As one of the most iconic pieces of art, Michelangelo’s David has come in for more than its fair share of criticism. It’s head’s too big, its hands are too big, its eyes are squint. One american school teacher ended up having to resign after showing a picture of the masterpiece to his class as it was considered pornographic.
Michelangelo, along with other artists of his time, quite often exaggerated aspects of their art to make a point. We have some sculptures that leave us wondering what exactly that muscle is that is protruding from their shoulder. Is it a rare anatomical variation or was it just the artist giving his hero more muscles?
When we look at David, we need to remember it was designed to be viewed from a long way below. It was originally planned to be on a roof top and not down in the piazza at eye level – well as much as anything that is 17 foot tall can be at eye level.
To ensure that artistic vanishing points didn’t make his sculpture look out of proportion when viewed from several storeys below, Michelangelo had to ensure that parts of the statue that are going to be closer to you were smaller and parts that were further away (the head) were larger.
What that doesn’t explain is an interesting anatomical variation that is almost completely overlooked. David’s second toe is longer than his big toe.
This variation is now called Morton’s toe after Dr Dudley Morton who studied the phenomenon in the 1930’s. Before that it was referred to as Greek Toe.
The Greek had a theory about a Golden Ratio which could be found through out nature. The concept was developed by Euclid in 300 BC who basically invented geometry. This longer second toe was a signifier of beauty and set them apart from the Romans and Egyptians.
Once the idea of the golden ratio became more prevalent, Morton’s toe started appearing in more art. It can be found in works of art by Sandro Botticelli and the Statue of Liberty feet also show a longer second toe.
People who read feet (yes that’s a thing) have nothing bad to say about Morton’s Toe so if you are one of the 25% of the population who have this variation then consider yourself blessed with some ancient Greek claim to splendor and enjoy your day.
Author: Anatomy Fundamentals
Janet Philp has spent a lifetime exploring fitness and wellbeing. Starting in group exercise, travelling through rugby to representing the UK at martial arts before including Yoga, meditation, Budokon and personal instruction. Her passion is anatomical function and educating people to use their bodies to their full potential.
View all posts by Anatomy Fundamentals
The function of the belt was
detailed in a previous article on this website. Used properly, it reinforces
the stiffness of the spine under a load. And to the extent that all
the lifts depend on force transfer through the spine, the belt helps
with efficiency in the lift while protecting the spine from wiggling
around under compression.
Here
are a few random thoughts about the belt and the lifts. Feel free to
add to it in the comments.
Most
people associate the belt with the deadlift and the squat, and it
certainly benefits these two movements by producing a hoop-tension
reinforcement around the spine over and above what the abdominal
musculature can provide. But the truth is that the press benefits
more from the belt than any of the other barbell lifts. The bench
benefits too, but this requires some experience with the set-up and
the timing. A shitty flexible belt works just fine for the bench
press – it’s not supporting your compressively loaded spine
anyway, and it’s easier to tighten while sitting on the bench (if you
don’t use the rack uprights).
The
Olympic lifts benefit as well, but the buckle can get in the way of
an efficient, close pull, and most lifters will turn the belt around
so that the buckle is on the low back, or use a Velcro belt that
doesn’t get in the way of the pull. The first time you catch the bar
under the buckle in a pull will be a memorable experience, and you
will alter your behavior accordingly.
As
mention in the linked article, a 3-inch belt works far better for
most people than a 4-inch, unless you are unusually long-waisted. I
prefer a smooth-leather belt, because it slides into tightness easier
than a nappy suede belt, but this is largely a matter of personal
preference. The suede is usually a thin piece of leather veneer, that
will eventually wear out before the rest of the belt, but some people
like the way suede grips the shirt. I think the primary effect of the
belt comes from the compression of the hoop tension, not the “grab.”
So our two-ply smooth leather Starting Strength belt from Dominion
Strength Training is always my recommendation for people wanting to
upgrade.
Don’t
get a cheap shitty belt to save money. A cheap buckle without a solid
roller will not last as long as the leather. A cheap buckle with a
skinny pin can actually cut through the belt, especially if the
leather is cheap or thin. This problem is solved with a 2-pin buckle,
with only half the force applied to each hole in the belt. But a good
belt with decent leather and correctly punched holes will not suffer
this fate. And two pins are harder to manage if you’re in a hurry to
get your belt on.
You
should not have to buy a belt more than once, because a good one will
not wear out or break. Your belt and your lifting shoes are the most
important pieces of your training equipment, so invest in quality and
take care of them. Lift in junk only for as long as it takes to save
up for good equipment, and you don’t have to buy it all at once.
You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes under the bar.
There
is a reason to have a single-ply belt: they are more flexible across
their width than a double ply, making it conform to the shape of your
waist better than a stiffer belt. This problem is largely solved by
the 3-inch width, and is probably a moot point in 2024, with modern
access to the latest developments in 3-inch belt technology. But I
promised random thoughts.
I
am always puzzled when I see a lifter finish a set and immediately
take the belt off and throw it on the platform, like they’re spiking
the ball. Why do this? It’s now a trip hazard on the floor, and you
just have to pick it up to put it back on. Why not just loosen it and
wear the damn thing between sets, to keep your back warm? I put the
belt on at 135, loosely, and make it tighter as the weight increases.
The first time you hurt your back – and you will, eventually,
everybody does – every loaded set thereafter should be belted. I
take it off after the last set.
Learn
to use the rack uprights to tighten the belt. Bend the tongue around
the upright C-channel and lean back to pull the belt through the
roller buckle until it’s as tight as it needs to be. Avoid wearing it
so tight that you cannot set your abs after your valsalva – this is
certainly possible with one hole too far. If in doubt, wear it one
hole looser rather than one hole too tight.
This
is all I could think of on short notice. Feel free to add your own
wisdom to the discussion in the comments.
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It was a great pleasure to attend Gil Hedley’s Nerve Tour in Portland, Maine, last night. With his characteristic flair, Gil unfolds a complete anatomy of our neural net, woven with a unique and touching story of ‘Captain’ – the model for much of the project – and the involvement of his family and other ‘friends of Gil’ in this labor of love. Really sweetly done, and totally unusual, as most times you have no notion about the personal lives of those who donate.
As a sometime dissector, I know how much labor and thought was involved in recreating that old osteopathic venture of laying the whole system on a lacquered board.
Credit: Andrew Taylor Still University
Gil is patient and entertaining in his presentation, but clearly determined to get you to see the whole picture, and relate the ‘onion tree’ of the neural net to life. The moment at the end where he holds the whole nervous system by the brain and sacral plexus – almost like Michelangelo’s Pieta in the Vatican – moves one to tears.
Gil and I go back more than 30 years. I was his first anatomy teacher, to my credit, but he has so far surpassed my anatomical knowledge that I was both informed and inspired by his care, compassion, and fierce dedication to stick to what he can see.
You can spend a lot worse afternoons than moving your rear end off the phone to go see this presentation live. Probably coming to a venue near you – he’s in the middle of a 111-city tour.
We’ve all been there—dealing with a runny nose, scratchy throat, and that “ugh, I feel awful” cold. “Colds are caused by a common virus [typically a rhinovirus] that infects your body,” says William Li, MD, physician-scientist and author of Eat to Beat Disease. As soon as your immune system detects the virus, it will spring into action to fight. Most of those cruddy cold symptoms—cough, congestion, sore throat—are actually signs that your cold is getting better and that your body is defending itself.
But after a few days of misery, you might start to wonder: Am I actually getting better? The good news is, there are some clear signs that your body is kicking that cold to the curb. If you’re tired of feeling like a human tissue dispenser and want to know if the end is in sight, here are a few clues that you’re on the mend and headed back to your healthy, awesome self.
6 signs a cold is getting better
Getting over a cold can feel like it takes forever. If you’ve been wondering whether your cold is in the rearview mirror, here are a few signs to let you know you’re closer to feeling like yourself again.
1. There’s a change in your mucus color
Coughing up yellow or green gook? This is a surefire sign of being sick. When a virus infects your body, it immediately sends immune cells to fight the foreign invader. “These immune cells head right to the site of infection, which is often your nose and your sinuses, where your mucus is formed,” Dr. Li says. “When the battle begins, more and more of your immune cells will pile up in the mucus, and this changes the color from clear to white (and if the infection is progressing, the mucous can even change to yellow or green).”
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Tracking your mucus color can also tell you when you’re on the mend. Once “the color starts to change back to clear,” this is a signal that “your immune system has won, and the cold is easing up,” Dr. Li says.
