Weight lifting and calisthenics are not as different as some people may think. They both use progressive resistance to make your muscles bigger and stronger. The biggest difference between the two is in how you progress the resistance. With weight lifting, you maintain a fairly consistent technique while adjusting the weight you lift. Calisthenics does the opposite where you adjust …
This is Why You’re Struggling to Build Muscle
Many hard-working athletes are struggling to build muscle for a variety of reasons. Some may not be eating very well or sleeping enough. Stress is also a factor that can slow down muscle growth. Most of the time, the struggle to build muscle comes from inconsistent training. Changing up your routine or workout too often can send mixed signals to …
DIY Ultra Portable Suspension Trainer
This suspension trainer is the latest invention to come from the R.D.P Calisthenics Equipment Development Program. A.k.a, by tinkering around in my basement. This new suspension trainer is called the Bowline Trainer because it only uses the bowline knot in its construction. It’s designed to be ultra lightweight, portable and versatile. Unlike the Pruisk Trainer, it lacks the ability to make …
Use Your Lats to Build More Muscle
I always used to think of the lats as a narrow muscle group that ran up the sides of the back. I also used to think they were only really used in moves like pull ups and maybe rows. Lately, I’ve been learning a lot more about this incredible muscle and it’s made a massive improvement in almost every exercise I …
Use Neutral Tension for More Gain With Less Pain
Muscle tension is the best thing and the worst thing for you. It can break your body and build it up. It can cause muscle growth as well as muscle strains and joint pain. It all depends on how you can manage it within your muscles. Lately, I’ve been using an approach I call Neutral Tension. Simply put, it using …
Top 6 Suspension Trainer Exercises for Building Muscle
A simple suspension trainer can really help you build muscle with bodyweight exercises. They can mimic nearly any classic gym exercise. They bring more progression and regression to any move, and they can help you set up a “gym” almost anywhere. They can also open a pandora’s box of variety because you can do hundreds of movements on them. Over the …
My Best DIY Suspension Trainer Ever
I’ve been making my own suspension trainers since I first got into calisthenics and bodyweight training almost a decade ago. I’ve spent far too much time and money on one design after the next. Each new model was an improvement in some ways, but was lacking in others. Finally, after many years (and far too many attempts) I’ve come up …
Build More Muscle With Less Joint Pain
Tension is the bottom line in your quest to build muscle and strength. If you use it well you get everything you want. You grow muscle, improve performance and generally gain everything from your training you could ever want. On the other hand, if your tension is mismanaged it will break you down and bust you up. Almost every chronic …
Build Muscle Without Adding Reps
When it comes to building muscle through calisthenics you don’t want to become a rep chaser. A rep chaser is someone who’s primary focus of progression is doing more reps. Forget adding intensity or improving technique, the best way to get stronger is just doing more reps than ever before. Adding reps is good, but it should not be your primary …
How Stability Helps You Build Muscle
There are many reasons why you’re struggling to build muscle and strength. Muscle control and stability is one such reason. Your body is only going to allow you to become so strong if your balance and body control is lacking. Some methods build strength but not stability. Other’s build stability and not much strength. That’s why I recommend methods …
Effective Grip & Forearm Training
Today we take a look at advanced grip training as per Convict Conditioning 2. Don’t neglect your grip training! You’re only as strong as your grip. If you can’t hold onto a bar or object how can you expect to impose your will upon it in the name of getting stronger? It also makes sense to build up your …
The Great Biceps Exercise You’re Not Doing
When I started playing around with this move I had no idea it was such a great biceps move. To my surprise my biceps were sore for a week! I like using it as a warm up before pull ups, or as a finisher after a pulling workout. Try 2-3 sets of 3-4 reps holding the tucked position for 3-5 …
Programing Supplemental Calisthenics Moves
Just like traditional weight lifting methods, calisthenics includes both basic compound movements as well as single joints moves like curls, shoulder raises and grip work. Even though you may not need these moves, they can shore up a few weak points and round out your physique. The trick is knowing how to fit them into your program so they don’t …
