Unfortunately, the site which was hosting all information on Madcow 5×5 went offline last week. Everything would have been lost if it wasn’t for forum member Mutt who knew this was coming and performed a backup.

Nobody knows where Madcow is. The contact info on the site no longer works, and he hasn’t been active on the forums he used to visit since mid 2007.

To avoid this information to get lost in the future and since Madcow seems to have disappeared, I’ve decided to host everything on StrongLifts.com’s server, direct link: http://stronglifts.com/madcow/

Madcow’s site wasn’t updated since +3 years. I fixed all the broken links, added a sitemap and got rid of the top banner. In the future, everything should move to another platform to increase readability/usability.

I wish I could involve Madcow into this project, but I have no idea of where he is. So here are the full guides. Credits go to Madcow for this. Enjoy!

Table of Contents

• Intro – A few points
• Recent Additions – Site Updates
• Part I – 5×5 Programs
• Part II – Training Theory
• Part III – Exercise Descriptions
• Part IV – Some General Pieces
• PART V – A Few Other Programs
• PART VI – Sources for Knowledge, Interviews, Articles

Basic Training Primer

• Training and Size vs. Strength
• The Nervous System, Overtraining, Fiber Recruitment
• Program Organization for Experience Level and Goal
• The Myth of the Golden Program
• Workload and TUT (Time Under Tension)
• Types of Hypertrophy

Training Programs

• INTERMEDIATE – Bill Starr 5×5 Linear Progression
• ADVANCED – Bill Starr/Glenn Pendlay 5×5 Periodized
• Program Comparison and Selection Advice

Topics

• Diet: Caloric Excess – The Big 90% Block
• Microloading Solutions
• Good Sources of Knowledge – Books and Links

Share Madcow 5×5. If you like Madcow’s 5×5 training program, share it using your favorite social media network.

• Tweet This!
• Bookmark on del.icio.us
• Stumble This
• Share on Facebook
• Reddit

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Popular excuses: “I run for my legs”, “My legs are too big already”, “Squats hurt my knees“, … Whatever the story, not training your legs is the biggest training mistake you can make. Here are 5 reasons you should train them.

1. More Muscle. You can find studies showing that Squats & Deadlifts increase the release of Growth Hormone & Testosterone more than any other exercise. These are natural muscle building hormones.

2. Bigger Upper-body. Squats & Deadlifts work your whole body, not just your legs. Quick examples of how they stimulate upper-body growth too:

• Your arms squeeze the bar hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts.
• Your abs work hard at stabilizing the weight during Squats.
• Your chest muscles tense hard during heavy Deadlifts.

If you can’t train your upper-body because of an injury, you can prevent muscle loss in your upper-body by doing heavy Squats & Deadlifts.

3. More Strength. Stronger legs and core muscles will increase your strength on upper-body lifts and thus help upper-body muscle development. Quick examples of how Squats & Deadlifts can cause strength gains on your other lifts:

• Leg drive matters on the Bench Press. Stronger legs means more leg drive and a bigger bench, and thus bigger muscles.
• Squats & Deadlifts strengthen your legs & lower back. These muscles help you stay strong during the Overhead Press.

4. Symmetry. I know I’m preaching all the time you shouldn’t care about what other people think, but a big upper-body with toothpick legs looks ridiculous. And it shows a lack of …

5. … Mental Strength. Here’s the real reason why people don’t train their legs: it’s physically & mentally hard. That’s why doing Squats and Deadlifts will build your mental endurance & character like no other exercise.

Running Doesn’t Count! Running, cycling or soccer will never work your legs like Squats & Deadlifts do. Include both exercises in your routine and you’ll see how you’ll get better at sports and how your upper-body will improve.

Don’t know how to include both exercises? Check StrongLifts 5×5, it only takes 3×45mins per week. Make sure you read the success stories too.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I completed Starting Strength’s workout A on Friday, rested today and am scheduled to complete workout B tomorrow.

