Rocktape is a kinesiology tape that is engineered to mimic the behaviour of human skin: it stretches up to 180% of its original length and is highly elastic so has excellent ‘snap back’. The fact that it acts like skin is the key to its ability to not only provide extra support for soft tissue […]

In the words of Oceania Powerlifting Champion, Stephen Pritchard: “If you train regularly you will no doubt start experiencing joint, tendon, ligament or muscle pain. Pain is part of the game.  But pain will also influence what you bring to your training session.  For this reason I have been using Rehband knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, […]

There’s no two ways about it: front squats are awesome and should be included in the training of any serious athlete.  The guys at EliteFTS list just some of the many advantages of the front squat: Front squats are more quad dominant, bodybuilders like this that are paranoid about getting their butts too big. Front squats […]

The headline read: “Coffee found to cause insulin resistance”. There doesn’t seem to be as much controversy in any other area of life as there is in the health and nutrition realm. True to form, a recent study leaves folks scratching their heads about coffee. This ever-popular beverage once vilified for raising blood pressure has […]

Knee and wrist wraps are simply lengths of material that are wrapped around the joint to provide extra support and minimise stress on the joint when it is under load.  Knee wraps may also help with stopping at the bottom of the squat and offer rebound on the ascent.  Simple, yes, but like chalk and […]

Plyometric training is of course central to the performance of any athlete requiring speed and power, and studies have shown plyometrics lead to improvements in vertical jump performance, muscle strength and joint protection. There are inherent risks to plyometrics, though, especially when it comes to jumping on, off or over objects such as plyo boxes […]

Grip strength is a very important component of overall strength: you can only lift what you can hold onto and greater recruitment of the muscles in the hands means greater muscle recruitment throughout the rest of the body.   For these reasons, fat barbells are a staple of strongman training and are enjoying a resurgence […]