Exercise Theory

Guess what? Not everyone involved in helping people achieve their exercise-related goals agrees on everything to do with fitness and exercise. Big surprise, right?

In fact, there are many areas of disagreement regarding exercise theory.

In these articles, I hope to cut through all the chatter and give you a solid base of knowledge you can use as the foundation for your own, long-term learning process. I define basic concepts that are of interest to weight-lifters and others who use a resistance-training program to add muscle mass. And I hope that when you’re done reading these articles, you’ll be able to distinguish between what’s really important, and what’s just being hyped up to get you to buy gear that you really don’t need.

Time Under Tension

Charles Poliquin, an influential Canadian strength coach, coined the term “time under tension” in his eponymously-titled book The Poliquin Principles. What does it mean and is it of importance for skinny guys who want to increase their muscle mass?

Use the FITT Principle to Prepare for Weight Lifting

The FITT Principle — Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Technique — is a simple paradigm you can use to design a get-in-shape routine. Use FITT to get fit before an intense bulking routine.

Hypertrophy

Muscular hypertrophy — when a muscle gets larger — occurs by several different mechanisms. In this article, learn what these mechanism are and how we can trigger them.

Thumbnail image for Six Novice Mistakes That Prevent You From Gaining Muscle Mass

Six Novice Mistakes That Prevent You From Gaining Muscle Mass

Most newbies can gain significant muscle mass if they eat right and use a sensible bulking workout. Learn how to avoid the mistakes that will derail your progress.

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Think Strong and Be Strong: Psych Yourself Up For Maximum Performance

Visualization before a heavy lift will help you avoid form mistakes and can actually make you stronger. Research shows that psychological factors are important in strength training.

Flexibility Training is Important for Weight Lifters

Injury prevention separates successful weight lifters from those who never make progress. Flexibility training is essential for guys on a strength training program.

Neural Adaptations During Strength Training

Neural adaptations to weight lifting (not hypertrophy) are responsible for most of the strength gain experienced by novices in the first six weeks of a workout program.

Thumbnail image for 5 Steps a Skinny Guy Should Take to Bulk Up

5 Steps a Skinny Guy Should Take to Bulk Up

Underweight men often don’t know how to gain quality muscle mass. This article lays it all out step by step. Follow these steps to gain weight quickly.

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Do Forearm Curls Work?

Do you need bigger forearms? Unless you are a bodybuilder, grip strength is more important than forearm size. Read this article for a discussion of the subject.

Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph: Is Body Type Important?

Bodybuilders and other strength training devotees often speak of the three somatotypes. Learn about these classifications and how they relate to your training.

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Can You Peak Your Biceps?

The biceps. They’re the favorite muscle of most novice bodybuilders. Some claim you can build your bicep “peak” by lifting the right way. Is this true?

The Specificity Principle of Exercise

Specific adaptation to imposed demands (SAID) tells us that we get better at the things we train for. What does this mean for those who want to gain muscle mass?

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