This is Part 3 of a history of my recovery from a torn biceps tendon. (Read Part 1 and Part 2.) At five weeks, my left bicep is squishy soft and the atrophy is hard to take. I still cannot fully flex the bicep due to nervous system shut down. The muscle tissue simply will not fire. This is one of the body’s many self protective mechanisms, another reason I am continually humbled and grateful for this miracle of human biology I call home. In better news, by the 15th week post injury, the strength and size of the injured arm have almost fully recovered. [Read more…]
South Pacific Costa Rica Surf Spots
I learned to surf in Costa Rica, so I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this place. The people are lovely. The beaches are clean. And the Costa Rican Government just made a bold move to ban plastic straws and plastic grocery bags. Hooray! This map shows 5 surf breaks in the area of Costa Rica with which I am most familiar. [Read more…]
Torn distal biceps tendon: Part 2
On April 23, I fell to the ground when my distal biceps tendon tore away from it’s insertion point on the bone in my forearm. Read about it in Part 1. This is part 2, what happened after I got multiple MRIs and visited 3 different orthopedic surgeons. [Read more…]
Injury: Torn distal biceps tendon, part 1.
Since starting gymnastics training with a proper coach, I’ve become the strongest version of myself ever. I’ve had a long run of injury free fun and training, but this lucky streak came to an end last Sunday when I heard a “pop” and fell to the ground during a “back lever” on the rings. [Read more…]
Shoulder Pain? Understanding the Rotator Cuff and how to fix it.
Shoulder Pain sucks, especially when it affects your work life and your training. Learn how to fix it fast.
Spend 10 minutes in any gym and you’ll see a big guy favoring a shoulder. Spend 10 minutes walking through any office and you’ll see somebody sitting at a desk grimacing with shoulder pain. The shoulder is the most unstable joint in the body and the term “rotator cuff” is often poorly understood. Ready to understand? [Read more…]
Dude, what do you eat?
Several subscribers have asked me for this article. Here you go! [Read more…]
Don’t Do Another Abdominal Crunch Until You Watch This. (There is a faster way to great abs.)
Spring is here and I’m making a new round of videos like this one to help you get your six pack before the pool opens.
Training the body in new ways is the best (and fastest) way to improve your physique. Get outside the gym! Jump, play, and fall down! Don’t be afraid to act like a kid again. Your body will start to feel younger. Results will come faster and workouts will never be boring. Changing your body is easier than your think if you apply the right science. [Read more…]
Want to Build Muscle? Stay off the Treadmill.
The treadmill is not helping you build muscle.
It is a well known fact in sports science that steady state cardio training inhibits muscle hypertrophy. When endurance athletes lift weights, they get stronger and increase the size of their type 2 muscle fibers (fast twitch fibers). Yet they rarely gain muscle mass. For endurance athletes, this is great news. They get stronger while improving their oxygen efficiency. For people trying to gain muscle mass, I suggest you pay attention to the science.
Habits of the Ripped and Happy
This site isn’t about becoming an athlete for the hell of it. It’s about having a happy and balanced life with enough time and energy to do the important things. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine of poor habits that leave you with low energy and no time, but it’s easier than you think to change everything.
New to Strength Training? Get the Facts Before You Waste Your Time
Left: My younger and dumber self after training the wrong way for a decade. Right: Me after training the right way for 6 months.
Completely new to strength training? Wish you knew where to start? What exercises to do? How to do them? There is a lot of BS floating around about how to get started with resistance training. Don’t start lifting weights until you get some straight facts about how to begin safely and develop your body effectively. Doing the wrong exercises early in your training will set you up for disappointment. For 10 years, I tried (and failed) to get six pack abs. When I started using science, things got a lot easier. [Read more…]