Paragon Athletics

10/07/2026

“If we had a drug with this magnitude of benefit, it would immediately become standard of care and funded” by insurance companies, said Dr. Christopher Booth, an oncologist and professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and the leader of the exercise trial.”

Despite mounting evidence that exercise programs can improve cancer outcomes, access to them remains limited.

10/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14pKRUshasw/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Pre-surgery exercise has benefits, whether it is supervised or home-based. But professional supervision can help patients achieve higher exercise intensities.

09/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19p1WFekBX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Each year over 300m operations are conducted worldwide, according to the WHO. As the number continues to grow, some in the medical field are starting to ask an awkward question: how many are really necessary? bit.ly/3T8O57Q

Photo: Zuma/Eyevine

09/25/2026

“The cliche that it’s never too late turned out to be true. Even into oldest age, even in dire situations, every person has some power to change how time changes the body. Especially if you have help, and knowledge.”

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/mar/11/older-adults-strength-training?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUjbYNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUPG18dxf15-_Jt-9lpJ3UtOgh8CtMnNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR70za94rwfB9AIOnwGzhKFt-G94VtlEL_hx-GIyesakZwspr7EbPEzPnyzx5w_aem_9RhmEIFBtSJVXkiJRunPFA

One simple exercise proved older adults can build and retain muscle – and caused a paradigm shift in science

09/13/2026

Context is powerful. Perhaps more powerful than we can recognize often.

The social stigma surrounding persistent pain and mental health is often implicit… woven so deeply into our culture that we rarely recognize it until we experience it ourselves. We have a tendency to separate suffering into categories: physical or psychological, legitimate or imagined, injured or healthy. But these distinctions are often more reflective of our beliefs than of biology.

The uncomfortable truth is that context doesn’t merely influence how we experience suffering; it can shape the experience itself.

And perhaps the first step toward meaningful change is recognizing that the line between what we call “physical” and “mental” is far less certain, and far more ‘human’ than we’ve been conditioned to believe.

09/06/2026

Here are some fun exercises we came up with over the last couple of weeks!

The first one is a variation of the Cossack squat. Instead of coming back up, you slide across low and press the kettlebell overhead. This is a great exercise for combining thoracic extension and hip mobility with strength and control. It’s deceptively challenging—and a lot of fun!

The second exercise is a reaching row while hanging from a tension block. This is just one more of a thousand ways to build hand and finger strength. You can easily replicate this at home with a dog leash and a tension block. The closer your body is to horizontal, the more load you’ll place through your fingers. This one is much more challenging than it looks!

The third exercise is similar to the sliding Cossack squat but with an emphasis being on the shoulders. You don’t have to use medicine balls under your hands; I chose them because they rotate and allow you to slide more easily. You can just as easily use rags on a smooth floor or paper plates.

Try to stay as low as possible and slide while keeping your body about an inch off the ground, moving from one shoulder to the other. This requires a surprising amount of strength and control. If it’s too demanding, put your hands on a step or another elevated surface to reduce the load through your shoulders.

Enjoy these, and as always, have some fun experimenting with movement!

I hope you guys have a great weekend!

08/15/2026

Here are some fun exercises we came up with for classes over the last couple weeks!

1. Sloper Strength + Typewriter Pull-Up

The first is a fun way to develop some sloper strength. If you don’t have access to climbing on slopers, you can simply hang a kettlebell and use just the bell portion.

This is a classic typewriter pull-up on a sloper, and it’s surprisingly challenging. Some people in class even kept their feet on a plyometric box while performing the movement over a pad.

2. Ballistic Hip Abduction/adduction

This is much harder to coordinate than it looks!

Use some chalk or pick a couple of lines on the floor as targets. It’s a simple metric that makes this one both challenging and a lot of fun.

3. Wall Hop + Squat

The third is another coordination exercise—but believe me, your quads are going to feel the work!

I’m squatting a little over four feet from the wall. Simply hop toward the wall, allowing your feet to leave the floor, then use your wrist to redirect yourself back to your starting position.

This one is a little more challenging than it looks. You might start by simply standing up, falling toward the wall, and pushing yourself back into your squat before adding the jump.

4. Hip Strength + Abduction

I love this little exercise for developing hip strength. Lay your leg on a plyometric box and place a small weight on your ankle (5ish lbs) From there, simply reach your leg out and away from yourself.

You can do this over a counter top, couch, or anything else that gives you a little elevation.

I prefer placing the weight directly on my ankle rather than using an ankle weight or attaching the weight to my leg. This creates a constraint that requires me to abduct the hip while maintaining some internal rotation at the femoral head—a position many people tend to avoid.

Give these a try and let us know what you think!

Hope you guys have a great weekend! 🤘

07/29/2026

A few weeks ago, The New York Times reached out and asked if I would contribute to an article about the benefits of agility training and how to incorporate it into a training program.

Did I mention I love what I do? ☺️

I’m incredibly grateful for opportunities like this—not just to share what I’ve learned over the years, but to help more people discover that movement can be both purposeful and fun.

“Introduce it as you would cayenne or garlic to a recipe,” he said. “Taste it for a while, so you don’t overdo it.”

—Ryan Whited

07/28/2026

Have you seen Old Man Lightning yet?!

OML is coming to the big screen in Sedona this weekend!

After the 7:00 p.m. showing, director Dawn Kish and I will be sticking around for a Q&A to share stories, a few laughs, and some of the lessons we learned over the course of this slightly overambitious 10-year project.

Come watch the film, and ask us anything. It’s better than the Odyssey (IMO)! 😌

See you there!