Fitness & Nutrition Resources

Powerlifting is a popular strength sport that involves the squat, bench press, and deadlift at a maximal effort for 1 repetition. Unlike bodybuilding, powerlifting is an objective sport; you either complete the lift or don’t.

However, judges subjectively decide whether you execute the lift properly based on set standards. A critical component of the sport’s standards is the powerlifting commands which are specific to each of the three lifts.

The judges are responsible for giving you the command and ensuring you follow them correctly. This article will cover the powerlifting commands for the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Learning and practicing the commands is critical to a successful meet prep. Keep reading to find out more!

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After Laurel Hubbard made history by becoming the first openly transgender athlete to ever compete in an Olympic weightlifting event, the spotlight on trans lifters has intensified. 

Since 2003, when the first policy for transgender athletes at the Olympic level was introduced and  more than 63,000 athletes have taken part in the Games. However, of that 63,000 Olympians, only two have been trans, and only one has won a medal. 

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Hex bars, aka trap bars, are becoming more widely used. Popular hex bar exercises include hex or trap bar deadlifts and hex bar shrugs. 

But how much does a hex bar weigh? Accurately tracking your weights is essential for progressive overload, especially if your goal is hypertrophy. But without knowing the hex bar weight before adding weight plates, it is hard to precisely track weights over time. 

Unfortunately, the weight of a hex bar (or trap bar) differs between various makes and models. Your gym’s brand and type of hex bar will determine its weight. 

We’ll review some of the most commonly used hex bars and describe how much they weigh, so you can more accurately track your lifts in the gym.

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Pre-workout supplements are extremely popular in the sports nutrition industry. The vast majority of people that are serious about training use some form of pre-workout. Not to mention, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-workouts to choose from. A good pre-workout supplement increases energy, focus, endurance, and power, so it’s no surprise that pre-workouts are so attractive.

Some gym-goers rely so heavily on pre-workout that they won’t even train if they don’t take pre-workout. Despite the fancy marketing claims and social media ads, pre-workout supplements aren’t essential. And it may not be a good idea to take a pre-workout every time you step foot in the gym.

So how much pre-workout should you take?

In this article, we will explore that question in-depth and provide you with some things to watch out for when buying pre-workouts.

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Creatine and caffeine are two of the sports nutrition industry’s most studied, effective, and popular dietary supplements. However, there are many misconceptions about these two ingredients, which confuses consumers about what to take, when to take them, and their benefits.

Not to mention, creatine and caffeine are often combined within supplement products, such as a pre-workout. This article will cover the key differences between creatine and caffeine and answer the commonly asked question, “does creatine have caffeine?”

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Bodybuilders looking for a boost have been chewing on gummy bears for years as they’re sweetened with corn syrup and dextrose. Both these ingredients are fast-absorbing carbohydrates, so they’re utilized by the muscles far quicker than any food that needs to get broken down by the digestive process. 

But there’s a new type of gummy that’s been making waves in the fitness and athletic world. Pre-workout gummies, weight loss gummies, keto gummies, CBD gummies and gummies that give you even more extra energy are flooding the market as brands like USN capitalize on their popularity.

Take a look at how gummies are changing workouts and exercise regimes and how the market for these chewables is on the rise.

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Pre-workout is growing in popularity. One study estimates that 30% of young adults take an energizing pre-workout supplement, making them the second most popular supplement behind multivitamins. 

Pre-workout gives you more energy for your workouts, improves your anaerobic peak, and boosts power output. Some lifters rely on their pre-workout supplement to break through fatigue and plateaus and keep progressing in the gym.

But what about when you travel by plane? Can you bring pre-workout with you? What are the restrictions? Should you pack pre-workout in your carry-on bag or your checked luggage? How should you declare your pre-workout, so it makes it through customs?

We’ll review the rules for taking pre-workout on a plane to ensure your pre-workout supplement doesn’t get dumped out before you board.

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Creatine is among the most popular and well-researched supplements used by resistance training athletes. Creatine supplementation increases strength, improves performance, and boosts muscle mass, but only if done correctly. 

Creatine is stored in the muscle cells and produces fresh adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supplies to fuel intense workouts. Taking creatine reduces recovery time and prevents exercise-related injuries.

Unfortunately, creatine monohydrate does not start working immediately. It needs time to accumulate in your muscles, saturating them with creatine stores for use during intense exercise. 

So, how long after starting creatine supplementation will you begin to see results? 

You can accelerate the effects of creatine monohydrate by doing a creatine loading phase. Creatine loading involves taking a higher dose (usually between 7 and 20 grams) for the first week, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 – 5 grams of creatine per day.

We’ll go over creatine loading in more detail and share tips for helping you get the most out of your creatine supplements. 

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If you currently take a creatine supplement, you may wonder what happens when you stop taking it. Creatine supplementation increases physical performance, reduces fatigue, and increases muscle mass. These benefits emerge once the muscles become saturated with creatine. 

When you stop taking creatine, the creatine in your blood serum and your muscle cells gradually return to their baseline levels. Without creatine supplements, most people’s creatine stores remain about 60-80% full. 

When you stop taking creatine, you may notice some of the following side effects:

• Less energy in your muscles
• Reduced water weight (shown as scale weight loss)
• Feeling fatigued more quickly during intense exercise
• Muscles appear smaller due to less water retention
• Perceived loss of muscle strength, or greater effort required to match your previous intensity
• Brain fog or less mental focus

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Pre-workout supplements offer several benefits, such as increased energy, enhanced focus, bigger pumps, and better exercise performance. The pre-workout category dominates the sports nutrition industry as one of the most popular and saturated categories.

Nearly every supplement company offers at least one and several types of pre-workout supplements. Pre-workouts are usually categorized by their stimulant content, such as high-stim, moderate-stim, low-stim, and non-stim.

