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Chris Bumstead has an argument for being one of the more accomplished and recognizable faces in modern bodybuilding. Yet, despite his successful run, he isn’t satisfied. The three-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champ (2019-2021) is pushing hard to make it four consecutive championships this December.
On Oct. 5, 2022, over his YouTube channel, Bumstead shared a comprehensive look at his recent training. This time, he focused on his legs. After already diagramming how he trains aspects of his body like arms and shoulders earlier in the off-season — the new clip is another detailed look at how one of bodybuilding’s superstars is preparing for the Olympia stage again.
Here’s a complete rundown of Bumstead’s latest “killer leg day” before the 2022 Mr. Olympia commences on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension, Hip Adduction
Bumstead treated the first part of his leg workout like a warm-up. He didn’t have a concrete number of repetitions or sets he wanted to reach. It was more about getting his lower body muscles prepared for the meat and potatoes of his training session. The leg curls and leg extension were for Bumstead’s hamstrings and quads, while a few sets on a hip adduction machine loosened up his adductor muscles along the inner midline of his thighs.
Mid-way through this warm-up series, Bumstead removed his shoes and trained in socks for the remainder of his workout. He has previously stated this leg day ritual helps him feel more stable during exercises and improves his mind-muscle connection.
Hack Squat
For his first big movement of the day, Bumstead started with some hack squats. The athlete did an initial set without any plates attached to the machine to get a sense of the movement, and slowly added weight as he progressed. Bumstead’s final working set featured him completing nine reps with nine 45-pound plates on each side, followed by a “back-off set” using seven plates for 12 repetitions.
During a between-set rest period, Bumstead was approached by recently retired, seven-time 212 Olympia winner Flex Lewis. The coincidental meeting likely occurred because the training location, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY, is known as “the East Coast Mecca of Bodybuilding” and regularly hosts a who’s who of bodybuilders and sports stars.
Single-Leg Press
Bumstead shifted to the leg press machine, where he performed a few heavy sets of the movement unilaterally to give both of his legs equal attention. After his sets, he discussed the importance of listening to your body during a workout, especially when you’re having a high energy, high performance day.
“Sometimes you just have to ‘read the room,’” he said. “One day if you feel a lot stronger, if it feels too light, or feels too easy, don’t just do 10 reps to do 10 reps. Rack the weight. Put more weight on. ‘Buckle up for the ride.’ That’s the quote for this year.”
Leg Extension
To center on his quads, Bumstead returned to the leg extension machine as a main lift, not simply a warm-up. While he did a few more challenging sets, Bumstead makes sure not to load too much weight so as to keep any potential punishment on his knees at a minimum.
Instead, he achieved a deep stretch in the bottom position of each rep and worked through a long range of motion for maximum work.
To shift focus on his glutes and hamstrings, Bumstead performed a few sets of a Romanian deadlift with a loaded barbell. The bodybuilder had two plates per side for sets of 12 as he worked through this part of his routine. Bumstead noted that his glutes and hamstrings were still fatigued from the single-leg press, making this relatively light weight more than enough.
Sissy Squat
As he neared the end of his workout, Bumstead implemented some sissy squats into his routine. The movement, which asks the quads to lift the majority of a person’s body weight, can help strengthen connective tissues and muscles in the knees and legs. Bumstead appropriately powered through some sets of sissy squats as best as he could before finally moving off of quad work.
Seated Leg Curl
Bumstead had everything come full circle for this workout when he finished with seated leg curls to give his hamstrings attention. After he “beat up” his legs with textbook-perfect repetitions here, the bodybuilder called it a day.
Bumstead will have to overcome a few noteworthy peers to win his fourth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title. There’s former two-time champ Breon Ansley (2017-2018), whose reign ended with Bumstead’s first title in 2019, and Terrence Ruffin, an athlete who usually finishes around the top of the Classic Physique Olympia. Late riser Neil Currey might be someone to watch as a dark horse, too.
However, if this glimpse at Bumstead’s commitment to building powerful legs says anything, his impressive run in the Classic Physique division may well continue.
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The sport of powerlifting, on the whole, doesn’t seem to be short on young stars and up-and-comers at the moment. With a fresh performance under his belt, there might be another big name to throw into a growing competitive ring. On Oct. 2, 2022, during a victory at the Australian Powerlifting League (APL) Strength Quest II, 19-year-old powerlifter Theo Maddox broke two raw Teen 18-19 World Records in the 140-kilogram weight class. The contest took place at the GroundZeroW Gym in Arundel, Australia.
Maddox’s first record was a 390-kilogram (859.8-pound) deadlift that Maddox pulled from a sumo stance with a mixed grip while wearing a lifting belt. The pull surpasses Max Shethar’s previous figure of 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds) from the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Ragnarok Invite II. Maddox’s second feat was a 962.5-kilogram (2,117.5-pound) total, exceeding Jackson Powell’s past mark of 897 kilograms (1,977.5 pounds) from the 2022 United States Powerlifting Coalition Big Bend Classic.
