The reasons that absolutely nobody should be intimidated by strength training

We’ve all been there. Most of us mere mortals have been in lousy physical shape at least once in our lives. At some point we think “hmm, I should really go to the gym” but we hesitate. A quick perusal of social media, YouTube videos and blog posts reveals that a big reason many people […]

The Mythical Land of Oz

I was born in The Land Down Under. While it wasn’t exactly an accident of birth (heck, I was even conceived in Oz) my birthplace is not one of my more salient facts. If you met me today absolutely nothing about me screams, or even whispers, Australian. I am relatively unsullied by and downright ignorant […]

The best books you’ve never read

The purpose of this post is share my all time best literary “finds”. My definition of a “find” is a work that is not mainstream but undeniably brilliant. These books are, in my opinion, masterpieces. A masterpiece is, in my experience, a book that is usually not very accessible at first but once […]

The Safety squat bar – the best exercise you should, but don’t, do

Pros: It will straight up make you stronger for squats and deadlifts You’ll be the vegan of your powerlifting crew, that condescending dude who has staked a claim on the moral high ground (could also be considered a “con”) Physique gainz, son Cons: Really hard Not for beginners When coming out of the hole, all […]

Aging, self-image and weight-training

How old do you feel? How old do you look? If you’re past the age of 40, in your minds-eye, what version of you is your self-image based on? Maybe this is a purely masculine thing, but if I was honest my “mental avatar” is me, albeit circa 29 years old. I mean that is […]

Lifting – a day in the life

Yesterday I was reminded, repeatedly, about the value of keeping an open mind. Last night I went to the big Globo gym near my work. My programming called for bench press, safety bar squats (as my rotator cuff is still very much an issue) and accessory exercises. However, the globo gym does not have specialty […]

Do you even lift, bro?

“Do you even lift, bro?” was the cliched, but very real, sarcastic put-down of a heavily Italo-american US East Coast bodybuilding subculture that thrived from the early 80s until roughly 5 years ago. The pathos in this phrase is self-evident (to everyone except the person asking it) and Broscience Life is the brilliant comedic Youtube […]

Ain’t no half reppin’

Something miraculous happened on Friday night. I got out of work late so I went to big Globo gym because, well, its nearby. Say what you will about this gym, it does have 8 power racks and plentiful benches. I’ve only had to wait for a bench once in 3 years and I’ve never had […]

Coming to America…and then leaving.

In the mid-80s I was finishing my somewhat checkered high-school career in a 3rd, no, scratch that, 4th world country somewhere in Latin America. I lived with my mother who is a highly educated, brilliant woman who, nevertheless, was not paid very much at that point in her career. Anybody familiar with 3rd world countries […]

Age/Injury, women who lift and who’s that fat f*%$ in the video?

Yesterday I filled out an entry form for the first powerlifting meet I will do in 2018. It takes place in early April. I had to grapple with the fact that my nagging injuries will, barring a major miracle, have not healed so I while I enrolled for the traditional powerlifting (i.e. the 3 events) […]