My legs are so sore today that I’m not very mobile. So I’m guessing that it probably is best to not try and hit my legs again tomorrow as they haven’t had time to recover.

At what point is it ok to lift through soreness?

This might sound counter-intuitive but you should lift through the soreness.

Why You’re Sore. There are 2 reasons why you can have soreness the day after you exercised.

• You’re Out of Shape. You never did any sport. You’re mostly sedentary. You’re weak. You never trained your legs. You don’t eat right. Etc. The soreness is normal: your body never did anything before this.
• You Started too Heavy. Seo1 is doing Starting Strength which has you choose your starting weight. Chances are he didn’t control his ego and started too heavy. Hence more soreness than with a lighter weight.

If you’re out of shape: go the gym as planned. If you started too heavy: make sure you use the smallest increment next time (5lbs/2.5kg).

Benefits of Training The Muscle Again. Some people will tell you not to go the gym. To stay at home and rest. This is counter-productive. Training the muscle again has 2 main benefits:

• Speeds up Recovery. You flush blood into your muscles by training them again. Blood contains nutrients which will speed up recovery. Soreness will go away faster. Try it to believe it.
• Keep The Exercise Habit. 1 missed workout turns into 2 missed ones. Before you know it, you’ve missed 1 week or 2. You need to get used to training when tired, sick, sore, etc. These are all part of the game.

How to Make Soreness Go Away Faster. Again: don’t miss workouts, go the gym as planned and make sure you didn’t start too heavy. If you’re really sore, here are some things you can try.

• Massage. By a professional or soft tissue work using a foam roller.
  
• Contrast Showers. Alternate hot & cold water for a few minutes. Note that saunas & steamrooms also speed up recovery.
• Light Workouts. Go to the gym on your rest day and do some sets with 30% of your work weight. Or do mobility work like Magnificent Mobility.
• Sleep & Eat. Get enough quality sleep. Try naps. Eat post workout. Get enough food, remember nutrients help recovery. And drink water.

As you get stronger, the soreness will be less pronounced and you’ll also get used to train when sore.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Strength Training Books.

• Dinosaur Training by Brook D. Kubik
• Infinity Intensity by Ross Enamait
• Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield
• Maximum Strength by Eric Cressey
• Of Stones & Strength by Steve Jeck
• Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline
• Practical Programming for Strength Training by Rippetoe & Kilgore
• Powerlifting Basics Texas-Style by Paul Kelso
• Rock Iron Steel by Steve Justa
• Science & Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky
• Strength Training for Young Athletes by William J. Kraemer
• Super Squats by Randall J. Strossen
• Supertraining by Mel C. Siff
• The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum
• The Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline
• The Strongest Shall Survive by Bill Starr
• Ultimate Off Season Training Manual by Eric Cressey
• Vertical Development Bible by Kelly Bagget
• Westside Seminar DVD by EliteFTS

Weight Lifting Books.

• An Introduction to Olympic-Style Weightlifting by John M. Cissik
• Building the Efficient Athlete by Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson
• Essentials of Weightlifting & Strength Training by Mohamed F. El-Hewie
• From The Ground Up by Dan John
• Kelso’s Shrug Book By Paul Kelso
• Optimal Muscle Training by Ken Kinakin
• Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore
• Starting Strength DVD by Mark Rippetoe
• The Weightlifting Encyclopedia by Arthur J. Drechsler

Nutrition Books.

• Anabolic Solution by Mauro Dipasquale
• Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto
• Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon
• Good calories, bad calories by Gary Taubes
• Gourmet Nutrition by John Berardi
• How Much Protein by Brad Pilon
• Nutrient Timing by John Ivy
• Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
• Paleo Cookbook by Nikki Young
• Precision Nutrition by John Berardi
• Protein Book by Lyle McDonald
• Rapid Fat Loss Solution by Lyle McDonald
• Scrawny to Brawny by John Berardi
• The Metabolism Advantage by Jon Berardi
• TNT Diet by Jeff Volek
• Ultimate Diet by Lyle McDonald

Flexibility/Injuries Books.

