Yesterday I shared an article about a distinction I use daily in my training. Am I practicing a movement? Am I training a movement? Am I testing a movement? While there is certainly overlap, deciding ahead of time what I am doing helps to get better results. As you likely …
Air Pollution = Bad Gut Health?
A new study published in Environment International shows that air quality impacts your gut microbiome. “This study examined relationships between air pollutants and the gut microbiome in young adults residing in Southern California. Our results demonstrate significant associations between exposure to air pollutants and the composition of the gut microbiome” …
Stretching is Anti-Cancerous?
While writing the product description page for 7 Minute Flexibility I went over to PubMed to see how much (how little actually) research there was on the benefits of flexibility. Unfortunately, stretching being a free thing that anyone can do, there’s not money to be made from researching and promoting …
Downward Dog Dynamic Stretching
Downward dog is a great stretch of the hamstrings along with the upper back and shoulder region. And with dynamic positions we can bring in a wide variety of other areas too. This list is comprehensive but does not cover every single possibility. • Dip the head down between the …
Squat Dynamic Stretching
A rock-bottom squat is what I consider a natural human movement. By that I mean it is a position every human ought to be able to do. The good news is that if you’ve lost this ability it can be regained. While you can do bouncing, or repetitions as far …
Pike Stretch Progressions and Regressions
The pike stretch focuses primarily on the hamstrings. Whether you can’t reach over and touch your toes, or your aiming for elite gymnastic skills you can do different versions of this stretch to suit you. This is a forward fold at the hips reaching towards or beyond your toes. To …
Seiza Stretch Progressions and Regressions
The seiza stretch focuses primarily on the quadriceps while also working the ankle flexibility too. Seiza literally means “proper sitting” in Japanese. It’s a common sitting position there, as well as other places in the world. And unfortunately, most people in the West cannot do it! I was one of …
Lessons from Home Burning – Part 1
Physical, Mental, Emotional and Character Strength On the night of August 19th my home burned completely to the ground. A few people made comments to the effect of it being telling that the only thing left standing was my power rack. That this was a symbol of strength. I agree! …
Breathing Methods During Exercises
Terry asks: “I’m looking for a way to improve on my breathing during exercise, particularly moderate to high intensity exercise. Breath holding is very natural for me during more intense exercise, yet ideally more controlled breathing is ideal, although I am not convinced that is feasible for moderate to high …
Breathing into Body Parts
Daniel asks: “When someone says “breath into your <non-lung bodypart>” through intent or visualization, what is actually happening physiologically?” Good question. It is mostly a visualization exercise. And by that I’m not just meaning visual only, but with a focus on feeling. I don’t know if this has been studied, …
MODULAR Training
No two people reading this email, despite the thousands that get these emails, do the same workouts. There are big variations and small variations. But think about that for a moment. No two people are doing the exact same thing. So how am I supposed to teach you what YOU …
Gyms and Masks
Daniel asks: “Some gyms require masks over both nose and mouth while working out. What are the implications of this and how can we mitigate any problems from it?” Well, on masks in general I gave my opinions in a podcast a few weeks back. You can listen to that here, …
To Hold Your Breath or Not Hold Your Breath
Daniel asks: “Taoist breathing exercises are very big on NOT holding the breath and having an even in-out. Yogic breathing exercises include plenty of breath holds. Some say it helps saturate your body with oxygen. Thoughts?” I’m all for holding the breath. It’s a natural thing we humans can do, …
Breath – Key to Super Powers?
Did you know that my start in real fitness began with breathing exercises? Sure, I played football in high school and did some weightlifting around that. But I was not strong, nor athletic despite doing so. That speaks to how you can just spin your wheels if you’re missing the …
Recharging Your Fitness Goals After a Pandemic
We have all just recently lived through a pandemic, a worldwide lockdown, and a global crisis. These are crazy circumstances we’ve all gone through and it has been difficult to manage everything that’s been thrown our way. It’s quite reasonable to have slipped a little on our personal fitness goals …