🏋️‍♂️ 8 of the worst exercises for strength

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Here’s everything we have for you today:

• The worst exercises for strength

• Building muscle after 60 with Rich Gaspari and Lee Labrada

• Masters bench press record pushed up by a 62-year-old

Exercises

Strong Choices

The 2023 World’s Strongest Man, Mitchell Hooper, knows a thing or two about strength training, so when he talks about appropriate exercise selection, everyone should be all ears.

In the article below, we break down Hooper’s thoughts on the eight moves he says are the absolute worst choices for building strength (as, helpfully, defined by the strongman himself).

Now, this doesn’t mean these movements are bad; it just means their use is better suited for hypertrophy or muscular endurance rather than absolute force. For example, biceps curls and Nordic hamstring curls force your muscles to give out well before your body’s systemic strength is really even taxed. 

You’ll need to read the section where Hooper rates the deadlift poorly very carefully to avoid rage-quitting the entire concept of the internet — but remember, this is coming from one of the strongest men alive. If your training is meant to be focused on strength, listen to the big man’s opinion.

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Bodybuilding

60 Is the New 30

Lee Labrada and Rich Gaspari are household names in any living room where people congregate before or after hitting the gym. It might surprise some to wake up in the morning and realize both of them are in their 60s (which means the people in that living room might also be registered with AARP).

Being in this age bracket doesn’t stop the muscle legends from training hard or working toward building muscle. The two break down everything that goes into maintaining a rock-hard frame when some view their age of life as the time to settle into a rocking chair instead. 

There’s not a lot of chaff about taking it easy or dialing the intensity down; both agree that training hard and fast is just as crucial to success later in life as it is in the smoother salad days. Check out the “old guys” work out to see that impressive muscular development is achievable at any stage of life, as long as you have the proper commitment.

A Message From The DONUT

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Powerlifting

60 Is Still the New 30

Sixty-two-year-old powerlifter Andy Rigby, like the bodybuilders above, is afraid of neither age nor heavy weights. Already the Masters 3 bench press record-holder (60-69), Rigby extended his world record (twice) at the recent European Bench Press Championships.

If age is just a number, then, seemingly, the weight on the bar must be much the same as Rigby continues the successful powerlifting career that began way back in the long-lost land of the 1980s. A true man for all (bench press) seasons, Rigby has been known to compete up and down the weight class ladder, as well as switching back and forth between raw and equipped. 

Check out his Masters-dominating bench press performance, and ask yourself if you’ve been using age as an excuse for too long now.

Everything Else

Giving It the Old Collagen Try

• The solid oak WaterRower is an eye-pleasing alternative to ERG rowers, and features interesting resistance technology well suited for home workouts.

• Ronnie Coleman thinks his friend and sometimes training partner, Wesley Vissers, is poised to unseat Chris Bumstead at this year’s Olympia. Hear what “The King” had to say.

• Collagen has gone from unwanted filler to star player in the powdered protein game. See this analysis from Dr. Layne Norton to find out if it can play a part in your muscle-building supplementation strategy.