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Here’s everything you need to know about today’s edition:

• Underrated chest exercises to add to your repertoire

• 12 best rhomboid exercises for your upper back

• How Rich Froning would fix CrossFit

Exercise Selection

Build-a-Chest Workshop

The internet loves to bandy about the word “underrated” with minimal respect for its actual meaning. In the age of clickbait, it’s not an exaggeration to say some words are simply losing their true meaning.

But that’s not so with these five underrated chest exercises, all of which can help you bust through plateaus and craft a chest a Renaissance sculptor would want to study.

That’s because none of these exercises are things you see, basically ever, in any crowded gym on International Bench Press Day (aka Monday). Two of them, the Svend press and Larsen press, even have badass Nordic names, so you can justify putting on some Viking metal while you train.

In order to make actual progress with your pressing strength and pec development, you need to start doing things that everyone else (the ones not making progress) is unwilling to do. Get some knowledge dropped on you and blow everyone’s mind next time chest day rolls around.

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Workouts

Rhomboid Wreckers

The rhomboids are a sneaky little pair of muscles nestled between your shoulder blades that play a role in upper-back strength and scapular control. In reality, a more attractive reason to direct your attention towards the rhomboids is the opportunity for even more tantalizing back gains.

Your rhomboids often get overshadowed by the trapezius and other larger muscle groups, but learning how to target them more effectively can greatly impact how large and strong your upper back can become.

You have a ton of different options to smoke your rhomboids, depending on your available equipment. From bodyweight to barbells, here are the 12 best exercises.

CrossFit

Froning’s Hot Takes

Rich Froning’s name is synonymous with CrossFit, perhaps even more than Greg Glassman’s. And the 10-time Games champ recently spoke about what the brand needs to do in order to pull itself out of its current tailspin and continue its trajectory as a leader in the industry.

While not the CEO, Froning recently went on a podcast to talk about the three major changes he would make if he were in charge of the fitness Goliath.

While possibly overusing the semi-word “gotta,” Froning’s take is that the basis for CrossFit has always been the community and that it needs to re-establish that link before trying to expand anymore (a very unconventional move for a private equity firm). His other goals include bridging the gap between the brand and its star athletes and rethinking the way CrossFit handles the media.

While CrossFit certainly has always had its fans and detractors, Froning might be the voice of reason the brand, lifestyle, and proponents need to keep CrossFit from going the way of so many other fitness companies.

The Results Are In!

Rock On

In Wednesday’s newsletter, we asked you to vote on what you listen to while at the gym. Clearly, rock (metal, punk, classic, etc.) rules the roost, taking a comfortable first-place finish. The runner-up spot belongs to people (sickos, really) who lift in complete silence. Bless your hearts.

Big Lifts

A Mighty Hoist

Sixteen-year-old British weightlifter Amelie Rose Pelta snags a double PR on her clean and jerk and her snatch 👏👏👏

Quick Hits

🦵 Curl Like This: The Nordic Curl isn’t some weird ’90s hairstyle making a comeback; it’s one of the most intense hamstring exercises you’ll ever do (and that’s one reason you really need to be doing them).

💪 Arm Wrestle This: Brian Shaw digs deeper into the realm of arm wrestling by announcing “The Strongest Arm on Earth” contest at the next Shaw Classic in August.

🐺 Sure: For whatever reason, we brought the dire wolf back from extinction.

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