Body Weight Chest and Leg Routine for Muscle Growth
There’s nothing as satisfying as a good pump in the chest and arms. There’s also something to be said for possessing legs that feel more like a pair of cyborg limbs that can withstand anything you throw at them. Body weight training is fantastic for accomplishing these goals anytime and anywhere you find yourself. These moves require little to no …
3 Tips to Building Wider Shoulders
Nothing conveys strength and raw macho might like a set of shoulders that span a couple of zip codes. The good news is that you don’t have to be a big guy to build an impressive set of shoulders. The attraction factor is not so much about total width but rather the ratio of your shoulder width to your height …
The Foundation to a Bigger Upper Body
All force in the upper body travels through your back. Even if you’re doing push ups and hand stands, the work you want your pushing muscles to perform needs to travel through your back in some way. This is why keeping your back tight and stable is very important in every upper body exercise you do including grip and …
The Bigger Chest & Triceps Workout
I’ve been playing around with a workout style that combines two classic muscle building strategies: – Pre-exhaustion – Drop sets Pre-exhaustion is a great way to give a lagging muscle group a little extra love while drop sets are a time-tested way to ensure a large group of muscles (ie a muscle chain) gets hit extra hard. Check out how …
Build More Muscle With Push Ups
One of the secrets to unlocking more muscle building tension in your pushing chain is in your back. Your back muscles serve as the foundation for setting your shoulders in an optimal position to ensure that beautiful muscle building tension goes right into your muscles while staying away from your joints.
Are Planks Just as Bad as Crunches?
Do you remember when the crunch was the core exercise of choice? Everyone and their mom did thousands of the damn things for hours and then bragged about it on their My Space page. Thankfully, we’ve wised up a bit and realized all of those crunches cost far too much time, didn’t really do very much and caused a lot …
The $25 DIY Suspension Trainer
I’ve spent years obsessed over building my own suspension straps for various reasons: – I can build them to be exactly what I want. – I can save money. – I’m not terribly impressed with most of the trainers on the market. I’ve always believed I can, and have been, building a better mouse trap. This video highlights my …
How to Kill Workout Boredom
Boredom kills your ability to progress and advance your workouts. No matter how hard you’re pushing yourself, a boring workout is only slightly better than worthless. It kills you mental edge. It kills your drive and desire. It kills your focus. Not to mention it’s also a total bear to get through. So I say it’s time we got …
2 Arm Blasting Body Weight Exercises From Hell
These two moves are hands-down the best way I know of for focusing and blasting the hell out of your biceps and triceps. These take a little practice to get the technique down, but once you get comfortable with them I promise you’ll be able to push your muscles harder than with any weight machine or preacher curl.
Are Isolation Exercises Holding You Back?
My initial workouts were heavily focused on exercises that would isolate the muscles I wanted to grow. Looking back, I now believe these moves actually held back my progress even once I focused on compound movements. The tricky thing about muscle isolation is the fact that the body likes to use muscles in synergy. So The abs like to work along with …
Muscle Targeting Myths
Ever since body building hit the scene, people have been chopping the body into little muscle groups. It’s practically become scripture that if you want bigger biceps then you need to target your biceps. If you want a killer booty then you better target those Glutes. Sure muscle targeting isn’t bad, but it doesn’t come close to a much …
Volume Creep is Workout Poison
More is not always better, especially when it comes to your workout. Just adding more endless sets to your routine can cause what is known as volume creep. Volume creep is one of those false ideals that runs rampant throughout our fitness culture. It makes us believe we are getting a better workout. It feels like we should be getting …
This TRX Shoulder Exercise Replaces 4 Dumbbell Exercises
When it comes to working the shoulders, nothing beats handstand work. That said, sometimes you want to target the deltoids. With dumbbells you have a lot of exercises to choose from which can target the shoulders from different angles. It can be very precise but it can also take a lot of time and energy. Not to mention it’s …
2 Twists on the TRX Rear Fly
The TRX rear fly is one of the best ways to target your shoulders and upper back. Use these two little twists to further target either the rear deltoids or the traps and rhomboids.
