bench

Photo: xamyak (Shutterstock)Pistol squats are among the bodyweight strength world’s most impressive feats, right next to things like backflips or a perfect handstand. Well, I can’t do those other two, but I can knock out a bunch of pistol squats. Let’s talk about what goes into one. Quad strengthLet’s cover the most obvious thing first.…

Photo: Monkey Business Images (Shutterstock)We’re still in the busy time of year for gyms. A good chunk of the people who started with new year’s goals are still there, and the regulars who may have stuck to the less-busy times at the beginning of the year are getting back to their normal routines. So how…

Illustration: Vicky Leta, Photo: Getty ImagesHere at Lifehacker, we pride ourselves on telling you the real truth about health and fitness—and leaving the bullshit behind. Unfortunately, the fitness world is a bountiful source of confusion, half-truths, and occasional outright lies. So let’s look back on some of the times this year that we set the…

Illustration: Benjamin CurrieTons of home workouts swear they’ll make you stronger, but many are full of empty promises. If your heart is beating out of your chest and you’ve lost count of how many dozens of reps you’ve done, what you’re doing is probably not a good strength-training workout. Most of those workouts just aren’t…

Photo: sportpoint (Shutterstock)Arched bench press is second only to sumo deadlifting in sparking angry online debates about what is the right way to do an exercise. So, just as we did with sumo, we’re going to discuss the pros and cons of the arch, and guide you to a decision about what you should do…

Photo: hurricanehank (Shutterstock)When you start lifting, those first few weeks are bliss. Sure, maybe you’re sore sometimes and get confused about how to do each new exercise, but you can add weight to the bar every week, maybe every workout, and you feel unstoppable. No gain train goes on forever though, so what do you…

Photo: Jacob Lund (Shutterstock)As you get stronger, you become able to lift heavier and heavier weights. That much is probably obvious. But what beginners sometimes miss is that it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation: You become stronger because you lift heavier and heavier weights. This is the concept of progressive overload. How does progressive…