With Age Comes Wisdom…..

Or so they say.... Stoled it from Bluemoonblog Now that I've been on this earth for a third of a decade I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two. So in honor of getting old(er) here's some things I think I've learned about my fitness: 1. I can't do at 33 what I could do at 23. My workouts even 2 years ago were much "more" than they are today. More volume, more intensity....more of everything. What I've learned is that my recovery just isn't what it used to be and I need to be more mindful of that. I used to feel "beat up" most of the week. Despite less sleep and a boatload more stressors, backing off a little has helped my recovery immensely. I … [Read more...]

The Kettlebell Swing, It’s not a Squat/ Front Raise and it Doesn’t go Overhead.

The Kettlebell Swing: What are swings about? What's the purpose? A. Loaded hip hinging and  FORCEFUL hip extension. http://youtu.be/VP8Jhjcxj78 RKC, HKC, Strong First...it doesn't matter who teaches it and the nuances, some hinge more, some less, regardless, it's about hip hinging and extension. Whats hip hinging? It's engaging/ creating motion from the hips...or pushing the HIPS back without creating motion at the low back. http://youtu.be/cu6XobuUQkU What does hip extension look like you ask? See that arrow? It's pointing out the FULLY extended hip.  It's about using your ass to bring the hips into a fully locked out position. Think hips … [Read more...]

Your Story = Your Reality

"We are defined by the stories we tell ourselves." - Tony Robbins http://youtu.be/1iAVaUNTX9U Why do so many people fail to get what they want out of life? It's not because they're not capable. It's not because the man holds you down. It's not because there is some vast conspiracy set out by the Illuminati to keep you wrapped in a cloak of entertainment constantly telling you you're somehow less capable and deserving than the rich and famous so you remain unmotivated and distracted from reality, what's actually important in the world and you don't LIVE you just exist in some type of state of vicarious hero-worship. http://iwcmediaecology.pbworks.com On … [Read more...]

“Celebrity Trainers”, Fitness Mags and Bad Technique

We should be thankful for the cornucopia of fitness magazines that come out each month. http://www.fitsugar.com When the zombie apocalypse comes at least we'll have an ample supply of toilet paper for eternity. While some of them don't completely suck ballzzzz and every now and then even the crappy ones actually have some good experts and columnists, for the most part the vast,vast majority of these ....ehhhhh....."publications", are riddled with misinformation and Pure Jackassery passed off as Correct Technique. How this happens? The only thing I can guess is that the "Fitness Experts" and the editors have NO CLUE what's going on. See, here's the thing. Many … [Read more...]

Where to Start…..

New Years Resolutions are stupid, you should already be doing those things, coming up so that means LOTS of people coming into the gyms, many of them for the first time either ever or in a loooooong time. Sadly, there is so much conflicting information out there, that it's hard to figure out what you should be doing to get the results you want. That means most people will take one of two paths: Path 1: The Observer They'll watch what others in the gym are doing (especially those people working with "fitness professionals" ) and they're going to mimic those exercises as best they can. <----this would make sense until you realize the BIG Secret....most "Fitness … [Read more...]

The Circus is in Town

Too often this happens: Exercise is overly complex and difficult to do <----- person equates overcoming a difficult obstacle with success/ progress--------> difficult exercise's value is given credence. Such thinking is a logical fallacy: Appeal to Novelty Appeals to novelty assume that the newness of an idea is evidence of its truth. They are thus also related to the bandwagon fallacy. That an idea is new certainly doesn’t entail that it is true. Many recent ideas have no merit whatsoever, as history has shown; every idea, including those that we now reject as absurd beyond belief, were new at one time. Some ideas that are new now will surely go the same … [Read more...]

Something You Should Be Thankful For…

Your Health.... Just as much as your Family, Job, Success, Nunchuck Skills or Sweet Hoop Ride with the Whistle Tip. http://youtu.be/mL6XmaIcqPA?t=42s Cold Hard Truth: If YOUR health is any less than the best it can be, you're not optimizing YOU, restricting your life, burdening others and bringing less than 100% to any relationship you're in. Think about It: All these things involve INTERACTION between YOU and other people or things. Because of that, it's your responsibility to bring the best you possible to all of your relationships. If you're not at your best you're not capable of doing your best work.... So, if you have your health be thankful for that, … [Read more...]

Olympic Lifting, Nice, But Not Necessary.

"Athletes Need Olympic Lifts for Power Development" From strong-athlete.com How many times have you heard that line? Probably a lot....The NSCA indoctrinates everyone with it.......and I used to repeat it.... Then I got educated, thought about it and realized...that's some dogmatic BS. First things first: What is Power? Other than A kick-ass magazine about all things STRONG.... It's a measure of work done over time. Power= Work/ Time So the faster you can do work...ie. create the displacement of an object relative to a fixed point, the more powerful you are. Ex. A. 225lbs bench for 3 reps in 3 seconds. B. 225lbs bench for 3 reps in 6 … [Read more...]