Fitness Articles

5 best DonJoy knee braces

DonJoy knee braces provide direct to consumer options beyond your standard knee sleeve. Once mostly available via prescription only, these braces are now easily obtainable in stores and online for anyone who needs a little extra support for their knees. DonJoy’s line of braces includes products that target users who

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man text neck smartphone

What Is Text Neck and Should You Fix It?

Text neck is a repetitive stress injury to your neck where your hang or flex your neck in a forward position while looking at your phone or similar devices for a long time. Symptoms include having a forward head, hunched shoulders, and a rounded upper back, which makes many clinicians believe

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A woman swimming underwater wearing goggles (left), a woman running (center), a woman riding a bike (right)

Why the SAID Principle Matters in Your Workout

The SAID principle (acronym for “specific adaptation to imposed demands”) basically means that when your body undergoes some form of stress, like exercise, it will adapt to that stress so that you perform better in the future. Your body will also require less effort and energy to do the work.

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A man does a push-up on top; a man does a bench press on the bottom.

What Is Functional Strength Training, and Is It Just a Marketing Hype?

Unlike other types of strength training, functional strength training currently has no common definition. Some personal trainers subscribe to functional strength training as an approach based on the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands), which states that muscles adapt to specific tasks we require from them.  Others define it

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A muscular Chinese woman on the left and an Eastern European young woman doing the Olympic lift on the right.

How to Train for Hypertrophy vs. Strength, According to Science

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, strength and hypertrophy are different things. Strength refers to your ability to generate force. Hypertrophy simply describes an increase in muscle size. The two concepts should be thought of as distinct but related; an increase in muscle strength can lead to an increase

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comparison of concentric muscle contraction vs eccenctric contraction with a man doing a bicep curl with a dumbbell

Is Concentric or Eccentric Contraction Better for Bigger Muscles?

Knowing how and when to program different types of muscle contraction is like having a cheat code for reaching your fitness goals. If everyone in the gym knew how to program to reach their goals, the diet and fitness industry would not be the multimillion-dollar juggernaut that it is.  Think

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Relative strength comparsion between a 120-lb person and a 200-lb person lifting at 50% of their body weight.

Different Types of Strength to Maximize Your Workout Time

Strength training is not limited to a single type. For example, if you want to increase your maximum strength for powerlifting or just want to see how much you can lift, you might go for heavy, low-repetition and high-set exercises. However, if you’re looking to improve muscular endurance for long-distance

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man doing barbell squats

How Many Sets and Reps You Should Do, According to Science?

The number of sets and reps you do in a weight training exercise should depend on your fitness goals, such as getting stronger, more endurance, or more muscle mass. There’s no one-size-fits-all number for everyone, but research finds an optimal range that you can do to maximize strength gains or

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a row of resistance bands in a rainbow of colors lying on a wooden floor

8 Types of Resistance Bands to Get to Stronger in Different Ways

Resistance bands are often used in fitness and rehab settings to improve strength, motor control, flexibility, and body awareness. They are made of a strong type of latex, rubber, or fabric that can be stretched and pulled in various directions. While rubber and latex are commonly used because they’re lightweight,

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woman doing a pull-up on a pull-up bar outdoors

5 Best Resistance Bands for Pull-ups (2023)

Knowing how to use resistance bands to train pull-ups is like having a cheat code. The elasticity of the band provides just the right assistance to allow you to lift your body weight and build strength. Training this way can bridge the gap between those clunky pull-up assist machines and

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