Category: Blog

I’ve been doing “The Space Race” for the last 3 years. It’s an initiative from – what used to be – nonprophet; a community of practitioners who explore the intersection of physical fitness and psychology. The Space Race was – in their mind – a way to see out the year and start the new…

We all know an Ego-Lifter. Every gym has one. And if you don’t think your gym does, it’s probably you. In bro science – anecdotal fitness and bodybuilding advice – an Ego-Lifter is someone who prioritises lifting the heaviest weights possible to impress others and boost self esteem, at the expense of proper exercise technique…

It’s a gusty Thursday afternoon. I’m tired and a little tender. I don’t feel like training. The usual suspects are here pumping out quarter squats, and taking long menacing stares at themselves in the mirror between sets. It’s all terribly un-motivating. I place my things down on a vacant bench and consult my training program.…

TO THOSE INTERESTED IN A DEEPER CONVERSATION, I have always struggled to articulate exactly what this philosophy represents. At times it is incredibly broad and all encompassing, and at others, intricately resonant with a particular quote or action. As I learn, so does the philosophy, while the ideas and practices also continue to change and…

Modern gyms aren’t really known for being social hubs. Apart from the lone personal trainer and the couple of gym bros at the back pumping out partial reps and complaining about how sore they constantly are, no one talks. The music, a mix of early 2000’s pop songs that everyone’s since forgotten about, plays in…

I love coffee. A lot. And because of that, I have prioritised it while travelling. Slowly sipping on a delicious local brew at the resident coffee shop has become a cornerstone of my day. And synonymous with exploring a new city, to plan for the adventures ahead. With the trip coming to a close however,…

I’ve been doing a lot of walking lately. It’s a great way to explore a place, on foot. You really get to know it. You get a feel for it. Your aching feet are proof of that. In Milan, I’ve stumbled across cute little cafes, and in Amsterdam, secluded green parks, the like of which…

Gyms are weird places. They are air-conditioned boxes stacked with artificial weights which people pay to lift up and down to make their lives harder. If you described this to someone 200 years ago, they probably would have laughed. Not only were their lives hard enough as they were, but even to the people who…

We live such insulated lives. We live in air conditioned rooms, our food is delivered straight to our doorsteps and we have instantaneous access to information. Our lives are – relatively – comfortable and easy; not the case for most of our short history. We are shaped by the conditions in our environment and we…

I got asked about cueing the other day and it’s got me thinking about thinking. “What are you cueing yourself when you are doing that?… What are you thinking about?” I am performing a Snatch. It’s a highly complex olympic weightlifting movement that requires the player to hoist the bar from the floor into a…

You have to aim at something. As Jordan Peterson would say. It’s fundamental to our existence. We can’t act without aim. When it comes to fitness, most of us have no idea how to define it. And if we can’t define it, how do we know what we’re aiming at? The modern human is subject…

There isn’t anything I can tell you about the basic principles of health that you don’t already know. But just to humour you, here is a diluted list: eat real food and drink clean water, get a good nights sleep and manage your stress, develop close knit relationships, and exercise moderately. None of this is…

I can be a condescending dick sometimes. It’s my default setting in an argument. Call it the curse of the intellectual; of thinking that because some would consider me a “deep thinker”, a “smart dude” that I know more than the rest who seem perfectly content in their blithering ignorance. There I go again. I…

I get overwhelmed making big decisions… The classic “paralysis by analysis”… “If this then what?”… “In committing myself here, what am I sacrificing over there?”… “If I make the wrong decision now, what will my life be like 5 years down the road?”. Questions such have these have plagued me. Recently I had time to…

Today I sipped on a $20 filter coffee. I didn’t question the value at all. And as soon as I tasted the sweet golden liquid I knew it was absolutely worth the investment. I found the cafe by accident taking the scenic route on my bike on my way to the library. Something about the…

Empty it. It is as simple as that. Why is what you know, so important to you anyway. You started to change. And now the chance is here. Yet you still cling to your beliefs. And these are what holds you back. So once again, here’s your chance. To empty what you know. For a…

Expectation is lazy.  Assumption made to survive.  When it is not met. You realise how futile it is. You chastise yourself for believing.  Delve deep within your psyche. Then recognise that the fault. Was all yours.  You offloaded responsibility. And tethered yourself to that. When the other had no intent to oblige. Expectation is not…

7:53am: the machine goes on. It will take 20 minutes to warm from here, patience necessary. 8:14am: preparation commences. The machine is flushed, beans are measured then ground, pressure is applied. The first dregs come dripping out. Too slow. The pin is pulled not even a quarter of the way through the process. The liquid…

The sticking point isn’t physical. Not the 2 inches off the chest in a bench press. Nor the bottom of the hole in a squat. The sticking point isn’t physical. It’s psychological. One’s inability to recognise and address weakness. The sticking point is psychological. A lack of awareness; a deficiency in a knowledge of self.…

Awareness. Action. Integration. The first two are interchangeable.They are ordered on inclination. Integration always follows. My process has traditionally manifested as per the original algorithm. I cognitively scrutinize as a means of producing awareness prior to acting. This has served me well. Sometimes. In other circumstances, it has inhibited action; the vital next step. I…

Attention. And Intent.  These are the two things essential to warming up. Without them, and your warm up isn’t a warm up.  It becomes a meaningless process of going through the motions as you convince yourself that your half-hearted inchworms are going to help with your deadlifts later that day.  You have often heard of…