the joy of strength training

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Controlling your competition nerves

» by February 22nd, 2012 at 5:25 pm » Comments (6)

This is a guest post from Giles Greenwood, weightlifting Commonwealth Games gold medalist, now coach at Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club. Giles runs a REPS-accredited weightlifting instructors course aimed at fitness professionals who want to perform and teach the olympic lifts. I have been coached by Giles for the last few years, and during that time he has [...]



Coping with negative comments about your diet

» by January 24th, 2012 at 2:43 pm » Comments (25)

Strategies to deal with negative comments about your healthy diet



Keys to success: learn, aspire, believe

» by January 8th, 2012 at 7:06 pm » Comments (4)

For me, the key to success in changing your life can be summed up as: learn, aspire, believe. Learn If you want to be slimmer, fitter, stronger and healthier, learn how to do it. What else in life did you achieve without any learning? You had to learn to read, drive your car, play your [...]



Be different

» by October 10th, 2011 at 10:27 pm » Comments (19)

If you are reading this article, on this website, you are already craving something more than a run-of-the-mill training experience. Being different is a good thing, but that is often one of the hardest things to convince people when they start training. There’s an interesting assumption that what everyone else is doing is right – [...]



Should I use protein shakes?

» by June 29th, 2011 at 4:06 pm » Comments (4)

Confused about protein? Read this brief overview of protein shakes and their uses, helping you to decide whether you need them to achieve your health and fitness goals.



Sharing the squat rack (or ‘peace and love, man’)

» by June 14th, 2011 at 11:17 pm » Comments (2)

Once again the issue of too many people wanting to use the only squat rack in the gym rears its head on an internet forum. This old chestnut crops up time and again but I was inspired to write about it because it reveals an example of what I think is one of the great pleasures of strength [...]



Gym wardrobe malfunctions

» by June 2nd, 2011 at 8:16 pm » Comments (11)

Win a £50 voucher to spend at active wear retailer simplysweat.com. Find out how below. When kit goes wrong Ever had an embarrassing ‘wardrobe malfunction’ while at the gym? Or tried to shield your eyes because you’ve just seen one and it’s putting you off your workout? Here are my top gym wardrobe malfunctions and how [...]



Are you fit to train?

» by March 7th, 2011 at 11:01 pm » Comments (6)

Strength athletes often underestimate the importance of being ‘fit to train’. Here are the essential warning signs that you may need to improve your training fitness.



How to have an awesome time at the gym

» by January 11th, 2011 at 8:17 pm » Comments (14)

Your lifesaving guide to returning to the gym. With these tips, this time you’ll stick to it!



Callus care and why gloves are for sissies

» by December 6th, 2010 at 10:01 pm » Comments (16)

How to take care of weight training calluses to prevent rips and blisters and why wearing gloves is not recommended for most trainees.