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Don't Skip Leg Day
When it comes to getting stronger and staying capable as you age, training your legs is non-negotiable. Strong legs support everything—your posture, balance, and ability to move with power and confidence. Whether you're chasing your kids, mowing the lawn, or hiking on the weekend, leg strength plays a big role in how good you feel doing it.

Jordan Van Dyk
Jul 162 min read
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Three Accessory Lifts For Building A Bigger Chest and Bigger Arms
In the world of strength training, the Bench Press is often the first lift men seek out, with the main goal of building a broader, bigger chest and veiny, defined arms. Once this has inevitable tapered and even plateaued, there are a few options that can offer you the most 'bang for your buck' to get you to the next level. Those three lifts are the Decline Close-Grip Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, and Weighted Dips.

Jordan Van Dyk
Jun 253 min read
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Strength As A Skill: Hitting A One-Rep Max
Let's set the scene: The bar is loaded, the clips are on, the music is cranked to the right volume and peak time of the song. Caffeine has

Jordan Van Dyk
Mar 195 min read
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Starting Strength Rejects, Part 2: Exploring Strength development Using Non-Traditional Exercises
Once you move beyond the novice phase of strength training, programming becomes more of an art. Many lifters work through Practical Programm

Jordan Van Dyk
Mar 35 min read
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Making Time: Unconventional Ways to Make The 4-Day Training Split Work For You
After a lifter's NLP is completed, the next logical step for many people is the Intermediate 4-day training split. This split is typically d

Jordan Van Dyk
Nov 14, 20242 min read
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Keeping It Simple: Basic Strength Training with Big Results
Programming for strength training doesn't have to be complex. I was reminded of this essential understanding recently in my own training

Jordan Van Dyk
Oct 28, 20242 min read
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The Do's and Don'ts: Recovering from your Workout
In the realm of athletic performance, the recovery phase is often the unsung hero that can make or break an athlete's journey towards greatn

Jordan Van Dyk
Oct 4, 20243 min read
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Setting Up The 4-Day Lifting Split
The 4-Day lifting split is among the most popular splits for people looking to get strong, and for good reason. It provides excellent flexi

Jordan Van Dyk
Aug 11, 20244 min read
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Building Around the Bench Press: Incline Press, Dips and Other Important Upper Body lifts
At some point, like all main lifts, the Bench Press is greatly aided by assistance exercises. This is due to the Law of Diminishing Returns

Jordan Van Dyk
Jun 30, 20244 min read
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Optimizing Your Workout Based on Different Times of Day
For years, I was a member of the unofficial "5AM crew" at my local YMCA, then when I had 24/7 access at two other gyms, a member of the 4 AM

Jordan Van Dyk
Jun 17, 20245 min read
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The Cardiovascular Benefits of Strength Training
When we think of cardiovascular health, activities like running, cycling, or swimming often come to mind. However, strength training...

Jordan Van Dyk
Jun 4, 20243 min read
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Building Muscle Without Gaining Fat
The challenge lies in consuming enough calories to support muscle growth without excessive caloric intake that leads to fat accumulation.

Jordan Van Dyk
Jun 3, 20244 min read
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Powerlifting Meets - What To Expect
Occasionally, a trainee will be so bitten by the Iron bug that they will decide to dip their toe into the world of competition.

Jordan Van Dyk
May 15, 20244 min read
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5 Ways To Balance Training With Being a Parent
Navigating some of the new circumstances of life have brought me great joy. Here are 5 ways to balance training with being a parent:

Jordan Van Dyk
May 6, 20244 min read
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Beginner To Intermediate Programming: General to specific
The principles of programming dictate that over time, a person's program should go from general to specific. What this means in simple terms

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 29, 20242 min read
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"How Many Days a Week Should I Work Out?"
One day a week? Probably not enough.
Two days a week? Can be okay in the right situation, and can lead to decent gains.
Three? Now we're...

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 25, 20242 min read
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Friday Five: Most Influential Books In My Life
This book inspired me in ways that you might not inspect. What stuck out to me was the level of detail and true scholarship that...

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 19, 20245 min read
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Living to 100: Iron Habits To Get You There (Maybe)
I told my wife she has to outlive me, so she better plan for 101 years! Jokes aside, I do hope to live for 100 years. It has been a...

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 18, 20243 min read
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Friday Five: The Best (Essential) Gym Bag Accessories
It is rare that anything you put on your body can be called essential, but there are a few gym accessories that will support your...

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 12, 20243 min read
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How to Master the Overhead Press: Top 5 Cues
As you throw your hips forward, you create a backwards lean in your upper body. At this angle, throwing the bar in a straight vertical line

Jordan Van Dyk
Apr 9, 20242 min read
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