Whenever someone tells me about how shit their training has been lately in spite of them 'doing everything right', the first question I always ask is: when was the last time you had time off? Because more than often the solution is not found in better training, but simply in bringing workload down to once again match recoverability. They need a deload.

If you've been training for a while, then I'm sure you've been in a situation that went something like this: You got to the gym late, and with only about 45 minutes before closing time you're in a hurry. Naturally, you prefer to go through your whole workout, so you opt to leave out a few of your usual warmup sets to save time. Instead of first adding a couple of 10kg plates on each side like you usually do, you put on the 20kg plates straight away. Upon lifting the bar from the rack, the weight feels crazily heavy, and you're slow as hell. You finish the set, and after a minute of panic you decide to try your luck and go for the usual +5kg follow up anyway, to only find out that this one feels totally smooth and even a little easy. Sounds familiar?

Have you ever glanced at that strangely padded and handled bar lying in the corner of your gym, and wondered why the hell anyone would use it? The barbell I am referring to is called 'the safety squat bar' (SSB), deriving its name from its structure which allows you to let go of the bar while squatting - should you get stuck. The presence of its ‘pussy pad’ on the neck and shoulder portion unfortunately scares away many gym diehards, who write this barbell off as inferior. I say unfortunately, because the SSB is in many ways more brutal than a regular barbell, while adding some useful training effects to a routine.

Want to grow your muscles as big as possible? Just go for the tried and proven classic, right? 4 sets of 12 reps, four or five exercises muscle group. Most bodybuilders and #fitgirls have been doing this for years, but the question is: are you really maximizing muscle growth when training in this manner?

Well, here it is: my very first post. Writing this is something I have been wanting to do for a while now. Because after years of being in the field as a (personal) trainer and educator of trainers, I have learned that there’s only one thing that I like more than training itself: talking about training. So with this blog I've found another way of doing just that. Yes!

You’ve just finished your last six week training cycle; results were fantastic, but the gain train has slowed to a halt. What’s next? Go online and find another fancy training routine? Just switch things up a little?