2. You no longer have a fever
Whenever you run a fever during a cold, know that your body is busy fighting a virus. “Infection triggers a fever because high temperatures are useful to help the immune system kill viruses,” Dr. Li says. So, while fever and chills aren’t super pleasant, they’re a sign that your body’s defenses are functioning well.
Another good sign? When your fever breaks. “It’s because your immune system has won the battle,” Dr. Li says.
3. Your body aches went away
If your fever, cough, and stuffy nose don’t sideline you, your achy muscles will. “Body aches during viral infections are caused by inflammatory cytokines—i.e., special virus-killing proteins released by immune cells,” Dr. Li says. Again, while crappy in the short term, these symptoms are evidence that your immune system is working as it should.
As your aches start to go away, it’s a sign that your cold has run its course. “When the virus is vanquished, your immune cells turn off the cytokines, and your body aches go away,” Dr. Li says.
4. Other symptoms become less severe
Common cold symptoms like congestion, cough, and runny nose are your body’s way of defending itself. Whenever you breathe in a germ, it triggers a protective response from the lining of the nose and sinuses, according to New York-Presbyterian. This results in inflammation and increased secretions, which leads to the characteristic stuffy or runny noses you get during a cold. “Congestion in your sinuses and in your airways [also] causes irritation and sneezing,” Dr. Li says.
“When the virus is killed, there is less irritation,” he says. That means your congestion, cough, and runny or sneezy nose will ease up, and you’re one step closer to feeling as good as new.
5. You’re sleeping better
One of the suckiest symptoms of a cold: crappy sleep. “It’s hard to sleep when you have airway and sinus irritation, fever, and body aches caused by a cold virus,” Dr Li says. Luckily, this lack of sleep doesn’t last long. After a few days, you’ll start to notice that you can snooze for longer stretches without waking up with a sore throat (or to cough) or struggling to breathe through your nose.
“As your body clears the virus, these signs abate, and you start sleeping better,” Dr. Li says.
6. You have more energy
There’s a reason you feel totally wiped when you have a cold. “Your body responds to a virus infection by forcing you to rest, and this saps your energy,” Dr. Li says. “The cytokines that your immune system releases also can cause fatigue.”
Once your cold runs its course, you’ll start wanting to spend less time in bed. Getting your oomph back is a clue that you’re over the hump. “As you recover from a cold, your energy returns because you are returning to a normal, healthy state,” Dr. Li says.
How long does a cold usually last?
Typically, a common cold will last seven to 10 days, though it can stick around for two weeks. Most common colds follow a predictable timeline and develop in three stages, according to UnityPoint Health:
Stage 1: This is the early stage of your cold, between days one and three. You start to develop symptoms, but can still function pretty well.
Stage 2: The active stage of your cold, between days four and seven. This is when you feel the crappiest. On top of symptoms like sore throat, runny nose, and cough, you might also get body aches, fatigue, and a low-grade fever.
Stage 3: The late stage of your cold, between days seven and 10. This is the recovery phase. Your symptoms improve or may dissipate altogether.
How long is a cold contagious?
As long as you have symptoms, you can spread a cold, according to the National Health Service (NHS). But it’s also possible to transmit an infection even before your symptoms develop. That’s because it can take a few days after an exposure to a virus before you start feeling unwell. All things considered, figure most people are contagious for a week or two.
Even when you’re contagious, you can still reduce the risk of spreading a cold with a few simple strategies, per the NHS:
Wash your hands often with warm water and soap
Use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze (and toss out used tissues ASAP)
Avoid sharing towels or household items with others
Germs can survive on surfaces for 24 hours (some can last even longer), per the NHS, so disinfecting high-touch areas in your home (like light switches, doorknobs, and sinks) is also helpful to prevent the spread of viruses to people in your household.
How to ease cold symptoms in the meantime
Most colds are viral. Meaning, medicines like antibiotics are useless, so you just have to let a cold run its course. (If you have an infection, like a sinus infection, you’ll need antibiotics.) Still, there are things you can do to make yourself more comfortable as you ride it out. Here are some tried-and-true tips to treat your cold symptoms.
1. Stay hydrated: Warm fluids (think: tea, warm water with lemon, or broth) can soothe a scratchy throat, prevent dehydration, and ease congestion, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Alternatively, sucking on ice chips can temporarily numb a sore throat and keep you hydrated as well.
2. Coat your throat: Sip some tea or hot water with some lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
3. Take over-the-counter pain medicines: Aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines can help ease headaches and body aches, Dr. Li says.
4. Slurp some chicken soup: “Studies have shown the proteins in chicken soup can help quell the inflammation in your body,” Dr. Li says.
5. Gargle with salt water: A saltwater gargle can help reduce the pain and swelling of a sore throat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of warm water and gargle in your mouth for a few seconds at a time, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
6. Use a humidifier: Dry air can worsen a sore throat, so adding some moisture to the air can be helpful, per Johns Hopkins Medicine. No humidifier? No problem. Simply put a shallow bowl of water near a heat source. As the water evaporates, it’ll slowly humidify the room.
7. Rest: Your body often needs more sleep when you’re sick. “Stay in bed and let your body spend its energy fighting the infection,” Dr. Li says.
When to see a doctor
Having a cold is no fun. But in most cases, it’s just a temporary inconvenience. With home remedies, you can usually treat a cold without seeing your doctor. And, after a week or two, you should be (mostly) symptom-free or at least on the road to recovery.
But if your cold is lingering for longer than two weeks, or your symptoms are severe, you could be dealing with a more serious infection. Talk to your doctor if you have any of the following signs or symptoms, per Dr. Li:
Difficulty breathing
Chest pain
High fever (that doesn’t go away with aspirin)
Coughing with dark-colored phlegm
You are unable to keep down fluids (i.e., vomiting or diarrhea to the point of dehydration)
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Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the impact that my experience with anxiety has on me. It impacts the way I see the world, the way I interact with it, and the way I interact with others. But after years of learning about myself and my anxiety, I’ve started to notice the patterns that my anxiety creates. One pattern in particular is how my anxiety can lead to making assumptions, and how those assumptions can create problems in my life that didn’t exist before. Anxiety can lead to assumptions and if we don’t make the connection, anxiety can lead you down a road of miscommunications and life being more difficult than it should be.
We all know that old saying about assumptions: “when you assume...” And the wordplay aside, this adage makes a good point. Assumptions, no matter what they’re about, can cause problems for everyone involved and despite our best efforts, we all make assumptions at some point or another. But assumptions can cause trouble when they guide our decision-making, and that’s where it’s important to acknowledge the relationship between anxiety, anticipation, and assumptions.
There’s a lot in this world that can make us anxious (thank you, GAD), but one of the things that can trigger anxiety is when we are confronted with the unknown. Oftentimes if we need an answer to a question or there’s a piece of information we can’t get the answer to, we get anxious. The anxiety itself isn’t a problem — it’s the fact that this anxiety leads to making assumptions, and then acting on those assumptions.
Anxiety is an interesting thing. Your brain can feel like it’s moving a million miles per hour but simultaneously, your body is staying still. You want to do five things at once and because of that, you do nothing. And in trying to deal with the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, in feeling sped up and out of control, we can try to deal with a situation in the quickest way possible. And often, that solution is acting on assumptions.
Anxiety can take the form of thoughts, patterns and behaviors that impact our day-to-day lives. When left unchecked and unchallenged, these feelings can grow and fester in unhealthy ways. Knowing how my anxiety works hasn’t stopped me from having anxiety (unfortunately), but it has helped me understand myself more. I probably won’t stop making assumptions, but I’m hopeful that understanding the connection my anxiety has toward making assumptions will help me moving forward.
Making connections won’t always stop us from doing certain things, but it can help us learn patterns that have developed in our lives over the years. And in learning about these patterns, we can also unlearn them, and find a healthier way to see the world.
What do you think? Do you feel like you make a lot of assumptions in your day-to-day life? How does that impact your mental health?
Perpetua Neo, DClinPsy, is a psychologist and executive coach who received her clinical psychology doctorate from University College London. She has been featured in Elle, Forbes, Business Insider, and elsewhere.
Image by Lauren Lee / Stocksy
October 12, 2024
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Clients often ask me, as a clinical psychologist, how I actually care for my mental health. Sure, I have my coaches and therapists, I take supplements and make sure to get my steps in, And yes, I’ll also tell you I don’t have all the answers.
Sometimes my everyday life looks frivolous when you see the eating, shopping, and fun. But I’ve made peace with those needs—plus it’s never the complete picture of the growth happening behind the scenes.
I am a psychologist and coach, and I work with leaders, Type A personalities, and organizations around the world. Mental health and growth, for me, are areas in which I walk my talk. Not only do I obsessively research, but I also practice and integrate the things I’ve learned into my life.
