Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Without a doubt, when it comes to kettlebell training, a heavy military press is the peak of achievement for most people. It signals that you are a serious trainee, that you have put in a lot of effort, and that you deserve all those jealous stares you’re getting from strangers as they watch you hoist heavy kettlebells aloft in your yard or at the nearby park. But a lot of people never reach that pea...
Mar 14, 2023•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm joined on this episode once more by the great and powerful John Brookfield - creator of the Battling Ropes system, trainer to high-performing athletes and regular folks alike, and all-around fitness industry innovator. On this episode we talk about one of his best-kept secrets: the Wall System. A system of training he developed years ago and has kept largely under wraps, both John and I joined fo...
Mar 13, 2023•39 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com At some point or another, we all have to ask the tough questions in life. Mountains or Beach? Boxers or Briefs? The Rolling Stones or the Beatles? Some of these are conundrums with no easy answer (except for the Stones vs. Beatles. The Stones win hands down any dayum day of the week). Other questions are a bit easier, such as: “Can you really get objectively strong just using bodyweight exercises? Or...
Mar 02, 2023•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com There comes a time when we all must ask tough questions: Where do we come from and where are we going? What is the meaning of life? Who are you and how did you get into my house? For some questions, there are no easy answers. Others, however, are a tad easier to answer. One that gets asked more and more these days is: “Do I really NEED a personal trainer?” The answer to that — like most things in thi...
Feb 24, 2023•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com One of the criticisms I often hear about calisthenics training is “you can’t strengthen your legs with your bodyweight only”. To be fair, I’ll say the criticism is half true. Ultimately I think that you DO need added weight to build your legs up to their full strength potential, BUT you can absolutely get a dynamite strength workout in with just your bodyweight alone. The 3 moves profiled in this epi...
Feb 23, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com “ Are high reps any good for strength training?” A mighty fine question indeed. The short answer is “hell yes”. They’re actually a must, in my correct opinion. This is for a variety of reasons, which - surprise of surprises - I actually cover in depth in this episode. Listen, enjoy, and apply.
Feb 21, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Calisthenics training for serious strength is really not much different than language learning. That may sound strange, but consider this: A language has a structure, a grammar, formal and informal styles, a vocabulary, common words and phrases, etc. Calisthenics training has principles, practices, certain ‘lead-in’ exercises to work you toward harder ones, progressions, programs, workouts, etc. What...
Feb 20, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com There’s a saying I like that goes a little something like this: “Don’t let your mouth write checks that your fists can’t cash” In other words, mind your Ps and Qs and don’t start trouble with people whose tush you can’t whoop. The same goes for your body: don’t write checks that your body can’t cash! I talk at length about what that means - and how to avoid needless pain - in this podcast episode. St...
Feb 19, 2023•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com There are a great many questions out there that can help expand your mind: Who are we and where do we come from? What is the meaning of life? What makes Teflon stick to the pan? For some questions there are no easy answers. For others, things are markedly easier. Here’s a good question I get asked not infrequently: “ what builds more strength — going heavier or doing more reps?” Well boy oh boy, do I...
Feb 18, 2023•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com When it comes to strength training, one of the common rallying cries against calisthenics is that you can’t use it to strengthen your legs (no one questions bodyweight training’s ability to build epic upper body strength, however). The reality is that that is only partially true. You absolutely CAN make your lower body stronger with just bodyweight exercises, though you’ll definitely get the best res...
Feb 17, 2023•5 min
One of my favorite drills for happier knees and heavier squats is what I like to call the heels-elevated hip thrust (or hip bridge, whatever you wanna call it). Basically, it works like this: you lay on the floor near some sort of an elevation (a couch works great), and provided you first have your spouse’s permission, you put your feet up on the couch and then bridge your hips toward the sky. It looks a little something like this: https://youtu.be/p6zml5Z7ghM So what are they good for? Well, qu...
Feb 16, 2023•5 min
On to the million dollar question: Is creating your own program a waste of time? My answer is not a hard “yes” or “no”, but “probably”, and this is why:
Feb 15, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Oh yes indeed, it is that most wonderful time of the year again - CALentine's day! Here are a few tips on how to boost your strength with calisthenics the simple and ALMOST easy way.
Feb 14, 2023•8 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I’m a big believer in sticking to the basics in your programming — a push, a pull, a hinge, a squat, a gait-pattern movement, and a few other in-between moves like twisting and lunging. This will always come in handy and together all these moves are about all you need to get as strong as you want. There is, however, a caveat. While these movements — done in just the standard way — will get you super ...
Feb 13, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Getting strong is important. A lot of people like to focus on “general fitness” (whatever that means) in their training, without realizing that fitness simply means the ability to complete a task. As you have probably figured out by now, just about any task you can think of is a lot easier to complete when you’re strong. Hard to argue with that. Here are a few things you need to keep in mind to get s...
