In spite of a widespread hyperfixation on nailing the perfect arm angle, lagging development of the "lower" (or "costal") division of the pec is exceedingly common amongst the bodybuilding crowd. The missing ingredient here is costal rib position: the key lynchpin of creating pec tension.

When muscle fibers experience tension and metabolic stress, a short-lived inflammatory response begins clearing out damaged tissue. This temporary inflammation is an essential part of the adaptation cycle, but problems arise when inflammation does not fully resolve.

Optimizing the nutrient environment around training is one of the most powerful means by which coaches can directly influence both the quality of a session and the physiological adaptations that follow.

There has been an ongoing war in the fitness community between the science-based lifters and the bro-science lifters. There have been decisive victories on either side, but there's one battle that has been raging on for some time: the efficacy of foam rolling.