Dump Read: Training Intensity

Use a stopwatch for rest intervals One simple but effective way to improve the effectiveness of your workout is to use a stopwatch. Two things are true when it comes to rest intervals – people rest too much during hypertrophy work and they don’t rest enough to improve performance in strength and power work. For …

Dadbod Experiment 2019

When my wife got pregnant with our second kid I followed the same protocol:  get into the best shape I can before baby gets here.  This proved much harder with a 2-year old and real adult responsibilities.  I was already “in shape” but I wanted to nudge that needle a little further to allow for …

Adding More Single Leg Training To Your Workout

Previously, I discussed briefly why including single leg training is a good thing here.  To me it all boils down to a significant training effect at a greatly reduced risk.  The following is all about how to incorporate it and how to progress. First, I find it’s best to classify the exercises.  I break them …

A Simpler Approach to Strength Training

For many people, starting a strength training program can be a daunting task.  For some people, it’s the effort required to actually exercise seems like too much.  For some, it’s the amount of planning involved and the endless options that seem to hinder people from starting.  There are a ton of other reasons why people …

Hip Thrusts (We Need More of Them In The Firehall)

We need more hip thrusts in the firehall. No, I don’t mean the kind you’d see on TV or in a movie like the hose bed scene in Backdraft. I’m talking about the now-popular exercise called the hip thrust. The hip thrust has gained popularity recently with many strength coaches and athletes because it was …

Exercising While On Shift

Most fire departments have gyms in the stations.  Maybe they’re not all state-the-art fitness facilities but in most, if not all, there is at least some weights and a rack or a universal machine.  At first glance for the public this may seem odd.  Maybe they are for off-duty firefighters to use?  As most stations …

6 Reasons Why You Should Lift Weights

You don't have to be a professional body builder or a serious athlete to start strength training.  The average person can see huge benefits from lifting weights.  This is in no way an exhaustive list but here are some of those benefits. Higher Metabolic Rate Muscle burns energy.  The more muscle that a person has, …