Should Powerlifters Train Triple Extension?
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Should Powerlifters Train Triple Extension?

Triple extension—the explosive extension of the hips, knees, and ankles—isn’t just for Olympic lifters. It’s a foundational movement pattern that builds power, improves bar speed, and enhances force production in strength athletes. For powerlifters and strongmen, training triple extension through exercises like speed squats, power shrugs, and plyometrics can improve performance in squats and deadlifts while also preventing plateaus at sticking points. Whether you’re throwing a med ball or jumping from a seated position, developing this explosive coordination can elevate your strength game. If you want to move weight faster and more efficiently, triple extension needs to be in your program.

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How to Prepare for Your First Strongman Competition
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

How to Prepare for Your First Strongman Competition

Preparing for your first strongman competition isn’t just about brute strength—it’s about building a strategy. In this guide, we break down a 16-week plan that evolves through hypertrophy, strength, power, and peaking phases to get you physically and mentally ready. You’ll learn how to structure your compound lifts, layer in specific event training, and develop the grip, overhead, pulling, loading, and carrying capacity needed to dominate. Whether the events are announced or not, we give you a blueprint to stay adaptable and train with purpose. This is the playbook every first-time strongman competitor needs to succeed on game day.

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Top 3 Ways to Build Muscle Faster: A Deep Dive into Science-Backed Training Strategies
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Top 3 Ways to Build Muscle Faster: A Deep Dive into Science-Backed Training Strategies

Building muscle doesn’t have to feel like decoding ancient hieroglyphs while blindfolded. Tired of conflicting advice from every corner of the internet? We’ve got you covered. This blog cuts through the B.S. and dives deep into three science-backed strategies that actually work: mastering your exercise order, optimizing rest intervals, and training to failure. No gimmicks, no fluff—just real tools to accelerate your muscle growth and turn those workouts into visible results. Whether you’re a seasoned lifter or just getting started, these techniques can help you train smarter, recover better, and grow faster. Ready to level up? Let’s get after it.

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What's the Best Rep Range for Building Muscle?
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

What's the Best Rep Range for Building Muscle?

Many people think building muscle comes down to finding the perfect rep range—usually 10-12 or 15-20 reps. But the truth is, muscle doesn’t care about numbers—it responds to effort, fatigue, and progressive overload. You can build muscle using low, moderate, or high reps as long as you challenge the muscle close to failure. Instead of locking yourself into one "hypertrophy zone," smart lifters use different rep ranges over time, adjusting loads and reps strategically. This keeps progress moving forward, prevents plateaus, and maximizes growth by challenging muscles through multiple pathways like mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscular fatigue.

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The Case for Top Sets and Backoff Sets in Modern Strength Training
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

The Case for Top Sets and Backoff Sets in Modern Strength Training

Straight sets have long been the default in strength training—simple, structured, and easy to program. But as lifters progress beyond the beginner phase, rigid schemes like 4x8 can limit growth and ignore day-to-day fluctuations in performance. That’s where top sets and backoff sets come in. This autoregulated approach adapts to your current capacity, allowing you to push hard when you’re ready and scale back when needed—without sacrificing progress. In this article, we’ll explore the science and practicality behind this method, and why serious lifters should reconsider relying solely on cookie-cutter straight sets for long-term strength development.

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Squats Over Everything: The Ruthless Truth About Building Real Legs
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Squats Over Everything: The Ruthless Truth About Building Real Legs

If leg day doesn’t include the back squat, it’s just cosplay. Machines have their place, but they don’t build real power. The barbell back squat is the king of leg development—commanding quads, glutes, hamstrings, and your soul. It exposes weakness and demands strength. It’s not about chasing a pump—it’s about forging an unbreakable lower body. Whether you want size, power, athleticism, or dominance, it starts under the bar. This blog isn’t just about squats—it’s a battle cry for those ready to train with purpose. Bow to the king—or get out of the way.

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Squat vs. Deadlift: Which Lift is the Toughest?
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Squat vs. Deadlift: Which Lift is the Toughest?

The squat and deadlift are two of the most challenging lifts in strength training, but which one is truly the toughest? The squat is a two-phased movement requiring both control and power, while the deadlift demands raw strength to lift a motionless weight from the floor. The squat is riskier due to its technical demands, but the deadlift engages more muscles and places greater strain on the nervous system. Ultimately, both are incredibly tough, but if danger defines toughness, the squat wins. If sheer force and total-body effort define it, the deadlift reigns supreme. Which do you find tougher?

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Ready for More Muscle? FOCUS ON YOUR COMPOUND LIFTS!
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Ready for More Muscle? FOCUS ON YOUR COMPOUND LIFTS!

If you want to build muscle mass efficiently, prioritizing compound movements is the way to go. These multi-joint exercises recruit multiple muscle groups, increasing metabolic demand and imposing fatigue that drives hypertrophy. While isolation exercises have their place, they simply don't create the same systemic stress needed for rapid muscle growth. A big deadlift leads to a big back, but having a big back doesn’t necessarily mean you have a strong deadlift. By focusing on compound lifts as the catalyst for your workouts, you’ll maximize muscle recruitment, build overall strength, and hit your goals much faster.

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Why Strongman and Powerlifting Competitions Are the Best Ways to Get Stronger
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Why Strongman and Powerlifting Competitions Are the Best Ways to Get Stronger

Strength isn’t optional—it’s essential. Without it, daily life becomes harder, injuries become more frequent, and longevity suffers. Strongman and powerlifting competitions provide the best path to true strength by pushing people beyond their limits, developing raw power, and reinforcing mental toughness. These sports build full-body strength, improve resilience, and foster a supportive community. Training for competition ensures structured progress, making it easier to measure gains and stay motivated. Whether lifting heavy loads in powerlifting or carrying odd objects in strongman, structured strength training is the key to a healthier, more capable life. Strength isn’t a choice—it’s a necessity.

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Creatine vs. Caffeine: What Will Actually Make You Stronger?
Joseph Lucero Joseph Lucero

Creatine vs. Caffeine: What Will Actually Make You Stronger?

Creatine is often hailed as a strength-boosting supplement, but in reality, it enhances muscular endurance rather than providing immediate strength gains. By replenishing ATP stores, creatine helps sustain high-intensity efforts, leading to long-term muscle growth. However, if you're looking for an instant strength boost, caffeine is the real game-changer. As a central nervous system stimulant, caffeine increases neural drive, enhances muscle contractions, and improves power output within minutes. While creatine supports endurance and recovery over time, caffeine delivers immediate strength benefits. For optimal performance, use creatine daily for long-term gains and caffeine pre-workout for a powerful strength surge.

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