I’ve come to learn that my growth is the best investment I can ever make; to not be agile and respond to life is to stack the odds against myself.
Exactly half my life ago—18.5 years to be exact—I walked into my first psychology class. And as the very strange, healing year that 2023 has been for me comes to a close, I’d love to share how I approach my mental health and growth with you.
Think of mental health in terms of compound interest to understand its gravity
Mental well-being feels like a “must be nice” luxury or only relevant when things are so bad that a diagnosis has been slapped on you, but I think of it in terms of something everyone understands: money.
If you borrowed $100 from a loan shark at an interest rate of 15%, and that’s compounded biweekly, that number turns to $3,768 in a year. See this as how your bad habits compound and work against you.
And if you invested $100 per month for 30 years at an annual interest rate of 4%, it feels slow and tiring because you have to keep putting in the work. But the basic sum of $36,000 you invested becomes $67,626.27. See this as your good habits.
When it comes to your good health, think about it in two stages: First, healing what’s been or become dysfunctional. Then, optimizing the system to grow with you. Both can happen at the same time throughout different parts of your life.
Mental health isn’t a mantra or a mindset you implant
In fact, when you lie to yourself by doggedly repeating such affirmations—especially when you’re not feeling it—that emotional suppression will often erupt against you. Try this instead:
1.
Take care of your body
Something I’ve learned the hard way is that willpower can only get you so far. Trauma is stored physically, and so it must be released physically, especially by regulating your brain, inhabiting your body by grounding yourself physically, and activating your vagus nerve.
But think of the times when you have a headache or your metaphorical battery doesn’t have enough juice; sometimes it takes effort just to walk. And more importantly, people are living longer, so keeping our physical bodies healthy is even more crucial.
Some things you can consider are:
On a scale of 1 to 100, what are my battery levels like right now? What adjustments do I need to make to my day?
What are the things in my life that require energy no matter how much I might enjoy them? (These might be seasonal, i.e., holidays need to be planned and require financial and emotional investment, or facts of your life like ill health or constant flying.)
Am I taking good care of my hormones? For women, honoring your hormonal cycle and taking care of yourself toward and during menopause is key. It transforms your energy and headspace. For men, andropause and declining testosterone, plus increasing estrogen levels, are things to look out for because they can affect your heart, brain, energy, and bones.
Do I know which state my nervous system is functioning in? Here, I like to think of the polyvagal ladder. Are you functioning in dorsal vagus mode (immobilization, even if you look like you’re functioning but aren’t getting anything done), parasympathetic mode (fight or flight, taking action), or ventral vagus mode (connected with yourself and the world, feeling safe).
2.
Take care of your relationships
It’s old news that we are the average of the five people we surround ourselves with. And not only that, but both toxic and ambivalent relationships are hazardous for your health. On that count, I often ask myself:
Do I like who I give my energy to?
Do I like who I am and who I am becoming with these people?
Which relationships do I need to nurture more? How do I go about that?
Which do I need to let go of, and what would it take for me to do that?
Where do I need stronger boundaries? How do I go about that?
What sort of people do I need (more) in my life? How do I go about that?
Along with this “People Audit,” I like to clean out my contacts book twice a year. In relationships, pick your battles too. There are things you do not need to explain to others or engage in pointless debates about—save your energy, especially with those who are being deliberately inflammatory.
3.
Take care of your finances
You have no mental health without financial health. I like what Ramit Sethi teaches about finances: It’s not how much you earn, it’s how much you save and grow that determines if you are stuck on a treadmill that you cannot exit or if you enjoy relative freedom.
Your spending habits will change as you enter different phases of life, so keep reviewing. Choose the parts of your life you want to spend on and cut ruthlessly on the things you don’t care about, even if others feel very differently.
Automate your investments on those things that grow in the long run; don’t waste mental energy.
No matter where you are physically, financially, or relationally, remember it’s all about growing these muscles. For instance, taking care of the vagus nerve in trauma healing can involve singing, doing tai chi, or having a deep tissue massage. These are things I don’t provide for my clients but rather invite them to choose based on what works best for them.
And most importantly, when it comes to your mental health, it’s not all in your head, of course—but your head is what saves you through the decisions you choose to make.
What you do has to fit your lifestyle, personality, and values
You are complex and don’t need to fit into some model or standard. Life will change along the way, and so you’ll have to collaborate with reality in adjusting your tactics or rewriting your strategy. Part of the secret, really, is data mining. Because you are the expert on you.
1.
Consider your personality
Having ADHD means I love to body double at Barry’s HIIT classes or write in a café, energized by others’ around me—but my introverted side means I can only run solo and reflect in quiet rooms.
Experiment, look deep into your personal history, and do things that make life easier for you, regardless of what everyone else is doing or expects from you.
2.
Your wiring is not an excuse for disrespectful behavior
I love the meme “Your introversion isn’t an excuse to be an asshole” because this isn’t just about my way or the highway.
If a certain way of functioning works better with you, you can request it and then look for a happy compromise. For instance, I may ask someone for the freedom to handle my own time when it comes to a project and break it down into a few milestones because I like autonomy. But that comes with the understanding that I always deliver.
3.
Do you like seeking help virtually or in real life?
I have mentors, coaches, and therapists virtually because that’s the only way I can access that specific person. I also love how I can simply switch on my laptop and take it from there instead of having a long commute.
As someone who works with clients across six continents, I can attest that you tap into plenty of body language simply by video, and the results speak for themselves.
Likewise, there are those who prefer being in the same room or do not need specialist support.
4.
When do you share the private details of your current struggles, and with whom?
Some people like sharing what’s going on while they’re in the thick of it; others only feel comfortable once it’s been resolved.
Personally, I like to go through my struggle phases in private, hiring professionals, and I might share with my loved ones that I am currently working through something, and do not want any solutions or to talk about that, so they can understand my head space may be a little occupied.
Whatever works best for you; there is no guilt or shame. Being aware simply helps you keep energy by not second-guessing yourself.
5.
Just because you’re wired a certain way doesn’t mean you can’t catch up
My fellow neurodivergents often feel like daily living is rigged against them. Autistic people often feel they’re terrible at social relationships, for example, while ADHDers might have messier finances or home cleanliness.
Whatever it is, it’s never too late. The secret is to use what you’re great at as your unfair advantage, to catch up on the things you lag behind in.
For instance, I used hyper-focus and an obsession with creating and tweaking systems in order to transform myself from a once socially awkward person to someone with a pretty amazing network and close friends who fly 6,000 miles regularly to eat with me.
6.
Be more you
“I saw the angel in the marble, I just had to release him.” This Michelangelo quote has always given me goose bumps. It got me thinking that, too often, we do things that turn us into other people—things that simply aren’t a good fit.
We cover ourselves with all these well-being items that end up clogging our heads and time and disconnect us from ourselves. Obviously, the basics of eating, hydrating, moving, breathing, relating, and sleeping relatively healthily and sufficiently are universal, but the form they take varies for us all.
As such, I always invite my clients to think about the things that have always made them tick. For instance, Type A personalities may relax by running, whereas a Type B might prefer to tend to their plants.
7.
It doesn’t matter if your motivation isn’t noble or socially acceptable
I’ll be honest, I wanted to get fit to wear cropped tops. In my head, my future self’s health wasn’t urgent enough for me to take action. But that motivation got me going, and I admitted it because I’m tired of all the lies we tell ourselves.
If you decide to heal from the trauma of abuse so you can remember your old potential, partly because you want to prove your ex wrong, I’m cool if that is your biggest reason.
You will have a cocktail of motivations, and as long as one gets you going, that’s what we will work with. Your main reason will change along the way. Now my main motivation is quality health. Just like my ex-abused clients now want to inspire others and be their champions.
Identify your latest limiting factor
In every chapter comes a new struggle. Sometimes the struggle feels stupid because you aren’t objectively suffering, but it’s existential, you have no reference points, or you feel it’s a vapid, First World problem. This is likelier the more you’ve grown as a person and built up your inner and external resources.
So let’s first come to terms with this: Your struggle is valid.
Next up, with every struggle comes a new factor that’s limiting you. As a young person, your limiting factors are likely to be experience, skills, or money. You sacrifice your sleep and health to build them up, also because your body is still robust, and as you build them up, they start compounding benefits.
Then, your new struggle might become emotional intelligence, a great network, or time. Following which, it might morph into mindset, health, or old demons that you’ve always tolerated “just fine.”
Identify these struggles, because to grow into the next version of you, you will have to make this limiting factor work for you.
You don’t need your routines and rituals to be perfect
Here’s my confession: I sleep very late every day. Part of how I understand this is that with ADHD, when I am awake, the world is so amazing that I don’t want to sleep, and when I am asleep, that world is so amazing, I don’t want to wake.
