Articles and Links

By Bret, January 21, 2010 12:13 am

39 Responses to “Articles and Links”

  1. Ryan Wilkins says:
    March 12, 2010 at 4:22 am

    Hello Bret!

    My name is Ryan Wilkins and I work for POM Wonderful out in Los Angeles. I came across your blog recently and thoroughly enjoyed looking through it, as I’m trying to get into a healthier lifestyle myself.

    I wanted to get into contact with you because I’d love to send you a case of our 100% pure pomegranate juice. I thought it might be something you’d be interested in, especially because of all the great things you can make with it!

    If you’d like to give it a shot, feel free to get back to me with your address, and I’ll get a case out to you ASAP!

    All the best, have a great day!
    Ryan Wilkins
    rwilkins@pomwonderful.com

    Reply
  2. How I Saved $527 From Perform Better « Bret's Blog says:
    April 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    [...] Articles and Links [...]

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  3. How I Saved $527 From Perform Better « Bret's Blog says:
    April 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    [...] Articles and Links [...]

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  4. How I Saved $527 From Perform Better « Bret's Blog says:
    April 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    [...] Articles and Links [...]

    Reply
  5. How I Saved $527 From Perform Better « Bret's Blog says:
    April 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    [...] Articles and Links [...]

    Reply
  6. How I Saved $527 From Perform Better « Bret's Blog says:
    April 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    [...] Articles and Links [...]

    Reply
  7. Ryan Littleton says:
    May 26, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Bret,

    Hey! I am a avid lifter in Phoenix, AZ and I am trying to find a good gym that is not too crowed and has all the equipment I need to do all my favorite T-Nation workouts! I would love to have a bada$$ home gym like you but that is just not in the works right now. Any help you could give me would be great, thanks.

    Ryan

    Reply
  8. Jay says:
    June 5, 2010 at 2:19 am

    Bret,

    I’ve been into fitness a long time and have researched much over the years. I am grateful for your honest and intelligent expertise helping to dispell much of the ignorance you find out there.

    I am wondering if sometime you might write (perhaps you have and I just haven’t seen it yet) on exercising for good posture…especially as to correcting posterior pelvic tilt.

    Thanks,

    Jay

    Reply
  9. Denise Dresser says:
    August 10, 2010 at 8:21 am

    Love your information!

    Reply
  10. grace says:
    August 23, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    Can you provide info on ordering your book please include price and where I should send check . Thank you Grace

    Reply
  11. Tammy says:
    September 12, 2010 at 3:02 am

    Hi , not sure if this web is still active… But I have a question. I am just over 40 , a women with a slim phsisique I maye be 10 pounds heavier than I like. at 115 at 5 foot 4 . I used to have a real nice butt but for the last 4 years or so it has gotten flabby and no muscle and cheesy looking not to mention no longer heart shaped.. lol I am trying to see if you have a video for sale or dirctions on how to build my own glute excersise machines. Also when does one sqeeze the glutes , I keep hearing I must squeeze them as i work but is it on the up motion or down motion or throughout.

    Thanks so much from Tammy , someone desperatly trying to get her butt back at least for another 5 years.. lol

    Reply
    • Bret Contreras says:
      September 13, 2010 at 2:56 pm

      Tammy, I have a glute eBook that I sell (www.TheGluteGuy.com) and I have tons of free info on this blog. Click on the “glute training” tab and you’ll find plenty of blogposts written on the glutes. Squeeze the glutes during the up motion, but you also use them during the down motion eccentrically. One of these days I’ll make a video. Good luck!

      Reply
  12. Omar says:
    September 15, 2010 at 1:34 pm

    Bret,

    The T-Mag link to your article on the best leg, glute and calf exercises links to an article on density training. I’ve tried searching for it manually with no luck. Please could you update the link when you get time?

    Thanks,

    Omar

    Reply
    • Bret Contreras says:
      September 15, 2010 at 1:47 pm

      Omar, at the time the article was posted T-Nation was releasing five articles or so at a time. If you arrive at the density article, just lick on the tab to the right of it which is my article. Or, you can type into Google, “inside the muscles best leg exercises” and it should pop up first item. Let me know if either of those works! -Bret

      Reply
  13. Reza says:
    October 20, 2010 at 11:28 pm

    Bret,
    Great site- I esp liked the training tips for the squat and deadlift- very informative.
    I coach a H.S water polo team and we lift in the pre season- this is something the guys will all watch this year before we begin.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  14. Lorraine says:
    January 8, 2011 at 9:54 am

    Brett,

    Unfortunately I have an anatomical Anterior pelvic tilt and “small” acetabulums that limited by true hip extension to <10 degrees (without lumbar extension compensation). In addition, I have DJD in both my knees with minimal cartilage remaining. I have had the hardest time developing my legs and glutes due to this limitations. Do you have any recommendations on how to gain development despite these anatomical (NOT functional) limitations?

