Protect Your Shoulders

I still remember how it happened. I was doing a decline bench press and suddenly there was a sharp pain in my left shoulder.

But I was lucky. I didn't need surgery and simply had to take two weeks off.

I also learned a lesson. Shoulders are fragile.

Super-trainer Keith Scott recently pointed out five ways to wreck you shoulders. One of the top ways involves the bench press, a favorite of many.

Get Up, Stand Up

It's simple -- too many people do too many exercises sitting down. Walk into any gym and you see it all over the place. Many machines, of course, encourage this behavior.

But it actually makes for a worse workout, as super-trainer Keith Scott recently pointed out. Think about it. Sitting down most often makes a move easier. Standing up makes it harder. It also calls more of your body into action.

Keith also recently posted a humorous video that takes on this and other things people do wrong at the gym. Take a look.

Strange Happenings at the Gym

I simply don't understand quarter-rep woman. She comes in day after day and never does anything more than a quarter of a rep. Every single time. What's the point?

Super-trainer Keith Scott has noticed someone similar at his gym and I'm sure you have too. Here's a funny list he put together.

Fix Your Hips

That pain you feel in your lower back or knee may have nothing to do with your lower back or knee. It may come from your hips.

Super-trainer Keith Scott writes that hip health is crucial for more than just your hips. And he has written a three-part series on how to make sure your hips are strong. (Get part 1, get part 2 and get part 3.)

I learned when I was training at Velocity Sports Performance the importance of healthy and mobile hips. We had to do a lot of hip exercises during our warmups and the result was that I was better able to perform exercises like squats.

Age is Meaningless, Part 6

An 82-year-old woman who does 45 bodyweight squats? Yep. A 70-year-old man who plays competitive baseball and throws a 70-miles-per-hour fastball? Yep.

Super-trainer Keith Scott has trained both, and he has some great tips in this post about how to make sure you train at 40 and beyond.

One of his best tips is the value of recovery, something I still have to remind myself about.