I'm pretty sure most of you have done Paint By Numbers art projects before where a number corresponds to a specific colour. With punching in Boxing and Martial Arts, it's the exact same thing. Except that the number corresponds to a punch! This can really help in a number of ways. It helps familiarize yourself with the punches and also when hearing combos being called out spontaneously, it's much quicker to just say the number than the words. It makes things a lot easier when you're taking notes as well. Another benefit is that of having to think and respond quickly.…

Of all the various muscle groups on the human body, the core and abdominals are quite possibly the ones which cause the most confusion and has the greatest number of misconceptions as well. Needless to say, it's also one of the most improperly trained muscle groups as well. Let's cut the BS and go over the facts about the core and abdominals (or Abs if you prefer).   First, what are the abdominals and core not? It is NOT some magic muscle that you can train every day for hours without risk of overtraining. Seriously I've heard many people over the years…

One thing I've seen a lot in the fitness industry is trainers giving everyone the same workout regardless of their goals and needs. For the most part, this is a bodybuilding style split routine. You know the ones I'm talking about. The programs where you train different muscles on different days. You may have an upper body day and a lower body day, or you may do your chest and back one day, legs and abs, one day, arms and shoulders one day, etc. And depending on your goals, that may be the right program for you. Or it might not…

There are tons of different opinions on this. All I can do is give you my opinion as well as the reasons behind it. Hopefully it will make sense to you. It certainly does to me, but you'll have to decide.   So to start with, I remember I used to work at a gym where there was this other trainer about the same age as me. He always changed his client workouts every workout. I don't know if I every saw his clients doing the same thing twice. He would justify it by saying that it's for muscle confusion and to…

A question I get asked sometimes is whether or not I feel the time and effort invested in fitness is worth the sacrifice. It's true that I do spend a great deal of time working out, researching, pondering, etc. As a result, I'm not able to spend as much time doing other things such as watching tv shows, gaming, and other similar activities. I'm very selective about which shows I watch as I only have limited time. I do however make time for playing music, spending time with my family, art, and some other interests. But nonetheless, there are things…

Weights are great to use, but it's entirely possible to get a full body workout using nothing but your bodyweight, a few simple pieces of equipment, and a lot of heart! It can be done right in the comfort of your own home, on vacation, or anywhere else.   So for today's workout, I have a combination of supersets and trisets. For those that don't know, supersets is a technique where you take two exercises and perform them back to back. Trisets is the same thing, but it involves three exercises. More than three exercises becomes a circuit, Here's the program   SUPERSET 1 TRX Rows Clap Pushups   TRISET 1 TRX Lateral…

Just about everyone who's been training for a while has heard of periodization. However like many other things, there is a ton of misinformation about it. There are of course many different methods and possible training cycles that can be used. Far too many to list here, but I want to provide a basic overview of what it's all about.   So to put things simply, periodization is all about the fact that you can't train at the same level all the time. Back when I was first learning about working out, the gym rats I was working out with had no…

Body conditioning is an exercise that is traditionally done in the martial arts. There are numerous benefits of this. One is obviously conditioning your body so you won't bruise or feel as much pain. Another is that you'll be able to strike harder. However one more benefit to it and one which is important regardless of your fitness goals is increased blood circulation! In fact the effects are similar to getting a massage. Also there is a ton of myofascial release. Watch the video to learn more!  

No matter what activity you engage in, footwork is buy far the most important thing. In today's video, I demonstrate some martial arts footwork and body connection drills, but they can be applied to any activity. Remember that without good footwork and strong legs, it is very similar to a car with a pitiful engine. It may look fantastic, but if the engine is useless you won't be going very far or fast.   In the video I go over a few exercises. The first two are Qigong exercises taken from the Bagua system of Chinese martial arts. The third is a…

There is a lot of confusion about what makes a good workout program. Unfortunately part of the problem is just plain old misinformation. I'm sure you've heard the terms "toning" and "shaping". But the fact is that both of those terms are meaningless, and there have been countless people who've simply done poor ineffective workouts in the name of shaping and toning.   You have control over exactly two things as far as your muscles and body composition are concerned. They are: 1) BUILDING MUSCLE 2) LOSING FAT   When people look at a so-called toned body, they are looking at someone who has added muscle…

