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Practical guides for choosing programs, training at home, making progress and fitting fitness into a busy life.
Reps in Reserve (RIR): How Hard Should You Train for Muscle and Strength?
Learn what reps in reserve means, how to estimate RIR, when to train close to failure, and how to use it to make better workout decisions.
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How to Breathe When Lifting Weights: Bracing, Timing and Common Mistakes
Learn how to breathe and brace during squats, deadlifts, presses and everyday strength training without turning every rep into a guessing game.
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Can Walking Faster Improve Strength and Independence as We Age? What a New Trial Found
A 2026 randomized trial compared challenging walking with casual-paced walking in older adults at risk of frailty. Here is what the findings do—and do not—mean.
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This Week in Fitness: Rogue Invitational Weekend, New Walking Research and Strength-Sport Results
A source-checked look at this week's strength-sport events, bodybuilding results and exercise research, with practical takeaways for everyday lifters.
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Does Harder Lifting Change Your Immune Response? What a New Study Actually Measured
A 2026 randomized study compared acute immune markers after high- and low-intensity resistance exercise. The results are interesting, but easy to overinterpret.
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How to Improve Your Deadlift: Setup, Technique and a Simple Progression Plan
Improve your deadlift by refining your setup, bracing, bar path and training progression instead of changing everything after every difficult session.
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What Is a One-Rep Max? How to Estimate It and Use It in Your Training
Understand what a one-rep max means, when testing it makes sense, and how to use estimates to plan strength training without maxing out every week.
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How to Train Your Abs: Exercises, Frequency and Progression That Actually Help
Build a practical ab-training routine with exercises you can progress, a realistic weekly frequency and clear expectations about visible definition.
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Dumbbells vs. Barbells: Which Is Better for Strength and Muscle Growth?
Compare dumbbells and barbells by loading, range of motion, stability, equipment and goals—and learn when each tool makes the most sense.
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How to Use Supersets: Save Workout Time Without Sacrificing Good Training
Learn what supersets are, which exercises pair well together, when to rest, and how to use them without turning every workout into a race.
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How to Get Your First Pull-Up: A Practical Progression for Beginners
Build toward your first strict pull-up with assisted reps, controlled negatives, rows and a progression that develops strength without guesswork.
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How to Know If Your Workout Is Working: 7 Signs You’re Making Progress
Learn how to tell whether your workout routine is actually working, what progress to track, and when it is time to change your program.
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Should You Change Your Workouts Around Your Menstrual Cycle? New ACSM Guidance Says Think Before You Sync
New ACSM commentary questions rigid menstrual-cycle-based training plans and explains why individual response matters more than a calendar.
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This Week in Fitness: New Powerlifting Records, Strongman Results, Bodybuilding Moves & Muscle Research
The latest bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman, nutrition and exercise-science stories worth following this week.
Read article →How to Warm Up Before Lifting: A Practical Strength-Training Guide
Learn how to warm up before lifting, how many warm-up sets to use and how to prepare for heavy training without wasting energy.
Read article →Rhys Calland Retains Strongman World Title in Canada
Rhys Calland retained the men's open title at the 2026 WHEA World Championships in Canada as military strength athletes filled the podium.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Strongman, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, Nutrition & New Research
The week's biggest stories across strongman, powerlifting, bodybuilding, nutrition and exercise science, with the Gym Log takeaway from each.
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How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out? A Practical Guide
How often should you train for muscle, strength and general fitness? Build a weekly schedule around your goal, recovery and real life.
Read article →Can Bar Speed Help You Choose the Right Weight? New Resistance-Training Study Offers a Clue
A 2026 randomized trial compared percentage-based, RPE-based and velocity-based load prescription in older adults. Here's what it found.
Read article →CrossFit Partners With ATHX Games: What the New Partnership Means for Functional Fitness
CrossFit has announced ATHX Games as a Partner Event Series member, adding another major functional-fitness competition to its official event ecosystem.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Olympia Results, CrossFit-ATHX, HYROX Growth & New Research
The latest fitness stories from bodybuilding, functional fitness, HYROX, exercise science and the wider training industry as September comes to a close.
Read article →How to Warm Up Before Weight Training: A Simple Routine That Works
Learn how to warm up before lifting with a practical sequence for raising body temperature, rehearsing movement and preparing for heavier sets without wasting energy.
Read article →How to Choose the Right Weight for Each Exercise
A practical guide to choosing starting weights, adjusting loads and progressing without guessing.
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Could Eccentric Quasi-Isometric Training Build Strength Like Traditional Lifting?
A new six-week study compared eccentric quasi-isometric training with traditional dynamic resistance training in untrained men.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Olympia, HYROX Oslo, Rogue Invitational & More
The biggest fitness stories from September 23, 2026, across bodybuilding, HYROX, CrossFit, strongman, running and exercise science.
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How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out? A Practical Guide for Every Goal
Find a realistic weekly workout frequency for building muscle, getting stronger, improving fitness or simply staying consistent.
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New Powerlifting Research Is Looking More Closely at Shoulder Mechanics in the Bench Press
A new 2026 study used markerless motion capture to examine shoulder joint movement during the bench press in competitive powerlifters.