Here’s an overview of Maddox’s complete performance at the 2022 APL Strength Quest II, where he also earned all-time raw competition bests on his squat and bench press:
Theo Maddox (140KG) | 2022 APL Strength Quest II Top Stats
Squat — 355 kilograms (781 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
Deadlift — 390 kilograms (859.8 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
Total — 962.5. kilograms (2,117.5 pounds) | Teen 18-19 World Record
With four competitions to his name according to Open Powerlifting, Maddox has yet to lose in his budding competitive career. Here’s a rundown of his complete career results:
Theo Maddox | Complete Career Results
2020 New Zealand Powerlifting Federation (NZPF) WBOP Regional Championships (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
2020 NZPF Nationals (Sub-Juniors/Raw) — First place
2021 NZPF North Island Championships (Juniors/Raw) — First place
2022 APL Strength Quest II(Teen 18-19/Raw) — First place
Despite his most recent impressive result undoubtedly putting him on the powerlifting map, Maddox didn’t appear satisfied with a record-breaking output. As the 19-year-old athlete would explain in a post on his Instagram, he’s treating this stellar finish as a learning experience.
“Look, it wasn’t the day I wanted, but it was good to get on the platform again after so long off,” Maddox wrote. “I have a lot to learn and improve upon, and that’s honestly very exciting to have acquired all this new information. I am now in a very good position to build some of my foundations up and work on my weaknesses. A break will do me good, however. I need to take care of my mental [health] and plan a fair amount out. Talk less, do more. Talk is cheap, after all.”
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There’s a reason Monday is often called “International bench day.” Training for a strong, muscular chest is awesome and it can be appreciated year-round. But the bench press isn’t the only way to get there. The humble push-up is often pushed aside in the quest for a strong and muscular chest because the latest flashy chest exercise featured on Instagram might look “way cooler.” But is it as effective as the push-up? Probably not.
Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock
When performed regularly, the simple push-up and its variations will help you build bigger pecs, triceps, and shoulders, improve your relative strength, and it can even transfer over to boosting your bench and overhead press numbers.
Here are 10 push-up variations to try if you’re ready to give bodyweight training a fair shake. You will never look at push-ups the same way again.
This challenging variation takes the standard bodyweight push-up up a notch by using a resistance band in a quite unusual way. By performing a push-up with your hands on the band instead of the floor, the highly unstable element fires up all of your shoulder and core stabilizer muscles.
The band gives you instant feedback when using anything less than perfect form. You’re forced to move at a slower speed to maintain control, and the increased time under tension does wonders for adding muscle.
When to Use it
When regular push-ups are easy and you’ve advanced to doing push-ups for seemingly endless reps, the chaos push-up will snap you out of this funk. The increased time under tension makes it great for adding muscle and it’s a great alternative exercise for dumbbell bench presses. The instability of the chaos push-up is excellent for additional rotator cuff strength if you’re coming back from a shoulder injury.
How to Do it
Loop a heavy-duty resistance band around safety pins on the squat rack, at roughly waist height. Light to moderate bands may not be able to support your body weight. The higher the band is placed and the higher your body angle, the easier the exercise will be.
Place your hands on the band in a shoulder-width grip and hold tight with stiff arms. Bring your legs behind you and allow the band to support your weight, while engaging your glutes and core. Bend your arms and slowly lower yourself into a push-up. Press yourself up, pause briefly at the top to reset and stabilize before repeating.
Decline Push-Up
The decline push-up is one of the most common variations of the classic push-up. It’s fantastic for adding muscle because it’s relatively low stress on the joints, requires minimal equipment to perform, and can be trained for very high reps which benefits size and strength.
This movement shifts the focus to the upper chest and anterior deltoid, similar to an incline bench press, for better overall muscle development of the chest and shoulders.
When to Use it
Your chest is a relatively large muscle with multiple sections, or heads, so it pays to train with your arms at a variety of angles relative to your torso. (1) Perform the decline push-up in any workout in place of your standard push-up, particularly if your workout lacks angled chest exercises or if your shoulders are bothering you from other pressing exercises.
How to Do it
Place your toes on a box, step, or flat bench and position your hands underneath your shoulders. Engage your core to keep your spine neutral, neither sagging nor excessively arched. Lower yourself into a push-up until your chest is just above the floor and your elbows are angled roughly 45-degrees from your sides. Pause briefly at the bottom and push back to the starting position. Reset your body position at lockout and repeat.
Incline Plyo Push-Up
The incline plyo push-up allows you to generate upper body power with less compressive stress on the joints than similar free weight movements.
The incline plyo push-up is an excellent regression (less challenging variation) from the clapping push-up because you press less of your body weight due to the inclined position. This can allow you to squeak a few more reps and apply more explosive force.
When to Use it
Use sets of six to 10 reps with this powerful variation as a “primer” at the start of a heavy bench press workout to recruit more muscle and ignite your CNS. (2) If you’re having difficulty with plyo push-ups from the floor, this is a good way to introduce explosive movements while building strength, speed, and power.
How to Do it
Place your hands on a stable platform like a secured bench or box, a set of steps, or a Smith machine bar. Keep your arms straight as you lean forward and position your feet back, keeping a straight line through your body. Bend your arms and lower yourself rapidly toward the bench before explosively pushing yourself up and allowing your hands to leave the bench.
As you land, slightly bend your elbows and “catch” yourself on the way down to better absorb the force. Descend smoothly into the next repetition.
