I see a lot of articles about exercising every day for 30 days (Try the blah-blah 30-day challenge!). Or how to exercise when you’re tired or feeling sluggish. And the absolute craziest is the 6-day weightlifting split. Who the hell can keep up a lifting program like that for very long? What all these articles have in common is a lack of respect for a very important component of any exercise program: recovery.

So, let’s start by asking ourselves: what drives people to exercise too much? I think the answer is superstition. No, I’m not talking about witchcraft or broken…

When I was in college (too many years ago to mention), I had free access to gym equipment. I could go in, show my ID, and work out to my heart’s content. There was no shortage of equipment: benches for pressing, a seat/rack combo for overhead presses, lat pulldown machines, leg press and curl machines, etc. For every exercise, there was a machine or other aid.

Well, after grad school, I tried to keep at it for a while, but I eventually got away from lifting. It wasn’t until almost twenty years later that I went back to it. I…

If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for new movements to add to your exercise regimen. I use kettlebells, and I’d gotten to the point where my current menagerie of movements was feeling a bit stale. I recently wrote up a new program for myself and decided to have a go at something I’d been mildly curious about just to see what it was like. I was beyond pleasantly surprised; I was completely floored. If you haven’t been doing bottoms-up cleans and presses, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.

The Bottoms-up Position

Normally, in the racked position (holding the kettlebell…

I see a lot of articles about the keto diet. People saying this or that about it. Maybe they even tried it for a week or month before deciding to share their wisdom with the world. I’ve been leading a keto lifestyle since July 4, 2019, and have read numerous books and articles on the subject written by researchers in the field (yes, ‘low carbohydrate diet’ is a topic of scientific research and not just something the average Joe bangs on about). …

The pandemic rages on. And on, and on, and… Many gyms are still closed, and even if they’re open, is it worth the risk of getting sick to go? On top of that, it’s getting cold outside. Exercise equipment is scarce due to overwhelming demand nowadays. Options for getting a good workout are getting more limited by the day. Luckily, I’ve got you covered with a simple at-home, equipment-free cardio workout to get your heart thumping and blood pumping.

High Knees

This workout revolves around an exercise called ‘high knees’. It’s a lot like running in place except much more intense. All…

Let me start by saying what this article isn’t. It isn’t about aesthetics. It’s not a how-to guide for those looking to strut around with a bare midriff sporting a six-pack (not that there’s anything wrong with that). That would be an article as much (or more) about diet as exercise.

What this article is about is how to build core strength. Can following the advice here result in a six-pack? Yes, if your body fat is sufficiently low. But I’m more concerned about building a powerful core that will enhance your overall fitness and improve your workout performance.

Core…

What’s the goal when we work out? Gains! We’re looking to make progress: lift more weight more times and build stronger, bigger muscles. There are a number of ways we do this. We’ll add more weight to the bar, add more reps to the set, or add more sets to the workout. These work, but there’s a way to increase your volume drastically without making your workout much longer: cluster sets. These are especially useful if you’re looking to make a high percentage increase in the weight of a lift rather than a series of smaller increments. …

The push-up is a great exercise for building upper body size and strength. And the best part about it is that it doesn’t require any equipment. You can do it for free! But if you’re just beginning an exercise regimen, or you’re out of shape like I was, they won’t be easy. But fear not! If you’re willing to work at it and put your ego aside, you can master the push-up and beef up those pectoral muscles.

Let’s start at the beginning. If you’re new to the movement, the first thing to do is to establish a starting point…