We’ve all seen a set of 6 pack abs. You only have to scroll through social media — or look in the mirror if you’ve achieved the requisite fat loss. Whilst aesthetically pleasing to the human eye, what if I told you this muscle isn’t overly useful? In fact, it really only has one simple function; flexion of the spine. Cranking out sit ups will only get you so far. It’s important to understand all the other musculature acting on the spine, and how to effectively train them. …
You’ve probably been told that oats are good for you. Trouble is, you know they’re a bland, tasteless grain. Don’t get me started on overnight oats either — there’s nothing appetizing about a cold sloppy mess. Despite my clear prejudice, I just couldn’t ignore the health benefits. It turns out all I had to do was learn how to spice up these little nutrient dense grains. I’ve had a bowl every day since.
What is an Oat?
Classified as a cereal grain, it is grown for the sole purpose of consuming its edible portion.
Oats are primarily carbohydrates, with some protein and little fat…
The push-up usually takes a back seat to the bench press, but it has the same muscle and strength building potential
Though the push-up has likely gotten more love during the course of this ongoing pandemic, it is still an exercise that is under-utilized by most. Comparable in effectiveness to its barbell and dumbbell counterparts, this upper-body pushing exercise should not be overlooked. With many ways to overload the movement — and scale it back if needed — it is a proven way to improve upper body strength and build muscle in the pecs, triceps, and deltoids.
It’s also a great way to train with shoulder pain as the shoulder is in a stable, and therefore stronger, position. Being able to…
Research says a wide variety of repetition speeds elicit a similar amount of muscle hypertrophy
True muscular hypertrophy training in the gym should create damage to our muscles causing the body to adapt, encouraging their physical size to increase. And when you consider that mechanical tension is one of the key drivers of hypertrophy, it’s important to consider just how fast — or slow — we should be completing our reps in the gym. Surely more time under tension means more muscular damage, which we know is a good thing. …
An inviting gym environment allows more of us to reach our health and fitness goals
A gym should feel inviting and accessible to everyone — no matter one’s age, gender, training status, or reason for being there. Exercise has the ability to significantly improve people's lives. Being afraid of the gym stops this from happening. As someone who works with older clients, usually with one or more chronic conditions, this is of great importance to me. Luckily, the gyms I work out of do not have an overly intimidating environment, but one where people from all walks of life are made to feel welcome.
This is not always the case of course. I believe it…
A science-based routine to prevent and reduce low back pain
Low back pain (LBP)is the leading cause of disability globally. In 2015, an estimated 7.3% of the world’s population had LBP at any one time — that’s 540 million people. In the US alone, the prevalence of LBP is between 10–30% of the population, with a lifetime prevalence between 65–80%. If you don’t currently have LBP, you probably will at some point.
The best thing you can do to reduce or avoid LBP is to perform the correct resistance exercises and maintain a healthy weight. Whilst this article’s focus is on resistance exercise, it cannot be overstated how important it…
Reduce your own or your employees’ sick leave by performing or facilitating regular exercise
It’s clear that minimizing sick days reduces disruption and increases productivity in the workplace. Although there is a myriad of reasons one can be ill, there is no doubt that pain is a common reason why sick leave is used. Musculoskeletal disorders are a leading cause of sick leave — whether it be low back or neck pain. Regular targeted exercise plays an important role in managing pain, allowing yourself or your employees to spend more time at work doing meaningful tasks. …
The often forgotten about loaded carry should be performed by all
Most people know they should be performing key foundational movement patterns in the gym on a regular basis. Like the squat, lunge, hinge, and upper body push and pull variations. But the loaded carry — literally picking up a really heavy object and walking with it — is an often forgotten key movement pattern. I know don’t see it performed much in my gym.
And I think that’s for good reason too. Most don’t know how to perform them or simply aren’t convinced of their importance. There are three key reasons we should all be doing heavy-loaded carries — for…
Vigorous exercise should be considered by all for its powerful benefits
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is nothing new, but for most, it is still not properly understood. HIIT is actually quite simple, and safe for a large portion of the population to perform. For these reasons, HIIT should be considered an effective training modality for most people. Because it can be performed in so many different ways it can be made suitable for all. Remember, a HIIT session can and will look different for everyone. Whether you’re training for a sporting event or trying to reduce the impact of your heart disease, you should always have HIIT in your arsenal.
HIIT for Fitness
The…
Your smartwatch produces all kinds of information, but which bits should you care about?
Whether you have a smartwatch or are considering picking one up, it’s important to understand which health metrics may be of value to you. This article discusses which physiological measures can be tracked via smartwatches, and how to apply each one based on your own requirements. Remember, always do your research before choosing a device to buy so that it has all the features of importance to you. Each smartwatch will also have its own level of reliability, which is also worth investigating.
Heart Rate
Probably one of the most known features of the modern smartwatch, the optical heart rate sensor that…