Clapping Push-Up
The clapping push-up is performed with maximum force. On each repetition, your hands will leave the ground and you will quickly clap them together to display power, coordination, and control.
Power exercises like the clapping push-up train the fast-twitch muscle fibers of the body, which are capable of more growth than slow-twitch fibers. (3) This exercise is a progression of the incline plyo push-up and should only be performed when you’ve mastered the incline movement.
When to Use It
As the first exercise of the workout, before heavy lifting, perform sets of six to eight reps. This will build explosive strength and help to improve your performance with other pressing exercises following in the workout, such as the overhead press and bench press.
How to Do it
Lie on the floor in a good push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your legs straight, and your spine neutral. Bend your arms and lower yourself into a push-up position with your elbows at a roughly 45-degree angle. Before your chest touches the floor, press explosively and let your hands leave the floor. Quickly clap your hands together and get them back to the floor to catch yourself. Reset your body before the next repetition or, if you’re advanced, immediately transition into the next rep.
Spiderman Push-Up
The Spiderman push-up is an advanced variation that requires your upper body and lower body to work together with coordination, strength, and stability.
This push-up variation will increase your chest’s time under tension at the peak of your push-up contraction, which will challenge your strength and improve the hypertrophy stimulus. It also tests and challenges your core stability and hip mobility, making it an excellent “bang for the buck” movement.
When to Use It
The Spiderman push-up is excellent to insert into a conditioning workout or fat loss circuit because it trains many muscles with one movement and improves your upper body, core, and hip flexor strength. Make sure to do equal reps on both legs.
How to Do it
Assume your regular push-up position on the ground with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower your chest toward the ground while simultaneously pulling your right knee toward your right forearm. Don’t allow your torso to rotate excessively to accommodate your rising leg
Pause briefly in the bottom while your chest hovers near the ground before reversing the process and bringing your foot back to the starting position while pushing yourself back up. Repeat the next repetition with the left leg. Alternate legs with each repetition. To cue the overall movement, imagine you’re a web-slinging superhero climbing the outside of a building.
Slider Push-Up
For the slider push-up, you’re using a simple slider device to reach one arm forward as you perform a traditional bent-arm push-up with the opposite arm. This variation recruits more of the serratus anterior (outer chest muscle which controls the shoulder blades), while also increasing muscular tension on your chest and triceps.
If you have shoulder mobility issues, stay within a range of motion you can control by limiting how far you reach forward. The slider push-up challenges your shoulder stabilization and may improve shoulder health over time.
When to Use It
The slider push-up is a great exercise to eventually build up to a one-arm push-up because most of the work is done by one arm while the other is providing support. For maximum focus and strength, perform this exercise near the beginning of any workout, before fatiguing your chest and triceps with other exercises.
How to Do it
Kneel on the ground and put an exercise slider or furniture slider under each hand. Rotate your shoulders to put your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a stacked position. Straighten your legs and stabilize your entire body in a front plank position. Engage your glutes and keep a tight core.
Lower into a push-up by bending one arm while keeping the opposite arm straight as it extends forward. After reaching the lowest comfortable position, pull the forward hand back while pressing the bent arm to lockout. Alternate sides with each repetition.
Suspension Strap Single-Arm Push-Up
This variation uses suspension straps, like gymnastic rings or TRX cables, to adjust your body angle which changes the intensity of the push-up. The straps also add an element of instability, which means you’re training core strength as well as upper body and lower body stabilizers.(4)
This exercise will help strengthen imbalances between sides and give you instant feedback if there is anything amiss with your pressing technique since it requires total focus and control.
When to Use It
Unilateral (single-arm) presses are great for strengthening imbalances between sides, since most people naturally have one slightly more developed or slightly stronger arm. If you find one arm lagging behind the other during the bench press or overhead press, this is an effective way to target each side on its own.
How to Do it
Loop the handles together and grip the strap over your shoulder with one hand. Adjust your intensity by moving your feet closer to the anchor point (harder) or further away (easier). Slowly lower yourself while keeping your shoulders square to the floor. Don’t rotate or shift to favor either side. While learning the movement, control the range of motion and don’t let your elbow go too far past your torso. Press back, reset, and repeat. Perform all reps on one side before switching.
Band-Resisted Push-Up
Bodyweight push-ups will never truly go out of style, and sometimes you just want to add resistance to this classic exercise. Putting weight plates on your back is okay, but it can get awkward to keep them in place as you move. This is where a looped resistance band comes in.
The band’s ascending resistance will make the exercise more difficult toward the top of the push-up, which maximizes your muscles’ peak contraction.
When to Use It
The band provides the majority of resistance in the upper end of the range of motion, which will help build triceps lockout strength and muscle gains for your chest and triceps. Do this when you want to add variety to your training, build some chest muscle, and put some pep back into your bench press without joint stress from a barbell.
How to Do it
Loop a resistance band around your upper back and put the ends of the band snugly under your hands. Place your hands underneath your shoulders and rise onto your toes in a front plank position. Keep a straight line through your core and squeeze your glutes. Slowly lower yourself down until your chest is nearly touching the floor. Think about driving your hands through the floor as you press back up and fight resistance to the starting position.
