Strength And Movement Lab Alexandria

Saturday crew all smiles after a tough conditioning and core session. Brilliant way to end another great week at SAM Lab, enjoy your weekend everyone.
#weekendwarriors

Master the basics and do them consistently for long term results.
Learn to squat, hip hinge, row correctly, engage your core, address mobility issues etc all before worrying how to snatch, clean, do muscle ups or whatever looked cool on instagram.
Don't worry about the latest fads or waste money on supplements if you can't get protein into every meal, drink 2+ litres of water per day or keep a food diary for a week.
... Strength train 3x per week Sleep 8 hours per night Walk 10000 steps every day Get protein in every meal Cycle carbs around training Drink 2-3L of water per day Eat vegetables in at least 2 meals per day
Don't sweat the small stuff until you can do these things consistently. Do these things for a few weeks and watch amazing things happen.
Today we took it back to basics with the goblet squat 6x4 at 31x0 tempo. These were tougher than most expected.
#backtobasics
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Some easy ways to keep those shoulders healthy when training
1. Improve thoracic mobility Addressing mobility issues will help avoid poor technique and compensation up or down the chain. Cool that you can bench your bodyweight for reps but can't scratch your back or press overhead properly!
... 2. Pull more than you push Ensure you pull more than you push in your programme. I don't give a shit how much you can bench if you can't do a pull up or row properly. Chest and shoulders 3x per week and 1 back session sound familiar? Work those muscles you can't see in the mirror and your shoulders will thank you in the long run.
3. Unilateral work Great to even out any imbalances. It's not a waste of time, you can still get strong using progressive overload and your body will thank you down the line and remember weak side first.
4. Face pulls and pull aparts Two simple but awesome exercises for improving upper back strength and done regularly can address imbalances and postural issues. Just do them!
#trainsmarter
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The 6.15am crew working through their accessory work after some heavy box squats.
No better way to get over hump day!
#legday

SAMLab Sweaty Saturdays
Great way to end another great week. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
#saturdaysweat

'Do what people need not what they want'
Everyone has been hating Bulgarian splits squats the past few weeks but I programme exercises based on what our members need! It would be nice though to just do the exercises we like all the time but we'd more than likely be leaving big weaknesses.
The Bulgarian split squat is an awesome that builds single leg strength and stability as well as improving balance and coordination.
... We all have a slightly stronger side so it helps to even out any muscle imbalances and therefore prevent injuries. Always use the weaker/less stable side first and even though the big lifts give you the best bang for your buck you can still use progressive overload with unilateral work to make strength gains.
The lunchtime crew today working through their accessory work after some back squats. Stick to the big compound lifts first and add the unilateral work in as assistance work after.
#attackyourweaknesses
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Winner of our last monthly challenge Samir with the fastest time on the assault bike receiving his prize. Some impressive times already for this months challenge! Who's going to try smash the wall sit record this week?

Always looking for the magic pill or quick fix? Have you tried consistently moving daily in many ways? Movement is medicine.
The gym is only 45mins-1hour of a 24 hour day. Use that time your investing wisely. Push, pull, squat, hinge, lunge and carry. Focus on getting stronger and moving more of yourself better.
How you spend the other 23+ hours is key outside of the gym. Move more of yourself in as many ways as possible.
... Blue zones, the areas in the world where people live longest also suggest the concept of moving more often in more ways. Not just 3-5 gym sessions per week. So get outdoors and get moving more.
I encourage all our members to do something every day. Walk, run, cycle. Find something you enjoy, you'll actually stick to it.
Movement isn't just done in the gym and if that's all you're doing especially if you're in a sedentary job things need to change. Walk to work, walk on your break or use it as an excuse to catch up with friends and family. Being sociable is another thing that keeps us healthy.
Walking is easy, free and something we should all do more of. We're lucky to have Alexandria Park and Sydney Park so close to the gym. Adding 15mins onto my walk to work to go round Alexandria Park is something I enjoy doing.
A 12 year study by Hakim et al found that men who walked less than 1 mile per day died at a rate double that of those who walked two miles per day. If that's not motivation to walk more then I don't know.
Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years so move more, lift more, live more.
#mondaymotivation
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The crew finishing another great session with a core/burpee race to end the week strong.
Now time to ditch the gym gear and get ready for our Christmas in July dinner and drinks in the city.
#balance

