Sometimes we need to set ourselves in motion or have a running start to spur on more change. The Friday Challenge will consist of week-long challenges that will get you into gear. Try one, try all, or come up with your own. If you're feeling good about it, keep the challenge going for more weeks, months or years. 1. Caffeine free: Abstain from caffeine for a week and see how you feel. 2. Move for a couple of minutes every hour. If you're at your desk, stand up and go for a st

In the previous two posts in this series, I've elaborated on running fast and slow, how developing your high and low gears will make you an all-around more efficient runner. This final post will resolve the two strategies and hopefully give you something to apply to your training. As a caveat, I'd like to point out that if you're running ultra marathons or compete exclusively in the 100m dash, then maybe these principles won't serve you too well. Otherwise, understanding your

Magnus Midtbø is one of the world's best climbers. Here is his preparation for the crazy ascents that he will attempt. Grip and finger strength are key, but also his spatial awareness and mobility through his legs. #mobility #climb

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have captivated Canadians in their near perfect Olympic performances. Ice dancing is often overshadowed by the throws and lifts in pairs dancing, yet the degree of difficulty involved in ice dancing is not to be scoffed at. Here's their performance at Sochi. #footwork

In Running, Fast and Slow - Part Three, we covered running fast and the importance of developing your maximum speed and overall potential. In this post, we'll cover the other end of the spectrum, the aerobic energy system. The body's efficiency to produce energy out of fatty acids is a critical part of our endurance capacity. The goal is to maximize your output while still using fat as fuel. In recent years, the fitness community has shifted away from this approach, as short-

Kino MacGregor is a practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga and has dedicated her life to educating and engaging in mindful practice. Here's a simple and effective way to passively open your hips. Most of us will become chronically tight from sitting and driving. #mobility #hips

I stumbled upon an article recently, titled "20 Nutrition Facts That Should be Common Sense (But Aren't)". The content was great, but potentially tough to swallow, as it challenged many preconceptions we have around certain foods and diets. It also suggests that we delve further into certain areas such as our microbiome health and away from mainstream media. This is a good read, but the purpose is not to provide definitive diet answers. Instead, it challenges assumptions and

In the introduction post, I've introduced the dichotomy of endurance running - the focus on aerobic base through low intensity and high volume versus speed, biomechanics and enabling maximum oxygen exchange at high intensities with relatively lower training volumes. However, the answer is not a simple one, and the application of both approaches is important to your running regardless of your training history. Learn how to run fast first, then explore different training paces.

Rickson Gracie is the son of Helio Gracie, founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Gracie Jiu=Jitsu style changed the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, showing the world that proper leverage and submissions were what won fights, as many fights eventually ended up on the ground. Here are a couple clips from the documentary Choke, where Rickson gets ready for the Vale Tudo freestyle fighting tournament in Tokyo. He embodies the Movement Mindset style of movement, flow, mental preparatio

The methods behind distance running have evolved greatly over the years, from the long hard miles endured by runners in the early part of the 20th century to the Finnish introduction of hard interval work. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) has become a popular training style due to both its efficiency with time and suitable acronym. Tabata intervals are an even more truncated version of interval training, proven by scientific research (one must always be careful when th