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To be a champion CrossFitter, you have to eat like a champion CrossFitter.
On March 21, 2022 — mere days before the 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals begin virtually on March 24 — five-time Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey posted a video to her YouTube channel detailing a day of eating as she aims to cut weight during the CrossFit season. You can check out the full video below:
The Australian native is aiming to lose 20 pounds that she gained while she trained and competed with the Australian National Bobsled Team. Toomey helped Australia qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics, but ultimately didn’t compete. So, she’s turned her attention solely back to CrossFit, which was always her plan.
A win in the 2022 CrossFit Games would notch Toomey’s sixth consecutive title, giving her the most victories for an individual CrossFit athlete in the event’s history.
Breakfast
Toomey’s husband and coach, Shane Orr, plays an integral role in helping organize her nutrition. As one example, bagels appear to be an essential element of Toomey’s breakfasts on training days, while Orr would like to ween her off them.
During the day the pair recorded the video, Toomey consumed one and a half bagels with solid helpings of blueberries, bananas, bacon, peanut butter, and eggs. Orr maintains that Toomey’s breakfast involves more fats because she’s not training until three hours later. In the event of a shorter time between meal and training session, her breakfast would have fewer fats.
Here’s Toomey’s full breakfast laid out:
One banana
A half-cup of blueberries
Three apple cider vinegar gummies
Two eggs
Eight grams of Irish butter
20 grams of flaxseed peanut butter
Everything bagel — 45 grams
Two eggs
112 grams of beef bacon
Toomey says she likes to feel “full and satisfied” in the mornings. That logic adds up because her breakfast comes out to a total of 790 calories, in addition to vitamins and supplements she takes after the meal’s over.
During the video, Orr highlights Toomey’s essential pouch of snacks, which he says helps her maintain energy and endurance during training. The assortment of snacks includes a protein smoothie blended with a carbohydrate, one banana, gummies, oats, and Nutri-Grain® bars.
Lunch
Once her first training session of the day has concluded, Toomey eats her lunch at the gym.
It doesn’t get more simple and effective than a 500-calorie combination of beef and rice:
One cup of jasmine rice
200 grams of beef liver
Seeing as how she’s still working on cutting her bobsled weight, Toomey emphasizes that she’s conscientious about how many macronutrients she eats daily. Her training session involved 135-pound barbell snatches, clean & jerks, bar muscle-ups, ring muscle-ups, handstand walks, and some time on a stationary exercise bike.
The snacks Toomey eats afterward amounts to an additional 780 calories:
One scoop of 1st Phorm’s Ignition® Protein Powder
27 grams of Loop D Fruit Phormula 1
One banana
Two pouches of fruit gummies
141 grams of mixed berry oats
Recharge drink mix
According to Toomey, she’s aiming for a delicate balance of gradually decreasing her calories to allow her to maintain her training. Notably, she says she expects to hit her target competition weight sometime during the 2022 CrossFit Semifinals. This phase of the CrossFit season will start on Friday, May 20, 2022, and run through to Friday, July 1, 2022.
As Toomey’s day starts to wind down, she has a light 440 calories for dinner:
One six-ounce pork tenderloin
A 150-gram potato
A 45-gram avocado
Salad mix
Toomey said that she usually would have an evening snack but eschewed it this time around because she had already hit her daily macros. If she had additional macro breathing room, she’d have eaten Greek yogurt with oats, berries, and honey. According to her Toomey, she tries to keep her daily caloric intake below 2,500. On the day of this video, she slightly exceeded that benchmark with 2,550 calories.
The Quarterfinals Are Next
In the now-finalized 2022 CrossFit Open leaderboard, Toomey finished second worldwide to American athlete and 2021 Rookie of the Year, Mallory O’Brien.
The 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals begin on Thursday, March 24, 2022, and run through to Thursday, April 24, 2022. This competition section features the athletes who finished in the top 10 percent of their division during the Open. Both the Open and Quarterfinals are virtual competitions.
The Semifinals will start on Friday, May 20, 2022, and last until Friday, July 1, 2022. Four of the 10 total Semifinals will take place in North America, two in Europe, and one each in Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America. Finally, the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will run from Aug. 3-7, 2022, in Madison, WI.
A rapid response to someone having a stroke can mean the difference between minor damage and long-term disability. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, getting help for someone who may be suffering from a stroke within one hour is critical. Sadly, many stroke victims do not receive the emergency help that is […]
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Powerlifters dare not overlook the 110-kilogram Jamal Browner any time he gets under a barbell. On March 22, 2022, Browner again snapped more necks when he locked out a 432.5-kilogram (953.5-pound) raw conventional deadlift.
Browner is undoubtedly one of the strongest deadlifters in powerlifting. He’s an all-time record holder at 110 kilograms and has pulled 473.6 kilograms (1,050 pounds) from a sumo stance. It’s unusual for a lifter at Browner’s level to switch between deadlift stances as often as he does, but it’s clear that Browner is on the hunt for a 1,000-pound pull in both variations.
Check out Browner’s latest conventional deadlift PR below, courtesy of his Instagram page:
Deadlifts of this magnitude are nothing new for Browner. Browner has pulled a 476.3-kilogram deadlift (1,050-pounds) and a 455-kilogram deadlift (1,003-pounds) from a sumo stance with lifting straps. He also possesses the all-time raw world record at 110-kilograms with a 440.5-kilogram (971 pounds) deadlift.
Sumo vs. Conventional Deadlifts
The distinction between sumo and conventional deadlift stance comes down to the placement of one’s feet and hands. A sumo deadlift has the lifter widen their feet and place their hands inside their thighs, whereas a conventional deadlift is executed with a hip-width stance and arms placed outside the legs.
Both positions also require a lifter to engage different muscles mechanically.
The sumo stance inherently shortens the length of the deadlift’s pull since the lifter is closer to the floor. According to a 2002 study, the sumo stance recruits more of the vastus medialis (VMO), vastus lateralis (VLO), and tibialis anterior — your inner thigh muscles. (1)
At the same time, your rectus femoris (part of the hamstring) had less overall recruitment than the VMO and VLO. This happens because the rectus femoris is a biarticular muscle — it crosses two joint complexes. While your quads help with knee extension, the rectus femoris also assists in hip flexion.
The more extended range of motion of the conventional stance — which is why some may perceive it to be more challenging — places more pressure on the back, specifically the L4 and L5 vertebrae. It also involves more back extensors, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles.
Despite these differences, both the sumo stance and conventional stance are hip hinges. The same research shows that each will have similar demands on your hips. (1)
It’s a credit to Browner that he can excel from both positions.
Browner’s Strongman Future
Browner’s work from a conventional stance — like a 410-kilogram (903.9 pounds) deadlift performed in mid-March 2022 — drew the attention of an elite strongman who weighs 100 pounds more than him. Two-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) finalist, Nick Best, was impressed by that achievement that he urged Giants Live owner, Colin Bryce, to invite Browner to the 2022 World Deadlift Championships (WDC). The WDC is set to occur during the 2022 Giants Live World Open on Aug. 6, 2022.
Browner does not yet have a formal invitation to the competition, but he may soon find an opening if he continues to open the eyes of top strongmen with his staggering deadlifts. His new conventional PR 432.5-kilogram deadlift (953.5 pounds) compares reasonably well to the results of the 2021 WDC.
2021 World Deadlift Championships Results
1st — Ivan Makarov, 475 kilograms (1,047.2 pounds)
8th (tie) — Andy Black, 425 kilograms (937 pounds)
Browner’s latest raw PR places him in third-place finish above Shivlyakov, Heinla, and Black. That said, there are a few important notes:
First, a strongman-style deadlift is different than powerlifting-approved pulls. Competitive strongmen can use lifting straps, deadlift suits, and lifting belts while pulling. In a raw powerlifting competition, only a lifting belt is allowed.
Another important note is that sumo deadlifts — the variation Browner excels at — are not allowed in strongman.
Browner has only ever competed in the Raw category, so it’s hard to gauge what he could pull with a lifting suit and straps.
If Browner — who weighs 100-plus-pounds less than many of these athletes — can eclipse some of their top marks, he might be well on his way to more strongman success soon enough. We can safely assume Browner will continue plugging away as he tries to become a member of the 1,000-pound conventional deadlift class.
References
ESCAMILLA, R. F., FRANCISCO, A. C., FLEISIG, G. S., BARRENTINE, S. W., WELCH, C. M., KAYES, A. V., … ANDREWS, J. R. (2000). A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(7), 1265–1275. doi:10.1097/00005768-200007000-00013
So you want to gain some weight, some mass. You want more muscle. You want to bulk up. And you want to do it in a healthy way within the context of the Primal Blueprint, but aren’t sure where to start. Most popular bulking advice consists of eating everything in sight—dirty bulking with fast food, TV dinners, PB&J, peanut butter on the spoon, whatever you have on hand. That’s not the way, folks.
