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Today’s newsletter is presented by Major Fitness. Head here to find out how you can save $100 on the all-new Cobra AH-1, which is a groundbreaking 2-in-1 leg press and hack squat machine.

Here’s everything in this edition:

• 8 ways to build muscle, fast

• Tips to quickly lose fat from a bodybuilding pro

• An update on the IWF’s anti-doping policies

Exercise Tips

Be More

Getting jacked is among the most noble human pursuits, but it can sometimes be muddied by the idea that being shredded 100% of the time is necessary.

While hypertrophy is a long-term endeavor, it is still highly possible to heap slabs of muscle onto your frame fairly quickly. As with all things, you just need to follow the right set of rules (and then eventually break them).

People see bodybuilders using isolation and consistently fall into the trap of excusing themselves from using big compound lifts. These large, full-body movements (squats, bench presses, rows, etc.), periodized correctly, provide your body with its foundational muscle. In fact, research shows greater anabolic hormonal response after utilizing compound lifts, and higher levels of testosterone and growth hormone get released than when using single-joint exercises. 

In short: More compound lifts = bigger muscles. Want more tips on putting on muscle fast? Click the link below.

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Exercise Tips

Be Less

What about if you want to get sleek and slim so everyone can see those pretty muscles? Well, you might want to lose some body fat, and, just like with gaining muscle, you’ll have some rules to follow.

In the article below, bodybuilder Erin Stern explains the five best things to do when your fitness lens is focused on losing weight.

Amusingly, some of the advice coincided with the tips on muscle growth listed above (possibly suggesting a link to the Grand Unified Theory of Fitness). Increasing volume makes the list, as does the innocuous-seeming focus on sleep hygiene and simple daily physical actions like walking. 

Despite what early morning TV might suggest, the weight loss techniques that build the best bodies on the beach are dead simple (and even conveniently available, gratis, by clicking the link below).

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Weightlifting

An Inconvenient Truth

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here!” 

— Captain Renault, Casablanca

It’s easy to joke about the state of steroid use in top-level strength sports, but it is equally as important to remember that constant doping violations were among the reasons Olympic weightlifting was almost, and could still be, completely removed from the Olympic Games.

After the fallout of some mass doping scandals, the IWF beefed up its testing protocols to work on cleaning up the sport. Last year saw a significant decrease in doping violations when compared to 2022, making the IWF and IOC both much happier in the lead-up to this year’s Paris Olympics.

Click below to see how doping is being handled in the sport today, where weightlifting is headed, and what the latest drug violation numbers tell us.

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Everything Else

Travel in Style

• Upright rows get a bad rap in some circles, but grabbing a bar and vertically rowing it may be just what your traps and shoulders have been thirsting for. Here’s how to do it right.

• Hybrid athlete Fergus Crawley explains how to work out for strength and conditioning, even while you’re on the road, traveling for work or pleasure.

• In an event full of comebacks, new Star Wars disciple Haley Adams made one of the most popular returns at the CrossFit Northeast America Semifinal.