It aint worth Squat unless you Squat

Reigning Champ // BACK SQUAT

Advantages: Posterior chain power, hypertrophy

This is what you think of when you hear the word "squat." In my opinion, the back squat is the king of the strength-training world, and we're all just lucky to bask in its glory. Not only is it the most commonly utilized form of squatting—except for the half-squat, maybe—the full barbell back squat is one of the most effective exercises in the history of civilization for strengthening the lower body.

While it trains the entire lower body musculature, the back squat places greater emphasis on the muscles of the posterior chain, such as the glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors, than other squat variations. It's also an unparalleled lower-body mass-builder, so if size is what you're after, you need to give it a serious look.

 

Challenger 1 // FRONT SQUAT

Advantages: Balanced leg strength, core and upper back strength, harder to cheat

The front squat is quickly gaining popularity among a wide variety of athletes, partially because of its prominence in CrossFit protocols. It's also a crucial component of Olympic lifts. Whatever the reason you do it, it's an outstanding movement, not least of all because it's harder to do really badly than a back squat.

By locating the barbell across your shoulders in front of the body, the front squat puts much more emphasis on the quadriceps and upper back than the traditional back squat, but still trains the glutes and hamstrings well.

Keep your elbows pointed forward throughout the movement. Squat while keeping your weight on your heels. Keep your chest and elbows up.

 

Challenger 2 // OVERHEAD SQUAT

Advantages: Balance, muscular control, increased mobility

Like front squats, overhead squats have their roots in Olympic weightlifting. The overhead squat strengthens the midpoint of the barbell snatch and is essential to mastering that particular lift. For non-competitive weightlifters, it can be an effective way to train the lower body while developing balance and mobility.

You may find it difficult to use a heavy enough weight on the overhead squat to truly challenge your legs, but that's not the point here. The hip mobility demands it places on you carry over to all other squatting variation.

Challenger 3 // BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

Advantages: Trains balance, hypertrophy, addresses strength imbalances

This single-leg squat variation has become incredibly popular recently, and with good reason. Unilateral training can have benefits for all lifters, whether for bodybuilding, powerlifting, competitive sports, or recreational training. Working one leg at a time helps improve imbalances between sides, trains overall sense of balance, and allows you to overload the muscles without needing as much weight.

Despite what you see around you in the gym, you can go surprisingly heavy with these squats. Just start slowly and focus on developing balance and familiarity with the movement before stacking on the weight. When you're comfortable, you can up the ante with dumbbells at your sides, held in front of you goblet squat-style, or with a barbell in either a back squat or front squat position.

Descend until you reach the bottom position, which can be when your front leg reaches parallel, or when your back knee touches the ground. It's not uncommon to feel a stretch in the quadriceps and hip flexors of the rear leg.

Challenger 4 // ONE-LEGGED SQUAT

Advantages: Balance, mobility, high-tension strength

The one-legged squat, or pistol squat, is the ultimate test of unilateral lower body strength. As with other feats of strength like the one-armed push-up or pull-up, the one-legged squat requires mastery of your bodyweight, balance, and skill. When mastered, it is an excellent and impressive way to build strength throughout the lower body. Until then, it's an excellent way to fall on your can.

Using this method you should eventually be able to work your way down to a full one-legged squat. Some people find that holding a light dumbbell or plate in front of them helps to balance them, but keep it light. In time, you might be able to perform a one-legged squat with more added resistance.

Challenger 5 // HACK SQUAT

Advantages: Quad strength, lack of spinal compression

Some say the hack squat is as much a deadlift as it is a squat, because the load comes off the ground. However you classify it, the hack squat can be an effective movement for building lower body strength and muscle. It's an under-utilized exercise that places a strong focus on the quadriceps, because leaning forward like in a back squat simply isn't an option.

Due to its strength and mobility requirements, it's best to start off with a reasonably light weight until you get used to it. Your grip strength will have a lot to say about how light.

Breaking Plateaus

If there's one key to moving beyond a plateau, it's surprise. Plateaus occur because your body adapts to your training, your diet or both. The more you work out and the higher your fitness level reaches, the faster your body adapts. You need to know how to surprise your body into working harder. You almost have to sneak up on your own body.

It's all about changing things. Change your routine, diet, or program—just do something your body doesn't expect so it has to work harder to do what you ask it to do. It may not feel like it, but you're in control of this plateau, just like you're in control of the weight. You just need to figure out how to take the reins.

I've already given you seven tips for powering through a rough patch. More is almost always a good thing, so here are eight more sticks of dynamite. Just light 'em and throw them into your program, and they'll bust right through whatever's blocking your progress.

1 / Sleep More and Better

Muscle grows when you sleep. If you shortchange your sleep time, you shortchange growth. Your cortisol levels get out of whack, too, which promotes fat storage, not muscle growth. Set a bedtime that permits eight hours of sleep and stick to it. That means for weeks, not just days.

Do you need me to break it down for you? If you have to be up by 6 a.m. to get to work or the gym, then you need to be asleep by 10 p.m—not just in bed—asleep. If you have trouble getting to sleep, get serious and ritualize bedtime. Cut out pre-bed television and Internet, cut down on stimulants and alcohol, or try taking magnesium or melatoninbefore bed.

2 / Catch a Wave

Try 7-5-3 wave loading to shake things up in your routine. This is when you adjust the load up and/or down within subsequent sets of the same exercises. A wave-loading protocol allows you to creep up in weight while the reps go down, allowing you to take advantage of neuromuscular adaptations that occur over multiple sets.