As I’ve made pretty clear, our ultimate goal is to achieve positive gene expression, functional strength, optimum health, and extended longevity. In other words: To make the most out of the particular gene set you inherited. These are my end goals, and I’ve modeled the Primal Blueprint Laws with them in mind. But that doesn’t mean packing on extra muscle can’t happen with additional input. After I retired from a life of chronic cardio and started living Primally, I added 15 pounds of muscle, while keeping low body fat levels without really trying, so it’s absolutely possible for a hardgainer to gain some. The question is how much and at what expense?
I’d be the first to tell you that lean body mass is healthier than adipose tissue. Generally, the more lean mass a person has, the longer and better they live. But to increase mass at the expense of agility, strength, or speed, or health is, in my opinion, counterproductive.
Of course, we’re all built a little differently. The basic building blocks are the same in everyone, but sexual reproduction (as opposed to asexual reproduction) has the funny habit of producing unique genetics and small variations that affect the way we respond to our environments. It’s why some people are short and some are tall, or why some of us respond better to carbohydrates than others. Even though we all pretty much operate the same way, there IS a range of possible outcomes that is proscribed by your direct ancestors. Some people naturally have more muscle mass. Some people are innately more muscular than the average person, and putting more on through resistance training is often an easy task. Then there are those who can’t seem to gain a pound: the hardgainers. They might be increasing strength, but it happens more slowly and doesn’t seem to translate into visible muscle mass.
There is a genetic ceiling for muscle growth (and overall size gain). The ceiling manifests in all sorts of ways—your appetite, your hypertrophy response to resistance training, your motivation to train—but there is a ceiling. And although it can be circumvented with pharmacological interventions and force feeding, the Precautionary Principle suggests that using supranatural tactics to overcome the genetic ceiling will have negative effects on health.
How to Bulk the Right Way
Most people do not hit their genetic potential, however. If you’re reading this, there’s likely much more you can do to fulfill your genetic potential and “bulk up.” You can “bulk” in a healthy way. You can bulk in a natural way. You can bulk in a way that flows with your genetic inclinations and potential.
Eat Lots of Plants and Animals
Calories count. You have to eat more food than you are eating before. You have to eat more food than you previously considered excessive before, because you’ll also be lifting weights and creating more of an energy demand. There’s no way around it. You must eat lots of nutrient-dense plants and animals.
The only thing you should explicitly count is protein grams. Aim for a gram of animal protein per pound of body weight. It’s okay if you go a bit under or a bit over.
Overeat on Training Days
You can find detailed guides to determining the specific number of calories you need to be eating to gain mass, but I don’t really agree with following those strict guidelines unless you’re being paid to gain weight. Instead, the better way to ensure you’re eating enough calories to gain weight but not so many that you’re also getting fat is to overeat only on training days and not on rest days.
How does this look?
Stuff yourself—within reason—on training days. Lift hard and then eat big. If you train hard enough, “stuffing yourself” shouldn’t take much effort. It’ll just happen naturally.
Eat normally on rest days. Again, this should ensue naturally. If you eat enough food on training days, your body won’t need as many calories on rest days. This will give you a “break” and allow both muscle protein synthesis and fat loss to occur.
Eat Carbs and Protein Around Your Workouts
Carbs help you gain weight. This cannot be disputed. They aren’t necessary for muscle gain, but they can certainly make it easier for many people.
Protein is absolutely essential. There’s no way around eating animal protein (unless you want to spend your days mixing and weighing arcane plant sources of protein to hit the perfect blend that only barely approaches simply eating a piece of meat or a bowl of eggs or a whey shake).
Eating both protein and carbs shortly before or after your workouts will take advantage of the “anabolic window”—a diffuse opportunity where dietary glucose is more likely to become muscle glycogen and protein is more likely to become muscle. Carbs are actually more crucial to get the timing right; protein is okay eaten several hours after.
Emphasize Carbs and Protein on Workout Days, Fat and Protein on Rest Days
This isn’t a strict prescription. This doesn’t mean “no fat” on workout days and “zero carbs” on rest days. It just means that since you’ll be eating more carbs on hard training days you shouldn’t go overboard with fat. And since you’ll be eating more fat on rest days you shouldn’t go overboard with carbs. Remember: we’re going for a clean, lean bulk, not a dirty bulk that makes you fatter.
Lift Hard and Long
This is subjective and malleable. Lifting hard can take many forms, some of which I’ll explain in another section down below. But the point is to work really, really hard. To bring your musculature to just shy of its breaking point. Go to failure, or almost.
Some people do this with super slow lifts, where each rep takes five to ten seconds to complete (or even more).
Some people do this with super heavy lifts and fewer reps, where each set is smaller but the effort you’re giving is maximal.
Some people do this with lighter weights and higher reps, collecting a lot of volume.
In each of these instances, you’re accumulating a lot of muscular tension. You’re giving your all. You’re bringing your muscles to the brink.
However, sets of 8-12 reps seems to be the best range for gaining mass (and strength). Whatever rep scheme you choose, pick a weight that feels hard by the time you reach the end of the set. You should have to really push to finish.
Chase True Hunger
To bulk, you need to achieve true hunger. There’s the hunger you get because you lifted some heavy weights. The kind that feels pure, raw, real, and unmistakable and unignorable. This is honest hunger. This is hunger that wants to replete your glycogen and introduce the protein and micronutrients required to maximize muscle protein synthesis. It’s the feeling of emptiness after a lifting session, a vacuum that must but probably cannot be filled.
You need to listen to this hunger. It’s trustworthy. It’s urgent. And it involves salivation—you can feel it in your bone marrow.
Control Cortisol
Cortisol is catabolic. Cortisol contradicts testosterone. Cortisol is the major stress hormone, and it exists for a very legitimate reason—dealing with “flight or fight” incidents, inadequate sleep, anxiety—but in large amounts cortisol increases serum amino acids by breaking down muscle, inhibiting protein synthesis, and reducing amino acid uptake by the muscles.
Your cortisol:testosterone ratio response to a resistance training session can predict how much muscle you’ll gain (or not).1 A lower ratio is better for gains and, thus, for healthy bulking. Furthermore, elevated chronic cortisol is linked to fat accumulation, so while elevated cortisol may make you gain weight, it won’t be the weight you want.
How do you limit cortisol?
Adequate sleep
Adequate calories
Eating the carbs you earn—if you earned carbs/burned glycogen during training, you should just eat a piece of fruit or a potato rather than manufacture glucose from protein
Keep your intense workouts short and intense—long, drawn out training sessions over 60+ minutes will run the risk of tipping the cortisol:testosterone balance
Use smart supplementation—I created Adaptogenic Calm to reduce cortisol from excessive training, and it quickly became a hit among my athlete peers; I still use it to this day to enhance recovery
Figure out some way to “meditate“—for me it’s paddle boarding and walking my dog
Skip “Cardio,” Take Walks
If you’re going for pure bulk, traditional cardio is counterproductive. Instead, just take daily walks. Walk after you train (to burn the liberated free fatty acids). Walk on rest days (to keep the blood and lymph flowing and speed recovery). You can do do easy aerobic “running,” as long as you keep your heart rate under 180 minus your age and maintain nasal breathing and keep things low-stress.
Don’t run hard. Don’t train for a marathon or 10k while you bulk. Again, you can do these things while resistance training and see results, but if you’re only interested in bulking up, any significant amount of cardio will negate your gains.
Sleep More Than You Think
Sleep is where the magic happens. It’s where fat loss occurs and muscle protein synthesis engages. Sleep is when you actually gain. Sleep debt actively inhibits muscle recovery and hypertrophy and promotes muscle degradation.2 Sleep deprivation increases cortisol and reduces testosterone; for optimal muscle building, the former should be lower and the latter higher.3 One older study found that total sleep deprivation increased urinary excretion of nitrogen, which could be indicative of muscle breakdown and loss of lean mass.4
Furthermore, inadequate sleep impairs many important factors tangentially related to bulking:
Worse insulin sensitivity (affects your ability to assimilate nutrients and burn fat)
Worse balance (makes you more likely to injure yourself working out)
Sleep at least 8 hours a night.
Don’t Fast
Fasting and bulking don’t really mesh well. Fasting is a way to reduce calorie intake; bulking is a goal that requires increased calorie intake. Sure, you can mess around with enormous meals and sprinkle protein power in everything and take shots of olive oil to get those calories up quick, but the vast majority of people will have trouble bulking while fasting.
