Day: February 15, 2021

Can you build muscle with smaller weights?

February 15, 2021

It can be hard to work out with so many distractions and difficulties keeping us from the gym. When we are able to work out,

Why you need a personal dietary approach

February 15, 2021

It can be hard to work out with so many distractions and difficulties keeping us from the gym. When we are able to work out,

48 Days body transformation with Jorge

February 15, 2021

It can be hard to work out with so many distractions and difficulties keeping us from the gym. When we are able to work out,

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benbrunotraining

Here are my thoughts on what makes a trainer “go

Here are my thoughts on what makes a trainer “good”. Would love to hear your thoughts, too.

Congrats to @phil.rosenthal for hitting 43 push-up

Congrats to @phil.rosenthal for hitting 43 push-ups—a new personal best. Swipe left for the set. Seriously impressive stuff! #proudtrainer

I remember seeing this Johnny Cash quote for the f

I remember seeing this Johnny Cash quote for the first time and thinking he was so soft. Now—however many years later—I think he nailed it.

Happy New Year, y’all. Feeling very thankful.

For the last 8 years @chelseahandler has told me I

For the last 8 years @chelseahandler has told me I don’t know how to “do abs,” but I beg to differ. After seeing her do a 2-minute hollow body hold in her latest Netflix special (check it out, it’s really funny) while cracking jokes, I feel vindicated in my approach to core training. My New Year’s resolution for Chelsea is that she’ll give me the benefit of the doubt a little more; I doubt it’ll happen, but a guy can dream.

I took this clip yesterday of @giancarlo818 doing

I took this clip yesterday of @giancarlo818 doing split-stance chops with 100 pounds on the pulley and moving it explosively like it’s nothing. I was amazed at how effortless he makes it look, so I tried it myself and as you can see, I had to put my entire bodyweight into it to even get the weight to move—and I’m considered pretty strong by most standards. He’s another level of freak, and it got me thinking that I don’t think the general public often realizes just how strong/fast/explosive some of these elite athletes that they watch on tv are.

I hate when trainers try to take credit for the great athletes they train being great. I’ll be honest: training elite athletes is actually pretty easy. There’s a lot that goes into programming, but as far as teaching exercises, just give one half-assed demo and they’ll often be able to do it better than you right away. Good athletes make trainers look good, but I’m way more impressed when a trainer gets an unathletic person moving well and doing impressive things in the gym.

I’m honored to be a guest on @maxlugavere ‘Gen

I’m honored to be a guest on @maxlugavere ‘Genius Life’ podcast this week. We spoke for over two hours about all sorts of things, but I chose this clip to post because I think it highlights the importance of learning to “speak client”—aka. how to speak your clients’ language. ‘Toning’ is just one example, but I think a lot of trainers try too hard to be right and seem smart instead of learning how to communicate effectively in a way that the client will be receptive to and feel heard. The way I speak to my clients is often VERY different than the way I speak to other trainers. Anyway, please listen to the clip and lemme know your thoughts on this topic.

You can find our whole podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. We talked about training, nutrition, recovery—you name it. It was a fun combo and I think you’ll like it.

My mom gave me these dish towels for Christmas and

My mom gave me these dish towels for Christmas and they totally transformed my training philosophy. Swipe left for our workout. I think she deserves an Oscar for this one 😂😂😂

Wait for it… 😂 @phil.rosenthal is the first o

Wait for it… 😂 @phil.rosenthal is the first of my clients to try my Nordic Leg Curl Cookie Challenge. How’d he do? Rate his performance on a scale of 1-10. #proudtrainer

Here’s an invaluable tip for trainers for how to

Here’s an invaluable tip for trainers for how to survive the holiday season. Feel free to steal—this has really been a godsend for me the last few years and has made for a lot of laughs to boot.

As trainers, I truly believe we have one of the best jobs in the world, but nothing is perfect, and one of the downsides is all the insufferable comments from strangers like “I know I shouldn’t eat this in front of you” and other annoying stuff like that.

Watch the video all the way through because the best tip is at the end, and lemme know what you think. You’re welcome, in advance.

I was so sad to wake up this morning and hear that

I was so sad to wake up this morning and hear that @sir_twitch_alot had passed away. He was truly the nicest guy. We first met when I did the Ellen Show last April. I remember being so nervous beforehand. He came up and introduced himself and we ended up talking for over an hour. I told him how I felt like I didn’t belong there and he just said: “if you’re here, you belong here.” Then he had me sit in Ellen’s chair and took like 20 pictures of me the tall way, the wide way, every which way until he got a few that he liked. He then asked for my number and texted me the pictures he liked best (these) and told me to post them because he knew it was a cool moment for me. I thought that was so nice of him, but I never posted the pictures because I honestly felt kinda douchey sitting in Ellen’s chair. Then when the segment aired, he texted me again to tell me that I did a good job, and it meant so much to me and made me feel so good. Since then, I sent some pool weights to him and he wrote me the nicest thank you note, and he’d always send me nice messages about my workout videos saying “good job” and stuff like that. Point is, everything he did was nice and made people feel good.

