Forged Strength

Big muscles, big moves, and big weights are great.

We love all that.

But they're just part of the puzzle.

Toes, ankles, feet.

That's where the rubber meets the road.

Stay buttery.

Some people are just born to be in front of the camera.

New gear is live and comfy.

Just in time for that holiday lounging.

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Yes train hard.

Yes jump with power.

Yes move fast.

Yes lift heavy.

But don't forget to feel good.

That's the goal.

Period.

Jumping is a skill, no different than hitting, serving, or setting.

And to be good at any of them, you have to be consistent.

And just like the rest of them, being a great jumper means you have to practice.

For us, that means being aggressive and attacking the floor.

Push.

Be fast.

Own it.

Sure we train single-leg exercises for performance.

We also train one leg at a time because sports are chaotic, reactive, and influenced by so many different factors that challenge balance, power, and coordination.

You won't always just be applying force, you'll be absorbing it as well.

Make sure you can do it on one leg.

With authority.

There's one big reason Country Music Friday has never really caught on at the gym.

Some exercises just pair better with more tempo and bass.

I'm only kind of kidding.

Speaking of tempo and bass, here's some big swingin' bells submitted for your approval.

Swing big Fam💪🏻

Had a good question from an online client about how to go about swinging when they don't have access to big kettlebells.

When swinging for power, double up on the bells.

Either a gunslinger stance or a more traditional 2KB approach will get you what you need.

Grab life by the 'bells, and swing it like you mean it.

Every bit of movement and mobility you might want and need to be doing is made more effective by being intentional.

Placing a band* around your back in cat/cow not only gives a little resistance to the movement, it provides fantastic feedback when it comes to knowing if we're moving the area of the spine we need to be.

Give it a try as part of your next warm-up or pair it with a pulling exercise and let us know what you think.

Move it, you'll like the way it feels.

*use a light band, nobody's walking in with a suitcase of cash for using the heaviest band possible.

Shoulder Shocker is a go-to, and one of the things we use to keep the wings of our fighters, boxers, volleyball players, and pitchers healthy.

Grab a couple light bands (trust me, light bands is all you need) and play along at home with our double stuffed Oreo dance line.

Straight fire.

You think lifting weights is dangerous?

Wait until I tell you about a little thing called "physics".

Know the tipping weight on your bar, be mindful of your loading and unloading, and keep everything where it's supposed to be.

Lift ends when the bar is empty.