Yes, the challenge has begun! With a total 27 challengers and prizes up to $600 the competition is fierce. The main goal of the Gym Rats challenge is to help you reach your full potential… and a little friendly competition is always fun. And for a little extra motivation our featured image above is of one of our members who has completed multiple challenges and has made huge progress over her time here at Gym Rats so stay focused and you will see results. And just to make this challenge extra special, we (your Gym Rats trainers), will be joining in on the fun too with our first employee challe ..read more

If your looking for that little extra push then our Gym Rats challenge is right for you. Not only does it help you to reach your goals, you can also win a whole lotta cash!!! We’ve been doing these challenges now for over 3 years and every challenge is unique and different than the one before mainly due to the contenders. So wether this is your tenth challenge or your doing it for the first time, its fair game for all. So check out our challenge details below and challenge yourself. Details: This is a Body Fat loss challenge, not a weight loss challenge. Winning is by losing the greatest perce ..read more

In my opinion, strength training is a must. It has amazing benefits that enhance your physical strength, mental health, physical appearance and overall well-being. Over the years of training I’ve increased my strength significantly by incorporating different methods of strength training such as bodybuilding, strongman, and hypertrophy style boot camp. These methods of training keep me from getting bored and help me to relieve stress all while continuing to build muscle. My physical appearance has changed due to an increase in muscle, which in turn keeps my body fat relatively low. Overall I fe ..read more

Motivation by definition is ones desire or general willingness to do something. We all have different things that motivate us just as we all respond differently to various motivations. But what is the since behind it? Our personality traits and/or characteristics are ultimately what determine how we respond to these motivators and what it is that specifically motivates us individually. That being said, the more you know about yourself the better you can identify things that motivate verses things that don’t. There are two major types of motivation. Intrinsic which is motivation from within (ex ..read more

I’ve experienced my fair share of burnouts through out my fitness career and life in general. Burnout will affect everyone at some point in their lives, therefor it is vital to know the signs, and even more important, not to ignore them. Beginning symptoms include fatigue, apathy, insomnia, forgetfulness, anxiety, which can lead to loss of appetite, physical symptoms, increased illness, and depression. During training for my third competition I experienced many of these symptoms. I didn’t realize what was happening at first and just tried to keep pushing. It was a very a difficult time in my l ..read more

This whole week we’ve been talking about the importance of balance. So how do you have fun while staying fit and still working toward your goals? The key to a happy life is balance. This is also true when it comes fitness. If you are always on the grind and never give yourself a break, it is easy to burn out and give up on your goals. Know your self, If you eat good all week, and your craving some Inn n Out, give yourself that cheat meal, satisfy that craving, and get back on track. This is the reason most meal plans set aside one slot for a cheat meal because mental fitness is just as importa ..read more

I’m back and today were going over hand placement while performing bicep curls. As with many other exercises, the effectiveness and efficiency of Curls can be altered by your hand positioning. Minor changes in how you grab the bar can have a big effect on the results of the exercise. Knowing how these variations affect your Curl can give you a boost in muscle size and help you better understand how to target them properly.   Supinated Grip with hand shoulder-width apart (straight bar)   Supinated grip curls work both the short and the long head of the biceps equally.  This posit ..read more

Do you know where most of the muscles are located on your body? This may be news to you, but it is your back side. Training your glutes, hams, and back as hard as your “show muscles”, like your quads, biceps, shoulders, and chest, will help support your overall physique while giving you an impressive back side.   Tip #1 Always incorporate compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and lunges. Deadlifts are your best bet when it comes to overloading your glutes because you can use heavy weights. When performing sumo deadlifts with your feet wide, you place significant emphasis on your ..read more

All types of training and physical activity are more enjoyable when the body is flexible and capable of performing without restriction. We must include stretching techniques into our daily schedules, if we plan on improving overall health and well being. Here are 9 health benefits of stretching: Improve preparation for athletic activity. Warm-up stretches facilitate increased blood flow to muscles, increasing body temperature, reducing muscle tension, and improving connective tissue pliability. Optimized muscle and tendon range of motion up to 1.6 times resting length. At muscle lengths ..read more

The Benefits of a Sledgehammer For fighters and athletes, sledgehammer exercises are great tools to use from time to time, whether it’s included in your circuit training program or as the primary tool you use for strength and power development. Along with developing strength and power, you can also look to enhance wrist stability as well as strengthen the forearms and grip. Grip strength is key for both strikers and grapplers along with the other major sports athletes. Sledgehammer workouts are some of the meanest tools that you can train with, improving your strength, endurance, flexibility a ..read more