Rounded Back Deadlifts
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@sandalslifter) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@sandalslifter)
The Layback Press
Brandon Chien This is a full-body lift that is “old school.” It involves a “clean movement” to the shoulders, and then a press of the weight overhead. The benefits are it helps us maintain some low-back strength while getting upper body strength. Although it looks like it would hurt my back, it’s very similar […]
Cheating Exercise
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Wear & Repair
Brandon Chien “Wear and tear” is such a poor outlook on the body. Think Wear AND repair, and you’ll be in rhythm with your body. A little bit of chaos in your life gives your body a reason to heal. The gifts of our youth can be renewed by doing what we fear at […]
CNS Stretching
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@brandon_chien)
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
Brandon Chien Tasha Louie Nelson Cuadras View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@brandon_chien) View this post on Instagram A post shared by T A S H A (@tasha.louie)
Holiday Fitness Anxiety
Brandon Chien Real fitness is messy. Let’s normalize a few things to make it easier to get through the holiday season.Exercise and expending our energy for “health” is still a new thing for the human body. We didn’t evolve to move unless there was pleasure or necessity (getting food) involved. You also might be […]
Programs Vs. People
Brandon Chien Why most exercise programs suck. Because people change from day to day, and their needs will vary all the time. We are not robot automatons, even though sometimes we try to treat ourselves like machines. Our brains crave certainty, and decide that having an “exercise routine” is the best way to get […]
Working with Knee Pain
Brandon Chien Here’s how you can begin working with knee-pain and get stronger right now. A common strategy for relieving knee pain is to begin losing weight. Doctors will tell you that if your knee has less load to bear, it won’t struggle. But the truth is, the muscles around your knee need […]
Snatch Tips
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@brandon_chien) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@brandon_chien) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Chien (@brandon_chien) View this post on Instagram […]
Work or Stretch a Tweaked Muscle?
Brandon Chien It hurts! How do I know if I should stretch or work the muscle? When my clients have pain or stiffness that they don’t know what to do with, I have a “Sherlock Holmes” method of helping them figure out what it needs to feel better. It’s simple and I want to […]
Stretching the Status Quo
Brandon Chien I was trained, like most people, not to stretch before any workouts. As an Olympic lifter, I was told that it would sap my power if I stretched before strength training. Other fitness programs may have taught you that you can injure yourself if you stretch before warming up or exerting.Turns out […]
Biopsychosocial Influence
Brandon Chien Almost everybody can do the Front Splits. I said what I said.How each of us gets there is going to be different though – so no reps and sets here. That’s something you discover along the way. BUT, every person needs strategies and the first is to know about your preferences (also […]
RDL vs. Stiff Leg Hinge
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram WARNING: FITNESS NERD POST ABOUT BARBELL TRAINING ⠀ TL;DR Powerlifters (Bench/Squat/Deadlift) will benefit from a Stiff-Leg Hinge. Weightlifters (Snatch/Clean/Jerk) will benefit from the Romanian Deadlift. But these two often get mixed up for each other. If you’re a regular person and don’t care about lifting […]
Usefulness of Expression
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram ⠀ The task I gave myself here was “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” Was I building my fitness or expressing my movement? ⠀ Building fitness used to mean doing squats, presses, heavy lifting, and hard training. ⠀ Now it means something different. Learning rhythm, […]
A Pliable Low Back
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram Do you strength train? Then you might also notice a little fear of getting injured and not being able to function in your daily life. I sure had them when I started barbell training, and had to learn the hard way searching for solutions. ⠀ […]
Rebuilding After/ Before Olympic Lifts
Brandon Chien The ‘whats’ and ‘whys’ between Olympic Lifting cycles:
Movement As Language: Description & Terminology
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram “Strength” and “Flexibility” are just made up words. ⠀ This movement you see here has a boring jargon name in the Fitness World – “Seated Straddle Forward Hinge with Posterior Shoulder Dislocate”. Or you could just call it “bendy thingy with a metal bar.” It […]
Position & Mobility for Olympic Lifting
Brandon Chien Low, Wide with Press View this post on Instagram The Iron Donkey ? ⠀ Task: Hold the widest stance you can around parallel, while holding two KB’s in “Bottoms Up”. It’s a Horse Stance + Bottoms Up Hold. (I’m holding 32kg/70# total) ⠀ This was fun to try and see […]
Pigeon Squatting
Brandon Chien View this post on Instagram The Pigeon Squat is Clutch ⠀ You deserve sexy hips – it’s your birthright! ⠀ Let’s face it – having sexy hips means they are fluid, strong, and pain-free. You’re probably living a good life. ⠀ What if you’re not? What if sitting and driving […]