Author Archives: FormIsEverything

This incredible move is quite possibly the only push movement you ever need for strength AND flexibility! Why? Because it encompasses two yoga moves and two calisthenics strength moves. It starts with Downward Dog, dives down to a vertical push then Upward Dog and then to a pike push-up. WOW. The “dog” components are greatContinue reading “Dive-Bomber Push-Ups”

Towel rows involve using a towel draped over a sturdy elevated object such as a door frame, table, or tree limb. You grasp each end of the towel and perform the rowing movement. This is a great exercise for two main reasons. First, towels are quite common and there are many places throughout the insideContinue reading “Towel Rows”

The Jackknife pull-up is a fantastic exercise for a couple of reasons. First, it can be used as a bridge exercise to help you on the journey to your first full body-weight pull-up. Second, it is a kind of hybrid between the horizontal pull and the vertical pull movement patterns, which are two essential movementsContinue reading “The Jackknife Pull-Up”

The most interesting, intelligent and innovative people in the fitness industry are often those who started out down a conventional, unchallenged, unquestioned path. The fitness industry is overflowing with information and a lot of it is bad. More importantly, there is a huge machine constantly churning this bad information and pushing it out over andContinue reading “Form Is Everything Interview With Philip and Martina Chubb of Mindful Mover”

I love gymnastics rings. They are the best piece of exercise equipment I have ever acquired. If you have gymnastics rings and somewhere to hang them, you have a superior gym. The reason that they are so good is that they can be used to perform or assist with just about any calisthenics exercise thatContinue reading “The Many Basic Calisthenics Exercises You Can Do With Gymnastics Rings and How To Do Them”

In progressive strength training, focusing on sets and reps is absolutely essential. And sets and reps could not be more important. When I first started chasing muscle as a young twenty-something back in the early 80’s, I did what the muscle magazines said that the bodybuilders did. On bench press, for example, they recommended aContinue reading “Beyond Sets and Reps: Density Training (Including an Interview With Its Developer)”

EquipmentAn adjustable-height pull-up bar, suspension trainers or gymnastics rings. Alternatively, if you can find a bar that is roughly waist-high and another that is chest-high you will be able to perform the exercises here. If you have a full-height pull-up bar (about head-high or higher), you can use a long towel, two dog leashes, orContinue reading “How to Get Your First Pull-Up”

Three fundamental concepts in muscle and strength building are volume, intensity and frequency. Volume is the total amount of work that you do, the number of sets and reps for a given period of time. Intensity refers to how hard you work in each set, or how close you come to “failure” – the pointContinue reading “Volume, Intensity and Frequency in Muscle and Strength Building: Some Personal Data”

Another article about optimal diet is just what you need right now, right? Well yes, actually. And there is a very specific reason why. There is perhaps nothing more rife with BS, politics, and misinformation than talk of proper diet. Most of the diet and nutrition space resembles identity politics. And that’s precisely why it’sContinue reading “Which Diet Is Best? Vegan? Paleo? Keto? Mediterranean? (Just Ask Your Great Grandmother)”