How to build big, powerful shoulders without wrecking them. If it works for Triple H, it'll work for you!
That which does not kill us makes us stronger... and faster, and bigger, and a hell of a lot tougher.
The difference between a high-performance body and a slow, chubby body is all in your head... literally.
What is it that separates the masterful from the mediocre? And do you have it?
Most people say they perform the Olympic lifts because they're "explosive." The truth is that any lift can be explosive! For example, if a man who can squat 500 were to train with 275 and focus on accelerating the weight, the squat would then become an "explosive" lift. By using weights that represent 50-60% of your 1RM, the weight is heavy enough to produce adequate force, yet light enough to produce adequate speed. Remember, speed times strength = power!
For a big vertical jump, you have to descend fast. Most athletes focus so much on the "jump" portion of jumping that they forget the importance of the descent. The speed of the descent is the most important factor in an athlete's vertical jump height: the faster you can drop down, the higher you'll jump!
The original Westside for Skinny Bastards was the most popular article I’ve ever written. I still receive dozens of emails and phone calls every day regarding this program.
Nothin' but the Truth! During your time in the gym, you’ve probably noticed that the same training questions are discussed amongst athletes and fitness buffs day in and day out. You know the questions I’m talking about: "What exercises will shape and tone my muscles because I don’t want to get too bulky?" And let’s not forget this classic: "How do I get a better peak on my biceps?"
Editor's Note: Although this article is aimed at athletes, if you're looking to get into shredded, athletic shape, try some of the exercises Coach DeFranco describes. You can practically feel the fat melting off your body! Mental and physical toughness, anaerobic conditioning, improved sprinting speed, muscular endurance, "man" strength… What if I told you that all of these characteristics can be trained simultaneously with one form of training? Would you believe me? You better, because it’s true! In this article, I'll show you how to do it!
Westside for Skinny Bastards A modified lifting program for "Hardgainers" by Joe DeFranco I’m a gym scientist. My lab is the weight room and my lab rats are my athletes. Many of these "lab rats" are doing the program you're about to read. My experiments have proven one thing: this program works . Below I've provided four real-world success stories to prove it. These four athletes represent only a f...
Dirty Tricks for Higher Vertical Jumps by Joe DeFranco I’ve been called a wide variety of names over the past couple of years. These names have ranged from "guru" to "cheater." Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people call me. The bottom line is that I get results with my athletes. Some people admire this; others get jealous and choose to ridicule my methods. Some of my ...
Training Economy How to Maximize Efficiency in the Gym by Joe DeFranco Questions regarding the concept of training economy have indirectly been thrown my way since I first picked up a dumbell. I use the term indirectly because most people have never heard of the term training economy , but I get asked the same question time and time again. It goes like this, "Although I would love to ...
