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Pull-ups are often called the king of upper body lifts — but do you know what is even more worthy of the crown? Adding resistance and doing more pull-ups. There will come a point when bodyweight pull-ups won’t provide you the gains they used to. When that happens, simply doing more reps will be less efficient for building muscle and strength.

The weighted pull-up will offer you the same benefits as the basic bodyweight exercise, but you can better suit your strength level. This leads to more strength and size in your back, arms, and abs. If you have mastered the unweighted pull-up, check out what the weighted version has to offer and the best way to do it.

• How to Do the Weighted Pull-Up
• Weighted Pull-Up Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Weighted Pull-Up
• Benefits of the Weighted Pull-Up
• Muscles Worked by the Weighted Pull-Up
• How to Program the Weighted Pull-Up
• Weighted Pull-Up Variations
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Do the Weighted Pull-Up

The weighted pull-up is not really different from the bodyweight version, technique-wise, but you still have to accommodate the weight depending on what implement you use. Here’s how to do them.

Step 1 — Pick a Weight

Depending on what’s available to you and your preferences, there are several options to add external resistance to the exercise. Here’s how to do it:

• Weighted Vest: This load will have the most natural feeling because the weight is distributed evenly around your torso. The general technique will be the closest to the bodyweight pull-up using this resistance. The only drawback is that you can’t go too heavy, as many vests are limited to 22 or 45 pounds.
• Backpack: This inexpensive, homemade alternative is very close to using a weighted vest. Simply add some weight in a sturdy bag and put it on. The biggest drawback is the unknown variable for weight capacity, as going too heavy is asking for the fabric or straps to tear down, which could be dangerous.
• Weighted Belt: Likely the most common way to add weight. It is a specialized belt with a chain on which you can add plates to load yourself. You put it around your waist, then let the weight hang between your legs. This resistance might feel a little harder because it will demand superior abdominal involvement because it’s pulling on your hips. The weights might dangle and move on the chain, but the sky is the limit weight-wise. For moving the heaviest loads possible, this is the best option.
• Dumbbell: If you have none of these options available, you can always grab a dumbbell and hold it between your thighs with your legs bent. This option is the least comfortable and will involve your abs and legs, but will work just fine to make pull-ups more challenging.
• Chains: Drape some chains around your neck and shoulders. It’s very easy to do and you’ll look great on the ‘Gram. Once again, you’ll most likely be limited by the amount of weight you can use and it can be uncomfortable.

Step 2 — Find Your Grip

Climb on the steps under the pull-up bar, or place a box under it. Grab the bar firmly with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip, with your palms facing away from you (pronated).

Your grip-width will depend on your own limb length and mobility, but generally aim for a “medium” grip — not too wide or too close — for maximal strength and balanced muscular engagement.

Let yourself hang from the bar under control in a dead-hang, with your arms completely extended. Pull your shoulder blades back, keep your chest high, and engage your abs so that you prevent your legs or (the weight if you’re using a belt or dumbbell) from swaying. If your lower body does start moving, wait for it to settle. This is your starting position.

Form tip: Depending on the width of your grip, you can shift focus onto different body parts. A closer grip will induce more arm recruitment, and a wider grip will emphasize your back. Because your back is a relatively larger and stronger muscle, err on using a slightly wider grip unless you’re specifically looking to build your arms and grip strength.

Step 3 — Pull Yourself to the Bar

Take a deep breath and flex your abs. Pull yourself toward the bar as hard as you can. Keep your elbows aimed down to ensure maximal lat engagement.

Pull until your chin goes over the bar, exhale, and hold the contraction for a second. Keep your chest high and your back very slightly arched to engage as many back muscles as you can.

Form tip: Depending upon your morphology (limb length) and your goals, pulling all the way up is not mandatory. If you’re a tall lifter or have relatively long arms, your muscles’ maximal contraction point might be reached before your chin is over the bar. If you’re one of these unique lifters or if you’re only interested in building muscle, aim for a range of motion where you only reach peak contraction. However, if your goal is overall strength, it’s wiser to adopt the same form on each rep and get your chin over the bar.

Step 4 — Lower With Control

Keep your body tense and slowly lower yourself until your arms are extended and your lats are fully stretched. Avoid any lower body swaying by flexing your abs as much as you can and squeezing the bar hard. When you’re at a dead-hang with straight arms, begin the next repetition.

Form tip: Your legs should remain in the same position for the duration of the lift. It will actually help you be stronger by increasing total-body stability. Whether you have them stretched or bent, keep them that way and flex them. This will help your core recruitment, and improve your lower lats strength through fascia connections.

Weighted Pull-Up Mistakes to Avoid

If you want to reap the most benefits of an exercise, proper execution is key. It’s especially true when you start adding weight to a bodyweight exercise because it can slightly alters the technique. Learn about the main weighted pull-up mistakes so you don’t reproduce them.

Gripping the Bar Too Loose

A common mistake is to hold the bar only with your fingers instead of a deep, full grip using your whole hand. Your forearms and grip are a main component of your pull-up performance — once you lose your grip, your set’s over.

More importantly, your hands are your only point of contact with the bar. Put yourself in, literally, the strongest position possible by maximizing your pulling ability.

Avoid it: You have to grip the bar firmly to transfer as much energy as possible through your body. As an added bonus, with the bar being lower in your hand instead of closer to your fingertips, you slightly reduce the range of motion by an extra inch or to help pass your chin over the bar.

Cutting the Range of Motion Short

Sure, you’re eager to add some weight and get stronger. But if you can only add weight by reducing the range of motion, you’re not ready for it yet. You shouldn’t change the mechanics of the exercise just for the sake of ego, because you might not end up with the results you want. Shortening the range of motion will diminish the time under tension, resulting in less muscle growth. (1)

The main offense with pull-ups is staying in the upper range of motion — only going down halfway. This will result in less hypertrophy because working in a longer muscle length is skipped and stretch-mediated hypertrophy is actually more efficient than only focusing on the shortened muscle length range. (2)

Avoid it: Remember that adding more weight won’t result in more strength or muscle if you succumb to half-reps. Think about quality, not quantity, and keep a full range of motion whether you’re using weight or not.

Swinging Around

Excessively swinging your body is a no-go.  This is especially true if you have weight dangling between your legs. You shouldn’t be trying to complete as many repetitions as possible, no matter the cost. If you want maximal muscle and strength gains, use perfect form at all times.

Creating momentum with your abs and lower body will diminish back muscular tension as well as reduce the effective range of motion, leading to sub-par gains. It’s also risking more tension on your shoulder joints which can lead to injuries.

Avoid it: Engage your core and tighten your legs to improve your stability. Practice with a one-second pause at the top and the bottom of each repetition to ensure strict, controlled movement. If needed, wait for an extra second or two in the bottom position of each rep to let the weight settle and reset yourself.

How to Progress the Weighted Pull-Up

Pull-up performance is determined by your relative strength, which is how strong you are compared to your bodyweight. You have two ways of making the pull-ups more challenging — either increase your body weight or add external load.

When you become “too strong” relative to your body weight, it’s wise to make the exercise harder if you want maximum gains. Here are the standards:

• If you want to become stronger at the pull-up, add weight once you can master sets of five or six bodyweight pull-ups.
• If you are focused on building muscle, add weight once you can bang out sets of 10-12 pull-ups without trouble.

But before any of that, you first need to be able to perform the basic pull-up, and here are some ways to get there.

Lat Pulldown

The bread and butter of many back sessions, the lat pulldown mimics everything a weighted pull-up can offer you, with less core activation and an more progressive way to determine your resistance.

What is great about this exercise is that beginners and veterans can use it alike. If you’re too heavy or just lack the strength for weighted pull-ups, this is a perfect alternative. You don’t have to worry about balance and coordination here, so you can focus more on the muscles.

Weighted Inverted Row

What’s better to replace a bodyweight back exercise than another bodyweight back exercise? The inverted row is the pull-up’s cousin and offers the same benefits and functional strength, though using an horizontal motion which slightly changes the muscle recruitment.

As with the weighted pull-up, you can progress to weighted inverted rows. Find a weighted vest, place a backpack “backwards” onto your chest and abs,  or toss some chains around your torso, and start pulling.

Pull-Up

Of course, the most essential step in achieving a weighted pull-up is to perform bodyweight-only pull-ups. If you can’t lift your own body weight, good luck lifting your own body weight plus an extra five to 30 pounds.

Work to master the fundamental technique. By the time you’re approaching double-digits with good form, you’ll be ready to start thinking about adding weight.

Benefits of the Weighted Pull-Up

The weighted pull-up is a staple in many programs for a reason. This exercise can elevate your upper-body strength and size to unprecedented levels. If you can bang out ten or more, your fitness is certainly something to be recognized and you’ll get some appreciative stares in the gym. Here are a few more perks.

Maximal Strength

Maximal strength is mostly built using a weight of at least 85% of your one-repetition maximum. If you only stick with training bodyweight pull-ups, there will come a point where you won’t be able to train in the maximal strength zone, because your own weight won’t be challenging enough. This is why strength athletes use weighted exercises in general.

Adding weight to your pull-ups is one of the best ways to improve pulling strength in your upper body and arms. The back directly supports the spine, and many muscles and bones in the body. It’s akin to a tree trunk. Having a stronger back will help your performance by not only being stronger in pulling motions, but by providing a more stable base for your other muscles, for instance stabilizing the arms and scapulae (shoulder blades) in pressing motions.

The weighted pull-up will also directly improve spinal strength (because the lats are attached to the spine from the middle to the sacrum) as well as core resilience, both directly linked to better sports performance. (3)(4)

More Muscle Growth

The weighted pull-up is one of the best exercises to promote back hypertrophy. Period. (6) If you want to improve your posterior chain, adding it to your training regimen will do wonders. It will also build size in your arms and forearms, and most people would be pretty happy with that “side effect.”

If you’re a more seasoned lifter, chances are you can knock out many bodyweight pull-ups. Perhaps you even max out the lat pulldown machine. In both cases, the weighted-pull will most likely be your best bet to further improve your muscle development.

There are several ways to increase the demand on the muscle, but adding weight is one of the most straightforward. The beauty is that you can increase very gradually, by using small plates and making little adjustments. By doing so, you will ensure that you keep building muscle in your back and arms. (5)

Better Grip Strength

Grip is essential for pull-up performance, but also for exercises like the deadlift, or outdoor activities and sports. The weighted pull-up will be a tremendous grip builder, which has the benefits of causing less overall fatigue to the body and nervous system, and not taxing muscles like the lower back or legs. This can be very beneficial for athletes which monitor total volume for body parts or need to recover sufficiently for contest performance.

