The Digest Issue #22


Embracing the Grind in Barbell Training (And Beyond)Embracing the Grind in Barbell Training (And Beyond)

The Art of Manliness | Brett McKay

If you’ve just started a linear progression barbell training program — you’re adding weight to the bar with every workout — you may have noticed that you can consistently add that weight without feeling like you have to strain yourself very much to complete the lifts.

But the day inevitably comes when you get under the bar for a squat, and it feels really, really heavy. So heavy you don’t think you can complete the lift. So you don’t. Instead of pushing through the sticking point, you quickly bail, rest the bar on the safety pins, and scratch your head, wondering if you’ve reached a plateau and need to do a reset or even change up your program. Based on your experience with linear progression, getting stronger means that you can lift more weight every week without much exertion, so it doesn’t make sense that the weight feels super heavy now.

But it’s not in fact the case that you need to change your programming or even reduce the weight for a reset. The programming is fine.

As a novice lifter, what you need to do instead is embrace the grind.

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How to Meal Prep Like an Elite AthleteHow to Meal Prep Like an Elite Athlete

Outside | Colette Harris

During intense training, it's easy to let good nutrition fall to the wayside, but it's also the most important time to get fueling right. Here's how to do it.

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7 Ways To Create Better Mental Toughness7 Ways To Create Better Mental Toughness

Breaking Muscle | Daniel Tromello

It has often been said that mental toughness is a key ingredient to true fitness. Some of what weighs us down in the weight room or the track is not ours to carry. Here are seven steps to achieving mental toughness in your fitness routines.

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ICARUSIcarus

Netflix | Bryan Fogel

An American filmmaker and cyclist unwittingly wades into a global scandal when a Russian scientist leaks shocking details of a vast doping conspiracy.

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