Top 3 DIY Equipment (Quarantine Routine part 5)
Here’s my top 3 recommendations when it comes to DIY equipment, plus some training commentary on each…
Quarantine Routine - The Problems with Training at Home
With gyms being closed for over a month now you’ve either continued your training at home or you’ve stopped entirely. In parts 1-3 of this series I laid out the why and how for your quarantine routine. In this article…
Quarantine Routine part 3 - Stone Lifting
By now you’ve started to get bored. About 1 month in and most all of your household projects have been completed, you’ve Netflix’d and chilled, and you’ve established a quarantine routine…
Quarantine Routine part 2
In part 1 of this series I laid out several reasons why it’s important to start your quarantine routine with no expectations. Why you should start this new routine immediately, regardless of the uncertainty…
What Injury Has Taught Me
By Chris Steele
I have an injury. My right shoulder. I said: I have an injury. I did not say that I am injured. My shoulder is injured, but I am not. I’ve learned a lot from this injury. The most important thing injury has taught me…
DIY Gada / Macebell
The Gada or Macebell is an ancient training tool popularized in India. It was used heavily by wrestlers and strongmen…
The Quarantine Routine
With gyms across the state and most of the country closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, how do we go about establishing a new routine? A quarantine routine. There is no easy answer to that. All I know for sure…
Training Through Set Backs and Injury
Bad things happen to everybody. We’re all going to get hurt (mentally and physically), get sick, get into a car accident, someone we know is going to cancer, pets and loved ones…
My StrongFirst SFG Experience
by Craig Cusic, SFG
The Night Before
It’s Thursday December 5th 2019 2:00pm. I’m laying on top of my freshly made bed staring at the ceiling waiting for Jackson to get home from school. My bag is packed…
The 1 Year Plan
For anyone looking to make lasting change in their life it’s helpful to think in terms of a 1 year plan. Especially at the time of this writing, New Years Eve, it’s important to…
Are Kettlebells Safe and Recommended for Kids?
by Reese Jones
It’s no secret that kids need physical exercise. It’s a great way to get them moving, allowing them to release all their energy instead of staring at screens all day.
One of the biggest challenges parents face…
Vice Control Challenge
"Big Keith" was a friend of mine, he was actually the father of a friend of mine, who I used to party with back in the day. This guy embodied the term "old head". Although I can't say…
8 Year Gym Anniversary
Today marks the 8 year anniversary for Baltimore Kettlebell Club (formerly Art & Strength). Time has really flown by and it's hard to believe we've been at it for this…
Maryland Strongman
The following is a personal account of when I won the Maryland Strongest Man contest, my transition from competition to performing strongman, and my thoughts on what it means to be a strongman or strongwoman.
I competed from 2003-2008. I did every strongman competition…
Learned Intensity
I recently trained a group of seniors that reminded me of a lesson I learned long ago. The lesson is that "intensity" is something that doesn't come naturally for most people - it is a learned experience.
It is an important lesson too because you cannot gauge the effort you put into your training if you don't…
Training for Your First Pull Up
Doing a single pull up is a challenge for most women and even some men. It requires good upper body strength and a reasonable bodyweight. For those who are training…
Specialty of a Strongman
I recently asked a Crossfit coach if he had a specialty. I was curious because I figured if he had a particular area of expertise, I might be able to connect with him on a different level than a CF coach, which I am not…
8 Tips for Men Training Strong Women
Reposted from Art & Strength circa 2013
As a trainer of strong women and father of daughters, I think a lot about how to make females strong. The female mindset is much different than my own. Their goals, motives and preconceived notions about training I have to pay…
Texting Makes You Weak
There's an ongoing joke at the gym that "texting makes you weak". It's what I yell at people when they get on their phone during a workout. Most of the time it's to check Facebook or respond to an text message that is anything but urgent…
Combating Anxiety & Depression with Exercise
The topic I’m writing about this week has been on my mind a while. I want to be very careful with my words because the people who can relate to what I’m about to say…