Many people talk about HIIT training nowadays and for good reason. Not only is it super effective for both Cardio and Strength Training, but your body remains in fat burning mode for an extended period of time due to what's commonly referred to as the Afterburn Effect. Here's a HIIT workout for you combining weights with bodyweight only exercises.   The only equipment needed for this workout is dumbbells. I used a kettlebell for one of the exercises but that can be done with dumbbells as well. Do each exercise with as little rest between as possible and a total of two…

Bagua (or Baguazhang) is one of the key internal martial arts. The other two well known ones are Tai Chi Chuan and Xingyiquan. Internal martial arts are generally referred to as such because they don't use hard blocks or force against force. Instead they tend to use angles, positioning, and deflections. Rather than doing a hard block, we yield to the force and then counter attack from a different position. It also refers to cultivation of Chi or internal energy. This is done through Qigong breathing methods combined with movements. However, when you understand this, then many martial arts can…

I've been asked recently by several people what my personal strength and conditioning workout routine is, so that's what we're going to cover today. Although I post a lot of videos and it may seem like I workout every day, I don't. I often film several videos in one day and then post them over different days. Having recovery time is important as well as maintaining balance in your life. Working out is a part of your life, but you can't let it control your life. You are the one in charge. If you don't feel like it on a…

This is a circuit workout I did very early in the new year. It's a full body, functional workout. Always keep in mind that if your goal is to build muscle, endurance, improve athleticism, or anything else that's worth getting from your fitness efforts, then multi-joint, compound, and functional exercises are the way to go. Exercise machines have their place. Suppose you're injured or otherwise unable to do certain movements. Machines can help fill those gaps. But if you're able to do it, then functional exercises are the way.    For today's workout, we have five exercises all arranged in a circuit. Minimal…

This is an exercise method where we superset two exercises. This means that we alternate between the two rather than doing all the sets for one exercise before moving onto the next. Then we start at 10 reps for one of the exercises and 1 rep of the other exercise. With each set, one exercise decreases in reps while the other one increases. So by the end, the first exercise is down to 1 rep and the second exercise is up to 10 reps. It may sound a bit confusing hearing the explanation, but when you see the video it will…

There have been so many different high tech exercise innovations over the past several decades. Some are good and some not so good. But you'd have a pretty hard time finding a better exercise than the pushup. It's a fantastic upper body exercise, core exercise, and has numerous benefits for sports performance. And best of all, it requires no equipment whatsoever and can be done anywhere. There are of course many variations. In this video I have two advanced ones. The first one is a pushups combined with a kickout and the second is a favourite among martial arts practitioners. It's…

One of the best pieces of equipment you can use for core and balance training is the BOSU. Because it decreases your stability, you have no choice but to engage your core to hold yourself in position. And two of my favourite exercises are in the video. They are   1. Cross Body Mountain Climbers 2. Suicide Planks Anyway here's the video. Check it out and give it a try!

Sometimes I get asked my opinion on Cardio Boxing so I figured I'd just write about it. Short answer is NO. I don't think it's useless. I'll admit that there was a time when I thought it was, but that was at a time when I was more immature and I failed to ask one of the most important questions in fitness? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? I mean not everyone is willing to get punched and kicked for real? It hurts and isn't the most pleasant experience. Believe me, I've been punched and kicked countless times. That being said, it…

Working within your limitations is something we all have to do. And one of the things I've helped people with over the years is help people get fit who are in wheelchairs. I spent a number of years helping a man at a fitness center in East Toronto called Variety Village. Doing that not only helped him but it was a great learning experience for me. In this video I'll go over some of the exercises which I taught him. It's a combination of breathing, Qigong, and strength training. Here are the exercises.   1. Breathing 2. Reverse Breathing 3. Serving Teacups 4. Lion Rolling…

One of the most neglected body parts is the neck. Everyone loves training their chest, biceps, and abs. But often when it comes to legs, back, triceps, people just don't put in the work. And when it comes to things like calves, forearms, and necks, it's even worse. But the neck is one of the most important muscles in your body. It's responsible for your posture, alignment, and overall body strength. In the Burmese martial art of Lethwei, they allow headbutts. And because of this they take neck training very seriously. This video will demonstrate the exercises used. Give them a try…

