As I mentioned in the last installment of Microblog Monday, I’m a student of the Westside Barbell Conjugate Method. Earlier in my training career, this apprenticeship was much more pronounced than it is now. While training “conjugate” I was able to make improvements rapidly, partly because of the efficacy of that particular training style, and …
It’s a new year and millions of people the world over use this opportunity to start anew, at least with some facet of their life. Maybe the goal is to lose a few pounds, pick up a new hobby, or maybe even make some smarter financial decisions. Most would agree that all of these aforementioned …
The Featured Fitness Content series that I regularly release here at Ruthless is my opportunity to share some of the best information that I’ve found from scouring the web. Having released 128 editions of this, I’ve found some great resources, some of which are traditional bio/medical journals, while others are blog posts from brilliant up-and-coming …
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 128 (Special Edition) Read More »
I wanted to share an exercise this month that is super beneficial to almost everybody and requires next to no equipment. The Manually Resisted Hamstring Curl helps to build up the hamstring’s ability to perform lower leg flexion. Most, rightly, think that they are stimulating their hamstrings with hip extension work like deadlifts, RDLs, KB …
Exercise of the Month: Manually Resisted Hamstring Curls Read More »
The barbell is a fundamental building block across the domain of strength & conditioning. We utilize the barbell in almost every program. The barbell is primary in the sense that it is a ‘primary’ tool for developing the broadest and most encompassing skill portfolio, as far as skills related to athleticism and human performance are …
Late last month I headed west. We (my wife and I) packed up the dogs for two mini stays–the first of which was in Escalante, UT, followed by a another stay along California’s central coast. Usually on my travels I don’t set aside all that much time for direct training. My usual plan is to …
Gym Review: Headstrong Fit – San Luis Obispo, CA Read More »
Imagine a scenario in which there are two nearly identical athletes, we’ll call them athlete ‘A’ and athlete ‘B’ (I’m very creative in the naming department). These athletes could be from any sport, but since I’m in the midst of transitioning a handful of swimmers from their PIAA dual meet season into the championship season, …
Its mid-December and we’re finally starting to see some cooler temps and snow on the ground in east-central Pennsylvania. This change isn’t just an aesthetic shift–throughout the winter our warm ups morph as temperatures plumit. We try to accomplish a handful of objectives during our warm ups. Though each person in our individualized programs will …
Microblog Monday: How Weather Influences Our Warm Up Protocols Read More »
The Concept 2 Rower is a staple in our programs. Though many of our remote programming clients, swimmers, and other athletes have a large base of aerobic conditioning from their sport-specific training, the rower provides a variety of benefits that these athletes not otherwise develop. It is rare that we program 1,000m rows and even …
An Anaerobic Conditioning Set with Aerobic Benefits Read More »
An unfortunate setback in the science of human performance is the large emphasis currently placed on muscle physiology as a means of maximizing performance. While obviously the muscles play a critical role in athleticism, the muscular system is completely at the whim of the nervous system; the junction of these two is known categorically as …
