Headstands: They’re Not Just For Yogis

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably avoided headstands throughout most of your training career simply because you thought they were just a little too… well… “yoga-ey”.

(Also, I thought I was one of those rare people who just could never actually do a headstand because my elbows were too weird, or something like that. Big surprise, it turns out I was doing them all wrong.)

But although headstands are certainly a yoga staple, they’re also used a lot in gymnastics and calisthenics because, contrary to what you might currently think, they actually have a lot of awesome benefits.

So why headstands?

Read more

Why You Should Never Feel Bad About Modifying Your Workouts

Have you ever had to modify an exercise because no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t do the full version?

Yeah, me too.

And if you’re anything like me, you don’t exactly like to have to modify exercises. You want to do the real thing. To be strong, fit, and kick ass at everything you do.

But… life doesn’t always work that way. And training, especially, doesn’t always work that way. Because although we all have our strengths, every single one of us has weaknesses and areas we need to work on.

For example, here are just a few of the many exercises I still have to modify:

  • Although I can do pull ups and chin ups without assistance, if I want to push past a certain number, I continue to have to use a band, which frustrates me like crazy (one of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to be able to do 10 unassisted pull ups in a row).
  • Similarly, though I can do a few full pistols in a row, I need to use a band or hold onto a chair in order to make it past those first few.
  • Despite being fairly flexible, I can’t even get close to doing the splits. This drives me nuts in gymnastics class, where some people are able to do it so easily.

And trust me, there are a lot more.

And although it frustrates me at times (as I’m sure it frustrates you), modifying an exercise because you can’t do the full or advanced version is actually not a bad thing.

Here’s why you should never be ashamed to modify your workouts:

Read more

gain explosive power

7 Exercises to Help You Gain Explosive Power

gain explosive power

If you’re athletically inclined at all, you’re no doubt always working to get stronger, faster, and more explosive. Because no matter what level of athlete you are, it’s always possible to run faster, jump higher, and push harder.

And whether you’re training for a specific sport, or just want to increase your fitness and get improve at your regular workouts, getting more explosive can help boost your athletic performance and build speed, power and endurance.

And the good news? You don’t have to hire a sport-specific trainer to start gaining some serious speed and power.

Because many of the best exercises to get you more explosive in a hurry can be done in your own home or gym using your own bodyweight and maybe a kettlebell or two. 

Here are seven awesome exercises to help you gain explosive power:

Read more

How to Start a Workout Habit

January is the month that most people decide that damn it, this is the year they’re finally going to get in shape.

So the gyms get really crowded with people trying to start a new habit and get their health on track once and for all.

The only problem is, most of those people are doing it all wrong.

They get an expensive gym membership, then proceed to go to the gym 3-4 times a week for the first two or three weeks. And they feel good, they feel like they’re making progress.

But then—something happens. Maybe they get discouraged that they haven’t made as much progress as they would have liked in that two weeks (haven’t lost two pant sizes, gained 5 pounds of muscle, etc.), or maybe life just gets in the way.

Whatever happens, by the end of the month, the gym is nice and quiet again, and those people who said they were finally going to start a workout habit give up until the next New Year rolls around.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are a few simple—and very doable—ways to start a workout habit that results in long-term success.

Read more

New Years Resolutions and the Best Workouts of 2013

new-years-resolutions

It’s another year, and you know what that means: it’s time to set your New Year’s resolutions for 2014.

Yet for the most part, New Years resolutions suck. That’s why last year, I wrote a post about why not to make New Year’s resolutions.

And since most people don’t take their resolutions seriously enough, they end up being nothing more than empty promises to themselves. In fact, if this is your approach, you’re better off skipping the resolutions altogether since all they’re going to do is make you feel depressed when you inevitably fail to meet your goals.

But if you do them right, New Years resolutions can be useful—just like well thought out goals are. Here’s how to actually make New Year’s resolutions that work:

Read more

Year End Reflections and a 12 Minute Athlete T-Shirt Giveaway

12 Minute Athlete year end reflections

It’s the end of the year already, and you know what that means: it’s time for some reflection.

