Don't make the mistake of neglecting the muscles on the back of your body. It may sound a bit ridiculous, but a lot of people only train what they see in the mirror. Muscles such as the chest, biceps, abdominals, and front of your legs (quads) always get all the attention. But what about the equally important muscles of the upper and lower back, hamstrings, or triceps? It's imperative to do this. Neglecting this part of your training can lead to muscular imbalances which can in turn cause pain and injury.    Inb today's video, I cover three exercises for this purpose.…

Here's a bodyweight circuit that can be done at home with minimal or zero equipment. For these exercises I used a doorway chinup bar, a pair of Lebert Equalizers, and a stability ball. However these can be modified to be done with things you have at home already. This is done for either 2 or 3 circuits and the reps are counted for this one. Timing your sets can work well sometimes, but it can encourage poor form sometimes. Therefore I generally favour counting reps over timing. Anyway here are the exercises along with the video. For more information on…

The heavy bag is certainly one of the best pieces of equipment you can use. It's a fantastic cardio workout, develops explosiveness, power, timing, and so much more. And of course it's essential to develop your strikes for all martial arts. It is important however to use it properly. Learn to form a fist correctly and also use the proper energy. The golden rule (and this may sound a bit strange) is this:   IF YOU TRY TO HIT HARD, IT WON'T BE.   I'm sure that sounds very weird, but the reason why I'm saying that is if you think about trying to hit…

In this video I go over the fundamental concepts that you need to know in order to practice Qigong properly. Remember that in Qigong there is a Sinking or Dropping energy to everything. Also proper relaxation is important as is breathing properly through the nose (not the mouth). Take a look and see what it's all about.   For more information, click here

Here I go again with another oldie but a goodie. Today it's supersets! I have no idea why, but you don't see many people doing this any more. Supersets are awesome for a number of reasons. Before we get to them, what are supersets. It's a grouping of 2 exercises done back to back typically with minimal or no rest between. It's often done with antagonistic muscles such as chest and back, biceps and triceps, or quadriceps and hamstrings. But it can be done for the same muscle as well. One benefit of this is that it saves time. Another…

Some of you may have noticed by now that I like old school training a lot. This is very true. I was taught by old school trainers, so naturally that's what I gravitate towards. I do have an open mind and am always on the lookout for new innovations in fitness. Sometimes I see something I like, but more often than not it's the old school training that brings results!    The method I want to discuss today is the One And A Half Method. This is a method where you do one full rep followed by a half rep. It's extremely…

We all know that core training is important, but what people may or may not know is the best way to get the job done. There are three ways to train the core.  1. CORE STABILITY 2. CORE FRONTAL CONTRACTION 3. CORE ROTATION   And that's it! Just be sure to do one exercise for each of these and that will give you a complete core workout. In the video I'm doing an exercise called a Suicide Plank which is a combination of a Plank and a Pushup. That takes care of the stability part of it. A crunch would take care of the frontal contraction,…

Footwork is without question the most important element of martial arts. It's the foundation for everything you do. One expression my Boxing coach always likes saying is "You box with your legs, not your hands!". Anyway in the video I go over some basic exercises that can be used to develop the footwork. There are four drills in total.   1. Half Step Drill 2. Full Step Drill 3. Two Step Method 4. Four Corner Stepping  

Here's a full body workout using just your bodyweight. With a lot of restrictions at gyms right now and home gym equipment being hard to find, we all need simple minimal workouts like this! Here are the exercises.   Jumping Jacks Squats Pushups Peeing Dog To Donkey Kicks Spiderman Mountain Climbers Crunches Superman   Do a total of two or three circuits. Each exercise in the circuit is done back to back. After this, do the Qigong finishing exercises and closing For more information about these exercises or for personal training, click here

Lower back pain is one of the most common problems that most people face at some point. It's been shown that about 80% of the adult population will at some point in their life deal with some type of significant lower back pain. There are however some things you can do to minimize the risk and to rehabilitate it once it is hurt.   First of all, it's important to understand the causes of lower back pain. There are many causes, but in short they can be summed up into three main things. 1. Weak core / lower back 2. Tight and/or weak hamstrings 3.…

