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, …
5 Reasons You Should (or Shouldn’t) Back Squat
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 …
3 Tweaks for A Safer Bench Press
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 …
How to Use Pause Training to Improve Your Squat
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 …
3 Common Training Cues Ruining Your Shoulder Health
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 …
The Right Mobility Approach For Your Training
We know that mobility training is crucial for all of us. We see the hundreds of mobility articles, videos, and posts about this and that drill. But do we know how to piece it all together? For years I’ve tinkered with different mobility techniques with my clients and myself, and quickly realized that mobility training is always fluid and evolving. Sounds …
A Beginner’s Guide to Weightlifting Gear: Shoes, Belts, Wraps, and Sleeves
I have a rule about buying new workout gear: If I’m still practicing the sport or activity diligently for at least 6 months, I’m allowed to buy gear. Otherwise, I borrow what I can from friends or make do with what I got. For example, I took spinning classes on and off for two years before finally purchasing my first pair of …
3 Considerations For Lifters and Their Pelvic Floor Health
I’m sure the last thing you’re thinking about when it comes to strength training is your pelvic floor muscles, but believe it or not, the two go hand-in-hand. Not only do we all share the same pelvic floor anatomy (yea bruh, this applies to you), but a weak or overactive pelvic floor can really hurt us in the long run …
Three Ways to Upgrade Your Workouts
I’mma be real with you. Programming can be complex and a tad overwhelming for the average person to understand, but it really doesn’t have to be. I see way too many people get caught up in the fancy training variables like dropsets, clusters, or finishers instead of focusing on what really matters: Progression. If you’re not progressing your exercises or …
The Truth About Toning and What it Really Means
Trainer: So tell me about your fitness goals. Woman: I want to get in shape. You know, get a little more toned but not too bulky. Trainer: Safe to say, trainers here this one a lot so the eye roll isn’t about you, it’s about the words “toning and “bulky” in the same sentence. These terms can mean many things …