Posts in "Program Design"

The Illusion of Infinite Progression: 3 Strategies to Evolve Without Increasing Weight

I have an excellent guest post for you today. I was recently invited back onto the More Train, Less Pain Podcast hosted by my good friends Dr. Michelle Boland and Dr. Tim Richardt. This season on their show they’re focusing on training around injury. This is one of my wheel houses (alongside deadlifts, how to… Read more

Getting Stronger is Corrective

Before you move on, I wanted to let you know that Dean Somerset and I have just put our flagship product, the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint, on sale this week. You can purchase both CSHB 1.0 and CSHB 2.0 separately this week at 30% off the regular price using the coupon code EVOLVE at… Read more

Fitness Industry Hyperbole is Exhausting

We all know hyperbole when we see it. In general, it’s purposeful use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It’s often used in writing (and communication as a whole) to evoke strong feelings and reaction from the audience. These reactions can range from a chuckle and an “aww shucks” eye roll… Read more

Programming Considerations: Shoulders

Fair warning: This will not be an all-encompassing post on how to train the shoulders or how to program around nagging shoulder injuries. Frankly, I don’t think anyone wants to read a Dostoyevsky length diatribe on shoulder impingement or how improving scapular upward rotation leaves me sexually aroused. Yep, I’m weird. Instead I want to give… Read more

How to Write Effective Training Programs: Foul Shots and Whiteboards

I’ve had a rash of fitness professionals reaching out of late asking the same question in varying iterations… …a question, mind you, that I think every fitness professional ponders at some point: When the hell is someone going to green-light a sequel to Over the Top? Okay, in all seriousness: the real question revolves around… Read more

Never Question Your Exercise Selection Again

I’ve been a fan of “offset” loading for a number of years now. Without getting too deep in the weeds on what offset loading is and what the benefits are… …it’s when you either stagger your foot or hand position on certain exercises OR you load an exercise a certain way (how you hold a… Read more

The Ultimate 5-Step Guide to Progressing a Client Workout

Last week I received an email from Jon Goodman. At first I thought he was going to extend an invite to me to come up to Toronto for a weekend of watching Jean Claude van Damme movies. But that wasn’t the case. Fingers crossed for next time. Nope, instead Jon was curious if I’d be… Read more

Accessing T-Spine Extension For Healthy Shoulders

There are many things that can make your shoulder(s) hate life. Poor programming balance Less than stellar exercise technique Muscular imbalances Bony adaptations (acromion type Poor scapular kinematics Orcs And, for some, we could even make the case for faulty breathing mechanics and/or contralateral hip/ankle mobility restrictions. I try not to get that into the… Read more