If you want to “fast,” I’d recommend a “sunshine eating window.” Only eat when the sun is up, and abstain from food when it’s not. This will give you a larger eating window for higher calorie intakes while also giving you plenty of time not eating, so you can digest your food, sleep, and burn more body fat.
Either that or do the “Leangains” method, where you use a shortened eating window and shift your macro ratios depending on training status to make “lean gains,” or gain lean mass and minimize or abolish fat gain:
A daily 16 hour fast during which you eat nothing containing calories. Coffee, tea, and other non-caloric fluids are fine. Some people get away with a little cream in their drink.
A daily 8 hour eating window.
Three days of weight training, ideally performed at the tail end of the fasting period. To improve performance and muscle protein synthesis, you have the option of consuming 10 grams of branched chain amino acids or some whey isolate 10 minutes before the workout.
On rest days, eat more fat, fewer carbs, and slightly reduce calories.
Most people begin their fast after dinner (say, 9 PM), workout in the afternoon (at around 12 PM), and break their fast immediately post-workout (at around 1 PM), but you can use any schedule you prefer as long as you hit the 16 hours of fasting.
Your post-workout meal should have about 50% of your day’s caloric allotment (a real feast).
This works pretty well but you have to be religious/neurotic about it. If you’re the right temperament, it might be good for you.
Active Visualization
Mindful engagement and activation of the muscles will improve hypertrophy and increase muscle gain by directing more bodily resources to the muscle. When you lift a weight, actively feel the muscle contracting. Imagine with vivid imagery the muscle tissue lengthening and then contracting.
Here’s an example. When I do rows, I think of a few things. One is the cue to “shoot elbows back.” Another is to “bring my shoulder blades toward each other.” And finally, I think about, imagine, and feel the contraction of the sheaths of muscle across my upper back, paying attention to the sensation of tension in those areas, the burn of engaged musculature. When you do that active kind of visualization, you are strengthening the connection between brain and muscle tissue and enhancing the anabolic effect.
Feel the Burn
The “burn” you get while lifting weights indicates that you’ve reached levels of intensity adequate enough for a strong anabolic response. This isn’t really scientific, per se, but all my years of training (and training others) agree. You should hit the “burn” at least once every workout or exercise.
Try Blood Flow Restriction Training
Blood flow restriction training, or BFRT, involves inhibiting the flow of blood from the heart to the limbs by wrapping an elastic wrap around the upper legs and/or arms (depending on the workout). By wrapping the limbs and using a lower weight and higher volume than normal (30% of 1 rep max and 15-30 reps, respectively), you simulate a “hypoxic” environment in the muscle tissue and promote the development of type 2 muscle fibers. The idea is that BFRT allows trainees to make good gains without having to lift heavy weights, which many older adults are nervous about trying.
Most research suggests that blood flow restriction training with lighter weights is just as effective as heavier weight training for increasing muscle strength and size.5
Include Important Supplementary Foods
Chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice won’t cut it. Many specific supplementary foods exist that provide vital anabolic compounds. I’ll list as many of them as I can think of:
Whole eggs—Provide choline, cholesterol, vitamin A, protein, iron, zinc, and arachidonic acid; extra points for eating fertilized eggs, which can inhibit myostatin (an enzyme that limits muscle growth). Eat daily. And do not just eat the whites, as whole eggs work better even when you control for protein content.
Liver—Provides choline, vitamin A, protein, zinc, and iron (liver and eggs were an old school bodybuilder classic and vitamin A is the “forgotten bodybuilding nutrient“). Eat once a week.
Seafood—Provides creatine, protein, omega-3s (increase muscle protein synthesis)6. Eat three times a week.
Oysters—Zinc and iron powerhouses. Eat twice a week.
High protein dairy, ideally raw or fermented—When you lift weights, you need calcium and protein and saturated fat and all the other components of dairy to grow. After all, dairy is meant to grow mammalian tissue.
Red meat on the bone—There’s something especially anabolic about eating meat off a bone. Maybe it’s the gelatin providing substrate to support connective tissue health. Maybe it’s the Primal high-T response to gnawing on bones. Whatever it is, it works.
Purple sweet potatoes—The right blend of taste, anthocyanins, fiber, texture, and glucose. Great post-workout.
Pineapple—Speeds up muscle recovery, tastes great. Excellent post workout.
Include Helpful Supplements
Whey isolate—The best pound for pound animal protein on the planet. Shown time and time again to improve hypertrophy. 10-20 grams morning and night (or post workout).
Creatine—Enhances muscular performance and hypertrophy regardless of timing 7 5 grams a day.
Beta-alanine—Another supplement that increases muscle carnosine content and the amount of work you can do, the number of reps you can eke out. Beware that beta-alanine will give you an intense prickly feeling in your limbs, but it’s totally safe. 6 grams a day.8
Collagen—Bulking requires a lot of resistance training, which increases the demands on your connective tissue. Collagen is a great way to rebuild and reinforce ligaments, tendons, and cartilage.
Take It Slow
Most importantly, you have to just let the bulk happen the way it wants to. Put everything into place—the food, the supplements, the sleep, the stress reduction, the exercises, all the tips from this post—and let it ride. A bulk isn’t linear. It doesn’t follow any schedule. You might not gain for a week and then suddenly pick up 5 pounds. The body works in mysterious ways, in fits and starts, stalls and bursts. Trust that it knows what it’s doing.
The worst thing you can do is stress about not gaining as fast as you wanted to gain. That’s when you get sloppy, when you get injured, when you neglect the less-than-sexy things that are just as important as lifting big weights and eating big meals.
That’s it: the Primal guide to bulking.
Do you “bulk?” What’s your method? How have you done it in the past? What would you add?
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It’s every lifter’s goal to pack on muscle and get stronger, right? If not, why go to the gym so darn much? You probably started in your teens and toyed around to figure out what worked and what didn’t. You built some muscle and had a great time reaching some hard-earned milestones. Who doesn’t remember their first time putting two plates on the bar?
But then, you got a little older and developed a few aches and pains “out of nowhere”. It was somewhat freeing to swing open the gym doors, perform a bare minimum warm-up, and pile plates onto the bar while throwing caution to the wind. Things are a little different now.
Credit: Slava Dumchev / Shutterstock
It’s time to train like you’re 40 (or older). That doesn’t mean you need to join the Silver Sneakers group exercise class, but you’ll need to assess your recent progress, consider your overall health, and maybe even adjust your goals.
Editor’s Note: The content on Breaking Muscle is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
A New Outlook After 40
If you’ve been lifting for more than a few years, you’ll have maybe noticed the need to avoid a few exercises, lessen the loads, and work around some achy joints.
The mileage has started to set in from all those years of heavy lifting. You may find yourself talking about the heyday of your record lifts, how big you used to be, and how “kids these days” don’t know what they’re doing.
You’re just fooling yourself if you don’t realize you’ve crossed into new territory. If you crave longevity, functioning knees and shoulders, and still want to make appreciable progress towards having a great physique, you need to adopt a different mindset than you had 20 years ago.
Ask yourself these questions:
How much progress have you really made in the last six months? Or the past year? How about over the last five years?
After a workout, do you feel tired but good, or are you limping out of the gym with joint pain?
When you’re in the gym, are you trying to be the big man on campus and serve your ego or are you just trying to gain some muscle, drop some fat, and build some strength?
It’s important that you answer honestly because it will help define where you currently stand, where you’re going, and if you’ll get there.
There are a few factors that can have a huge influence on your results. If you started out young and had rapid gains, it’s most likely not going to be as easy at this point. You’ve probably built a lot of muscle early on and your system is more or less “used to” the type of hypertrophy training you’ve been performing.
Your hormones also go through a natural decline as you age, but that too can depend on a host of factors such as sleep quality, weight gain, stress levels, and activity levels. (1) But do not despair. There is hope for you yet.
Credit: Stockmedia Sweden / Shutterstock
If you’re new to hypertrophy-style training then, no matter your age, you’ll reap some pretty substantial gains in muscle since your body has never undergone such a program.
With that said, hypertrophy training requires a shift in perspective as opposed to that of pure strength or power training. With the latter, the concern is placed on numbers. Percentages of one-rep maxes, rep goals, and a careful eye to keep those numbers moving up. Hypertrophy, on the other hand, does take strength progression into consideration somewhat, but it is much more focused on achieving fatigue and recruiting (stimulating) more muscle fibers.
Many strength and power athletes are less concerned with their muscle size and more focused on lifting a big weight from point A to point B. Training for muscle mass, conversely, should be less focused on lifting big weights and more focused on training the body in a particular way to grow more muscle.
10 Rules to Build Muscle After 40
What’s a plan without a few ground rules? You may scoff at the idea that you’ll need to change anything at all. ‘All I need to do’, you think, ‘is train harder, eat more, and take more supplements.’