Moreover, having a weak grip can not only affect performance, but your health. Forearm and grip strength has been linked to wrist, elbow, and shoulder health. (5) If you suffer from tendinopathy or nagging pains in these areas, having a better grip can help. Grip strength is also an indicator of general health as it is linked to longevity, improved brain health, and reduced risk of depression. (6)

Muscles Worked by the Weighted Pull-Up

The weighted pull-up engages many muscles in your upper body and your arms. Here are the main muscle groups trained by the exercise.

Latissimus Dorsi

The lats are the biggest and strongest back muscle. They go from your hip bone and lower spine to your humerus (arm bone) and are heavily involved in lowering, pulling, extending and internally rotating your arms. The lats also contribute to spinal and trunk movements and core stability. They are the main muscle recruited by weighted pull-ups and they take most of the workload.

Upper Back

The upper back is composed of several muscles sharing similar functions, including the trapezius, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids. They all move the shoulder blades in several ways, assist in pulling motions, and contribute to stabilizing the scapulae during pressing movement as well. As the pull-up requires scapular motion, the muscles of the upper back will heavily contribute to the movement.

Upper Arms

The biceps brachii are composed of two heads — the long portion on the outside of the arm, and the short portion on the inner side. They both go from your radius to your scapula, and flex and supinate the arm (rotate it internally). The biceps contributes to the weighted pull-up through arm flexion. You can’t bend your arms without your biceps.

The pull-up’s pronated (palms down) grip actually puts an emphasis on the brachialis muscle, the strongest arm flexor located just under the biceps, originating from the humerus and ending at the ulna (forearm bone). Having a big brachialis can help your biceps pop because they will push it higher.

Forearms

Because weighted pull-ups require tremendous grip strength, your forearms will be recruited extensively. Many muscles are present in the forearm but the forearm flexors, which are responsible for your grip, will be taxed the most. The brachioradialis, the biggest forearm muscle, will also assist the upper arm in flexing.

Core

To maintain proper posture and be more efficient during this exercise, you’ll have to engage your whole core. The added weight makes your core (abs, lower back, and some hip muscles) work even harder to stabilize your body, especially when the weight is suspended between your legs because it’s further from your center of gravity.

These core muscles do not actively move during the lift, but are contracted isometrically to maintain a stable body position for an efficient pull.

How to Program the Weighted Pull-Up

The weighted pull-up is a polyarticular (multi-joint) exercise that can be programmed a variety of ways, depending on your goals and strength levels. Perform the exercise towards the beginning of your session, when you’re still fresh, to ensure proper technique and maximal strength. Here are several efficient repetition schemes.

Heavy Weight, Low Repetition

Performing three to five sets of one to five repetitions is the best way to improve your strength level. Keep one or two reps in the tank to ensure proper form at all times, because technique is crucial in strength development. To be able to repeat this effort with quality technique for all sets, aim for long rest periods of three to five minutes.

Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions

If you want to build size, three to four sets of six to 12 repetitions is an excellent scheme. You should be near or reach muscular failure on each set, but never at the expense of form. Rest periods of two to three minutes will be your best bet for maximum muscle gains. (7)

Strength-Skill Sets

Because the weighted pull-up is a skill that necessitates perfect form and long rest periods to recover, you should be wary of reaching muscular failure if we want to improve strength. As such, another strength method is to use a lot of very low-rep sets with short rest periods. You ensure your body stays fresh while providing high-quality, heavy weight repetitions.

For instance, one could use an EMOM format (every minute on the minute) and do one heavy repetition at the start of each minute for a total of ten minutes. You could also set a time limit, approximately 15 minutes, in which you perform as many high-quality sets of three repetitions as you can. These methods let you accumulate technique practice while also stimulating strength gains.

Weighted Pull-Up Variations

Using a pronated grip with pull-ups is the standard technique, but you can very easily change muscular recruitment and instill variety in your training by varying your grip angle.

Weighted Chin-Up

This variation uses a supinated (palms facing you) grip. This doesn’t look like much of a change, but the exercise involves more biceps and can put you in a stronger pulling position.

It is a great variation if you struggle with pronated pull-ups or if you want more arm size. If you want even more biceps involvement, use a closer than shoulder-width grip.

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

A neutral grip (palms facing each other) puts less pressure on your elbow and shoulder joints. Adding weight to the pull-up can often cause pain to achy joints, and this version allows you to do it with less strain.

Additionally, it will emphasize the brachialis (the muscle under the biceps) and forearms recruitment. This will also be one of the strongest pulling grips.

Ring Weighted Pull-Up

This is one of the most challenging variations you can perform. The rings are not fixed like a bar, so they sway and increase the need for total-body stability. As such, your forearms, upper back, and core will have to work extra to halt any unnecessary swinging movement.

This variation will also be the smoothest on your joints. The rings allow you to rotate your hands freely, creating better joint positions and a more natural motion. If you suffer from achy elbows or shoulders, try this movement.

FAQs

I only have a pull-up bar and no way to add weight. Is my back progress doomed?

Adding weight to an exercise is the most straightforward way of improving progressive overload, but if you cannot perform weighted pull-ups, do not worry. First of all, keep in mind that for pure muscle growth, sets of 20 can be as beneficial as sets of 10. So unless you can consistently bang more than 20 pull-ups, you still have some room to grow. (8)

Alternatively, if you’re already strong as possible, or if you just want to try a different technique, there are other effective methods. You can increase the time under tension by adding pauses or playing with tempo (rep speed). For instance, taking a three-second pause at the top of each repetition or using a four-second eccentric (lowering phase).

You can also do the same basic sets, but with reduced rest periods. Go from sets of ten with two minutes of rest to sets of ten with just 90 seconds of rest. If you can do it, you’ve progressed. Finally, you can also pre-fatigue your pulling muscles to make bodyweight pull-ups more difficult. Doing a 15-second pause at the top of the motion before doing normal repetitions will stress your muscles differently. Try to increase this duration over several weeks.

What is the difference between a pull-up and a chin-up?

For some mistaken people, these both designate the same exercises, but they’re different. The chin-up uses a supinated grip, with your palms facing you, and the pull-up involves a pronated grip, with your palms facing away. As such, the chin-up involves the biceps more and the pull-up emphasizes the back musculature in general.

Get Your Pull-Up to the Next Level

Why stick to bodyweight when you can add weight and further improve your fitness? If you want to keep progressing, the weighted pull-up should be part of your arsenal for long-term success. Once you can do sets of ten consistently, you really will be in the company of kings.

References

1. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.
2. Oranchuk DJ, Storey AG, Nelson AR, Cronin JB. Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2019 Apr;29(4):484-503. doi: 10.1111/sms.13375. Epub 2019 Jan 13. PMID: 30580468.
3. Moreno Catalá María, Schroll Arno, Laube Gunnar, Arampatzis Adamantios. Muscle Strength and Neuromuscular Control in Low-Back Pain: Elite Athletes Versus General Population. Frontiers in Neuroscience 12. DOI=10.3389/fnins.2018.00436
4. Hibbs, Angela & Thompson, Kevin & French, Duncan & Wrigley, Allan & Spears, Iain. (2008). Optimizing Performance by Improving Core Stability and Core Strength. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 38. 995-1008. 10.2165/00007256-200838120-00004.
5. Coombes BK, Bisset L, Vicenzino B. Management of Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: One Size Does Not Fit All. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Nov;45(11):938-49. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2015.5841. Epub 2015 Sep 17. PMID: 26381484.
6. Bohannon RW. Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:1681-1691 https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S194543
7. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, Hester GM, Sellers J, Nooner JL, Schnaiter JA, Bond-Williams KE, Carter AS, Ross CL, Just BL, Henselmans M, Krieger JW. Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Jul;30(7):1805-12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272. PMID: 26605807.
8. Thiago Lasevicius, Carlos Ugrinowitsch, Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Hamilton Roschel, Lucas Duarte Tavares, Eduardo Oliveira De Souza, Gilberto Laurentino & Valmor Tricoli (2018) Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy, European Journal of Sport Science, 18:6, 772-780, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1450898

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For the past two years, Hafthor Björnsson has strayed away from competitive strongman events. While the 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champ never officially retired, it seemed that the Icelandic athlete was on to a new stage of his athletic life with recent boxing pursuits and a radical physique transformation in mind. All of that appears to have been a temporary phase.

On Oct. 17, 2022, Björnsson posted a video to his YouTube channel announcing his intention to shelve his boxing endeavors and return to strongman at the 2022 Rogue Invitational. At the same time, the icon revealed he plans to break his weight-over-bar World Record at the Austin, TX, contest on October 28-30, 2022.

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The context behind Björnsson’s new goal as a strongman is simple — he let his peers have time to break his weight-over-bar mark, but he seems to have grown tired of waiting. (Note: Björnsson established the current weight-over-bar World Record at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic when he threw 56 pounds over a height of 20’2″.)

“I gave it a few years,” Björnsson explained. “I hoped that someone would break it, but no one was able to. “So, I think it’s about time that I break this World Record. And then, who knows? Maybe I have to come back to strongman and break my own deadlift World Record.”

At the same time, it appears Björnsson losing his passion for boxing may have partly been a motivating factor behind a return to a strongman event.

“​​I’m 33 years old now, turning 34 in November,” Björnsson said. “For me, it was just like, should I spend the last few of my years as an athlete doing something I don’t love, or should I just go and focus on my businesses and focus on the things that I love, like lifting weights?”

[Related: How to Do the Hip Thrust — Variations, Benefits, and Common Mistakes]

The latter part of Björnsson’s clarifying sentiment about his record pursuits is an intriguing prospect.

Should the Icelandic athlete successfully break his weight-over-bar record figure at the 2022 Rogue Invitational, putting his World Record deadlift in front of his mind might be an even more impressive achievement. At the time of this writing, no strongman has ever surpassed Björnsson’s World Record pull of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series.

Some in the strongman community believe that 2017 WSM champ Eddie Hall still possesses the “real” mark because his deadlift of 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds) from the 2016 World Deadlift Championships (WDC) occurred at a neutral setting. Whereas Björnsson’s happened at his personal gym in Reykjavik, Iceland. Nevertheless, if he eventually travels down this path, Björnsson does own the official record mark and would be the first strongman to deadlift more than 501 kilograms.

[Related: How to Do the Hack Squat — Benefits, Variations, and More]

For this now-active strongman legend in Björnsson, staying away from his calling appeared to be too much of an ask over time. Should he break the weight-over-bar World Record and deadlift World Record in relative succession, it might be a blaring signal that the superstar is truly back where he feels he belongs.

Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram

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At age 49, with four Mr. Olympia titles (2006-2007, 2009-2010) to his name, Jay Cutler has nothing to prove. He’s one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, bar none. Yet, after an Oct. 14, 2022, Instagram post from fitness apparel company Schiek Sports Inc. — where Cutler posed and looked ripped next to fitness influencer Lexx Little — speculation arose that the retired athlete was planning a return to the stage.

