Showing posts with label Powerlifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Powerlifting. Show all posts

5 Top Workouts For Bodybuilding And Strength Training

effective workouts bodybuilding strength training exercises frugal fitness

If you have spent any amount of time in the gym lately, you will probably have noticed there are several key workouts which the biggest guys there use each and every time. There is a good reason for this - and it is not because they are simply lacking in imagination when it comes to how they spend their time in the gym. 

The real reason these guys use these same exercises day after day is due to their time-tested effectiveness. Ever since bodybuilding became a thing, these workouts have existed. And while other workouts may have come and gone, these bad boys have stood the test of time, because quite simply, they work! 

So, which are the 5 most effective workouts for bodybuilding and strength training? Lucky for you, we have listed them below: 

1 - Squats 

Everybody (and I mean everybody) knows the squat. I bet even your Grandma knows what it is. But not everybody knows how to do them with proper form. 

They are probably the most commonly used workout there is in the world, and they don’t even require any equipment to get started. Fantastic for working the glutes and quads, they’re an essential part of leg day every time. And they are key to maintaining strength in your legs no matter what your age. In short, even if you don’t ‘do’ bodybuilding, you should be doing squats. 

To perform a squat with good form: 

• Spread your feet hip-width apart, and turn your toes out slightly 
• Stand up straight, and keep your back straight as you lower your body into the same position as you would if you sat down on the toilet 
• Stop when your hips are at a point where they’re just slightly below your knees 
• Power yourself back up to a standing position using the muscles in your glutes and quads 
• Repeat 

To make the squat slightly more challenging as you progress, you can introduce a barbell, dumbbells or even kettlebells. 

2 - Deadlift 

Another well-known move, the deadlift, is an essential exercise for any serious bodybuilder. It works the lower back and hamstrings, but just as importantly, it also works the core and in particular the traps - making it great for improving stability. But it’s vital to get your form right with this one - failure to do so could lead to back injury, which is never helpful when you’re trying to build muscle. 

To perform the deadlift with good form: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and make sure you’re close to the bar itself, which should be lying on the floor in front of you 
• Bend at the knees and grab the bar, keeping your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width 
• Arch your back and lift the bar from the floor 
• As you reach the mid-way point of the lift, allow your hips to move forward, and move towards standing upright 
• Briefly pause once you reach the top, then allow the bar to return to its starting position 
• Repeat the process 

With the deadlift, it’s important you don’t overdo it at the start. Begin with light weights, and gradually work your way up to lifting heavier as your muscles begin to develop over time. 

3 - Bent Over Row 

Want to work your lats, traps, rhomboids, and posterior delts at the same time with a view to growing a monster back? Bent over rows are where it’s at. 

To perform the bent over row with proper form: 

• Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the bar in front of your quads 
• The height of the bar should be slightly higher than your knees 
• Pull the bar up towards your sternum, then return to the starting position 
• Repeat 

If you have existing issues with your back, don’t perform the bent over row. While it’s brilliant for improving back strength if you have no existing problems, it will only serve to worsen any backache you already have. If this applies to you, opt for the low pulley row instead. 

4 - Overhead Press 

The overhead press is another move which is perfect for developing the core muscles and delts. Here’s how to do it properly: 

• With the bar in front of your legs, keep your elbows forward and out and lift the bar up just above your chest 
• Be sure to keep your back straight 
• Lift the bar above your head and straighten your arms completely 
• Return the bar to the starting position 

Always use a narrow grip (no wider than shoulder-width apart) to avoid shoulder pain during or after performing the overhead press. 

5 - Bench Press 

The much-loved bench press is popular with serious bodybuilders, and for good reason. Incorporating the chest and triceps, it can really beef up your upper body strength after just a few sessions. 

To perform the bench press with proper form: 

• Lay flat on a bench and grip the bar with hands shoulder-width apart 
• Your forearms should be completely vertical before lifting 
• Slowly lower the bar to your chest, then push it back up to its starting position 
• Repeat 

Be sure to keep your back arched; this helps protect it as you press. In addition, make sure you wrap your thumb around when gripping the bar. As you can imagine, a slip while performing the bench press could be pretty gruesome! 

You Don’t Need Roids To Get Results With These Moves 

These are the most popular workouts among professional bodybuilders, and those who stick at them are doing bodybuilding right. But unfortunately, they’re not the only popular way to build bulk fast. 

