Gmb Fitness Show - Physical Autonomy

Warning: Jarlo and Andy go on a long, rambling, rant-filled discussion about the attitudes that keep people from being successful in their training. You probably won't like it. Unless you're the sort of person who will ;)Here's some of what's covered:mental traps that prevent us from taking good advicelearning from principles and concepts rather than relying on mimicryyes, stretching totally works, unless...you're doing it wrong (here's what to do about it)or, you may just need to give it more timeWe know that stretching is a boring, uncomfortable, and difficult activity for anybody who actually needs it. But the benefits of easy range of motion make it worth the effort. If that effort hasn't paid off for you so far, you need to listen to this and try again.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

What does it mean to skip the kip? Contrary to popular belief, it's only coincidentally related to muscle-ups. Part of our ethos at GMB is that, rather than taking shortcuts to try and reach an endpoint, you're usually better off investing in the process of building your capabilities systematically. With a solid foundation, you can learn a wider range of skills with relative ease, even though it may not feel as sexy as saying "hold my beer" and diving into the deep end before you know how to swim. In this episode, Ryan and Andy talk about looking at the outcomes you're trying to achieve and skills you'd like to learn, then focusing on developing them from the bottom up.Lots of examples from popular exercises and some 80s hard rock trivia too.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

Supplements and fitness gadgets are really easy to sell. "$50 for rock-hard abs and elite endurance? Sign me up!" But this episode aims to save you some money. Working out stresses the body. It stresses your muscles and joints and nervous system. It uses energy that you have to replenish with food. It takes time for your body to return to neutral after training so you can be in good condition for your next session. Learning to recover effectively means you can be ready to great training more quickly and more reliably. Ryan and Andy have tried all kinds of routines and practices, and this episode is about the surprisingly simple things that make a hundred times more difference than the gimmicks. Stick it in your earhole and learn how to feel better and perform better by recovering more fully between sessions. Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

We talk a LOT about "the basics," but we also get that literally zero people are out there thinking "oh wow, I can't wait to do basic stuff forever!" Basics aren't sexy. They're actually a lot like spinach. You know they're good for you, but you'd probably rather have some fried chicken or ice cream instead. So this show is about how to do two things that'll help you give the basics the love they deserve without wanting to throw yourself in front of a train:1. how and why you should cultivate a greater tolerance for boredom2. lots of ways you can make basic exercises more interesting, even after you've been practicing them for yearsRyan will share some of his tips that have helped him continue to enjoy working on skills like handstands, even after almost forty years of practice.If you want our suggestions for basic skills to work on while you apply these tips, check out this article.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/p

Despite what you hear on the infomercials trying to sell you DVDs with pictures of abs on the front, there’s no such thing as a “complete” workout.So it makes sense that lots of people eventually come to the realization that they need more than what they’re getting. Like martial artists who want to be more flexible, or runners who also want to build upper body strength.You’d probably be surprised how often we’re asked if it’s even possible to combine different programs or methods.Short answer: Yes, it’s possible, and often really, really helpful.We give you the long answer about how to do it in this episode, including frameworks to help you figure out what to add and what to subtract, and how to combine programs without just doubling your training time.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

When you’re getting ready in the morning do you ask yourself, “Am I doing enough? Should I be working harder in the bathroom before I leave for work?” Probably not.In fact, you probably know the exact bare minimum you need to do to get yourself out the door looking the way you want to look. But when it comes to training, a lot of people have trouble figuring out how much they need to do to get the results they want. Especially since most coaches and fitness companies preach about always pushing harder and never being satisfied.In this episode we talk about how to build a Minimum Viable Routine that works for your goals. We’ll share our own favorite strategies and help you figure out how to choose the few things you need to focus on to make the progress you want.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

You do this everyday, so you should be pretty good at it by now, right? Well, not so fast. A cursory Google search shows no less than a dozen high-dollar courses and certifications you can take on breathing for better health and fitness. Apparently, this is more complex than most of us tend to assume, so let's look at why. Ryan's spent a lot of years practicing different styles of breath work, so here's what we'll share on this episode:Main features of a few popular styles of breathing for fitnessPros and cons of applying different kinds of breath work in your trainingWhy this is important, e.g., what do you actually get from practicing better breathing?What it really means when you hold your breath during exerciseRyan's simple trick for making sure you don't do thatOur favorite way to begin practicing better breathing techniquesThere's a lot of mystical hoo-ha going on about esoteric BS that you probably don't need to waste your time or money on. The majority of the be