Archer Push-Up
This exercise has you performing a push-up with primarily one arm while the other arm provides support, similar to a slider push-up. The wide grip and long range of motion make this one of the more advanced push-up variations.
By alternating side to side, you allow each arm to do its own share of the work. This unique training angle also works the chest differently from most exercises, which can stimulate more muscle growth.
When to Use It
If your goal is to be able to do one-arm push-ups, archer push-ups can play a big role in getting you there. It can be used as a “gateway” movement to build the pressing strength and total-body stability needed to achieve a clean one-arm push-up.
How to Do it
Get on the ground with your toes planted and your hands set well-beyond shoulder-width. Your wrists and elbows may be more comfortable when your fingers point “out” toward the side walls instead of forward. Maintain a stiff body position through your core.
“Pull” your right chest down toward your right hand by bending your right elbow. Keep your left arm straight as your body approaches the ground. Press through your bent arm to return to the starting position and repeat to the opposite side. Alternate sides with each repetition, and perform an even amount of work on each side.
Yoga Push-Up
This unique exercise is one part push-up and one part “downward dog” yoga pose. It trains strength, mobility, and flexibility in your pressing muscles, core, upper back, lower back, hips, and lower body.
Your pecs and triceps get significant time under tension and a change of pressing angle similar to a decline push-up. The “downward dog”-like position helps to improve strength and mobility in the thoracic spine (upper back), hips, and hamstrings.
When to Use It
The yoga push-up is ideal when you’ve finally decided to perform some of the mobility work that often gets forgotten. It works well as a time-efficient warm-up before any workout, especially sessions that will involve chest pressing or shoulder training because it addresses the upper and lower back.
How to Do it
Start in a regular push-up position, on your toes and hands, with your body straight from head to heel. Descend into a standard push-up with your elbows roughly 45-degrees away from your torso. When your chest is slightly above the floor, press up while pushing your hips back at an upward angle. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings as your torso and legs form an upside down “V” shape.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and pushed away from your ears. Reverse the entire movement to transition back into the starting push-up position and repeat for reps.
Muscles Worked by the Push-Up
Most push-up movements primarily work the chest, with support from the shoulders and triceps, while the abdominals and lower back work to keep a strong core.
Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
However, specific variations can emphasize the upper chest, focus more on core strength, or build shoulder and upper back mobility.
Pectorals
Your chest muscles are front and center with the push-up. Your pecs are largely responsible for arm adduction (bringing your arms closer to your centerline) which occurs when you push your body away from the floor.
Triceps
Once your elbows break 90-degrees as you press upwards, your triceps take over significantly to extend your elbows and lockout your arms. Performing any push-up with a relatively close-grip (your hands closer than shoulder-width) will also increase triceps activation. (5)
Anterior Deltoids
The shoulder muscle has three individual heads, each responsible for moving your arm in a different plane relative to your body. The anterior deltoid on the front of the shoulder works to “raise” your upper arm in front of your body. It assists your chest and triceps when pushing your body away from the ground.
Core
If your spine doesn’t stay neutral during the push-up, it all counts for naught because you’ll compromise joint health, safety, and efficiency. The anterior and posterior core — your abs and lower back — keep your torso rigid so your chest and triceps can apply maximum force. Single-arm movements like the slider push-up and single-leg movements like the Spiderman push-up require more core activation to counterbalance a reduced base of support.
Push-Up Form Tips
The most common technique flaw in the push-up is a loss of core stability. This results in an ugly-looking push-up which strains the lower back and increases the risk of injury. Your best bet is to engage your abs and glutes, and stop the movement if you find yourself losing spinal position.
Although there is nothing necessarily wrong with having your hands wider than shoulder-width apart when performing the basic push-up, be sure to keep your elbows angled near 45-degrees from your torso for most push-up movements. When your hands are placed wide, it’s more work on the shoulders (and shoulder joints) and less involvement from the chest and triceps.
Credit: lzf / Shutterstock
The cardinal sin of almost all push-ups is reaching your head down to meet the floor. This is high risk on your cervical spine and neck, and it short-changes the effective range of motion for your target muscles. You can prevent this error by tucking your chin to your chest, pulling your head back to make a “double-chin”, and staring directly at the floor.
Push Yourself with New Exercises
Too many lifters write off the push-up as being “an easy exercise.” They underestimate its value because of the general lack of load and apparent simplicity of the movement. But as any of these variations showcase, a few tweaks here and there will take the bodyweight push-up to the next level by adding extra movement, changing the angle of work, or throwing stability requirements to the mix. Tackle some of these exercises and the push-up will never seem so “easy” again.
References
Rodríguez-Ridao, D., Antequera-Vique, J. A., Martín-Fuentes, I., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(19), 7339. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197339
Sale D. G. (1988). Neural adaptation to resistance training. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 20(5 Suppl), S135–S145. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198810001-00009
D’Antona, G., Lanfranconi, F., Pellegrino, M. A., Brocca, L., Adami, R., Rossi, R., Moro, G., Miotti, D., Canepari, M., & Bottinelli, R. (2006). Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and structure and function of skeletal muscle fibres in male body builders. The Journal of physiology, 570(Pt 3), 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2005.101642
Borreani, S., Calatayud, J., Colado, J. C., Moya-Nájera, D., Triplett, N. T., & Martin, F. (2015). Muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions. Journal of exercise science and fitness, 13(2), 94–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2015.07.002
Kim, Y. S., Kim, D. Y., & Ha, M. S. (2016). Effect of the push-up exercise at different palmar width on muscle activities. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(2), 446–449. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.446
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Every now and then, a bodybuilder might have an unexpected rise in their division. After taking well to posing on competitive stages over time, it becomes apparent their efforts could be parlayed into a bright future. With a new training update about his current mass, that sentiment could soon apply to Neil Currey in the Classic Physique division this December.