Steroids have been, and have stayed relatively popular over the years, despite the health risks they pose to users. Gym nerds who use them tend to give an inaccurate and dangerous account of just how safe they are. 

The truth is, no steroid is safe when it comes to bodybuilding. The side effects of Tren, Dianabol, Clen, and Anavar are all too real, but it’s not often you’ll find a user admitting it. 

Roid rage, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, man boobs, water retention, liver damage, and heart failure are all genuine side effects of anabolic steroids when taken in the quantities used by bodybuilders. And yes, there have been deaths. Rich Piana, Chad Brothers and Eddie Guerrero are just a few names which spring to mind. There have been countless others who have maybe not been so famous, but all deaths from steroid use are, of course, equally as tragic. 

The best thing about bodybuilding, of course, is how healthy you can become while engaging in the sport. Why, then, would you want to risk taking illegal, dangerous substances to get bigger? Logically, it really makes no sense. 

So long as you practice proper nutrition, perform effective exercises such as those mentioned above and supplement naturally, you will achieve great things without the need for any steroids. 

Work out regularly, stick to tried and tested methods, eat well, and you’ll have monster gains which will make your bulk the envy of those steroid users in no time - and all without any health risks! And really, what could be better than that?


I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the most effective exercises for bodybuilding and strength training on a frugal budget.

Interested in more articles about bodybuilding workouts? 

Read Related Resources:

Beginner's Guide To Bodybuilding 101

The Worst Kept Secrets In Bodybuilding 

Free Frugal Fitness Finds Below

4 Smart Ways To Maximise Muscle-Growth Using SuperSets

smart ways maximise muscle-growth supersets bodybuilding weightlifting compound sets

What Is A Superset In A Workout? 

Whether you’re a trainer, athlete, or casual bodybuilder, you’ve undoubtedly heard about supersets. Basically, what they refer to is the practice of performing two different exercises, back-to-back, with minimal rest. For a while, supersets were all the hype. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be done with their workouts faster without having to compromise on quality or performance? Supersets stimulate muscle building faster than doing straight sets, and also help increase oxidative capacity [1], so you can burn fat faster. 

To a certain extent, supersets continue to attract some attention, but significantly less than they used to. The reason for this is that recent medical research has weighed in on the subject and found same-group supersets to be detrimental to muscle growth [2]. However, if done the right way you can quickly reap a ton of muscle-building benefits, including increased testosterone [3], improved cardiovascular fitness, and of course bigger muscles. 

Some of us have experienced this significant physical shortcoming first-hand. However, there’s a type of superset that is tremendously beneficial, particularly when the practice revolves around agonist-antagonist pairs of muscles. I’m talking about a training technique that goes by the name of reciprocal superset training (SUPER). When supersets are used in this manner, they can help bodybuilders achieve two outstanding things: 

1. Save tremendous amounts of time in the gym and cut workout durations by as much as 50%, which is incredibly useful for busy professionals. 

2. Effectively maximize muscle growth by increasing total training volume, as well as muscle activation. 

In what follows, I discuss even further my experience of how you can use supersets to your advantage. 

1. Do NOT Pair Demanding Compounds 

Taxing movements such as the deadlift or squat should not be coupled together in the superset programme. If you want to apply the technique to leg day, you can easily do so by pairing hamstrings and leg extension. The reason for this is that supersets are naturally taxing, compound movements on the whole. The squat and row or the overhead press and bench press do not mix well with this technique. Using compounds and supersets in this way will only decrease your performance output, but also result in unnecessary muscle damage, as well as prolonged inflammation. These drawbacks raise red flags for trainers and bodybuilders alike because everyone knows just how destructive and debilitating the latter three can be. 

Should you want to maximize your rest time when doing squats, the scapular pull-up, essentially a chin-up done with a pronated grip, has the potential to serve as good superset pair. This is due to kinesiology, as well as the muscle groups that are activated in each instance. On the one hand, the squat effectively compresses your back muscles as the weight of the barbell pushes down on your spine. On the other, the pull-up helps relieve all of that tension by lengthening your body. If you find you’re very tired, just hanging from the bar will help you improve your squats by helping you revert to a normal, resting posture. 

As you may have already noticed, the pull-up/back squat superset is a case where the two types of exercises complement one another quite neatly. Unlike the squat, the pull-up is not a compound and, therefore, does not tax your body to the same extent that former does. If you want to do the same thing with the overhead press, then you should aim for an isolation exercise for your lats, such as the straight-arm cable pull-down or chest-supported row. The key, as you will soon find out, lies in the way and degree to which your chosen supersets activate your muscles. 

