If you had told me five years ago that Pilates would make me a stronger lifter I would have laughed in your face. Lifting weights is hard enough. How could an exercise method popularized by housewives and celebrities benefit my inner meathead? As it turns out, Pilates is one of the toughest exercise methods I’ve ever put my body through because …
Gift-giving is a lost art now, especially around the holidays. Most people stress themselves out or procrastinate for so long that they just end up buying generic gift cards the night before, or pulling directly out of the individual’s carefully curated wish list. No thought and no creativity. Ugh. I used to be one of those people. Buying gifts stressed …
Newsflash: Your push-up ability isn’t limited to how strong your arms are. Sure, upper body strength has a lot to do with it, but there is a lot more to the push-up than that. There are lots of other muscles involved, it can be progressed or regressed numerous ways, and it’s one hell of an exercise worth your time. “Girly” push-ups, …
I can sit there and babble on about all the life hacks to help you stay more consistent with your training, especially around the holidays, but I’ll spare you. You’ve heard them all. Heck, you’ve probably tried them before and still found yourself fluffier and softer come the New Year. All those tips and tricks we desperately yearn for do work….until …
Over the years, I’ve grown to love squatting. I love how this exercise challenges me, pushes me, and has given me very strong legs. At my peak, I was squatting 190lbs for reps, and it was thrilling to see the weights go up as I grew more proficient with the lift. Eventually, a back injury reared its ugly head and …
Note: This post is a reiteration of an article in the #21DaysMvtMob. Get more like this when you sign up & improve your squat, deadlift, overhead press, and pull-up! The barbell bench press is one of those lifts that I want to love but dread training. A previous shoulder injury and nagging pain that went on for years has made me …
This post is a reiteration of the 21 Days of Movement and Mobility series, a free, 21-day email series packed with coaching insights and tips to help you improve the movement quality in major lifts as well as your mobility overall. You can sign up and join in for free HERE. Before I started powerlifting, my barbell squat was mediocre …
Back in my corporate days I used to wake up drag myself out of bed at 5am to get a workout in before going to work at 7:30am (that was our start time, and not a minute later was allowed). Those early mornings felt brutal at times, even when it became a regular part of my routine. What I learned …
When it comes to cuing our clients or using cues on ourselves, we have to consider this fact: Not all cues are right for every body. Saying things like “activate your core” or “turn on your lats” is oftentimes gibberish passed down from one CPT manual to trainer to another, until it makes it’s way down to Sally, the stressed …
They said I’d fall in love with the tapas, wine, and sights in Spain and boy, were they right. In a recent 10-day excursion to Barcelona and Madrid, I got to experience incredible cuisine, caught glimpses of fascinating history, and worked off all the excess wine calories by walking at least 7-10 miles per day. The Barbell Pilates blog may …
