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Last week we did a little test to see how many reps you could do (whether of push-ups or your favorite exercise) and how long you could hold something like a plank. This week, let’s take a look at that classic strength benchmark, the one rep max (1RM). Read more...

This year has brought many new experiences. Lifting at home was a new-ish one to me. Lifting outdoors (necessitated by low ceilings in the garage) came next. And as the seasons changed, I’ve had to lift outdoors in the cold and the dark and the snow. You can do it. Here are my tips. Read more...

As we continue our month of training the overhead press, it’s time to address the way you might be cheating—or not, depending on how you look at it. The press is really two different lifts, depending on whether you bend your knees to do it.Read more...

It’s been a while since we did a fitness challenge focused on a specific lift, but now it is time. This November we’re going to get really familiar with the overhead press, the lift where you press a barbell to arms’ length above you while standing. It’s satisfying when you do it right but tricky in a few ways, so…Read more...

As I’m slogging through a run, I never tell myself I’m halfway. Everything I just did, I have to do it all again? Not a helpful thought. Instead, I use some more creative math. The first mile of any run, after all, is just a warmup, and the last mile is gravy—if you only have a mile left, you can practically crawl…Read more...

Resistance bands and dumbbells are both great for strength training at home, since they don’t require much storage space and tend to be a lot cheaper than a full setup with a barbell and plates. But they each have pros and cons, so let’s talk about how to choose. Read more...

The first time I lifted at a gym where the weights are in kilos, my well-honed plate math skills became suddenly useless. The numbers were all different, the plates were funny colors, and yet, before long, I discovered I kinda liked it that way. Read more...

It’s a new month and a new fitness challenge, friends. Time to pick up a sandbag! And then put it down. And then pick it up again. Yep, keep going. Just a few more reps. Read more...

To protect ourselves from the coronavirus, the CDC recommends keeping your hands as clean as possible, including using hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol when hand washing is not possible. Liquid chalk, used by climbers and powerlifters to help with grip, often contains a significant amount of alcohol. So can…Read more...

Ever since gyms closed in March, I’ve been working out at home. And since my house doesn’t have a suitable place for many of the exercises I like to do, I’ve mainly been lifting outside. Here’s what I’ve learned.Read more...

Not long ago, I posted a pair of videos on Instagram. One was of me swinging a kettlebell at the beginning of quarantine; the other, a more recent set. Over time I’d seen progress, and that was what I talked about in my caption. My swings were snappier, the path of the weight more controlled. Read more...

All you need to lift a weight is just yourself, and the weight. But there are a lot of handy things that can help, and I’ve accumulated quite a few of them in my gym bag. Let’s take a tour.Read more...

If you’re new to exercising, or if you just feel a little awkward about working it into your day, it will help to have a routine that transitions you from your non-exercising life into getting ready for the day’s sweat session. Read more...

I’ve got a barbell, but for the first three months of pandemic life I had no place to put it except on the ground. That’s fine if you want to deadlift, or do olympic lifts, or pick it up and curl it or press it. And I did all of those. But you can’t squat without a rack. Read more...

If you have a barbell but not quite enough plates, you’ve probably spent this quarantine hanging things off it in extremely sketchy ways. On social media I’ve seen people put weights in tote bags, hang water bottles off their barbell, and more. A lot of these DIY solutions are injuries waiting to happen, but recently…Read more...

If you’re a runner, it helps to be strong. If you lift weights, it’s still good to do a little cardio. But sometimes you just want to be good at two things at the same time. Is it possible to train for running and lifting simultaneously? Yes, I’ve done it. But it takes a little extra thought and planning.Read more...

Gyms in many areas are reopening, or will be soon, and a lot of us can’t freaking wait to get back to normal workouts. (I myself have a well-equipped home gym, but I dream of the day I can get back to a proper squat rack.) But let’s talk about the proper mindset to have when you first go back, so you don’t set…Read...

Reading about exercise when you don’t do it is like looking up at a speeding train on an overpass. I’d be doing fine if I were up there, you think, but I’m down here, and I’ve got no momentum. Read more...