Physicality Archives - Page 2 of 3

The Church of Bobby Maximus

November 15, 2017 by J.R. Cambo Leave a Comment

Gym Jones is the near mythical training facility that produces superhumans (website).

Maybe you’ve seen the viral videos of the actors for the movie 300? It was a depiction of regular guys transforming into mega jacked, ultra fit, Spartan Warriors.

The allure of Gym Jones is unmistakable.

The website, the access to their content, their single location somewhere in Salt Lake City, it all seemed like the stuff borne of legends.

Hailing from this proving ground is Bobby Maximus (or Robert MacDonald if you want to be boring), a giant man of muscle that is capable of producing elite level cardiovascular output on pain-inducing contraptions like the air bike, C2 rower, and SkiErg.

However, his primary weapon is his mind, which makes him seem like a literal philosopher’s stone. [Read more…]

Dan John Recommended Reading List

September 24, 2017 by Tony Francisco Leave a Comment

Dan John (website) is the quintessential academic strongman. He exemplifies the idea of being strong and smart, with the unique ability to write about his endeavors in a meaningful way.

His books are easy to read, yet packed full of quality information. Despite his academic background as a Fulbright Scholar and university professor, he writes like a best friend’s letter. When you read his advice, you almost feel like he is speaking directly to you. He doesn’t cite research studies but often talks about how he discovered these ideas in the early 1970s, giving him over 30 years of empirical evidence. He also competes as an Olympic Weightlifter, Highland Games athlete, and discus thrower, giving him the insights of a performer and not just an observer.

Fitness writers are rarely able to provide such unique perspectives. [Read more…]

On Exercise Selection

June 1, 2016 by Carl Amolat Leave a Comment

Due to time constraints and mandatory Army physical training, I once had to design a program built around five simple exercises.

Pavel Tsatsouline, a master fitness trainer from the Former Soviet Union once said, “The fewer parts something has, the less likely it is to break down. The success of the famous – or infamous – Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle is a case in point.”

From StrongFirst.com

[Read more…]

Nutrition’s Million Dollar Question

February 8, 2016 by J.R. Cambo Leave a Comment

What should I eat to lose weight? to feel good? to look good? to perform good?

This is really the million-dollar question. Literally.

This question has made people millions of dollars. There are countless diets, books, television shows, documentaries, blogs, seminars, life coaches, and self-proclaimed gurus that all aspire to answer this simple question.

There is a new series that I saw on Hulu called My Diet is Better Than Yours. Some of the so-called experts seem more like clowns to me.

For example, one of the methods was called Taskercise. The great idea? Find ways to workout while doing everyday things. Squats in line at the grocery store after lunging the length of the vegetable aisle. The website even advocates the use of a swivel chair to “get great abs.”

The fact that there are people out there peddling products like these is an indication of the vast amount of desperation that exists today.

[Read more…]

CrossFit for General Physical Preparedness (GPP)

February 1, 2016 by Tony Francisco Leave a Comment

CrossFit, at its core, is a strength and conditioning program designed to make one better at performing general tasks. Hence its importance in the realm of general physical preparedness or GPP.

The ascension of the CrossFit Games has led many aspiring athletes to move away from a generalist program to one aimed at making it through the qualification ladder and ultimately the CrossFit Games.

This is not the ideal way to train for 99% of people doing CrossFit. Greg Glassman, CrossFit’s ultra-hip mastermind creator boiled fitness down to 100 words in his pioneering article on fitness. [Read more…]