Build More Mass and Power with Hybrid Lifts and the Workouts That Utilize Them The best lifts for building size and strength are “big” compound movements. If you want to build as much mass and power as your body is capable of, then you need to do heavy squats, heavy pulls (whether it’s deadlifts or one of the quick lifts), plenty of heavy presses (benches and overhead movements), along with some heavy curls. The more muscles that you utilize in a lift then the better the lift. This is the reason that squats, deadlifts, and the quick lifts—power cleans, snatches, and high pulls—reign supreme. Based on this, you could also argue that even better are “hybrid lifts” that combine two (or even three) movements in one lift. A classic example of this is the “full clean” done by weightlifters. As you clean the barbell, you drop into a front squat before standing up with the weight. The full clean, al...
Some Thoughts on Programming Design and Proper Technique for Learning the Major Lifts Advice for Beginners or Those New to Full-Body Workouts or Serious Strength Training Although I have covered the material below in various articles and essays, I wrote the following based on a couple of emails from new lifters that I have received the last few weeks. If you’re new to full-body workouts or need to get “back to the basics” then pay attention! When it comes to utilizing full-body workouts, I generally suggest using around 5 “big” compound lifts. If you’re trying to pack on a lot of muscle—yes, this goes for any aspiring young bodybuilders who might actually be reading this instead of scrolling through mindlessly stupid Tik Tok shorts or YouTube videos that spit out the same information ad nauseam—then this is the route you want to take. Whole body training isn’t just for strength training or for athletes, tho...