Tromp Van Diggelen was a strongman, author and teacher born in 1885 who endured a sickly childhood like many old-time strongmen. He actually almost died three times as a child, from pleurisy, pneumonia and bronchitis. However, his mother was determined to have a healthy kid and she decided to set …
What Do I Need and What Should I Do?
I received this great question that really deserved a lengthy article to answer it. Here’s the question and then my reply below. “I constantly have questions running through my head, so here’s one from my training session today. How well rounded should I be and how do I get myself …
Diet for Strength
Does it really matter what you eat for building strength? First of all, if you are looking to reduce fat or build muscle, then proper diet is essential for those specific goals. Nonetheless, what most people do not realize is that building strength doesn’t have to go hand in hand …
Heel Strike vs Running on the Toes plus Shoes That Help or Hinder
What’s the best way to run? Should you run on your heels or toes? What about various shoes and their effect on the way you run? Our feet are designed in a way which makes it possible to run, walk or just support our weight. There was actually a study[¹] done …
Four Systems of Detox
You may have seen lots of emails about cleansing strategies from other people in the health and fitness space recently. When people talk about detox it is typically only about what you put in your mouth and what comes out the other end. But that’s not the only way the …
Pre-Workout AMPLIFICATION
The nutrient I talked about yesterday also has a certain effect which has helped me to significantly increase the results in my workouts. But it must be used in the RIGHT way and in combination with a few other things. When I first started physical training I was bodybuilding in …
Working Up to a Handstand Against the Wall
My newest article on Breaking Muscle will help you work your way up to a handstand against the wall. How to Work Up to a Handstand Against the Wall Doing a handstand against the wall is not a difficult move to do. It doesn’t require much strength, as when you …
Amazing Nutrient Benefits
It’s actually been a year since I was first really introduced to a certain nutrient and began a wide range of experiments with it. It’s cheap and common but almost no one has a idea of all the benefits it can bring. According to a book by medical doctors it: …
PR Report 1-18-14
This one is much the same as last week’s. I’m really only working on three things right now: splits, one arm chins and kettlebell snatches. In the past, I, and many others have written about training the full body, the moves you should do, etc. Like doing an upper body …
The Best Surface to Do Handstands On
What’s the best surface to practice handstands on? Primarily, you’ll want to practice handstands on a solid surface, like these mats you can see in the video above. You want to avoid softer mats or anything else that might give in to what you’re doing. If you try to do …
Getting on a Food Kick
I’ve decided I’d like to work towards the point where I’m preparing the vast majority of the foods I eat from scratch. I think this would be enjoyable as well as help me become even healthier. So this past weekend I got on a kick and did quite a bit. …
The Old School Dumbbell Swing
I recently wrote an article for BreakingMuscle.com on Dumbbell Swing by Arthur Saxon, but since it was described in text I thought it would be a good idea to make a video for it since most people haven’t seen this lift before. Dumbbell swing is rarely practiced these days, but …
The Mighty Atom
Joseph Greenstein, better known as The Mighty Atom, was a strongman from Poland born in 1893. He weighed only 4 pounds at birth, born prematurely with additional health issues which made doctors believe he won’t live longer than a couple of hours. Against all odds, Greenstein survived this ordeal, only …
Vertical and Horizontal Presses and Pulls
I received a question regarding the balance between vertical presses and horizontal presses and pulls, with vertical exercises like pull-ups, overhead barbell press or handstand pushups versus horizontal presses like bench press, dumbbell rows, inverted rows and similar horizontal movements. Do you really need to do all of these to …
PR Report 1-10-14
I’ve been working on my flexibility for the most part this week. I shot this video which shows me doing an isometric stretching variation in both the front splits and the side. You can see me get lower with each tense and release. I can tell I’ve already improved my …