Jack’s Blog
5 tips for healthy joints when lifting
5 tips for healthy joints when lifting “First, move well" Gray Cook If you take one thing away from this blog, remember that principle. Joint and soft tissue injuries in the weight room are astoundingly common and can usually be...
Hip Hinge Exercises for Strength and Mobility
Hip Hinge Exercises for Strength and Mobility The hip hinge - the “forgotten” movement pattern that is king for building strong, mobile hips, glutes & hamstrings that pop and a resilient low back. You do push and pull movements for the upper body, right? You...
Building Muscle After 40
Introduction to building muscle after 40 Building muscle after 40 is harder and that’s why you’ve got to train smarter! You simply cannot get away with training like you’re 20 anymore and there are several reasons why. Your life is busy and more stressful. You’ve...
Shoulder Mobility Exercises – The Expert PT Guide
Introduction to shoulder mobility You’re here because you want to improve your shoulder mobility. Perhaps you’re in pain or perhaps you just feel restricted and unable to perform certain exercises well (overhead press, anyone?). Either way, it’s limiting you and...
What is functional strength training?
It is about getting stronger across your body’s movement patterns, rather than just body parts. It improves athletic qualities like strength, power, stability and mobility. That gives it huge carry over to sport. It’s not just for sports performance or athletes...
Understand what core training is (and how to do it)
What are the core muscles? Look at the right image... Think of your rib cage and then your pelvis. Your core is made up of the muscles that bridge that gap in the middle. The ideal position for those three sections is a canister type shape. That’s a very strong and...
Does cardio kill gains? Do it right and it won’t
‘Cardio kills gains.’ It’s the gym bro myth that will not die. The statement has been around for decades and it’s one that many lifters still fear to be true today. Is it true? No, not if it’s done right. I used to avoid cardio like the plague. Then I realised in time...
Learn the 90/90 stretch: Eliminate tight hips
The benefits of the 90/90 stretch If you're grappling with tight hips, the 90/90 stretch is your go-to move. Why? Because it zeroes in on the real game-changer: the hip capsule. While you might think of hamstrings or hip flexors first, they're just the surface level....
LIIT workouts: Get fitter and recover faster
Low Intensity Interval Training (LIIT) is a cardio workout that has repeated bouts of “low intensity” exercises combined with short periods of rest. Think of it like going for a steady run, cycle or swim. The intensity is the same. Instead of racking up the miles, you...
Landmine Squat: A joint friendly alternative to barbell back squats
It's leg day and squats are up! You hit the rack, slide a couple of light plates on either end of a barbell and proceed to squat. It doesn’t feel that comfortable and you’re not totally confident in your form, but you know you’ve got to increase the weight if you want...
Foam Rolling. You’re doing it wrong.
What does foam rolling really do (and more importantly, not do) Foam rolling. You’ve heard it’s great for releasing tight muscles, extinguishing DOM’s and eliminating aches & pains. So you spend precious time every week gritting your teeth and enduring the pain...
Resistance Band Training: The Ultimate Guide to Strength Training at Home
(and how to modify your favourite gym exercises with resistance bands only) Resistance bands are nothing new. But in 2020, they went from the most undervalued tool to the hottest commodity for at-home strength training. As gym closures swept the globe, fitness...
Why breathing through the nose will elevate your cardio
The benefits of nasal-only breathing I’ve travelled the globe to gain health and fitness knowledge for years. Who would have thought one of the most impactful methods I learned so far was simply to keep my mouth shut and breathe exclusively through my nose? I’ve...
Anti-HIIT: the smart way to do cardio
If you’ve been following me on instagram, you’ll have noticed that over the past few months, I’ve introduced what I call Anti-HIIT cardio sessions. I first developed the format as a way to get in my low intensity steady state (LISS) cardio workouts at home during quarantine, but I’ve really come to appreciate its benefits and practicality. An added bonus is that it’s fun, varied and time-efficient, given that it can be done from the comfort of your home.
How to Do Push-ups Perfectly
Most of us are doing a lot of push-ups now, which is awesome because it’s one of the best-bang-for-your-buck exercises. But, most of us are doing them incorrectly in at least one way or another and even advanced lifters tend to screw this exercise up. I want to show you five common push-up mistakes and show you exactly how to perform a push-up the right way, so you get the most out of this valuable exercise.
How to fix rounded shoulders – 3 posture correction strategies
Call it what you will, rounded shoulders, slumped shoulders or the ‘caveman’ look…this adverse “hunch forward” posture is far too common and 9/10 times, easily remedied. In this post, I'm going to go through how to fix rounded shoulders once and for all. From an...
The 3-Step Squat Warm Up
What does your current squat warm-up look like? Foam roll the living heck out of the quads, calves and hamstrings? A 15 minute, hip focused stretch-a-thon? What warm-up? I Just SQUAT! Whatever your approach may be, we all want the same thing - squats to...
Landmine Squat: Squat Without Knee or Back Pain
It’s Monday, which means LEG DAY (If you train your chest and upper body we can no longer be friends). After working through a few stretches, you’re ready for some leg exercises. You hit the squat rack, load up a barbell, and crank out a couple of light sets to...
The Best Squat Variation You’re Not Doing.
Squats might be considered the king of lower body exercises, but here's the reality - most people don’t squat well, least not under a barbell. Whether it’s mobility restrictions or pain complains of the shoulders, hips and knees, there’s usually at least one reason...
A New And Better Way For You To Stretch Before Lifting
Warming up for weights can be the defining factor between crushing your workout and half assing it. Seriously. Walk straight form your office to the squat rack and you can be sure of the following: Stiff hips that refuse to descend even close to parallel. Poor...
Facepull your way to healthy, pain-free shoulders.
What's this...a whole post on facepulls! An exercise you’ve probably never heard of...? Damn straight. Its THAT GOOD. Especially when its a move that can combat the leading pain complain in the gym - front sided shoulder pain. If you’re anything like most gym goers,...
Why Training Like a Bodybuilder is Dumb (+ HOW TO DESIGN A BETTER BODYBUILDING PROGRAM)
(+ HOW TO DESIGN A BETTER BODYBUILDING PROGRAM) Walk into any commercial gym and you’re bound to witness a lot of machine work and a few free weight staples – dumbbell presses, shoulder presses, pull ups, squats, deadlifts, bicep curls, and the like. You might see a...
3 Reasons Your Glutes Suck
Before you scroll down the page in search of that magic exercise - the ONE that’s standing between you and a curvaceous and powerful #peach, I want to take an entirely different approach. You see, it’s not necessarily your exercise selection that is to blame. At least...
HIIT or Miss? The Problem With High Intensity Interval Training
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) struck the fitness scene with the force and might of Thor’s Hammer. Many years later and it’s mark has continued to grow - topping the charts as this year’s #1 fitness trend (According to the American College of Sports...