On Oct. 3, 2022, Currey shared a glimpse at his latest physique with this year’s Mr. Olympia less than three months away. Per a later clarification from Currey’s coach, Ben Chow, the 5’10” bodybuilder weighs 235 pounds at the time of the picture and still plans to lose about 20 pounds to make reach the 215-pound limit for the Classic Physique competition at the Olympia.
According to NPC News Online, the 2022 Mr. Olympia will be Currey’s debut at the prestigious bodybuilding competition. Though, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t amassed an impressive resume thus far.
Currey has been an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League member since a seventh-place Classic Physique debut at the 2019 Yamamoto Pro. He’s seemingly only improved ever since that initial top 10 flourish. In 2021, Currey would notch what was the top Pro League result of his career when he finished in second place in the Classic Physique category at the 2021 Tampa Pro.
In 2022, he bested himself when he took home third place at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro and scored his first career Pro victory at the 2022 New York Pro. In accordance with the IFBB qualification standards for the Olympia, the latter win gave Currey automatic qualification to the 2022 edition of the contest.
Here’s a rundown of Currey’s IFBB Pro League results to this point:
Neil Currey | IFBB Pro League Career Results
2019 Yamamoto Pro (Classic Physique) — Seventh place
2020 Europa Pro Championships (Classic Physique) — Ninth place
2021 Puerto Rico Pro (Classic Physique) — Third place
2021 Xtreme Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro (Classic Physique) — Seventh place
Setting a bar of expectations might be difficult for Currey in his Olympia debut. The highest standard, though, would be toppling three-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion (2019-2021) Chris Bumstead. There’s also former two-time winner Breon Ansley (2017-2018) and perennial high-level contender Terrence Ruffin to compete with.
For Currey, a finish somewhere around the top would likely be a great way to burst onto the Olympia scene. He very well could surprise and achieve even more.
The 2022 Mr. Olympia will take place on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
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Russel Orhii might be one of the few truly elite names in powerlifting. It’s to the point where any he steps into a squat rack or onto a lifting platform; he’s likened to making some huge (pun intended) news. The two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion recently lived up to that high standard again.
On Oct. 4, 2022, Orhii shared an Instagram video of himself capturing a 347-kilogram (765-pound) back squat during a workout. According to the caption of the athlete’s post, it’s an all-time personal record (PR). The squat in training is 24 kilograms (52.9 pounds) more than Orhii’s all-time raw competition best. He achieved that figure during a first-place performance at the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals contest. Orhii wore a lifting belt, wrist wraps, and knee sleeves to help with the successful lockout.
In what is undoubtedly typical Orhii fashion, he approached the massive squat with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Even before Orhii stepped into the squat rack and under his barbell, his hopping around and dancing beforehand made it evident the powerlifter was quite confident about notching a new milestone.
Meanwhile, the comments of Orhii’s squat PR post featured one of his esteemed powerlifting peers, the prolific deadlifting extraordinaire Jamal Browner. At first, Browner, who is seen in the video spotting Orhii during the lift, notes that he was “scared” Orhii wouldn’t finish the squat once he saw some slight hesitation in the athlete’s launch. However, Browner then fittingly “remembered” Orhii usually completes massive lifts he sets out for.
Indeed, after winning the 2022 USAPL Mega Nationals in the 82-kilogram weight class in early June, it’s been quite a successful summer and early fall for Orhii. Before he scored this all-time squat PR, Orhii notched a 351.5 (775-pound) deadlift during a late September 2022 training session. Respective lifts like this appear connected to an upcoming (but unspecified) strength sports competition.
In some of Orhii’s previous posts, he had alluded to a foray into bodybuilding but never noted an exact time he planned to pose on a stage. At the time of this writing, he is approximately 11 weeks out from this powerlifting or bodybuilding contest as per Orhii’s comment on another recent Instagram post.
To put Orhii’s new squat and deadlift PRs into more context, here’s an overview of the powerlifter’s all-time raw competition bests:
With Orhii’s latest training achievement in the books and another competition on the horizon, it’s clear the superstar has a full plate. Not that this lifting dynamo would want it any other way.
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Teri Gehring doesn’t have your average powerlifter profile. A special education teacher by trade, according to her Instagram profile, the 52-year-old Gehring only started competitive powerlifting when she was 49 years old in May 2019 and has already notched several World Records. Yet, as a recent training feat demonstrates, her competitive fire shows no signs of slowing down.
On Oct. 1, 2022, Gehring shared a clip on her Instagram where the athlete successfully locks out a 165.5-kilogram (365-pound) deadlift. Per the post’s caption, it’s a new personal record (PR). Gehring wore a lifting belt to help with the milestone. Based on the angle and length of the video, Gehring does appear to fasten something around her loaded barbell before making her pull, but it’s not clear if Gehring wore any equipment around her wrists.
