🏋️‍♂️ 2 training hacks for muscle growth

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Here’s what’s going on in this edition:

• A new study explains two tips to maximize muscle growth

• Top lower-body stretches for lifters

• The tale of bodybuilding’s forbidden moon pose

Exercise Science

Take It to the Max

Science is always sticking its nose into the gym, but this time, it offers you something more than a semi-sweet, low-sugar chocolate substitute or a new cream for your thigh rash. That’s because a recent study has established the two most important training techniques to achieve maximal muscular development.

The two pillars of hypertrophy, according to this new data set, revolve around tempo and range of motion. That’s it! Well, it’s a little more complex than that, and we’ve broken the study down into simple terms so you can use it as a springboard for serious gains.

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Flexibility

Lift for Show, Stretch for Dough

Stretching has all the glamor of being a backup NBA center in the 1990s whose only job it was to foul Shaq. But just like those 7-foot roadblocks, stretching needs to play a major role in your lower-body strength strategy.

The good news is that you don’t have to take two yoga classes a day to see the real-world benefits of increased flexibility. Instead, we’ve pieced together the 10 best lower body stretches that should be inserted pre- or post-workout so you can squat more and recover faster. 

You can even do some of these from the luxury of your own home, with the eponymous couch stretch being chief among them. You can also throw a leg over and knock out a sitting pigeon pose while you’re at it. Stop neglecting this aspect of your body and get limber with the 10 stretches below.

Bodybuilding

Moon Over Jacked Hammies 

Very few things are outright banned in the sport of bodybuilding. But the moon pose is a unique entry into the “do not do” section of the sport’s rule book, and the reasons for it being forbidden are, well, pretty easy to see.

The moon pose involves the participant turning his or her back to the crowd and bending over to touch their toes, thus “mooning” the audience. Famed champions from Tom Platz to Ronnie Coleman have performed it, and, while it does uniquely show off muscles of the lower body, it can be seen as a tad bit vulgar.

Learn about the entire history of the moon pose, its challenges, and the alternatives being used by today’s athletes. Just keep your pants on.

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Everything Else

Another Deadlift Variation?

• This week’s episode of BarBend’s Strength Weekly podcast covers the results of Wodapalooza, Larry Wheels’ Pilates experiment, and more. Watch it here.

• A longtime strongman staple, the axle deadlift allows you to train your posterior chain while you acquire brutal grip strength. Here’s how to do it.

• We reviewed KOS greens, an organic fruit and vegetable powder designed to help you take in nutrients without having to weed your garden.