And while I get all the science for sleeping earlier—including what my facial gal always tells me about even better skin—I don’t want to pressure myself too much on getting everything right. Plus, I sleep an average of nine hours anyway, so for now, I am at peace with this.
Similarly, there will be aspects of your routine you may not get “perfect.” While you will benefit from getting better, as long as 75% of your foundational life is in order, you don’t need to scare yourself.
This is the same way I think about people who are afraid of rice, pasta, or cake—which contributes to a mental health struggle called orthorexia. If you eat generally thoughtfully most of the time, white carbs are all right. Plus, there are seasons for cakes, like birthdays and the holidays. So if you actually like cakes and burgers, you don’t need to cut them out from your life forever.
I also do my best not to eat, sleep, or “indulge” from a place of escaping my emotions. My favorite rule I learned from fitness personality Dan Go is “Don’t make one bad day, two.”
In other words, you may fall off your good habits for a day because you wanted to comfort (or punish) yourself. And what most people end up doing is punishing themselves for that by spiraling further.
Here’s the deal: You’re human. Keep one bad day at one bad day. Tomorrow is a brand-new day.
Don’t shoot the path that got you here
A big issue I see with Type A personalities is lamenting about how they were brought up as ever-achieving perfectionists. A part of this has to do with increasing levels of mental health awareness in the zeitgeist, as well as op-eds on how people should learn emotional intelligence instead.
It got me thinking about my younger self. People were gagging to teach me how to socialize and develop some emotional intelligence, and for some reason, I saw no need to, nor had any desire to. Plus, if I hadn’t developed my academic and commercial sides, where would I be today?
For my clients, this makes them question their entire timeline, as if what they’ve accomplished becomes moot because all they did was go to medical school or law school.
And so, I have a strong belief in not shooting the path that got you here. Rather, wherever you are in your life today, there will be gaps and vulnerabilities, like how emotional intelligence was mine in my 20s. When you realize you want to work on them, of your own accord, you will strengthen and grow these skills.
Similarly, don’t shoot your successes by downplaying them. I am guilty of thinking things like, “It’s easier for me to do XYZ or accomplish ABC because I don’t have the pressures of child care,” or, ” I had a great education because my parents gave me the funds.”
For everything that comes easily to me, or every success that I have, I automatically compare my path to someone who’s had it harder. And my perfectionist head will inevitably pick someone with maximum struggles, from their financial resources to their cognitive wiring to being a refugee.
And then I stop myself. For every privilege and freedom I’ve had today, I have also paid the price of forgoing something else in my past, present, or future. And I’ve also struggled and worked hard enough, and I have nothing to prove by suffering more.
Part of the issue comes from what naysayers say, so I do my best to silence those narratives by distancing myself and reminding myself to stop suffering to satisfy people who don’t care about me.
Having a relatively blessed everyday life doesn’t make me removed from understanding others’ lives, especially in my job and as a human being
Three years ago, I had a major family crisis that changed my priorities. I was on the lookout for my family emotionally and creating contingency plans. And I was blessed enough to organize my career in a way that allowed me to work fewer hours.
And that is something I’ve also battled inside deeply for the same amount of time.
Watching out for someone else drains your energy, so of course I would want to devote fewer hours in order to produce quality work. And with everything I know about empathy burnout, I also filled my life with social and personal projects and goals so I would come out of this chapter stronger, having made the best of it.
But it is only in retrospect that I’ve deeply come to terms with these realizations instead of merely knowing them intellectually.
The biggest absolution I’ve gained about the way I’ve designed my everyday life has come from author Shane Parrish’s Clear Thinking. It is in how you live your ordinary moments that determines success because you have bandwidth and a clear head to make better decisions for yourself.
It’s often easy to wonder whether you’re living “correctly” if you’re not frazzled and doing a million things, especially in a wired culture like Singapore. The rules of how others live can make you doubt your choices, and defending your choices can be exhausting.
And that helps me understand that it’s those years of working very hard and making responsible choices that got me to a place where I could step back and focus on family. Throughout the last three years, I worked hard on myself too, building stronger foundations for my future and solid relationships with my tribe.
In exchange, I’m the healthiest and fittest I’ve ever been in my entire life, and these habits have become automatically ingrained. I should not shoot down this success and imagine I should be in shambles today in order for those three years to have been “valid.”
And as I emerge from that chapter, I hold my head up high knowing I lived it responsibly.
Now, I understand that I’ve just graduated from another level in the School of Life: knowing that the valleys are temporary and, more importantly, the plateaus don’t last forever.
It is with that, that I consciously make my ordinary moments and everyday life work for me and with me.
It’s what you do in your day-to-day life—between your check-ins with your coaches, healers, and therapists—that matters most
You can go to a retreat on a deserted island, and you will likely lose weight, feel more at peace, and feel happier if you’ve been fed on fresh fruit and hearty soups and have been breathing deeply with others.
But what happens when you go back into your real life and your phone pings every two seconds between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the easiest thing to eat is takeout, while you hate your boss, partner, or friends?
Sure, you can go on another retreat next year, but in the meantime, yo-yoing between the reprieve and the chaos is what gets people feeling more helpless and hopeless every time the cycle repeats itself. That is what I call, the “And Then What? Problem.”
Real life is the stress test, the active training ground for how you live and grow. The real issue with your phone might lie in the fact that you allow every type of notification and don’t mute it for certain hours of the day. The real issue with burnout might lie in poor boundaries and not knowing how to take care of your body in a way that is optimum for you.
And so there might be habits to delete from your life, like that automatic taxi, and fitting in a walk. Or being more thoughtful about the food you order, popping a few supplements for brain health, or consciously deep breathing several times a day.
The sum total of these ordinary and boring decisions and how you keep showing up (imperfectly) is really what matters.
That retreat or session with the professional you hired can only do so much. Or to quote the wisdom from my facialist, she can only clean your face that well—the magic happens if you take care of your skin every day, and then her monthly treatments turbocharge everything.
The takeaway
The thing about mental health and growth is that it’s really meant to be lived. A session with your professionals, a book, or a retreat can inspire you, give you epiphanies, and cartograph a map. But what you do over and over again becomes your habits, and those habits become your character.
You will grow. Life and the world will change. Part of this is learning how to pivot and collaborate with reality, to tweak your systems so they grow with you. And so much of this, to me, boils down to winning the inner game.
I remember what a trusted confidant taught me as I was finding myself entrenched in a strange place while looking out for my family: “Don’t fight in the North or the South. Fight every battle everywhere, always, in your mind. Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend. Every possible series of events is happening all at once. Live that way and nothing will surprise you. Everything that happens will be something that you’ve seen before.” —Lord Petyr Baelish, Game of Thrones.
That reminded me of the person I’d always been and the person I wanted to be again. So the thing about your mental health and growth is it really isn’t a luxury—it’s the best investment you can ever make.
At times, you may feel disheartened that there aren’t immediate, huge returns on your salary or assets. But remember, that network you built in your 20s may only start fruiting in your 30s and 40s. Same concept here. And ultimately, winning the mental game is really about playing the long game.
Not all fat is created equal, and while any excess can be unhealthy, a type known as visceral fat is especially dangerous. Visceral fat lies deep under your skin and surrounds your organs and intestines. While some visceral fat is good, having too much is one of the primary causes of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and various types of cancer. In other words, for health concerns, visceral fat should be your primary target when losing fat. In this post I’ll give you my best tips to target visceral fat.
What Is Visceral Fat?
When we examine the types of body fat in the human body, we group it into two types: visceral and subcutaneous. Subcutaneous fat sits just under the skin under the dermis layer. It plays multiple roles, such as:
Energy storage
Provides warmth
Protects the body
On the other hand, we have visceral fat. Visceral fat is a type of fat stored deep within the abdominal cavity and surrounds internal organs such as the liver and pancreas. Similar to subcutaneous fat, some visceral fat is a good thing. However, while an excess of subcutaneous fat is also related to health issues, there’s a stronger association with visceral fat.
Over the years, we have learned a lot about fat, and we now understand that it’s much more than just a place to store energy and keep us warm. In fact, most researchers now view fat as an endocrine organ, as it releases many different types of hormones and compounds.¹
Unfortunately, many of the hormones secreted from visceral fat are harmful. For example, a protein known as a “cytokine” can cause low-grade inflammation. Another example is Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and unstable angina.
Some of the health conditions that are associated with a higher amount of visceral fat are;
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Some types of cancers
Heart disease
Stroke
Even Alzheimers!
Due to its association with these health issues, researchers encourage targeting visceral fat when losing weight.
