🏋️‍♂️ how sumo deadlifts can boost your routine

Let’s keep this week’s momentum going strong, shall we? We have a slew of fresh content to help you stay focused and motivated for the rest of the week.

Here’s what we’re talking about today:

• How creatine supplements can amp up your workouts and recovery.

• When to go conventional and when to go sumo with your deadlifts.

• The key terms every newbie should know when entering the weight room.

Nutrition

Power Boost

Once you get past newbie gains, you may need some help to keep seeing progress in the gym. Luckily, tons of supplements on the market promise to give you that extra boost.

Take creatine, for example. This amino acid already naturally occurs in your body, playing a starring role in energy production. Supplementing with it can jack up the energy supply to your muscles, which can help you bring your game to the next level.

From speeding up workout recovery to busting through strength plateaus, there are many reasons to consider adding creatine to your supplement stack. Here, we break down six creatine benefits, a few myths, and some important safety tips to consider before you get started.

Exercise Tips

Switch Foot

Not all deadlifts are equal in the eyes of gym-goers.

The conventional barbell deadlift, performed with a relatively close stance, is the golden child of barbell deadlift variations. The sumo deadlift, with its eye-catching wide stance, is oftentimes seen as the black sheep.

That’s a major bummer because there are plenty of perks to switching up your foot position when pulling weight off the floor. Practicing both conventional and sumo stances spreads the love among major muscle groups, gives specific joints a much-needed break, and improves your range of motion.

Ditch groupthink and give sumo a chance. We’ve got the lowdown on how it differs from conventional pulls, the key benefits it provides, and when and how to do it.

Exercise Tips

Gym, Decoded

Entering the weight room as a newbie is scary — all those machines and odd contraptions are confusing as all get out. To top it off, gym rats have their own language, making an already-strange environment even tougher to navigate.

Take a lap around the weight room without your AirPods and you’re bound to overhear some colorful terms. “Peeled.” “Mirin’.” “Widowmaker.” “AMRAP.” It may sound like a foreign language, but gym jargon is more intuitive than you might think.

If you wanna befriend the locals, you gotta learn the lingo. Use our handy glossary to familiarize yourself with everyday gym slang (“Going ATG,” anyone?) and how to use it.

You’ll speak fluent “gym” in no time.

Everything Else

Step to It

• Meeting daily step counts is way easier when you have a plan. Use our guide to figure out how many steps you need per day, how to increase that number, and tips for making the most out of your walk.

• Ten-year-old Rory van Ulft recently squatted triple her body weight, and you can watch this young competitor’s mighty lift right here.

• Finally, learn how to do the reverse pec deck for stronger, shapelier upper back and shoulder muscles.