Subscribers will receive THREE free pdf books. One containing three articles from GUS (for portable convenience): Strength Training with Single, Double, and Triple Progression, The Singles Scene, and Strength Consolidation plus nine pages of bonus material designed to help break out of the bodybuilding/fitness mentality and get you started developing maximal strength.
The second is over 30 pages concerning the overhead squat and related issues with information on motor learning schema, perceptual schema and more including some critical appraisal of the so called “overhead squat test” a.ka. deep squat test.
The third, Strength Training and Bodybuilding: How Different are They?, explores the idea that strength training and hypertrophy are “the same” and how strength training has been sold to a bodybuilding audience using ideas that are more propaganda than physical fact. The book explains many crucial strength training concepts and theories such as the force velocity relationship, the explosive strength deficit, median intensity, neural components of strength development and more.
More than just a “news” update with links to new posts and articles (although it has that) the Ground Up Strength Newsletter is an actual letter. We take pains to deliver exclusive content, tips, and more with each new letter. Plus of course free original eBooks which now total three and altogether provide around 100 PDF pages of free strength training information!
4-Point Thoracic Mobilization
Use this thoracic mobility drill as one part of a general mobility routine. It combines thoracic rotation with thoracic flexion and is done from a sitting position.
For full exercise instructions see 4-Point Thoracic Mobilization at Ground Up Strength.
Anatomical Direction Terms: A Glossary and Reference
In anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology, etc., anatomical direction terms are words like distal, proximal, lateral, and medial.
These terms are widespread many texts concerning anatomy, human movement or athletic performance. The following article provides an explanation for the many directional terms including definitions and examples:
How Muscles Are Named
This article describes the underlying process for naming human skeletal muscles and the meaning of the various terms that are used in naming muscles. Incuded are Latin and Greek word roots that signal location, action, orientation, etc.
Extensor Digitorum Muscle: Location, Actions, and Trigger Points – Ground Up Strength
The extensor digitorum, also called the extensor digitorum communis, l
ocated in the extensor compartment of the dorsal forearm, extends the middle three fingers and weakly extends the wrist. Trigger point in this muscle can send pain to the back of the hand, fingers, elbow, and the volar wrist (inside part of the wrist) depending on the specific extrensor fibers the TrP is located in. Read more about the location, actions, origin, instertion, and trigger point syndromes of this extrinsic grip muscle:
Extensor Digitorum Muscle: Location, Actions, and Trigger Points – Ground Up Strength.
Dystonia Explanation
Dystonia is a disorder of movement which causes involuntary twisting actions, other repetitive movements or abnormal postures. These can be brought on by sustained muscle contractions or spasms and may be painful, affecting a single muscle or group of muscles. Dystonias can occur in the arms, legs, neck, face, or all over the body. Dystonias that affect specific area are called focal dystonias. These conditions affect over 300, 000 people in the U.S.
In dystonia, the neurological mechanism which helps muscles to relax does not function properly resulting in muscles contracting even when they are not in use. Read on…
Cheap DIY Medicine Ball
By Matt Wiggins
By now you probably know that med balls are a great tool to use in your workouts. You can do complex training, make bodyweight calisthenics harder, complete intense cardio workouts, and even build awesome athletes with them. So time to get a med ball, right?
Holy cow they can be expensive. And there’s a ton to choose from. Regular sized ones (like a basketball). Big ones (like a beach ball). Little ones (like a softball). Ones that bounce. Ones that don’t bounce. Light ones (2-3 pounds). Regular weight ones (~10 pounds). Super heavy ones (40-60+ pounds).
And the price – holy cow. How can a freakin’ ball cost in the hundreds of dollars?
Well, let’s forget all that and just build our own. Read on…
How to Build Your Own Medicine Ball Out of Scraps, Sand, and Duct Tape
Homemade Sandbag for Strength Training
By Dave Lemanczyk
The first step is to get the sand for your project. The perfect sandbag is like the perfect house; it must have a sturdy foundation in order to stand the test of time. Your sandbag will consist of mason sand and these bags are found at any home improvement store. You can buy them in fifty pound bags for no more than four dollars each. For starters, I personally recommend you buying three, fifty pound bags of mason sand. Next, you need to find, acquire, or buy a military duffel bag. Read on…
Homemade Slosh Pipe for Strength Training
Joe Hashey gives instructions on how to make your own adjustable slosh pipe for lifting. Read on…
Lupus Explanation
The first thing to know about Lupus is that it is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the very tissues it is supposed to protect. This leads to inflammation and damage to various body tissues. There are many different autoimmune diseases and they can affect almost any part of the body, including the heart, brain, nerves, muscles, skin, eyes, joints, lungs, kidneys, glands, the digestive tract, and blood vessels. Lupus is one of the most common of these diseases.
Although we understand the pathogenesis of lupus, and other autoimmune diseases better than ever before, the specific causes of lupus are still unknown. Read on…
Ankylosing Spondylitis Explanation
Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of progressive arthritis of the spine which caused by inflammation of the spinal joints. The word “ankylosing” comes from the Greek word ankylos, meaning stiffening of a joint and the word “spondylitis” comes from spondylo which means vertebra. Spondylitis is a general term for inflammation of the spine, its vertebra or other tissues.
Ankylosing spondylitis is part of a larger group of disorders called seronegative spondyloarthropathies, which involve a patient testing negative for a certain antibody called rheumatoid factor. Spondyloarthropathies are a family of similar diseases that usually cause joint and spine inflammation. Among these are chronic reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, the arthritis of inflammatory bowel disease, and enthesitis-related idiopathic juvenile arthritis. These disorders are all very similar but they each have certain distinguishing characteristics.
The primary distinguishing mark of ankylosing spondylitis is sacroiliitis, or inflammation of the sacroiliac (SI) joints, where the spine joins the pelvis. Read on…
Ankylosing Spondylitis: Explanation, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
