Exercise guides
Looking for some expert points of performance? Coach planned an exercise you’ve never heard of? Want to spice up your increasingly stale shoulder days? Look no further. TrainHeroic’s exercise guides are written by expert coaches for you.
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8 of the Best Hamstring Exercises for Meaty Legs
Your hamstrings are not just for decoration or making yoga feel impossible. They’re essential for basically any athletic movement involving your legs—jumping, running, lunging, squatting, and picking up weight. Add these eight killer hamstring exercises into your...
Top 6 Exercises for Managing Shoulder Injuries
After 6 years of coaching at the highest levels across multiple disciplines, the most common issues I see in my sports therapy clinic have to do with the shoulder. Statistics show us that shoulders are the most commonly injured area in many sports including CrossFit,...
How to Get Your First Pistol Squat
The single leg squat (a.k.a. pistol squat) is a challenging, advanced movement that requires single-leg strength, stability, mobility, balance, and motor control. If you are looking to get your first pistol, or just want to continue getting better at them, here is a...
Top 10 Bar Muscle Up Progressions
One of the most advanced gymnastics skills is now regularly taught in CrossFit classes: the muscle up. You can do them on a pull up bar or gymnastics rings; you can do them strict or with a heaving full-body kip. That is, if you can do them at all... if you can't,...
Bench Press: To Arch or Not To Arch?
Everyone online seems to have a strong opinion about arching your back in the bench press. The reasons and schools of thought vary around the hows/whys, so what’s a novice athlete to do? Anthony Cuevas, an NCSF Certified PT based out of New York started lifting at 14...
How to Do Leg Extensions Without a Machine
Short shorts are the new stinger tanks. Rocking those big tree trunks with canyon deep cuts is so hot. Leg extensions are a bodybuilding staple—they isolate your quads, the front-facing muscle group of your thighs, by flexing (bending) and extending (straightening)...
How To Zercher Squat: One Exercise To Rule Them All
I have a secret weapon exercise that will get us really 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.
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...
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 press,...
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...
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. Improve Your Strength & Body Awareness Without Using Weights Bodyweight training — aka...
Kettlebell Training for Strength & Conditioning
Kettlebells are funny-looking in the world of fitness equipment, but they’re insanely useful for building your strength and conditioning. We’d argue it’s necessary to learn how to use them properly. In the spirit of spreading valuable information, here’s a piece from...
Farmer’s Walks & Carries Tips From a Strongman Pro
It's no secret that carrying heavy things will net you serious strength gains. Are you ready to get farmer strong? Check out some solid tips on farmer's walks and carries in this blog! Fred Ormerod is a freelance coach, army reserve medic, nurse, master’s student,...
The Clean and Jerk: Breaking Down the Phases
The clean and jerk is a complex and technical weightlifting movement that requires a solid level of skill and strength. It is a two-part lift that involves lifting a barbell from the ground to the shoulders (the clean), then locking out the barbell overhead (the...
How To Execute The Perfect Barbell Row
Barbell rows are a pretty essential movement for building a strong back, and a strong back is often the foundation of a quality athlete. Is your row form on point? Jayden Pollard is a passionate powerbuilder (powerlifting bodybuilder) with a background in strength...
High Cable Bicep Curls For Shoulder Stability
High cable curls are commonly programmed in bodybuilding workouts, but they can often feel a little sketchy on your shoulders. But with a few adjustments to your cable height and the angle of your arms, the high cable curl can actually be an awesome primer for your...
Landmine Leg Exercises to Shake Up Your Lower Body Training
The landmine can look like a weird, intimidating piece of equipment, but once you learn how it works, the possibilities are endless for so many movements — especially on leg day. Sari Terranova is a total supermom, CPT, and nutrition coach who introduces women and...
Lateral Raise Variations for Thick Shoulder Gains
Even if you don’t run in the bodybuilding scene, you probably know what a lateral raise looks like. They’re a quintessential upper body isolation movement to build your delts and create a wide top of your hourglass shape. If you’re not working in these variations,...
What’s a Reverse Hyper & Why Should You Do Them?
Have you seen people on that weird machine, kicking back with both legs like some kind of superhero donkey?? The reverse hyperextension is actually an extremely useful movement for building posterior chain strength, and it pays to understand it. Fred Ormerod is a...