Credit: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock
But remember those three important questions? If you answered them honestly, then you know you need to read on.
Be clear about your goals and expectations.
Write out what you currently want out of training and formulate realistic expectations. If you’ve wanted to build 24-inch pythons since the ‘80s but you’re hovering right around the 17-inch mark, it’s time to re-evaluate.
Think long-term.
By this age, you should have a pretty good idea about how you want to live the next phase of your life in and out of the gym. Workouts that have you limping around the office or a back too sore to pick up your kids may not be the best choice.
Patience.
Patience is one of the most powerful tools you can possess, but the trick is to actually put it into practice. Don’t be in a rush to reach your new goals. You have time.
If it’s broken…
You may have once easily worked through beat-up shoulders or knees without much consequence. You’d just slap some muscle rub on it and get lifting. Now, the same approach may leave you sidelined for weeks or months. Never be afraid to ditch an exercise if it (literally) hurts more than helps.
Pay closer attention to your body.
Years ago, you may have trained before you were fully recovered from the previous workout or worked some body parts more often than others. As you age, you should be more connected to what’s going on with your body and treat it accordingly. Recovery is a tool, not a nuisance.
Learn to love lighter weight and strict form.
With a new perspective will come some old allies. To give your joints a break, you might be lifting a little lighter, but that means it’s the perfect time to practice impeccable form. Make it your new religion. Also, bumping your reps into the 10 to 15 range doesn’t mean they’ll be easy. You still need to apply intensity and shoot for muscular failure.
Don’t be too easy on yourself.
Turning 40 isn’t a green light to take it easy and opt for the 2.5-pound dumbbells while bragging about how awesome you once were. You’re still well-capable of getting through some intense and productive workouts, so don’t let yourself off too easily.
Cut out the fluff.
If you’re an experienced lifter, there’s likely been a fair share of fluff exercises that you just “had to” do. Whether it was something everyone else was doing or a new trick you saw in a magazine (remember those?), a lot of that stuff can be cut out. Just use the necessities, not the fads.
Don’t be a follower.
Social media is an SOB. It’s not low on crazy feats of strength and look-at-me exercises. Leave the high risk, ego-inflating trends to the TikTok generation.
Record. Record. Record.
If you’re not keeping a training log, start. Jot down exercises, sets, reps, weight used, and anything else you think might be important. You can’t build your house without keeping track of your plan.
The Right Exercises for More Size and Less Pain
Now let’s take a look at a few movements that might be doing more harm than good, even though they’ve been mainstays in the past. Don’t worry, though. You’re not doomed to trade beloved barbells for “safer” machines, start and end every workout with boring cardio, or make trips to the physical therapist for basic maintenance.
Credit: Rido / Shutterstock
Squat
One of the most popular exercises of all time, the squat is the unofficial grand marshal of leg mass. Unfortunately, it’s also made plenty of knees and backs suffer along the way. With too many bouts of pain, it’s then (maybe unfairly) thrown on the bad-for-you pile.
There may be a little bit more at play here than just a “bad exercise.” Ankle mobility is a problem with many whose knees cry out on every rep. With poor ankle mobility comes an unstable base which leads to painful knees and an overstressed lumbar spine. (2)
The Fix: If you’re reluctant to say goodbye to squats, at least perform daily stretches for your ankles. In the meantime, squat with your heels elevated on a plate to make the ankle angle less stressful. (3) You can also try front squats on for size. Still in pain? Bulgarian split squats will humble your ego in a heartbeat.
Bench Press
Much like the squat, the flat bench press has a similar reputation for delivering results, often at the price of tender shoulders and elbows. Probably the most ego-based lift ever invented, the bench press isn’t for everyone. If you’re able to bench with good technique but still have pain, there is hope.
The Fix: One mistake many lifters make is they angle their elbows too wide in the bottom position. This can put the shoulder joint in a very vulnerable position. To mitigate injury risk, angle your upper arms about 45-degrees from your torso and have the bar touch the lower portion of your pecs. This will place your shoulder in a much more stable position. If that still doesn’t do the trick, opt for dumbbells using the same angle for your upper arms.
Deadlift
The deadlift has long been viewed as a hallmark of sheer full-body strength. The mere thought of lifting a heavy load from the ground exudes raw power. However, many spines are pleading for the insanity to stop. Yes, the deadlift is a functional work of art, but time (and a ton of weight), can take its toll.
The Fix: One modification is utilizing a trap bar. This will prevent an overextension of your lumbar and shift more of the load onto your thighs, relieving lower back strain. If your gym doesn’t have a trap bar, mimic the movement by lifting dumbbells from blocks.
Shoulder Press
Whether it’s standing, seated, with a barbell, or with dumbbells, many lifters see the overhead press as an ego lift early in their lifting careers. Heavy loads and partial reps will eventually have their way with your shoulder joints and most of these lifters end up learning that metal beats flesh.
The Fix: Overhead pressing is a fundamental and functional move, so it’s understandable you’d want to find a way to keep it in your program. One of the best alternatives is to grab a pair of dumbbells and perform seated presses with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip. This will put your shoulders in a stronger and safer plane of motion by having your elbows pointing forward instead of out to the sides (which is their natural orientation).
Pull-up
The reason so many lifters don’t do pull-ups is because they say they can’t do pull-ups. Pull-ups are another functional movement and also one of the best muscle-builders ever. But what if shoulder pain won’t let you do them?
The Fix: Instead of opening up your chest and pointing your elbows out to the sides, contract your abs to pull your pelvis slightly forward. While you do this, point your elbows slightly forward as well. Remember the shoulder press trick? Same thing applies here, you’re just pulling upwards instead of pressing upwards. Using a neutral-grip also helps to keep you in a joint-friendly position.
Leg Press
Ah yes, the leg press. The one machine where anyone can look like a beast. Its short range of motion and angled sled allow you to pile on the plates and pretend to do some serious work. But, unbeknownst to many, this machine can cause some serious back and knee issues.
If you use too much range of motion and bring your legs down too far, your lower back can rise up off of the pad which “curls” your lower spine and exposes it to direct stress. Under load, a curved spine is in big trouble. Knee pain is another common issue, especially when pressing through your toes which causes shear stress to your patellar tendons.
The Fix: First, lighten the load. Next, once you sit down, pull your butt down and remain in contact with the pad at all times. You can avoid rolling your lower back up and off the pad by shortening your range of motion slightly (‘slightly’, being the keyword there).
Finally, be sure to push the plate with your heels. This is where our old friend ankle mobility comes into play. If you’re not quite there yet with your ankle range of motion, you can reinforce pushing through your heels by positioning your feet slightly higher on the platform which makes it more difficult to press with the toes.
You’re Not Done Yet
It’s said that wisdom comes through experience. At this age, experience is one of your biggest advantages. Training for hypertrophy after 40 doesn’t have to be some giant overhaul. All it takes is applying some wisdom, making some modifications, and swallowing your ego to get those gains rolling again. Just remember, you’re making adjustments now so you can keep stepping through the gym doors for plenty more years to come.
References
Henry A. Feldman, Christopher Longcope, Carol A. Derby, Catherine B. Johannes, Andre B. Araujo, Andrea D. Coviello, William J. Bremner, John B. McKinlay, Age Trends in the Level of Serum Testosterone and Other Hormones in Middle-Aged Men: Longitudinal Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 87, Issue 2, 1 February 2002, Pages 589–598, https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.87.2.8201
Fuglsang, Emil I.; Telling, Anders S.; Sørensen, Henrik Effect of Ankle Mobility and Segment Ratios on Trunk Lean in the Barbell Back Squat, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: November 2017 – Volume 31 – Issue 11 – p 3024-3033 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001872
Charlton, Jesse M.; Hammond, Connor A.; Cochrane, Christopher K.; Hatfield, Gillian L.; Hunt, Michael A. The Effects of a Heel Wedge on Hip, Pelvis and Trunk Biomechanics During Squatting in Resistance Trained Individuals, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: June 2017 – Volume 31 – Issue 6 – p 1678-1687 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001655
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CrossFit fans are likely accustomed to a familiar winner’s circle in the sport’s short history. Since the CrossFit Games started in 2007, five athletes have won the competition multiple times — Rich Froning Jr. (2011-14) and Matthew Fraser (2016-20) on the men’s side, and Annie Thorisdottir (2011-12), Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir (2015-16), and Tia-Clair Toomey (2017-21) for the women.
With the 2022 Open portion behind us, the premier event in CrossFit continues this coming weekend. Thursday, March 24 through Sunday, March 27 will see the start of the CrossFit Games Quarterfinals in Madison, WI. Outside of the usual heavy hitters like the respective Men’s and Women’s defending champions, Justin Medeiros and Toomey, there are a lot of arguably underrated competitors in the field.