Having gone through suicide with my dad, it’s such a hard thing for everyone involved, and it’s just so sad that someone who made everyone around him feel good was so sad inside. He will be missed by many, and it’s another reminder that everyone struggles with internal battles and we never really know what other people are going through.

Here are some of my random thoughts on long-term f

Here are some of my random thoughts on long-term fitness. What do you think?

I’ve made mobility a much bigger priority in the

I’ve made mobility a much bigger priority in the past year, and I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m moving in ways I never thought was possible, and more importantly, my body is feeling way better. I bet if some of my past physical therapists see this video they’ll be shocked, because I used to be like the Tin Man.

Thing is, while the more extreme stuff like rear foot elevated pigeon squats or heavy cossack squats might look cool, most of my mobility training is actually very simple, and just with bodyweight. There’s a difference between testing yourself and actually building mobility. I wrote up the entire mobility routine that I do daily (or most days, at least) along with full video tutorials of each move and put it on my website, if you’re interested. PS- it’s free. PPS- the link is in my bio.

Hope this helps. Lemme know if you have any questions.

What’s up PRIMALS?! It’s me, the Burger King.

What’s up PRIMALS?! It’s me, the Burger King.

I don’t have 9 Ancestral Tenets, but I do have (an updated) 10 Commandments of Training. Swipe left for that.

This is definitely an “Instagram Exercise”, bu

This is definitely an “Instagram Exercise”, but hey, this is Instagram 🤷🏻‍♂️ Give it a try if you want (it’s tough!), but importantly, please listen to my voiceover for my thoughts on these types of “silly” exercises.

I know I preach the basics all the time, but I wanted to show myself doing one of these internet challenges to show that I’m not just some curmudgeon criticizing stuff I can’t do. I get bored all the time and like trying new stuff as much as anyone, but at the same time, it’s important to keep the bulk of your training steeped in the basics.

I’m curious about your thoughts on this topic, so please lemme know below. And if you give this move a try, be sure to tag me.

I don’t purport to know much about the opposite

I don’t purport to know much about the opposite sex, but here are a few things I’ve learned as it relates to lifting weights:

1. Most guys start out lifting weights to impress girls but learn early on that most girls don’t care how much you lift and compliments just come from other dudes.

2. Women will pack twice as much as men but then expect men to carry all their stuff; and if you complain that it’s heavy they’ll think you’re weak, so you better lift your weights because a 50-pound suitcase feels way heavier than a 50-pound dumbbell.

Thanks for the help, @nobread 😘🤦🏻‍♂️

Did I miss anything?

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope this helps. Did I miss an

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope this helps. Did I miss anything?

Nordic leg curls are undeniably awful, but they’

Nordic leg curls are undeniably awful, but they’re a lot more palatable when you treat yourself to a cookie after each good rep…

I don’t recommend trying this one, but if you don’t, make sure to tag me 😜

Give this supported single leg RDL a try: great fo

Give this supported single leg RDL a try: great for the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors. @chelseahandler is using a 53-pound weight here, which is super impressive and shows that she has a great balance of strength and mobility. I asked Chelsea for a testimonial for my new website and she wrote: “I was always worried about getting too big with weight training, and the opposite happened. I am leaner and tighter than I was in my twenties.”

I love that. For the trainers out there who train women that are apprehensive to lift weights, this is a good one to show them. ❤️🍑💪

I hope you guys like this video because I’m pret

I hope you guys like this video because I’m pretty sure I’m in trouble with my fiancé for it 😂

As a longtime lousy sleeper, I’m really excited about this new @eightsleep mattress Pod Cover. When you’ve slept badly for so long, it’s such a good feeling to actually sleep through the night without waking up.

Watch the video for why I like it, but another cool thing that I didn’t touch on is how it tracks different metrics through their app like heart rate and HRV—similar to some of the wearable devices out there without having to wear anything. I’ve started competing with myself to improve my sleep score each night, which shows that I’m kind of a loser, but it’s also made me more aware of my pre-bed routine, which is ultimately a good thing.

Anyway, this is clearly an ad, but I wouldn’t hawk it if I didn’t love it and think it will help those of you who also suck at sleeping. To that end, I’ve never done the discount code thing, but this thing ain’t cheap so I thought it’d be nice to get you a deal. The code is BRUNO and it saves you $200-350 off, depending which Pod you buy. All the info is on their page.

Bonus: for those of you who watched the video all the way through, where do we stand on cuddling vs. personal space when sleeping?

Here’s some awesome lower body training from @ge

Here’s some awesome lower body training from @geniebouchard. This is super impressive stuff. Love the work! Please listen to the voiceover for the exercise explanations.

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