Gehring’s massive deadlift is nothing new for a powerlifter that appears to have excelled in many sanctioned contests thus far.
From a debut victory with wraps in the Masters 45-49 division and 60-kilogram weight class at the 2019 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Lone Star Shootout to World Records in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total at the 2022 American Powerlifting Federation (APF) National Championships, Gehring has thrived as a competitor.
Here’s a rundown of some of Gehring’s more notable career results:
Teri Gehring | Notable Career Results
2019 USPA Lone Star Shootout (Masters 45-49/Wraps) — First place
2019 Raw Iron Powerlifting League (RawIronPL) Mayter Mayhem (Masters 1/Wraps) — First place
2019 RawIronPL Battle of the Irons (Master 1/Raw) — First place
2019-2020 IPL Olympia Pro Powerlifting (Open/Raw) — First place
2020 RawIronPL Raw Iron Classic (Master 2/Raw) — First place
2021 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) National Championships (Masters 50-54/Raw) – First place | Bench press and deadlift National Records
2021 American Powerlifting Federation Lifting Spirits (Masters 2/Open/Raw/Wraps) — First place
2022 APF National Championships (Masters 2/Open/Wraps) — First place | Bench press World Record | Squat, bench press, deadlift, and total National Records
Here’s an overview of Gehring’s raw all-time competition best lifts
At the time of this writing, Gehring hasn’t clarified when she will compete in a powerlifting contest again. Much of her recent social media updates center around other new training accomplishments that don’t appear to be connected to any event. Notably, Gehring is coached by Josh Bryant, renowned powerlifting coach and author of the 2013 book detailing exercise routines in penitentiaries, entitled Jailhouse Strong.
For an athlete that is arguably still at the start of their powerlifting career, and with a whole host of other responsibilities, it appears Gehring is more than satisfied with huge PR lifts for the time being.
One of my favorite places on earth is the Ali’i Kula Lavender farm on Maui. I went there on a lark, not even expecting to enjoy it. My wife dragged me there on a trip years ago—she’s a huge essential oils fan and particularly lavender oil fan—and I fell in love. It’s acre upon acre of rolling hills covered in lavender fields, Buddhist shrines, meandering trails, and great views of the ocean. And always, in the background and foreground, is the fragrant scent of lavender. Any stress melts away (not that the stress is much an issue in Hawaii) and you’re perfectly content just wandering calmly through the fields. Every time you brush against a plant the scent intensifies and follows you for a bit.
The stress-melting effects couldn’t have just been from the lavender—the walking, the fresh air, the fact that I was on vacation in Hawaii all played a large role—but the lavender was also a factor.
But how? Are there ways to get those same benefits without visiting a lavender farm in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
Yes. Lavender oil, or lavender essential oil, contains the essence of the lavender plant—all the aromatic constituents that provide the pharmacological effects we see from the whole plant.
The Benefits of Lavender Oil
Lavender Oil Reduces Anxiety
Lavender oil aromatherapy is one of the most common treatments for surgery or medical treatment-related anxiety.
In dental patients nervous about treatment, lavender oil aromatherapy reduces anxiety.1 This is also effective in children with anxiety undergoing dental treatment.2 Other studies confirm this effect.3
Not all studies are positive. The pre-surgery lavender oil inhalation for general anxiety sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t, but the balance of evidence shows that it probably helps.45 One interesting study found that lavender oil aromatherapy before a medical procedure reduced anxiety, stress, and pain levels while improving oxygen saturation.6
Oral lavender oil can also work. Oral lavender oil seems just as effective (without the side effects, like drowsiness and extreme addiction) as Xanax at reducing general anxiety.7 In Germany, oral lavender oil is considered to be a legitimate treatment for anxiety disorders.8a
It’s mixed, then, but I think the evidence is fairly strong that lavender oil can reduce anxiety in people.
Lavender Oil Lowers Stress
It seems that reduction in stress I felt wasn’t just placebo or a result of me being on vacation in Hawaii. The bulk of published research finds that lavender has real effects on biomarkers and subjective sensations of stress.
In one study, smelling either lavender or rosemary essential oils for 5 minutes lowered cortisol levels in human subjects. Lavender was far more potent than rosemary, with a 1000x dilution of lavender being just as effective as a 10x dilution of rosemary.9
In another study, lavender essential oil inhalation was also effective at reducing math test-induced rises in a biological stress marker.10
In subjects undergoing needle insertion, those who wore an oxygen mask with lavender oil aroma pumped through it experienced less subjective stress. Furthermore, the pain of getting injected was reduced.11
Subjects in another study watched a stressful video. Half of them underwent lavender oil aromatherapy during the video while half did not. Those who got the lavender oil had reduced stress markers compared to those who didn’t get the lavender oil.12
After heart surgery, however, lavender oil aromatherapy has little to no effect on most markers of stress, other than a mild reduction in blood pressure.13
Lavender Oil Increases Wound Healing
Lavender oil actually increases expression of an essential wound healing factor known as transforming growth factor beta. After wounding rats (I know, it sounds bad), researchers applied lavender oil to the wound. By day four, collagen deposition had increased along with the presence of fibroblasts (which help lay down collagen).14
Overall, the bulk of research finds that lavender oil can speed up wound healing, increase growth factors at the wound site, and improve collagen synthesis.15 Even when it doesn’t speed up healing any better than control, it does appear better at reducing pain and improving comfort during the healing process.16 Slow wave sleep is very important for learning, memory consolidation, and muscle recovery.
