The whole point of training is to get better at the stuff that really matters to you. But how do you actually structure your training to do that? The truth is that most people's workouts aren't all that aligned with what they actually care about. Maybe they used to be but as their personal priorities changed, momentum kept their workouts pretty much the same. Or maybe they're following a system some "expert" made that worked really well for the expert but isn't actually optimized for their goals. In this episode, GMB Head Coach Ryan Hurst is joined by Mercedes Pollmeier, certified GMB Traine ..read more

The bodyweight fitness world tends to fetishize the idea of advancing toward a small handful of advanced skills like the planche, one-arm chin-up, handstand push-ups, and similar moves. These are all great strength moves, but a lot of people focus too much on these outcomes at the expense of developing the full package. In this episode, Ryan will teach you how he thinks about progressions for higher-level strength skills, both in general and with specific progression examples covering pushing, pulling, and pressing with both bent and straight arms, as well as leg strength. Key points are livin ..read more

Getting hurt is part of having a body, especially if you're one of those crazy people who likes to actually use yours! They key is to be smart about it when it happens so you can come back quickly and as strong as ever. The problem is there's a lot of stupidness in the fitness world when it comes to pain and injury. "No pain, no gain!" might look great on the wall of high school weight room, but it's terrible advice when you've got a busted shoulder. In this episode, GMB's Chief Pain Whisperer Jarlo Ilano is joined by Lead Trainer Rose Calucchia to help unstupid the fitness world about injur ..read more

If you've got hip pain that keeps you from doing stuff you want to do, one of the diagnoses you might get is femoroacetabular impingement, or FAI. Which basically means the bones that make up your hip joint aren't the "right" shape. So they cause you problems when you move in certain ways. If you ask an orthopedic surgeon what to do about it, there's a good chance they'll recommend surgery. Literally shaving down your bones to make them fit together better. Which leaves a lot of people wondering if there's a less invasive option. In this episode Jarlo talks with Shane Dowd and Matt Hsu of t ..read more

Fancy bodyweight skills are completely unnecessary for normal life. You never hear, “We have a bit of a situation, is there anyone on board who can do a handstand push-up?” But that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. Because if you’re the sort of person who’s drawn to challenging skills, they can be super motivating. And working up to them will help make your body more capable in all sorts of very practical ways. Still, though, actually getting big skills can feel impossible even if you train consistently. In this episode GMB Head Coach Ryan Hurst and Lead Trainer Rose Calucchia tell you how to ..read more

Which is better for pull-ups - rings or bar? As in most things, there's only one right answer, and it's completely obvious. Just kidding... we're actually gonna give everybody's least favorite answer on this one: it depends.  But why? What does it depend on?  If you're just learning pull-ups (going from zero to your very first pull-up), what's the best way to learn? And if you can already do some pull-ups and want to figure out the best way to continue using them to get even stronger, how do you know the best methods to do so? We'll talk about pros and cons of both rings and bar ..read more

We've all got our own interests and priorities in life, so one of the really important questions our clients tend to ask us is how to adapt their training for their specific needs.  Of course, with infinite variations, there's some black magic involved - it's more art than science at times - but there's a few general principles, and over time we've found that most of our clients fall into a handful of broad classes with regard to the kinds of goals they have in their training. Four archetypes of training goals: Overall health and wanting to feel better Exploring different activities an ..read more

One of the biggest questions folks have is about eating timing and frequency. How much does it matter? When does it matter? Who does it matter for? This is one of those topics where it seems like everyone has an opinion. This episode covers everything from intermittent fasting and two meals per day, booming now, to old school bodybuilding and five meals per day. We give an overview of how to know if you're hungry for a snack, or if it's just stress. On the other end we cover why you probably don't want to skip meals either. Most importantly, we'll teach you how to make decisions around meal ..read more

With so many people now trying to exercise at home, we're hearing more and more often how challenging it can be if you're used to having more space and a specialized environment. But there's a lot to be gained from learning to use the space you have.  Not much room Bad flooring? Family or roommates?  None of these are deal breakers. This episode is focused on preparing the right timing, spacing, and mindset for a productive training session. While we'd _love_ for each of our clients to have a dedicated room with nice flooring and an altar to GMB in the corner, the fact is we don ..read more

There’s a thousand right ways to do almost anything. I know that’s not what you wanna hear, but it’s the truth.  For any skill you wanna learn, the right focus is gonna depend on where you’re at, what impediments you have, your natural strengths, your goals, your context, and whatever other training or activities you’re into. All that stuff impacts how your practice works, and that’s a lot of variables to balance in a master equation. So how do you choose the right details to focus on. By now you know you can’t do it all at once... In this episode, Ryan and Andy yap about: What kinds o ..read more