Those new to pre-workout supplements tend to buy based on price, marketing tactics, and flavor. However, it’s crucial to look at the pre-workout formula to see if there are any ingredients that may cause unwanted side effects.

A common side effect of taking a pre-workout supplement, especially stimulant-based pre-workouts, is making you poop. You may also notice a similar effect after drinking a cup of coffee. But why is this the case? This article will cover why pre-workout increases the urge to go to the bathroom and what ingredients prompt it!

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Pre-workout supplements are one of the most popular products in the sports nutrition industry. They often contain ingredients that increase physical performance, such as strength, power, endurance, and stamina. However, they also contain various ingredients that improve mental performance.

Common pre-workout ingredients, like caffeine, alpha-GPC, tyrosine, huperzine A, Lion’s mane, Neurofactor®, creatine monohydrate, and choline bitartrate, increase energy, focus, alertness, concentration, and other cognitive functions. Not to mention, creatine monohydrate supplementation has been shown to improve memory, intelligence, and reasoning, while reducing mental fatigue.[1]

Beyond the athletic and mental benefits of the pre-workouts, they are also advantageous because they are tasty, convenient, and more affordable than buying an energy drink or overpriced espresso from your local coffee shop.

If you analyzed the benefits of each ingredient in most pre-workouts, you would quickly realize that pre-workout supplements can be used for much more than just training in the gym.

These extra benefits leave many pre-workout users wondering if it is safe and acceptable to use pre-workout without working out. This article will discuss whether you can take a pre-workout without hitting the gym and why you may want to consider it!

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On September 10, 2022 the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) announced changes to the bench press that will take effect on January 1, 2023.

The IPF made two primary rule changes to the bench press. The first change is that the underside of the lifter’s elbows must be level with or below the top surface of each respective shoulder joint during the downward movement of the lift. The second change is that the lifter cannot place their feet on the bench during their setup.

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Creatine is a molecule produced in your body using three amino acids – glycine, methionine, and arginine. Creatine also naturally occurs in several foods, most notably red meat and seafood. There are high concentrations of creatine in skeletal muscles and the brain. The majority of creatine present in your body is stored in the form of creatine phosphate.

Creatine has several functions, but it’s primarily responsible for replenishing cellular energy, also known as adenosine triphosphate, levels during high-intensity exercise. Creatine phosphate donates its phosphate group to the ADP (adenosine diphosphate) to convert it into ATP.

As you can see, optimal creatine stores may result in greater strength, endurance, power, lean muscle mass, and overall exercise performance. Hence, why creatine supplements have become so popular over the years. Creatine, more specifically creatine monohydrate, is one of the most well-researched ingredients in sports nutrition. Numerous studies have shown that regular use of creatine dietary supplements is safe and effective.[1]

Considering the popularity of creatine, it comes as no surprise that there’s a lot of misinformation and questions involving proper creatine supplementation. In this article, we’re going to answer a commonly asked question, “how much water should I drink with creatine?”

Keep reading to find out where this question came from and what the real answer is!

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Protein is an essential macronutrient needed to repair, recover, build muscle, and perform other vital physiological processes. Based on the most recent body of literature, the optimal daily amount of protein for those wanting to maximize muscle growth is between 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day (~0.8-1.0 grams/lb/day).[1]

If you’re a 200lb guy that’s relatively lean, consuming 200 grams of protein from whole foods alone is quite challenging, which is where protein powders come in handy. Not to mention, when you’re traveling or on the go, high-quality protein sources are hard to come by, which is one of the reasons why protein shakes are so popular.

Although you can buy ready-to-drink protein shakes from convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores, they are a lot more expensive than buying a 2lb or 5lb tub of protein powder and mixing it yourself.

Because it’s quite common for people to pre-mix their protein shakes but not consume them straight away, one of the most commonly asked questions in regards to protein powders is, “how long does a protein shake last after mixing?”. Not to mention, some people prefer to mix their protein with greek yogurt or oats (i.e. overnight oats, smoothies, etc.) for a quick and easy meal.

The answer to this question depends on various factors such as what the protein powder is mixed with (milk or water), whether it’s refrigerated or left at room temperature, and if there are any other active ingredients added to the protein powder. In this article, we cover various protein powder scenarios and give you estimates of how long the mixture or protein shake will last.

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Within the dietary supplement industry, creatine and pre-workouts are two of the most commonly purchased, used, and researched supplements. Creatine is arguably the most well-researched ingredient in sports nutrition.

Based on the abundance of scientific literature, it’s clear that creatine monohydrate should be on your radar if you want to build muscle, increase power, strength, and endurance, lose fat, or experience some cognitive benefits. [1]

Creatine is a fairly straightforward supplement since it’s a single-ingredient product, and there are only a few different forms on the market. Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form, which is why it’s also the most recommended form.[1]

When it comes to pre-workout formulas, things get a little more unclear because there are so many different types, dosages of ingredients, forms, etc. A multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement can be high-stim, moderate stim, low stim, or even stimulant-free.

Some will even contain creatine, while others may leave it out. What’s more, the research on multi-ingredient pre-workouts is fairly scarce. So we don’t completely understand how different ingredients may interact.

Since the cost of creatine is much higher than it used to be, and you should take creatine daily for optimal results, it’s becoming more common for supplement companies to omit it from their pre-workouts and to offer it alone. Additionally, some evidence suggests that mixing creatine with caffeine, which the vast majority of pre-workouts contain, may be counterproductive.[2]

The question that keeps popping up is, “can you mix creatine with pre-workout?” In this article, we are going to answer that question along with some other commonly asked questions about creatine supplementation and pre-workout supplements!

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