On Oct. 17, 2022, Cutler addressed the rumors of his potential competitive return as a Masters bodybuilder (ages 45-plus). Amidst his clarification and thoughts for the future, the icon clarified that he has no intention of competing soon. According to Cutler, his new lean physique that lit up the strength sports sphere was about him taking better care of himself.

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Cutler wastes no time shooting down any thought of his competitive return in his video testimonial.

“Well, those pictures are floating on the internet right now from when I was in Venice [CA], and they’re starting to say, ‘Oh, Jay is coming back for the Masters,’” said Cutler. “We need to squash it.”

On Feb. 12, 2022, during an episode of his podcast, Olympia President Jake Wood signaled that, after an absence, the Masters Olympia would potentially return sometime in the year 2023. (Note: At the time of this article’s publication, there has not been an official update on this front.) With that door open, some in the bodybuilding community thought Cutler would intend to walk through it.

Cutler shot down that specific assertion, as well, by saying too much was read into his brush with Little.

“Jake [Wood] is having it [the Masters Olympia], right? … It sounds about right. Jake would do something like that,” Cutler mused. “Drop the picture of me posing with Lexx Little, who’s a pretty popular influencer. So we did a video together. He conned me into going to the posing room.”

Per Cutler, he thought his posing stunt with Little would be of little consequence and appeared to have fun with it more than anything. It seems to have just been an unfortunate oversight.

“You know me; I don’t pose,” Cutler said. “I don’t want to say ‘conned,’ but he [Little] asked me, and I said, ‘You know what, I’ll go in there.’ I didn’t realize it would go so viral. Now it’s floating everywhere.”

 

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[Related: The 12 Best Biceps Exercises for Arm Size]

As for why Cutler seems to be committed to polishing up his physique in retirement through his training — he maintained he just wants to look great and be healthy.

“I’m doing this body transformation challenge just to try to look my best,” Cutler explained. “That means being leaner, and I don’t know what my physique is going to look like, to be honest. Like right now, I’m really lean, but I could tighten up a few areas. I want to get a little fuller. I don’t know if that necessarily means bigger on a scale, but that’s kind of the goal.”

Despite that plan, even if he won’t formally compete, Cutler didn’t rule out potential guest-posing cameos.

“I’m not going on a competition stage, but you know what I would like if I felt confident enough; if my body actually came around enough, I would actually consider posing,” Cutler said. ” … I’m still getting a ton of requests to come out and pop into events. So, it could be a possibility.”

 

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Even if Cutler won’t be competing on any Olympia stage in the near future, it’s clear he’s committed to taking care of his health. For this bodybuilding legend, the grind never stopped — it just shifted in focus.

Featured image: @jaycutler on Instagram

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On Oct. 15, 2022, during the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Carolina Primetime contest, powerlifter Jen Thompson set an American Record in the 67.5-kilogram weight class when she scored a 148.5-kilogram (327.5-pound) raw bench press. The competition took place in Greenville, SC.

Notably, if Thompson had featured in an international competition with this press, it would’ve exceeded the current International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Record of 144 kilograms (317.4 pounds) in the IPF’s 69-kilogram weight class. Thompson also owns that mark, which she achieved during a second-place performance at the 2017 IPF Reykjavík International Games. The athlete performed the press without a lifting belt and wore just wrist wraps to help her notch the feat.

 

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With her latest official record, Thompson can now boast the top American bench press mark in USAPL’s 60-kilogram, 67.5-kilogram, and 76-kilogram weight classes. Plus, according to Open Powerlifting, while her latest bench press isn’t an official World Record, it surpasses Thompson’s all-time competition best of 145.4 kilograms (320.7 pounds) from the 2022 USAPL Arnold A7 Pro Bench Bash. Thompson competed in the Masters 45-49 division at that contest, which was a bench press-only meet and a part of the overall 2022 Arnold Classic.

Her press aside, Thompson also fared quite well with her other staple numbers, logging respective PRs on her squat, deadlift, and her total. (Note: Based on her recent contest history, Thompson often exclusively focuses on her bench press, frequently competing in bench press-only meets of late.)

 

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Here’s an overview of the top stats from the athlete’s performance at the 2022 USAPL Carolina Primetime competition:

Jen Thompson (67.5KG) | 2022 USAPL Carolina Primetime Top Stats

• Squat — 160 kilograms (352 pounds) | Personal Competition Best
• Bench Press — 148.5 kilograms (327.5 pounds) | American Record | Personal Competition Best
• Deadlift — 202.5 kilograms (446.5 pounds)
• Total — 511 kilograms (1,126.5 pounds) | Personal Competition Best

Thompson might have left more on the table with her latest record. In the caption of her Instagram post, the athlete wrote that her bench press was “smooth like butter” and that she was “kicking” herself for not attempting a 149.7-kilogram (330-pound) press. That said, Thompson apparently trained differently and “tweaked her programming” in advance of this contest. The eventual results seemed to pay off in spades.

 

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[Related: How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and More]

For many athletes, this sort of accomplishment would be a benchmark for their resume. For Thompson, one of the arguable greatest powerlifters of all time — with a plethora of victories to her name over a two-plus decade career — it’s just the latest example of her unique prowess.

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Big biceps. For some lifters, that’s the ultimate weightlifting goal. Not winning gold medals in competition or hoisting hundreds of pounds overhead. Just building some eye-catching sleeve-stretchers. And, frankly, there’s not a thing wrong with that.

Changing your physique to suit your own goals, and building muscle for muscle’s sake, is still perfectly acceptable, despite the recent prevalence of functional training, obstacle racing, or performance-driven workouts. Nevermind the fact that directly training your biceps can contribute to joint health and may actually boost performance in many lifts. So, in the spirit of getting big ol’ arms, here are some of the best ways to grow your biceps.

12 Best Biceps Exercises

• Cheat Curl
• EZ-Bar Curl
• Chin-Up
• Alternating Supinating Curl
• Barbell Spider Curl
• Incline Dumbbell Curl
• Single-Arm Preacher Curl
• Single-Arm Low Cable Curl
• Concentration Curl
• Zottman Curl
• Hammer Curl
• EZ-Bar Reverse Curl

Cheat Curl

Performing the cheat curl is doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Instead of a strict barbell curl, which can be effective on its own, you’re deliberately using some body English to drive a heavy weight to the top position and then controlling the eccentric (negative or lowering phase).

By using your hips and legs purposefully to lift the weights, rather than accidentally loosening technique due to fatigue, you remain in control of the exercise and reduce the risk of injury while benefiting from heavier weights and increased muscle tension.

How to Do the Cheat Curl

Stand with an underhand, shoulder-width grip on a barbell. Slightly bend your knees and push your hips toward the wall behind you. Keep your back straight and slide the bar down along your thighs. Forcefully straighten your body while curling the weight toward chin-level. Brace your abs in the top position and slowly lower the weight. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides while straightening your arms.

Repeat the entire process for each repetition. Be sure to use your legs and hips to drive the weight up, not simply your hips and lower back. Take roughly three seconds, or longer, to lower the weight on each repetition.

Benefits of the Cheat Curl

• The hip drive and increased muscle recruitment allows relatively heavier weights to be used, which can contribute to building size and strength.
• Lowering the weight slowly can help to build more muscle than lowering at a faster speed. (1)

EZ-Bar Curl

The EZ-bar allows a semi-supinated (angled) grip, which reduces the wrist strain many lifters from using a fully supinated (palms up) grip on a straight barbell. The shift in hand position also affects muscle recruitment by activating more forearm musculature than a straight bar.

The multiple sections of an EZ-bar also allows you to easily change your grip width from “wide,” to “moderate,” to “close.” Grip width will affect your effective range of motion, which will influence muscle activation.

How to Do the EZ-Bar Curl

Stand with a shoulder-width, underhand grip on the bar. Pull your shoulders back and keep your torso upright. Slightly bend your knees and set your stance to a comfortable width. Keep your elbows stationary as you curl the weight toward the front of your shoulders. Pause briefly before lowering the weight to full extension.

Benefits of the EZ-Bar Curl

• The EZ-bar increases brachioradialis activation compared to many other biceps exercises. (2)
• The angled hand position reduces stress on the wrist joint, making the exercise more comfortable for lifters with mobility problems or joint issues.

Chin-Up

Many lifters consider the chin-up to be primarily a back exercise, but the supinated (palms up) grip drastically increases biceps recruitment during the exercise. This makes it ideal for a biceps-focused workout, especially if it’s preceded or followed with additional direct biceps training to increase cumulative fatigue on the muscle.

By flipping your grip, you increase the leverage for your biceps to contribute during the movement, which places more stress directly on them and relatively less stress on the larger back muscles.

How to Do the Chin-Up

Grab an overhead pull-up bar with a shoulder-width, palm-up grip. Allow your body to be supported by your straight arms. Pinch your shoulder blades together as you pull your body toward the bar. Keep your neck in a neutral position and avoid extending your chin to the bar. When your mouth is roughly level with the bar, pause briefly before lowering your body to full extension.

Benefits of the Chin-Up

• The chin-up is one of relatively few compound (multi-joint) exercises which primarily work the biceps. Compound movements are highly effective at building strength and size (3)
• This movement allows for using potentially heavy weights compared to other biceps exercises, which is beneficial for size and strength.

Alternating Supinating Curl

This exercise puts a twist — pun completely intended — on the classic dumbbell curl to deliver increased muscle recruitment. Supinating, or rotating, your hand as you curl the weight up allows you to activate additional arm muscles and it works the biceps to their fullest capacity.

Each repetition takes your arm through a significant range of motion and complete muscle contraction by turning the wrist from a neutral position to a fully supinated (palm up) position, which maximally recruits the muscles of the biceps and forearm.

How to Do the Alternating Supinating Curl

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing your hips. Curl one arm upwards, keeping your thumb up in a neutral position. As your hand passes your ab-level, begin rotating to a palm-up position as you continue curling. In the top position, your pinky should be slightly higher than your index finger. Reverse the motion to lower the weight, and then perform a repetition with the opposite arm.

Benefits of the Alternating Supinating Curl

• The biceps muscle plays a significant role in supinating the forearm as well as flexing (bending) your arm. (4) This is one of the very few exercises to specifically incorporate the supinating function, which increases overall activation of the biceps.
• Using a neutral grip in the initial portion of the exercise recruits the brachialis and brachioradialis, making the alternating supinating curl an efficient way to train the biceps and forearms.
• Alternating arms and performing the movement unilaterally (curling one arm at a time) allows you to use a slightly heavier weight than curling both dumbbells together. (5)

Barbell Spider Curl

The barbell spider curl works the biceps from a unique angle for a variation in training stimulus. This is essentially a “reverse incline curl,” because it requires lying chest-down on an incline bench and allowing your arms to hang vertically down.

