What's wrong with this picture? Yes, this model has an incredibly impressive physique, but I'm referring specifically to her posture. Her ribs, in particular, are the first thing I notice. Rib flaring is an extremely common postural fault. I mainly see this in women, but there are…
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on breathing properly for your lifts. This week, my friend Nate Henry, a competitive powerlifter, wrote a wonderful follow-up article. His strongest lifts include a 523.5 pound squat in competition, and a 535 pound squat in the gym, weighing 206 pounds. His…
Part of assimilating into the "lifting culture" means geeking out over new purchases like shoes, wrist wraps, straps, and belts. It's easy to fill up your shopping cart pretty quickly on Amazon.com or other similar websites. The question is, how much of these items are neces…
Several months ago, I wrote an article called " Perfecting Your Push-up ," in which I gave you some insight on how to correct some common flaws in a seemingly simple (yet incredibly intricate) movement. This post will be a sequel to that post, as a solid plank is the foundation …
Check yourself: as you read this, are you taking deep, full breaths, or is your breath shallow and inconsistent? I've found that my clients have the tendency to forget to breathe as the they lift. They're getting ready for a max back squat and they step under the bar with a comple…
The squat, lunge, bench press and overhead press are all great exercises--they are compound movements that will help improve strength, power, and stability. Unfortunately, I see many people performing this movement on a machine that limits the benefits of these movements: the Smith machin…
The most aggravating fallacy I hear is "squats are bad for your knees." No, you know what's bad for your knees? Squatting improperly . Sitting is also really bad for your knees, but that's another discussion entirely. CrossFitter Miranda Oldroyd doing a heavy back squat.…
Our posture is the foundation of every movement we make. Whether we're sitting, going for a jog, or doing a deadlift, proper spinal positioning is crucial to both preventing injury and the efficiency of your movement. The fact of the matter is that the movements you're resorting t…