The Dark Horses
Here’s who might be making a more prominent name for themselves in the CrossFit sphere during the Quarterfinals:
Phil Toon
Once a relative newcomer to the competitive scene, Toon has progressed well over the last couple of years. He documented his CrossFit journey in a post on his Instagram page on March 21, 2022:
During his first Open in 2020, the American Toon placed 143rd overall. Last year, he leapt up to 26th overall. And this year? He notched an impressive fifth place among the men. According to his CrossFit Games profile, Toon boasts robust benchmarks with a 575-pound back squat, a 375-pound clean and jerk, a 275-pound snatch, and a 660-pound deadlift. Toon has come a long way as a professional CrossFitter. Look for him to surprise some people this weekend.
Dallin Pepper
Sometimes, you have to wait a while before finally breaking through for one extraordinary moment. If anyone at this year’s CrossFit Games is ready to get their flowers for their extensive hard work, it’s probably Pepper.
The now-20-year-old Pepper first turned heads in the teenage division of the Games with a podium finish each year from 2017 to 2019. He even won the teenage competition outright in 2018. Now in his third year competing as an adult, 10th place during the 2022 Open is nothing to sneeze at. It might be a solid precursor to the glory he’s been waiting for.
Colten Mertens
As another CrossFitter who has been around the sport for a while, Mertens is also on the hopeful edge of CrossFit prestige. You can see it in how he plugs away over time. First, he became a seasoned and experienced veteran. In some of his first formal competitions, 2019 saw Mertens finish 29th in the Dubai CrossFit Championships and 26th in the annual Granite Games. But, more importantly, over time, his work in the Games themselves has improved.
In 2017, Mertens finished in a modest 5,923rd place worldwide during the Open portion. With due diligence, he parlayed that into great 11th and 10th place finishes in 2021 and 2022, respectively. It’s been a winding road for Mertens during his CrossFit career. This year’s competition would be a perfect time to leave his mark.
Gabriela Migała
There’s always one dark horse who could be a major contender when all is said and done. On the women’s side of this year’s games, that has to be the Pole, Migała, who resides in and spends her time training in Spain. A former tennis player at a high level, Migała turned to CrossFit in 2015 and hasn’t looked back since.
Migała finished the 2022 Open portion in a solid 13th place — continuing her run of high-end finishes after her sixth-place rank in the 2021 CrossFit Games. Mere days before the Quarterfinals, her confidence doesn’t seem lacking. She recently shared a pre-lift Instagram post with the caption, “Houston, we have lift off.”
To unseat some of the top competitors like Toomey or even capture a place on the podium, Migała will need to continue that streak of confidence. We’ll see if her current mindset converts a top finish in the Quarterfinals.
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Accomplished powerlifter Prescillia “Lya” Bavoil continues to be one of the sport’s premier competitors. The 2022 Fédération Française de Force (FFForce) French Nationals occurred in Albi, France, on March 19-20, 2022. Competing in the 69-kilogram weight class, Bavoil captured the National Championship for the sixth straight year.
En route to the gold, Bavoil exceeded the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) records in the raw squat and total — they are, however, not official as they were not scored in international competition. Additionally, she set the French raw squat and bench press records.
2022 FFForce French Nationals — Prescillia “Lya” Bavoil | 69KG
Bavoil went eight for nine at the 2022 FFForce French Nationals with the following stats:
Bavoil’s 210.5-kilogram (461.4-pound) raw squat is five kilograms (11 pounds) heavier than the current 205.5-kilogram (453 pounds) IPF World Record, also held by Bavoil. She achieved that lift at the 2021 EPF European Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Not to be outdone (by herself), Bavoil added another unofficial IPF record notch to her belt with her 550.5 kilograms (1,213.7 pounds). Perhaps not by coincidence, she again eclipsed her previous record total by 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds), also set at the 2021 EPF European Classic Powerlifting Championships.
Prescillia Bavoil’s Powerlifting Career
At age 28, Bavoil has quite the ledger of powerlifting accomplishments. She began her powerlifting career in 2015 at age 21. It didn’t take long for Bavoil to establish herself as a major player in the women’s powerlifting sphere. She dominated the Juniors, Seniors, and Open scene alike, winning her first nine sanctioned competitions.
Bavoil continues her dominance to the present day. Her win at the 2022 French Nationals is her ninth-straight victory in competitions, dating back to the European Classic Championships of November 2019. In 21 career competitions overall, she’s missed the podium just twice and has never finished below third place. Some of Bavoil’s more impressive victories include first place in the 2021 World Classic Powerlifting Championships and the 2021 European Classic Powerlifting Championships.
The 2022 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships are scheduled for June 6-12, 2022, in Sun City, Africa. After some well-earned rest, expect Bavoil to continue her preparation for the crown jewel event in powerlifting. If recent history is any indication, she’ll likely contend for the top of the podium.
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On March 19, 2022, former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson defeated fellow former WSM winner Eddie Hall in the “Heaviest Boxing Match in History.” After six action-packed rounds at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE, Björnsson was the unanimous victor.
All three judges scored in favor of Björnsson identically — 57-54 — with “The Mountain” winning all but the fight’s second round. Björnsson celebrated the victory on his Instagram page by thanking his followers for their support and sharing a link to a video on his YouTube channel that features highlights from the fight and behind-the-scenes footage:
Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Breaking Muscle. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Both men fought admirably, but there was trash talk a plenty leading up to the bout. Both Hall and Thor traded online barbs, saying they’d knock the other out. Indeed both men did put one another on the canvas, but it was Thor who looked technically sharper. This is after both he and Hall had two years to shift their skillsets from strongman to boxing.
So, where did the former Britain Strongest Man and UK Strongest Man go wrong? What should he have done differently to overcome Björnsson and earn the unofficial title of best fighting strongman? Let’s break it down.
Eddie Hall vs. Hafthor Björnsson Fight Turning Point
In a matchup with this much power and raw athleticism, defensive tactics are arguably as important as landing a massive haymaker. Hall and Björnsson showed more competency inside the ring than many might’ve expected despite their inexperience. Both clearly sought knockout blows throughout the fight, despite exposing themselves to the danger of the other’s powerful fists. When it’s big swing after big swing, the fighter in a better position to protect themselves is likely to find the advantage. It’s no coincidence that it’s here where Hall fell short.
Björnsson scored two knockdowns during the fight, undoubtedly critical to his eventual victory. In both instances, Hall held his right hand by his side rather than up, protecting his chin. Whether he realized it at the moment or not is unclear (remember, boxing is utterly exhausting) but his stance left him exposed to Björnsson’s left-hand crosses that ultimately placed Hall on the mat twice. In a matchup of two strongman titans, the deciding factor seemingly came down to technique rather than strength. Who would have thought?
All that said, Hall thanked his supporters and fans in an Instagram post after the fight, showing grace in defeat:
These two strongmen initially had a boxing match scheduled for September 18, 2021. However, Hall suffered a biceps injury during a sparring session, forcing the match’s postponement until March 2022.
A competitive rivalry has existed between Hall and Björnsson since the 2017 WSM contest when Hall claimed the overall title. Björnsson finished as the runner-up following controversy over a missed rep call during the Viking Press event. That one rep was the difference that put Hall atop the final podium. When Hall retired from competitive strongman after that win, Björnsson comfortably claimed the WSM title the following year in 2018.
It’s fitting that these two men are known for their deadlifting prowess. Where they do otherwise possess impressive ledgers of accomplishments, they are the only two human beings ever to deadlift over at least 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds). Hall managed the feat and then-world record of 500 kilograms exactly at the 2016 World Deadlift Championships (WDC) in Leeds, England. That record lasted four years before Björnsson eclipsed Hall by one kilogram during the World’s Ultimate Strongman (WUS) “Feats of Strength” series in May 2020.
Of course, even that lift didn’t come without controversy. Björnsson performed the deadlift with one officiant — Magnus ver Magnusson. Many top strongmen, including Hall himself, publicly stated that they believed records broken outside of competitions shouldn’t be recognized.
Even still, Hall and Björnsson are the only two men ever to deadlift at least 500 kilograms. It speaks to the remarkable ability and power both possess — something they’ve now proven across multiple sports. What’s next for either man is up in the air, but the possibility of a Hall vs. Björnsson rematch may be in the future.
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The front squat is one of the most fundamental, functional, and yet commonly-overlooked lower body exercises. It develops strength, power, conditioning, and leg size while reducing lower back stress compared to other squat variations. Despite its benefits, many lifters mistakenly consider front squats “too advanced” for beginners or, worse yet, merely a lesser alternative to the classic back squat.