Don’t Do Weighted Calisthenics Until You Read this
Adding more weight to your body weight exercise may seem simple enough, but there are a few risks to be aware of. The first issue is that you shouldn’t sacrifice your technique in the name of greater loads. Using a shorter range of motion or different body position doesn’t always mean you’re getting stronger. Often times, it simply means you’re …
Why Your Grip Makes or Breaks Your Total Body Strength
Your total body strength is often limited by your grip strength. The other day I was at the Denver Museum of Science and Natural History and they had a fun little challenge testing your ability to hang off of a ledge. It was a neat set up where there was a wooden ledge attached to a timer. As soon as …
Abs Are NOT Made in the Kitchen
There are always a lot of myths about six pack abs and core training. Some of the latest are: “Diet is 90% of your results” “Abs are made in the kitchen” “You are what you eat” Blah blah blah… Sure diet is important and all, and yes you aren’t going to get very far if you rely on exercise …
Intense Strap and TRX Sit Ups
Your TRX or suspension straps are one of the best core training tools available. While this move might not look like much, it’s really a sure-fire way to blast the abs. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it for a few workouts!
How to Avoid Junk Exercise and Workouts
We all know the pit falls of so-called junk food, but how many folks are standing guard against junk workouts or junk exercise? Junk food can leave you feeling satisfied, it can be enjoyable to eat, but the long term progress and benefits are negligible. The same can be said with junk workouts. They are fun, leave you feeling …
2 Essential Tips For TRX Biceps Curls
There are few tools that work your arms like suspension straps or a TRX. For my money, no other tools can target and work the arms like straps, especialy with all of the different attachments I’ve built 😉 But the tools are only a small part of the effect. The technique you use will always determine the extent of your …
You Can’t Build Muscle Until You’re Stronger
I’ve long said that strength doesn’t come from muscle. Muscle comes from strength. There are a number of meanings behind this saying. The first one is that it pays reference to your inner strength, the power that comes from within when the going gets tough. For when your muscles are burning and your body feels like it’s made of …
Build Stronger Legs with a Block of Wood
I’ve always loved simple solutions that can quickly and easily make an already great exercise even better. This video is one of my latest discoveries on how I use a simple block of wood to instantly improve even the worst squat technique.
The Science Behind Weight Lifting Speeds
Lifting speed is kind of funny. If you lift slower the exercise is harder. If you lift faster…the exercise is also harder. It seems like a conundrum but here’s a simple way to understand lifting speed and how to use it to your advantage. The root cause of muscle building exercise is really simple. You have 2 elements which are time and tension. …
Calisthenics Better Than Weights for Building Muscle?
People don’t believe me when I tell them that I’ve built up my body through calisthenics. They ask me if it’s possible for them to get the same results through calisthenics as opposed to weights. Truth is, not only can you build up your body just as well with calisthenics, but I believe you can get even better results than you would …
Why a Bigger Range of Motion Makes You Much Stronger
I’ve already covered why using a shorter range of motion can actually set you up for joint problems. Now I want to cover how a bigger range of motion makes you stronger. Using a shorter range of motion is very common within our fitness culture. Walk into any gym and you’ll see loads of people lifting weight and …
Playground Workout for Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
The pushing movements have never been my strong point. Back in the day, I could row and pull weight like a monster but pushing was always a major weakness of mine. Part of the reason was weakness and instability in my shoulders. This imbalance and lack of strength lead to many shoulder issues along the road. Now my pushing …
The Best DIY Suspension Straps
I’ve been obsessed with building my own suspension straps. So much so that I’ve spent far too much time and money trying to get every little detail perfect. I’ve lost count, but I’m guessing I’ve built about 30 different variations over the years. In this video series, I share with you all of my secrets about building a set …
How to Take Your Sets Beyond Failure
I’ve been playing with a new workout style that I really think you’ll like. A lot of conventional workout wisdom goes something along the lines that you start doing an exercise and then you stop when you can’t do it any more. There are a few ways we can relate to this: 1- You keep doing reps until you …
Should You Work a Muscle or Train a Movement?
move or muscle As our modern fitness culture has developed and changed we’ve had an interesting dichotomy take shape. Some folks will work out based on the idea that they are working, shaping and strengthening various muscles. Other’s will proudly claim that they work movements rather than muscles. So now you have the debate of working muscle vs working movements. Both ideas …
Ab Wheel vs TRX or Suspension Trainer For Ab Work
The Ab wheel is one of those uncommon infomercial products that actually works pretty well. It does a fine job of helping to build up core strength and stability thus being a pretty good influence towards those coveted six pack abs. That being said, I’ll take a pair of suspension straps over a simple ab wheel any day. Even …
Should You Train Movement or Muscle for Your Goal?