Other studies have found that lavender oil inhalation can improve sleep quality, counter insomnia, and even increase melatonin levels.17 Wearing a lavender oil aromatherapy patch at night improves wakefulness in the morning.18
If you’re interested in using aromatherapy for sleep, my wife loves the Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist. I can never bring myself to buy it for myself, but I’ll certainly borrow hers for a spray or two. Spray this stuff on your pillow before bed and you’ll get a great night’s sleep. This isn’t just lavender oil, but the lavender oil is quite prominent and responsible for many of the effects.
How to Use Lavender Oil
There are a few different ways to use lavender oil.
Aromatherapy
The simplest way to do “aromatherapy” is to open the bottle of lavender oil and smell it. Quite literally just hold it up to your nose and sniff whenever you get a hankering. However, most studies have subjects smell the lavender for 5-10 minutes for the strongest effects. You can also use a diffuser or wear an aromatherapy patch.
Oral
Most lavender oils aren’t meant to be consumed orally. I’m not saying they’ll hurt you, but that’s not their intended use so I can’t suggest that you try it. You can take a dedicated oral lavender oil supplement.
Massage
Simply add a few drops of lavender oil to your massage oil of choice—about 2 drops for every tablespoon of carrier oil. Olive oil, jojoba, MCT, avocado, or coconut all make great massage oils.
Direct application
If you’re trying to heal a wound, directly apply a drop or two of lavender oil mixed in a tablespoon of carrier oil (just like the massage oil) and apply that to the wound.
Who Shouldn’t Use Lavender Oil?
For most people, lavender oil is a risk-free essential oil that may help with wound healing, anxiety, stress, and sleep.
I would caution against using lavender oil products on children, as lavender oil may have estrogenic effects if used to excess. A number of studies have even found links between lavender oil exposure and early breast growth—in both girls and boys. To be fair, the children in these studies were exposed to high levels of lavender fragrance on a daily basis for years on end.19
I would also recommend against using lavender oil on a daily basis, particularly for men. Use as needed, not chronically. You don’t want chronic estrogen increases.
That’s about it, folks. I hope you have good success if you give lavender oil a try.
In a recent study, researchers tracked the brain waves of sleeping adults before and after the administration of lavender oil aroma. Once lavender oil was pumped into the room, the brain waves in the sleep adults changed to reflect more of a slow wave sleep/deep sleep pattern—and a higher sleep quality score.[ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30660371/
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Andrea Thompson is one of the more prominent names in active strongwoman. As a professional competitor since March 2016, the athlete from the United Kingdom has amassed quite the competitive catalog. Thompson revealed her next grand ambition in a recent interview and training session with a strongman legend.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Laurence Shahlaei, 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM), posted two videos to his YouTube channel where he trained shoulders and legs respectively with the athlete. In the former video, Thompson revealed she would soon make another attempt at the strongwoman Log Lift World Record at the 2022 World Log Lift Championships in Ipswich, UK. Notably, with a successful lockout, Thompson would be extending her own record mark of 135 kilograms (297.6 pounds) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” Series.
In the first legs video, after finishing some cardio (the treadmill for Shahlaei; an air bike for Thompson), the pair got after it with some safety bar squats. Thompson logged multiple high-rep sets of 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds). Afterward, the duo continued to seemingly center on endurance, powering through a leg curl and drop set leg press. To cap the routine, Thompson and Shahlaei decided to close with some high-rep leg extensions.
In the second video, it was all about overhead movements as Thompson announced her plans for the new World Record in the process.
To start, Thompson and Shahlaei did a few sets of respective log lifts together. They would finish the sequence by doing three one-rep sets of a massive 122-kilogram (269-pound) log lift. Here, Thompson emphatically noted that her record attempt would be for a significant milestone.
“I’m gonna break the record, then go for 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds),” Thompson told Shahlaei. “You heard it here first.”
Once they finished working through their log lifts, Thompson and Shahlaei shifted over to the viking press. The pair did not disclose what weight they were using, though Thompson capped the segment with an impressive set of 15 reps to showcase her shoulder power and endurance with the movement.
To close this workout, Thompson and Shahlaei focused on preventative maintenance training for different parts of the shoulders. With Thompson nearing a competition, keeping that part of her body healthy appeared imperative.
The upcoming World Log Lift Championships aren’t the only competition Thompson has on her plate. The athlete will also feature in December’s 2022 World’s Strongest Woman (WSW). At the time of this writing, the precise date and location of the contest have not been announced. Per Strongman Archives, Thompson won the 2018 WSW and finished in third place at the 2019 edition — her last appearance at the competition.
The 2022 calendar year is starting to wind down, but for Thompson, it could be one for the record books by the time the clock strikes midnight in January 2023.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Stan Efferding built his strength sports career on a versatility. The 54-year-old athlete is a competitive powerlifter and is a member of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) as a professional bodybuilder. It’s the former powerlifting niche where Efferding recently demonstrated his power.
