Welcome to your modern fitness daily news report! Every weekday, we break down the trending fitness news, tips, and insider scoops to keep you informed. Each read will be under 3 minutes so that you can stay shredded and thumb through no-nonsense fit-quips. Thanks for reading!
TODAY’S LEVEL UP:
Coach's Corner: The Deadlift After 40: How to Keep It, Modify It, or Replace It
Supplement Spotlight: Glucosamine & Chondroitin — An Honest Look at the Joint Standby
Quick Tip: Start from the top instead of the floor
Question: "Should I be using a lifting belt?"
Fit Trivia: Which slight, gi-wearing Brazilian beat three larger opponents in one night at UFC 1?
The Deadlift After 40: How to Keep It, Modify It, or Replace It
The deadlift has a reputation problem in both directions. One camp treats it as mandatory and non-negotiable. The other quits it in their thirties after one bad rep and never goes back. Both are missing the useful middle: picking heavy things off the ground is one of the most valuable patterns you own, and there are about six ways to train it.
Why it's worth keeping. Nothing else loads your entire posterior chain — glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, lats, grip — in one movement, and few things transfer as directly to real life. It also builds bone density and teaches the exact bracing pattern that protects your back when you lift something awkward in the driveway.
The problem isn't the deadlift. It's the standard barbell version from the floor, which demands a specific amount of hip and ankle mobility to reach the bar with a neutral spine. If you don't have that range, you round your lower back to get there — and that's what hurts people, not the exercise itself.
Modify before you quit:
Raise the bar: Pull from blocks, or from the second pin in a rack, so the bar starts at mid-shin or knee height. Same movement, less range demanded, dramatically friendlier to stiff hips.
Change the stance: A trap bar puts the load in line with your body instead of in front of it, which reduces shear on the lower back and is far more forgiving for tall men.
Change the angle: Romanian deadlifts train the hinge with a shorter range and lighter load, and are often the better hypertrophy choice anyway.
Change the tool: Kettlebell deadlifts, single-leg RDLs, back extensions, hip thrusts — all train the same chain.
If you're keeping the barbell version: work in the 5–8 rep range rather than chasing singles, stop sets with 2–3 reps left in the tank, and treat 1–2 heavy sessions a week as plenty. Bracing matters more than weight — breathe in, tighten your midsection, set your lats, and push the floor away.
The goal after 40 isn't your all-time best pull. It's still being able to pick things up at 70.
Supplement Spotlight: Glucosamine & Chondroitin — An Honest Look at the Joint Standby
These two have been the default joint supplement for decades, and they're worth discussing precisely because the evidence is more mixed than the marketing suggests.
Here's what they do: Glucosamine and chondroitin are components of cartilage, and the theory is that supplementing supports cartilage maintenance. The research is genuinely divided. Large trials — including the well-known GAIT study — found no significant benefit over placebo for most participants, though a subgroup with moderate-to-severe knee pain did show some improvement. Other analyses have found modest effects on pain, particularly with specific formulations. It's fair to say this is a "might help some people with existing joint pain" supplement, not a proven protective measure for healthy joints.
How to take it: Typical amounts are 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate and 1,200 mg of chondroitin sulfate daily. If it works for you, studies suggest it takes 8–12 weeks to notice — so judging it after two weeks tells you nothing.
Worth knowing: glucosamine is commonly derived from shellfish, so check the source if you have a shellfish allergy. It may also interact with blood thinners like warfarin.
We recommend giving it a fair 3-month trial and then being honest with yourself about whether anything changed — and remembering that strength training around a joint has considerably better evidence than anything in a capsule.
FROM RYAN’S DESK
Confidence isn't something you wait for; it’s something you earn. Every workout completed, every meal handled, and every promise kept builds it. Don't talk yourself into feeling confident. Take action until you have proof that you can count on yourself.
Quick Tip: Start From the Top Instead of the Floor
If conventional deadlifts bother your lower back, try reversing the order of the movement. Instead of lifting the bar off the floor, set up in a rack at hip height, unrack it standing up, and perform a Romanian deadlift — push your hips back, lower the bar along your legs to about mid-shin or wherever your hamstrings tighten, then drive back up.
Starting from standing lets you establish a braced, neutral spine before the load ever challenges it, rather than trying to find that position bent over a heavy bar. You also stop the descent where your mobility runs out instead of chasing the floor.
Use 3 sets of 6–8 with a controlled 3-second lowering. Most men find they feel their hamstrings and glutes far more clearly — and their back far less.
Question from Our Readers: "Should I be using a lifting belt?"
A belt isn't a back brace, and it isn't cheating — it's a tool that gives your abdominal muscles something to brace against, which raises intra-abdominal pressure and adds stability to your spine under heavy load. Research generally shows lifters can move more weight with better trunk stiffness when using one correctly.
The usual mistakes are wearing it constantly and cinching it too tight. Save it for your heaviest sets — roughly the top 15–20% of your working weight on squats and deadlifts — and train your warm-ups and lighter sets without it so your own bracing keeps developing. Set it snug enough that you can push your belly out into it, not so tight you can't take a full breath.
And the honest caveat: a belt won't rescue bad positioning. If your back rounds under load, the belt just makes you stronger in a position you shouldn't be in.
Our Picks: Supps We Actually Use
Some of our coach’s favorite supplements:
Creatine (Travel Packs) - $36
Add this to your water in the morning or in your post-workout shake. Creatine is one of the few supplements that has a mountain of data proving its benefits. Don’t miss out on it!
A great way to hit your protein goals. Don’t rely on a protein powder alone, but add it as a post-workout shake or midday shake to increase your protein intake and hit your protein goals. Remember, high protein equals higher muscle and higher satiety.
Replenishes essential electrolytes. Use this if you sweat a lot, do intermittent fasting, or go on long-distance walks, hikes, or runs.
We are a proud partner of Thorne Supplements! We are affiliated and use these products. We may receive commission from your purchase.
Fit Trivia: Which slightly built Brazilian fighter — wearing a traditional gi and giving up as much as 60 pounds to some opponents — won the entire eight-man tournament at UFC 1 in 1993 by submitting three larger men in a single night?
Answer: Royce Gracie! His wins made Brazilian jiu-jitsu a global phenomenon overnight and permanently changed how martial artists train — proving that leverage and technique could reliably beat raw size.
Ryan Engel, Intl. Fat Loss Coach
Ryan is a leading fitness coach and one of the most known professionals in the space.
He specializes in Body Recomposition and visual body aesthetics and has reached millions worldwide with his powerful messaging. He brings a unique, non-nonsense, yet sophisticated approach to body change.
Publisher: Ryan Engel
Editor: Michael Pender
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