Despite the confusion surrounding the front squat, it’s actually pretty easy to learn. With a few cues and some confidence, you can make this movement a cornerstone in your workouts. In this guide, we’ll show you how to nail the front squat and how to place it, well, front and center in your program.
How to Do the Front Squat
Front Squat Mistakes to Avoid
Benefits of the Front Squat
Muscles Worked by the Front Squat
Who Should Do the Front Squat
How to Program the Front Squat
Front Squat Variations
Front Squat Alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Front Squat Technique Video
Traver Boehm explains and demonstrates basic front squat technique in this quick video. In just about 100 seconds, learn everything you need to know about the front squat. Then finish the article and learn even more.
How to Do the Front Squat
The front squat is pretty straightforward. You perform a deep squat while holding a barbell positioned across the front of the shoulders. The position of the bar affects your leverage and torso angle during the movement. This unique posture influences muscle recruitment and requires more work from your upper back, core, and lower body.
Step 1 — Get Under the Bar
Credit: Mongkolchon Akesin / Shutterstock
Place the barbell in a squat rack at roughly upper-chest height (slightly below your collarbones), then bend at the knees until the tops of your shoulders are just below the bar. From here, grab the bar with an outside-shoulder-width grip and get into what’s known as the “rack position.”
The bar is supported on the front of each shoulder, under the chin and nearly touching the throat. Take hold of the bar and bend your arms until your elbows are aimed forward. The palms of both hands should end up pointed towards your face, with your fingers helping to keep the bar in place. The shoulder blades are retracted and the upper back is tense. The elbows should point forward or slightly upwards during each rep, never down.
Shoulder, elbow, and/or wrist mobility restrictions may prevent ideal arm position. This is a fairly common issue and we’ll later review some grip options to allow effective front squats (while you work on fixing those mobility problems, right? Right).
Form Tip: The rack position may be uncomfortable for some lifters, particularly with the bar contacting the collarbones. Rather than using a common bar pad as cushioning (which essentially thickens the bar and increases the likelihood of choking yourself), actively tense the shoulders to create a “muscle shelf” and take stress off any pointy bones. Your body will adapt to the stress quickly and the discomfort will soon become a non-issue.
Step 2 — Walk the Weight Out
With the bar securely in the rack position, it’s time to finish the setup. Engage and flex your upper back, core, and glutes before straightening your legs to lift the bar from the squat rack.
As the weight settles into position, take a moment to stabilize your entire body before taking a small step backwards with one foot, matched by the other foot, followed by one small step sideways to set your feet at a comfortable width.
Form Tip: Once you’ve set your stance, don’t fidget. Many lifters tend to shuffle their feet, wiggle their toes, or “squash cigarettes” in a little dance before beginning a set of squats, but it only prolongs the time you’re standing there holding a loaded barbell and may lead to excessive ankle or knee strain as you shift support from one leg to the other.
Avoid the bad habit of wasting time and energy (in squats, in the gym, and, really, anytime). As you gain experience, you’ll instinctively learn your individual best squat stance and the walkout will quickly become second-nature — unrack bar, set stance, get to work.
Step 3 — Squat Down
Credit: Berkomaster / Shutterstock
With the bar in position, it’s time to squat. Keep the elbows aimed at the imaginary horizon line or above, while bending the legs until you’ve reached the desired depth. As a general rule, aim to squat below parallel, or with the hip joint below the knees. This range of motion provides an effective balance of muscle-building (hypertrophy), strength-building, and overall mobility.
Front squats allow the torso to remain more upright, so it’s generally “easier” and more intuitive for most people to reach a deep squat position. You may need to fine-tune your stance width and foot position, but front squats are typically performed with a relatively closer stance compared to back squats.
If your body is still unable to reach significant depth while maintaining good upper body position, there may be hip or ankle mobility issues which require more direct attention.
Form Tip: The front squat is self-correcting in the sense that if you lower the elbows any significant degree, you’re going to immediately be pulled out of position and will almost certainly drop the bar.
If you feel strain in the lower back, shoulders, or elbows, it’s a sign that you may be allowing the arms to drop as you descend. Stop that. Imagine a pair of rubber bands pulling your elbows up to the ceiling throughout the set as a constant cue to be leading with the elbows.
Step 4 — Stand Up
Credit: Berkomaster / Shutterstock
After you’ve reached the bottom, it’s time for the real work — getting back up. Keeping your elbows up, stay flat-footed and press your entire body back to standing. It’s critical that your hips and shoulders rise at the same pace. If your hips come up first, your upper body (and therefore your elbows) will tip forward out of position.
Ensure that your knees don’t buckle inwards or wobble outwards as you rise. If they do, adjust your stance width and reduce the weight on the bar until you can maintain a strong knee position, roughly in the same plane as the ankles.
Form Tip: Bouncing out of the bottom position to build momentum is one of the least effective and most dangerous ways to train the squat. Because the front squat facilitates a deeper range of motion, you may feel tempted to quickly drop and rebound up. Resist the urge and focus on applying muscular force which translates into building more strength and size.
Front Squat Mistakes to Avoid
While front squat technique may be relatively simple, there are a handful of common errors which can be counterproductive and slow down progress.
Range of Motion
The cardinal sin of all squats: quarter reps. Partials. Squatting high. Call it what you will, but one of the key advantages of front squats is the ability to reach parallel or below without leaning the upper body forward, which is what shifts stress to the lower back.
While squatting to a variety of depths can have its place (competitive powerlifters, for example, only need to reach parallel, with their hips in line with their knees and not below), squatting to lower depths has been shown to build more leg size and strength compared to squatting higher. (1)
Credit: Sjale / Shutterstock
While the phrase “ass to grass” is often used as a colorful, though not necessarily helpful, guideline, aiming to reach just-below parallel is a more practical goal for the majority of lifters. When viewed from the side, your hip bone should end up slightly below your kneecap and the thigh should have a slight downward angle.
Avoid it: It comes down to intention and self-awareness. If you start the set intending to reach a certain depth, then know whether you reached it or not. If you wanted to squat below parallel and ended up with reps above parallel, you did something wrong.
If you wanted to squat high because it’s goal-appropriate and you nailed it on each rep, then it was a good set. Quarter-rep front squats with heavy weight, for example, can be a surprisingly effective technique to build core strength. The key issue is about maintaining consistent depth from rep to rep and using each set to get closer to your intended goal, not using poor technique to make training easier.
Elbows Pulling the Body Down
Elbow position plays an important role in front squat technique. Keeping the bar in proper position means your upper back is fully engaged, your core is tight, and your body is aligned for optimal power output. If the elbows point down, you’ll initiate an avalanche of potential technique errors. Inefficient training and potential injury follow soon after.
Credit: SOK Studio / Shutterstock
Avoid it: The “rubber bands from the ceiling” cue mentioned earlier is a simple and reliable way to remind yourself to keep the elbows high. Increasing your body awareness is another overlooked technique. If you feel stress in your forearm or biceps muscles, there’s a good chance the bar is out of position and you’re supporting the weight with your arm muscles instead of your locked-in shoulders and upper back.
Knee Shift
Wobbly knees should only happen on the walk to the car after leg day, not during the middle of a rep. Your knees should stay generally in line with your ankles during the exercise and when transitioning from the bottom position back up to lockout. Allowing the knees to cave in (sometimes called knee valgus) or shift out encourages knee instability and increases the chance of an injury.
Avoid it: The most direct solution is one you may not want to hear. Lighten the weight because it’s too heavy. Knee movement, particularly caving in, is often due to a muscle imbalance and/or weak glutes. That imbalance is causing a series of muscles to compensate, which is forcing the knee joint into a variety of unexpected and less-than-ideal positions.
Leaning Forward
Because the barbell is held close in line with the body’s center of gravity, front squats allow (and actually require) lifters to keep an upright torso during the movement. It’s a key point in creating maximal core engagement for a stable torso.
Experienced lifters more familiar with low-bar back squatting may instinctively lean forward, particularly during the concentric (up) portion, but leaning forward is a big no-no that negates the front squat’s low-back sparing benefits without improving leverage or strength. That’s lose-lose.
Avoid it: Cue the broken record cliche: Keep. Your. Elbows. Up. You cannot lean forward while keeping your elbows in the correct position. It’s just not anatomically possible. When you lean forward, your elbows go towards the ground and vice versa, so it’s a two-for-one solution.
Benefits of the Front Squat
The front squat allows you to load the lower body with significant weight without overstressing the lower back. Many lifters who have recurring lumbar pain from years of heavy back squatting find they’re able to continue hard leg training by switching to front squats.