2. Pair Muscle Groups That Don’t Interfere With One Another 

We know that increased volume load is the ultimate way to induce fatigue and tap into that enhanced training stimulus [4]. This is the theoretical reason why supersets should lead to better gains. However, if we constantly target the same muscle over and over again, we objectively risk causing a catabolic response, as in the case of Brentano et al.’s investigation. Similar results were demonstrated in numerous investigations on supersets because muscles need, and I mean upper-case, bold emphasis NEED adequate rest in-between sets. Ideally, you’d want to provide somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes of rest for a muscle group before hitting it again [5]. 

As you may have already deduced from the previous tip, the only way you can reap the benefits from the increased volume load, provide adequate rest for a muscle group [6], and spend as little time as possible in the gym is to use what coaches refer to as agonist- antagonist technique. This helps you deadlock the potential for increased growth and performance associated with supersets without having to worry about crippling muscle damage. Simply put, you just have to superset muscles whose functions do not overlap. As in the above scenario, this will ensure that you don’t overwork a specific group and end up doing more harm than good. The classic agonist-antagonist combo is biceps and triceps

Aside from squats / pronated pull-ups, overhead press/chest-supported row, you can also safely superset bench-press/seated row, bench-press/barbell row, as well as knee extension (quads) with knee flexion (hamstrings). Quite at odds with many investigations on the topic of supersets, Paz et al.’s study concluded that supersets allowed their participants to do more reps and also lift heavier weights. Their observations and EMG readings were all pointing to this conclusion, which led them to assume that it was the increased interval of rest that unlocked the beast of higher volume loads. With nearly two decades’ worth of experience in coaching, I can vouchsafe that this is definitely the case. 

3. Rest Is Paramount 

Since I’ve just mentioned rest, let me repeat that the third pillar of maximizing lean tissue growth through supersets is the amount of rest you give to a specific muscle group. Paz’s influential and thorough examination concluded that a sufficient rest period was what set their results apart from contradictory findings on the topic of supersets. Many get the impression that the supersets technique essentially means going berserk through the gym, jumping from one exercise to another with barely any time to breathe. This is not how you grow muscles with the SUPER routine, though. This is how you lose them. 

For instance, if you’re hitting hamstring with quadriceps, you want to allow at least 60 seconds of rest between each exercise. You’ll see some coaches refer to this approach as staggered rest. If we allow for an approximate of 40 seconds to complete a set, as well as 20 seconds total to get on and off, you’re looking at about 3 minutes of rest before engaging a muscle group yet again. Under no circumstance should you try to rush these downtimes, as they will ensure that enough oxygenated blood and energy get to your deep fibres and prepare you to deliver as much performance as possible on the next set of reps. 

In the most extreme cases, as you would have undoubtedly heard in people undergoing Cross-Fit or similarly strenuous routines, exertional rhabdomyolysis becomes an actual threat. From a mental and cardiovascular perspective, the superset approach can be very stressful on your system, which is why it is strictly not recommended to people who have just started exercising. A good way to start with supersets is to try to incorporate one pair every training session, while keeping a close eye on the rhythm that is most comfortable to you. 

You should try to wiggle out of the comfort zone, but not to blast it off entirely. While we all want to benefit from that increased rep-range [7], the only way to do so in a constructive manner is to take it step-wise. 

4. Less Time, More Growth 

If properly executed, supersets can help maximize your muscle growth given strict training time limitations. This is achieved through the bottom-line increase in volume load, as a result of being able to do more reps, lift heavier, or both. More importantly, even for those who are not rushed to finish their workout by an incredibly busy lifestyle, the SUPER system was shown to effectively increase muscle endurance when adequately implemented. 

Especially if you’re not a veteran bodybuilder or athlete, my advice is to try it out with a trainer, as they will be able to gauge whether your cardiovascular system can withstand the stress and help you push through those near-failure reps. Alternatively, they will also be able to tell you whether you need more cardio fitness in order to be able to complete a full routine of supersets. 

Final Thoughts

Regardless of whether you’re doing it on your own or with a professional, a) avoiding conflicting compounds, b) providing adequate rest, and c) the overall idea of agonist-antagonist pairs is what you should be taking away from this piece. After having done it myself, I can guarantee that you’ll feel heavenly because few other strength routines will take everything out of you like supersets do. Now hit the gym and start maximizing your muscle growth!


