The snow has me trapped in my house and I can not get out.

In an effort to entertain myself I came across this little gem.  Japanese, monkeys, bulldogs and fitness.  Enjoy!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard of a squat.  It’s one of the most fundamental movements in fitness.

Today I’d like to share with you my favorite variation.  The Front Squat.

As opposed to the more popular back squat; the front squat has you positioning the weight closer to the front of you body.  This allows you to keep a more upright posture thus reducing the risk of back pain/damage due to excessive compression.

Tips:

1.  Before descending into the bottom position, really brace your abdominals and make your belly as big as possible.

2.  Keep your heels on the ground and your eyes on the horizon.

3.  Try to keep your elbows high and your upper arms parallel to the floor.

4.  This movement requires a lot of ankle and hip mobility as well as shoulder flexibility.  You may not be able to complete the movement with the same range of motion that I can so work to your own abilities.  Start with half of the range you see here and progress as you feel comfortable.

It was my sister who recently brought my attention to this video.

The best part is that the kittens actually appear to be taking turns.

Fitness advice from a bum?  Nope, it’s just me looking very homely today.

Listen to me ramble a little bit about the use of exercise equipment and why I don’t believe machines are gods gift to the gym.

How do you feel about training with machines?  Good?  Bad?  Is there a place for them in a solid fitness routine?  Let me know how you feel.