Tom MacCormick, Author at T NATION

The Body Recomposition Handbook

Tom MacCormick — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:00:03 +0000

Gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is known as body recomposition. It's a polarizing topic. Some say it's impossible. Others say it's the best way to reach your goals. Both are wrong. Why People Think Recomposition Is Impossible The author of a recent scientific review on the topic, Chris Barakat, identified the key misconception that

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Prime, Build, Strengthen: The 3-Phase Size Plan

Tom MacCormick — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 12:00:04 +0000

Here's what we already know about muscle growth: You can build muscle doing anywhere between 3-30 reps. The 6-20 range is probably where you'll get the most growth. You can't out-volume intensity. Your sets have to be hard to be effective. The sweet spot seems to be between having 4 reps in reserve (RIR) and

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Tip: The Smart Way to Train Chest at Home

Tom MacCormick — Thu, 07 May 2020 08:17:47 +0000

Using mechanical drop sets while training at home means you can build muscle with minimal equipment. They work particularly well for blasting your chest. Traditional drop sets allow you to continue training past failure by lowering the weight and doing another set of the same exercise. With mechanical drop sets, instead of dropping the weight,

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Tip: The Surefire Way to Build Biceps

Tom MacCormick — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 03:46:53 +0000

To build your biceps, like any muscle, you'll need to work them through their full contractile range. This means doing a variety of exercises that'll overload them in all positions: shortened, lengthened, and mid-range. Incline dumbbell bicep curls are what most people use for the lengthened position, which makes sense at first. Only problem is,

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Tip: You Need Inflammation to Grow

Tom MacCormick — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 04:00:35 +0000

Inflammation is fast becoming the bogeyman of the muscle-building world. In fact, it may even overtake cortisol as the frontrunner of known muscle killers. Is this reputation fair? Yes... and no. Much like cortisol, short-term spikes in inflammation can actually be very beneficial, but long-term elevations are completely undesirable. When it comes to inflammation and

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Tip: How to Fix All Your Biceps Problems

Tom MacCormick — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 02:40:55 +0000

Most guys struggle to build their biceps. This is usually because... They have crappy form. They lack stability. They're ignoring one of the functions of the biceps. Swinging the weights, leaning back, doing half-reps, and letting the shoulders take over are all common issues. Training like this might boost your ego, but it won't build

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Tip: The Missing Exercise for a Stronger Bench

Tom MacCormick — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 02:06:05 +0000

You can't fire cannons from a canoe and you can't bench press big weights from unstable shoulders. The external rotators of the shoulders are important for shoulder health. But they also play a role in stabilizing the arms during bench presses and can contribute to a stronger bench. Some guys know all this and do

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Tip: The Break-Through Pulldown

Tom MacCormick — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 05:57:59 +0000

Can't build a wide back? It's most likely because your technique sucks and you can't develop a mind-muscle connection (MMC) with the latissimus dorsi. The solution isn't to do more of what isn't working for you. Doing countless sets of crappy reps won't make up for a lack of quality. If you want to build

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Tip: The Swiss Ball Leg Curl

Tom MacCormick — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Swiss ball leg curls are also known as supine hip extension with leg curls – SHELC for short. You probably don't do these because you think they look easy. You're in for a shock when you try them! This exercise has been invaluable for a large number of my online clients. Most of them train

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Tip: The Ultimate Trap-Bar Deadlift

Tom MacCormick — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

The trap bar (or hex bar) deadlift is one of my favorite exercises. It's an incredibly effective exercise which targets the quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, lower back, forearms, and traps. Talk about bang for your buck! The trap bar deadlift is kind of a hybrid lift. Obviously, you deadlift the bar off the floor. However,

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