I remember as a teenager and in my early 20s, when I thought about being 50 years old it seemed so far away. I thought for sure I wouldn't be working out the same way. Well here I am at almost 51 years old and I'm still doing my thing pretty much the same way as I was in my 20s. But there are some differences in how things must be done that you can't just ignore.   First, recovery is an issue. Like it or not, you can't recover the same way in your 50s as you did I your 20s.…

The TRX is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can find anywhere! It's adapted from Gymnastics rings. Although you don't have to do the Iron Cross on them! The beauty of it is that you can adjust the difficulty of the exercises simply by moving your feet. Doing so will change the angle of your body and therefore change the resistance or percentage of your bodyweight you're lifting.   The TRX has two mounting options. One can be in a doorway and the other can be around a bar of some type. This could be a tree branch, a…

Working out can be an addiction. We love the way it makes us feel. We love the way it makes us look. We love the increase in strength, speed, flexibility, etc. But unfortunately like any addiction, we can often push too hard for too long a period of time. And doing this can lead to burnout and overtraining, the complete opposite of why you started!   One thing I'll always be grateful for is the training I had in Powerlifting. In Powerlifting we understand that you can't train all out all the time. That's why we train in cycles. Typically these are…

This is a workout I call Triple Threat! Take three exercises, do each one for three reps, and do it three times. All this counts as one set. Repeat for as many sets as desired. It's tough but effective as always!   For this example I'm doing Squats, Pushups, and Chin Ups. But you can pick any exercises you wish! Here's a link for the video. https://youtu.be/vPj8o5nXT-A

The centreline is one of the most important concepts in the martial arts. People use it and are aware of it even if they don't realize. There are actually three separate centrelines and each one has its importance.    MIDDLE CENTRELINE - This line runs right down the front of your body and it's the line along which many of your vital organs are located   MOTHERLINE - This line runs right down the middle of your body and is responsible for your balance. Leaning too far forward, backward, or sideways will compromise this. You must always by balanced even if your weight is not…

Suspension training is a really great way to exercise. One good thing about it is that it allows you to easily control the difficulty of the movement depending on where you place your feet. There are many angles and exercise variations you can do. For this full body workout I went through some of my favourite moves to give you a full body workout. Give it a try!  

The weapon is an extension of the person who wields it. This is an extremely important concept in the martial arts. After all, hand to hand fighting systems have their origins in weapons. You can take straight punches, hook punches, and uppercut punches, and you can see all of them in the staff. The key difference is that with weapons, everything is larger. Steps are larger, body rotation is larger, etc. But when we switch to hand to hand fighting, things become much tighter and closer. This is why we sometimes like to say "TRAIN BIG, FIGHT SMALL".   Take a look…

"Real World Strength" is a term that Chinese martial arts icon Bruce Lee used. He didn't believe in simply building up the body to look a certain way or to only lift weight in a specific way. He believed in training in a way to build your strength and fitness that would translate to real applicable situations. Machines have their place of course, but nothing can truly replace free weights, bodyweight exercises, and functional movements.    That's the purpose of this video is to cover some ways to develop this. For this exercise, I'm taking a punching bag and doing squats and…

Personally I love smoothies. From a very young age, I've always associated smoothies and various shakes with vibrant health. You can mix it up in so many ways, there's just no limit to the possibilities. In fact, it's possible to replace some of your meals with smoothies. A good protein powder mixed in with plenty of fruits and vegetables is tasty, nutritious, and it will prevent you from giving in to hunger and going for junk food. There have been many times when I knew I wouldn't have time to sit down for a meal, so I just drank a good…

The centreline is one of the most important concepts in the martial arts. Particularly in the Wing Chun system, the centreline is the key to everything. Unfortunately there are so many people out there practicing these arts who have no clue about it. It may sound ridiculous, but it's true.    The stance from Wing Chun known as Yee Jee Kim Yeung Ma (or Character Two Adduction Stance) is the primary method for training this. Every Wing Chun practitioner learns this on the first day of class and shifting follows soon after. As crucial as these things are, very few people actually…