Due to the shifted load position and increased core strength, front squats are also a staple in athletic-based workouts to build strength, speed, and power. Bodybuilders rely on front squats because of the increased quadriceps activation and hypertrophy (muscle size), while CrossFitters and Olympic weightlifters use front squats as sports-specific training, because the movement is required in their competitions.
Credit: Tyler Olson / Shutterstock
Lower Back Safety
“I can’t squat today, my back hurts” is one of the all-time excuses for skipping leg day and, while it may occasionally be accurate, it’s more often easily ignored when you recognize that front squats place less stress on the lumbar spine, hips, and knees, (2)(3) as well as requiring increased abdominal tightness, which combine to promote a safe situation for the joints without compromising the overall training stimulus.
Increased Leg Size
Back squats are typically known for promoting glute and hamstring size, or “overall leg mass.” Front squats, comparatively, significantly increase quadriceps activation due to body position and leg leverage, making them a popular choice for bodybuilders looking to target the largest leg muscles.
Athletic Strength and Conditioning
Any effective strength and conditioning program for athletes will maximize results while minimizing risk, since an injured player doesn’t make it onto the field on game day.
For this reason, front squats are often preferred in athletic programs to train lower body strength and power without exposing the athletes to undue risk. The increased upper back and core strength are an added benefit, as they carryover to speed, agility, and durability in all sports.
Sport-Specific Training
While the front squat may appear to be a somewhat awkward lift, it’s extremely sport-specific for Olympic weightlifters and CrossFit athletes, both of whom perform the movement in competitions; Olympic lifters during the clean & jerk, and CrossFit athletes during a countless number of events.
Improving the front squat on its own has direct carryover to improving performance in these sports. Ignoring the front squat in training would be like a basketball player ignoring 3-pointers in practice.
Muscles Worked by Front Squats
The front squat is primarily a leg exercise, but multiple muscles of the upper body are required to stabilize the bar and provide support during the exercise.
Credit: BLACKDAY / Shutterstock
Legs
The front squat, like any basic squat movement, works the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. While some studies offer mixed data regarding increased quadriceps activation, an abundance of anecdotal evidence (decades-worth of bodybuilders and general lifters) have found front squats to target the quads (the front of the thighs) significantly more than many other squat variations. (4)
Upper Back
Stabilizing the bar in the rack position requires consistent work from the entire upper back including the trapezius, rear deltoids, and rhomboids.
Because these muscles are worked isometrically (not stretching/contracting throughout each rep), it’s not uncommon to feel soreness in the area after training front squats. Muscle soreness isn’t always an indicator of progress but, in this case, it’s a sign that you were most likely fully engaged and using solid technique.
Abdominals
The upright torso during front squats and the position of the load relative to the core muscles (abs and lower back) increase the stress on the abdominal wall, providing greater stability demands and requiring a significant amount of work to support the load.
Similar to the upper back, it’s not uncommon to have some ab soreness after several sets of heavy front squats. And, like the upper back, it simply means you were engaging your core properly.
Who Should Do the Front Squat
The front squat is a versatile exercise, easily learned and applicable to a number of goals. No lifter should shy away from practicing this useful lift.
Training for Muscle
Lifters seeking increased leg size should make the front squat a staple, or at least a regularly recurring movement, in their workouts. The muscle recruitment, range of motion, and overall muscle-building stimulus provide a significant and unique muscular stress compared to other exercises.
Training for Strength
Lifters looking to develop total-body strength can benefit from the front squat and its ability to blend lower body strength with upper body stability. Strength athletes including powerlifters, competitive strongmen/strongwomen, CrossFitters, and Olympic weightlifters can use front squats either as accessory work to support other lower body training or, as previously addressed, a sport-specific movement.
Training for Sport
Any athlete in any sport can benefit from getting stronger and faster, and front squats can be a key player in building those attributes without exposing the athlete to excessive wear and tear.
How to Program the Front Squat
The front squat can be programmed with a number of set/rep schemes to accommodate a number of goals.
Heavy Weight, Low Repetition
To prioritize strength, a time-tested approach would be three to five sets of three to five reps, using a weight that reaches near-muscular failure on each set. Long rest periods, up to several minutes between sets, ensures minimum fatigue and maximum power output.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition
To build leg size, a classic bodybuilder’s method of three to four sets of eight to 12 reps is optimal, reaching muscular failure at the last rep of each set. This is the type of gut-busting workout that makes lifters dread leg day, until the new-found gains make the effort worthwhile.
Important to note, it’s sometimes suggested to avoid very high repetitions (15 to 20+) with front squats, due to the static contraction of the upper back. The idea being that cumulative fatigue in the relatively smaller muscles of the upper back will impair the lifter’s ability to maximally fatigue the much larger legs.
This idea is debatable, at best, and should be taken with a generous grain or two of salt. If you want to grind out two sets of 15-20 rep front squats to see how your body handles the challenge, then attack it and experiment. There’s a good chance your lungs and conditioning, not your upper back, will be the limiting factor there.
Moderate Weight, Low Repetition
To build explosive power and speed, front squats work extremely well with submaximal weights moved at fast speeds without sacrificing form. Six to eight sets of two to four reps, using a weight that’s nowhere near muscular failure. This can be a phenomenal way to train athletes or lifters who want to move like athletes.
Front Squat Variations
The front squat can be achieved by any lifter regardless of their current ability or experience. The key, as with any exercise, is to maintain proper technique while adjusting as little as needed to accommodate any physical restrictions or strength discrepancies.
While the front squat itself can be a useful training tool, some simple adaptations can make the movement more or less challenging without any special programming required.
Front Squat to Box
While the front squat does permit a lifter to reach a deep squat position, not all lifters are physically prepared to sink into a deep squat. Depending on the lifter’s height, either a standard size bench/box or a series of mats or aerobic steps can be used as a target.
Do not slam down onto the surface, as the impact would increase stress on the hips and spine. Pretend that you’re sitting on bubble wrap and trying to not pop any bubbles. The goal is feedback, not rest. Descend until the glutes or hamstrings make contact, and then maintain position and rise immediately under control.
Pause Front Squat
Once a lifter is confident with standard front squats, the simplest way to increase challenge is to spend more time in the bottom position. This serves dual purpose to improve both strength, since the “stretch-shortening cycle” is reduced (a technical term where a muscle can “store” strength if stretched and contracted quickly), and improve mobility since spending time in the bottom of a squat can increase hip and ankle mobility.
It’s important not to relax the body in the bottom position. Maintain tension and muscle engagement throughout the pause and be ready to rise at any moment. Hold the bottom of the squat for one to three seconds.
Front Rack Lunge
Lunges are, essentially, single-leg squats. Performing any lunge variation with the bar in the rack position (as you would for the front squat) is an incredible way to challenge total-body stability and focus on building strength in one leg at a time.
These can be done statically in a split stance, stepping forward and returning upright each rep, stepping backward in a reverse lunge, or the most intense variation as walking lunges for total distance or time.
Front Squat Alternatives
The front squat has many benefits, but there are a handful of exercises that deliver comparable results and may, depending on any number of scenarios, offer unique benefits of their own.
Goblet Squat
While front squats are done using a barbell across the front of the shoulders, holding a kettlebell or single dumbbell in the hands at a similar position (at chest-level, under the chin) can offer many of the same benefits — an upright torso position, greater depth and range of motion, increased upper back activation, and decreased lower back stress.
Because kettlebells and dumbbells are more commonly found in very light weights, while barbells are rarely found below 45 pounds, goblet squats can be extremely useful for inexperienced lifters, as well as much younger or much older athletes for whom 45 pounds may be excessive.
High-Bar Back Squat
Shifting the barbell to the back while adjusting its placement higher on the neck/traps alters leverage and allows a similarly upright torso as seen in front squats. It also has more direct carryover for powerlifters, in particular, since the bar is supported through the arms, shoulders, and upper back in a much more similar position to their competitive lift.
Trap Bar Squat
Sometimes called a trap bar deadlift, this can be an extremely effective way to train the legs with minimal lower back stress. Holding a trap bar in the hands clearly increases the grip strength requirement of the lift, but because the weight is held close in line to the body’s center of gravity (as with a front squat), overall joint strain is significantly reduced.
FAQs
Do I ‘need’ to front squat if I’m already training the back squat?
While the answer technically depends on a number of variables (your specific training goal, overall workout plan, specific injuries or conditions, etc.), the short answer is, no, you don’t “need” to include both types of squats in your program at the same time.
You also don’t “need” to keep both flathead and Phillips-head screwdrivers in your toolbox, but you should realize they’re similar tools that serve different purposes, they’re not entirely interchangeable, and you may eventually want to use one to achieve something the other can’t provide.
The rack position is still uncomfortable. What should I do?
