I'm a fan of head fakes.  Not in a sleazy way.  Only in a training way.

For example, my quest to deadlift 500 pounds in 2014 may have seemed arbitrary, if not wholly brotastic.  But actually, it was an exercise in conquering persistent back pain and increasing my confidence when lifting heavy things.  And, well, it helped build my "gym cred" too.

My current goal to become a Beast Tamer is more of the same.  It may appear as if I'm trying to join an elite fraternity, but the real goal is to continue learning the skill of strength and being able to accomplish what I've set my mind to. 

So when it comes to training and setting goals for others, it's no surprise that I employ the same strategy.  If someone wants to get leaner or more muscular - and really, that's the heart of most people's goals - I tend to recommend training for the Tactical Strength Challenge.  Its blend of maximal strength (deadlift), relative strength (pull-ups), and conditioning (kettlebell snatches) is a great way to test your physical preparedness.  But really, it's one of the best fat loss and mass building programs I've ever encountered.

I've had a hard time considering myself a novice.

When I ordered my first Captains of Crush grippers, I ignored the recommended starting point. "I can almost deadlift three times my bodyweight," I remember thinking. "Why would I need a 'Trainer' set?"

Thirty minutes after the grippers arrived? I was on Amazon, choking down my inflated sense of self, ordering the "Trainer."

It was far from the first time I've made that mistake, and I've been as guilty as the next person thinking I'm "advanced." After all, novices are people who have never sniffed a weight, still use the term "kettleballs,” or think "arm day" involves hundreds of tricep kickbacks. Right?

Wrong.

Every time I hear a new Flo Rida song I go through the same pattern of emotions.  Initially, it's anger and confusion.  After the 15th time, it becomes strangely endearing.  After the 30th, I need to listen to it every day and sing it under my breath for the next 2+ weeks.

After going through this pattern - without fail - since "Low" came out in 2008, you think I would've learned.  But as I was singing "My House" to an empty apartment this past week, I realized that listening to Flo Rida mirrors my emotions with half kneeling exercises.

And to answer the elephant in the room: yes, I am an exercise and physiology nerd.

I can't remember when I did my first pull-up.  But I can tell you it wasn't until I was in my 20's.

Growing up I was the kid in gym class who would attempt a pull-up, not get anywhere close, then fall to my feet in shame.  I also remember being a lanky freshman in college, and how sore my biceps would be after carrying a case of bottled water up four flights of stairs.

But I think I've made up for lost time.

During a two and a half month stretch earlier this year, I increased my bodyweight pull-up total from 13 to 20.  My results may not be typical - after all, it's 0.5 more pullups/week - but I think my plan and program were a big reason for my success.  

(As well as some loud, obnoxious, early 2000's heavy metal to help along the way.)

According to Google, the most popular post I've ever written was published back in August 2015: Is Exercise a Stress Reliever or Stress Amplifier?  Clearly, every post I've published since has been an exercise in futility.

For those that don't understand my brand of self-deprecating humor, that is what I call a "joke."  Both my understanding of strength and conditioning, as well as my overall writing ability, have greatly increased since that post.  But I often forget that even though the concepts in that post aren't new to me - how certain types of exercise actually compound your stress levels - it's probably new to most people.

One such example came last week, when Bob Harper - yes, trainer Bob from The Biggest Loser - had a heart attack at age 51.  Mainstream media and the interwebz were shocked by the news.  I, however, was not.