3 / Cut Your Rest Time

Something as small as changing your rest periods can make a huge difference in your progress. Cut your rest time by 15 seconds each week until you start seeing new progress. For hypertrophy, I wouldn't drop the rest period much lower than 30 seconds, or else the loads you're forced to use might not be sufficient to stimulate your powerful, Type II muscle fibers.

4 / Periodize Your Calories

Everything in your program, even your calorie intake, should be periodized if you want to see consistent progress. Bump up your calories for four weeks by 250-500 each week—depending on your current intake and your caloric needs. Then bring them back for two weeks.

This is like taking two steps forward, one step back—but in a good way. It's an excellent way to help make lean muscle gains without the blubber.

 

5 / Get a Grip, Dude

Thick bar implements may seem like a small change, but they bring big, rapid changes. Increasing the diameter of the handle on dumbbells and barbells engages different muscle fibers, so you'll often find yourself using muscles you undertrain or even overlook. This includes, but is definitely not limited to, your forearms and hands.

It took a year for my set of thick-bar dumbbells to arrive so I could install them in the new Gym Del Monte, but it took me far less time to become a believer. If you can't find fat bars at your gym, you can always order a set of Fat Gripz, excellent and portable substitute.

6 / Try Timed Rest-Pause Training With 6x10 Sets

This is an absolutely brutal secret weapon I can't believe I'm sharing! Here's how it works: Let's hypothetically assume that your best maximum repetition set (MRS) of 10 is 100 pounds. First, do 1 or 2 dress rehearsal sets of 5 repetitions with two-thirds of that poundage, which would be 66 pounds (we'll round down to 65 to match the plates). Rest 30 seconds between the two sets.

Next, step up to 90 percent of your MRS, which in this case would be 90 pounds, and perform 6 sets of 10 reps, but like this:

Add 15 seconds to the rest-pause each time to allow you to work with the same weight each set. Even though the weight stays the same, you'll find it harder and harder to hit 10 reps.

Once the exercise you select becomes easy, you can start adding 1-or-2 reps to your sets and start over. Or you can increase the weights by five pounds and work back up to completing this 6x10 protocol. Your body won't see this coming—which means you can expect some new muscle after trying this for a month.

7 / Add 30-second Isometric Holds

Your muscles are weakest at the extreme ends of a movement, when a muscle is fully shortened or lengthened. This is why you see so many people do partial range-of-motion reps in the middle range of a movement. It's just easier that way.

Let's make it harder! Try to add 30-second isometric holds in your movements in order to maximize the demand on your muscles. For example, camp out down in the bottom of a squat, or keep your shoulder blades pinned back when the barbell or handle is closest to your body in a row. If you lift with a fair amount of "body English," this will cure you of it right away—and you'll beg the clock to speed up!

8 / Get A Personal Trainer

There is nothing better than having someone stand over busting your ass day in and day out. Try it.

Monster Gym-Deals for our family

At Monster Gym, we like to think of our members as part of a big family. 

That's why we are extending fantastic deals and discounts at some of the best places in the West Island! We have been working  extremely hard to get these deals and we will continue to work just as hard to get you a ton more!

At these following locations you will be entitled to fantastic discounts when you present your gym card!

Sport Expert

3345 Des sources

DDO

10% off for members

15% off for staff

Dairy Queen

3339 Des Sources

DDO

25% off

Enterprise Locations

3480 Des Sources 

DDO

15% off

Nettoyeur Montblanc

3339 Des sources

DDO

15% off

Diamond car wash

4700 Des sources

DDO

2$ off car wash

20$ off shampoo

10$ off waxing

Second cup coffee

3365 Des sources

DDO

10% off on food and beverages together..not on merchandise!

Restaurant Torino's Grillade @

Carrefour Laval food court

15% off

Glam salon

1711 Des laurentides

Laval

50% off spray tan

20% off hair.

Espace Beauté

200 rue Principale#6

St Sauveur

15% off

Keep on the lookout for new and exciting deals in the near future!!!And thank you for being part of our family! 

The Fuel to Win

Fuel Up

Whether you run indoors or outdoors, fueling your body with food and water before a big run is crucial to staying healthy and getting the most out of your workout.

Head to any popular running path and you’ll likely see packs of serious-looking striders weighed down by belts stuffed with sports bars and carb gels. Resist the urge to to do the same and follow these guidelines.

If you know you’ll run for 60 minutes, fuel up with a 100-to 200-calorie high-carb snacks like a banana or a piece of toast.

Four hours before your workout, drink 12 ounces of fluid. If your urine is the shade of apple juice or darker two hours before you exercise, drink another eight to 12 ounces.

If you’ll be working out longer than 60 minutes, replenish with a 16-ounce sports drink every hour, or four ounces every 15 minutes—but increase that amount if you’re going at a high intensity.

If your energy tends to be low on long runs, a small taste of glucose can jolt your brain into performance mode. Eat or drink 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour. Be mindful of your portions.

Consider giving yourself two hours after a full meal before heading out for a long or hard run. It takes about that long for blood to reroute to your working muscles from your digestive system.

Your daily diet can have a big impact on your run. Focus on fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats from nuts and avocado, and lean protein. Fruit and veggies are also high in antioxidants, which aid recovery.

 

Within an hour after your run, grab a snack with a four-to-one ratio of carbs to protein (try eight ounces of chocolate milk). This balance jump-starts the repair process.