By positioning your upper arm in front of your torso, the short head of the biceps is more strongly recruited than the long head. Some lifters may not notice a significant difference in the development of either head, but for physique-conscious lifters, emphasizing either biceps head can play a significant role in building an aesthetic physique.

How to Do the Barbell Spider Curl

Set an incline bench to a low-to-moderate angle, roughly 30 or 45-degrees. Lie your chest on the bench while holding a barbell with a supinated (palm up) grip at roughly shoulder-width. Let your arms hang straight toward the ground. Curl the weight without moving at the shoulder. Your upper arms and elbows should remain pointed at the ground as the weight moves. Pause briefly in the top position to maximize the peak contraction. Lower slowly with control and avoid swinging the weight.

Benefits of the Barbell Spider Curl

• The short head of the biceps is recruited relatively more than the long head due to the position of the upper arm relative to the torso. The long head is involved in working the shoulder joint, which is essentially “immobilized” due to hanging straight down.
• The barbell spider curl creates an extremely strong peak contraction due to the angle of the bench and the leverage of the weight against gravity. This can help many lifters improve the mind-muscle connection with their biceps, which can ultimately benefit muscle growth. (6)(7)

Incline Dumbbell Curl

The incline dumbbell curl is a classic bodybuilding exercise, known for its unique angle which puts the biceps and shoulder into a stretched position and increases recruitment of the long head of the biceps.

While the stretched position is essential for the incline curl, it may be stressful on your shoulder joint. You can adjust the incline as needed, higher or lower, to accommodate your own mobility and flexibility. The key is to maintain bench-contact with your head, shoulder blades, and lower back to ensure an inclined position.

How to Do the Incline Dumbbell Curl

Lie back on an incline bench set to roughly 45-degrees with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your head, shoulders, and tailbone against the bench throughout the entire movement. Straighten your arms and rotate your palms forward. Keep your palms facing up as you curl both weights toward your biceps. Your elbows should remain pointed to the floor and should not move forward. Slowly lower the weights to a full stretch.

Benefits of the Incline Dumbbell Curl

• Training the biceps with a unique angle, in an inclined position, contributes to more muscle growth than performing exercises which are too similar to one another. (8)
• The incline dumbbell curl puts the shoulder into a stretched position. Because the long head of the biceps crosses over the shoulder joint and is involved in shoulder flexion, this curl variation emphasizes the long head more than the short head. (9)
• The stretched position of the arm can contribute to improved shoulder mobility and biceps tendon strength. (10)

Single-Arm Preacher Curl

The barbell or EZ-bar preacher curl is a time-tested muscle-builder, but performing the exercise with one arm at a time can allow even greater focus on the muscle. Unilateral (single-side) training will improve muscle recruitment and emphasize on each arm more than a barbell exercise.

The upper arm support and stationary shoulder position de-emphasize the long head of the biceps and increase recruitment of the short head.

How to Do the Single-Arm Preacher Curl

Start with a dumbbell curled to your shoulder, with your palm facing your body. Press your chest against the flat side of a preacher curl bench and rest both underarms snugly on top of the pad. Lay your elbow and triceps on the angled side of the bench, keeping the dumbbell in the top position. Maintain a palms-up grip as you slowly lower the weight. When your arm is nearly straight, curl the weight back to the starting position.

Benefits of the Single-Arm Preacher Curl

• The preacher curl bench supports the upper arm which reinforces strict technique and limits cheating or momentum.
• The single-arm preacher curl emphasizes the short head of the biceps.
• The unilateral movement allows lifters to address common muscle asymmetries between arms by focusing on each arm individually.

Single-Arm Low Cable Curl

The low cable pulley puts the biceps under constant tension, compared to barbells or dumbbells which rely on gravity and leverage to provide resistance. This results in cables offering greater time under tension and a stronger muscle-building stimulus. (11)

The single-arm low cable curl can be done either facing the cable stack or facing away from it. Facing away will put a greater stretch on the biceps, similar to an incline curl, and is the more effective option.

How to Do the Single-Arm Low Cable Curl

Attack a single handle to a low cable pulley. Grab the handle, turn your back to the weight stack, and take one or two small steps forward. With a palms-up grip and your hand by your side, your straight arm should be very slightly “pulled” behind your torso by the weight. Keep your elbow stationary while curling the handle toward your shoulder. From the top position, fully straighten your arm before repeating the next repetition.

Benefits of the Single-Arm Low Cable Curl

• This cable curl variation puts the muscle under constant muscular tension which can increase muscle growth.
• The long time under tension and long range of motion make the exercise highly effective with relatively light weight, making it ideal for lifters whose joints cannot tolerate heavy loads.

Concentration Curl

The concentration curl is a classic biceps exercise, often performed by beginning lifters instinctively without formal direction. It can be an extremely effective way to target the biceps with minimal recruitment of other muscles.

The setup of the concentration curl allows you to, rightfully, concentrate on the working arm during each set. Not only is the movement strictly performed by one arm at a time, but you’re looking directly at your muscle as it contracts and stretches for each repetition.

How to Do the Concentration Curl

With a dumbbell in one hand, sit on a bench or chair with your feet set well-beyond shoulder-width. Brace the triceps of the working arm near the same-side knee. Curl the weight toward your face while maintaining a palm-up grip. Don’t allow your legs or torso to swing the weight up. Slowly lower the weight to complete extension.

Benefits of the Concentration Curl

• This exercise is ideal for using the “touch training” technique — using your non-working hand to touch the working muscle during each repetition. This can improve the mind-muscle connection and may increase muscle growth. (12)
• This movement allows for strict exercise performance with little to no momentum due to the braced stance and arm support.
• The concentration curl allows variety from standard dumbbell curls without needing additional equipment like a preacher curl bench or cable pulley.

Zottman Curl

The Zottman curl, named for American strongman George Zottman, working the biceps and forearms through a variety of motions for maximum muscle recruitment. It combines a standard dumbbell curl and a reverse curl, while testing and building wrist mobility.

If you can manage the necessary coordination (which is less complicated than patting your head while rubbing your stomach), then you can build bigger, stronger arms with this efficient movement.

How to Do the Zottman Curl

Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides. Curl one arm palm-up toward your shoulder. In the top position, rotate your hand palm-down and lower the weight to full extension. Next, curl the opposite hand palm-up toward your shoulder before rotating it palm-down for the lowering phase. When you’re comfortable with the basic movement, aim to move your arms at the same time — raising one hand palm-up while simultaneously lowering the other palm-down.

Benefits of the Zottman Curl

• The Zottman curl recruits multiple muscles of the arm — including the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis — during the multiple phases of the exercise.
• The varied hand positions and use of supination and pronation (turning the palm up and down, respectively) will help to build overall wrist mobility and may improve wrist and elbow health.

Hammer Curl

This simple adjustment to the standard dumbbell curl increases recruitment of the forearm muscles, allows you to move relatively heavier weights, and builds grip strength.

The thumbs-up position emphasizes the brachialis and brachioradialis, along with the biceps, making it an efficient way to train the forearm as well as the upper arm.

How to Do the Hammer Curl

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with your hands facing your hips. Curl both weights up toward your shoulder while keeping your thumbs up. Allow your elbows to move slightly forward as you bring the weight into the top position — this can increase overall muscle recruitment. Pause briefly before lowering to full extension.

Benefits of the Hammer Curl

• The hammer curl allows you to lift heavier weights than any palms-up curl, which can benefit size and strength gains.
• The neutral-grip hand position emphasizes the brachialis and brachioradialis, which are not significantly recruited during other biceps curl variations.

EZ-Bar Reverse Curl

The EZ-bar reverse curl shares many of the benefits of the standard EZ-bar curl — reduced wrist strain and a consistent gauge for adjusting grip width — and it offers even greater recruitment of forearm muscles due to the angled palms-down grip.

The semi-pronated (partially palms-down) grip increases activation of the brachialis, brachioradialis, and wrist extensors, along with some recruitment of the biceps. This makes the movement a very efficient way to train the lower arms.

How to Do the EZ-Bar Reverse Curl

Stand with a shoulder-width, palms-down grip on the bar. Pull your shoulders back and keep your torso upright. Slightly bend your knees and set your stance to a comfortable width. Keep your elbows stationary as you curl the weight toward the front of your shoulders. Pause briefly before lowering the weight to full extension.

You may find the exercise more comfortable using a thumbless or “false” grip, placing your thumb next to your index finger instead of wrapping it around the bar. This technique will require greater grip strength as you squeeze the bar harder throughout the movement.

Benefits of the EZ-Bar Reverse Curl

• The combination of using an EZ-bar and a predominantly pronated (overhand or palms-down) grip significantly increases brachialis, brachioradialis, and forearm activation compared to supinated (palms-up) biceps exercises.
• The angled hand position reduces stress on the wrist joint, making the exercise more comfortable for lifters with mobility problems or joint issues.

The Biceps Muscles

It sounds counterintuitive, but “the biceps” are actually just made of your biceps. Several closely related muscles in the upper and lower arm need to be developed for a great looking set of biceps.

Biceps Brachii

The primary biceps muscle on the front of the upper arm is composed of two heads working together. The short head of the biceps, sometimes called the “inner head,” runs from near the elbow to the top of the upper arm. The long head, sometimes called the “outer head,” runs from the elbow over the shoulder joint and attaches to the shoulder blade.

The biceps are well-known for working to flex (bend) your elbow, but they also function to pronate and supinate your wrist and forearm — turning your palm up and down. This is one reason why exercises like the alternating supinating curl result in stronger muscle contractions and greater overall growth.

Brachioradialis

The brachioradialis runs along the thumb-side of the forearm from the wrist area to the lower part of the biceps. It is heavily activated when curling, particularly when the hand is in a neutral (thumbs up) position. The brachioradialis also plays a role in stabilizing the forearm muscle during and after supination or pronation.

Brachialis

This often under-appreciated muscle is actually located “beneath” the biceps, near the elbow joint. When the brachialis increases in size, it has the effect of “lifting” the biceps to make it appear larger. The brachialis becomes the primary arm flexor when using a neutral grip, which is why movements like the hammer curl target it efficiently.

Forearms

The wrist flexors and wrist extensors, on the lower and upper part of the forearm respectively, are largely responsible for lifting the hand at the wrist joint. These muscles are often statically trained during most biceps curl variations, to stabilize the hand and wrist.

However, exercises like the Zottman curl or the cheat curl may recruit the flexors or extensors more significantly due to the involvement of more dynamic lifting technique.

How Often Should You Train the Biceps

Direct biceps training will be a factor of your specific goal and your overall training split. Two effective approaches are to either perform a moderate amount of biceps work immediately after training a larger body part or to perform a low amount of biceps training more frequently.