If you've ever been inspired after seeing someone move with absolutely mastery, this is for you.A lot of people talk about "flow" in movement, but there's a lot of mysticism and confusion over what it actually is - where does it come from and what does it indicate? Is flow:a mental statean attribute of movementsomething that happens after you attain perfect enlightenmentWe've got you covered here, because it's actually a couple of different things - the good news is we can narrow this down and make it a lot simpler to understand and practice for. And that's what the second half of the show is about: exactly how to go about developing your own flow. The good news is you can start today. You don't need to be an advanced athlete or even have a ton of training experience. All you need is a handful of movements or positions you're good at. Lucky for you, sitting and lying down count :)Stick it in your earhole!Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (http

After a month off to travel with their families, Ryan and Andy are answering questions and sharing their tips for working out on the road. As always, there's a bit of a twist here:If you want a generic list of "killer ab shredding" exercises to "torch belly flab" in a hotel room, Men's Health probably has you covered, but...Why not take a step back and ask yourself what you're really trying to get out of your training in the first place?What do you wanna get out of your workouts while you're traveling?Will your workouts contribute to or detract from your ability to do what you went on this trip to do?Once you've answered those, you'll have a way easier time figuring out specifically what to actually do. We'll share our experiences on recent trips and some of our favorite tricks for making sure we make it back home feeling better than when we left, without sacrificing our fitness and happiness. Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https

There are a lot of movement gurus out there who talk about movement “flow” the same way some people talk about enlightenment. Like it’s a higher state of being you can only reach by subscribing to their YouTube.And they look really cool on Instagram so they most know what they’re talking about, right?But if you break any flow down, it’s just a person who can smoothly transition through a series of movements. And that’s a skill you can learn.In this episode we talk about the piece most people are missing that makes flow feel so elusive: transitional movements. These are the moves between the moves the people seem to think should just come naturally. But we’ll share why they’re actually an important skill, and some of our favorite strategies for getting better at them.Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

A few years ago, we did a podcast episode called "cardio is stupid, and you don't have to do it." Maybe not the most nuanced explanation, but there's an important point here: appropriateness. Since that early discussion, we wrote an article that lays out more specific recommendations on what appropriate looks like and how to figure out what that is for you. This discussion brings us up to date with some recent research and Jarlo's personal experience over the past couple years working on improving his own cardio conditioning. We'll talk about different kinds of exercise, different needs for cardio training, and figuring out what's best for you. Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

What's the difference between doing an exercise and owning it? To us, that's one of the most important questions in fitness. In sport and fitness, we loooooove numbers. We keep score. We keep stats. We count weights, times, and reps. And that's a good and useful thing, but it's not everything. One thing we haven't traditionally had good ways to track is our subjective experience of our sessions and of each movement. And that used to make us sad, so we changed it. This episode is about how we've set quality and awareness as core components of each rep of every practice. We'll share how we measure the subjective experience, track it, and learn from it so you can truly own your abilities.Transcript of this Episode and Other NotesSupport the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

Ryan and Andy do some good-ol'-days-ing about their early years in Japan... BUT it's actually relevant. We promise!Here's why:Moving to Japan to practice martial arts has had a huge impact on how we think about training, quality, and mastery.Our experience as teachers is one of the most fundamental components of the GMB Method. Every seen one of our videos and thought "that's a good explanation?" Well, this is why. Part of GMB is de-culturalizing movements that are most commonly seen in certain contexts and making them available to anyone. We've got some good stories in this one - a couple of them are pretty embarrassing - and we also wax philosophical on what it all means. Without Andy and Ryan both happening to live in Osaka circa 2008, there's be no GMB, but at a much deeper level, without the experiences we talk about in this episode, we simply wouldn't have been capable of coming up with any of this. Episode transcript and additional notesSupport the show (htt

There’s a thousand right ways to do almost anything. I know that’s not what you wanna hear, but it’s the truth. For any skill you wanna learn, the right focus is gonna depend on where you’re at, what impediments you have, your natural strengths, your goals, your context, and whatever other training or activities you’re into. All that stuff impacts how your practice works, and that’s a lot of variables to balance in a master equation. So how do you choose the right details to focus on. By now you know you can’t do it all at once...In this episode, Ryan and Andy yap about:What kinds of details are important when you’re learning a new skill or working on an exerciseWhat we optimize for personally and as coaches in GMB programsWhy good form is subjective and why that doesn’t stop good coaches from providing useful cues for performance and practiceIn every program we’ve created there’s hundreds of details and decisions we’ve made, and we can’t explain each of those, but this discussion will give you a sense of the

