In my last article, I shared a phrase I like to use with all my lifting clients:   “Build a big foundation with your feet and you’ll build a skyscraper of a squat on them.“   Your training is a building, and you want to build ...

Being squished in an airline seat for hours and sitting in a terminal on a layover always tightens my body up for days or even weeks afterward. I have found that being proactive and stretching out as much as possible during and after a flight, comb ...

I have been an athlete my whole life. That is how I define myself. So when I became pregnant, the transformation of my body was difficult to deal with, though incredible to observe. Just like every other expectant mom, I experienced structural changes a ...

Everyone has a pet peeve. My mum, for example, has a beautiful Belfast Bridge sink in her kitchen. White, gleaming, and straight out of Downton Abbey. Gorgeous. From the way she gnashes her teeth when I pour coffee into it, I suspect this irritates her ...

The calf raise is an exercise that is widely and incorrectly used. In its most common form, with the athlete standing, and moving up and down like a dancing cockatoo, the calf raise only contributes to the problem it’s intended to remedy.   ...

“Which book or program do I go to so that I don’t make mistakes?”   That's the biggest question I get when counseling younger coaches. I always have to explain to them that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Repe ...

Learning how to eat better is one of the keys to long-term health and happiness. It may even be the most important thing we need to do in order to kick ass for as long as possible. I am a huge fan of anybody trying to find their own way to a d ...

If you’ve read anything about building muscle on the Internet or talked to the suspiciously jacked dude at your gym, you’ve undoubtedly been told that all you need to do is “add weight to the bar.”   What this kind of advice ...

How are you ensuring a solid connection to the floor so you can move big weight in the squat? A large array of problems with the squat, such as heels rising, knees collapsing and chest falling forwards, can be remedied by simply concentrating on the fee ...

For a number of years, when I lived in an apartment in Arizona, I trained with a barbell and some weight plates out in the desert. I’d fit the barbell and plates into my vehicle any way I could. Training with a large variety of implements has alwa ...

Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below this article.   This week I thought I’ ...

This article provides an in-depth description of five fundamental posture exercises. These are the cues and tidbits of information that I go over with my clients in person. When implemented properly, they will greatly increase the benefit you get from d ...

In performance terms, running is a pursuit. It’s a distance, for time. In mindset terms, running is a chance to be free from any situation. In system input terms, running is an opportunity to create positive or negative change.   These are tr ...

If you are working on overhead pressing or jerks, you need flexibility of the thoracic spine and shoulders. Attempting these lifts without full range of movement is asking for injury.   In the video below I will go over three exercises to help ...

Improving business and management skills appeals to almost everyone. Go to any airport and you will see scores of books about this. If you’re not already the boss, chances are you’re either dreaming of being so, or running your own business. ...

“Movement training” is a becoming popular buzz phrase within the fitness industry, especially as an increasing number of “average” people are becoming aware of the link between exercise and health. As a classically trained streng ...

In today’s world, perfectionism is a popular term. It’s dropped by apologetic neat freaks as they adjust skewed picture frames, not-so-apologetic brides at meetings with their florists, and far too many job seekers at office interviews. &nbs ...