Last week we discussed how cold Canberra was and delved into the ins and outs of the warm-up. We looked at when more mobility work and static stretching is needed, and when it's probably not. The article provided some essential points to help people navigate the world of warming-up. We learned that we should focus more on warming up the muscles we are about to train, as opposed to just ''warming-up'' in general and elevating our core temperature. So with all that said, what does a good warm-up look like? As mentioned, unless you have specific mobility problems that prevent you getting you...

When I am writing this, it the end of June in Canberra. This means Canberra is cold. What better time to talk about warming-up?  Warm-ups's: General Or Specific?  What is a warm-up? Let's start by defining what a warm-up is. It is accepted that a warm-up is something that you do to prepare your body, physically, for the workout ahead. Some people see this as raising their core temperature and getting a sweat up, i.e., doing a few minutes on a stationary bike or treadmill, that kind of thing. Warming yourself up by raising your core temperature isn't a bad idea,...

So far I have primarily written science based articles, focused on providing information on nutrition, supplements, and training. To change things up, I have decided to get a little more philosophical. Ego. We all have one, whether we like to admit it or not, it's just a part of life. What matters is how big we let our ego get, and how much we let it affect who we are and the decisions we make.  The gym, in particular, is a place where the ego runs rampant if it goes unchecked. Just walk into any mainstream gym at peak-hour, and you...

While arms and chest often take precedent over the muscle groups behind us, nothing is more impressive than a big muscular back. The back muscles are an impressive group to train. They have so many functions and can be hit in so many ways, from so many angles, using such a variety of exercises. That said, as always you should focus on staples such as pull-ups, rows, and a few pull-downs. The problem with back training is, a lot of ego gets in the way and form often gets sacrificed. While it's important to move a decent amount of weight and put some...