Fitness And Health

Even if you skipped Latin class or missed boarding school altogether, most lifters in the gym are familiar with their lats — the large, fan-shaped muscle that occupies most of your back. This makes sense because “latissimus dorsi” translates to “broadest muscle of the back side.” Well-developed lats enhance the breadth of your physique by filling the space between your rib cage and arms. The lats support your low back and transmit energy between your hips and shoulders during athletic endeavors. Finally, the lats are massive contributors to upper body pulling strength . Whether hoisting yourself over a wall at an obstacle course race or drawing in an opponent during a grappling sport, the lats are as useful as they are aesthetic. Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock We all need a strong, substantial set of lats. You might already train them with pull-ups and pulldowns . Sure, those are great, but there’s an assortment of effective lat exercises that only require a few dumbbells. He...

Only days after a record-breaking performance at the 2022 USPA Raw Pro , powerlifter Jamal Browner might have just outdone himself with a new remarkable feat of strength . On Sept. 29, 2022, Browner captured a 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) raw traditional deadlift during a training session. He is the fourth known person to deadlift at least that much weight while on film . The 110-kilogram athlete used a sumo stance and overhand grip and wore a lifting belt and lifting straps to help with the historic pull.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jamal Browner (@jamal_b15) [Related: How to Do the Goblet Squat for Lower Body Size and Mobility ] The historic nature of Browner’s deadlift naturally drew the attention of more than a few figures in strength sports. Browner received notable variations of praise from people like two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion (2019, 2021) Russell Orhii , powerl...

Sleep is a critical component of life and survival for all living animals, especially humans. While we still don’t have an exact understanding, we know our bodies require significant periods of it on a regular basis to consolidate memories and learning, restore and rejuvenate energy systems, grow muscle and repair tissue, synthesize and balance hormones, and clear out waste products (i.e., metabolic toxins) from our brain via a lymphatic system that’s only activated during slow-wave sleep. In fact, during nighttime sleep our brain is very active. There’s almost as much neural activity during sleep as there is during waking periods. During the night, our brain cycles through two major types of sleep. Non-REM sleep involves high-amplitude, low-frequency rhythms, whereas REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is characterized by low-amplitude, high-frequency EEG rhythms. There are four stages of non-REM sleep that occur before we reach the REM stage. The first state in a sleep cycle is light sl...

For those who get to enjoy the change of seasons, fall is spectacular. Football season is underway and nobody’s out of the playoffs yet. Crisp, clear mornings call for boots and flannels , and chilly nights are best enjoyed with a warming dram of whiskey . Lest we forget the greatest fall arrival of all time: malty, crisp Oktoberfest beers. Oktoberfest beers, of course, originated in Germany to accompany the biggest beer-soaked festival in the world—a tradition held strong since 1810. There are very specific rules related to the beer served at Oktoberfest. Only six Munich breweries—including Spaten, Paulaner, and Löwenbräu—are allowed to produce what’s called Oktoberfestbier. That beer must be above 6% ABV and must be made with only water, barley, hops, yeast, wheat malt and/or sugar. Until the 1970s, this Oktoberfestbier was märzen, a full-bodied amber lager that’s rich in malt and mildly bitter. Then it was replaced by festbier, which is basically a lighter, golden, more drinkab...

When leg day rolls around, many lifters prioritize barbell exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts. That’s a generally reliable approach for building size and strength, but an aversion to machine exercises can make lower body workouts less effective and it can make gains harder to come by. If lifters do incorporate machine-based movements, it’s often basic leg extensions or leg curls, and maybe a gratuitous set of calf raises . But one specific machine — a squat variation, in fact — can be the key to unlocking new muscle growth, increased strength, and improved joint health. Credit: Vladimir Sukhachev / Shutterstock The hack squat is very effective for building the legs and strengthening the knees and hips. It can be a staple in many routines, particularly for those looking to add muscle to their frame. It’s time to learn the ins and outs of this misunderstood machine. How to Do the Hack Squat Hack Squat Mistakes to Avoid Benefits of the Hack Squat Muscles Worked by the...