Because your biceps are recruited during almost all back exercises, ending your back workout with two or three biceps exercises (each for two to four sets of eight to 12 reps) is an efficient way to fully exhaust the biceps.

With this approach, the exercises should be as varied as possible. For example, performing the cheat curl, EZ-bar curl, and single-arm cable curl would all train the biceps with a similar stimulus. Performing the EZ-bar curl, incline curl, and Zottman curl would deliver greater variety, increased muscle recruitment, and stronger stimulus for growth.

An effective alternative is to perform one biceps exercise for two to three sets of six to 15 reps at the end of your workout three to five days per week. With this high-frequency approach, your biceps are trained often, but the low volume allows for optimal recovery and growth. (13)

The lower volume per workout also prevents biceps fatigue from interfering with your other training for other body parts. For this method to be most efficient, use different exercises and/or a different set/rep scheme in each workout. For example, perform cheat curls for four sets of six in the first workout, single-arm preacher curls for three sets of 12 in the next workout, hammer curls for three sets of eight in the next session, etc.

How to Progress Your Biceps Training

One essential element for maximizing your biceps growth is training with a variety of hand positions and arm angles, either in a single workout or throughout the week. This will optimize overall muscle recruitment and balance activation of the major arm flexors — biceps long head, biceps short head, brachialis, and brachioradialis. (14)

Be sure to incorporate “classic” palm-up curls like the barbell spider curl, palms-down curls such as the EZ-bar reverse curl, movements with your upper arm in front of your torso like the chin-up, and movements with your upper arm angled behind your torso including the incline curl.

One particularly effective technique to increase training intensity and volume is the mechanical advantage drop set. This is a specific type of superset which pairs similar movements with simple adjustments to improve leverage in order to perform more total repetitions.

For example, when you might begin with alternating supinating curls. When you approach muscular fatigue, transition immediately (without setting the dumbbells down) and begin performing hammer curls. Because hammer curls put the brachialis in a stronger position to contract, you will be able to complete additional repetitions before again reaching muscular fatigue.

Many people accidentally stumble onto this technique when performing strict barbell curls, as they inadvertently transition to cheat curls to complete a challenging set.

How to Warm-Up Your Biceps

While the elbow joint is most commonly overstressed or aggravated by certain triceps exercises, biceps training can also play a critical role in determining joint health. Because the elbow is held in position during most biceps exercises, the joint can be put under significant strain. A thorough warm-up can go a long way toward preventing any excessive stress.

Before any biceps training, get blood flowing throughout your upper body. Alternating low-rep push-ups with high-rep band pull-aparts for two or three sets is a good start. Following that with (perhaps counterintuitively), a light weight, high rep triceps exercise alternated with a light weight, high rep biceps exercise for two sets. With those four movements, you’ve got an efficient way to approach your biceps warm-up. Continue the training with a relatively light first set on each biceps exercise, and get to work.

Don’t Be Scared to Train for Big Arms

Direct biceps training has developed an unfortunate reputation in recent years, with some lifters thinking it’s purely for “vanity.” First of all, no it isn’t. Setting a goal of lean, muscular 17-inch arms isn’t “vanity” any more than setting a goal to squat five plates per side. Secondly, biceps training can play a performance-boosting role in upper body strength, stability when handling heavy weight, and shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint health. So, you want to build your biceps? Excellent. You’re now armed with the most effective ways to get there.

References

1. Wilk, M., Zajac, A. & Tufano, J.J. The Influence of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Responses: A Review. Sports Med 51, 1629–1650 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01465-2
2. Marcolin, G., Panizzolo, F. A., Petrone, N., Moro, T., Grigoletto, D., Piccolo, D., & Paoli, A. (2018). Differences in electromyographic activity of biceps brachii and brachioradialis while performing three variants of curl. PeerJ, 6, e5165. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5165
3. Paoli, A., Gentil, P., Moro, T., Marcolin, G., & Bianco, A. (2017). Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 1105. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.01105
4. Tiwana MS, Charlick M, Varacallo M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. [Updated 2021 Aug 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519538/
5. Costa E, Moreira A, Cavalcanti B, Krinski K, Aoki M. Effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance exercise on maximal voluntary strength, total volume of load lifted, and perceptual and metabolic responses. Biol Sport. 2015;32(1):35-40. doi:10.5604/20831862.1126326
6. Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
7. Schoenfeld, B. J., Vigotsky, A., Contreras, B., Golden, S., Alto, A., Larson, R., … & Paoli, A. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. European Journal of Sport Science, 18(5), 705-712.
8. Costa B.V.D., Kassiano, W., Nunes, J. P., Kunevaliki, G., Castro-E-Souza, P., Rodacki, A., … & de Sousa Fortes, L. (2021). Does Performing Different Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Induce Non-homogeneous Hypertrophy?. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(09), 803-811.
9. Schoenfeld, Brad CSCS. Accentuating Muscular Development Through Active Insufficiency and Passive Tension. Strength and Conditioning Journal: August 2002 – Volume 24 – Issue 4 – p 20-22
10. Wiesinger, H. P., Kösters, A., Müller, E., & Seynnes, O. R. (2015). Effects of Increased Loading on In Vivo Tendon Properties: A Systematic Review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 47(9), 1885–1895. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000603
11. Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
12. Oshita, Kazushige. (2021). Effect of internal focus of attention with touching cue on the agonist muscle activity during exercise. 10.14198/jhse.2021.16.Proc2.04.
13. Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., & Krieger, J. (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of sports sciences, 37(11), 1286–1295. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906
14. 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

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Back in the day, your only weight training options in the gym were machines, barbells, or dumbbells. Sure, it got the job done well enough, but lifters were missing out on a versatile, effective, and truly old school piece of equipment for building muscle, strength, power, and conditioning.

Kettlebells have a centuries-long history around the world and, fortunately, they’ve become more and more commonplace in commercial gyms in recent years. They’re also a efficient space-saving option for any home gym. While kettlebell training does require slightly more attention than exercising with dumbbells, the payoff is well-worth the effort.

Here are the best exercises to begin your kettlebell experience. You’ll find some irreplaceable exercises that build explosive power, head-to-toe strength and stability, and a muscle-building stimulus you just can’t duplicate with any other equipment. While some exercises require a pair of matched weights, there are plenty of great movements using just one ‘bell.

Best Kettlebell Exercises

• Goblet Squat
• Kettlebell Deadlift
• Farmer’s Carry
• Gorilla Row
• Kettlebell Halo
• Front Rack Reverse Lunge
• Front Rack Push Press
• Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift and Carry
• Kettlebell Clean
• Kettlebell Swing
• Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank
• Turkish Get-Up

Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is a very accessible way for anyone to learn how to squat with added resistance. The idea of the movement is that you are “sitting into your squat” with a weight in front of your body. It sounds pretty simple in theory and, in reality, it is.

The movement is much easier to learn compared to a back squat which requires more shoulder mobility and upper body attention. A goblet squat can help you feel what it’s like to hold tension in a squat while focusing on your lower body. It’s not strictly for beginners because you can progress to the heaviest kettlebell you have access to before moving on to a barbell.

How to Do the Goblet Squat

Hold the kettlebell handles at your chest. Press your palms toward each other in order to keep tension in your upper body. Keep your chest up and don’t let the weight pull you forward. Push your hips back, drive your knees out, and sit “into” your hips — don’t just fall down.

When your thighs are slightly below parallel to the ground, push your feet through the floor and drive yourself back up to a standing position. Throughout the entire repetition, keep the weight as close to your body as possible and make sure you have control of the weight.

Benefits of the Goblet Squat

• Goblet squats are a great way to build strength in your legs and core.
• Goblet squats allow you to master squat technique, build mobility, and progress gradually over time.
• Goblet squats are ideal for lifters unable to squat with a 35 or 45-pound barbell.

Kettlebell Deadlift

Kettlebell deadlifts are a great way to learn deadlift technique and strengthen the involved muscles without needing to load 65 to 135 pounds on a barbell. Many times, deadlifts are associated with powerlifters moving hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of pounds, but a “deadlift” is simply a way of hinging from your hips and picking up a weight from the ground efficiently.

The kettlebell deadlift helps you understand how to turn your lats on during the exercise, which improves upper body stability and strength during the pull. The exercise also grooves the hip hinge movement pattern to improve technique.

How to Do the Kettlebell Deadlift

Set your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, with a kettlebell between your feet. Push your hips back and hinge your upper body forward. Grip the top kettlebell handle with both hands. Your torso should be slightly above parallel to the ground, with your chest above your hip-line. Keep your arms straight and feel tension in your lats — the muscles on either side of your back behind your ribs. Pull your shoulders away from your ears.

Slightly bend your knees and take a deep breath in to brace your core (holding tension and position). Drive through the floor and stand up by pushing your hips forward and pulling your shoulders back. Don’t lean too far back in the top position or you’ll shift focus to your lower back.

Once you’re standing upright, descend by driving your hips back behind you and keeping the weight close to your legs. Unlock your knees and “find the floor” with the kettlebell. Remember that a “deadlift” means that there is a dead-stop on the floor. Each time the weight gets to the ground, breathe and to reset your position.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Deadlift

• Deadlifts are a functional movement done in everyday life, whether it’s picking up the laundry basket, your kid, heavy grocery bags, or the end of a couch. The kettlebell deadlift teaches how to safely keep weight close to your body while efficiently lifting from the floor.
• The exercise strengthens your legs, back, shoulders, core, and grip.

Farmer’s Carry

Farmer’s carries, also known as farmer’s walks, are one of the most effective ways to simultaneously build your strength and endurance. It also works nearly every part of your body from your core and grip to your shoulders and calves.

If you’ve ever carried more than one grocery bag from the car to the house, you’ve done a farmer’s carry. The goal is to get the snacks home safely, right? At the gym, the goal is to carry the weight with control so, when you think about it, the farmer’s carry is a functional exercise to keep your groceries safe. In any case, the idea is to walk for total distance or time while holding heavy weights and maintaining good posture and control of the weights.

How to Do the Farmer’s Carry

Stand with your feet roughly hip-distance apart with a kettlebell at outside of each foot. Hinge your hips back, pull your shoulders away from your ears, and feel tension in your lats as you pick up the kettlebells. This should remind you of doing a deadlift, because it is. The only difference is having a weight near each hip instead of one weight at your body’s centerline. And instead of putting the weights right back down, you are going for a simple walk.

The main focus is to control the weights while walking. Focus on holding your body in good alignment  with your shoulders pulled back in muscular tension to prevent the weights from swinging. If you find you are losing your balance, you are likely not controlling the kettlebells. After you’ve reached your distance or time, set up in the starting stance, hinge your hips back, and bring the weights to the floor.