List Of References: 

[1] How To Lose Weight Fast: 10 Smart Ways (Guaranteed To Work) https://www.dna-lean.co.uk/blog/lose-weight-fast/ 

[2] Muscle Damage and Muscle Activity Induced by Strength Training Super-Sets in Physically Active Men – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27243916 [3] 19 Breakthrough Ways Proven To Increase Testosterone (NATURALLY) – https://www.dna-lean.co.uk/blog/increase-testosterone/ 

[4] Volume Load and Neuromuscular Fatigue During an Acute Bout of Agonist-Antagonist Paired-Set vs. Traditional-Set Training –  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28933712 

[5] Recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24998610 

[6] The effect of an upper-body agonist-antagonist resistance training protocol on volume load and efficiency – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20847705 

[7] Effects of different rest intervals between antagonist paired sets on repetition performance and muscle activation – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25148302

Weight Lifting Could Be The Best Workout For You

weight lifting best workout frugal fitness

Are you someone looking for a great workout? Maybe you are trying to get more daily exercise in and don’t know where to start? Well, why not go all out and pick up a whole new routine, one that will really benefit your mind and body. 

If you are someone who is getting into the habit of leading an incredibly healthy lifestyle, this is the post for you! Sure, you’ve started going for a run in the morning or a swim in the evening, and you’ve begun to change your diet to really fill you up and thin you out, but there are some workouts that are more worth it than others. And weight lifting might just be the best routine for your fitness goals - let’s take a look at why. 

You’ll Sleep A Lot Better 

Sleeping well is something a lot of people have trouble with, and if you’re someone who’s looking to fit some better kips in, this is your chance to sort out some of the most common struggles we have in the modern age regarding our sleep cycles. And when you’ve had a bad night, you’re going to have a bad day, and the cycle goes on and on until you’re exhausted. 

Weight lifting can help sort this problem out. When you’re weight lifting on a regular basis, even just breaking out the small dumbbells to give your biceps a quick workout, you are going to be able to stay asleep for longer during the night. And you are going to fall into deep sleep for a lot longer, which is where your sore and worked muscles will be able to repair themselves, and that’s how you grow stronger! 

You Will See Results A Lot Faster 

For all of us on a strict schedule, weight lifting is going to be the best workout to try and fit in. This is because of the fast results it can have on your body - of course, the results won’t be exactly instantaneous, but you are going to see your muscles grow stronger and sharper a lot quicker than someone on a simple cardio workout. 

And this is because you’re directly working them, tearing tiny rips in the fibers of your muscles, that naturally repair themselves whenever you fall asleep at night. Seeing as you do so on a nightly basis, well, the fast process can speak for itself! Feel free to look into a personal trainer like UP Fitness to make sure you’re always getting results as you grow strong and stronger, as your current set of weights won’t work for you for forever! 

Weight Lifting Works Wonderfully Well

Weight lifting is an incredibly useful workout, and it’s one a lot more people should be getting themselves interested in. Your muscles are one of the core components of your body, and you need to take care of them as much as you do your bones! Work them out more often if you’re worried about them.


I hope you enjoyed this blog post about why weight lifting is the best workout to build strength and muscle mass on a frugal budget.

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness weightlifting? 

Read Related Resources:

How To Get The Fitness Results You Want

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Fit


Frugal Fitness
Fighting Fit Fees Forever

Free Frugal Fitness Finds Below

Military Fit: Real Strength, Performance, & Toughness

This is REAL weightlifting, saving someone's life
There is a group of people that make me, and most of my fellow fitness experts, look like wimpy and out of shape bums. These are the men and women of the military, especially the United States military in this case since they are the ones I am most familiar with. While I've always been considered pretty fit and athletic, these individuals blow me out of the water in nearly every category and are the ones that should be considered truly fit and strong.

What exactly do I mean by this? Well first off, most people in the fitness industry, and even many elite/professional athletes, are very specialized in their area of expertise. For example, I've been a pretty good mid-distance or distance runner in the past, but at that time I wasn't that strong. I've been very strong at times while focusing on powerlifting, but admittedly had pretty poor endurance at that time. I've been able to add a large amount of muscle mass while focusing on bodybuilding, but often at the expense of endurance or functional movement. A yoga master might be very strong, balanced, and flexible for their bodyweight but watch what happens when you hand them an 80 lb dumbbell or have them play some pickup football. A marathon runner might be able to run for hours straight at a high speed but can they deadlift twice their bodyweight or do a couple pullups? 