Feb 12, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Let's be clear: if you're going out of town for, like, a day or two, no need to worry about missing a workout. But what if you're going to be out of town for a week, two weeks, or even a month or so? AND, what do you do if the regular equipment you'd otherwise have access to may be tough to come by? Do you just give up on your gains and slide back to square one? Hardly, friendo. Pat and I will show y...
Feb 11, 2023•24 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com The title says it all. The episode says the rest. Now go and listen to it!
Feb 10, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm joined on this fine episode by none other than the legendary Tom Morrison - mobility and flexibility expert and all-around Irish gent. On this jam-packed episode we talked about: * His 'origin story', and how he went from a sedentary chap with an insulting nickname given to him by his friends to the 'Flong and Sexible' Chad you see standing before you now * How his journey wasn't all wine and ros...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com In much the same way that some of the best things in life are free, some of the best bodyweight moves are the ones that everyone ignores because they don’t look “sexy”. However, if you’re looking to do more pullups, more dips, heavier military presses, reduce low-back discomfort, or what have you, the moves I talk about in this mighty fine podcast are just a few that you should try....
Feb 08, 2023•5 min
The wise and mighty Earl Nightengale once said: “Whatever the majority of people is doing, under any given circumstances, if you do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” Sagely words. And every bit as accurate for your strength training as for your business, relationships, and life as a whole. To make progress, look at what others are doing & then do the opposite. One of the biggest mental shifts you should make in your fitness journey is taki...
Feb 07, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I wanna show you an awesome kettlebell exercise that you’ve probably never done; one that will build unbeatable, unbreakable, and unmistakable back strength. It’s also one that will do a lot of other stuff for you, but I’ll get to that in a second. The move is called... Well, you'll find out in the episode. Listen in and enjoy.
Feb 06, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I want to talk about one of the most popular kettlebell moves that everyone agrees is great, but very few do right... And, of course, I could just give it away here in the description box, but why do that? Just listen in and find out.
Feb 05, 2023•6 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I wouldn’t say I’m feeling dour or pessimistic by writing an article with such a title, but you know what? Sometimes you’ve just gotta forget the spoonful of sugar and dole out the medicine. So I’ll say it like this: If you’re still talking about all the changes you’re gonna make this year (and haven’t taken any meaningful steps toward them), just quit already. But if you're NOT ready to throw in the...
Feb 04, 2023•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Is THIS the most ambitious crossover episode ever? Aleks Salkin, Pat Flynn, AND Al Kavadlo all in the same place? You're not dreaming, pal. It's real, and it's spectacular. Listen in as we tell YOU about how to stop overthinking your fitness so you can get busy getting the gains you so desperately crave.
Feb 03, 2023•49 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I get lots of questions sent my way through various channels: email, social media, singing telegram, etc. And no matter where they come from, I always do my level best to answer as many such questions as I get. This podcast takes a couple of people's burning questions and gives them some soothing answers. Listen in, and feel free to send your own questions my way as well....
Feb 02, 2023•8 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Some of the greatest questions in life are also those that cut deepest into the human psyche and reveal untold mysteries of the human condition. “What is the meaning of life?” “To be, or not to be?” “Boxers or briefs?” And when it comes to training, there is another question that has cut in another direction; a direction that people since time immemorial have been grappling with: “Hacks” or hard work...
Feb 01, 2023•7 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I'm joined on this fine episode by Dr. Judson Corn - an ER doctor, life-long fitness enthusiast, and avid member of my Inner Circle and all-around crusher of weakness. We talked about a great many epic things on this splendiferous episode, including: * How he suffered from - and ultimately overcame - asthma as a child * His journey from outdoor sports and activities to strength training * How frustra...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com I field a lot of questions from people who like to work out at home/on their own — both beginner and intermediate in their strength endeavors — and probably the single commonest problem I encounter is that of stalled results. The thing to keep in mind is that your body doesn’t really care about your goals — it only cares about homeostasis (i.e. internal stability). It will only make changes when you ...
Jan 30, 2023•8 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com Before you get too triggered by the headline of this article, let me just start by saying I love the kettlebell. I really, really do. This year marked 14 years since I first picked up a kettlebell, and it has seriously changed my life for the better. It has led me by the hand(le) on some pretty incredible journeys — from enthusiastic student to budding teacher to globe-hopping workshop giver-type-guy...
Jan 28, 2023•5 min
Get my 9-Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Challenge FREE here: http://www.9MinuteChallenge.com All right, let’s get to the question that is on everyone’s mind (or maybe it isn’t, I don’t know): Is Greasing the Groove any good? Greasing the Groove, in case you didn’t know, is the act of practicing a strength movement throughout the day at VERY reasonable levels. For example, if you could do, say, 10 reps of a given exercise, you would stick between 3–5 reps, and you would do 1 set maybe every 3...
Jan 27, 2023•9 min
