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31 May, 2018

Why Training Like a Bodybuilder is Dumb

by Jack Hanrahan

Walk in to any commercial gym and you’re bound to witness a lot of machine work and a few free weight staples – bench presses, squats, shoulder presses and the like. You might see a token landmine press, goblet squat or inverted row but these less run-of-the-mill exercises are few and far between. And that’s because the vast majority of gym-goers are following a very similar weight training template – some variation of a bodybuilding plan that they picked up on bodybuilding.com...

10 May, 2018

3 Reasons Your Glutes Suck

by Jack Hanrahan

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 not initially. No matter what exercises you use or what your set and reps you use, your glutes aren’t going to grow unless you’re able to properly execute and activate. My glutes are my most visibly well-developed muscle...

04 December, 2017

HIIT or Miss? The Problem With High Intensity Interval Training

by Jack Hanrahan

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 Medicine). When it comes to fitness ‘trends’, my usual stance is to avoid them – hell do the exact opposite. But with HIIT, I wont be so dismissive. This time-efficient cardio tool has stood the test of time for a reason. It...

25 October, 2017

Core vs Abs – Best of Both

by Jack Hanrahan

There is one fitness goal that dominates all others – shredded abs. Its no surprise really, a lean and defined mid section is widely considered the hallmark of a great physique. Which might explain why notable bodies like Brad Pitt in Fight Club are still talked about today (He’s got nothing on Wolverine tho). But despite the obvious visual appeal, muscles of the core have very important functions too. As the link between the upper and lower body, the core must be damn good at...

12 October, 2017

The #1 Problem With Training For Aesthetics

by Jack Hanrahan

If you were to ask a dozen people why they’re spending time in the gym, you’d likely get a dozen different answers. And that makes sense: most of us are motivated by some personal driving force that’s specific to our own lives. But if you were to take the exactitudes of our individual experience out of those answers, you’d find something very interesting: once you zoom out a bit, the answers start to run together pretty quickly. And the more people you asked, the more...

18 July, 2017

My Morning Routine – And Why You Need One Too

by Jack Hanrahan

“If you win the morning, you win the day” – Tim Ferris If I was to pick one lifestyle change over the past year that has had the most notable effect on my health and well-being, it would be my newly refined morning routine. That is, a string of habits that prime my physical and mental state for the day ahead. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it always, what you do outside the gym matters. Sometimes I wake up negative, lagging with low energy and destined to procrastinate...

01 July, 2017

Master This Movement: Segmental Cat-Camel

by Jack Hanrahan

From desk-bound office workers to elite athletes, a healthier spine benefits us all in many ways. Though admittedly, the movement I’m about to show you looks like something only Circ Du Soleil performers or veteran yogis would be capable of! In actual fact, every human being was born with the movement capacity to do it, and there’s tremendous value in learning and mastering this exercise. p.s. Don’t think you suck as a human being if you can’t do it straight off the bat....

22 June, 2017

Three Crunch-Free Core Finishers (Core Workout)

by Jack Hanrahan

Who doesn’t love a good ol’ ‘deep burn’ in the abs at the end of a training session? What a sadistic bunch we are! But for most, core finishers consist of a mash up of crunches, sit-ups and lots of bending and twisting. Your body deserves better than that. A lot better. Ploughing through a bunch of mindless exercises might create that satisfying soreness, BUT…at what cost? We have long known that flexion-extension exercises (e.g. sit-ups, crunches, side bends) are not very spine...

01 May, 2017

5 ways to train smarter

by Jack Hanrahan

From 5 minute treadmill jogs to 45 minute stretching routines, warming up for weights varies widely among gym goers. Though doing anything beats rocking up to the squat rack after being desk bound for 8 hours, carrying out a random, non-specific warm up (of any length) will only lead to lacklustre training.