• Bulletproof Knees by Mike Robertson
• Diagnosis & Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes
• Inside/out by Robertson & Hartman
• Kinetic Anatomy by Robert S. Behnke
• Low back Disorders by Stuart McGill
• Magnificent Mobility by Cressey & Robertson
• Relax into Stretching by Pavel Tsatsouline
• Super Joints by Pavel Tstatsouline
• Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies

Mental Training Books.

• Beyond Positive Thinking by Robert Anthony
• Creative Visualizations by Shakti Gawain
• Ironmind: Stronger Mind Stronger Bodies by Randall J. Strossen
• Mastery: Keys to Success & Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard
• Strong Enough? by Mark Rippetoe
• The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• The Stone Lifter by Steve Jeck
• Under The Bar by Dave Tate

Personal Development Books.

• 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
• Awareness by Anthony De Mello
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
• Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
• Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
• Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina
• Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
• The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
• The Way of The Superior Man by David Deida
• The Way to Love by Anthony De Mello
• Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I’ve got friends who are into climbing. Most of them are skeptical against non-specific strength training: they feel it would add bulk.

The strength training that they do is focused on the upper-body, and using the campus board for finger strength. I think they would frown upon the Squat.

I’ve gotten the impression that most climbers have the opinion that the best training for climbing is climbing.

Reader Patmanpato replied:

I believe strength training in the gym is only productive once you’ve reached a certain level in your sport. Just my observation of others and experiences with various martial arts and strength training.

As for needing to work lower body for rock climbing… unless you’re very unfit, it’s not as important as upper body.

Strength Training for Sports. Years ago, coaches believed the best way to train for a sport was doing that sport. Today they know better. You learn a lot about how athletes train by looking at their physiques, compare:

• Pele vs. Ronaldo
• Carl Lewis vs. Ben Johnson
• John McEnroe vs. Rafael Nadal

Ben Johnson did Squats with 620lbs at 200lbs body-weight. Tiger Woods Bench Press 300lbs. Check out Rafael Nadal’s arm & leg development.

Rafael Nadal. Image credit: rickydiver78

The Squat. Power comes from the hips. Your core helps power transfer. The Squat builds hip & core strength. Both are critical in sports.

• Volleyball. Lauren plays Volleyball professionally. She does Overhead Squats, Power Cleans, Bench Press, etc.
• MMA. Fighters on Sherdog recommend Squats & Deadlifts for overall body strength & development.
• Gymnastics. James from BeastSkills lifts weights. His personal bests: 375lbs Squat, 450lbs Deadlift & 285lbs Bench Press.

Climbing. Experience climbers will recommend you to move your feet before moving your arms. You’ll wear out too fast if you use your arms solely. You need to climb using your bigger & stronger muscles: the legs.

You can’t always use your legs, so you need finger & Pull-up strength. But neglecting leg strength is playing half the field. Squats are your friend. They won’t get you bulky. Calories do.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I wrote strength training over Thanksgiving last month. With Christmas Eve next Tuesday & New Year’s Eve the week after, you’ve probably been thinking at how to make your workout & diet fit in the holidays. Here are some tips.

Common Problems. Some things that will make it hard to impossible to do strength training between Christmas & New Year:

• No Gym. Gym is closed during the holidays or you leave home for a few days. You don’t have access to a gym.
• Work. I’d have to work on Christmas & New Year’s Eve until 5:30pm if I was still employed. Home 6:30pm, no time to workout before dinner.
• Day Afters. Junk food overdose & drinking alcohol won’t get you in the best shape to workout the next day.

Solution 1: Active Rest. Deload: take 1-2 weeks active rest. If you’re doing StrongLifts 5×5 on Monday, Wednesday & Friday, a deload could look like this:

• 2 Workouts/week. Workout on Wednesday & Saturday. Do 3 sets of 3 reps on all exercises. Drop the Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Dips.
• No Progression. No weight increases. Use the weight from your last 5×5 workout for all workouts during the deload.

