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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s in today’s edition:

• Do sissy squats for big legs without the weights

• Wesley Vissers’ guide to better abs

• Mountain Dog training explained

Exercise Selection

Embrace Being a Sissy

Usually, exercises get cool names like the Kroc row, Russian twist, or dragon flag, but someone didn’t get the memo when it came to this exaggerated knees-over-toes squat.

The sissy squat, name notwithstanding, can be your ticket to bigger quads and healthier joints, and you don’t even need a barbell to do it.

Making a little bit of a comeback because of fitness influencer Ben Patrick, true leg training enthusiasts know they never really went out of style (in the sense that Tom Platz’s legs never go out of style). Maybe the lack of sissy squats in the gym is because barbell squatting has become so de rigueur, but if you want massive quads, ditching that barbell for some actual leg work on leg day will get you ready for shorts weather. 

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Training

Abs of a Classic Champion

Abs are just as important under the lights of a bodybuilding stage as they are when you’re crushing 24 packs down at the shore.

Wesley Vissers fits one of those models as a Classic Physique champion, and he is here to share four exercises that will help you get a strong, muscular midsection.

These choices aren’t just thrown together at random, either. Each serves a specific purpose in creating a well-rounded, muscular stomach. Show your six-pack some love and attention by focusing a little more of your GTL time on it.

Strength

Who Let the Dogs Out?

John Meadows may have passed away in 2021, but his legacy in bodybuilding lives on. Aside from being ahead of his time on the nutrition front (being a fan of high-fat grass-fed butter, beef, and milk long before it became a national headline), his training technique is the stuff of legend.

You may have heard of his “Mountain Dog” system, but perhaps you were too scared off by the stupid-hard sessions Meadows and Dave Tate put themselves through. Or maybe you just never understood the basics. Put your mind at ease and let us break down Meadows’ system for ridiculous muscle growth.

While this training style looks complicated at first blush, things get a lot clearer when it’s broken down into its four phases:

• Pre-pump activation

• Explosive

• Supramaximal pump

• High-intensity stretching

One of the reasons Mountain Dog training seems so hard to understand is Meadows’ analytical mind and his love of bodybuilding. Rather than subscribe to one philosophy (HIT, volume, etc.), this routine combines 100 years of different methodologies under one roof.

Learn the four basic phases of a Mountain Dog workout and you’ll never want for bigger muscles again.

Quick Hits

🎤 Pipe Bomb Take: CM Punk is gearing up for a WrestleMania main event in a few weeks — and there’s a lot of work to do. Get a peek behind the curtain as WWE star Sheamus invites the former leader of the Straight Edge Society to share his chest and biceps workout.

🍗 Master This: Dr. Mike Israetel is back with five diet hacks he thinks you have to learn early and use often to create and maintain a physique worth posting online.

💪 Smith Gains: Strengthen your back safely and effectively with these Smith machine bent-over rows.

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