How do I train to be more explosive?

I will try to address the basics of this and some of the most common misconceptions. If your goal is to be faster and more explosive then this is not something you can train in isolation. Like many movements or areas of fitness people want a single solution when there are none and for explosiveness, it is a multi pronged approach that is required.

A common solution that people come up with is to perform a movement weighted. This however is often considered less than ideal as you end up doing the movements slower and messing with their mechanics. While some benefits have been shown for this, benefits have also been seen using lighter tools to allow for adaptation to moving a similar object, quicker. So ankle weights, wrist weights, weighted vests and other similar tools do have their use but they are not necessarily the best for building power.

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Conditioning: A brief overview

I notice in January there are often a lot of questions in the HEMA Strong group on cardio / conditioning in, the best practices and how to train it so below I am going to outline some best practices to help.

A quick bit on me I spend a good portion of my time training combat athletes mostly BJJ guys and kickboxers (amateur and pro). I have studied a ton of methods and have trained under Joel Jamieson (conditioning coach to UFC and various other pro athletes) from whom a lot of these insights come. I will not talk about energy systems or anything overly specific but if you have questions please let me know I will be happy to help.

What is it?

Conditioning = Movement capacity + energy systems + mental performance

Fitness = Measures of physical performance which can be measured.

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Historic Knightly Physical Training

Why Historical Training Matters

When I first started HEMA Strong, one of my dream ideas/projects was to run a seminar or event based on historical training methods because about once a month someone in the group asks: “How do we set up our physical training like that of a historical knight?”

Why does that matter? Why would we?

I did some initial research to figure out how and why I might do this, and had a few conversations with Arturo Camargo. We talked about his project and some modern analogs to historical training, things like Strongman, Highland Games, and specifically the Swiss living traditions of Steinstossen (rock throwing) and Schwingen/Hosenlupf (folk wrestling).

If you are looking for a good starting point and summary of historical training, please check out Arturo’s article on HROARR: https://hroarr.com/article/take-great-pains-in-your-knightly-practices-a-brief-review-of-medieval-and-renaissance-training-methodologies/

Then, as fate would have it, earlier in 2019 Charles Lin mentioned that he actually wanted to do this since I hadn’t done anything beyond have a few conversations about it. This made me incredibly happy because it was one less thing for me to have on my to do list, and because Charles isn’t a personal trainer, and is thus free from the modern training biases that I know I have. In my opinion, Charles’  “specialty” is doing research, experimentation, and asking questions in order to make the history aspect of HEMA far more accessible to everyone.

I probably would have set this event up like a race or competition with keeping score and recording distances, times, etc. Instead, there were teams, and an open discussion about what each person’s strengths were. In retrospect, I’m glad it was done this way as the team aspect was one of my favorite parts!  Go red team!

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Do The Thing!

A movement therapy approach to removing roadblocks and reaching goals.


This is a guest post by John Rothe – BS, CPT, FMT, OES, NKT, P-DTR,
Movement Therapist.

Click here to learn more about what John does and/or schedule an appointment. 

We’ve all been injured. Some more than others. When this happens, your brain does its best to keep you from injuring yourself further. To do that, the brain essentially cuts power to parts of your body and reroutes it to others. Essentially putting key players on the bench so they don’t make the problem worse. Sometimes, when we can’t or don’t take time to heal, the brain holds on to that injury like a security blanket. It leaves those key players on the bench doing nothing and plays the backups until they’re falling apart. And that is precisely when we notice pain, tightness, and injury.

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Coaches Roundtable #1


Welcome to the first of hopefully many coaches roundtables, where some of the coaches that are part of HEMA Strong answer questions about a variety of topics. If you are a coach, personal trainer, HEMA instructor, etc and would like to be included in a future roundtable, please reach out to Chuck Gross on Facebook.

The Coaches and The Questions

The coaches for this first roundtable are Michael Adams, Chuck Gross, Jon Mills, and Zach Springer. We will be answering the following 8 questions:

  1. What does your training look like?
  2. What are in, your opinion, the three most overrated exercises for HEMA athletes?
  3. On the flip side, what are the three most underrated?
  4. What would your 6 weeks from tournament prep look like?
  5. What do you struggle with in your own fitness?
  6. What is your biggest strength in your own fitness?
  7. What got you started on fitness?
  8. What is your favorite weapon in HEMA? (Ringen is a weapon)

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Building The Push-Up

Who is this for?

Someone that cannot consistently do 10-12 push-ups with a good range of motion and form. If you have an injury or medical issue that would impede correct form, then this article may not apply to you.

Why Push-Ups?

The push-up is perhaps the most well-known bodyweight exercise, and that’s because it’s a great exercise to build both pressing, pushing, as well as core strength.

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Strength Standards Now Updated

The HEMA Strong Strength standards are now updated to include bodyweight standards, which are a work in progress.

HEMA Strong Strength Standards

The HEMA Strong store is now live!

Just in case you haven’t noticed or aren’t in the Facebook group yet (which you should be, it’s awesome!), the HEMA Strong Store is now live! Please let me know if there are any questions. We are looking to add more options and patches soon!

https://www.hemastrong.com/store

Getting Back On Track

“I’ve gotten off track. Was working out 6 days a week…here I am 4 months later and I don’t even know how to get back on track. How do I get back on track?”

I’m overwhelmed with the number of times I’ve seen that question asked. Go to any Facebook group that’s fitness oriented, and it’s a theme.

Why do people go off track, and then struggle with getting back on track with their fitness, be it nutrition, exercise, or both?
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The Myth of Cross-Training: The Art & The Science

“There is but one art of the sword…” Ms. 3227a

And just as there is one art of the sword, there is only one science of the body. That science and its underlying principles dictate how we can effectively train our bodies to excel at our art.

Why is cross-training a myth?

Cross-training’s general connotation is that training for any of the fitness domains is an “option” rather than a necessity for improvement of your martial art.

Is it a different connotation for you? No worries, then this article isn’t for you. :)

With that said, regardless of your reasons for being part of HEMA or any other martial art, you are learning a physical skill. And those who master their art, as well as their bodies, will have the best results, the best return on investment of their precious time.
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