Push-ups! The king of body weight exercises and one of the most effective moves for strength and conditioning. They predominately work the muscles in your chest, shoulders, triceps, and abs. There are hundreds of variations to keep you challenged and they require zero equipment so you can do them anywhere. Despite all the benefits, the most common question about … [Read more...]
How To Relieve Lower Back Pain Fast
Last week I hurt my lower back. I tried to swing a kettlebell that was much heavier than what I normally use. It was going really well until I felt a tweak in my lower back followed by a sharp jolt of pain. It's at that moment I knew I messed up. I had just committed myself to at least a week of lower back pain and impaired movement. If you've ever had lower back … [Read more...]
My Kettlebell Experience: The Secret Strength Tool
Every person can become two to three times stronger and heavy kettlebells are one of the most powerful means to make a man stronger - Ivan Lebedev (Russian Strongman, 1916) A few weeks ago I bought Enter the Kettlebell: Strength Secrets of the Soviet Supermen. The book opened my mind to a bunch of cool routines that I've never seen. It also showed me how incorporating … [Read more...]
Is It Harder For Tall People To Put On Muscle?
One of the most frequently asked questions by tall people training regularly at the gym is: is it harder to put on muscle if you are tall? The sweet and short answer is NO. Before I explain why, let’s first examine why this is a frequently asked question. For a majority of tall people (myself included) the story usually goes something like this: We start skinny and … [Read more...]
What Tall People Need To Understand About Squats
Love them or hate them squats are one of the BEST exercises for putting on mass or losing weight. Every good workout routine includes some form of squats; there is simply no way around it. Since squatting is so important there is a plethora of information out there teaching you how to squat. A simple Google or YouTube search will show you countless videos of "experts" telling … [Read more...]
How to Break a Plateau by Greasing the Groove
Along our fitness journey we eventually hit a plateau. Whether it’s the amount of weight we can move in a certain lift or the number of perfect form body weight repetitions we perform, progress will eventually stall. Breaking this plateau can be a source of frustration and discouragement. I know about this all too well. My weakness is the pull-up. At the beginning of my … [Read more...]
Why Are Some Movements Harder For Tall People?
Whilst I consider my height to be a blessing, one that gives me an advantage in most sports, I find that when it comes to gym and calisthenics movements my height can be a curse. From a young age I played basketball (I know; I was the stereotypical tall kid) all the way through to my late teens and then took up Tae Kwon Do for 9 years. Later I dabbled in distance running for … [Read more...]
Clean Eating Examples Part 1: Breakfast
In a previous blog post titled “the only diet advice tall people need” I stated that we should aim to "eat clean" as much as possible for overall well being and weight control. This was to dispel the illusion that tall people can eat whatever they want without consequence. The main reason I advocate clean eating is that it will help you reach your body goals; be it to lose that … [Read more...]
Body Mass Index Alternatives for Tall People
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple screening tool you can use to determine if your weight is putting you at risk of health problems such as heart disease or diabetes. It’s an attempt to quantify the amount of tissue mass (muscle, fat and bone) you have and then categorise you as either underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. The premise of BMI is very simple. First … [Read more...]
Are you eating enough to reach your body goals?
A few months ago I came to the harsh realisation that despite what I thought, I wasn’t eating nearly as many calories as I thought I was (or should be eating). At the time, my goal was to reduce my body fat % from 17.8% to about 13% and then start to build lean muscle mass. To try and achieve both these targets I decided to cut down my daily calorie intake whilst at the same … [Read more...]