30 Day Jump Rope Double Under Mastery Challenge

jump rope challengeOh boy.

It’s that time again.

I want you to dust off your trainers, tighten up your laces, and dig up that jump rope one more time.

It’s time for another challenge.

The last jump rope challenge was a smashing success. We had nearly 250 participants from all over the world come together to achieve over one million jump rope revolutions in 30 days.

I’m still rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

And now we’re going to do it again.

But this time we’re going to do things a little differently.

This won’t be just a simple challenge. No way. This is going to be one incredible learning experience.

Over the next 30 days, we’re going to help you master one of the most powerful and intense jump rope variations on the planet.

A variation that every jump rope ninja needs to have in his arsenal.

The double under.

Let’s begin. [Read more...]

Tough Mudder Toronto 2013: A Short Story

Tough Mudder Toronto 2013It was that time of year again.

You could feel the excitement building with each day that passed. You could feel the hairs on your skin rising with sheer anticipation and nervousness.

If you listened hard enough you could almost hear the chants echoing from the distance.

Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah!

Tough Mudder Toronto 2013 was calling.

We thought last year’s experience was enough to prepare us for what was to come. We thought we had it all figured out. We changed our training tactics. We put in our work. We did it all.

But there was one element none of us could foresee.

One element none of us could control.

And it changed everything.

Here’s the (short) story… [Read more...]

The Power of Results: How to Effectively Track your Progress

How to Track Your ProgressQuick question of the week:

What motivates you?

What is the one thing that really keeps you going?

After some serious pondering and maybe a shot or two of espresso, the answer should hit you like a sack of potatoes:

Progress.

Results (or progress of any kind) is in an incredible motivator. It’s what drives each and every one of us. It’s what makes us stick to our goals, our workout plans, our diets, our careers and our hobbies.

Results spark a fire inside of us. Progress assures us that everything we’ve been doing so far is right. That all the time we’ve invested to get to that point has been completely worth it.

And so we keep going.

Because, like I’ve said before, results drive results.

Its a beautiful, self-perpetuating cycle.

But to enter this cycle, you need to set up some sort of feedback system that will allow you to see and analyze changes over time. Changes in your body. Changes in your workouts. Changes in your habits.

You need to record some simple data points along your journey.

And it’s much easier than you think.

Let me show you how to set up your very own tracking system. [Read more...]

Hack Your Schedule: 20 Simple Ways to Build a Better Body at Work

Standing DeskIt’s not always easy to find time.

As we know, time (or lack of it) is an issue for many.

We work long hours, face congested schedules, and have a million and one things to do before we find time for ourselves.

Understood.

But, I don’t think lack of time should hold anyone back from building a better body.

We just have to be a little creative with how we spend our time.

If we do some out-of-the-box thinking, it’s actually fairly easy to find ways to incorporate healthy habits and activities into our already busy schedules.

So let’s think…

Where and how is most of our time spent?

Simple: at work, sitting at a desk behind a computer and dealing with emails, spreadsheets, models, and attending more meetings than our bodies and minds can handle.

So why not kill two birds with one stone?

If we’re already spending 8-9 hours a day at work, why not incorporate simple strategies that will help us build a better body while we’re there?

It’s easier than you think.

Today I’m going to show you how you can hack your schedule. I’m going to show you 20 simple ways you can build a better body at work.

Let’s dig in… [Read more...]

Introducing my First Premium Training Guide: Jump Rope Ninja!

Jump Rope Ninja ProgramWoooww!

I can’t believe it’s done. It’s actually complete!

19, 000 words, hours upon hours of video capturing and editing, and numerous series of finger cramps and headeaches later, my first premium training guide is finally finished.

And I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.

It’s hard to describe the amount of time, work, and creativity that went into putting this program together. Long nights and longer weekends were the norm for months, but I’ll tell you this…

It was more than worth it.

I’ve learned a lot over the course of this entire creation process and, today, I’m very excited to share with you something I’ve poured my heart into for the past few months.

So, without further ado, I’m happy to announce the release of my very first training program:

Jump Rope Ninja: Build a Better Body with a Jump Rope

Let me tell you what it’s all about. [Read more...]

