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by Ryan Humphries, Co-Owner & Coach The Farmer’s Carry is pretty simple, technically: Mindfully pick up a heavy weight in each hand and go for a walk. For such a straight forward movement, the gains are spectacular. Being able to carry your own body weight about 50 meters is a big sign of overall health – and longevity. It’s Insanely Efficient When you pick up and walk with heavy weight, you’re taxing muscles you didn’t even know you had. You have to brace yourself, tightening everything up, then move. It requires grip strength, core strength, and works all the joints and muscles you need for good posture. As you shuffle forward under weight, different, deep muscles are put to work with every movement, increasing the overall strength of your whole body. It Gets You Fit for Everything Else When you increase overall strength, you’re fit for everything else you do, from squats to deadlifts to cardio, to practical application (hoisting your kid into the car). “The loaded carry does more to expand athletic qualities than any other single thing I’ve attempted in my career as a coach and athlete.” -Dan John Get Moving Want to give it a try? We recommend starting with a weight feels challenging to carry for 45 seconds to a minute. See how it’s done in a quick video:
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 By Tiffani Guinn
I recently had the opportunity to attend a seminar on the Ketogenic Diet. This seminar covered what the diet was, how it worked, and what people might benefit most from ‘going keto’, as well as supplements to help support a ketogenic lifestyle. Keto has become quite the fad diet lately, so I wanted to set the record straight and present you with some basic facts you need to know before considering whether or not Keto is right for you.  by Ryan Humphries, CSCS, Co-Owner, Axistence Athletics
Let's say you've recently switched from telling yourself you're going to join a gym to actually joining a gym. Excellent. The #1 way to start a successful workout program is to find a gym that's a good fit. If you don't like the vibe, you probably won't go, and half the battle is getting through the door on a regular basis. by Ryan Humphries, Co-Owner & Coach
In the last post on sleep, we talked about how hormones released during sleep are critical to keeping you healthy and happy. Now for the practical application: Here’s are some tips for a good night’s sleep. by Ryan Humphries, Co-Owner & Lead Coach
Sleep is like free, legal steroids. Don’t use steroids. That’s not what we mean. We’re only using that comparison to make a strong point: getting enough sleep can enhance your health and athletic performance to an astonishing degree – in a safe, natural way. People who get enough sleep can recover faster, gain more muscle, lose more fat and perform better. You could be going to the gym and eating like a champ, but if you aren’t sleeping well, you’re not optimizing results. By Jake Lott The weight, and reps you choose for your training can change depending on whether you are looking to improve hypertrophy, muscular endurance, one rep max, or multiple rep max. Head coach Ryan Humphries demonstrates the best choice for you based on the guidelines established by the NSCA. Functional exercises like deadlifts, squats, clean, and jerk translate to effective improvements in training for life. Ryan Humphries, Co-Founder & Lead Coach
The TUTGU (Time Under Tension Get Up) was originally developed as a modification for shoulder and/or back issues, or for individuals who can't get all the way to the ground without using their hands. However, we found that it not only keeps the shoulders and back in a good position if done correctly, but it also allows the athlete to stay under tension with more load - getting better results for everyone who does it. A couple weekends ago, we brought back the challenge - the Wild Card Challenge. Teams of athletes completed 5 feats of physical, mental and skilled challenges throughout SE Denver for prizes, free beer, and fun with friends. Contestants ran and biked to our some of our partner businesses, like Sojourner's Coffee and Comrade Brewing, where they were tasked with spearing "boars" (straw bails), rowing blindfolded, tying a sailor's knot in the deep dark of a "cave" (a sleeping bag), and stuffing their faces with cupcakes. It was a day full of adventure, challenges and of course fun for everyone. Congrats to everyone who crossed the finish line! The bummer about the kettlebell clean is bruising your forearm. But this movement is a huge strength builder, and there IS a way to do it without whacking your arm. If you do them swiftly and correctly, the KB should land and rest softly on your forearm, with your wrist straight and tight and your arm folded into your chest. Check out this quick video where Ryan demos the steps to practice to get it right: Single arm dead lift > pistol pull > dead stop clean.  Ryan Humphries, Co-Owner & Coach
This is one of the mottos used by climbers referring to having two or one carabiners clipped in at all times for safety. With none clipped in, your fate is literally in every step you take. With one clipped in, there is at least a little room for error (or at least a slight feeling of safety). With two clipped in, there may come a feeling of confidence (or at least more safety). It's about backup. A safety net. Just in case. "While climbing the Via Ferrata, as my butt was puckering about 600’ above the forest below, I thought about how having a backup plan instills confidence." A few weekends ago, a bunch of people from Axistence went to Ouray and Tellurdie to rappel down waterfalls, hike and climb mountains, with the help of local guides. This is what we aim to do here at Axistence: Take the strength and skills we get in the gym out into the great wide open. While climbing the Via Ferrata, as my butt was puckering about 600’ above the forest below, I thought about how having a plan can make us feel safe; and having a backup plan instills confidence. Having no plan often results in disaster. How often do we go through life without a plan? How about without a backup plan for when the first plan fails? I didn’t know what was around the corner but I knew that if I had two carabiners clipped in, then I was doing everything I could to ensure success. This isn’t to say that we must plan out every minute of every day, but how much more successful would we be if we had a plan? How about a backup plan for when plan A doesn’t deliver the results we were looking for? Even with a plan, the only chance we have for success comes with implementation. We may have the most amazing plan with 16 backup plans but the only chance of that plan being successful is when we take action. The planning stage is also where most ideas die. Either from over thinking or a lack of action. We don’t have to have it all figured out, but with at least one plan and some action, our chances of success are high. Having a literal carabiner or two in place allow you to take a low-risk leap to get ahold of the next crag. Metaphorically, being "clipped in" gives you permission to go for it, whatever that is - an adventure, a relationship, a career move. When you've got backup, you can afford to shoot for something a bit out of reach. And as in climbing, when you really go for it, you get farther, and the view from up there is pretty sweet. |
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Located in SE Denver1950 S. Quebec St.
Denver, CO 80231 Looking for a gym near Denver? We also serve Glendale, Aurora, Lowry, Virginia Village, Denver Tech Center, Cherry Creek, Indian Creek and more.
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