Before you read on, watch this video: Now, you may be asking yourself—what’s the big deal? A few chin-ups, so what? Well, those few chin-ups were a big deal to me. That was the first set of supinated-grip chins I performed after my distal biceps surgery. Trust me, it’s been on my mind ever since….
It’s been said over and over: “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym!” If you want to get in shape, most experts believe that 80% of the battle is diet and 20% is exercise. The problem, of course, is that there are thousands of diets to choose from. But if you understand…
For volume training with intermediate and advanced athletes, legendary strength and conditioning coach Al Vermeil recommends wave-like loading when performing squats and presses. Too much high-volume, low-intensity work can detrain the nervous system over time. This scheme works well to counter that effect: Wave 1set 1: 8-10 repsset 2: 4-6 reps Wave 2set 3: 8-10…
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure The best way to deal with an injury is to prevent one from happening in the first place. Here are some suggestions to help keep you injury-free in the gym: The same logic applies to performing your favorite exercises every program… you know, the ones…
The Inevitable Truth Whether it’s during competition or training, injuries are bound to happen. It’s part of the game. If you play with any form of intensity for long enough, you’ll be nursing something eventually. Let’s take a look at the top injury in sports and in the gym. The #1 Athletic Injury I’m sure…
Be Your Own Doctor On April 4th of last year, I experienced a nasty injury. It was arm day and I was performing one-arm dumbbell preacher curls. It happened on the third rep of the third set with a 52½-pound dumbbell. As I went to lift the weight, it sounded like a tree branch broke…
Back In Your Mother’s Arms Don’t underestimate the value of sleep. Whether you’re trying to recover from microtrauma induced by a heavy workout or macrotrauma from an injury, you need sleep and lots of it. Set your alarm clock for 10:00 p.m. and as soon as that thing goes off, go to bed! Whatever you’re…
Many health and fitness misconceptions exist. For instance, we’re told to eat a high carbohydrate breakfast to fuel up and kickstart the day with plenty of energy. Unfortunately, for many this leads to a midmorning slump, extreme cravings and hunger throughout the day, and a layer of fat around their midsection that seems to persist…
Too often, research based on pathological populations is extrapolated and applied to healthy individuals. One common example is static core endurance training. Here’s an excerpt from Shinkle et al., 2012 on the topic: In sports, muscular demands vary greatly from athlete to athlete. This makes it very difficult to have one statement that will address…
Diet and exercise are the keys to body weight management. If the scale and your waistline have been “unmanaged” for a while, try this two-week fix to get back on track. It will kickstart your system into fat-burning mode—and dare I say, help you shed a few pounds along the way. It’s a simple system:…