Much of the confusion within our fitness culture comes from conflicting fitness dogmas which both claim to be right while the other one wrong. The down side of this black and white thinking is that when you take sides you limit your potential due to the limited scope each side naturally has. One example is the Movement vs Muscle training mentality. …
Ring Push Up Better Than vs bench Press?
The other day, I was doing some push ups on my suspension straps when a rather strong looking gentleman approached me. He gave me a nod and said something to the effect that I was smart for doing such an exercise. Turns out he was an exercise physiologist who did a lot of work with body builders back …
How to Strengthen any Weak Muscle / Body part
We all have areas that are stubborn and difficult to train. For me, it’s long been my shoulders and forearms. For others it’s their legs or arms. Whatever your weaker areas are many folks try to “fix” the area with extra hard work and exercises that focus on that muscle group. While this can work, it often doesn’t. Sometimes …
Leg Use for Stronger and Safer Dips
The dip is one of the 3 cornerstone exercises in the Triad Muscle Revolution. It’s hard to beat, but it can be made better through the use of your legs. I’m not talking about swinging or kicking your legs or anything like that. Rather using them to help your upper body get into a more ideal position.
Using Excuses to Springboard Your Fitness Success
We Know we shouldn’t make excuses. We know they don’t hold any water. And yet we all still make them and they still can keep us stuck, especially when starting a new fitness project. Zach Even-esh of the underground strength gym came up with this great technique for turning a mental roadblock into a launch pad. Step 1- Take …
Achieving Ultimate Workout Satisfaction
Umami is a term that doesn’t get nearly enough attention within our fitness culture. It’s a Japanese term and, as I understand it, refers to a sensation of pleasure and satisfaction from a physical experience. Think of when you slip into a nice hot bath and you issue a sigh of contentment. Or when you drink a great beer and …
Why Pleasure is More Important Than Pain in Fitness
In a previous post I wrote about how pain is weakness invading the body rather than leaving the body as some hardcore folks like to claim. As I’ve also stated in previous posts, every exercise you do is essentially a set of instructions you are “downloading” to the cells of your body. If we put the two philosophies together we …
Theories on Why Body Weight Training Builds Sexy Physique #2
I must confess, I was one of those guys who believed that all I needed to do to build an attractive body was to either be as lean as possible or pack on muscle like crazy. All through high school and college I worked like crazy to bring my body fat levels into almost impossibly low levels. Then after I …
Advanced Body Weight Training Tip #2
Here’s a great trick to put into your technical progression tool bag. Pause at the bottom and the top of each rep of any repetition strength style exercise. The reason is simple. As you lower yourself down your muscles store energy much like a coiled spring. When you start lifting yourself back up, you can use some of that energy to …
Ultimate Strength Through Calisthenics
Body weight exercise is not often associated with aspects of immense strength and power. If anything, calisthenics are usually reserved for endurance or “toning” while methods like heavy weight lifting are more associated with raw strength. In this week’s podcast I cover why absolute raw strength is so very important to any fitness endeavor and why body weight exercise can …
This is Old School Abs!
Today’s video get’s right to the root of building an impressive set of abs. Now, I’m not exactly a six-pack type of guy. I don’t like the idea of training my body all for show and no go which is exactly what a lot of six pack training is all about. However some of the best principals of killer abdominal …
Work Your Chest, Tris and Shoulders in Under 20 Minutes
This new body building style body weight workout will seriously work all of your pushing muscles as well as your core. If your basic push up routine is getting a little stale, give this a shot. I promise you’ll feel it the next day.