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This Week in Fitness: Olympia Week, HYROX Debate, Walking Research & More
The latest fitness stories from September 22, 2026, spanning bodybuilding, HYROX, running, exercise science, strength training and the wider fitness industry.
Read article →How to Deload: When and How to Reduce Your Training Without Losing Progress
Learn what a deload is, when you may need one, how long it should last and how to reduce training without turning recovery into complete inactivity.
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Ultra-Processed Foods and Muscle Fat: What New Knee-Health Research Actually Found
New MRI research linked higher ultra-processed food intake with more fat inside the thigh muscles of adults at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Here is what the result means—and what it does not prove.
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This Week in Fitness: Olympia Week, HYROX Growth, Strongman Records & More
The latest fitness stories from September 21, 2026, including Olympia week, HYROX growth, strongman results, unusual exercise research and what is next on the competition calendar.
Read article →How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out? A Practical Guide for Every Goal
How often should you train for muscle, strength, fitness or fat loss? Learn how to choose a workout frequency that fits your goal, schedule and recovery.
Read article →Adidas Goes Full Hybrid: Why Hybrid Training Is Moving Beyond HYROX
Hybrid training is expanding beyond a single race format. Here is what recent events and industry moves say about the growth of running-plus-strength fitness.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Olympia, Strongman, Hybrid Racing, CrossFit & Nutrition
The Gym Log weekly fitness news roundup covering bodybuilding, strongman, hybrid racing, CrossFit, exercise science and nutrition stories from September 14–20, 2026.
Read article →Progressive Overload: How to Keep Making Progress in Your Workouts
Learn what progressive overload really means, how to apply it to strength and muscle-building workouts, and when to add weight, reps or sets.
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Can Caffeine Improve Repeated Sprint Performance? What a New Study Found
A September 2026 study examined pre-exercise caffeine and repeated sprint performance. Here is the useful takeaway—and what the study does not prove.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Olympia Week, HYROX Growth, Sprint Science & More
A flexible weekly fitness roundup covering the 2026 Olympia countdown, HYROX growth and rule changes, sprint research, caffeine and the wider competition calendar.
Read article →How to Start Strength Training: A Beginner's Guide to Your First 8 Weeks
A practical beginner's guide to starting strength training, choosing exercises, setting a schedule and progressing without overcomplicating your workouts.
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Sprint Interval Training May Improve Explosive Performance, According to New Review
A new 2026 systematic review examined sprint interval training and explosive performance. Here is what it suggests—and what athletes should not overinterpret.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: Sprint Research, HYROX Changes, Olympia Week & More
The latest fitness stories from the week of September 19, 2026, across exercise science, HYROX, bodybuilding, CrossFit, strongman and the fitness business.
Read article →How to Build a Workout Routine That Actually Fits Your Life
Build a workout routine around your goal, schedule, equipment and recovery instead of trying to force your life around a program.
Read article →Are Short, All-Out Workouts Actually Enough? New Research Looks at What Sprints Do to the Body
New exercise research compared brief all-out sprint intervals with 90 minutes of moderate exercise. Here's what the study found—and what it does not prove.
Read article →This Week in Fitness: HYROX, CrossFit, Bodybuilding, Strength & More
The biggest fitness stories from the week of September 18, 2026, including HYROX controversy, the Olympia countdown, Rogue Invitational and new exercise research.
Read article →How Long Should You Rest Between Sets for Muscle and Strength?
Learn how long to rest between sets for strength, muscle growth and general fitness—and how to choose rest periods that let you train with quality.
Read article →2026 Mr. Olympia: What to Know Before Bodybuilding's Biggest Weekend
The 2026 Olympia arrives in Las Vegas September 24–27. Here is what is confirmed, which divisions are competing and how the free livestream changes this year's event.
Read article →How Many Exercises Should You Do Per Workout? A Practical Guide
Learn how many exercises to include in a workout based on your goal, training experience, schedule and available time.
Read article →How Many Sets Per Muscle Group Should You Do Each Week?
Learn how to choose a practical weekly set target for muscle growth and strength without turning your training into a volume race.
Read article →The Fitness Portfolio Trend Is Putting Strength Training at the Center
Fitness brands are expanding beyond single workout formats. Here is what the latest strength-training shift means for building a balanced routine.
Read article →Why You Need to Track Your Workouts — And How Gym Log Helps Keep You Honest
A simple workout log turns your training history into useful information. Here's why tracking sets, reps and weight can make consistent progress easier.
Read article →Picking the Right Workout Program for You
There are thousands of workout programs. Here's how to narrow them down based on your goal, schedule, experience, equipment and recovery.
Read article →Home Gym Workouts You Can Start Today
You do not need a commercial gym to build strength. Start with a simple full-body, dumbbell, bodyweight or garage-gym routine.
Read article →Doing More With Less: Home Gym and Dumbbell Workouts to Get You Started
A pair of dumbbells can take you surprisingly far. Build a practical home routine without needing a huge equipment collection.
Read article →Limited Time? Here Are Workout Programs You Can Run This Week
Busy schedules do not have to mean skipping training. Here are practical two-, three- and four-day approaches that fit around real life.
Read article →Find a workout program that fits you.
Browse the Gym Log library, choose a routine and start tracking your training.
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