That’s great. It’s like when a life coach tells you to secure your future by making more money. How do you do that!?
7 Top Tips To Burn Visceral Fat
Let’s get right to it. We will show you some of the best ways you can adjust your training and diet to maximize the burn of visceral fat.
Before we start, we want to state that you can use these habits to target visceral fat loss (or try to) specifically. What we mean is that you can do them in conjunction with a weight loss program.
Get into a 300-500 caloric deficit
Strength train at least 2 times a week
Increase daily activity (NEAT) and try to hit at least 10,000 steps a day
Increase protein intake (2g/kg+) and spread out over 4-5 feedings.
Further, we are definitely not saying this will burn 100% visceral fat. Instead, these methods are backed by research demonstrating effectiveness at burning a significantly higher percentage of visceral fat.
1. High Intensity Intervals
Just about all types of weight loss strategies will have a net positive effect on losing visceral fat. However, when you want to get rid of it sooner, one strategy seems to have a larger effect than others: high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Multiple studies have demonstrated that high-intensity exercise yields greater results when comparing absolute loss of visceral fat. The good thing is that it doesn’t really seem to matter exactly what protocol you use as long as you’re working intervals that are greater than 90% VO2 max, which is about 95% heart rate, depending on the person.²
This study used 5 groups of trainees who followed different exercise methods over a 12-week program and examined how this affected visceral fat loss. The 5 methods were;
All-out sprint interval training (SIT) (All-out)
Supramaximal SIT (120% O2peak)
High-intensity interval training (90% O2peak)
Moderate-intensity continuous training (60% O2peak)
No training
At the end of the 12 weeks, all four intervention groups produced similar losses in whole-body fat. However, what’s interesting is that the three different high-intensity interval workouts caused significantly greater visceral fat loss in the abdominal region compared to the moderate-intensity training protocol. This suggests that high-intensity doesn’t produce more fat loss; rather, it encourages the loss of visceral fat (>15 cm2 vs. 3 cm2).
This tells us that you should include some type of interval training in your overall program. Of the protocols, the all-out sprint interval training was the most time-efficient.
2. RUN!!!!!
We know some of you are sighing right now, but we’re just telling you what the research says! When performing HIIT, running seems to produce greater losses in visceral fat compared with cycling!³
This large meta-analysis looked at 39 studies that utilized various interval protocols using either running, cycling, or both. What’s interesting is that both resulted in significant whole-body fat loss. However, only running produced significant losses in visceral fat, while cycling showed a trend.⁴
Researchers aren’t exactly sure why this occurs, so they still need more research, but you might want to throw in some sprints at the end of your training!
3. Include Resistance Training
Most people automatically think of aerobic training as a way to burn fat. This works and definitely plays a part. However, you should also include progressive resistance training to combat visceral fat. This brings several unique benefits.
For one, researchers have tested which is more effective at burning visceral fat: aerobic or resistance training. Some studies have shown mixed results but suggest aerobic is better.⁵ However, it doesn’t matter because it appears that using both is more effective than doing either one in isolation!
You may have heard us talk about this phenomenon about other adaptations: a fascination with arguing, “Which is better?” While we understand the sentiment, more often than not, the answer is both!
Further, building muscle will help improve your insulin sensitivity and glucose intake; this can help combat any type of insulin resistance caused by visceral fat. What is fascinating, if not frightening, is that researchers now know that people who are at “healthy weights” on the scale can still be at high risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes.⁶
The reason is that the muscles do the majority of glucose uptake, so when you have low levels of muscle mass, that glucose has nowhere to go. Therefore, get in the weight room and put on muscle.
4. Fasting
We want to note again that none of the advice in this article will help with fat loss, let alone visceral fat loss if you’re not in a caloric deficit and eating a healthy diet.
That said, there seems to be evidence that fasting can increase visceral fat loss. However, there’s a key point that must be used in conjunction with fasting, and it’s not energy output. Well, energy output definitely plays a role. However, many studies that have looked at fasting vs. calorie restriction in terms of visceral fat burn have shown negligible results. So what’s the key?
In 2022, an 8-week study was conducted that compared the visceral fat loss of a group following calorie restriction and a group following fasting. Specifically, there were two fasting groups, resulting in three groups in total.
Fasting 1: One fasting day a week of 36 hours with 400cals/day + 6 days of normal eating with a diet of 35% protein that was paced out 4-5 times throughout the day
Fasting 2: Two fasting days a week totaling 60 hours with 500 calories/day + 5 days of normal diet with 35% protein paced out 4-5 times throughout the day.
Calorie restriction: Caloric-equated diet that consisted of 21% protein.
At the end of the 8 weeks, all groups saw significant losses in total and visceral fat loss. However, unlike previous studies, the intermittent fasting protocols did show more remarkable results, including;
Total weight loss: (Fasting −9% vs. Calorie Restriction −5%)
Total fat loss: (Fasting −16% vs. −9%)
Total visceral fat loss: (Fasting −33% vs. −14%)
The researchers suggest this was due to the high protein intake and its pacing. Therefore, increase your protein intake and spread it out between 4-5 meals throughout the day. When asking how much, the above study used 35% of total calories.⁷
So, let’s assume you need to eat 2,500 calories. This means you’d want 35% to be from protein, resulting in;
2,500 X 35% = 875 calories.
We also know that there are 4 calories in 1 gram of protein, meaning you’d need to eat;
From here, you’d want to space that out evenly over 4-5 meals, meaning you’d need to eat around 40-45g of protein five times.
Related: 3 Day Fast Guide
5. Control Stress And Get More Sleep
We will combine getting more sleep with controlling your stress, as they’re interconnected. Both have been found to influence visceral fat accumulation and can influence each other!
One of the primary mechanisms by which stress can increase visceral fat is the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is your body’s “stress hormone” and one of the “fight-or-flight” hormones. When the body is under elevated stress, cortisol is released, which controls blood sugar and metabolism. Further, it slows unnecessary body functions until the stress is gone and even encourages fat storage.
Like many processes, cortisol is beneficial under the right circumstances and for a short duration. However, prolonged stress consistently elevates certain hormones, blood sugar, and blood pressure, along with slowing metabolism. More importantly, it promotes the storage of fat around the waist. Numerous studies have shown that heightened levels of circulating cortisol and cortisol production rates are associated with visceral fat but not subcutaneous fat.⁸
Researchers have even found that when individuals of healthy weight experience constant stress and elevated cortisol levels, they still tend to have a higher amount of belly fat.⁹ Other large metals have come to this same conclusion and suggest stress plays a much larger role in fat loss than previously thought.¹⁰
There are many ways to control stress, and everyone is dealing with different stressors. However, one that affects everyone is sleep! The importance of sleep can’t be overstated, it’s very difficult not to be stressed when you’re exhausted. At the same time, sleep of shorter durations has been associated with higher visceral fat levels. This review of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that this relation rose up until 8 hours of sleep.¹¹
We know life is crazy, and “lower your stress” is much easier said than done. However, do what you need to do. Find a hobby, exercise (definitely exercise!), give yourself downtime, and sleep!
Related: Best Sleep Routine
6. Minimize Processed Food & Cut Out Ultra-Processed Foods
Processed and ultra-processed foods have become essential talking points recently, for good reason: they’re bad news. Now, it is important to point out that there is a spectrum, so not every single processed food is horrible for you. However, they’re not the best choice. At the same time, every ultra-processed food is terrible for you.
As you can imagine, ultra-processed foods have been found to strongly correlate with the accumulation of belly fat. It’s suggested that a 10% increase in ultra-processed foods causes a significant increase in abdominal visceral fat; in other words, the more ultra-processed foods you eat, the more visceral fat.
Let’s be honest. There are a slew of reasons to minimize the amount of ultra-processed foods in your diet, and gaining more visceral fat is just another one.
7. Find Training That You Can Adhere To
This is really important, as we can sometimes get too caught up in what is mechanistically better and forget about real life. What we mean is that it doesn’t necessarily matter if exercise A is better than exercise B at getting rid of visceral fat if you hate exercise A and love exercise B.
Often, in terms of fitness and health, any advantages that may exist in the short term tend to become less pronounced over the long term. In other words, finding a form of exercise you enjoy and can adhere to for the rest of your life will likely be the better option.
An interesting study followed five groups of people for a year who had recently lost a significant amount of weight, about 12kg. The goal was to examine the regain of visceral fat.
