Conditioning Research

James Steele was good enough to point this out to me. In the basic Hillfit routine the wall sit is a fundamental exercise.  This is an isometric squat held for time with your back supported by a wall.  I included the wall sit for a few reasons: you do not need any equipment it is scaleable - if you are weaker, hold an easier position for example do not adopt a 90 degree knee position, don't bend your legs as far it is low skill - you don't need to learn a complex move.  Squats are actually pretty complex to perform properly.  I think a good squat pattern is important for health and mobility. it is safe - it keeps you in safe positions for your structure and muscles. ( Bill DeSimone calls it a congruent movement - you use your muscles in a way that they are strongest where the movement is hardest) I also find it an effective move for the thighs and hips in terms of producing strength.  Holding a 2 minute wall sit takes some strength.   I've talk...

This post is a short interview with Sol Orwell.  Sol is the mastermind behind the amazing resource that is Examine.com   He has just launched a new product, a Supplement Goals Reference Guide , so I took the opportunity to ask him about Examine and the new Guide . Can you tell my readers something about your background in health and fitness? My journey is a bit different than most :) I "retired" a while ago - my internet businesses ran themselves, and I wasn't interested in the rat race. I'd rather travel, walk with my dog, and so forth.  So after traveling and moving for a few years, I came back to Toronto in 2009. Out of shape (way too much delicious ice cream in NYC and Argentina). As I started fixing up my physical body, I also started reading and learning as much as I could. Im a notorious notes-taker, and slowly and surely the pieces started to come together. What were you trying to achieve with the Examine.com website? A lot of the knowledge ...

What I like about this video is that the guy does not look like your typical uberlean fitness model.  He is an O lifter and a great athlete however.

No magic bullet One of the themes that I've come back to a few times in recent months is the fundamental that there is no "magic bullet" when it comes to training.  So often we are searching for the new method, the gnostic truth that, after all these years, will finally yield those long desired gains in muscle and losses of fat.  We are a desperate and gullible market.  Show us an abstract from a study, or an impressive transformation photo and we are yours...paypal dollars flow for whatever ebook or course you are selling. The truth of course is that there is no secret method.  Patience, consistency and simplicity are what counts.  Realistic expectations.  The fundamentals remain fundamental.  Train hard, progressively and consistently over a protracted period on some safe exercises and be satisfied with the results.  Lots of methods will work within that space. Tell me I am OK What I've noticed in myself a few times in relation to all th...

I haven't had a decent jump on here for a while

The title of this post is a simple quote straight from an article by Clarence Bass.  He is someone that I have referred to on this blog before, someone who has long been an inspiration and an education, since I first read his book Ripped in 1986.    He has informed my thoughts about training and diet as much as anyone has. This article says a lot about what i think about training. The No-Nonsense Way to Build Strength