The Lab

What makes a good exercise program often comes down to good resource management.

More is not always better when it comes to how many exercises you should include in your program.

There are limits to how many exercises you can really make progress in at any given time and when we slip into the 'more is better' mindset we risk diluting the effectiveness of the few key exercises in our program that are most directly addressing our goals...

The most fundamental principle when it comes to making longterm progress in an exercise program is what is called the principle of 'Progressive Overload'. Despite this being absolutely fundamental, it is still not widely understood or applied.

This principle illustrates how a lack of understanding of the principles that govern how the body adapts to exercise and makes changes in terms of muscle growth, cardiovascular fitness, bone density, flexibility, etc can prevent us from being able to make the sort of longterm progress required to achieve radical changes in our health and fitness...

The human body like anything else requires a certain amount of maintenance. How much pain, stress, and suffering do we save ourselves by learning how to perform simple, effective preventative maintenance as opposed to trying manage emergencies after they've already occured?

Best 'at home' beginner squat variations for people 60+...

A simple functional strength assessment you can do at home to measure your current level of physical function and test the results of your current exercise program...

Choosing The Right Goals In The Gym:

Always look at your exercise routine through the lens of "what physical adaptations am I trying to create with this exercise?" And "is this exercise effective at promoting that adaptation?"

And if you're really smart you'll also think to yourself, "What types of adaptations would I most benefit from promoting?"

If you have serious strength limitations or basic movement patterns that you struggle with or areas of your body that are chronically tight and painful, then working on addressing those issues would be the best use of your gym membership way ahead of doing a mindless bodybuilding machine circuit.