Introducing the Next Wave in Body Weight Exercise and Fitness
Introducing Taigoki. It’s all about “Movement for a change.” My story into exercise is much like many other’s. At first I started doing everything by the book and staying within the lines. After so many years, I decided to be a little adventurous and do things a little differently. I changed how I did different techniques, and my over all …
Build a Bigger Chest With The Archer Push Up
This little exercise is the latest in my arsenal of ways to make push ups more challenging through added intensity. After all, you can only get so far by adding more volume to the same exercise. If you want to get stronger and build more muscle you’ll also have to increase your intensity as well as your technique. This video …
Toss Out the Preacher Curl, This is Better!
Today’s bodyweight exercise is yet another bicep blasting variation. In this one, we’re taking advantage of using a wide anchor point system for that extra bit of spice in the arm muscles.
The Risk and Benefit of Adding Weight to Body Weight Exercises
Yes, it looks impressive but……….. So you’re getting pretty proficient at body weight exercise and you’re thinking of adding a little extra weight to spice things up a bit. Adding extra wait to body weight exercise is a great way to add intensity to your basic movements. However there are some serious pros and cons to consider with such an …
Bigger Biceps With Strap Curls
Curls are a satisfying staple for building bigger biceps. Back in the day, I used to camp out on the preacher curl or biceps curl machine, but I gave that all up when I learned how to do curls on suspension straps. I find it’s much easier to build bigger biceps with a towel and suspension straps compared to conventional free …
Physical Conditioning and Calisthenics
What do the words physical conditioning mean to you? It might bring up images of sled pushes and met-cons designed to condition mind and body. It may also mean practicing a skill until you can do with without thinking. The term physical conditioning can mean many things and it’s important to understand what sort of physical conditioning you’re hoping to …
How To Create Endless Workout Motivation
Motivation is the lifeblood of your fitness success. Every workout, every meal and every move you make must have a strong emotional drive behind it. Without it, you’re absolutely sunk. No amount of willpower or commitment can overcome a spirit that’s parched of motivation. Motivation isn’t hard to find though. The easiest way to crank up your motivation, and keep …
Relax, Bodyweight Training Can Provide As Much Resistance As You Can Take
No need for a spotter One of the reasons why I was so reluctant to study body weight exercises, was because I thought they were very limited in their scope of resistance. After all, you can make a barbell heavier, or pin more weight on a weight machine, but that’s not quite the case with the human body. Therefor, I …
Is Bodyweight Training More Versatile Than Free Weights?
Is the human body more versatile than a set of free weights or a weight machine? One of the biggest myths about body weight training is that it is limited in scope and therefore can only bring you limited benefits. I often hear people talk about how convenient and economical calisthenics can be. Then they add a “BUT” and go …
3 Reasons You can Build Strength with Calisthenics
Calisthenics can be a valuable asset if you’re looking to build strength and power. I’ve been practicing calisthenics for almost 10 years now and I’ve never been stronger and more capable in my life. I’m a stronger cyclist, skier, hiker and I can help a friend move into a 5th floor apartment with ease. A lot of people doubt the ability to …
The Root Cause of Building Muscle and Strength 2.0
If there was a single best way to train for strength and muscle, what are the chances everyone with a body like this is doing the exact same routine? Achieving muscle seems pretty simple. You simply exercise to become stronger and the muscle will come. Problem is, there are so many different types of strength out there, how do you …
How to Master Your Fitness Habits
Imagine what it would be like to finally master your fitness. What would it be like to have Jedi like powers over diet and exercise? How great would it feel to be able to physically perform at a high level with ease? Just as with any form of discipline, mastery should be your goal be it in diet, weight loss, or …
A Red Flag of an Ineffective Workout
The body is in gear but the clutch has burned out on the mental transmission Here’s a new challenge for you:
How to Avoid Home Gym Failure
Sad…..So very very sad. Don’t become one of those folks who buys some equipment and never uses it! Home gym failure is rampant within our fitness culture and I’m doing my damnedest to stop it! Watch this for more ways to avoid wasting your time, money and home space!
