One of the drawbacks to being a personal trainer is that search engine algorithms think I want nothing but fitness-related content in my newsfeed. Seems I spend so much time researching exercise technique and nutrition studies that the internet assumes I’m an insecure Gym Douche. How else do you explain the endless stream of bio-hacking Read more It’s the sugar, silly: carbophobia in the age of misinformation […]
Training
About them eggs…
It’s been an interesting — dare I say, enlightening??? — few weeks. On August 20th I sent a newsletter to my subscribers in which I stated that I’d been eating eggs. Seems this confession rubbed some the wrong way. I was scheduled to speak at last weekend’s Veg Food Fest here in Toronto, on a Read more About them eggs… […]
Lumbar Stenosis — what is it and how can we treat it?
Stenosis is the narrowing of the space around the spinal nerves. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision how this much this condition hurts! A sinister companion to arthritis, stenosis can affect either the low back (lumbar stenosis), the upper back and neck (cervical stenosis), or both areas at the same time. Here I’ll give Read more Lumbar Stenosis — what is it and how can we treat it? […]
Injury Management: The PRICE is RICE
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 […]
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 […]