on a sanctioned platform again soon.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
LiOn June 24, 2022, the Giants Live organization revealed the complete nine-person rosters for the upcoming World’s Strongest Nation competition. That contest — which will feature battles of strength between the respective athletes on Team USA and Team UK — will take place on Nov. 26, 2022, at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.
Former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion Eddie Hall (2017) will captain Team UK, while eight-time WSM competitor Robert Oberst will captain Team USA.
The 2022 World’s Strongest Nation will have both strongmen and strongwomen as competitors, with six men and three women in both lineups. Both squads are stacked with various accomplished champions and victors in other notable contests. At the time of this writing, the Giants Live organization has not clarified specifics like the events and different weights.
Here are the full rosters at the time of this writing:
While the legendary Hall might be the headliner and captain for Team UK, that doesn’t mean his teammates are slouches by any means.
For example, Tom Stoltman is the reigning two-time WSM Champion (2021-2022), fresh off a victory in Sacramento, CA, in late May. Meanwhile, each of the UK women have all won the World’s Strongest Woman (WSW) contest in the past. There’s Donna Moore (2016-2017, 2019), Andrea Thompson (2018), and Rebecca Roberts (2021).
On the Americans’ side, the captain in Oberst has plenty of hungry athletes alongside him.
There’s Nadia Stowers, the 2021 Static Monsters World Champion. Then, Inez Carrasquillo enters the fray. The athlete unofficially broke the log press World Record during a February 2022 training session. A dual-sport, versatile competitor as both a strongwoman and powerlifter, Gabi Dixson won the 2021 International Powerlifting League (IPL) World Championship.
As for the American strongmen, a former WSM contender Rob Kearney is in the mix, and potential future stars Evan Singleton and Bobby Thompson flank him. In addition, the 28-year-old Trey Mitchell — winner of the 2021 Shaw Classic and sixth-place finisher at the 2022 WSM — could be the catalyst behind a Team USA victory.
With the athletes that will participate, whatever does occur in Liverpool in late November is likely to be a tense back and forth between some of the strongest people in the world. The 2022 Giants Live World’s Strongest Nation will occur on November 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
It takes a lot of energy to win bodybuilding’s most prestigious competition once, let alone three consecutive times. For Chris “CBum” Bumstead — who is chasing his fourth straight Classic Physique Olympia title (2019-2021) — it’s essential to find moments for a mental break before pushing it again.
That seems to be the plan of the 27-year-old bodybuilder. Bumstead recently took a five-day training reprieve before jumping back in full steam ahead with a leg workout he shared over his YouTube channel on June 23, 2022.
This latest leg workout follows Bumstead’s apparent pattern of meticulously documenting a potential journey to the top of the Classic Physique Olympia podium again.
Bumstead’s Brutal Leg Day
Before Bumstead begins the workout, he notes an important disclaimer. The bodybuilder says it’s been approximately two weeks since he last trained his legs. As a result, he wants to ease back in gradually. Nonetheless, the entire routine doesn’t appear any less challenging.
StairMaster
Sets and Reps: Warmup for an undisclosed time
While stepping slowly on a StairMaster machine — which Bumstead says helps warm up his knees — he explains where his health stands after his time away from the gym.
“I don’t know why, but taking time off should usually leave you feeling rested, but it leaves me feeling tired, tighter, and more broken than I was before,” Bumstead says. “But I’m sure it’s still good for my nervous system to take a break.”
Alternating Single-Leg Extension
Sets and Reps: 2 x 20-plus
In the first part of his weight training, Bumstead locks out some single-leg extensions, alternating sets on each leg. Before moving on, the bodybuilder elaborates that this part of his workout isn’t about exhaustive weight.
That’s a lot of cardio … I hit 23 on the first set, 21 on the second, just trying to get a lot of volume.
Hip Adduction Machine
Sets and Reps: Undisclosed
As he prepares to hit the back squat, Bumstead maintains he likes to first loosen his hips up on the hip adduction (or moving a body part toward the middle of the body) machine. He says the hip movement “helps you get deep into the squat.”
Research affirms Bumstead’s sentiments as one study confirmed that tighter and often, in turn, weaker hips led to less stability and muscle activation during a deep back squat rep. (1)
Once he warms up his hips, Bumstead shifts to a couple of working back squat sets on a Smith Machine. The athlete notes he prefers a close stance in this instance — where the feet are shoulder-width apart or even narrower — because it allows him to achieve more depth.
“I was trying to do almost like a front squat closed stance to really emphasize my quads,” Bumstead says while slightly breathless. “So second set was just high volume, closed stance, trying to burn my quads.”
Alternating Single-Leg Leg Press
Sets and Reps: 2 x 7-10
After finishing his primary compound movement of the day, Bumstead does single-leg leg presses, alternating sets on each leg. According to the bodybuilder, he mainly enjoys the single-leg leg press because it allows him to maintain a balance in strength in both legs.
“… I can get a little bit more range of motion to prevent one from being lopsided,” Bumstead says. “Especially because I have a tight erector on my right side right now, which can cause me to favor my left leg. So, [I’m] avoiding that, by doing one leg at a time.”
Seated Calf Raise
Sets and Reps: 5 x 8-10
To finish his workout, Bumstead uses what appears to be left of his energy on some seated calf raises.
“Muscular endurance seems to drop quickly after taking time off,” Bumstead says after a calf-raise set. “But my knees hurt more at the beginning and hurt less now.”
With Bumstead pushing himself back to his usual high capacity, it seems the bodybuilder didn’t miss a beat in his short time away from the gym. Judging by how seamless his leg workout appeared, a fourth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title might soon come into the athlete’s purview.
The 2022 Mr. Olympia will take place on December 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
References:
Si-Hyun, K., Oh-Yun, K., Kyue-Nam, P., In-Cheol, J., Jong-Hyuck, W. (2015) Lower Extremity Strength and the Range of Motion in Relation to Squat Depth. Journal of Human Kinetics. 2015 Mar; 45: 59–69.
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