Training Archives – Five Starr Physique

“My gym doesn’t have _____” – The Ultimate Guide to Exercise Substitutions

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 darinstarr

What to do when your gym is missing the basics We’ve all been there before – you get a new set of workouts from your coach or start going through a workout program you picked up online, and half the exercises are for movements that your gym doesn’t have the equipment for. Some of this is preventable. I’ve been in...

Understanding Progressive Overload

July 19, 2019July 20, 2019 darinstarr

Progressive overload is the cornerstone of bodybuilding and muscle growth - read about how to implement it yourself here with real world examples also.

Form Fix – Squat Basics

January 23, 2019 darinstarr

Form Fix – Squat Basics Squatting is a key component of bodybuilding – if you aren’t doing it well, you’re selling yourself short and leaving some potential growth on the table. However! A proper squat doesn’t necessarily look the same for every person. Some people can get maximum depth while others struggle to hit parallel, and always going as deep...

Top 7 Exercises to Check Your Ego On

December 9, 2018 darinstarr

Top 7 Exercises to Check Your Ego On We all know the tried and true bodybuilding mantra, right? Go ahead, say it with me now.. Gotta lift big to get big! Yeah, this was all well and good back in the day but now we know a lot more and there’s all kinds of evidence that shows that while this...

Video Update! Form Fix – Behind the Neck Barbell Press

December 3, 2018 darinstarr

Video Update! Form Fix – Behind the Neck Barbell Press If there was a movie ever made about bodybuilding in general, this exercise would be most likely to be cast in the role of chief antagonist. Tremendously misunderstood and often feared because it is so frequently executed with such atrocious form, I thought it only fair that we give it...

Video Update! Form Fix – Rack Deadlift

November 26, 2018November 25, 2018 darinstarr

Video Update! Form Fix – Rack Deadlift Hot off the presses in my Form Fix video series on YouTube, this time we’re going to break down the rack deadlift – a horribly misunderstood movement and we’re gonna fix that shit right now. Why you’d include rack deadlifts in your routine The point of the rack dead is to give you all...

Form Fix – 1 Arm DB Row

November 19, 2018November 18, 2018 darinstarr

Video Update! Form Fix: 1 Arm DB Row In my latest video update in the Form Fix series I’m posting to YouTube, I’m tackling an exercise that I consider to be a bit of a litmus test for a client as I just start working with them. If you’ve read anything about the way I coach, you know I do not take...

Workout Logging: My Secret to Force Progressive Overload

November 1, 2018June 27, 2019 darinstarr

Let's start with a quiz. It's simple, so don't worry. It'll take about 3 seconds, and then I'll call for pencils down. Ready? GO! Are you a human being? Do you like to lift? Do you hate hitting plateaus? If you answered 'yes' to all of those questions, then you should be logging your workouts.

Shoulders Lagging? Fix Your Lateral Raise Form!

September 30, 2018November 1, 2018 darinstarr

Your Lateral Raise Form Might Suck – Let’s Fix It! Shoulders can be stubborn to get growing, and often times it comes down to execution. Many trainers, coaches, and programmers these days are starting the trend of easing up on heavy pressing work, because the shoulder is a complex joint (I’ve often said the most complex joint, but a former client...

Understanding Tempo

September 27, 2018October 30, 2018 darinstarr

An Introduction to Tempo-Based Lifting One of the most often overlooked components when executing (or hell…writing!) a training program is tempo. It’s easy to say “4 sets of 10, go!” and just bang those suckers out rapid fire. Or maybe you’ve got a little more experience and you understand the value in slowing things down and keeping things at a...

Category: Training