On Oct. 3, 2022, Efferding posted a video to his Instagram page where he captured a raw 328.8-kilogram (725-pound) deadlift. The feat might be especially notable because Efferding used a speed pull, where the objective is to get the loaded barbell off the ground as fast as possible. For his deadlift, the athlete positioned his feet in a narrow stance, used a mixed grip, and did not have on any other equipment, though there may have been a lifting belt under his shirt.
As a notable figure in the strength sports community, Efferding’s speed pull deadlift at 54 years old drew the attention of a few esteemed peers. The comments of his Instagram post feature varying complimentary words from 100-kilogram squat World Record holder Joe Sullivan, powerlifter Ernie Lillibridge Jr, and strongman/powerlifting legend Nick Best.
Efferding’s power shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who’s paid attention to his exploits over the years.
According to Open Powerlifting, Efferding started competing on sanctioned lifting platforms in some capacity in May 1995. Though the athlete hasn’t competed since the 2013 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) March Madness, he can still boast eight wins in nine official powerlifting appearances. He is also the current Men’s 125-kilogram weight class and Masters 40-44 raw bench press and total World Record holder. Efferding notched that record press of 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds) and that record total of 1,010 kilograms (2,226.6 pounds) at the 2011 SPF California State Championships.
Here are the best raw lifts of Efferding’s powerlifting career:
The early highlight of the Portland, OR native’s career might have been a win in the 1991 Mr. Oregon. He eventually followed that performance with back-to-back second-place results at the 1996-1997 Emerald Cup. After an almost 10-year hiatus, a 38-year-old Efferding would return to bodybuilding in 2006, when he won the 2006 Seattle Emerald Cup in the Superheavyweight class (over 225 pounds).
Efferding would finally earn his IFBB Pro Card in 2009, which he parlayed into a first-place performance in the Superheavyweight class at the 2009 Masters Nationals Bodybuilding Championships. The following year, in 2010, he earned the title of 2010 World’s Strongest Bodybuilder when he bench-pressed 285.4 kilograms (628 pounds) and deadlifted 363.6 kilograms (800 pounds) for a 649-kilogram (1,428-pound) push and pull total.
Efferding’s last competitive bodybuilding appearance was when he took 12th place in the Men’s Open division at the 2012 IFBB Flex Pro.
These days, without competitions in the picture, Efferding spends much of his time on his personal strength training, as his social media is rife with clips of heavy lifts. He’s also the founder of “The Vertical Diet,” a book and nutrition approach he co-founded/co-wrote with Dr. Damon McCune in 2021.
Even in unofficial competitive retirement, Efferding, one of strength sports’ more prominent figures, has found a way to continue to make an impact.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
In the powerlifting ranks, Jalen Faulk might be one of the bigger up-and-coming names to keep an eye on. The 18-year-old athlete showed why with a recent phenomenal feat of leg strength.
On Oct. 1, 2022, Faulk posted a video on his Instagram where he completed a back squat of 300 kilograms (661.4 pounds) raw with wraps during a training session. Faulk also wore a lifting belt and knee sleeves. Per the caption of his post, the staggering squat is a new personal record (PR).
While an unofficial feat, this training squat is 19.8 kilograms (43.7 pounds) more than Faulk’s all-time raw competition best of 280 kilograms (617.3 pounds). The 100-kilogram athlete achieved that mark during a second-place performance in the Men’s Collegiate division at the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Collegiate Nationals.
Faulk’s lofty squat is connected to his preparation for an upcoming mid-October 2022 competition. The same can be said for a 344.7-kilogram (760-pound) deadlift PR from late September 2022. The latter lift drew the attention of fellow 100-kilogram powerlifter and 2022 Mega Nationals champion Bobb Matthews, who wrote to Faulk in the comments of that post, telling him, “I think you are the next guy.”
Notably, for an athlete who has only ever lifted under the USAPL umbrella, Faulk has not specified which contest he will soon feature in at the time of this writing. There are a number of competitions on the USAPL calendar happening from Oct. 15-16, 2022 — the dates that line up with Faulk’s teasing caption of “14 days” and other recent social media posts.
According to Open Powerlifting, Faulk has been a competitive powerlifter since February 2021. As a then-93-kilogram competitor, Faulk won his debut at the 2021 USAPL High School Barbell Bash while competing in the Men’s Teenage division. At the time of this article’s publication, he has only ever competed raw and has won six times while finishing in second place in just one instance.
Here’s a rundown of Faulk’s complete career results to date:
Jalen Faulk | Complete Career Results
2021 USAPL High School Barbell Bash (Teenage) — First place
2021 USAPL High School and Teen National Championships (Teenage/Varsity) — First place
2021 USAPL Warrior Collegiate Open (Collegiate) — First place
2021 USAPL Midwest Collegiate Regionals (Collegiate) — First place
2022 USAPL Collegiate Nationals (Collegiate) — Second place
2022 USAPL Nebraska State Powerlifting Championships (Teenage) — First place
Here’s an overview of Faulk’s all-time raw competition bests:
Whichever contest Faulk does end up competing in this October, if it’s in line with his past performance, then this young powerlifter may well turn some more heads around the sport.
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