How to Do Pull Ups Without Elbow pain
Pull-ups are one of the safest exercises for your back, but elbow pain is one of the most common issues people deal with. The most notable injury is tendonitis of the biceps tendon near the elbow. This is due to the tremendous amount of tension created by the biceps during pull-up motions. While this does make the pull up one of the …
The Complete Carport Home Gym For less Than $100
Believe it or not, this is one of the best places to build your new home gym. I just put the finishing touches on my new home gym. Building this gym took me just under an hour and I have everything I could need to build a stronger and more capable body that’s all about kicking butt and taking names. …
12 Ways to Make Push Ups Harder
Proof the push up isn’t just a warm up for the bench press It’s a common misconception that you can’t make the push up more challenging with more resistance. In fact, there are more ways to add resistance to your push ups than there are to the bench press. Many of the common methods are to shift more body weight …
Lat Pull Downs vs Pull Ups
When I first got into bike racing I always figured cheap sunglasses were just as good as the brand name. I thought it was crazy for someone to spend more than $30 on a pair of shades much less $200. After a few years of bike racing and really trashing my cheap pairs, I grew to love and appreciate the …
4 Ways to Get More From Your Ring Dips
Doing dips on straps (or rings) is my #1 go-to exercise for building the chest, shoulders and triceps. My only regret is that I didn’t focus on them sooner. Here are a few ideas that have helped me:
This Old Strength Training Rule is Holding You Back
I don’t know many people who consider themselves body builders yet they follow many rules strait from the body building hand book. Not that this is a bad thing. The principals of body building are wonderful for anyone looking to improve the appearance of their body in any way. The problem is when body building and body weight training sometimes collide. …
Make Your Own Grip Training Balls
These little balls pack one hell of a wallop for your grip. I’ve done all sorts of grip training and by far these little suckers are my favorite. You could buy a similar product on line for about $60, but these are cheaper to make yourself and a little more versatile as well.
Why You’re Only as Strong as Your Grip
There is one area of your body that is holding all of the keys to building your upper body. Make it strong and healthy and strength can be yours. But if it’s weak and unusable there is absolutely zero hope for you to build a strong and statuesque body. Period.
My Secret Weapon for More Strength & Muscle
Let’s face it, strength is sexy. I’m not just talking about the “look at me all sweet and vulnerable” kind of sexy. I’m talking about the “I can kick ass and take names, but I’m a lover not a fighter” kind of sexy.” There is one area of your body that, when strengthened even just a bit, drastically improves not …
Bring Your Dips to a New Level of Strength & Power
Dips, just may be the single most powerful and effective upper body pressing exercise. No joke. You can keep your bench press, your shoulder press and even your push ups. I’ll take the dip over all of them any day. This quick video has some tips I’ve learned through my love affair with the dip to help you gain even …
Building More Muscle With Pause and Stop Training
( Hold it right there buddy!) This month’s challenge is to add a touch of control to your workouts. The challenge is to come to a complete stop and pause at the top and the bottom of every repetition in your strength workouts. So instead of doing push ups where you lower yourself down and then immediately go back up, …
Ripped Abs and Jacked Shoulders With the TRX Pike Press
Yet another great exercise I love to do on the straps. Fantastic for the shoulders and the core!
6 Ways to Make Your Pull Ups Far More Effective
The Pull Up is one of, if not the, best pulling exercise for your upper body. Check out these tips on how to make this fantastic move even more fantastic-er.
Unlock Your Exercises To Build More Muscle
When I started focusing on calisthenics and suspension training I felt as if I had unlocked a crap-ton of potential. Over time, I came to realize that a big reason for unlocking my own potential was because I was unlocking the movement possibilities in my workouts. The beauty of calisthenics is that you have the freedom to place your body …
TRX Curls Build Your Biceps Fast
I used to be a big fan of any weight or device that gave my biceps a good pump. Yep, I was one of those guys who hogged the preacher curl machine for hours at a time. When I started doing curls on straps though, those machines and even free weight curls became a distant memory.