People who adhered to a year of aerobic training (aerobic adherers)
People who stop aerobic training (aerobic nonadherence)
People who adhered to a year of resistance training (resistance adherers)
People who stopped resistance training (resistance nonadherence)
No exercise
After a year, the research found that the two groups that adhered to aerobic or resistance training saw similar results in loss of visceral fat. More importantly, both were significantly more advantageous than the other three groups.¹²
The primary point is that you eventually need to find an exercise regime you can maintain throughout your life. Still, this might mean that you alter between different training styles; many people may weight train for a year, then train in bodybuilding, and then maybe Crossfit. After that, they may try cycling. The point is that staying active is the key in the long run for general health and maintaining low visceral fat levels.
Burning Visceral Fat: The Bottom Line
Losing weight is much more important than just aesthetics. Excess weight can cause a slew of health issues, with the type of fat influencing this effect. Your best tool for staying healthy is to eat a balanced diet and partake in an effective training program that contains both conditioning and resistance training. Once you have laid out your foundations, you can modify your program to target visceral fat. Follow the tips in this article to help burn visceral fat and build a healthier body.
If you’re serious about shedding some extra pounds then give our SFS Fat Loss Program a try, it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!
References
Coelho, Marisa, et al. “State of the Art Paper Biochemistry of Adipose Tissue: An Endocrine Organ.” Archives of Medical Science, vol. 9, no. 2, 2013, pp. 191–200, https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2013.33181.
Zhang, Haifeng, et al. “Exercise Training‐Induced Visceral Fat Loss in Obese Women: The Role of Training Intensity and Modality.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 4 Sept. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13803.
Couvert, Annaëlle & Goumy, Leslie & Maillard, Florie & Esbrat, Alexandre & Lanchais, Kassandra & Saugrain, Célia & Verdier, Charlotte & Doré, Eric & Chevarin, Caroline & Adjtoutah, Djamel & Morel, Claire & Pereira, Bruno & Martin, Vincent & Lancha, Antonio & Barnich, Nicolas & Chassaing, Benoit & Rance, Mélanie & Boisseau, Nathalie. (2024). Effects of a Cycling versus Running HIIT Program on Fat Mass Loss and Gut Microbiota Composition in Men with Overweight/Obesity A C C E P T E D. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 56. 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003376.
Maillard, Florie, et al. “Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Total, Abdominal and Visceral Fat Mass: A Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 48, no. 2, 10 Nov. 2017, pp. 269–288, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0807-y.
Waters, Debra L, et al. “Effect of Aerobic or Resistance Exercise, or Both, on Intermuscular and Visceral Fat and Physical and Metabolic Function in Older Adults with Obesity While Dieting.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 11 Apr. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab111.
Merz, Karla E., and Debbie C. Thurmond. “Role of Skeletal Muscle in Insulin Resistance and Glucose Uptake.” Comprehensive Physiology, vol. 10, no. 3, 8 July 2020, pp. 785–809, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8074531/, https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c190029.
Arciero, Paul J., et al. “Intermittent Fasting and Protein Pacing Are Superior to Caloric Restriction for Weight and Visceral Fat Loss.” Obesity, 27 Dec. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23660.
Purnell, Jonathan Q., et al. “Enhanced Cortisol Production Rates, Free Cortisol, and 11β-HSD-1 Expression Correlate with Visceral Fat and Insulin Resistance in Men: Effect of Weight Loss.” American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 296, no. 2, 1 Feb. 2009, pp. E351–E357, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645022/, https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.90769.2008.
Epel, Elissa S., et al. “Stress and Body Shape: Stress-Induced Cortisol Secretion Is Consistently Greater among Women with Central Fat.” Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 62, no. 5, 1 Sept. 2000, p. 623, journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2000/09000/Stress_and_Body_Shape__Stress_Induced_Cortisol.5.aspx.
van der Valk, Eline S., et al. “Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals?” Current Obesity Reports, vol. 7, no. 2, 16 Apr. 2018, pp. 193–203, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5958156/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-018-0306-y.
Giannos, Panagiotis, et al. “Shorter Sleep Duration Is Associated with Greater Visceral Fat Mass in US Adults: Findings from NHANES, 2011–2014.” Sleep Medicine, Mar. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2023.03.013.
Hunter, Gary R., et al. “Exercise Training Prevents Regain of Visceral Fat for 1 Year Following Weight Loss.” Obesity, vol. 18, no. 4, 8 Oct. 2009, pp. 690–695, https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2009.316. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.
2024 Update: Added Giant Lifting BD3X rack, a comparison chart, and various updates throughout.
Very few things are as important for strength training as a power rack.
While you can get a budget power rack at around $300, spend more and it’s a whole different world. A better rack feels as solid and safe as one at a commercial gym and has several features you might have taken for granted until you notice the cheaper racks are lacking them.
You Don’t Have to Bolt Down Your Rack
A “freestanding” power rack is one you can use without worrying about bolting anything to the floor. This is the easiest to deal with.
I should present a little bit of context so that other people don’t get in your ear and make you feel like you need a bolt-down rack.
This pic is from the era where the “a real power rack is bolted to the floor” assertion is rooted. The originals were very shallow from front to back and had to be bolted down to the floor or wall.
In commercial settings, having a bolt-down rack still makes sense so that it doesn’t shift around from people using it all day and is impossible to tip over even if someone is monkeying around on it.
There has been a resurgence in bolt-down racks for home use, chief among them Rogue and their R-3 rack. At home these are more essential for Crossfitters for exercises like kipping pull ups. For other people, eh, not so much. Do you bolt down all your furniture? Or do you shove it back into place after a while when you notice it’s moved? Yeah, not a big deal.
Important Guidelines for Picking a Home Power Rack
Some of this comes down to what kind of gravy you like best. I recommend you look at the product page of a couple choices I go over further below and see if anything jumps out at you. Don’t worry about most of the features, or you’ll make yourself crazy and never make a decision.
The point of this guide isn’t to sort out every feature but to steer you towards a few solid choices that have most or all of these most important features.
Open-Ended Design
Some nice freestanding power racks have adopted the open-ended design of bolt-down racks, where you have complete freedom to slide your bench back without any lower horizontal brace getting in the way.
The old Body Solid GPR378, on which the lower cross brace gets in the way.
In particular this often becomes a problem when you set your adjustable bench to incline position and need to slide it back a little more to get your body under the bar. It runs up against the rack’s cross-brace, as you can see above. That brace will also will get in the way of your feet when unracking for squats.
Freestanding open-ended racks have to designed heavy-duty enough that they remain stable without needing the lower cross-brace so much.
The racks will need these features for stabilization:
3×3 inch tubing
Gusseting on the bottom corners
A deeper footprint
Very heavy weight (300+ lbs)
This increases the price significantly in the interest of omitting that lower cross brace that gets in the way.
Here’s another look at why the extended footprint is necessary:
An extended footprint beyond where you’re racking the bar acts as a counter-force, leveraged against the floor, to prevent the rack from tipping. Intuitively this should make sense.
Sturdiness / Weight / Weight Capacity
Some companies advertise a weight capacity of 500 lbs, 1000 lbs, whatever. Don’t compare that number. Any rack out there will hold the amount of weight you’re lifting and not break. Steel is strong stuff. It really comes down to how stable the rack is, and that consideration is not at all indicated by a weight capacity rating.
Whether or not it’s a rack with an open-ended design, you want a rack that feels solid, doesn’t shift around, won’t tip at all when you walk into it with a heavy barbell on your shoulders, and doesn’t wobble when you do pull ups.
For that super stable feeling, get a rack made of 11-gauge steel and either 2×3 inch or 3×3 inch tubing. These always weigh in at over 200 lbs. Some commercial grade ones are closer to 400 lbs, which is a burden to assemble (or move!) but great to use. For a freestanding rack, it mostly comes down to heavy = stable.
You can weigh down some racks further by adding 45lb weight plates to storage pegs, preferably close to the floor.
In terms of the rack staying put and not sliding, rubber flooring makes a huge difference. The rack will slide too easily on concrete or other surfaces.
Pull Up Bar Height and Your Ceiling Height
A power rack is partly wasted when its pull up bar is too close to the ceiling to give you head room over the bar. Sure, it’s nice to have a tall rack that you can do standing overhead presses inside, but you have to balance everything out with your ceiling height.
Modern racks with the pull-up bar installed into any holes on the uprights on the front, rather than on the top frame, gives you the flexibility to install your pull up bar at the perfect height. This is the best design, giving you a full-height rack while not sacrificing head room for pull-ups. All of the racks I feature below have this feature, with the exception of the ForceUSA MyRack.
J-Hook Choices
This is what you rack the bar on, and it’s almost as important as the bar itself, because it greatly affects your experience during every single set and whether your bar’s knurling gets ruined by the hooks.
