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The Training Lab is the knowledge hub for online Strength and Conditioning content. We have curated articles designed to empower you to Be Your Best inside and outside the weight room.

This isn’t some fitness blog trying to sell you a cheap diet or a new magic pill. Our writers are sourced from the top minds in the strength training industry. The Training Lab is a forum to share knowledge within a vast network of coaches and athletes around the globe.

Above all, we are here to bring performance to the people.

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A Deep Dive Into the Mind-Muscle Connection

Ever heard of the "mind-muscle connection" and thought, it's gotta be bogus, right? But some of the top competitive bodybuilders (Arnold included) have used this method in their training and swear by it. Is it real? Are you doing it right? Learn up. Jack Shaw's...

How to Train for a Hyrox Competition

A new competition has arisen alongside the trending buzzword “hybrid athlete”. It’s called Hyrox, and it’s growing rapidly in international popularity. Why? And how can you prepare for a Hyrox competition to make sure you don’t place dead last? Fred Ormerod is a...

Everything You Need to Know About Energy Systems

It pays to know about your body's energy systems, whether you're a coach or an athlete. Jonathan Mike, PhD, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D, USAW, NKT-1 is a currently a faculty member the Exercise Science department at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. He is also a...

Program Design 101: How to Build Your Own Workout Program

How are you navigating the world of fitness after years of being coached? Are you just winging it in the gym? Are you making any progress, or just spinning your wheels? It's easy to fall into fitness overwhelm without having a coach. In this blog, Jason Sayler...

Volume vs Time Under Tension for Hypertrophy

How many reps should you do for muscle growth? How can you get a better pump from a movement that usually doesn't make you sore? Tweaking your program to include high-volume and tempo sets is sure to get you the kind of size and strength you want from your training....

System Based Agility Training

How do you approach training agility in a more holistic way? Agility is an important element of athletic success — being agile means more wins in your sport and fewer injuries on the field. Whether you're programming for yourself or your competitive athletes, take a...

3 Killer Kettlebell Mobility Exercises for Your Shoulders

Let's face it: sometimes your shoulders feel rickety even on good days. But overhead mobility and good upper body articulation is so important for everyday life — it pays major dividends to dedicate some time to working on your shoulder strength through all ranges of...

3 Ways to Improve Mobility Without Stretching

Are you still trying the endless foam rolling and stretching exercises to get that deep squat position? We know how important mobility is for great, or even GOOD performance. All professional athletes have some comfortability in end ranges of motion. So, what else do...

The Truth About Speed and Agility Training

Speed is king when it comes to athletic development. Whether you're a functional fitness warrior or a coach trying to inspire growth in your athletes, most of us can benefit from being faster. What should you be working on in your programming to create better speed...

Functional Athletes Need Carbohydrates

The world of carbohydrates can be a difficult one to manage. They can leave you in a sweet spot of proper fuelling and recovery as an athlete, or crashing and burning when it matters most. This simple guide will hopefully give you a better idea of how best to...

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Young male and female crossfit athletes training arms and backs with training disciplines through different systems, ring exercises, etc.

10 Ways to Build an Unstoppable Engine for Competitive CrossFit

To succeed in CrossFit, you need the ability to repeat near maximum efforts with as little rest as possible.
It’s not enough to simply have a high one rep max or a large unbroken set of muscle-ups. How many reps at 90% of your max power clean can you do in 8 minutes?

How to Do Incline Bench for Meat Slab Pecs

Think incline bench is just another bodybuilding accessory lift? Well, it is. But it’s also a killer strength builder for your entire upper body, including the largest muscle — your pecs. Incline bench is done at an angle between flat bench and standing strict...

Slow Reps vs. Fast Reps

You’ve probably noticed that some people in the gym tend to perform their reps as fast as possible, whereas others take a slow and controlled approach. But which approach is better? Dr. Andy Galpin is a Professor of Kinesiology at the Center for Sport Performance...

How to Master Kipping Handstand Push Ups

Handstands are a gymnastic staple, but unless you took to gymnastics as a kid, they’re not easy to learn. Holding a freestanding handstand for just one minute can take years to perfect, but even the less gymnastically-inclined athlete can learn to do handstand push...