One of the key differences between training for fitness vs training for sport is the emphasis on developing capabilities vs abilities. This episode defines these similar terms in a new way so you can figure out which exercises you need to be focusing on and why. Fact: people train for a lot of different reasons. We know you have your own goals, and one thing we've found a massive proportion of our clients to have in common is that lifting more weight or doing more reps is not the end-all-be-all goal for them. More important is translating that strength or endurance or other attribute to performance in some sort of activity, be it a sport or just the regular daily stuff. That's not to say it's wrong to focus on reps or to add weight to the bar; we just want you to know whether or not that's your real reason for training, because it'll impact choices you make about the best path forward. As always, be on the lookout for stupid jokes and an invitation to really spend some time introspect

There's a lot of noise about "what successful people do" to start their days... and a thousand people trying to cash in on selling you the dream of being a better person because you drink the right kind of coffee. We have some experience with mornings. Between Ryan and Andy, 32,493 of them so far. We've tried just about every schedule, tool, hack, and routine you can imagine, and what we've found is that getting the most out of each day comes down to two rules:Spend a bit of time early in the day on whatever is most important to youSet yourself up for success in whatever activities you have plannedThe specific activities have changed as our needs and priorities have changed through the years. We'll share some of our favorites and a few that didn't seem to help at all. Most importantly, this episode is about figuring out what's essential for you to get done ASAP every day so you can be effective and enjoy your life. Once you know that, you can create a clear and simple r

OK, first thing first: 40 isn't "old." Neither is 50. And for the sweet love of all the deities, I am so sick of people younger than us commenting on our Facebook posts about they think they're too old to learn new things. Getting a sense for the gist of this episode yet?For our first new episode in over two years, Ryan and Andy asked our clients and followers what topics they wanted us to discuss, and the most common request was for tips on how to stay healthy and keep making fitness progress when you're not straight out of college anymore. Well, our first priority is divesting you of the idea that there's some magical age at which it's impossible to improve yourself. From there, we cover:The realities of building muscle beyond your physical peakWhy recovery is so important (even it it's not uniquely important) as you ageOur personal strategies for feeling good and staying happy with our bodiesThe REAL reasons people feel like they can't make progress anymore (the

Do you find it hard to make good decisions and spend your time wisely? Whether it’s a matter of perfectionism, procrastination or just a general state of indecision, spending too much time trying to decide what to do and when leads to wasted time. If you’re having a hard time being efficient at work or even finding a set time to get your workout in, today’s podcast can help you create a better routine. Today’s guest is Shane Parrish of Farnam Street. Farnam Street is an online intellectual hub geared toward helping people make better decisions. Shane helps people understand how the world works and how to more effectively make decisions that matter. Topics we discuss today include: Why making decisions in the morning, before unhealthy food choices are already made, can help you reach your goals. Why to-do lists are ineffective, and what a better alternative is. How taking the time to evaluate and make good decisions can save you time in the long run. How mentally arguing both “sides” of a decision can help you

Finding your way in fitness can seem difficult. It takes a concerted effort to test, experiment, and discover what works for you in order to accomplish your personal goals and ensure it fits in with your existing lifestyle. On this episode of the GMB Show Ryan welcomes Krista Stryker, personal trainer and founder of 12 Minute Athlete, where she develops and shares fitness routines that combine bodyweight and skills training with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Ryan and Krista discuss her path of experimentation with different systems and how she went from being bogged down by conventional fitness to discovering a combination that works perfectly for accomplishing her goals and fitting in with her desired lifestyle. You’ll hear Krista describe how she took what she liked from each system and what was working for her and adapted it to create the routines she uses now. Routines that combine the best of both bodyweight training and HIIT.Support the show (https://gmb.io/podcast/)

The world of fast fitness has undeniably invaded our culture. 30-day shredding programs, 90-minute abs, 6-week total body transformations. Yes, you can conceivably transform your body in a dramatic way in as little as 6 weeks. But what happens to it after the next 6 weeks? It’s natural to want to see the end result as fast as possible, but is the rigourous routine you undergo something you see yourself wanting to keep doing day in and day out for years to come? True transformation is sustainable for your lifetime, and let’s be honest - fast fitness results rarely last. For this episode of the GMB Show, Jarlo was so excited to interview a friend of his, JC Deen. JC is a fitness coach, writer, and self-proclaimed “former fat kid.” He focuses on physique transformation, and he’s the author of a soon-to-be released book, Stay Leaner, Longer. Listen close as JC dives deep into the true psychology of physical transformation and exposes a lot of biases that many of us aren’t aware that we’re giving into. Biases that