And while I hope you’re all doing some reflecting of your own, I’d like to take a few moments of your time and look back at the successes and shortcomings of 12 Minute Athlete over this past year.

Bear with me here, guys, there’s a prize at the end!

Looking back at 2013

12 Minute Athlete has been around for a little over a year already, can you believe it?

I’m incredibly humbled by the response I’ve had since the very first time I told anyone about 12 Minute Athlete in October 2012. Since then, the site has grown to over 140,000 page views a month and nearly 64,000 unique visitors. Over 8,000 people subscribe to get 12 Minute Athlete updates, and we’ve reached over 26,000 Google+ followers and nearly 2,000 Facebook likes.

Oh, and we launched an iPhone app! Not bad, right?

So. Freaking. Cool.

Read more

Read This if You Need a Kick in the Pants

You are more impressive than you think you are.

And you can do more than you think you can.

Way more.

More than other people tell you is possible. More than even you can imagine. More than every New Years resolution you’ve ever made, more than every dream you’ve ever had, every seemingly pie-in-the-sky goal you’ve ever made.

Because here’s what most people won’t tell you: you haven’t been dreaming big enough.

Everything you’ve ever thought possible for yourself was based on thinking of yourself as an amateur. Based on the feeling that you aren’t good enough, that you’ve hit your upper limit and you can’t do any better because this is who you are, an amateur, a pretty-good-but-never-quite-amazing athlete/dreamer/person.

But here’s what you have to realize: you’re the only one holding yourself back.

You. Not your genes, not your unathleticness, not your age, not your weight, not whether you’re male or female, you. Your own fears and doubts are the only things holding you back from being the athlete—and the person—you were meant to be.

Read more

Why Running is Not the Only (Or the Best) Way to Lose Weight

 

It blows my mind how many exercise newbies I meet that think that running is the only way to lose weight.

They’ll tell me about their most recent two, three, or five mile run at a 10:30 or slower pace, excited and obviously proud of their achievement. But when they ask me how much I run and I reply with “never,” their jaw nearly drops to the floor.

“How can you keep in shape without running?” they’ll ask me, clearly dumbfounded.

“Easy,” I’ll tell them. “I do everything but run. Because running is not the only—nor necessarily the best—way to get in shape.”

Also, I absolutely hate any sort of distance running. So there’s that.

Why I hate running

I have always hated to run. When my high school basketball coach suggested I join the school’s cross country team, I could not imagine a worse torture. And though I can walk for hours upon end, I have never experienced the “runner’s high” or come up with creative, brilliant ideas while running like so many creative, natural runners say they do.

And just to clarify—when I’m talking about running here, I’m talking about long, steady-state runs of a mile or more. I do enjoy and promote sprinting, which offers all the same benefits of HIIT.

Read more

The Best 5 Bodyweight Exercises to Strengthen Your Triceps

 

If you’ve ever gone to a gym with the purpose of strengthening your triceps muscles, you’ve probably focused mainly on machine-based exercises—pull downs, extensions, assisted dips, among others.

In fact, many people think the only way to get strong, sculpted triceps is to work with machines—and maybe free weights if they’re feeling extra creative.

But what the average gym-goer doesn’t realize is that some of the very best exercises to work your triceps require only your own bodyweight—and maybe a couple of bars at most.

Here are 5 of the best bodyweight exercises ever to get strong, defined triceps muscles:

Read more

12 Really Cool Gift Ideas for Fitness Junkies

 

If you’re looking for some fitness-related gifts for your favorite people this holiday season, I’ve got you covered.

Below are 12 of my favorite fitness items ever, perfect for anyone wanting to ditch their gym membership or just be able to work out at home whenever they want. Every single item listed below (in no particular order) is something I personally use and love. And they’re also all an awesome value for the cost!

Note: Many of the links below are affiliate links, which means I make a very small commission if you decide to buy from them. 12 Minute Athlete is reader supported, so thank you!

Here are 12 awesome gift ideas for fitness junkies this holiday season:

Read more