John Paul Catanzaro, Author at T NATION

Tip: 3 Exercises That Beat Boring Planks

John Paul Catanzaro — Sat, 08 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0000

The front plank is a popular exercise to promote core stability. Fair enough. It has some benefits and there certainly are ways to make it more difficult. The problem is, holding any static position for more than ten seconds is boring and most guys avoid doing them. There's a better option – something that's much

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Tip: The Sicilian Crunch

John Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 17:15:00 +0000

The abs are composed of primarily type-II or fast-twitch (FT) muscle fibers. That means they're best suited for heavier weight and lower-rep sets rather than excessive numbers with bodyweight alone. The Sicilian crunch is a great exercise to hit them. This exercise really taps into those FT fibers under load. During this movement, the lower

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Tip: This Type of Workout Music is Best

John Paul Catanzaro — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Research shows that the right type of music can help you manage fatigue better and improve your performance in the gym. It does so by decreasing perceived exertion, increasing blood flow and lactate clearance, reducing pain and discomfort, and allowing you to train longer and more intensely. But we don't need research to tell us

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Tip: Inverted Sit-Ups and Squats

John Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 17:15:00 +0000

Doing sit-ups on the floor or on a slant board isn't a problem for most experienced lifters, but try doing them hanging upside down using old-school inversion boots. Prepare to be humbled! Another cool exercise you can do with inversion boots is inverted squats. Instead of just bending at the hips as you would with

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Tip: High-Step Wrist Rolling

John Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:15:00 +0000

We usually train thinking of reps, but sometimes it's better to think of time under tension or TUT. Take the wrist roller exercise. Do it on a high step to maximize the distance. The weight won't have a chance to rest on the floor and you'll keep the tension constant – one of the key

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Tip: Jettison Lateral Raises

John Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 20:15:00 +0000

A lateral raise performed with bands looks like an easy exercise, but it can be challenging. As you lift your arms, the band tension gets "heavier" – a form of accommodating resistance. And overloading the top range of the lateral raise is a great way to trigger new growth. For fun, combine bands with dumbbells

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8 Injections That Heal Injuries

John Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Cortisone Injections Suck When people get injured, they often get cortisone injections. Most of us have had one at some point. But we've learned over the years that they aren't always effective, can lead to more harm than good down the road, and they hurt like hell! Thankfully, we now have many more injection options

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Tip: A New Way to Nail Your Abs

John Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 26 May 2017 15:00:00 +0000

The abs are composed of mainly fast-twitch (FT) muscle fibers. That means they're best suited for lower reps using heavier weight rather than tons of reps with just bodyweight. It's easy enough to add weight to "upper ab" exercises like crunches, but what "lower ab" movements? Try this: The Low-Pulley Knee-In In most gyms you'll

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Tip: 3 Ways to Change Up Your Chin-Up

John Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:00:00 +0000

It's a good idea to vary your chin-up grip to avoid stagnation, promote balanced strength and size development, and avoid any recurring injuries. But what happens if you only have a straight chin-up bar? Supinated, pronated, and mixed-grip chin-ups are doable, but what about neutral-grip chins (palms facing one another)? Here are three options: 1

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Tip: A Simple Trick for Better Forearms

John Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 15:00:00 +0000

High and Low-Platform Wrist Curl To take wrist curls a step further, try doing them seated on an adjustable platform, or just use two different surfaces: one high, one low. Adjusting the height of the platform can influence the overload: A high-platform position where the hips are higher than the knees will overload the contracted

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