Benefits of the Farmer’s Carry

• Farmer’s carries are incredibly applicable to life from a functional strength-perspective, safely and efficiently moving with weights at arm’s length.
• The exercise is effective for building core strength and grip strength.
• This total-body movement also builds endurance and conditioning more efficiently than low intensity aerobic exercise like walking on a treadmill.

Gorilla Row

This movement is powerful and, honestly, fun. A gorilla row is similar to a bent-over dumbbell row, but instead of pressing into a bench with one arm, you’re using the opposing weight to create force and stability.

This row variation helps to reinforce good hip hinge patterns. It requires you to hold your lower back and core in a strong position, otherwise you find that doing the actual row becomes much harder. The wide stance also reduces lower back strain, making it a good choice for lifters with recurring back problems.

How to Do the Gorilla Row

Stand with your feet wide out and a pair of kettlebells on the ground at your center. Bend forward at your hips and squat down to grip the weights with your palms facing each other. Pressing down into one of the kettlebells while pulling the other toward your waist. Don’t allow your upper body to rotate as you pull and push. You can either alternate pulling sides with each repetition or stick to one side for all reps before switching.

This movement is meant to be done powerfully, not slowly. If you have a hard time being in the hinge position without your back rounding, elevate the kettlebells on blocks to make them a bit higher. This will take some of the pressure on your hamstrings and lower back by reducing the range of motion.

Benefits of the Gorilla Row

• Gorilla row is an effective rowing variation, which can be beneficial for building strength and muscle. (1)
• This movement incorporated your entire body, using your legs and core for stability, compared to a more lat-focused row.
• The core engagement and body position reduces lower back strain compared to other rowing movements.

Kettlebell Halo

The halo is one of the most complete shoulder exercises you can do. The benefits include strength, mobility, and stability. The halo is versatile and can be done either during a workout or as part of a warm-up.

You can make the movement easier or harder by adjusting the bell’s position in your hands, by alternating directions with each repetition or performing one direction at a time, or by changing your stance from standing to kneeling.

How to Do the Kettlebell Halo

Stand while grabbing the side handles a kettlebell, with the your thumbs in front of your face. Think about an actual halo — a halo is a circle over your head, so create a circular motion around your eye-line. As you bring the weight to the side of your head, start to turn the bottom of the kettlebell up toward the ceiling.

As it moves around the back of your head, the bottom of the kettlebell should be facing the ceiling and your elbows point up to the sky. As the weight finishes the circle around your head, rotate the bottom of the weight to face the floor. You should be in the starting position again.

Don’t allow your head to move forward. Get the range of motion from your shoulders, not from your neck. Pretend you’re stuck in cement from the chest down. This will work on your core stability.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Halo

• The halo efficiently builds core stability and upper body mobility3.
• The shoulders and upper back are worked through a very significant range of motion, making it an ideal drill for improving joint health by addressing scapular stability and mobility.
• The exercise can be performed with several basic variations, making it accessible for people with different abilities and experience levels.

Front Rack Reverse Lunge

All lunges are hard, but front rack reverse lunges (sometimes called back lunges) are an extra-level of hard. It takes a lot of core and mid-back strength to perform this “lower body exercise” because you have to keep the kettlebells held near your chest during the movement.

The beauty of the front rack reverse lunge is that you get your leg work done while also training your upper body and core at the same time. Doing the exercise with one kettlebell will increase the core challenge even further since you need to stabilize your torso from being pulled down on one side.

How to Do the Front Rack Reverse Lunge

Stand while holding a pair of kettlebells at shoulder-height with your knuckles either touching or fairly close to each other. Think of a classic prayer position without your hands actually interlocking. This is the “front rack” position.

Step one foot back, hinging slightly at your hips as you bend your front leg and lower your back knee down towards the floor. Lightly graze the floor with your knee  — don’t just drop your knee to the ground. Focus on keeping your torso strong and your chest up, pointing your knuckles up toward the sky. Once you’ve grazed the ground  with your leg, push up through your front leg with the back leg only helping slightly You can either continue all reps with one leg or you can alternate sides.

Benefits of the Front Rack Reverse Lunge

• The front rack position adds a big element of core strength to the reverse lunge, especially if performed with a weight in one arm instead of two.
• Your upper back, shoulders and arms will also be challenged to support the weight during this movement.
• The front rack reverse lunge helps to build lower body strength and mobility as you reach a deep lunge position, stretching the hip flexors of the back leg and strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes of the front leg.

Front Rack Push Press

It’s common to see a basic overhead press, but a front rack push press is a whole different ballgame. You can do the standard overhead press with kettlebells in a slow and controlled fashion, but when you add the front rack position and a lower body push, you’ve now created a relatively unstable environment that you have to work really hard to control.

By using leg drive, you challenge your core to transfer that power from your lower body through to your shoulders. You’re also able to use relatively heavier weights, which can build more strength and power.

How to Do the Front Rack Push Press

Hold a pair of kettlebells in the front rack position — in front of your face with your palms facing each other. Dip your knees and sit very slightly down while keeping your chest tall. From that position, quickly stand straight and punch the weights up. Imaging you’re jumping to create enough power through the floor and send the weights toward the ceiling.

Because you’re creating so much force, you’ll need to make sure that your shoulders are in a stable position to catch the weights at the top. Brace your core as you lockout the weights overhead. Once you’ve stabilized the weights at the top, lower them towards your chest as you sit again to “catch” the force coming down. Repeat the movement by punching upward.

Benefits of the Front Rack Push Press

• Kettlebells are more unstable than dumbbells due to the offset center of gravity and their position in your hand and on your arm. This adds an even greater element of core strength and shoulder stability to each repetition as you must work harder to control the weight overhead.
• The front rack push press allows heavier weights than a strict press, which helps improve strength and force development.
• Incorporating leg drive makes the front rack push press a total-body exercise, creating a more efficient movement for conditioning.

Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

This movement is similar to the farmer’s carry except, instead of practicing carrying groceries, you’re practicing carrying luggage. Using just one kettlebell creates a pull on one side of your body which forces your core, specifically your oblique muscles on the sides of your abdominals, to work extra-hard to keep you upright.

The suitcase deadlift is a single-arm, core-intensive variation of the standard kettlebell deadlift.  The suitcase carry is a single-arm, core-intensive variation of the farmer’s carry. Combining the two creates an efficient exercise to build total-body strength and a strong, supportive core.

How to Do the Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

Stand with one kettlebell on the floor next to your foot. Hinge your hips back, bend your legs slightly, and grab the weight with your palm facing your leg. Pull your shoulders away from your ears and create tension in your shoulder. Keep your back neutral and your shoulders level as you drive through the floor and pick up the weight. Walk for total distance or time.

As you are walking, you will feel a bit lopsided, but that is the point. Fight that using your core. Squeeze your free hand hard to help create tension and prevent the weight from pulling you to one side. (2) Once you are done with the set, hinge your hips back, place the weight on the floor and repeat with the other hand.

Benefits of the Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

• The suitcase deadlift and carry addresses natural asymmetries and helps to reduce the risk of injuries by improving core stability.
• The single-sided loading is highly functional and prepares the body for real-world scenarios ranging from walking an energetic dog to carrying a child on your hip.

Kettlebell Clean

This is a dynamic and powerful movement that only feels good when it’s done properly. When it’s done wrong, it can tell you it’s wrong by bruising your wrist and forearm — not all exercises talk back to you like that, but kettlebell cleans definitely will.

The clean is a fundamental exercise that builds strength to get your kettlebells up the front rack position, so learning it will benefit your presses, squats, lunges, and more.

How to Do the Kettlebell Clean

With the kettlebell between your feet, and your feet a little wider than hip-width apart, drive your hips back. Bend your knees and put one hand on the bell with a palm-down grip. Make sure that your chest is up so you can look in front of you — you don’t want to be looking at the floor or the bell. Drive up to pull the weight off the floor. As it reaches your hips, start to turn your hand so the weight will land in the front rack position.

Here’s the important thing: you shouldn’t be doing much pulling with your arm. Some, sure, but most of the power to get the weight from the ground to chest-height comes from your hips. You are almost “throwing” the weight up to the sky with a lot of momentum and power from the hips, and then guiding it into the front rack position.

Some key tips would be not to pull off the ground too fast, so you can gather enough power. Also, relax your hand as the bell is turning, to allow a smoother rotation and cut down on calluses. The kettlebell clean does take a lot of practice before you might have a smooth lift, so it’s a good idea to start light and taking your time to increase the weight.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Clean

• Kettlebell cleans are a very effective explosive power exercise.
• The clean is the most efficient way to bring a kettlebell to the front rack position before performing squats, lunges, presses or similar exercises.
• As a total-body movement, it’s an excellent way to train cardio and conditioning while targeting the legs, core, and upper back.

Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell swings might be the most popular kettlebell exercise around, and for plenty of good reasons. They are one of the best hip extension exercises and target the glutes and hamstrings. They are powerful, they are fun, and they are unconventional cardio.

Because your hips and glutes are some of the strongest muscles in your body, you can swing a lot more weight than you realize when you are using the proper momentum, power, and position.

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

Start standing about a foot behind the kettlebell, with your feet wider than hip-distance apart. Your body should be in a hinged position with both hands palm-down on the bell. Think about hiking a football back behind you. Keep your chest tall, take a deep breath in, and “hike” the kettlebell behind your legs. Once the kettlebell is at its peak, aggressively drive your hips forward and come to a standing position while the kettlebell swings forward in front of you to about chest-height. Do not lift the kettlebell with your arms. Keep your arms loose.

Imagine a slingshot. As you bring the weight back, you’re pulling the sling back and once you release the sling, the weight should shoot forward. In this case, you will be guiding it forward and slightly up. Once the kettlebell is in front of you at its maximum height, actively pull it down through your legs, but very closer to your hips than your knees. A graphic but memorable saying to keep in mind is “thumb in the bum.” Keep the bell high and close between your legs to generate the most power. When the bell swings up, make sure you have fully extended your hips without leaning backward and overextend with your lower back.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing

• Kettlebell swings are a great way to change up your cardio workouts.
• Swings build explosive power and strength.
• The movements is highly effective for targeting the glutes and training hip extension, which can benefit athleticism, sports performance, and muscle growth.

Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

Are you bored of planks and also need to work on your shoulder mobility? Here’s the solution. There are many ways to work your core and static exercises where you resist movement, such as basic planks, are great to build stability.

This tall kneeling plank is also great because you will be working on your hip extension and shoulder mobility at the same time. The kettlebell tall kneeling plank is a great way to work on holding our spine in a neutral position, which will translate to many other exercises.

How to Do the Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

The “tall kneeling” position means that you will be on both knees with your thighs toward the ceiling, not sitting on your heels. Grab the handle of a kettlebell with both hands behind you. Your palms will be facing away from your body and you will want to keep your arms as straight as possible.

