Strength and Physique

Big shout out to Born Tough gym wear! Check out their online store where they sell  "tacticool" m en's workout joggers  and  Men's workout Hoodies .   They also sell workout accessories, like this arm blaster that I received from them: This 24 inch arm blaster locks your elbows in place during heavy bicep curls and pressdowns. The heavy duty steel buckle prevents your elbows from swaying, isolating the biceps or triceps. The foam and neoprene padding make this arm blaster a comfortable fit: The arm blaster makes a great addition to a home gym, since you can substitute arm blaster curls for preacher curls. You can purchase the arm blaster and other workout accessories at Born Tough.   Also check out  their sister website  Elite Sports  where they sell MMA apparel.

Given this pandemic has shut down gyms across the world, many of us are building up our home gyms.  I've written about home gym essentials before, but here are four portable pieces of equipment you can take to a commercial gym, outdoor calisthenics park or add to your home gym.  Gym Paws  are a great alternative to regular lifting gloves.  In fact they're better than gloves. They allow the hands to breathe and allow for a better grip, while saving them from calluses and tears. Very comfortable, very soft and easy to use.  They slip on and off easily when you are changing exercises and don't need them for a set.      Fat Gripz  work by wrapping around the weight handle (of barbells, dumbbells or chin-up bars) and increasing its diameter.  Lifting thick-grip handles recruits more muscle fibers, especially in the biceps and brachialis. Training with thicker diameter handles builds bigger and stronger arms. Sting Ray - Front Squa...

Nothing beats the convenience of a good home gym! You never have to battle traffic on your way to a crowded facility where you then have to wait forever for equipment. Plus, the music is always your style and the post-workout smoothies are so much more affordable. Speaking of cheaper, just think of all the money you’ll save in memberships, fees, and gas! No matter your budget, when you invest in a home gym, you’ll start seeing a positive return on that investment almost immediately. But what equipment should you have in order to still maintain your ideal physique? Here are 10 must-have items for your home gym that will keep you healthy and looking good! Dumbbells Nothing says strength training like a long line of dumbbells, but sets like that can run you thousands of dollars and eat up valuable floor space. If your home gym’s square footage or budget won’t allow for that, then opt for adjustable-weight dumbbells which give you virtually the same versatility at a frac...

We’re all born into a box.   You drive to work in a box.   When you get to work, you work in a box.   You think inside the box.   You come home and live in a box.   You eat of a box.   You even workout in a box.   Some have bigger boxes than others.  What if you were in a prison cell?  What if you worked in a submarine?  Or what if you just live in a cramped studio apartment?  How would you train?  How could you build a better body in a box? A lot of people ask me how to train at home with limited equipment and limited space.  There are a number of reasons why people would want to train at home: 1) You save time. For a commercial gym, you have to drive to there and from there. For a home gym, however, your commute time is ZERO. 2) You can work out whenever you please. Whereas most commercial gyms have business hours, your home gym is open to you 24/7. So you have no excuse to miss a workout.  Since ...

I know it's been awhile since I've posted a real entry, one where I'm not answering the same questions over and over. But I've been quite busy as of late. The biggest cause of busy-ness? My 6 month old daughter, of course. It's been hard juggling work, writing, working out and family. So I've been following the training principles in Training for the Busy Bodybuilder to keep myself in shape. If you have an extremely busy lifestyle, then having a home gym makes life much more convenient. I wrote about the basics for the home gym in a previous post , but I thought I'd follow-up with a post on "home gym extras." These are pieces of equipment or exercises that, if you have the extra money and the extra strength, should purchase and perform: 1) Kettlebell- A lot of people go crazy bat shit over kettlebells. They think kettlebells cure everything from ectomorphism to obesity to cancer. But the bottom line is that kettlebells are tools, th...

Many clients ask for my advice in setting up a home gym. Working out at a home gym has many advantages over a commercial gym: You save time. For a commercial gym, you have to drive to there and from there. For a home gym, however, your commute time is ZERO. You can workout whenever you please. Whereas most commercial gyms have business hours, your home gym is open to you 24/7. So you have no excuse to miss a workout. You save money. Once you make the initial investment on the home gym equipment, that's it. No initiation fees. No membership fees. Many commercial gyms require initiation fees, which often cost as much or more than the cost to setup a home gym. By setting up a home gym, you save money in the short term and even more in the long term. You get a better workout. How often have you worked out at a gym and waited for the equipment to be free? Do you think you're getting a good workout if you have to wait 5-10 minutes between every exercise? In your home gym, you don...