Putting together a home gym is one of the best moves ANYONE can make. First responders will benefit even more. You can train 24/7/365 with no distractions. You can even get your family involved and use your gym time to spend time with your kids or significant other. It’s a win/win.
Read MoreTactical athletes need to be proficient in a variety of physical skills and abilities. They can’t just be strong, or fast, or have endurance for days. So should we strive for balance across all these abilities, or do some need to be emphasized more than others?
Read MoreI read somewhere that while you’re walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, you don’t think of yourself as resilient. Only when you come out on the other side do you realize how you kept going when everyone else quit.
Read MoreHow much running training does a police officer on the street need? Not much, that’s for sure.
I had a discussion about running the other day with a trainee that’s preparing to go through the same academy I went through. Distance running is the foundation of this academy’s training program. Unfortunately, that’s the case for a lot of departments, and is a poor use of valuable training time at best, and dangerous at worst.
Read MoreIf you have athletic and health goals other than bodybuilding, stick with barbells, kettlebells, bodyweight, and dumbbells for the majority of your workout. But you can fill in the gaps with machine work.
There are some common machines that can easily be incorporated into your program once you’re out of your “beginner” stage of lifting and have a good grasp on barbell and bodyweight training fundamentals.
Read MoreWrecking yourself in the gym has become a badge of honor. I’m sick of seeing motivational infographics telling us to push past our limits every day. That’s an ignorant recipe for disaster.
Train to be better tomorrow, not exhausted today.
Read MoreGone are the days of training for a tactical job using a bodybuilding bro-split or endless calisthenics. Bodybuilding is its own sport, with its own needs and training methods. And calisthenics make you good at calisthenics, but don’t have much application to job tasks. To be a strong, conditioned, and resilient police officer, you need a radically different workout program.
Barbell training has stood the test of time as the most efficient way to develop total-body strength. A simple barbell-based strength program, with bodyweight and odd object training sprinkled in, is the foundation of the best workout program for most police officers.
Read MoreHaving “poor mobility” is one of those sacred cows of the fitness industry that doesn’t really make sense when you look at it closely.
We’ve been told that “poor mobility” can result in “poor movement patterns” and injury. So let’s start from the beginning: what do we mean by “mobility” in the first place?
Read MoreLooking to start a fitness routine? I’ve got a list of reading for you. This will get you well on your way to your goals.
Read MoreI keep seeing all these posts on social media talking about how horrible 2018 was, how nothing went right, on and on. In the articulate words of everyone’s favorite billionaire president: “Sad!”
My year was far from great. But struggles produce stronger people. Be grateful for your struggles.
Read MoreEveryone experiences aches and pains. It’s part of being alive. Pain is extremely complex, and I don’t claim to have any universal answers for anyone regarding pain and what to do about it.
Some pain seems to immediately make sense. But what happens when you seemingly do everything right and you still have persistent pain?
Read MoreA.M. is a detective with my former department who approached me for some ways to change up his training routine. In 8 weeks, he added 50lbs to his bench press and almost 50lbs to his front squat, all while losing weight. Here’s what he did.
Read MoreThe gym is my outlet, my sanctuary. I’m sure the same is true for many of you. The gym allows me to shut off everything and focus on one task. Whether life is confusing, mundane, stressful, or overwhelming, the gym gives me one goal for the day. When I spend an hour or two focusing on that goal, I find mental clarity.
Read MoreProcess goals are the steps that you take along the road toward your outcome goal, or what you ultimately want to achieve. Think of each process goal as a rung on a ladder. Each one builds on the next and takes you toward your destination. Setting good process goals will save you frustration and get you to your destination faster.
Read MoreIf you’re looking to get started training later in life, it can be extremely intimidating.
The good news is that the weight room only appears intimidating on first glance. Sure, there are some gym idiots out there who make everyone else look bad. But the strongest, most in-shape people are often the kindest, friendliest, and most encouraging.
Read More“Tactical fitness” is a term that can mean everything or nothing, depending on who you ask.
The problem with labels is that you can slap them on anything. I’ve seen all kinds of training labeled as “tactical,” but sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired.
Read MoreStrongman is both brutal and awesome. Crossfit has done a huge service to the fitness community by popularizing strongman implements and lifts.
If you’re a cop or other first responder, here are my top three strongman events that you should train. And you can make the implements yourself.
Read MoreFor a long time, one of my main fitness goals was to bench press 315 pounds. There is absolutely no outside significance to that goal. So why did I care? It was about demonstrating an attitude, not a number.
Here’s how to conquer your own goals, whether they be performance-based or health goals.
Read MoreThanksgiving is this week, officially beginning the season when training and good nutrition get thrown out the window in favor of napping and large quantities of alcohol and dessert. Rather than letting this year get away from you like every other year, take a few simple steps to keep your fitness goals on track. It doesn’t take much.
Read MoreThe ketogenic diet seems to be all the rage when I’m writing this.
I want to look at the real reason why keto works for short term fat loss, and why it might not be great long term.
Read More