These will be short, easy workouts. They’ll give you a mental/physical break from strength training while maintaining strength & muscle mass. You can deload like this every 8 weeks.

Solution 2: Passive Rest. No weight lifting, no body-weight exercises. Just plain rest. Not ideal strength wise, but you’ll be ok if you watch your nutrition.

• Eat Clean. Eat junk food, drink alcohol, have desserts on Christmas & New Year’s Eve. Eat clean the other days.
• Get Protein. Make sure you’re getting at least 1g/lbs protein to maintain your muscle mass, even if you don’t workout.

You’ll lose strength resting more than 1 week. But don’t worry, strength comes back quickly after layoffs. Lower the weight by 20-30% & restart from there.

What I’ll Do. I train Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I had 2 weeks active rest this month. I’m no more employed & have a home gym so can train when I want. This is my training schedule.

• Christmas Eve. Workout. Have dinner with family. Enjoy the junk food, eat everything until my stomach is full & I end up in the couch. Get back into diet on Tuesday. Workout Wednesday & Friday.
• New Year’s Eve. Workout. Gourmet & alcohol with friends. No nightclub, but it will get late. Get back into diet on Tuesday. Workout Wednesday & Friday. I might train Sunday 30th December instead of the 31st to avoid tiredness at night. Else I’ll have a nap before meeting my friends.

What About You? What will you do between Christmas & New Year? Click here to comment.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Gary, winner of the free coaching competition, asked:

“Just wondering if you have suggestions for strength training over Thanksgiving break next week. Because I will likely miss the gym for two sessions unless I can find one around my grandma’s house.

Thanksgiving is pretty much Christmas with all the food but without presents & religious stuff. It’s arguably the most important holiday after Christmas. Family gets together and you get a few days off work & school usually starting Wednesday. You get back to normal routines Sunday – Thanksgiving itself is Thursday.

We Americans eat a lot of food (way more than normal), watch football, drink a lot and catch up with the family. I – like a lot of people – leave home and visit family or have family visit us.

So I don’t know that I will have access to a gym. If you have any in home exercises that would tie in with StrongLifts 5×5 program that would be great. Otherwise I can just stick to Push-ups, Pull-ups & Squats.”

Thanksgiving. Outside of the US & Canada we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. I know what Thanksgiving is from talking with people online & watching movies. From my understanding it’s a lot like Christmas & New Year over here.

What follows is what I would do if I’d celebrate Thanksgiving. If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like me, you can apply the same tips for Christmas & New Year next month or whatever holiday you celebrate.

1. Train on Friday. Assuming you workout on Monday & Wednesday, go to the gym on Friday. Eat dirty, both food & alcohol on Thursday. Have fun, stay up late if needed, etc.

Friday morning get up, eat directly on waking up & go the gym one hour later. Train for an hour, come back & shower. Don’t know how much sleep you need, but when I go to sleep at 4am, I’ll be often up at 10am.

In my opinion, it doesn’t make much difference if you arrive at the party at 3pm instead of 1pm, as long as you’re there. From my experience people will respect you for setting priorities.

2. Rest Week. Train Monday & Wednesday. Don’t train until the next Monday. This gives your body & mind a break from training & diet, necessary if you trained hard for weeks.

Taking a break every 6 to 8 weeks is great. You get a reminder of what it feels like to not exercise & eat healthy. You’ll usually be motivated & feel strong hitting the weights back on Monday, especially after all the junk food.

What I Do. For casual anniversary parties & family reunions, I go for option 1. For bigger things like Christmas & New Year, I plan deload weeks.

Always remember it doesn’t matter what you do with Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year. What matters is what you do the other 45 weeks of the year. Taking a break from time to time is necessary.

Loved Gary’s reply: “I think I’ll go with # 2. But I’ll try and find a gym for Friday. I love workouts when I have a hangover because it gets rid of them faster.”

What About You? How does your schedule look like for Thanksgiving? Post it in the comment section.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

“I did a bulk last year. Even though it was fairly clean, it put WAY too much fat on me. I’m not trying to lose fat, but don’t want to put on anymore than I have to. I realize I will gain some fat during a bulk, but want to keep it low.

