gary, Author at StrongFast Fitness

Heavy Bag Training: Keeping It Simple

By gary September 2, 2016 September 2, 2016 Fitness

It's been a while since the post on getting equipped for heavy bag training. That post dealt with different types of bags, gloves, mounts, etc. Now that you're set up to do some hitting (aka "wapping"), what should you do?

It seems that most people will try to "fight" the heavy bag, throwing whatever random strikes at it that may pop into their heads (or hands). While this can be entertaining to watch, it rarely leads to a good or sustainable workout. At StrongFast Fitness, we keep most of our bag training simple.

6 MORE Reasons To Walk

By gary August 13, 2016 August 13, 2016 Fitness

Walking gets lots of attention as a form of exercise, and for good reason. It doesn’t require any special equipment and you can do it most anywhere.

There has been lots of research into the health benefits of walking for exercise. And lots of people are out there walking for exercise. That's great!

But let's take a look at a few more reasons to walk, 'cause it's more than just exercise!

Study on Lifting Lighter Weights: What It Means

By gary August 4, 2016 August 4, 2016 Fitness

Results of a new study (Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men) were released recently leading to plenty of media coverage with headlines like these:

Lifting Lighter Weights Can Be Just as Effective as Heavy Ones
Lifting Lighter Weights Is Just As Effective As Heavy Weights
Lighter weights just as effective as heavier weights to gain muscle, build strength
New Study Finds Lifting Lighter Weights as Beneficial
New McMaster study says you can lift small and get big

It's nice to have strength training in the news, and most of the coverage hits the highlights, but it also tends to be rather misleading. Let's take a closer look.

Does Muscle Burn More Calories Than Fat?

By gary July 18, 2016 July 18, 2016 Fitness

Specifically, does muscle burn more calories at rest. This is one of those questions that everyone seems to know the answer to (dangling preposition alert!), and they're mostly right. Sort of.

What got me thinking about this (again) was an article entitled 12 Workout Myths That Just Need To Die. It's not a bad article, but Myth #2 includes this: "...having more lean muscle will help your body burn more calories at rest."

Of course, right? Well, sort of.

Heavy Bag Training For Fitness: Equipment

By gary July 10, 2016 July 10, 2016 Fitness

As you probably know, I'm a big proponent of hitting things...aka "wapping"...as a form of training for both strength and endurance (and winning arguments). While most of the references to wapping here have been using various pads like coaching mitts, Muay Thai pads, or kicking shields, those require a willing and able partner which is not always easy to find. But there are alternatives, the most practical being a heavy bag (sometimes called a "punching bag" but that's just wrong).

There are lots of options with heavy bags--in selecting (or making) one, setting it up, and using it. In this post, we'll take a look at getting ready for bag wapping. A near-future post will discuss some ways to use it in your workout.

Protein: Are You Getting Enough?

By gary June 15, 2016 June 21, 2016 Nutrition

As you all remember from the post on macronutrients, protein is one of the Big Three. How much protein should you be getting? Are you getting enough? These are important questions for anyone, but especially folks on the high side of 40...and they get more important as we go along.

As usual, the answer to these important questions starts with, "It depends..."

Form Cop Returns: Chin-ups

By gary June 12, 2016 June 12, 2016 Fitness

It's been a long time since The Form Cop turned up in The Planet. So long, in fact, that he doesn't show up on this site! His return is long overdue, along with some background information on why he remains so important. (At least, he thinks so.)

A reminder from an early appearance of The Form Cop as to why form matters:

Author: gary

Heavy Bag Training: Keeping It Simple

6 MORE Reasons To Walk

Study on Lifting Lighter Weights: What It Means

Does Muscle Burn More Calories Than Fat?

Heavy Bag Training For Fitness: Equipment

Protein: Are You Getting Enough?

Form Cop Returns: Chin-ups

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