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Showing posts from April, 2023

Nick Best Crushes It with Heavy Back Training 6 Months After Kidney Surgery

On Apr. 27, 2023, recently retired strongman Nick Best shared a clip of himself working out on a seated iso-lateral row machine with six 45-pound plates affixed on each side . Best is shown rowing 244.9 kilograms (540 pounds) for eight repetitions. Best is also seen rowing five 45-pound plates per side (totaling 204.1 kilograms/450 pounds) for 10 reps and four 45-pound plates per side (totaling 163.3 kilograms/360 pounds), also for 10 reps. According to the caption of Best’s post, the row machine routine at this high weight comes on the heels of an early-January 2023 nephrectomy — surgical removal of either of the kidneys. Best had previously posted on Instagram detailing his necessary kidney removal due to a diagnosis of stage one renal cell carcinoma. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nick Best (@nickbeststrongman) More from Breaking Muscle: How to Eat More for Muscle and Strength Gains The Best Back Workouts for

Flex Lewis Would End His Retirement and Consider a Comeback For Seven-Figure Offer

Roughly a year ago at the time, James “Flex” Lewis officially retired from competitive bodybuilding . A seven-time 212 Mr. Olympia champion (2012-2018), Lewis finished his career widely regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time . These days, with the icon perhaps looking to scratch that competitive itch, he may well return to a stage. That is, for the right incentives. On Apr. 24, 2023, in a video career discussion shared on Lewis’ YouTube channel, the athlete breaks down his feelings about a potential return to professional bodybuilding. Lewis maintains that for a seven-figure offer (at least $1 million), he would consider competing and donning his posing trunks again . More from Breaking Muscle: Try This Beginner Bodybuilding Routine If You’re Looking to Build Mass How to Do the Arnold Press for Fully Developed Shoulders After Lewis retired, it opened the door to former 212 competitor Derek Lunsford receiving a special invitation to compete in the Men’s Open

Russel Orhii Records a 337.5-Kilogram (744-Pound) Squat Double PR

On Apr. 25, 2023, Russel Orhii shared an Instagram training clip of himself capturing a 337.5-kilogram (744-pound) raw back squat for two reps . According to a floating caption in the video, the strength feat is a personal record (PR) for the elite competitor. This lift sees Orhii adding 8.61 kilograms (19 pounds) to a raw squat double PR from late March 2023. The athlete wore knee sleeves, a lifting belt , and utilized wrist wraps to help him finish off this massive squat milestone. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Russel Orhii (@russwole) More from Breaking Muscle: Try This Beginner Bodybuilding Routine If You’re Looking to Build Mass How to Do the Arnold Press for Fully Developed Shoulders The other vital portion of Orhii’s lift caption is that he notes his “next meet is gonna be crazy.” At the time of this writing, Orhii has not clarified when that sanctioned competition will come or that he was even tra

Rhianon Lovelace Scores 320-Kilogram (705-Pound) Axle Deadlift, Announces Intent to Eclipse 363 Kilograms (800 Pounds)

On Apr. 26, 2023, Rhianon Lovelace shared an Instagram clip of herself capturing a 320-kilogram (705-pound) 15-inch Axle Deadlift . The strongwoman and powerlifting extraordinaire wrote that the number she pulled with her loaded barbell was five times her body weight at the time of the video. That means the athlete weighed roughly 64 kilograms (141 pounds). Lovelace utilized lifting straps, a lifting belt , and had a lifting suit adorned to help her with the strength feat. The most important part of Lovelace’s latest training update might not have been the lift itself. The caption features the strength superstar revealing that she plans to accomplish an 18-inch Axle Deadlift of at least 363 kilograms (800 pounds) by the end of the 2023 calendar year . View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rhianon Lovelace (@rhi.lovelace) More from Breaking Muscle: 15 Deadlift Variations for Muscle, Strength, and More How to Eat More

Mitchell Hooper Crushes His First Workout as the World’s Strongest Man

Mitchell Hooper needed barely one year to rise to the top of the sport of strongman. After winning the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM), it’d be fair if the Canadian strongman decided to sit back and roost in his success. Such an achievement does not come lightly, after all. That’s not how this young strength superstar operates. On Apr. 26, 2023, Hooper posted a video to his YouTube channel where he worked through his first official (filmed) workout after capturing the first WSM title of his career. At the time of the video, Hooper is still in Myrtle Beach, SC — the site of the 2023 WSM. In the workout, Hooper does not necessarily reinvent the wheel. Nor does he introduce any outlandish concepts. It’s still an exercise routine noteworthy for someone who is officially one of the strongest people on the planet. More from Breaking Muscle: How to Build Muscle: The Guide for Beginners and Advanced Lifters Should You Train the Deadlift on Back Day or Leg Day? Hooper characteri

Mat Fraser Tours His New HWPO CrossFit Gym

CrossFit legend Mat Fraser has a new HWPO (Hard Work Pays Off) training facility in Burlington, VT and, by the looks of it, it is quite the fitness marvel to prepare for elite CrossFit competition . On Apr. 19, 2023, Craig Richey of the TeamRICHEY YouTube channel toured Fraser’s new gym. In the process, Richey gave a comprehensive look at what the five-time CrossFit Men’s Individual champion (2016-2020) is now offering his athletes . More from Breaking Muscle: Try These Three Air Bike Workouts for Conditioning, Fat Loss, and More How to Eat More for Muscle and Strength Gains The main benefit of Fraser’s new HWPO facility is space. The headquarters for the preparation of Fraser’s CrossFit athletes has 6,500 square feet of space and 5,000 square feet of office space. What’s apparent is that if an athlete needs to tackle a multitude of training objectives for CrossFit competition, they won’t be short on options (or breathing room) at this gym. Aside from sheer training space