Actively extend (straighten) at the hips and hold your ribs in alignment directly above your waist. Try not to let the kettlebell rest on your body. You don’t have to pull it far away, but you want to stay active and engage your shoulders and arms in this hold.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

• This exercise is a great way to open up your chest and shoulders, improve mobility and stretch your upper body.
• If you can’t perform basic planks due to wrist or elbow problems, this is a great alternative.

Turkish Get-Up

The Turkish get-up is a strength, stability, and mobility exercise wrapped up into one. It can be broken down into parts where it becomes a sit-up, a crab bridge, a lunge, an overhead hold… there is a lot going on. The main idea is that you begin lying on the ground holding a weight locked out overhead and have to move into a standing position.

This is a big, involved movement broken down into a step-by-step process. The focus is keeping your shoulders in a stable position so the weight remains perpendicular to the ground the entire time. Even beginning with bodyweight alone, without any weigh in your hand, can be challenging to some people.

How to Do the Turkish Get-Up

Lie on your back with your right foot flat on the floor, your right knee bent to 90-degrees, and your left leg straight out. Your right arm begins locked straight above your chest with a kettlebell in-hand. Your left arm is out to the side at the same angle as your left leg. While looking at the weight and pressing your arm away from you, push into the floor with your right foot and prop up onto your left elbow.

Keep pressing your left arm into the floor and come up the palm of that hand. Keep your shoulders stacked in-line. Press your hips up to the sky with your left leg out straight. Press through your left palm and right foot, and bring your left leg under your body into a kneeling position.

With your knee on the ground, take your left palm off the floor and extend your arm sideways for balance. Press through your legs into a standing position. This is the top of the get-up — the halfway point of one repetition. Stabilize the kettlebell locked overhead and brace your core.

With your left leg, step back into a half-kneeling (lunge) position. Hinge your hips back as you lean to the left side and place your left palm on the ground. Bring your left leg through to a straight ahead position. Bend your left arm and lower to your forearm, and then slowly lower yourself flat onto your back. You should  end in the same starting position, with the kettlebell locked straight over your chest. Switch the weight to the other hand and repeat.

Benefits of the Turkish Get-Up

• The Turkish get-up truly is a whole-body exercise. It’s arguably the most involved movement you can do in the gym and everything is working, as you can tell from the extra-long steps on how to perform the exercise
• The movement works shoulder stability and mobility, lower body stability and strength, and core strength.

Benefits of Kettlebell Training

Kettlebells can be used for all sorts of strength exercises, just like you would use dumbbells. The big difference is weight distribution due to the way the kettlebell is shaped and how you hold it. The offset size of the kettlebell can make many exercises much more challenging than similar movements using a dumbbell.

The other major beauty of almost any kettlebell exercise is that you easily flow from movement to movement. For example, you can smoothly transition from a kettlebell swing to a clean to a push press to a front rack reverse lunge all without ever putting the weight down.

This type of exercise flow is similar to using supersets and is an efficient way to train multiple muscle groups with a high level of continuous tension.

How to Program Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebells are generally used for developing power over raw strength because they can be used explosively but weights are relatively limited. One of the most popular examples would be a kettlebell swing. It’s powerful movement that is best done with a kettlebell rather than a dumbbell or an improvised, homemade kettlebell-like alternative.

Kettlebell exercises can be incorporated into any conventional workout and mixed with standard exercises. For example, performing the front rack push press before dumbbell lateral raises during a shoulder workout.

You can also create a kettlebell-only workout for a plan requiring minimal equipment. For example, performing the goblet squat, swings, and front rack reverse lunge as a complete leg workout. You could also get an intense and effective cardio workout performing the farmer’s carry followed by the Turkish get-up.

How to Warm-Up with a Kettlebell

Because the kettlebell takes up barely any space in the gym, it can be the key to getting a quick and effective warm-up before any workout. Stringing together several exercises, performing each for several repetitions, can be an ideal way to prepare your entire body for any training session. Try this simple circuit:

• Unweighted Turkish Get-Up: Lie flat on the ground with your hand raised to the ceiling. Roll to the opposite side, prop yourself up, swing the leg of your non-working arm through to the back, and stand up. Keep your hand pointed completely vertical the entire time. Reverse the process to lie back down and repeat with the other arm. Perform two reps per side before moving to the next exercise.
• Goblet Squat: Hold a kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest. Pull your shoulders back, engage your core, and sit back into your hips. Descend as low as possible, aiming to increase your depth with each repetition. Perform five repetitions before moving to the next repetition.
• Kettlebell Clean: Take the kettlebell in one hand, handing between your legs near your knees. Hinge forward at the hips and slightly bend your knees. Explode upwards while pulling the weight to shoulder-level. Bend your arm and “catch” the weight with bent legs. Stand upright and reset before lowering the weight to the starting position. Perform three repetitions per arm before moving to the next exercise.
• Front Rack Push Press: Begin with the kettlebell at shoulder-level. Bend your legs and sit down slightly before quickly standing up while pressing the weight overhead to full lockout. Lower the bell to shoulder-level and “catch” it with bent legs. Perform three repetitions per arm before repeating the first exercise. Perform a total of three circuits.

One Bell, Endless Results

There’s a reason kettlebells have been used around the entire world for well-over a century. Without needing a fully equipped gym, you can train your entire body for strength, muscle, mobility, and conditioning. Kettlebell training might seem complicated, imposing, or even intimidating. But it’s really not. All it takes is patience, practice, and proper instruction. You just got the last piece, but the first two are up to you.

References

1. Baz-Valle, E., Schoenfeld, B. J., Torres-Unda, J., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernández, C. (2019). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PloS one, 14(12), e0226989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226989
2. Gontijo, L. B., Pereira, P. D., Neves, C. D., Santos, A. P., Machado, D., & Bastos, V. H. (2012). Evaluation of strength and irradiated movement pattern resulting from trunk motions of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Rehabilitation research and practice, 2012, 281937. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/281937

Featured Image: Goolia Photography / Shutterstock

The post The 12 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Conditioning, Mobility, and Strength appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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I don’t consider myself a biohacker, but I do intentionally engage in practices that I believe will extend my healthspan and lifespan. Cold plunges are one of them. Cold exposure goes into the bucket along with things like resistance training, intermittent fasting, sun on your skin, and sauna—all stimuli that stress the body and prompt it to become stronger and more resistant to chronic and acute health issues. 

I’m tempted to say that cold plunges are an easy way to challenge your system, but if you’ve ever stepped up to the edge of an icy stream or cold pool, you know there’s nothing easy about forcing yourself to get in, sink down to your neck, and make the intentional choice to stay there. Veteran cold plungers and winter swimmers will tell you that over time your body acclimates so it becomes easier to tolerate the cold. You’ll even come to eagerly anticipate your next plunge. That’s all true. But there will always be a part of your brain that tells you, “You don’t have to do this. C’mon, stay warm and dry.”

Each plunge requires you to overcome that little voice. It’s not easy, but it’s simple in the sense that just about everyone can find a way to harness the power of cold. And everyone should because the benefits of cold exposure are pretty impressive: 

• Reduces inflammation by lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines
• Triggers the release of immune cells that can ward off illness 
• Converts white fat into more metabolically active brown or beige fat
• Ramps up metabolic rate and boosts weight loss
• Promotes mitochondrial biogenesis
• Improves insulin sensitivity

More than these physical benefits, the fact that it’s not easy is arguably the biggest upside of all. The mental fortitude you build when you intentionally and repeatedly put yourself in uncomfortable situations is undeniable. One of the most profound disconnects between our modern world and the one our ancestors inhabited is just how comfortable we are most of the time. We now have to go out of our way to simulate the physical and mental challenges that for most of history were just a part of everyday life. 

I’ve been regularly immersing myself in cold water for years now, and I’m convinced that that’s one of the reasons why I still feel as good as ever mentally and physically. Here’s how to get started.

How I Cold Plunge

Early in the day, I like colder temperature for shorter duration. Generally that means water in the mid to low 40s for a minute or two. (That’s Fahrenheit; 4 to 7 degrees Celsius.) Get out, lightly towel off, dress. Don’t do anything special to warm up. Go about your day energized and refreshed.

Later in the day, I like a little less cold (48 to 51 degrees F, 8 to 10 degrees C) but for a longer duration, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. If it’s after 6 p.m. and my intention is to prepare myself for a better night’s sleep, I want to be a little chilly (shiver slightly) after I get out, but only for 20 or 30 minutes. If you overdo it, shivering into the night can be a bit uncomfortable (and I have done that). So if I feel I’ve gone too long, I might take a warm shower to bring my body temperature up a bit. Sometimes I hit the sauna for 12 minutes before I plunge. That can buy me a few more minutes in the cold.

My favorite is in summer to plunge for a few minutes and then air dry in the warm sunshine. Depending on where I’m at in the world, I might do my plunges in an unheated swimming pool, lake, or ocean. More recently, I received a cold plunge tub (looks like a bathtub) for my home by Plunge, and I’ve been having fun playing around with the ability to manipulate the temperature. 

Now, this is just what I prefer. I crafted this protocol, if you can call it that, by looking at the research, talking to friends who are experts in performance and recovery, and mostly doing what feels good to me. I’m not overly concerned with getting it “right” every time. And I don’t really plunge for exercise recovery. I do it for the mental challenge and the great feeling after I get out. The “buzzy” feeling and energy I enjoy afterward tell me I’m accessing the benefits. 

Cold Plunge Best Practices

When I talk to people about cold exposure, first they tell me how much they hate the cold and could never do it. Then they all have the same questions: How cold does the water have to be? How long do I have to stay in? How often? Can I just take cold showers instead? 

First, the water should be cold enough to make you want to get out. That’s not specific, and that’s kind of the point. Hormetic stressors only work when they fall in that Cinderella zone between too much (so stressful that they do more harm than good) and not enough to force the body to adapt. Everyone’s “just right” place will depend on their personal cold tolerance, baseline health, and how many other stressors they’re juggling. 

Likewise, optimal time and frequency are also somewhat subjective. Generally, I like to stay in for a few minutes each time. More if the water is a bit warmer, less if it’s really frigid. Stanford neuroscientist and popular podcaster Andrew Huberman suggests that 11 minutes total per week, broken up into two to four sessions, might be best for boosting metabolism. Ten to fifteen minutes per week seems like a reasonable goal to me. 

Cold exposure—swimming in arctic waters, sitting in the snow wearing little to nothing for as long as possible—has become the extreme sport du jour. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. There is no medal for long-distance endurance in the cold plunge. Do what feels right. I have stayed in too long a few times (to set records for myself) and then regretted it because I overstressed my body. The idea is a brief hormetic stress and immune boost. Doing too much can have the opposite effect.