Raw Food Birthday Cake Recipe: How I Made a Raw Food Blueberry Cheesecake

Raw Food Birthday Cake HeaderThis past weekend was my girlfriend’s birthday.

And I wanted to make her something special.

Something delicious.

Every year for my birthday she makes me an incredible raw food birthday cake: no refined sugars, no flour, no baking required. Just raw, natural ingredients.

She knows me too well.

So this year I thought I’d return the favor and make her something a little bit extraordinary.

I put my Googling skills to use and dug up an incredible raw food blueberry cheesecake recipe. I grabbed the mighty food processor, put on some good tunes, and got to work.

Let me show you what I created. [Read more...]

Why “Lack of Time” Should Never hold you back from Building a Better Body

lack of time is not an excuseQuick question:

What is one thing that’s holding you back from building a better body?

Think about that for a second.

If you’re like the majority of my readers who I presented this question to in my free newsletter, your answer is fairly predictable:

Lack of time.

Lack of time, it seems, is the greatest obstacle people face on their journey to a better body. We all want to make time for exercise and healthy eating. We know it’s important.

But, we still falter.

We’re way too busy, we claim.

We have jobs to go to. Careers to be successful in. Children to take care of. Businesses to run. Tests to study for. Parties to go to. Research papers to write. You name it.

We claim we don’t have the time, but today I want to show you why that’s a bunch of baloney (and baloney sucks!).

I want to show you why lack of time should never hold you back from achieving a better body.

Let’s begin. [Read more...]

30 Day Jump Rope Challenge Summary (or how 246 Jumpers Reached One Million Revolutions)

Jump Rope Challenge SummaryI’ll be honest.

I’m still rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

In 150 minutes of jumping rope spread across 30 days, we have collectively completed over one million jump rope revolutions!

One. Point. Three. Million. Jumps. (to be exact)

Deep breath taken.

As I allow everything to sink in, I can finally begin to not only comprehend, but also appreciate everything that has happened during the 30 day jump rope challenge.

I really couldn’t have expected the level of participation, camaraderie, and undying effort that people have put into these last 30 days.

This post is dedicated to the 246 participants that joined me in this challenge.

You guys are absolutely incredible.

Let’s look back. [Read more...]

Kettlebell Training Manifesto: A Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training

kettlebell trainingThe kettlebell.

I still remember the day we met.

It was completely by accident. I just happened to find myself in a random corner of the gym where, out of the corner of my eye, I saw you being used by another man.

He knew what he was doing. He was swinging you with such grace and elegance. His movements seemed so natural. Like the flow of water.

And, like always, my curiosity got the best of me.

Since that first day I laid eyes on this unique yet exquisitely designed hunk of metal, it has been my number one weapon in my fitness arsenal. It has completely changed the way I train and the way I approach my journey to a better body.

Maybe you haven’t heard much about.

Perhaps its lack of sex appeal and exposure to the public eye hasn’t made the kettlebell the most popular tool in town. Unfortunately, many are often left stranded in the corner of the gym collecting dust.

Makes me want to shed a tear.

But the kettlebell has stood the test of time. It has been around for centuries. And the problem isn’t in the lack of effectiveness. Nooo way! As you’ll soon discover, this is one of the most effective and efficient training tools on the planet.

The problem is in the lack of awareness and understanding of what this tool can do for your body.

Introducing the kettlebell training manifesto: a beginner’s guide to kettlebell training. In this guide, I will show you everything you need to know in order to get started with kettlebell training.

And hopefully, with a better understanding of what this tool is capable of, you’ll jump on board with me.

Let’s get started. [Read more...]

The Hip Hinge: How to Master this Primal Movement Pattern

hip hingeAs children, we once had this incredible ability to flex and contort our bodies into all sorts of crazy shapes.

We were really flexible, like nature intended us to be.

But things changed over time.

Our flexibility kind of got left behind.

As we grew older, some of us began to lose our natural ability to contort. Partly due to age. Partly due to toxic lifestyle factors.

And our inability to execute these basic – err primal – movement patterns has opened us up to a wide array of potential problems.

Problems we are to avoid if our goal is to build a better body.

So today I want to talk about one specific primal movement pattern.

The hip hinge.  [Read more...]