An option for sandwich J-hooks is a plus, in my opinion. The way they are constructed, there’s a thick slab of UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) plastic protecting your bar’s knurling no matter where you slam it into the hook, even against the front edge mistakenly. They also are thinner side-to-side and stick out from the rack farther, giving you more room for slop side-to-side when re-racking the bar.
This image from Rogue gives you a good comparison of the two styles
When given the option, most everyone would prefer sandwich J-hooks over regular J-hooks. The price is the only factor. I wrote a post all about these.
Failing that, at least make sure to get UHMW lined J-hooks, the one on the right side in the pic above.
Safety Straps
These have been around long enough now that most everyone has learned to trust them. The design kinks have been worked out.
These serve the same purpose as traditional steel safety bars, catching the bar at the bottom of your range of motion if you should fail a set, but with a few advantages over steel bars:
Reduced noise
Reduced wear on the bar’s knurling
Reduced risk of rack or bar damage if you drop the bar
Reduced need for Westside hole spacing
To explain that last point, straps can be set with one anchor higher than the other so as to adjust the strap hang height just right. This way the extra holes in the rack uprights are not necessary.
If you aren’t aware, Westside spacing is a feature originated by the people at Westside Barbell, a well-known and invitation-only powerlifting training facility. They started putting a hole at every inch on center in the bottom portion of the uprights, rather than every 2 inches or more, so as to allow the lifter to set the safety bars at his perfect height for bench presses, just under his range of motion but high enough to save him if you should fail. The industry has widely adopted the design. It just so happens that every rack I feature further below has Westside spacing because it’s so popular.
Anyway, if you don’t get safety straps, the next-best alternative is safety bars that have some kind of protection on them, such as pin-and-pipe safety bars or UHMW-lined safety bars. Sure, sometimes you’ll only hit them if you fail a set, but if you do a variety of exercises you might be resting the bar on the safety bars/straps for certain exercises.
Other Add-Ons, and Compatibility Between Brands
If you have your heart set on attachments like a monolift or dip handles, make sure you can get one from them or a compatible one of another brand.
You might be able to find a compatible brand of power rack attachments in this guide. There are like 20 different sizes, and some are totally incompatible with others. Your best bet for compatibility is 3×3 inch tubing for direct compatibility with Rogue, or 75x75mm (2.95″) tubing which has become common enough that incompatibilities with some Rogue attachments might not be a big deal.
Now on to specific racks that meet most of those criteria…
Quick Comparison Chart
Scroll right to see all 6 racks.
Rep PR-4000
Rogue RML-390F
Titan Flat Foot X-3
ForceUSA MyRack
Giant BD3X
Ethos 1.0
weight
275 lb
295 lb
280 lb
176 lb
374 lb
275 lb
height
80″ / 93″
92″
82″ / 91″
87″
92″
85″
footprint depth
30″ / 36″ / 47″
48″
50″
55″
36″
59″
steel gauge
11-gauge
11-gauge
11-gauge
12-gauge
11-gauge
11-gauge
flat foot design
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
tubing size
Metric 75mm
Imperial 3×3
Metric 75mm
Metric 60mm
Metric 75mm
Metric 75mm
starting price
$800
$910
$699
$759 + shipping
$1,049
$750 + shipping
Possible Issues:
– Must be stabilized or bolted down – Limited compatibility with Rogue attachments due to metric sizing
What Makes it Stand Out:
– Quality control – Height and depth options – Stabilizer and extension options – Westside hole spacing
Rep Fitness makes very good quality equipment, nearly on par with Rogue, but not USA-made, and for a slightly lower price. Unlike Titan, they don’t really copy Rogue’s models.
Rep doesn’t make a flat-foot rack. This is their featured power rack in the same price range of the other racks here, and although at first glance it appears to be a bolt-down rack, it can be configured to be freestanding, as I go over below.
On the product page you’ll see several customization options, including height and depth choices, which is easier to deal with than the way Rogue and Titan both separate out the different heights and depths into different models you have to browse through on separate pages.
I confirmed with Lance at Rep Fitness that you can mount the pull up bar anywhere on the uprights instead of the top frame, giving you height options for it.
Speaking of the pull up bar, if you try to use the short 80″ rack under a 7ft (84″) ceiling, you’ll find that you don’t have enough room for pullups.
Optional rear stabilizer. This isn’t the best pic angle. The stabilizer is angled back so as to be out of the way.
The basic unit is meant to be bolted to the floor if you don’t add any kind of bracing.
One option to avoid bolting it down is adding the bottom rear stabilizer. I like the way the stabilizer is curved backward, a design that makes it less likely to get in the way of your bench or feet… but we’re only talking a few inches, and it will therefore still get in the way with some benches or situations.
The other option is to add the rear extension shown here, on which you can optionally install plate storage pegs, which is also great to have, both for storage sake and to weigh the rack down. You also see the optional front feet extension, which will help stability a little but not as much as the rear.
The size compatibility with the Rogue Monster Lite attachments is a plus. They are sized in metric, so the compatibility is not going to be perfect and some attachments likely will not fit.
By the way, as far as those band pegs... Not a great idea to use bands on a freestanding rack unless you weigh it down good. You could pull it right off the floor.
Possible Issues:
Nothing I can think of
What Makes it Stand Out:
– Large selection of attachments – Quality control – Made in the USA – Westside hole spacing
You can’t go wrong with Rogue. Quality is always a given. Their designs and quality control are among the best, at least for this price range. People who want to avoid the risk of headaches with bad parts that need to be replaced go with Rogue. Occasionally there can be an issue, but they do such high volume that they’ve got their processes down better than anybody to avoid the problems. They make their racks (and many other things) in their own huge facility in Columbus, OH, making it one of the only made-in-the-USA choices.
Accordingly, Rogue is more expensive than other options.
The 92″ height will fit under a 8ft (96″) ceiling, and you can adjust the pull up bar a bit lower during installation as needed.
Naturally, all of the Monster Lite attachments fit this rack, as well as some from Rep Fitness and other brands.
Possible Issues:
– Limited compatibility with Rogue attachments due to metric sizing – Lower quality standards
Titan’s X-3 line includes several power racks and squat stands made of 3×3 inch tubing. The flat-foot X-3 is a freestanding variation of their regular X-3 power rack.
Titan is known for their low prices and making direct copies of Rogue equipment, sometimes with corners cut. As such, this is the lowest priced of all options, even if you get the 92″ height. Be forewarned that sometimes Titan’s equipment arrives scratched up or with a weld misaligned. Their UHMW plastic inserts protecting J-cups and safety bars are a bit roughly cut compared to the clean polished look of other brands. Picky people will not like Titan. Others don’t mind taking a gamble. Titan does send you replacement parts if there’s a significant problem with the alignment or safety. I think they probably keep their prices low by not spending a lot of time doing spot checking or being too nitpicky about things until it’s a real issue.
Their flat foot rack has a 50″ deep footprint, which is 2″ deeper than Rogue’s. A previous version of this article I had this rack as weighing 343 lbs. As often is the case, the info from Titan was inaccurate and has been corrected to 296 lbs for the 92″ tall model, which is almost exactly the same weight as Rogue.
Like Rep Fitness, Titan has a short version, at 82″. As with Rep’s short option, if you use it under a 7ft (84″) ceiling you’ll find the pullup bar to be useless.
For added stability, add the rack extension and set of 8 plate storage pegs to really weigh down that sucker.
Titan’s tubing size is metric, converting to about 2.95″ square tubing and 11/16″ holes. Due to this, some attachments from Rogue and others will fit, while some may not. This may not be an issue for you, given that Titan makes a ton of attachments for it.
Possible Issues:
– No compatibility with other brands of attachments – Fixed height 87″ pull up bar – 12 gauge steel
What Makes it Stand Out:
– Modular design lets you pick features without paying for unused parts – Westside hole spacing
The ForceUSA brand is owned by Net Media Group, an online marketing agency that promotes many brands like Precor and others. They also own Diamondback Fitness.
Being meant for mass appeal, this rack is not as heavy duty as some other models that the more hardcore or picky lifters would prefer. It is made with only 12-gauge steel, which is a bit thinner than the 11-gauge steel in the rest of the racks I’m talking about in this post.
The initial $499 price when you view the product page is a little deceptive in that the rack is not functional unless you add a few things. For $499 you get only the basic frame. No pull up bar, no J hooks, no safety bars. You have to add those on the product page, and then you’ll see a better total, which comes to $759 minimum. It is called modular, and they give you a few options for each of those.
On the other hand, if you’re active duty military, a veteran, or any first responder, ForceUSA is one of the few companies who will give you 10% off, a good chunk of the price for something this expensive.
It has a lot of options and accessories, and at least from the pics they all look well made, clean welds, clean cuts, that kind of thing. I mention it because some brands with low pricing like this have more roughly made stuff. I have not heard much feedback about their products, however, so I can’t say whether the pics are typical.