Nordic Hamstring Curls For Dummies
“These are hard as shit!” -Molly, our content editor when modeling the Nordic hamstring curl. If you've ever tried them, you can confirm. If you've heard of Nordics but never done them, or tried them only to flop on your belly a few times, this blog is for you. Fred...
Strongman Training for The Everyday Athlete
If you’ve ever seen clips of a strongman competition in which an absolute unit is heaving a massive concrete boulder onto a platform, you know how insane and badass it looks. Those guys and gals clearly have a level of superior functional strength that most athletes...
Strongman Training for a Bigger, Beefier Back
Strongman workouts are focused on one thing: brute force. And what’s the hallmark of a body that looks like it can generate brute force? A massive back. If you’re trying to grow a wider back shield, you’d better be adding strongman work into your training. Mike...
4 Split Squat Variations for Godlike Glutes & Quads
Have a love/hate relationship with split squats? Adding a twist on this classic unilateral movement might be the challenge you need to break your plateau, level up your squatting game, and learn to love split squats a little more than you hate them. Heather and Katie...
How to Deadlift: A Four-Step Guide
The deadlift is one of the best compound movements to give you monstrous legs and a resilient back, but only if you do it right. Get the most out of your deadlift (and avoid injury) by following these four steps. Remember: deadlifts aren’t dangerous. Get a coach to...
A Guide to Romanian Deadlifts, King of Glute Exercises
Glute gains are one of the hottest subjects in fitness. Hip thrusts, banded squats, clamshells, monster walks — the assortment of glute exercises is all over the place these days. Want to simplify your glute training with just one dominant movement? RDLs are where...
The Best Simple Tri-Set to Smoke Your Shoulder Workouts
Are you doing the same movements over and over again to build beefy shoulders, but not really seeing the beef? For hard-gainers, the struggle is real. Maybe you need a little inspiration to think outside the box when it comes to your shoulder work. We’re here for it....
Become a Better Powerlifter With These Strongman Moves
Hitting plateaus in your big three lifts? Try switching it up with these beefy strongman moves to improve your overall strength and help you hit some deadlift, squat, and bench press PRs. Your new total is waiting for you. Joseph Lucero, owner of Harvesting Strength,...
Build a Bigger Bench Press With These 5 Steps
Let’s face it: bench press has never felt like your thing. It’s always hard, even “light” weights feel impossible, and you don’t seem to progress on it like you do with other lifts. If you really want to hit a new bench PR, you’ll need to attack it from some different...
Overspeed Training: Get Faster & More Explosive
What is overspeed training, and why should you do it? If you want to be a faster, stronger, and more efficient athlete, consider using these overspeed exercises and techniques in your next strength workout. Brandon Humphrey is a kinesiologist and personal trainer...
Master the Kettlebell Swing: A Step-by-Step Guide
The KB swing not only looks cool, but it also packs a powerful punch of strength & conditioning benefits when done correctly. Master your technique and reap the benefits of this mighty movement with this step-by-step guide. Jack McCormick has been a coach and...
Why The Deadlift Is King of All Lifts (Plus 6 Variations)
You’ve heard it before — deadlifts rule. For raw power output, having a massive pull is where it’s at. But why is that the case? And what other deadlifting variations are out there? Joseph Lucero, owner of Harvesting Strength, is a powerlifter and strongman coach with...
How To Do Lunges: Technique, Tips & Variations
Although they seem simple, lunges are draining and make your legs feel like they’re on fire. The burn they produce can make even the strongest athletes shudder. Adding modifications and understanding how/why they are benefitting you might make them a little more...
Killer Alternatives For The Barbell Overhead Press
Overhead pressing is one of the most challenging compound movements. If you’re lacking in core stability and shoulder mobility, pressing weight overhead can be downright frustrating. What if you have muscular asymmetries or imbalances? What other movements out there...
Understanding Tempo Training For Maximum Strength Gains
Hitting a plateau with your strength gains? Not seeing the muscle growth you thought you would? Or just getting plain bored in the gym? Using tempo training in your current program is a great way to spice up your workouts by challenging your weaknesses and improving...
Building Power and Speed for Your Golf Swing
Do you see your trackman or launch monitor stats and feel like you can’t get the speeds you need? Have you looked for advice on how to improve your swing, but it all seems confusing, contradictory, and downright overwhelming? Adding a simple, yet effective strength...