I had the whole place to myself. Now with the new Covid regulations, you have to book your time now and I guess no one else did! Anyway here were the exercises. I just did straight sets today (no supersets or circuits)    Cable Pulldowns Dips Lateral Raises Dumbbell Curls Knuckle Pushups Goblet Squats One arm kettlebell swings.   For more health and fitness tips or for information about In-Home or Online Personal Training, click HERE

  One thing that's not often spoken of from the Chinese martial arts is its health benefits. Its based around the theory of the five elements and its a fascinating study. I'm certainly not a Chinese doctor, but I do have some understanding of it through the martial arts. I'll explain more in the video but here's a quick summary.   Metal = Lungs = Chopping Water = Kidneys = Drilling  Wood = Liver/Gallbladder = Crushing Fire = Heart = Exploding Earth = Stomach / Spleen = Crossing   So the movements can both heal and injure the organs. By practicing the movements, there is tremendous therapeutic…

One of my favourite methods of fitness training is by using Fitness Challenges. I mean everyone loves a challenge, right?! There are a number of ways to do it, but to me the best way is to use either reps or distance. If you're using reps, then pick a number like 300, 400, or 500. Then pick some exercises and an appropriate number of reps so they'll add up to the total number.    For distance, take something like a football field or perhaps a large parking lot. Cover the distance with various drills. They could be anything. My martial arts teacher…

Posture is definitely one of the most overlooked things in fitness, yet it's also one of the most important elements. Without proper posture you open yourself up to all sorts of injuries, muscular imbalances, neck tension, and a whole ton of other issues. In this video, I explain proper posture during exercise. Keep in mind that mirrors, although they can be useful on certain exercises, can be disastrous for others.   For more information about this or for in-home or online personal training, click here

Lower back pain is unfortunately a problem that plagues about 80% of the population at some point. Some cases more severe than others. Our lifestyle is such that we are sitting way more than we're meant to. Human beings are naturally walking animals. We're built to walk for long distances and move without that much food compared to other animals. However our lifestyle of driving everywhere, sitting at desk jobs for work, coming home, and relaxing on the sofa for the rest of the evening does not lend itself to keeping a fit, healthy, pain-free body.   Basically most back pain is…

I love HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training)! It can be done with just your bodyweight and the will to get it done. For this workout we have 9 exercises, each one done for 30 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest, and a total of 3 rounds. It works great. The exercise are   Burpees Pushups Squats Speed Skaters Renegade Rows Mountain Climbers  Ape Crawl Bear Crawl Crab Crawl For more Information about Online or In-Home Personal Training, click here  

OK! We're now well into month 3 of the worldwide quarantine. Some things are starting to open up, but let's be honest. We're still in quarantine mode and for many people that means proper nutrition and exercise has taken a backseat! So what should we do about it? First it's important to point out the benefits of sunlight and Vitamin D on your immune system. It's warmer now so get outside and take advantage of it! Not only are there those benefits, but the transmission of Covid outdoors in the warm weather is drastically reduced. If you're unsure about what type of exercise to…

We all know about the importance of core training. The health of your lower back, posture, and overall health make it essential. So how do we go about training it? There are three methods to train the core.    1. Core Stability 2. Core Contraction 3. Core Rotation   Although they are all important, by far the most important of the three is the Core Stability. Planks and variations of it is the best way to train this. This will also lay the foundation for the other two. The problem when people try to do Core Contraction exercises without sufficient stability is that the hip flexors…

Here's an at-home bodyweight workout. I did use a set of chest expanders. However that could be modified for other bodyweight only exercises. Chest expanders are a very underused piece of equipment and I always bring them with me when I travel due to their light weight and portability. Anyway watch the video to see the workout!   And for more information about Online or In-Home Personal Training, click here

There are many misconceptions about Qigong. I've heard everything from people stiffening $10 bills to some idiot who told me I was dealing with satanic energies! The fact is it's nothing more than coordinating proper movement and body rooting with breathing. Make no mistake, it takes a long time to really develop this ability. But there's absolutely nothing mystical or supernatural about it. Watch the video to see what it's all about   For information about In-Home or Online Virtual Personal training click here