Cold plunges versus cold showers

Years ago, cold showers were all the rage. Now cold plunges rein supreme. Both have their merits, but I’m partial to plunges over showers. Fully immersing yourself in cold water is the most efficient way to stimulate the vasoconstriction and hormone release we want. In a cold shower, the water only hits some of your skin, so you don’t get as cold as fast. It’s too easy to “cheat” by keeping more of your body out of the water (even unintentionally). 

That said, cold showers are certainly better than nothing, and it doesn’t have to be either-or. You can do both. Studies have also found cranking your thermostat down to 62 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) for a couple of hours a day stimulates brown fat.¹ That’s not even that cold. You can also take advantage of nature’s thermostat and go outside in cold weather slightly, not dangerously, underdressed. 

Nothing entirely takes the place cold water immersion, though, especially when it comes to the mental benefits of doing hard things. Yes, you have to steel yourself to crank the faucet all the way to cold if you’re enjoying a nice warm shower. But it’s not the same as fully submerging yourself. 

Crafting Your Cold Plunge Routine

Here is how I would start incorporating cold plunges if I was a beginner:

1. Start slow. Gradually work your way up to colder and/or longer plunges (to a point—you can only go so cold and so long before it becomes dangerous).
2. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes per week as a baseline.
3. For the biggest benefits, submerge up to your neck and keep hands and feet under (or alternate dunking them in and out).
4. When you get out, dry off and allow your body to warm up naturally if possible. Dress in climate-appropriate clothing, but don’t blast the heater or start chugging tea unless you’re shivering uncontrollably. Some shivering is to be expected.
5. Supplement cold plunges with less intense cold exposure via turning down the thermostat, taking cooler showers, and going outside slightly underdressed. Be aware of your total stress load. Don’t overdo it.
6. Adjust your plunges based on your subjective experience each time. 

I’ll say it again: this is not a competition. What is tough for you might be easy for someone else, and vice versa. What’s tolerable for you today might feel almost unbearably difficult for you next week if other life stressors pile up. 

The goal with each plunge is to challenge yourself in a way that feels hard but adaptive. If you’ve ever purposefully put yourself in a hard situation—cold exposure, training for a marathon, climbing a mountain, or anything else where you butt up against your ability to endure—you’re familiar with wanting to quit and simultaneously wanting to continue because you feel yourself getting stronger in the moment. That’s the razor’s edge you’re aiming for. If it just plain hurts, cut the plunge short. Come back another day.

As you become more accustomed to cold plunging, experiment. Play around with water temperature, duration, and time of day. You might incorporate breathing exercises to bring a meditative aspect to your plunges (never practice controlled hyperventilation in water, though). Try getting in and out multiple times. Move your limbs around underwater. This disrupts the pocket of warm water that forms near your skin’s surface and makes the plunge feel colder. 

Be Safe

The beauty of cold exposure is that you can start mild and get more intense, monitoring how you feel along the way. Cold plunges of the type I’m talking about here are generally safe, but they are stressful. If you are concerned about your ability to handle the stress, listen to your gut or talk to your doctor. 

Plunging in very cold water elicits a cold shock response. This can be dangerous for people who have asthma or cardiovascular conditions. I’d caution even the most hale and hearty readers, if you decide to take this to extreme levels, take the time to acclimate to cold water and learn proper safety precautions. The Outdoor Swimming Society is a good place to start. 

All right, that’s what I do. I’m interested to hear what you’re up to. Who among you is already doing regular cold plunges? Who wants to start?

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There’s nothing better than enjoying a fresh scone with your morning coffee or tea. Since fall is now in full swing it’s only appropriate that even morning scones have a hint of pumpkin. Not only does pumpkin mix well with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamon but there are also numerous health benefits to pumpkin. Plus, this recipe for pumpkin scones calls for almond flour, making it gluten-free. If you’re looking for more texture, add chopped nuts to the scone dough like pecans or walnuts.

How to make gluten-free pumpkin scones

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, combine the milk and vinegar and let rest for about 5 minutes. While you’re waiting combine the almond flour, 5.5 tablespoons of tapioca, sugar, coconut flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter to the bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry cutter. In the end, the butter should be in very tiny pieces incorporated into the flour and the resulting flour should look like crumbly sand.

Add the milk mixture, pumpkin and vanilla to the bowl and mix together with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes. Place a piece of parchment or a silicone mat on a sheet pan and sprinkle the remaining tapioca starch on it. Scoop the dough out on the pan and form it into a ball. Form the dough into a flattened round disk about an inch or so thick. Use a large knife to cut the disk into 6 or 8 sections.

Place the pan in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a knife to cut deeper into the slices. Place the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven again and use the knife to carefully separate the cut sections so each scone is a separate triangle so each side of the scone can be exposed to the heat in the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 10-15 minutes, or until the undersides of the scones are slightly golden. Let the scones cool before handling them.

Enjoy the scones as is, or drizzle them with your choice of melted coconut butter mixed with stevia or monkfruit drops, or an icing made from powdered sugar or sugar substitute like powdered erythritol and milk.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

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• 
  Author: Priscilla Chamessian
• 
  Total Time: 50 minutes
• 
  Yield: 6

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Description

There’s nothing better than enjoying a fresh scone with your morning coffee or tea. Since fall is now in full swing it’s only appropriate that even morning scones have a hint of pumpkin.

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Ingredients

1 1/3 cup fine almond flour

6 Tbsp tapioca starch

5.5 Tbsp coconut sugar (or you can use any granulated sugar substitute)

2.5 Tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of salt

5 Tbsp very cold salted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

¼ cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the milk and vinegar and let rest for about 5 minutes. 
2. Combine the almond flour, 5.5 tablespoons of tapioca, sugar, coconut flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter to the bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry cutter. In the end, the butter should be in very tiny pieces incorporated into the flour and the resulting flour should look like crumbly sand.
3. Add the milk mixture, pumpkin and vanilla to the bowl and mix together with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes.
4. Place a piece of parchment or a silicone mat on a sheet pan and sprinkle the remaining tapioca starch on it. Scoop the dough out on the pan and form it into a ball. Form the dough into a flattened round disk about an inch or so thick. Use a large knife to cut the disk into 6 or 8 sections.
5. Place the pan in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a knife to cut deeper into the slices. Place the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes. 
6. Remove the pan from the oven again and use the knife to carefully separate the cut sections so each scone is a separate triangle so each side of the scone can be exposed to the heat in the oven.
7. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 10-15 minutes, or until the undersides of the scones are slightly golden. Let the scones cool before handling them.
8. Enjoy the scones as is, or drizzle them with your choice of melted coconut butter mixed with stevia or monkfruit drops, or an icing made from powdered sugar or sugar substitute like powdered erythritol and milk.

Notes

To reduce the carb count, use a granulated sugar substitute in lieu of the coconut sugar. Brown sugar swerve is a good option.

For more texture, add chopped nuts to the scone dough like pecans or walnuts.

To make a sugar icing, sift about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar or powdered sugar substitute (powdered erythritol, swerve or lakanto monkfruit sweetener) into a bowl and add in your milk of choice 1/2 teaspoon at a time until a thin paste forms. Drizzle all over the scones.

To make a coconut butter icing, melt your coconut butter, then add drops of stevia or monkfruit sweetener to taste. Drizzle the melted coconut butter all over the scones.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 327.5
• Sugar: 12.7g
• Sodium: 245.9mg
• Fat: 23.3g
• Saturated Fat: 7.5g
• Trans Fat: 0.39g
• Carbohydrates: 27.2g
• Fiber: 4.3g
• Protein: 6.3g
• Cholesterol: 25.4mg
• Net Carbs: 22.83g

Keywords: gluten free pumpkin scones

The post Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Sam Sikora started competitive powerlifting roughly a year ago, in March 2021. With a mix of learning experiences and great flourishes, it seems the 19-year-old athlete is only improving. His latest performance might be something to put a pin in for the future.

On Oct. 15, 2022, Sikora shared a post on his Instagram detailing his complete performance at the 2022 Powerlifting America (AMP) Elite Season Classic. (Note: The contest occurred on the same day in Kenmore, NY.) In a first-place outing in the Men’s Raw Junior 105-kilogram weight class, Sikora logged a personal record (PR) on each of his staple lifts, eventually finishing with a 712.5-kilogram (1,570.8-pound) raw PR total.

 

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A post shared by sam sikora (@samsikk)

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Notably, the entirety of Sikora’s performance saw the athlete successfully lock out all nine attempts (three each, respectively) on his squat, bench press, and deadlift. Sikora wore a lifting belt for each lift and had additional wrist wraps on during his squat and bench press.

Here’s a complete overview of Sikora’s performance at the 2022 AMP Elite Season Classic:

Sam Sikora (105KG) Junior | 2022 AMP Elite Season Classic Top Stats

• Squat — 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds)
• Bench Press — 167.5 kilograms (369.3 pounds)
• Deadlift — 270 kilograms (595.2 pounds)
• Total — 712.5 kilograms (1,570.8 pounds)

In what might be Sikora’s best showing to date, the athlete shattered each of his previous raw all-time competition bests. According to Open Powerlifting, his new top squat is 25 kilograms (55.2 pounds) more than his past top mark. His top bench press is 22.4 kilograms (50 pounds) more than his previous best figure. His top deadlift is 15.1 pounds more than his past competition PR. Finally, Sikora’s total is an astonishing 62.5 kilograms (138 pounds) more than his best ever.

Each of these previous marks was from the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Teen Nationals in late March 2022, showcasing how far Sikora has come with his strength and training in roughly half a year’s time. In Sikora’s Instagram post, the athlete detailed that the lead-up to the 2022 AMP Elite Season Classic was his “first perfect prep” since his competitive debut and that he had “no failures.” He has the results to show for it.

Here’s a rundown of the complete results from Sikora’s career to date:

Sam Sikora | Complete Career Results

• 2021 USAPL Madness Open — Fifth place (Open); First place (Teen)
• 2021 USAPL High School and Teen National Championships (Varsity) — 16th place
• 2021 USAPL Michigan State Championships — 10th place (Open); First place (Teen)
• 2022 USAPL Teen Nationals (Teen) — Eighth place

 

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A post shared by sam sikora (@samsikk)

[Related: How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and More]

Sikora is wasting no time preparing for his next contest. The athlete wrote that he next plans to compete in the 2023 AMP High School Nationals. Those will take place on March 31-April 2, 2023, in Scranton, PA. Judging by how he fared with time between his last competition, the ascending Sikora may well shatter his competition bests once more come next year.

Featured image: @samsikk on Instagram

The post 19-Year-Old Powerlifter Sam Sikora (105KG) Scores 4 Personal Competition Records appeared first on Breaking Muscle.