This month’s post is about safety; mostly in training, but quite a lot of it applies equally to life in general. It also mostly boils down to paying attention. I have written about training mindfully before, and while everything in that post holds, I realize it is not enough. To train safely, you need to be aware of what is around you apart from what you are doing. Continue reading On safety
Category Archives: General
General posts touch several topics.
The one short cut to whatever you want
If you are reading this blog, you’re probably looking to get stronger, or healthier, or lose fat, or any of the above. You’re probably wondering what the fastest, least painful way to reach your goal is. Let me tell you the secret. It won’t cost you a penny, it’s completely legal and natural, and is guaranteed to work practically every time. Ladies and gentleman, the one shortcut to whatever it is you want is… Continue reading The one short cut to whatever you want
Martial Arts Won’t Get You Stacked
One piece of news that I hate breaking to people is that joining a martial arts class won’t make them lean, mean and awesome looking. You’d think they’d figure it out by looking at me, but no. It’s something of a common misconception, and I can see where it’s coming from as most high profile martial artists have impressive physiques. Continue reading Martial Arts Won’t Get You Stacked
If you’re not a Pro, don’t try training like one
These days you can train like a Spartan, or a caveman, or a superhero. There are tons of articles describing the training regimens of this or that actor or actress or star player, but do they work? Continue reading If you’re not a Pro, don’t try training like one
One year on Convict Conditioning
A couple of weeks before we launched this blog, fellow Average Norm editor Andrei pointed a book out to me – Paul Wade’s Convict Conditioning
The wisdom of One Punch Man
One punch man is the story of an average guy who has trained himself to the point where he is the strongest hero on Earth. Apart from resonating with the “average human” theme of this site, it’s also a fantastic show!
A pull up bar, and a new book
Obligatory warning and disclaimer: A poorly constructed pull up bar can be dangerous. We cannot accept any responsibility for any injuries or damages that may be caused by following any of the information on this page. A well constructed pull up bar can also be dangerous if you fool around with it, so be careful!
One of the things I’ve been really missing since I moved earlier this year is my pull up bar. It was just a regular in-door pull up bar, the kind you stick in a doorway, but it sure saw a lot of use.
My new place doesn’t have any doorways that can take it, or a ceiling high enough that I could mount one inside which would not end with me cracking my head. So for the last few months I just got some pull ups in whenever I could, but not being able to do them on the regular at home was bugging me some. Continue reading A pull up bar, and a new book
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
Most of us have been felt it sometimes – and if you haven’t, chances are you will at some point. That dull pain that can set in up to a couple of days after a particularly harsh workout, and makes even the smallest movement an absolute torment. While it can happen to everyone, regardless of age and condition, and can be annoying or painful as hell, there’s no need to let the idea put you off your exercise. Here’s why. Continue reading Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
On Willpower
The topic for this article was suggested by Christine C, who asked for tips on maintaining willpower in the face of tasty snacks. Thanks Christine! Here we go…
There is this thing that Matt Inman from The Oatmeal calls the blerch. You’re probably familiar with it. It’s that thing that tells you to stay in bed instead of going out for a jog, or to take just another cookie from that packet on your desk. That’s when you need to tap into your reserve of willpower and make yourself choose the option which doesn’t give you immediate gratification. Continue reading On Willpower
No School like the Old School – Lessons from the Old Time Strongmen
Today we’re going to take a look back at the way some people used to train around a century ago. You may wonder what we have to learn from such a long time ago – surely the science of fitness has advanced leaps and bounds since then, and some of the records of these turn of the century strongmen have been broken over. So why should we look to them for lessons? Continue reading No School like the Old School – Lessons from the Old Time Strongmen