    I would be forever indebted to you if you could finally give me the glutes and legs I have always dreamed about!!!

    A little about me: I'm 33, 5'2", a fitness fanatic and have been training for the greater part of 10 years. I also have a Doctorate in Physical Therapy so Biomechanical information does not get lost on me!! HAHA!!

    HELP!!!
    Sincerely,
    Lorraine

    Reply
    • Bret says:
      January 8, 2011 at 5:43 pm

      Lorraine – all I can say is to keep experimenting. There are rules, but rules were made to be broken. I “fixed” a guy’s back before (he was gonna have surgery and had been to a PT, an MD, and a chiro) just by getting him strong. We started out with simple stuff and moved up the progresssions. I “fixed” a guy’s shoulder before by just getting him strong – and we did neutral grip db overhead pressing (which all his prior coaches wouldn’t let him do). All I do is test stuff out and see how the athlete feels the following day, and if stuff appears to be working I keep it in. If not I ditch it. If I was your trainer I know that through experimentation I could find exercises that caused you to feel the hammies, quads, and glutes working very well. I’d have you get much stronger on those movements. I’d help you develop a better mind-muscle connection with the glutes and over time you’d know how to use them better and how much ROM to use at the hips so you don’t compensate at the spine. It just takes practice and persistence. Every client is unique and every path is different. We would discover a program that works for you – unique exercises, unique technique/mechanics, unique volume/frequency/intensity, etc. Perhaps there are squat/lunge patterns that you can do with shallow ROM’s to strengthen the knee joint. There are probably plenty of great hamstring exercises you can do to protect the knees and give you structural balance. You can probably do bridges/hip thrusts with focus on lumbopelvic mechanics and you could get very strong at them. Maybe you respond best by not going near failure and doing more volume and frequency to make up for the lack of intensity. Who knows? Just keep experimenting.

      Reply
      • Lorraine says:
        January 9, 2011 at 7:14 pm

        Thanks Bret,

        Just wish that I lived near you so I could schedule some training time with you. I’ll keep at it, trial and error style. I definitely plan to work on the hip thrusts with strict form and maybe try going heavier for decreased reps for a bit. Of course closely watching my form.

        Thank again,

        Lorraine

        Reply
  15. Rick says:
    January 10, 2011 at 7:27 am

    Bret

    Just saw this on Tim Farris blog on glutes. thought you might like it.
    http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/

    Also, I was wondering if you were going to comment on Smitty’s variation for glute bridges/hip thrusts from last week.

    Reply
    • Bret says:
      January 13, 2011 at 2:49 pm

      Hey Rick, yeah I made the exact same tool for heavy swings. I don’t like it as much as the KB’s though. I saw Smitty’s variation and was going to test the EMG but there was a problem with the unit I rented. I suspect that Smitty’s version does indeed lead to higher activation. Of course, loading is more conducive to the standard version, but Smitty’s idea is very interesting.

      Reply
  16. Brian says:
    January 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    Hi Brett,
    Thank you for all of your articles. The ones I’ve been able to find have been very helpful. Can you point me towards any resources about quadriceps training? It was helpful to have the various glute and hamstring functions laid out and then exercises listed to cover each (t-nation articles) and I was wondering if something similar might exist for quads. Also, have you written anything about high bar vs. low bar squats? I’m really at a loss as to which to use when and whether if training with pl squats and deadlifts, bulgarian split squats and the like can suffice for quads. Thanks again for all of the great articles!

    Brian

    Reply
  17. Lee Michaels says:
    January 27, 2011 at 9:15 am

    I hope this is the place to send you a question. I couldn’t find any place else.

    On your old websire, you had a great list of blogs of various trainers, etc. I can’t find it anywhere on your present site. Can you make this available again? I would at least like a copy of it. There was some good sites there and I had not sampled all of the either.

    Thanks,

    Lee

    Reply
    • Bret says:
      January 29, 2011 at 7:04 pm

      Hey Lee,

      You’re the third person who has asked this. I didn’t realize so many people found the blogroll useful. I didn’t transfer it over to my new site and frankly I don’t know how to go back to the old site as it’s automatically transfered over. Rearick Strength has a bunch of links, hope this helps you: http://www.rearickstrength.com/

      Sorry,

      Bret

      Reply
  18. elliott says:
    February 5, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Is this what the previous poster is referring to?

    http://bretcontreras.com/2010/04/how-i-learn

    Reply
  19. Kareem says:
    February 24, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Hi Brett,

    I just read your assistance exercises for the bench, squat and deadlift article. In the first paragraph, you mention 98% of lifters would be better off doing just the big three for a few months.