I certainly do not consider myself overweight. Being 6′4″ I should probably weigh in the 200 lb range, but my metabolism does not allow that. Will be happy if at the end of this bulk I am back at 195 again. But hopefully will be keeping it off my gut.

I think age has a lot to do with it. I never had to worry about being overweight, but now that I’ve turned 40, I know my metabolism is going to slow down. Have you done an article on changes in training/diet due to age? I’d certainly read it.”

I agree getting older doesn’t make things easier. However strength training, building muscle & losing fat is never easy, whatever your age.

Changes of Age. The average adult becomes sedentary as he gets older. This has several implications:

• Loss of Muscle Mass. Caused by sedentary lifestyle & sarcopenia.
• Loss of Performance. 15% loss of strength, speed & power per decade if you’re inactive. Caused by loss of muscle mass & sedentary lifestyle.
• Reduced Flexibility. Cause: loss of performance & sedentary lifestyle.
• Increased Body Fat. Move less, eat less. 2.5-3% increase in body fat per decade if you don’t.
• Loss of Balance. Caused by loss of muscle mass.

Strength Training: The Fountain of Youth. Sperwer mentioned this some months ago with his story of how he built muscle at age 55. Strength training is the fountain of youth, benefits:

• Builds Muscle. Strength training builds muscle. It reduces the muscle loss of 15% per decade to 5%, even in the 60-90y old range.
• Trains Balance. Crucial for safety in older adults. Free weight barbell exercises like Squats develop and maintain balance & coordination.
• Increases Flexibility. Ebsfwan shared on StrongLifts.com Forum how he can comfortably touch his toes since he started the Beginner Strength Training Program. Something he hadn’t been able to do since 15 years.
• Fights Osteoarthritis. My mother (48) will get surgery for a teared meniscus caused by degeneration of her knee joint. Strengthening muscles around joints improves their function. In her case: Squats.

Coping with Life’s Challenges. Nothing will prevent you to build muscle, lose fat & get stronger except your attitude about training & age. It’s never easy. Any age has its own challenges to cope with. Examples:

• 15-20. Money & lifestyle are often problems. You don’t work, you’re a student. You need money for the protein. Lots of parties & alcohol.
• 20-30. Career, business, relationships, buying a house. Responsibilities more important than strength training & which need your attention.
• 30-50. Bringing your kids to school, spending time with your family, etc. I heard the “wait until you have kids” a lot.
• 50+. The changes of age we discussed above.

My Challenges. I believe where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you really want something, you’ll do what it takes to get it. If not: you don’t want it that bad.

I mixed strength training for 5 years working shifts. Coming home from work at 11pm, going straight to bed to hit the gym in the morning. 3 night outs in the weekends. Injuries. Girlfriends. Extreme cold in the winter in my home gym.

At this moment I’m living on a very strict budget as I left my job 3 months ago. Not easy when you want to eat healthy & get sufficient amount of proteins. But not easy, never means impossible. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Post Your Story. How old are you & what challenges do you have to cope with at this moment? I want to hear your story.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I bought my home gym in 2004. Three months passed between the time I received my barbell, plates & dumbbells and when I got my power rack.

I didn’t want to train in a commercial gym anymore, so I decided to train at home with what I had. Without a power rack & bench. Strength training with only one barbell.

Who is This For? Examples in which strength training with one barbell is better:

• Your gym has no Squat Rack or Bench.
• Your gym has only smith machines.
• You want a home gym but you’re low on budget.
• You want a home gym but you lack space.

Squats. Without a power rack, the problem is getting the bar on your back, front shoulders or overhead; depending on the squat variation. Some solutions:

• Back Squat. Get the weight on your back using the Steinborn Lift.
• Front Squat. Power Clean the weight onto your shoulders & squat.
• Overhead Squat. Snatch or Clean & Press the weight overhead.