How to Improve Your Posture With Face Pulls
Look in the mirror lately and see your shoulders slouching forward? Spent too much time on your phone and came down with a case text-neck? Not to worry – the face pull exercise can help fix these issues by strengthening your upper back and giving you picture-perfect...
The #1 Kettlebell Exercise For Posterior Chain Power
Whether you’re looking to build explosive power or you need to work on correcting your posture, the kettlebell swing is for everyone. This ultimate posterior chain exercise can fit into almost any training program and is sure to strengthen your core, glutes,...
How to Create a Balanced Full Body Workout
Getting a symmetrical physique isn’t just a goal for bodybuilders. Functional athletes deserve to look like they lift and make massive progress too. But how do you know what kind of reliable program works for you? What training structure will net the most reward? Dave...
3 Snatch Drills to Improve Your Speed Under the Bar
Some would argue that the snatch is the pinnacle of athletic movements. It requires speed, strength, flexibility, and practice, practice, practice. Moving fast under the barbell is an essential skill to develop if you want to get better at the snatch, because you’re...
3 Tips for Blasting Your Delts & Dominating Your Shoulder Workouts
Getting bigger, wider delts that pop off your shoulders requires more than just attacking your shoulder workouts — you gotta do them with purpose. Understanding positioning, muscle relationships, and the correct equipment to use is paramount to building the delts of...
Use the Dead Squat to Improve Your Squat Form & Build Maximum Strength
You’ve probably seen videos of people getting crushed by a squat due to improper form and loading too much weight. Don’t be that person. The dead squat is the perfect movement to prevent this from happening – it’ll improve your form and increase maximum strength (so...
Level Up Your Back Workouts by Adding One New Exercise
Doing countless rows, pull ups, and lat pull-downs but not seeing any real improvement in your back size? You might be neglecting the three core movements that are crucial to challenging your lats. Marc Lavallee has trained Canadian military units in the Search and...
Strongman Shoulder Workouts: Mastering the Overhead Press
The overhead press is the crux of many strongman competitions as it demands the ultimate strength of your shoulders, core, grip strength, upper back, AND traps. Andrew Watsford is a strongman competitor, coach, and co-owner of DNA Strength and Performance in...
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs): The Ultimate Hamstring Exercise for Posterior Chain Development
Struggle with weak hamstrings? Hips? Glutes? Your entire posterior chain? Join the club. Kyle McGough, CSCS/USAW, is the founder of Hardbody Athlete where he teaches people how to strength train like professional athletes. He’s worked as an S&C coach for The Ohio...
Get a Grip: Strength Training for Grappling, Wrestling, & Martial Arts
Boost your strength and performance on the mats, be it Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo or wrestling, by mastering these four fundamental movement patterns in the gym and organizing them properly into your training. Cathal O'Brien is a personal trainer and S&C coach...
5 Ab Exercises Every Athlete Should Do More
We know the usual suspects for ab work: sit ups, crunches, toes-to-bar, leg raises, etc. But if you’ve ever felt your ab training was lagging (or just boring), you’re probably missing out on some key ingredients to total trunk strength. Brandon Robb is the founder and...
A Quick-Start Guide to Front Squats
If front squats have been on your radar to work into your training, here’s your sign. Why are they so hard and awesome? What are some variations for beginners? Jordan Sorenson is pursuing a PhD in Kinesiology and Sports Performance. He’s a collegiate football player...
Make Bigger Squat Gains With the Right Accessories
It’s not an unreachable goal to have solid squat numbers—we all want ‘em. So what weak points in your squat could you be drilling to set your next PR? Chris Van Nostrand is an S&C coach, competitive powerlifter, dad, and the founder of Strength Wise Barbell. His...
DIP Your Way to a Stronger Bench Press
What kind of accessory work do the big dogs use to get massive bench press numbers? Is something missing from your programming that could give you crazy tricep strength to boost your bench? Joseph Lucero, owner of Harvesting Strength, is a powerlifter and strongman...
6 Exercises to Defeat Your Deadlift Sticking Points
Does your deadlift get stuck on the floor, at your knee, or at your hip? What kind of drills can you use to blow through those high-gravity spots? Sari Terranova is a total supermom, CPT, and nutrition coach who introduces women and youth athletes to the power of...
TrainHeroic Instagram: For Athletes, By Athletes
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