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 […]

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 […]

Obstacle or opportunity?

This post has been ruminating for some time now and has been inspired by conversations with my kids, some great feedback I received a few weeks ago from a fellow blogger and, believe it or not, the latest Chris Rock special on Netflix. Chris has this riff about how bullies provide an essential part of […]

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 […]

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) […]

Most Embarrassing Gym Stories

Gyms are a sub-culture unto their own. The reason that some people find Gyms, and especially specialized Gyms/Training facilities, so daunting is the mini-“culture shock” of learning parameters of this subculture. These are the “do’s and dont’s” that allow one to avoid “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, aka complete social humiliation. Sometimes, however […]

Resolved.

One cannot swing a deceased feline in the fitness-related blogosphere without hitting a few dozen posts about “New Years Resolutioners”, aka the 2nd most well-known seasonal flood after the Nile. (OK, the construction of the Aswan High Dam largely took care of that phenomenon – just wanted to make sure you’re paying attention). I don’t […]

Negativity as motivation

As we ease into the 2nd week of 2018, I contemplate my upcoming workout. Rotator cuff issues mean that I still can’t low or high bar squat so my workout today will feature safety bar box squats and the Wenning belt squat station for a reasonable amount of weight and volume as well as working […]

Gym Etiquette – Unsolicited advice vs. Solicited advice

Warning – this post will likely appeal mostly to hardcore gym rats and/or inveterate students of human behavior. As I have said in a previous post, a gym is to human behavior what a watering hole is to the Serengeti. You see a lot of different types of behavior concentrated in a relatively small space. […]

That time I did a Strongman contest

About 18 months ago I did a very, very silly thing. I participated in a local Strongman contest on a whim. I just signed up a week before the contest and then I participated. “How hard could it be?”, I thought naively. I should preface this by providing some context at this point: I know […]