Chris’ post from last week is a tough act to follow. Although he feigns gingerism–it’s only his beard that’s red–he’s wondrous at taking concepts, applying them in his practice and the extrapolating the material so it’s useful to other people. If you’ve not checked out his post–do it later today after you read my article....Read More

Here’s something you didn’t know about me–I get obsessed with things. In elementary school my obsessions were Native Americans and Barry Sanders.  The chronology continues from middle school to now in such a way: football, boobs, Metallica, guitar, powerlifting, football, vaginas, Kurt Vonnegut, football, Marcus Aurelius, vagina-boobs, deadlifting 600 pounds, corrective exercise, manual therapy, Functional Range Conditioning, power cleans…vaginas....Read More

Rather than participate in a transparent, fitness-industry popularity contest and name my favorite articles of 2013, I want to speak genuinely about people that had a huge impact on me this year. I do this in the hopes that it moves you to consider who made your life better this year; and, maybe, seek out...Read More

It’s too often in the fitness industry that people are enamored with a bunch of inconsequential happy horseshit. If you thought that sentence was bright and shiny, wait, it gets better. The unfortunate reality is most of our industry exists on a superficial level and thrives on subtle manipulation. Sure, that’s marketing for the most...Read More

I’ll start by saying I’m usually a live-and-let-live kind of guy; this is out of character for me but I think it’s necessary.   Earlier today I said an article was garbage, so it’s required that I say why.   For the sake of the rest of the argument, let’s all agree on a few...Read More

I saw an image on Facebook today–it was Santa Claus flying over a house toward the moon. Above, and below, Santa Claus, written in red lettering, was a reminder that there are only ten Saturdays until Christmas Day. Time flies. With a chill in the air, and snow flakes sputtering to the ground, people start...Read More

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the whip snatch and what exactly it is. I’ll start by clearing up what it isn’t. A pick pocket strategy A migrant bird A dangerous sexual maneuver An aggressive female Before we take another step forward I’ll also speak up and note that this isn’t my...Read More

This post is a few days behind schedule–but I should have expected that; preparing to move usually encompasses more than we plan for. There are good byes to say, things to pack and unwanted crap to discard. I’ve been catching up on all of those because I’m moving next week. Michael Ranfone, and the guys...Read More

A lot of coaches that I respect coach their clients to dial their feet out while deadlifting. The Glute Guy says we shouldn’t. Chris and I aren’t here to be contentious; we started Beyond Strength Performance as a means to make others better lifters, athletes, coaches–whatever a guy or gal can take away from reading our...Read More

Dr. Spina, thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to answer a few questions. Before we get into the good stuff–your mobility and manual therapy systems–can you give us a little of your background? Sure thing (although I always hate this question). I studied Kinesiology  at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. ...Read More

I’m out of bed every morning at 5:30. I lift, walk, write, feed my dog—I do something. I work to give back the time that I’ve borrowed. See, I’m not anyone special—a kid that grew up in rural Pennsylvania in a family that didn’t have much. When I was in elementary school we bounced around...Read More

Chances are you’ve played a sport at some point during life–likely it’s been multiple sports. If you were lucky enough to have good coaches, each practice had a framework. This framework was built using a skills progression that eventually lead to combining the collective skills into unified play. Your coaches didn’t expect you to have...Read More

“How much time?, How much time?” During the first few weeks of off season training it’s a question I hear daily. It turns out that pain is a powerful motivator for time keeping–especially if you’ve been holding the same position for five minutes. That’s what happens during the crescendo of the intro Iso-Extreme program–a program...Read More

We’re creatures of habit; a lot of gents and ladies deny this. “Dude, I don’t need habits. I’m wild like the wind, life is an adventure–live and let live, bro.” That’s dumb. Habits change the way we think and the way we interact with the world. They, in truth, promote success. During late 2012 and early...Read More

For years I’ve been calling Chris daily. A lot of our conversations are dumb–mainly because I’m a 14 year old in a 27 year old’s body. Many times, though, I call Chris to pester him for information–he knows a lot of things that I don’t. Most of those obnoxious, pestering dials are concerning MMA conditioning....Read More