Stuff I Used to Say, When I Was An Idiot: Squat Edition
I remember the first time I saw Eminem perform. I was at my apartment in between classes watching a little TRL on MTV. It was spring break, 1999. I was in my living room. Many of my friends were somewhere else, not in my living room, galavanting around on some beach in Cancun soaking up… Read more
2-KB Front Squat: A Simple Looking Exercise That’s Anything But
Being a “good” coach and writing effective training programs isn’t about inserting the most demanding or most obnoxious looking exercises for your athletes & clients. Peruse social media and you’ll inevitably come across any number of fit pros vying for everyone’s attention with elaborate looking exercises ranging from Quasi-isometric deadlifts vs. chains (from a deficit… Read more
Dumbbells Are Better Than Barbells For Pec Development: There, I Said It
This post is about training the pecs. Sha-ZAM. Full disclosure, I was going to use this picture as the main image for today’s article: Copyright: wrangel / 123RF Stock Photo However: 1. This guy’s pecs weren’t “pecy” enough. 2. Yellow peppers are gross. Every dude who lifts weights wants an impressive, well-defined chest. For… Read more
Exercises You Should Be Doing: Off-Bench DB Press
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve graced the internet with a new (to you) exercise, so lets jump in: Any bench-pressing variation can be a double-edged sword. On one hand the advantages are numerous: Builds upper body strength. Pecification of pecs. And that’s pretty much it. So maybe not as numerous as I… Read more
Exercises You Should Be Doing: HBT Front Squat March
In my career as a strength coach I’ve worked with numerous athletes and non-athletes alike dealing with back pain. And while much of the time my initial “go to” exercises are things like the McGill curl-up, birddogs, deadbugs, and various planks I also recognize that, after awhile, some people would rather wash their face with… Read more
The Abdominal Rollout: Common Mistakes and Progressions
Having a newborn at home = I’ve been waking up on the wrong side of the bed lately. A lot. I’m cranky AF and my brain waves aren’t firing on all cylinders this morning so you can blame this lame introduction on that. Cool? Awesome. Lets discuss abs. Specifically, lets discuss one of the more… Read more
Sport Restrictive vs. Sport Specific Exercise: How to Avoid Damaging Our Athletes
Speed ladders, parachutes, BOSU balls…it’s all nauseating at times. There’s a time and place for all those things – I guess – but when they’re added to an athlete’s (especially young athlete’s) training repertoire I have to wonder if they’re in there because the coach feels it’ll make him or her better, or if it’s… Read more
“Squat Like a Girl”
I hate the term “girl push-up.” I hate the connotation it breeds; that girls are weak and that they should do these kind of push-ups instead (performed from the knees). Coaches who use it are 1) lazy and 2) are definitely worthy of the stink eye. But what about squats? Is there such a thing… Read more