I’m writing this post from my couch as per usual, however this time my left leg is wrapped in an elastic bandage and propped up on a stack of pillows. Yes kids, yesterday afternoon I suffered a minor injury, a self-diagnosed Level 1 tear of the medial gastrocnemius, AKA Tennis Leg. What better time than Read more Injury Management: The PRICE is RICE […]
Training
Kettlebell Basics for Beginners (…and beyond!)
The first time I used a kettlebell was back in the early 2000s. I was in the midst of a deep martial arts obsession; the studio where I trained was old-school to the max. The only strength training equipment at this place was a pull-up and dip station, an adjustable bench, a squat rack and Read more Kettlebell Basics for Beginners (…and beyond!) […]
Canada’s Food Guide — where’s the beef?
With all that’s happening in Canada right now — the rise of populist politics; a heated diplomatic war with China; an energy crisis that’s shaking the national economy — it may seem surprising that a simple document outlining healthy eating habits would grab so many headlines. But then again, Canada’s Food Guide has always been Read more Canada’s Food Guide — where’s the beef? […]
Curls Pt. 2 – the right grip for the right job
In my last post I made a case for including curls in your training programs. Biceps have gotten a bad rap over the years, dismissed by “experts” as being superficial & non-functional. This, of course, is ridiculous. Are triceps superficial and non-functional? What about calves? The fact is, biceps — though synonymous with GymBro Douchebaggery Read more Curls Pt. 2 – the right grip for the right job […]
The Case for Curls
Earlier in November I turned 39 years old. According to Stats Canada, in six short months I’ll officially become a middle-aged man, meaning soon I can pontificate upon whatever the hell I want and blame all of society’s ills upon “kids today”, my opinions protected by the thinnest veil of wisdom imaginable. In preparation for Read more The Case for Curls […]
Isolation and compound exercises
Today I did dumbbell flies. INCLINE dumbbell flies, to be precise. I don’t remember the last time I did this exercise. I’ve been expanding my exercise repertoire, incorporating both isolation and compound exercises I’ve previously ignored for whatever reason. Like many lifters who came of age during powerlifting boom of the early aughts, I fell Read more Isolation and compound exercises […]
Something I learned today
A friend once said every now and then you have to try and lift a weight that scares you. This was good advice. I’ve always been a conservative sort of lifter. I keep my weights manageable, rarely ever working to failure. I save the gut-busting sets for bodyweight exercises where there’s less risk of suffering Read more Something I learned today […]
The Order of Things
“I was a little too obsessed with the technical aspects of music & I had to do like many of the great jazz musicians have done: learn everything then forget everything.” – John Frusciante ~ In school we’re taught that there’s an order to how training programs are structured. First, there’s the mobility work/warm-up. This Read more The Order of Things […]
Consistency — the only “life hack” anyone needs
There is an irrefutable law of living that everyone understands yet so many fight against, and that law is this: if you want to get good at something you have to do it a lot. The more often you do this thing, the better you will be at it. This concept is called “practice”. You Read more Consistency — the only “life hack” anyone needs […]
Get Strong (or die tryin’)
Minimalizing is addictive. The more fat I trim from my life, the further I want to keep going. Clothes I haven’t worn in a year: gone. Books I know for certain I’ll never read: gone. Gadgets/cables/duplicates: gone, gone, gone. My immediate goal is to one day board a plane for an extended vacation with nothing Read more Get Strong (or die tryin’) […]