What is a squat safety bar (SSB)? Very simply, it is a bar that has two handles sticking out in the front and surrounded with padding for the upper back/ neck region and shoulders. The bar is also cambered, meaning the bar on the ends is lower than the middle. This helps move the center of gravity more forward compared to a straight barbell squat. You might be wondering why…
Do you have to use a barbell when deadlift? The quick answer is no, and you will probably be better off using a trapbar for your deadlifts. The trapbar, also known as hex bar, is a hexagonal shaped barbell, and you are inside this hexagon to perform an exercise like the deadlift. The barbell has become this fitness tool that has become almost essential for many lifters. The barbell has…
Hinging at the hip in another movement pattern that is essential to your health. Like the squat, it is a movement that we learned as little kids and overtime we lose the skill due to lack of practice and movement. The hip hinge is a movement in the hip while maintaining a neutral spine. This is an important skill to have because it can spare the low back from extra…
In the last blog I talked about how squatting is important for your health. Today I want to help you be better with your squat form. Squatting involves multiple joints and muscles to complete the task. You want to make sure that you are moving with good form, having improper form can lead to tight muscles, joints, and even injury. I would like to help avoid this and…
The ability to squat is a fundamental human movement that you have been capable of doing since you were toddler. It is much more than just an exercise, it is a skill that is necessary to perform certain activities. Losing the skill to squat will make life harder as you age. So what is a squat? Essentially, a squat is a movement where you sit down and stand back up.…
What is progressive overload? To keep it simple, it is a trackable increase of stress on the body to generate a goal-oriented adaptation. Without this trackable stress on the body you can expect to hit a plateau with your results and not see any changes. This is because you are not giving the body a reason to change or adapt. I will give you an example, let’s say you go…
America has a movement problem. The lack of movement in Americans is one variable on why we also have an obesity problem. 43% of Americans are obese and the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease (CVD). With obesity on the rise, it is associated with an increase of anxiety, depression, and risk of CVD related deaths. When I said we have a movement problem, it is because on…
Motivation is a great way to get started with your fitness journey, but it is unsustainable to rely on it. When you rely on motivation alone, what will happen is inconsistency of your plan. You can have the greatest plan for yourself, whether it is nutrition or exercise, but if you are inconsistent with that plan you will not see results. That is why you need to create a plan…
What is strength? Before we talk about all the benefits of strength training we should talk about what strength is. First, I want to say that it is not your 1 rep max on a lift. Strength is much more than just lifting weights. A great well known coach, Pavel, defines strength as the ability to generate force under given conditions. I like this definition because in life we are…
The New Year is here, and with the New Year brings new goals to achieve for the year. Now let me ask you this, how many of you are actually making new goals? What I mean is, are you setting a goal that you have used in the past because you didn’t achieve it the year before? There is actually a reason why most people do not achieve their…