    Well, I was wondering if you had any advice on how to program such a routine. I think I fall into one of those people and am definitely open to trying it.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Ari says:
    February 24, 2011 at 6:13 pm

    Hi Brett,

    First I want to say I love your articles, knowledge, expertise and passion you have for the strength and conditioning field. I have learned a tremendous amount from reading all your “stuff” and have a ton of respect for you as a fitness professional, coach, educator and researcher. That being said, I have a loaded question for you. I know how excellent you are with presenting research on various topics within strength and conditioning and need some of your help with a topic. I would like to know if you have any up to date research on the long standing debate on the free weights versus machines argument? I am currently working in a high school where the whole weight room is stacked with machines. The bulk of the strength program has a huge emphasis on the use of machines. There is also practically no single leg lifts incorporated in the program which is a topic for another day. So, can you help provide any research on this topic? Pros and Cons? I would love to get your insight and expertise on this topic. Any help you could provide would be awesome. Thanks so much for your willingness to help and best of luck with your PhD program!

    Ari

    Reply
    • Bret says:
      February 24, 2011 at 11:54 pm

      Ari – I’m fascinated by this topic and wish that I could do my PhD on the subject. I want to answer you here but I think it would best be done in a separate blogpost. Maybe an ABC post in the near future…

      And there is not much research on the topic as far as experimental studies go. Thanks!

      Reply
  21. harish shetty says:
    March 9, 2011 at 2:53 am

    Bret

    You are doing a fantastic job by helping the community with your knowledge.

    I have bothered you n’ number of times with my problems and you always helped me..

    Bret why dont u write a blog on periodization, i think this is needed the most.how does one go about his major lift ( deadlift /squats or anything ). how long should be the cycle, what should be done from one cycle to another .

    Thank you so much Bret.

    Reply
  22. Kaushik says:
    July 5, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    Hi Brett,

    I am Kaushik Talukdar and over the years I have completed my Bachelor’s in Sport and Recreation majoring in Exercise and Sports science from AUT NZ.I have interected with you once at Strengthcoach.com before you arrived in New Zealand.I have followed your work through strength coach and T-nation and have huge respect as I could learn so much out of your work. I would be realy obliged if I could catch up with you sometime so that I could get a little guidence in terms of work and my studies. I am currently working as a strength and Conditioning specialist and Personal Trainer and working towards my post graduation in the near future

    Reply
  23. Phil says:
    August 19, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    Brett,

    Have had four right ankle surgeries over 23 years. need MACI surgery for right ankle. Have -5 degrees in dorsi flexion which obviously has great impact on ability to squat. Can front squat up to 80kgs but lack of DF is limiting. On positive side of things those hip thrusters are the best things ever. I need hip replacement due to ankle problems and within 6 weeks I am thrusting 120kgs. Have an ass for the first time in my life (well one that is attached to me). In the interest of rebuilding my lower body but with the limitation of dorsi flexion how would you approach squatting.

    Reply
  24. Fighter4Hire.com says:
    September 11, 2011 at 4:56 am

    Hi Bret,

    I own a company called Fighter4Hire. We have a mixed martial arts social network website, Fighter4Hire.com. We are seeking professional trainers to contribute training articles and videos based on the high level of training for a mixed martial artist. All articles are author credited along with links back to the author’s website. These articles can be past articles or new current articles that you are posting on your own site. You can submit articles monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly due to we are very flexible on your contribution.

    If you are interested in gaining more exposure to your name and brand then please send your articles to fitness@fighter4hire.com. We also offer free member profiles for trainers. With your free profile you can input your company logo, contact information with URL, pictures and videos. If you have any questions, please contact me at daryle@fighter4hire.com.

    Best Wishes,

    Daryle Burkey

    Fight4Hire.com

    Reply
  25. Lee Michaels says:
    October 14, 2011 at 4:34 am

    Bret,

    I wanted to comment on the Nick Holt video. I was very impressed by that hip thrust bench he was using. It had a curved front, not that different from the round benches of old. Round benches were quite common in gyms 100 years ago. I have built a number of these round benches for general flexibilty, upper body work and pullovers.

    This looks very similar to what I have built. It is wider, goes to the floor and is flat on top. But easy enough to build. Looks comfy and just right for hip thrusts. When I get some time this winter, I think I will build one. Thanks for the informative blog and a great idea for new gym project.

    Lee

    Reply
  26. Lee Michaels says:
    October 14, 2011 at 4:54 am

    Bret,

    Correction to the previous post. That should have been Nick Horton. (I know a Nick Holt) I probably transposed one name for the other. Sorry about that. Feel free to make the necessary correction.

    Lee

    Reply
  27. Elliot says:
    May 14, 2012 at 9:44 am

    Hey Brett,
    I only have access to back raises. Are back raises a good substitute for reverse hypers and hip thrusts?

    Reply

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