Back Squats allow you to lift the heaviest weights. Front Squats are the best replacement for Back Squats. And Overhead Squats are a full body exercise which will get you strong abs & healthy shoulders.

I prefer the Power Clean + Front Squat. You’ll never stress your legs maximally this way, because the Power Clean is the limiting factor. However squatting at a lower intensity is better than no squatting. And you still have Deadlifts.

Deadlift & Barbell Rows. You don’t need a power rack for Deadlifts, Bent-Over Barbell Rows & Pendlay Rows. Deadlifts allow you to stress your body with heavy weights. Barbell Rows will work your back hard in absence of Pull-ups.

Overhead Press. My power rack is not big enough to Overhead Press inside it. It also doesn’t have external safety pins. So I Power Clean the weight on every set onto my shoulders & press from there.

Overhead strength is the limiting factor unless you lack technique on the Power Clean. You’ll lose strength cleaning the weight although I’ve been doing this for so long it feels weird pressing overhead without cleaning the weight first.

Floor Press. The Floor Press is a great alternative to the Bench Press when you don’t have a Power Rack & Bench. Floor Press work your triceps more: you’re only doing the top part of the movement.

Variations. You can do the Beginner Strength Training Program I & II using only one barbell. But there are plenty of other exercises you can do. Examples:

• Zercher Squats, Jefferson Squats, Hack Squats, etc
• Halting Deadlift, Romanian Deadlifts, etc
• Close Grip Floor Press, Push Press, etc
• Lunges & Step-ups.
• Unilateral movements using one barbell

As a beginner, one barbell will help you build muscle & strength. Once you get more experienced, a Power Rack is the first investment you should make.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

“With the Beginner Strength Training Program there’s no isolation for muscles. So some muscles won’t grow. Sure you get a triceps workout with Bench Press and Overhead Press but where is the actual triceps workout? How about calf workouts?

These are very broad workouts. They aren’t going to show the results as if you did isolation exercises. I just don’t understand how you can’t even do one triceps or biceps isolation workout.”

Muscle Isolation. StrongLifts.com gives you ways to build muscle & lose fat through strength training. Using compound barbell exercises. This isn’t a blog about isolating muscles or bodybuilding.

If you want to isolate muscles, feel free to experiment. I’ve played that game before & from my experience, nothing beats a concept explained in the book Essentials of Weightlifting & Strength Training: Axial Training.

Axial vs. Peripheral Training. Axial training means working the muscles close to your spine, pelvis & shoulder girdle. Peripheral training is working muscles on joints far away from your spine. Examples:

• Axial: Squat, Deadlift, Barbell Rows, Overhead Press, Power Clean, etc.
• Peripheral: Bench Press, Biceps Curl, Triceps Extension, Calf Raises, etc.

Benefits of Axial Training. The Beginner Strength Training Program emphasizes Axial Training. Benefits:

• Works major muscles: back, glutes, hams, delts, pecs, quads.
• Indirectly works smaller muscles like biceps, triceps, forearms & calves.
• Increased endurance & health because physically more demanding.

Drawbacks? Technique is harder to learn. Axial training causes more soreness. And it’s mentally more challenging. You know it: always do exercises you hate.

Problem with Peripheral Training. Disadvantages of peripheral training:

• Unproductive. Squats work you whole body. Biceps curls one muscle.
• Disproportions. Huge upper-body’s with skinny legs doesn’t look right.
• Imbalances. Bench Press without Rows causes shoulder problems.

Mixing Axial Training with Peripheral Training. Biceps work during Barbell Rows & Pull-ups. Triceps during Bench & Overhead Press. And Calves during Squats, deadlifts, Power Cleans. If you still think you need more:

• Biceps. Biceps Curls with an Olympic bar.
• Triceps. Dips or Close Grip Bench Press.
• Calves. Low Olympic Pulls.

If Axial Training sounds counter-intuitive to you, you’ve been brainwashed by magazines. The tree with the largest branches is the tree with the largest trunk. Same with your body. You want big arms, Squat first.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.