by Joe DeFranco This article originally appeared on www.T-nation.com The original Westside for Skinny Bastards was the most popular article I’ve ever written. I still receive dozens of emails and phone calls every day regarding this program. Why? Because not only is it an incredible program, but there’s a ton of room in it for…

by Joe DeFranco This article originally appeared on www.T-nation.com   Editor’s Note: Although this article is aimed at athletes, if you’re looking to get into shredded, athletic shape, try some of the exercises Coach DeFranco describes. You can practically feel the fat melting off your body! Mental and physical toughness, anaerobic conditioning, improved sprinting speed,…

by Joe DeFranco This article originally appeared on www.T-mag.com I’m a gym scientist. My lab is the weight room and my lab rats are my athletes. Many of these “lab rats” are doing the program you’re about to read. My experiments have proven one thing: this program works. Below I’ve provided four real-world success stories…

With Joe DeFranco, John Paul Catanzaro, and Don Alessi moderated by Chris Shugart This article originally appeared on www.T-nation.com Stretching is a lot like flossing. We know we should do it, we know it’s beneficial, but a lot of us don’t do it very often or very well. But maybe that’s because we can’t decide…

With Joe DeFranco, John Paul Catanzaro, and Don Alessi moderated by Chris Shugart This article originally appeared on www.T-nation.com   Part I the coaches talked about stretching myths and how flexibility affects muscle size and strength. This week they’ll delve even deeper into the subject, so warm up your brain, do some dynamic stretches for…

by Chris Shugart of T-mag.com This interview originally appeared on www.T-mag.com Joe DeFranco is a busy man. Right now he’s training sixty high school athletes, thirty college athletes, and ten professionals. NFL agents keep his phone ringing all day long. HBO wants him to appear again on Inside the NFL. First round draft picks from…

by Joe DeFranco This article originally appeared on www.T-mag.com Questions regarding the concept of training economy have indirectly been thrown my way since I first picked up a dumbell. I use the term indirectly because most people have never heard of the term training economy, but I get asked the same question time and time…

by Joe DeFranco This article originally appeared on www.T-mag.com I’ve been called a wide variety of names over the past couple of years. These names have ranged from “guru” to “cheater.” Frankly, I don’t give a damn what people call me. The bottom line is that I get results with my athletes. Some people admire…

by Joe DeFranco, Owner, Performance Enhancement Specialist DeFranco’s Training Systems Have you ever noticed an athlete in the weight room who is built like Tarzan, yet lifts weights better suited for Jane? Yet, there are other athletes who are every bit as strong and functional as they look. Although an athlete’s genetic make-up is always…

by Joe DeFranco, Owner, Performance Enhancement Specialist DeFranco’s Training Systems When people ask me what are the biggest differences between designing strength-training programs for females compared to males, my answer usually surprises them. That is because the basic principles should be the same for both genders: train bodyweight exercises before using external resistance, train the…