The Death of ‘Functional’ Fitness
The trend of ‘functional’ fitness aims to train exercisers with movements that are supposedly more likely to carry over to practical everyday uses. However, in doing so, many ‘functional’ recommendations contradict long-standing, well-researched and evidence-based practices in fitness, to the detriment of their followers. Unfortunately, there is something that functional fitness is uniquely good at - gathering attention on social media via highly viral, unusual movements likely to attract attention because of their novelty.
Two Workouts A Week Is Enough For 80% Of The Gains
There are strong diminishing returns to additional sets per workout, and additional workouts per week. Contrary to popular belief, a simple workout routine consisting of 2 workouts per week is enough to get 80% of the benefits of exercise with 20% of the effort. For people who do not have significant athletic or aesthetic goals, this is more than sufficient in most cases.
Do Dumbbells or Barbells Produce Superior Results?
Most lifters train primarily with bilateral exercises, in which both arms or legs are working simultaneously. However, unilateral exercises, in which individual limbs act with independent loading, have their own strengths and weaknesses - and they may be superior depending on your training needs. Here I analyze some of the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Core Training That Doesn't Suck
Core training, the way most people do it, gets very boring very quickly, because all you do is add reps and time. I’ll admit I was one of those people for many years. Knowing a few of these variations can make core training a lot quicker and more fun.
For Most, Training Core Is A Waste Of Time
The information on core training out there is confusing and conflicting. Here’s my take on core training, with lessons learned from more than a decade of training and coaching.