15 Feb Dr. Craig Marker – What It Means To Build The Anti-Fragile Self
(#197) Dr. Craig Marker is this week's guest in a great interview session. We discuss his approach to building strength, with specific programming concepts and training applications. This session is literally jam-packed with specific training ideas to improve strength and performance.Craig Marker, Ph.D is a fitness enthusiast who’s published over 50 articles, chapters, and textbooks on psychology and research methods. Craig is a researcher and psychologist who understands the cutting edge of strength, sports performance, body composition, and nutrition.
Craig’s upcoming book, The AntiFragile Self, takes on the topic of building a stronger person in the mental and physical domains.
14 Feb 5 Specific Things You Can Do On Active Recovery Days
No doubt, you train hard. Hard training means you need to recover.
The question came up recently in a group discussion - "What do you do on active recovery days?"
It's an interesting question. I felt like I wanted to share it here and expand a little more.
Active recovery days are for recovering, they're not training days. As a highly regarded strength coach stated, "You don't get stronger by lifting weights. You get strong by recovering from lifting weights." The point is that recovery is very important for all of us, my fellow strength enthusiast.
First, we have to define what it is we're talking about.
What exactly are active recovery days anyway?
08 Feb Scott Keneally – Rise Of The Sufferfests
(#196) Scott Keneally is an investigative journalist and is the writer/director of the incredible documentary "Rise of the Sufferfests." Scott's documentary reveals the international growth and obsession behind the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) phenomenon such as Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, and the one you probably have never heard of called Tough Guy. Scott shares his own personal story of transformation about competing in OCR's and why he was so passionate to make a film about the sport. *I've seen the documentary and it's fantastic, be sure to check it out. Here's what you'll hear about in this week's show:
07 Feb Struggling With The Kettlebell Snatch Test? Try This
(*If you're struggling with kettlebell snatch test or simply want to make it a better experience, this article offers 2 great solutions.) One thing is certain. High rep kettlebell snatches will get you in great shape and forge a leaner, stronger, and more conditioned athletic body. The truth is, the kettlebell snatch test is not my favorite thing. I'd much rather do heavy deadlifts or clean and jerk a loaded barbell. With that said, building strength-endurance is a very important quality because it allows you to "do more" and perform better over a longer period of time. While there are many qualities of strength, strength-endurance is the ability to produce force over time, it's the ability to continue to produce force over a given time period. That is essentially what the snatch test is - sustained force over a given time. Snatching a *24 kg kettlebell (see below) in 5 minutes or less can be very grueling for most people, but it's outstanding for building a high level of conditioning, improving strength-endurance, developing explosive hip power and dynamically enhancing shoulder and upper body strength. It's a wicked exercise and explosive movement.
01 Feb Why You Need Explosive Strength
(#195) In this short episode, I'll share my thoughts on why explosive strength is not only important for the athlete, but for all of us. It could be argued that developing the quality of explosive strength is the "most" important strength quality - and I'll explain why. This week's show is your "5 minutes of strength" and I may post similar shows like this in the future (where I share a quick concept in a very short episode). Let me know what you think.
31 Jan The 5 Best Barbell Exercises On The Planet
Why would I write an article that would seem to be such common sense? I've learned that common sense is not always common practice. The reason I'm writing this article is because I recently came across a similar article on this topic. Have to say, I was shocked at what I saw what was listed as the “best barbell” exercises. It was one of the those articles that I was just shaking my head in disbelief thinking - “Really? Does the author seriously believe these are the best barbell exercises??” It occurred to me that maybe there is a misunderstanding about what the most valuable barbell exercises are. That’s when I decided to write this.
25 Jan Dr. Theresa Larson – A Warrior’s Story And Approach To Performance
(#194) Dr. Theresa Larson is this week's featured guest. She has an amazing story and a fantastic approach to training and performance. You'll learn all about it in this week's show.Dr. Theresa Larson received her doctorate in physical therapy and is a former Marine Corps Engineer Officer and Combat Veteran. She was an All-American Division I softball player at Villanova University. She is also a part of the staff at MobilityWOD and an instructor for CrossFit Mobility courses. Dr. Larson is the author of the book Warrior, A Memoir.
Theresa’s mission is to help people achieve performance goals and tackle the “why” behind the bodies movement inefficiencies.
We had a great chat this week on the show discussing her story, lessons and approach to performance.