First, work on mobility in and around the joints giving the most problem whether it’s the shoulder, elbow, or wrist. Simply holding the bar and easing your way into the rack position itself until you reach the limit of your individual range of motion, and then holding that basic stretch for several sets of several seconds, is one effective approach.
As an alternative, there are two common work-arounds to the rack position. The first is to secure basic lifting straps around the bar as “handles.” This effectively reduces the range your arm needs to bend and allows a neutral grip (knuckles towards face) instead of the more flexible palms-up rack position, which drastically reduces the mobility requirement.
It’s still important to focus on keeping the elbows high while holding the straps, as the altered hand position may trick you into a more passive posture.
The second solution is to use a cross-arm, sometimes called California-style, grip. This allows the weight to be held in position not only by the front of your shoulders and fingers, but by the forearms, elbows, upper arms, and entire hand.
This grip is much more popular with bodybuilders, as it requires significantly less shoulder mobility and allows heavier weights to be used due to the increased support. The biggest compromise is that the bent-arm position doesn’t allow optimal upper back engagement, so there’s less athletic carryover and more direct leg-training focus.
Now You Know (Front) Squat
You’ve learned the why, when, and most importantly the how. It’s time to add the under-appreciated front squat to your arsenal of lower body workouts. Your leg size, upper back strength, core stability, and lack of lower back pain will thank you. But please, for the sake of all things sacred in the gym, remember to keep your elbows up.
References
Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H. Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 Sep;119(9):1933-1942. doi: 10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y. Epub 2019 Jun 22. PMID: 31230110.
Yavuz, Hasan & Erdag, Deniz & Amca, Arif & Aritan, Serdar. (2015). Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads. Journal of sports sciences. 33. 1-9. 10.1080/02640414.2014.984240.
Gullett, Jonathan C; Tillman, Mark D; Gutierrez, Gregory M; Chow, John W A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Trained Individuals, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: January 2009 – Volume 23 – Issue 1 – p 284-292 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818546bb
Coratella, G., Tornatore, G., Caccavale, F., Longo, S., Esposito, F., & Cè, E. (2021). The Activation of Gluteal, Thigh, and Lower Back Muscles in Different Squat Variations Performed by Competitive Bodybuilders: Implications for Resistance Training. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(2), 772. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020772
For today’s Dear Mark, I’m answering a reader question about whether colostrum supplements are worth trying. Let’s get right into it.
Dear Mark,
A buddy of mine has been taking colostrum powder for a few months now. He swears it’s helping him bulk up in the gym. I’m training for a century ride this summer and he says I should start using colostrum for leg strength. Ever since he mentioned it I feel like I’m seeing more fitness types talking about it on social media too. I’d love to get your take before shelling out the money. Thanks Mark!
Ah yes, your phone heard you talking about colostrum. Now your social media feed is full of colostrum posts, and you want to know if it’s legit or just another empty promise.
Colostrum, as you might know, is the “first milk” that mammals produce in the two to three days after giving birth. Compared to regular milk, colostrum is particularly rich in antibodies, enzymes, growth factors, and other nutrients all designed to protect the newborn and kickstart their immune system and digestion. If you were breastfed at birth, you received colostrum from your mother. Colostrum that you buy as a supplement is almost always bovine (cow) colostrum, usually in powder or capsule form.
Because of all the good stuff colostrum contains, it is a hot research topic for medical applications and boosting athletic performance. I’ll highlight some of the interesting findings in both areas here.
Does Bovine Colostrum Boost Athletic Performance?
Athletes are always looking for that edge. I can see why colostrum, which contains protein, growth factors like IGF-1, and lots of vitamins and minerals, would seem promising. After all, those compounds do support muscle growth, bone health, and general fitness. It’s also why some athletes have apparently tried drinking human breastmilk as a performance enhancer. (Breastmilk, although also loaded with nutrients, is not the same as colostrum.)
However, just because a product contains beneficial components doesn’t mean our bodies can use them as desired. In this case, adult humans don’t seem to be able to absorb the IGF-1 in bovine colostrum.1 Baby cows can absorb it because their intestines are more permeable, but we cannot.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any benefits for athletes. I’m merely pointing out that just because something seems on face value like it should confer certain benefits doesn’t necessarily mean it will. That’s why we have research studies.
Before turning to the research, remember that when we ask, “Does supplement X boost athletic performance?” we also need to ask, “Compared to what?” In this case, researchers usually compare colostrum to whey protein. This makes sense. The benefits of whey protein are already well known. Pitting whey against colostrum in a single study design lets us see if a particular effect is due to protein ingestion generally or whether colostrum confers an extra advantage.
So what do the studies show?
Colostrum for Athletes: The Data
It’s a mixed bag of results, partially due to variation between study designs and relatively small study groups. In terms of positive outcomes:
Older adults supplemented with colostrum (60g/day) or whey protein and did resistance training three times per week. After eight weeks, both groups increased upper body strength, muscle mass, cognitive function, and muscle thickness. The colostrum group also improved leg press strength and reduced bone resorption.2
Twenty-two healthy adults took either colostrum (20g/day) or whey protein for eight weeks. All participants already did resistance training at least three times a week. They were instructed not to change their normal diet or exercise routines. Participants in the colostrum group gained an average of 1.5kg of lean mass according to DEXA scans, whereas the whey protein group stayed the same.3
Taking 60 grams per day of colostrum for nine weeks improved female rowers’ ability to buffer lactate from the bloodstream (which can delay time to fatigue and support post-exercise recovery), but it did not bolster performance on a rowing test.4
When male and female elite field hockey players took colostrum (60g/day) for eight weeks, their sprint performance improved significantly compared to athletes who took whey. However, there were no significant differences in endurance performance or body composition.5
While these studies are promising, plenty of studies show no particular benefit of colostrum relative to whey. A comprehensive literature review by the folks at Examine turned up no advantages for colostrum in terms of VO2max, anaerobic running capacity, heart rate during exercise, or lactate threshold.6
My takeaway is that in terms of performance, the benefits of colostrum are more or less on par with whey protein. It might have a slight advantage in some cases, but based on the research done so far, colostrum doesn’t appear to be the next wonder supplement. I also don’t see any downsides to experimenting with it aside from the cost. At worst, you’ll get the same benefits you get from supplementing with whey protein.
Health Benefits of Colostrum Supplementation
Where colostrum may shine is in helping athletes stay healthy. Specifically, the immune factors in colostrum—especially lactoferrin and IgG—may confer protection in humans. The (surprisingly extensive) research probably deserves its own post, but I’ll briefly touch on a few areas of particular relevance to athletes.
First, colostrum could help counter athletes’ increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections due to immunosuppression from excessive training. 7 A 2016 review of five studies concluded that colostrum supplementation reduces the risk of upper respiratory infection by 38 percent, at least in the athlete populations studied.8
Second, endurance athletes especially seem to be prone to gut issues. Colostrum might help.9 I’ve had readers tell me they’ve had great success with using colostrum to address IBS-type symptoms. There’s also evidence that colostrum mitigates the gut permeability that normally accompanies exercising in the heat.10
If you’re an athlete who’s popping NSAIDs to keep pain at bay so you can keep hitting the road or the turf, colostrum supplementation might help offset some of the damage you’re doing to your gut lining.11 I can’t stress, though, that the better course of action would be to modify your workouts and find other ways to reduce or manage pain if possible.
Bovine Colostrum Supplement Recommendations: Dosing and Timing
Apparently for maximum absorption, you want to take colostrum on an empty stomach. If you are using powdered colostrum (not capsules) mixed with water, some of the colostrum will be absorbed directly through the mouth, which some people believe is beneficial for immunity.
There’s no standard dose from what I can tell. The studies I looked at gave participants somewhere between 10 or 20 grams per day on the low end and 60 grams per day on the high end, but I’ve heard of people taking much more. I see no obvious risk from taking a higher dose (but talk to your doctor et cetera).
Bovine Colostrum Risks?
None that I can tell except perhaps if you don’t tolerate dairy. Colostrum does contain some casein and lactose, so tread carefully if you’re sensitive to those.
The Bottom Line
For athletic performance, the main benefits of colostrum probably come from the protein, meaning you’ll do just as well taking whey protein. I see no reason not to try colostrum if you’re interested, though. The research into the other health benefits of bovine colostrum is intriguing. If I was dealing with persistent upper respiratory infections or symptoms of intestinal permeability, I’d be asking to my doctor about colostrum.
If you’ve had a good (or bad) experience with bovine colostrum in the past, I’d like to hear about it. Tell me in the comments.
In a small study of ten trained male cyclists, those who took 10 grams of colostrum daily for eight weeks maintained testosterone levels and heart rate variability during a five-day race.[ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23903529/
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