Full-Range Fitness with Blake Howe

18/03/2025

At 18, I was 6’5” and 165 lbs—skinny and frustrated. Like every kid in the ‘80s, I wanted to look like Arnold, so I followed his workouts, lifting for hours, six days a week.

Nothing happened.

For years, I trained like the pros—too much volume, too little intensity. I thought the secret was more exercises, more sets, more gym time. But after YEARS of effort, I had almost nothing to show for it.

Then I tried something different.

Instead of training MORE, I trained LESS—but HARDER.
1 set of 20-rep squats
A few key compound lifts
3x per week
All-out intensity.

The result? I gained 30 lbs in six weeks. More muscle in a month and a half than I had in three years.

That was the beginning of my HIT training journey—where I learned that most people train too often, not hard enough.

If you’re spending hours in the gym and still not seeing results, stop spinning your wheels. Train harder, not longer.

📌 Follow for more on training, muscle growth, and fixing the mistakes that keep most people weak.

👇 Drop ‘TRUTH’ in the comments if you’ve ever wasted time on a bad workout plan!
-
-
-

14/03/2025

Most Barbell Exercises Fail at This! 🚨

Direct Resistance is one of the 10 Requirements of Full-Range Resistance, but most workouts completely ignore it.

💡 The Problem? Barbell exercises only meet 3 out of 10 requirements—because they rely on smaller, weaker muscles to assist in compound movements. That means the biggest muscles never reach full fatigue, limiting your strength and muscle growth.

🔎 Example: Barbell Rows → Your biceps and forearms fatigue first, stopping your lats and upper back from getting fully worked.

🔥 The Solution? Direct Resistance. Machines like my Nautilus Torso Row eliminate the weak links by removing biceps & forearms from the movement—allowing the lats to take the full load for maximum fatigue and real muscle growth.

⚡ If your smaller arm muscles fail before your back, you’re not training as effectively as you could be.

💬 Have you noticed this in your training? Drop a comment! ⬇️

09/02/2025

💡 Your body is capable of more than you realize. Strength isn’t just about lifting heavier—it’s about training smarter, pushing harder, and unlocking your true potential. Full-range resistance is the key to maximum results with minimum wasted effort. 🚀

🔥 Stop spinning your wheels. Train with purpose. Be elite.
-

19/01/2025

Professional athletes like Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley are squatting 600 pounds, but is it really helping their performance? Let’s break down why this exercise isn’t as effective—or safe—as people think, and explore smarter ways to train for strength and performance. 💪Watch to learn about the limitations of free weight exercises and how full-range resistance training could change the game for elite athletes and everyday fitness enthusiasts alike.

27/04/2024

From Obsession to Balance: My Fitness Transformation:

From January to now, I’ve gone from 202lbs to 193lbs. I wasn’t focused on losing fat—I simply shifted my approach to eating whole, unprocessed foods to improve my gut health and stabilize my blood sugar and blood fat levels. After more than a decade of intermittent fasting, I continue my 16-18 hour fasting routine, sometimes even longer (like the 23-hour fast I did yesterday).

At 49 years old, my priority is health and extending my ‘playspan’ as much as possible. My workouts focus on total body high-intensity training 2-3 times a week, with minimal rest and a lot of strength and cardiovascular benefit. My core workout includes 2 sets of the following:

🔹 Squats (20+ reps, working up to 50)
🔹 Behind-the-neck presses (8-12 reps to failure)
🔹 Pull-ups (8-12 reps to failure)
🔹 Dips (8-12 reps to failure)
🔹 Barbell curls (8-12 reps to failure)
🔹 Stiff-legged deadlifts (15 reps)

I arrange these in a non-stop fashion with minimal rest for maximum intensity such as:

🔹 Squats
🔹 Rest 2-4 mins
🔹 Squats
🔹 Catch Breath
🔹 Behind-the-neck presses
🔹 Pull-ups
🔹 Behind-the-neck presses
🔹 Pull-ups
🔹 Dips
🔹 Barbell curls
🔹 Dips
🔹 Barbell curls
🔹 Stiff-legged deadlifts
🔹 Rest 2-4 mins
🔹 Stiff-legged deadlifts

As I improve, I add weight to keep the challenge going. This routine is nearly perfect. In a year’s time, 99% of people will see great results without changing the exercises. Just focus on building basic strength with each one. 💪
-
-
-
-

20/01/2024

As a former professional trainer for almost 20 years, I've seen so many people wander around aimlessly in the gym with no plan. This is a surefire way to see no results. If you want to get into shape, the most important thing you can do is have a realistic workout plan. This means being on a progressive resistance weight training program that focuses on basic exercises and gradually increasing strength over time.

To maximize results, focus on exercises that work multiple body parts at once, such as squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, dips, and overhead shoulder presses. Tricep extensions and bicep curls may seem important, but they won't give you the same results.

It's important to remember that getting into shape is a process, and you may need to spend some time improving your flexibility before you can execute the most productive exercises. If you have a desk job or sedentary lifestyle, your body may have muscle imbalances and deviations that prevent you from doing certain exercises.

Don't let frustration keep you from achieving your fitness goals. With a realistic workout plan and focus on the right exercises, you can see the results you want.
-
-
-
-

28/01/2023

Total Body Strength endurance workout. One of the best techniques to get the body moving right, burn calories, and build muscle.
-
-
-

21/01/2023

2023 Goals: For the past 20 years I have literally weighed, measured, and logged everything I eat. If had some almonds, i counted the kernels and logged it….oil in salad, measured tablespoon….This is a miserable way to live btw but it created an eating disorder in that as soon as I see food, I start to quantify it. Hard to enjoy a meal when your going through measurements in your head!

Secondly, I am going try not to obsess over every detail of fitness and focus on getting as strong as possible on a few basic exercises.

Third, not to give a crap about 6-pack abs!

Finally: Be content that I’m not always going to be hitting the ultimate intensity every workout. Take some time to make the joints feel good and work on other things besides trying to get huge.
-
-
-
-

16/01/2023

10/12/2022

Friday is 10/8/6 day as oppose to the normal 20 rep squats. Great way to give yourself a mental break from the 20 rep squats and push a bit more weight. Less is more and my body really responds to this workout. My schedule is on Monday and Wednesdays. I center the work out around 20 reps squats, and on Friday is my 10/8/6day.
-
-
-

03/12/2022

Truth…people change their program so often that they never get strong at anything searching for a better/easier way. The best bodybuilders are disciplined at doing the same shot and adding 1 more rep per workout.

Don’t kid yourself that Arnold did 6xs a week 40 sets a body part….he got very strong at the basics for years and years just like everyone else before he changed his program. Meanwhile he got to 260lbs and jacked. Same thing with Mike Mentzer and Reg Park.

Embrace the boring same workout and see your body change more in 3 months than it has in 3 years!
-
-
-