Build Your Range of Motion & Build Your Muscles
Improving your technique is the fastest and safest way to improve your workout. Improving your rang of motion is one of the fastest and safest way to improve your technique. Listen in and learn why almost all of the classic range of motion advice could be setting you up for frustration and injury. Plus the simple rule of thumb …
Multi-dimensional Exercise Progression
I just finished a post on Multi-dimensional progression. After a week of letting that post digest I realized I was only talking about surface knowledge. In this post I’ll cover: – The exact 3 aspects of multi-dimensional progression and why you must have all 3. – Why if you miss out on just one aspect you can expect to hit …
Yet Another Challenging Push Up on the Suspension Straps
I just love doing push ups on the straps. In a world of traditional and boring presses, straps offer many unique pressing variations to challenge you in new ways. Take a look at this favorite of mine. It’s sure to challenge your chest, and shoulders in new ways!
Use Your Spine to Guide Your Calisthenics Technique
In a previous post, I talked about how you can only progress your exercise so far with volume or intensity. Keep piling on the sets or weight and eventually things will start to go south. Improving your technique however is an endless fountain of potential progress. You can spend years improving your technique and still have plenty of room …
Achieving Safe and Endless Exercise Progression
In previous posts I’ve talked about how progression is kind of like playing chicken with an oncoming train. We all want to get bigger, faster and stronger. The good news is that the exercise we can perform is also infinite. There is always another mile to run and more weight to add to the bar. The bad news is that …
Front Levers for Uncommon Strength
When I first came access the idea of attempting front levers I figured the move was more of a novelty. Something of a party trick to impress friends with. However after doing them for a few weeks I was completely blown away by how they made my back stronger in ways I never imagined. This move is a fantastic technique …
Are Dips the Perfect Pushing Exercise?
I’m about 10 days into my November dip/pull up challenge and things are going great! My whole upper body is feeling rocked and strong! Everyone knows how great the pull up is, but few ever mention the dip. Usually because it plays second fiddle to the bench press or the push up. However, after doing nothing but dips for …
Hammer Strength Style Press on Suspension Straps
I used to love the Hammer Strength brand seated chest press machines. I once got a phone call from a guy who was looking to put that very machine in his home even though it cost more than a modest home gym. That’s how good that machine is, and I think I figured out a way to simulate that same …
The Beauty of the 3 Exercise Workout
Recently I’ve been getting back into using workouts that are built with 3 exercises. A 3 exercise workout has many benefits including: – Simple and strait forward. I am a firm believer that the simpler we make our diet and exercise strategies, the more effectively we can put them into practice. When things get complex, the opportunity to struggle becomes …
A Body Weight Workout For Bigger Biceps
The bicep curl has long been a favorite beach-body exercise and for good reason. Few areas of the body convey strength and power like a nice and toned upper arm. Or at least that’s ussualy the case. The love of biceps has resulted in many men doing curl after curl in the gym. It’s a great way to build the …
A Body Weight Workout For Strength
Some folks put all sorts of videos up showcasing their workouts. I’ve never been one to do so, but here is a sample of how I roll on a daily basis.
How To Add A Strait Bar to Your Suspension Training
Suspension training is great, and it’s fun to get a lot of different flavors with various handle positions. Sometimes it’s fun to do away with the shakey handles and have a nice solid bar. Here’s how I added this simple accessory to the straps to get a bar safely into my program.
Why Calisthenics are Great for Travel
It’s no secret that body weight based exercise is fantastic for travel, but there is more to the story than just portable exercise. Before I discovered body weight based exercise, I would look for a gym where ever I was traveling. One of my regular destinations was my parents place in Sarasota Florida. They have a massive mega gym a …
How to Build the Ultimate Calisthencis Home Gym
Bodyweight exercise gives you the freedom to workout any place and at any time. It also gives you the ability to build your own kick ass home gym even if space or money is limited. There are many benefits to having your own home gym and it’s certainly within reach. Here are some of the big body weight home gym …
Killer Bodyweight Arm Workout
Below are 2 videos I made showcasing some of the best arm focused exercises in the bodyweight universe. Give these a shot and be ready to feel it the next morning! Triceps video: Biceps video:
The 3 Minute Workout
Today’s post comes courtesy of Strength coach and MMA trainer Martin Rooney. Through his book, Ultimate Warrior Workouts, he recommends using a 3 minute time to test how much of an exercise you can do. This short workout is fantastic for body weight training. Use it to test how many jump squats or pull ups you can do in 3 …
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