TrainHeroic’s Top Online Crossfit & Functional Fitness Programs

Live the Functional Fitness Lifestyle Like a ProFor CrossFit athletes who drank the Kool-Aid and have been neck-deep in the community ever since, functional fitness is the ultimate path to athletic greatness. Specializing is out. Well-roundedness is in. You want...

athletic woman doing pull ups and bodyweight training

The Benefits of Bodyweight Training

While fancy new gym equipment and trendy fitness classes come grand go, we’ll always have a tool that we can exercise with at any time and in any place: Our own bodies.Change the Way You TrainImprove Your Strength & Body Awareness Without Using Weights...

Queer Therapy Talk: What is Pride Fitness?

Over his years helping gay clients work through emotional traumas, Craig Freund has witnessed trends relating to shame, self-esteem, and body image. Queer people are more likely to experience body image issues due to being historically ostracized from society....

4 Steps To Improving Your Pesky Shoulder Injury

Shoulder injuries are some of the most common in functional athletes. The high demands we place on our complex and intricate shoulder joints can mean tears, tweaks, impingements, and a whole host of nagging issues. Check out this blog and arm yourself with some...

LGBTQIA+ Fitness Brands to Support

Show up to your June pride parties looking swaggy as hell by shopping these LGBTQ+ friendly fitness brands. Grab some new gym gear, swimwear or lounge clothes that speak out for the queer community, their heart and struggles. Businesses like Out-Fit, Alo Yoga,...

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Mobility 101: A Complete Guide

Mobility is hot topic, and vital for anyone spending time in the weightroom.

The ability to have full range of motion in your muscles and joints is one of the most important aspects of training. Improving your mobility can help you workout for longer, reduces joint pain, and can reduce the risk of injury.

In this guide you’ll learn more about mobility, who it impacts, why you should be focusing on it no matter what your age or training history, and how to tame common mobility hot spots from head to toe.

Olympic Weightlifting 101: A Complete Guide

In this article, Mike Dewar shares a basic template on how to build an Olympic weightlifting program geared toward the beginner and intermediate lifter.

Mike covers everything from the 8 goals of an Olympic Weightlifting program, how to build your own 4 week program including full sample sessions, the 5 key variables in Olympic Weightlifting, and 30 exercises perfect for beginners.

10 ways to build an unstoppable engine for competitive crossfit

To succeed in CrossFit, you need the ability to repeat near maximum efforts with as little rest as possible.

It’s not enough to simply have a high one rep max or a large unbroken set of muscle-ups. How many reps at 90% of your max power clean can you do in 8 minutes?

In this article, Todd Nief gives us a full breakdown of the 10 ways he helps Crossfit athletes build an unstoppable engine for competition.

How to Zercher Squat: One Exercise to rule them all

We all want that golden ticket. The one-size-fits-all exercise and perfect program. You know – the one that makes us look like the Hulk as long as we follow that program to the T.

Well folks, that all sounds great. But in reality, we know there is no one-size-fits-all exercise, program, food, or supplement… PERIOD. However, coach Ryan Leibreich has a secret weapon exercise that will get us close; it has a lot of bang for its buck. It builds massive quads, big glutes, a wide back, and some awesome biceps. Exactly what every athlete needs.

4 scientifically proven ways to develop explosive power

Building athletic power is one of the most desired, if not the most desired, quality in athletic performance today. It’s as important for the athlete training for the sport of life as it is for a D1 high performance athlete.

The question is…how do we optimally train it?

In this article coach Joel Smith, a long-time D1 S&C coach, gives us the lowdown on creating explosive power in the weightroom. From Olympic lifting to plyometrics, this is your one-stop guide on all things athletic power.

Nervous system training 101: The creation of superhuman strength and athleticism

Consider the following: pound for pound apes have double the strength of a human being.
They can also jump about 30-40% higher than top human jumpers.

How is this possible given their similar amount of muscle mass?

Our simian friends have an interesting piece of their brain and spinal cord that allows them stronger muscle contractions: less grey matter.

TrainHeroic Instagram: For Athletes, By Athletes

Looking for some Monday motivation? How about a new training session to shake things up a bit?

TrainHeroic’s Instagram is for for athletes, by athletes. We share news and notes on the latest in the strength game, valuable training insights and tips from thought leaders in the fitness game, exercise guides, sample training sessions and more.