Doug Brignole Archives

Mass Mantra #19

Here’s an interesting quote from Drug-Free Mr. Universe and biomechanics expert Doug Brignole on those group workouts when multiple trainees get together in a commercial gym to outdo each other on a lift like deadlifts… [Read more…]

Mass Mantra #17

Here’s a quote from the man who radically changed the way I train, biomechanics expert and Drug-Free Mr. Universe Doug Brignole: [Read more…]

Isolation vs. Compound and the Best Exercise for Size

Q: You recently had a quote from Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. that said his meta analysis came to the conclusion that single-joint and multiple-joint exercises were equal in their ability to produce muscle mass. What do you think [biomechanics expert and Drug-Free Mr. Universe] Doug Brignole would’ve said about that?

A: Actually, I think the analysis came out before Doug’s death, and he did comment. [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 178: Doug Brignole: A Great Man Exits, His Genius Lives On

I’m completely shocked, dismayed, and saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Doug Brignole. [Read more…]

Mr. America’s Stretch Take

Mr. America/Mr. Universe Doug Brignole has some thoughts on my recent musing on stretching and stretch moves for mass.

He makes the observation that some muscles respond better than others to full stretch, and putting some into a full stretch can be dangerous, such as rear delts. Bringing the arm too far across that body can damage the shoulder joint…

And also lats. Here is Doug’s take… [Read more…]

Mr. America Correction—Plus a Mass-Building Tweak

Mr. America and 2019 Drug-Free Mr. Universe Doug Brignole isn’t shy about emailing me when I’m right—or wrong. It’s the latter this time, and I concur. [Read more…]

Mr. America on Mass-Stretch Studies

A couple of issues back I discussed two recent studies showing that exercises with a significant beginning stretch component built more mass than those that had less. [Read more…]

Mr. America on Muscle-Morphing Mayhem

Q: You did a good job of explaining the research on area-specific muscle-fiber growth from Chris Beardsley. I know Doug Brignole is a fan of Beardsley, so why does he disagree with the idea that a fiber can grow in different areas depending on the applied stress? Even researchers like Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., agree that it’s how growth happens. [Read more…]

Watching Mr. America’s Mass Workouts

I was more than pleased to see that Mr. America/Mr. Universe Doug Brignole filmed his workouts and has them all on video. You can check them out HERE.

While he has invited me to come and train with him—or maybe I invited myself—he lives about an hour away, which is three hours if L.A. traffic is in full swing. So I’ve opted for back-and-forth discussions. And now I’ve got these videos to clarify some things… [Read more…]

Mr. America Disagrees, Calls Me Out

My recent newsletter, “Ideal Lat-Mass Moves,” got under the skin of biomechanics expert and 2019 Drug-Free Mr. Universe Doug Brignole. He disagrees with my assessment of the one-arm cable lat pull-in as having a less-than-ideal resistance curve. [Read more…]