CrossFit didn't invent the sled. But they sure as hell made it popular. I first heard about sled dragging from reading ancient T-Nation and Westside articles. Like most things "strength" today, Louie and the guys at Westside were dragging sleds LONG before just about anyone else. It seemed like any problem you had: Fat Out of Shape Weak You'd get the "shakes" when you would get under a squat bar All of these things were,cured by copious amounts of sled dragging, according to this mad man: https://youtu.be/U_qkB5905FU This is NSFW I still don't know how the hell dragging a sled, no matter how much weight is on it, can stop you from shaking … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Dumbbell Lateral Raise
November 17, 2017 by
It wasn't that long ago that all things "Bro" AKA Bodybuilding or hypertrophy or as it's often put, non-functional hypertrophy related were shunned.. Dumbbell flys, Bicep Curls, Lateral Raises and the like, all persona non grada. They were "small" single joint exercises that didn't deliver much "bang for your buck". And truth be told, as someone who preaches this, that philosophy is pretty much on point. Especially for the person who only has 2-3, 30-45 minute blocks to spend in the gym each week. If that's you, you're gonna get a LOT more outta "BIG" multi-joint lifts like Squats, Pushups, Bench Presses, and Deadlifts. But what if you've got more … [Read more...]
Yes, I Do Cardio AKA The Heart is a Dumb Muscle
November 9, 2017 by
The heart only knows one thing: How much stress the body is under. That's it, nothing more. It's only responding and adapting to the signal(s) its given. So think about it.... Do you really need to do this [insert miserable cardio modality here] ???? The answer is no. The ONLY THING YOU NEED TO DO IS MANIPULATE YOUR HEART RATE TO GET THE DESIRED RESPONSE. The modality you use is of no consequence. What's that got to do with anything? Well, a lot of my peeps ask me, Do You Do Cardio? Yes, I try to get it in 2 times a week. I primarily use "cardio" to improve cardiac output and recovery. I'm not trying to push my max heart rate, or … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Plate Resisted Dead Bug
November 1, 2017 by
"Roll the belt buckle to the chin.." "Push the bottom rib into the abs...." I say those about 50 times a day. Why? It's all about the Open Scissor position. It's no good. But its the default for lots of people. Instead of using the "core" to brace against the forces, this default makes you Instagram famous uses the lumbar spine and pelvis, driving into each other, to buttress forces. In a perfect world we want a neutral scissor position. The neutral scissor is just the "Pillar" or "Cylinder" position, nothing new. Core Control: You don't want excessive lumbar movement, flexion (rounding) or arching (extension). We need to be able to put the … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Band Snatch
October 24, 2017 by
The Band Snatch Is Super Cool and Neat-O The Band Snatch has two strengths: 1: It's easy on the shoulder joint for almost everyone. 2: It'll fry your shoulders in the process. All three heads, front, medial, rear delts will all get swoled up. Plus, I stole it from Shelby Starnes, and he's super jacked, so it must be good. You should do it. Checklist: Shoulders IN the joint, the whole time: NEVER Over-reach at the top: Once the shoulder joint is fully extended, that's it. Don't reach as far back as you CAN, reach to the end range of motion. Once the scapula are retracted and the upper arm (humerus) is centered, STOP! Just like … [Read more...]
The Truth About Weight Loss and Maintenance….
October 17, 2017 by
First Things First: If you're overweight and/ or have a weight problem. It's You're Fu@king Fault It's not your genes, *that's not how genes work it's not your coworkers who bring in donuts, it's not because someone puts a gun to your head every night and forces you to drink a bottle of wine or eat at the clown house every night. It's your fault, you have control over you, it didn't just happen. And that is a great thing, because, since you're not a victim of your weight: YOU HAVE 100% CONTROL OVER IT AND CAN CHANGE IT. Now we can get onto the important stuff. If we're talking about someone who starts out with a lot of weight to lose: It's Really F-ing … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: TRX Row
October 9, 2017 by
If I could do only one pulling (rowing) motion what would it be? "100% it would be the TRX row." In my opinion the TRX is the greatest row machine ever built. It's scales easily from beginner to advanced, it's self-limiting, and it's almost foolproof. Plus, and mostly its one of the best tools I've found for training the lost art of scapular retraction. True, you can overdo it. But in my, desk jockey, sitting all day slumped over, world, 9/10 people have a real issue pulling those shoulders down and back, pinching the shoulder blades together in the back. So we NEED to train scap retraction and depression and need to be able to do it with a tool that … [Read more...]
In Praise of Lifting Straps
October 4, 2017 by
Never Use Lifting Straps. They weaken your grip and make you a P.U.S.S.Y I used to say that...a lot. It was like gospel. I was right then and I'm wrong now. Mostly because I was young and dumb.... See, the problem with youth and/ or inexperience is that you're young and have no experience. <---I know, that's really deep. The problem with being young, as it pertains to sports and physical stuff, is you can do really stupid sh@t, often, at high volumes, and intensities and recover almost immediately. You're like a metaphorical, living, breathing Wolverine... Stole this pic, please don't sue me Marvel This means you don't really learn from the … [Read more...]