Like the Rep PR-4000, this has a bottom rear stabilizer, though in this case it comes standard with the rack. You can either install the stabilizer or bolt the rack to the floor.
It’s a good thing that the base is so deep at 55″ to help prevent tipping, because this rack is not nearly as heavy as the other brands of racks.
The rack is 84″ tall. The MyRack pull up bar can not be installed at any other height. This is unlike the rest of the brands here that are all flexible in where you put the pull up bar so that you can have the rack almost hitting the ceiling while the pull up bar is lower for head room. There are no holes provided on the inside edges of the MyRack uprights for the pull up bar to mount into at a different height.
As far as attachments, you are entirely limited to what ForceUSA offers. It’s an unusual tubing size that won’t fit anyone else’s.
Possible Issues:
– No extra-deep option (coming soon) – Limited compatibility with Rogue attachments due to metric sizing
What Makes it Stand Out:
– Safety straps & sandwich J-cups come standard – Extremely heavy/stable
This is the highest priced rack featured here, because as standard they include sandwich J-cups and safety straps, both which are available on most of the other racks as expensive upgrades. So if you like both of those upgrades, this rack would make sense.
The 36″ depth raises the question of how stable this rack is without bolting it down. I asked Giant Lifting about it, and they assured me it’s stable when you work inside the rack, which I believe given its hefty weight of 374 lbs. If you do work outside the rack, they have front stabilizer feet available. Also, they will be releasing a deeper rack option later this year (2024).
Use our code TWOREP for 5% off your order at Giant Lifting.
Possible Issues:
– 3″ hole spacing throughout
What Makes it Stand Out:
– Fat pullup bar, multi grip pullup bar, and outside safety arms all standard – Rogue Monster compatible except the hole spacing
Ethos is a brand exclusive to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Dick’s charges shipping, or you can buy online and pick up at any Dick’s store to avoid the charge.
This rack reveals a somewhat dated design with 3″ hole spacing all the way up, with no Westside style 1″ hole spacing in the bench press area, likely leading to a problem getting the safety bars at just the right height for all exercises.
While they offer zero additional attachment options, the standard rack includes outside safety spotter arms (in addition to the pin-and-pipe safeties) and multi-grip and fat pull up bars. They are compatible with some of the Rogue Monster attachments. The 3″ hole spacing could put a snafu in that for attachments using a locking pin. You could get compatible strap safeties from another store and negate the need for Westside spacing, with the way strap safeties are so adjustable.
Like the ForceUSA rack, it’s ready to be bolted down should you so choose.
If you’re an owner of one of the racks I featured here, how is it working out for you? Leave a comment below!
How important are genetics in bodybuilding? Many believe that you can’t be a good bodybuilder without having them. But is it true?
Well… sort of.
Genetics play a significant role in bodybuilding, as they can influence everything from muscle fiber composition to bone structure and fat distribution.
While genetics can provide advantages or challenges, they don’t determine the overall success of your bodybuilding endeavors (whether that’s on a bodybuilding stage or simply to look good).
In this article, we are going to dive deeper and explore the impact of genetics in bodybuilding and provide strategies for working with your own unique body type to achieve the physique you want.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, making changes to your nutrition plan, or adding any new supplements into your current routine.
Understanding Genetic Factors in Bodybuilding
As mentioned above, genetics are important in bodybuilding, but they aren’t the end-all-be-all of your bodybuilding success. You can still have a good physique even if you weren’t blessed with good genetics. Let’s discuss this a little further and paint a better picture.
Several genetic factors can influence your bodybuilding potential:
Muscle Fiber Type: The ratio of slow-twitch (Type I) to fast-twitch (Type II) muscle fibers is largely genetic. Fast-twitch fibers are better suited for explosive movements and tend to grow larger, benefiting bodybuilders.
Muscle Insertions and Origins: The points where muscles attach to bones affect how they appear when developed. Some insertions create more aesthetic appearances, like peaked biceps or wide lats.
Bone Structure: The length and width of bones influence overall body proportions and how muscles appear when developed.
Hormone Levels: Natural testosterone and growth hormone levels can affect muscle growth and fat distribution.
Metabolism: Genetic factors influence how efficiently the body processes nutrients and burns calories.
Fat Distribution: The pattern of where the body stores fat is largely genetic.
Muscle Belly Length: The length of the muscle belly compared to the tendon affects how “full” a muscle appears when developed.
Body Types (Somatotypes)
While individual variation is vast, body types are often categorized into the three main somatotypes below:
Ectomorph: Naturally thin, lean, with long limbs, and has difficulty gaining any sort of weight.
Mesomorph: Naturally muscular, with a medium frame and the ability to gain or lose weight relatively easily.
Endomorph: Naturally higher body fat, larger frame, with a tendency to gain weight easily.
Most people are a combination of these types, but with one being more predominant.
Working with Your Genetics
While you can’t change your genetics, you can optimize your approach based on your body type:
Strategies for Ectomorphs:
Focus on compound movements: Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses stimulate overall muscle growth.
Increase calorie intake: Ectomorphs often need to eat more to support any sort of muscle growth.
Limit cardio: While some is beneficial for heart health reasons, too much cardio can hinder your ability to gain weight.
Emphasize rest and recovery: Allow ample time between workouts to support muscle growth.
Avoid overtraining: Consider more frequent, shorter workouts to avoid overtraining.
Strategies for Mesomorphs:
Balanced approach: Mesomorphs often respond well to a mix of compound and isolation exercises.
Careful diet management: While building muscle may come easier, managing body fat is crucial for definition.
Varied training: Experiment with different training styles to find what works best.
Focus on symmetry: Pay attention to the proportional development of all muscle groups.
Strategies for Endomorphs:
Emphasize fat loss: Incorporate regular cardio and maintain a slight calorie deficit.
High-intensity training: Use methods like HIIT to help boost metabolism.
Focus on nutrient-dense foods: Prioritize protein and fiber-rich foods to support satiety and muscle growth.
Consistency in training: Regular workouts help manage body fat and build muscle.
Patience with cutting phases: Fat loss may take longer and require a sustained effort.
Overcoming Genetic Limitations
While genetics can set your framework, they don’t determine your ultimate success. Here are some strategies to help overcome your genetic limitations:
Identify Weaknesses: Assess your physique objectively to identify areas that need extra attention.
Prioritize Lagging Body Parts: Dedicate more volume and frequency to muscles that are slower to respond.
Experiment with Training Techniques: Different bodies respond to different stimuli. Try various rep ranges, exercise orders, and training principles.
Master Your Nutrition: Being spot on with your nutrition can help overcome genetic tendencies towards fat gain or difficulty building muscle.
Optimize Recovery: Adequate sleep, stress management, and proper nutrition support optimal muscle growth and fat loss.
Use Advanced Techniques: Methods like drop sets, supersets, and periodization can help push past genetic limitations.
Focus on Mind-Muscle Connection: Improving your ability to activate target muscles can enhance growth, regardless of genetics.
Be Patient and Consistent: Genetic limitations often require more time to overcome. Consistency is key.
Emphasize Strengths: While addressing weaknesses, don’t neglect your genetic advantages.
Consider Pose and Presentation: In competitive bodybuilding, learning to pose effectively can help showcase your best features and minimize weaker areas.
The Psychological Aspect
Dealing with genetic limitations can be psychologically challenging. Here are some mental strategies:
Develop a Growth Mindset: Believe in your ability to improve, regardless of starting point.
Set Realistic Goals: Base your goals on your own progress, not comparisons to others.
Celebrate Small Victories: Acknowledge improvements, no matter how small.
Find Inspiration in Diversity: The bodybuilding industry and sport is full of successful athletes with varying genetics.
Focus on Health and Performance: Remember that bodybuilding is about more than just aesthetics.
The Role of PEDs
While this article focuses on natural approaches, it’s worth noting that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are sometimes used to overcome genetic limitations.
However, PEDs come with significant health risks and legal issues, and their use is a personal decision that should be made with full awareness of the consequences.
Don’t Worry About Genetics in Bodybuilding and Focus on Working with YOUR Body Type
Without a doubt, genetics play a significant role in bodybuilding. That said, don’t think that just because you don’t have good genetics that all hope is lost.
With the right approach to training, nutrition, and recovery, along with patience and persistence, you can build an impressive physique regardless of your genetic starting point.
Understanding your body type and genetic predispositions allows you to tailor your approach for optimal results. By focusing on strategies that work well for your body type (like what we mentioned above), addressing weaknesses, and capitalizing on strengths, you can maximize your bodybuilding potential.