Stiff, tight or sore from sitting at a desk or behind the wheel all day working? These will help!
1. The resting squat Kick your shoes off and try hold this position for 30 seconds and increase it each day.
... Lack of mobility can be a continuous process if we don't do anything about it and the resting squat can improve ankle and hip mobility and alleviate back and knee pain, as kids we played in this position but as adults due to modern lifestyle and habits we generally struggle to get into this position and we should spend time here daily.
2. Thoracic extension Stand with your feet hip width apart, keeping your abs engaged lean forward & place your hands on the wall at chest height, shoulder width apart. Keeping your arms straight, exhale & sink your chest towards the floor with your head between your arms. Inhale & as you exhale try bring your chest closer to the floor and repeat for 5 breaths.
Lifestyle and habits can lead to poor thoracic spine mobility. You'll feel the benefits of doing this thoracic extension if you sit at a desk, drive for a living, spend alot of time in front of the computer/tv and or have poor posture. If you've poor thoracic mobility then other areas have to compensate for this lack of movement and it creates problems up and down the chain and you're only as strong as your weakest link.
3. The passive hang The passive hang is simple, just grab a pull up bar, rings or monkey bars with an overhand grip and hang with straight arms and relax. Start by trying to accumulate 3-5 mins every day and once you can hang for 2 mins without letting go increase this accumulated time to 5+mins.
Hanging is a great way to keep the shoulders, elbows, wrists and spine healthy but it's also a great way to improve overhead mobility, stretch the lats, decompress the spine and improve grip strength.
You'll be amazed at how these simple movement makes you feel when done daily.
#dailyhabits
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It was the ladies out in force this morning 💪
We finshed with some paired core work at the end of the conditioning and core session. We challenged the core in a number of ways with some resisted dead bugs, plate passes in the bear crawl postion and loaded carries.
Visible abs are made in the kitchen but a strong core is definitely made in the gym.
... #trainsmarter
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Neil started with us just over 6 weeks ago. He had been training on his own for a while and came here wanting to see some real results and make some positive lifestyle changes.
He has made some truly amazing changes both physically and mentally and I'm unbelievably proud of him.
He has lost a total of 13.3kg, 6.8% bodyfat, 7.5cm from his chest, 13.5cm from his waist, 8cm from his glutes not to mention his arms and legs but it's the psychological benefits too that have been am...azing.
No fads or quick fixes here. He trained 3x per week over the 6 weeks. We addressed some mobility and technical issues throughout the sessions and the progressive strength training has saw him make massive improvements in strength, movement capacity, posture and body composition.
His nutrition plan was specific to his weight and goal, no magic pill or fad diet, just real food and lots of variety with some slight adjustments made along the way. He was surprised at how much food he could actually eat and says he can make it sustainable long term with addition of a few beers.
He came wanting to make a positive lifestyle change and was provided with the tools needed to make those changes. He implememnted them into his daily routine, creating lots of small healthy habits that over time with consistency will help hum reach his long term goals and I was here to keep him accountable and on track.
The results speak for themselves.
#proudcoach #consistencyiskey
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The 7:00am crew working through some 1/2 Turkish Get Ups.
Great exercise to improve strength, stability and control through the shoulders, core and legs.
The movement is a lot tougher than it looks and has a huge carryover to lifting heavy things.

5.30am crew setting the tone for the rest of the week
It's the start of another 6 week training cycle. Monday means deadlifts at SAMLab and after their main lift and accessory work they worked through their unilateral exercises with some cossack squats to improve single leg strength, stability, control and hip mobility, side laying abductions to strengthen the glutes and finally some crawling to improve core stability and strength
#mondaymotivation

And we're back!
The last 5 days were make or break for SAMLab. We hadn't been able to gain aceess the gym from Thursday evening after the landlord locked out the tenants below us who we were subleasing from. This evening we reopened after negotiating direct with the landlord.
What a crazy few days, stressful to say the least but as my mum would say 'everything happens for a reason'
... We had a vision when openeing SAMLab. We wanted to create something that was more than just a gym. We wanted to build a community that we could educate on how to train smarter an eat better for long term sustainable resuts. No egos, no dicks, just a positive environment full of fun, caring people wanting to better themselves.
To say I was excited to open the doors this evening after Thursday evenings shock closure due to reasons beyond our control would be an understatement.
We are ony 12 weeks in business and this could have potentially ruined us but through the amazing support and understanding, caring attitudes from our awesome members we've come out the other side.
It's been a stressful few days but loved getting back in and working with this amazing crew this evening helping make them fitter, stronger and healthier people.
Like I say to all new members, think long term not short term. This short term issue will better us in the long term and we are back bigger and better than before.
#positivevibes #surroundyourselfwithgoodpeople
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Quick little flow to;
1. Improve hip mobility 2. Stretch the lats 3. Activate the glutes... 4. Stretch the hip flexors 5. Stretch the glutes 6. Improve thoracic mobility
Perfect flow to use as part of today's warm up before front squats or to do if you spend a lot of time sitting as most of these movements counteract the negative effects of sitting for long periods
#flow #trainsmarter
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'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit'
#motivation #healthyhabits

Australia 🇭🇲 v Ireland 🇮🇪 (plus a Canadian and Kiwi) core race as today's finisher. Ireland won this one, here's hoping for the same in the rugby later. #corerace #braggingrights

16 squeezed in for Saturday AM Conditioning and Core. Great way to start the weekend and finish week 10 in business. #saturdaysweat