Nowadays we hear a lot about pre-workout drinks. People like the idea of getting an energy boost before a workout. Unfortunately there are also some ingredients in these drinks that may not be the best for your health. In addition, many of their supposed benefits are not backed by research. Also, why would you want to resort to stimulants or other questionable supplements when natural approaches can get the job done safely?   Dried fruits (or regular) have been used for centuries for an energy boost and a source of quick fuel. They are probably the richest natural foods on earth in…

One of the things that everyone just "knows" these days seems to be that carbs are the enemy. Everywhere you turn, you hear about low carb, no carb, high protein, high fat, keto, paleo, etc. The thing about all this that many do no realize is that low carb diets have been around for an unbelievably long time. Since the 19th century in fact! And every so often, it comes back in vogue only for people to realize that it may not be the healthiest way. Then the cycle repeats. It's actually kind of funny when you look at it!   The…

The youth of today are our future of tomorrow. Therefore it's  super important for them to be healthy and fit. There are of course many distractions that exist today that didn't when I was a kid. Internet, video games, social media, etc. Unfortunately as a result of this, kids are now more sedentary than they've ever been before. So there's the problem.   HOW DO WE GET KIDS INTERESTED IN FITNESS?   Of course as I'm sure you already know, people won't do something unless it's fun. Hardly a revelation, but it still needs to be pointed out. Personally I think the best way is…

Ask 10 trainers for their favourite workouts and I'm sure you'll get 10 different answers. There are many ways to train and they all hold value. It really is impossible to name one workout more effective than any other. The goals you're trying to achieve, physical limitations you may have, your personality, preferences, and other factors all play a role in figuring out the best plan for you.   So while it may be impossible to name one absolute best workout, I have discovered one plan which seems to work quite well for most people, is easily customizable, and can be trained…

With 70 to 80% of the adult population suffering from lower back pain, it's essential to learn how to exercise properly to train it. It isn't as hard as you might think, but what it does require is consistency. I had the pleasure recently to meet up with Ian Edmondson who is a personal trainer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is also and Active Aging Specialist dealing with many clients with lower back pain. He himself is no stranger to it since he's had several severe care accidents.    Anyway the exercises he demonstrated today were: 1. The Angry Child 2. The Sphinx 3. The Cobra 4.…

With so many people talking about high protein (often extremely high!) diets, people tend to think that you need to eat pounds of meat daily along with other forms of animal-based protein. I've hear ridiculous numbers like 300 grams daily for people who weigh barely more than half that much in pounds. First of all, people do not need this amount of protein. Not only do they not need it, but it can be very harmful to eat this much. A few of the negative health effects of too much protein, particularly animal-based, are: -Kidney damage -Increased risk of heart disease -Ketosis (and chronic bad…

Tabatas are a great exercise method. The entire process is 4 minutes long. 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This is done 8 times totaling 4 minutes. You can take either one or two exercises. In this video, we did 2 exercises which were the Wideouts and the Mountain Climbers. A short yet effective workout!  

We've never had as much information about diet, nutrition, vitamins, hormones, etc as we have right now! We've also never had as many frustrated and confused people over it! There is a principle called Ocam's Razor in philosophy which refers to the idea that the simplest answer is the correct one. This certainly applies to weight loss and nutrition. In the video I explain a bit more about it and I also go over my 6 Rules Plan. Just keep things simple. For a quick reference here are the rules. 1) 30 in 30 2) 8 Cups of water daily 3) A mulit-vitamin daily 4)…

There are many misconceptions about self defense. What it is and what it is not. But most of it boils down to what your goals are. Similar to fitness goals, if you don't have a clear idea of what you're trying to achieve, there's no way you can possibly know how to get there.   First, let's get something straight. Your goal is not to win a fight! Your goal is to survive and get home in one piece. If it's possible to do it peacefully, do it! Getting into a street altercation never ends well. Even if you win the fight,…

Rep challenges and other types of high reps workouts are very popular ways of training. In addition, competition style workouts where you have a leader board and try to complete your reps in the fastest time are also very popular.   Unfortunately the fact is that these types of high volume, high reps workouts also have a higher risk of injury. Injuries happen most often when you are either excessively fatigued or you're not focusing. Both of these things things are far more likely when you're doing the last reps of an extremely high rep set of an exercise. You're far better…