A strength skill that is often underutilized is the hanging leg raise (HLR). Properly performed HLRs build a strong grip, lats, and core,...

“The only way to handle pressure is to apply it.”—Darrelle Revis I would add that handling pressure means properly applying it. The area...

At StrongFirst, we pride ourselves in teaching progressions that will help every trainee and every athlete advance their technique and...

The chain rattled as he looped it through the kettlebell, securing it to his belt. He gripped the pull-up bar and lowered himself into a...

A student of mine once described the get-up as being comprised of “frames of a comic strip”—meaning there are definitive positions to hit...

It is one of the enduring questions of inquiring minds. What do I do with my free hand during a one-arm swing? (That, and if you are...

The pistol is often looked at with fear, but if taught with the proper progression path and practiced with patience, it can be achieved...

We have all joked about our personal space. From a basic psychological perspective our personal space can be defined as: “[T]he area...

If one good repetition is great then more must be even better, right? In the fitness industry, we see more and more crazy trends toward...

When one of the athletes I’m training insists on using poor form to complete a movement, I ask him or her, “What are you practicing?” The...

Are You Really a Scientist? “Knowing the other and knowing oneself, In one hundred battles no danger. Not knowing the other and knowing...

Memories of my first kettlebell certification with Pavel back in October, 2007 are still branded in my mind as a reminder of how green I...

Three days, six exercises. Simple. That is what the StrongFirst SFG Level I Certification is. Sure, there are tests, both physical and...

Congratulations! You have separated yourself from the pack and joined the alpha predator of the strength and development field — you are...

By Dan John, Master SFG and Mike Warren Brown, SFG Note: Continued from Part 1 All too often we see well meaning instructors fresh out of...

Recently I designed a training session that involves the get-up and the one-hand swing. I designed this session to help clients gain a...

The barbell military press is a classic test of upper body strength and a powerful strength builder. At StrongFirst, we teach it on a...

A “complex” of different kettlebell exercises strung together in an intelligent manner delivers many benefits: muscle hypertrophy, fat...

A few weeks ago, I was testing some of my lifts in preparation for attending an upcoming StrongFirst Barbell Certification. Despite...

Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation thus spoke about poise: “Sting like a bee. Don’t float like a butterfly. That’s ridiculous.” The...