Hey Reader, I'm going to say something that might seem obvious to you. But based on first-hand experience lately, I can confirm it's not obvious to everyone.Here goes...When you’re in plank pose, your wrists are in the position of extension.What? Were you expecting something more dramatic 😉?No drama here. I just want to make sure we're on the same page about what our wrists are doing during a movement practice.Any weight-bearing pose—like downward dog, handstand, or wheel—puts our wrists into...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read
Don’t lose sight of the real reason people show up to your classes.Seth Godin, in his book This is Marketing, talks about how someone shopping for a ¼” drill bit doesn’t actually want a ¼” drill bit. They buy the drill bit so they can make a ¼” hole in the wall—a hole that will accommodate the expansion bolts needed to hold up a shelf. That shelf will give them somewhere to put their books. When they get those books off the floor, their space won’t feel so cluttered. When those books are put...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
I came out of hiding on Instagram this week and made a post about squats. The post highlighted the difference between initiating a squat from the hips (sticking your butt out and sitting back as the first movement) vs. initiating it from the knees (driving the knees forward before letting the hips move).A few commenters said that the knee-dominant movement looked painful or dangerous.Too much load on the knees.Too much weight going forward. Sit back to protect the knees.Pushing the knees...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
At the gym where I work, the signature class is called Train Wild. In every Train Wild warm-up, there's a mix of cardio, mobility, and resistance training.In the Train Wild class I took the other day, that cardio component was skipping…something I never choose to do unless someone puts the rope in my hands and says “timer starts now…go!”.Ugh.I hate skipping.I watch the clock count down through the longest 60 seconds known to man. I do my best to breathe calmly and find a sustainable rhythm....
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
“Woah, my hips feel completely different…like I’m floating on air.”Those were my first thoughts this morning after finishing a third set of seated good mornings. This movement involves sitting on the end of a bench with a wide stance. You can start with your feet flat, knees around 90 degrees, and legs out to around 45 degrees. From there, tilt forward from the pelvis to bring your torso parallel (or as close to parallel as possible) with the floor. After a brief pause, return to an upright...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
I was taking an online cycling class this morning and found myself getting distracted.It was the first time I saw folks in the studio riding alongside the instructor — people who aren’t professional cyclists or hyper-fit athletes.As the class went on, I found it hard not to watch the riders in the background. My “coach” brain turned on, noticing each person’s form, cadence, and degree of effort. Amongst the hunched shoulders and collapsed chests, there was one thing I couldn’t stop noticing:...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
A few years ago, I got in the habit of asking a certain question that made people scratch their heads. The first time was during a workshop in Perth, Australia. We’d been exploring full range push-ups (lowering all the way to the floor) and got on the topic of Chaturanga. One of the participants mentioned that it’s necessary to keep the elbows at a 90-degree angle. My response to that was… Why? Why should we keep the elbows at a right angle in Chaturanga? What difference does it make? His...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
In class this morning I used a cue that comes out of my mouth pretty frequently: Reach up like you mean it. Typically I say it during something like chair pose (utkatasana). If you’ve been to any number of yoga classes, you’ve likely heard this pose cued something like: “Bend your knees, draw your hips back, and reach your arms overhead.” That’s because most yoga teachers know what the basic shape of the pose is supposed to look like. But when you only cue based on how a shape looks, you...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
On January 31st, I sent an email out. The subject line was “I have a confession to make”. Maybe you remember it. In that email, I wrote: “I have so much energy right now! I can't remember the last time I felt this good.”Days later, the universe responded and struck me down with the first of what has felt like an endless series of viruses.So let this be a warning. If you’re tempted to announce to the world that you feel amazing, unstoppable, or simply better than you have for a while, don’t do...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read