For the men and women of the military, they don't focus on one singular objective, especially at the expense of another area. They need to be strong, tough, and function at optimal performance in all areas, all the time! They don't care about packing on an extra 5 lbs of muscle or looking good at the beach, they are more concerned with being able to do their job, help people, and survive. Military fitness is about being strong enough to help protect themselves and others. 

Soldiers don't do these to look good for the beach
These truly tough individuals need a difficult mix of strength, power, endurance, agility, performance, and both mental and physical toughness for them to do what they do and protect the world. They need to be able to thrive in jungles, tundras, cities, desserts, and countryside in all conditions and an innumerable variety of tasks. They might have to walk for 20 miles straight, or pick up a wounded soldier on their back and sprint to safety,  or engage in hand to hand combat. They might have to do these and a hundred other things without the aid of 3 protein shakes a day and fresh fruits and veggies, things that us civilian fitness gurus take for granted. And they often have to stay in shape while on tour with makeshift weights and workout equipment (or just their bodyweight), making them the true Frugal Fitness masters. 


Sometimes I feel dumb or guilty teaching or attending "Boot Camp" type exercise classes (unless taught by ex-military, which I am not) because I feel it could almost be portrayed as insulting to the men and women of our armed forces. What I do and have the people in my class perform is usually a joke compared to what the military experiences in basic training or beyond. I certainly don't mean it to be insulting to any real military, and hope if anything just gives the people in the class the tiniest idea of what people in uniform do on a daily basis without a massage or trip to the spa afterwards. Definitely no fancy $5 protein fruit smoothies after their workouts.


While I still consider myself to be a fit individual, I don't kid myself by comparing what I do to anything close to somebody in the active military. I greatly appreciate their hard work and sacrifice to be in the best shape possible so that they can better help improve the lives of many in the world. I hope you appreciate that too by supporting them and thinking about what they go through while you are doing your own workouts.


Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"

Also visit the Financial Success

Bench Press Monkeys & YouTube Trolls

If you want to find some fantastic and impressive bench press videos, look no further than YouTube. If you want to find some extremely jealous, critical, and pathetic commentators (also known as trolls), you also need not look further than YouTube. I've posted a few bench press videos of myself and my training partner lifting close to our personal bests over the past year or so. We lift pretty heavy weight and use pretty solid form, especially compared with some of the goons that you see on YouTube that use horrendous form or are wrapped up from head to toe (which is not "raw" powerlifting and can add up to 40% more weight to your lifts). While I am proud of the weight we've both lifted, I have never made any claim that I am the biggest and baddest bench press beast in all the land. In fact, I think barbell bench is one of the least beneficial exercises in my workout program these days.


But judging from the comments you can see on my videos, and pretty much any other bench press video out there, people like to tout their bench press achievements (real or fake) as their life's biggest accomplishment. "Whadda ya Bench?" is the big question in and out of the gym even these days. It's not worth giving these n00bs and their comments a second thought, but I do find them pretty humorous and sometimes downright sad. I always ask the critics to show me their videos of their incredible bench press accomplishments that they brag about so openly, but they never manage to materialize! Very strange...
Bench Press Goons/Apes! Coming To a Gym Near You!
Anyways, check out my videos if you'd like (On YouTube) so you can see all the ridonculous comments.





Look At Some of These Crazy Video Comments! Some are friendly but others are downright ridiculous!
"I'm 14 years old and I can bench 450 lbs for 30 reps!"
OK not that ridiculous but still, see if you can spot the trolls and kids full of it!




Great Technique!

Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"


Also visit the Startup Marketing

Opinion On Training Bench Press and Other Overhead Pressing Movements


Most physical therapists will contraindicate any overhead pressing motions such as bench press, incline bench press, and military shoulder presses. While these movements do tend to put stress on the shoulder joint, overhead pressing motions are required for many everyday activities and I think they should be done at least to an extent. If you have major shoulder pain or injury, I would minimize overhead pressing motions, or at least use light weights. Dumbbells and cables are usually preferable over barbells because they allow for more freedom of movement which can minimize joint stress. Using a Smith Machine or Nautilus-type machine for your shoulder exercises is usually the worst option and should be avoided by everyone except for elite bodybuilders. Using dumbbells or cables also prevents your stronger side from overcompensating which is very common with barbells or machines. They also require more stabilizing which involves the smaller muscles of the shoulder to be used and strengthened.

Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"


Also visit the Startup Marketing

My Opinions on Bench Press


At the gym or outside of the gym, the biggest fitness-related question most guys get asked is "How much do you bench?" I'm not sure how barbell bench press became the epitome of manliness but in high school and college I would make the most of it. I benched so often and so heavy that now I have permanent tendonitis in my right shoulder. As a method of testing upper body strength, I don't think it is that big of a deal but NCAA and pro scouts will beg to differ. Perhaps down the road, the Bench Press Max test will be phased out or regarded with less significance. 

Most physical therapists will contraindicate any overhead pressing motions such as bench press, incline bench press, and military shoulder presses. While these movements do tend to put stress on the shoulder joint, overhead pressing motions are required for many everyday activities and I think they should be done at least to an extent. If you have major shoulder pain or injury, I would minimize overhead pressing motions, or at least use light weights. Dumbbells and cables are usually preferable over barbells because they allow for more freedom of movement which can minimize joint stress. Using a Smith Machine or Nautilus-type machine for your shoulder exercises is usually the worst option and should be avoided by everyone except for elite bodybuilders. Using dumbbells or cables also prevents your stronger side from overcompensating which is very common with barbells or machines. They also require more stabilizing which involves the smaller muscles of the shoulder to be used and strengthened.

Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"

Also visit the Affordable Marketing

Squats, Deadlifting, and Back Pain


Deadlifts and squats are very popular and effective exercises for improving leg and core strength, power, and muscle size. Unfortunately, many people do them too heavy or with poor form and end up getting hurt instead of reaping the benefits. While these exercises do put stress on your back and core, I feel that they can improve your back and core strength and injury resistance if done properly. My recommendation is that deadlifts should be avoided at first until there is minimal or no pain/discomfort in the lower back and the legs and upper back are sufficiently strong. I think bodyweight squats, ball squats, or wall squats can be done no matter who you are or what ails you. Even partial squats can be beneficial and you can slowly progress slightly lower every day, week, every other week, etc. I’ve worked with dozens of people that were told they could never do any squats ever and within a few weeks they are doing dumbbell squats and wide squats like experts, pain free. Progress conservatively with deadlifts and squats when it comes to weight increases and always make proper technique and pain-free range of motion the top priority.

Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"

Also visit the Affordable Marketing

I Know Squat! Back Pain During Weighted Squats? Your Questions Answered!



Your Question

I've been having lower back pain during moderate-heavy barbell squats? What should I do?

Frugal Fitness Answer

If your lower back pain is the limiting factor then you need to address that issue before you return to weighted squats in any form. You need to strengthen your lower back muscles with lower back extensions, quadripeds, bridge exercises, etc. Start with light-moderate reps / sets / weight and gradually work your wary up. You must also strengthen your abdominal and oblique muscles for overall core strength and stability. For these abdominal exercises make sure to keep your lower back in a relatively neutral position (not too arched or too rounded) so this will not further aggravate your condition. 


Take time off from your squats and do open kinetic chain exercises instead such as leg extensions, leg curls, hip adductions / abduction machine as well as free weight dumbbell lunges, maybe a couple of bodyweight squats but that's it. The leg press machine puts your back in an unnatural position so if you are lifting too much weight or have a bad back it should be avoided or the intensity should be decreased. 

Once you have created a strong base of strength and endurance for your legs and core, the deadlift will help your lower back adapt to the stresses of the barbell squats. Progress slowly with the deadlifts keeping your back straight while also slowly progressing again with barbell squats. These exercises can be done on different days if necessary but make sure the more of these you do the more time you spend resting your back on other days. 

I am not a big fan of the Smith machine because of it's unnatural preset motion. Keep the leg press weight moderate unless your back feels perfect. Make sure to rest a lot, stretch out your lower back/abs/hip flexors/hamstrings/quads. Get enough protein and nutrients in your body so it can heal itself after these intense leg and core workouts.


Remember that, while it's important to push yourself, if you take things too far then you'll get injured and you're going to be even further from your goals for months or longer. Work out smart!



Frugal Fitness Fun For Everyone! Subscribe Today


For More Great Tips, Get My Best-Seller On Amazon:

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

Interested in more articles about frugal fitness? 

Read My Posts:

Stay Frugal & Fit My Friends!

Frugal Fitness World Wide Wellness
Free Workouts & Nutrition On A Budget
"Crushing Fitness Costs Worldwide"


Also visit the Affordable Marketing

New Frugal Finance Blog Posts & Articles