Stories of personal transformation are particularly inspiring when we know the success was not easy. Dan O’Toole isn’t a pro athlete, but he busted his ass over a long period of time. He now squats more than a good percentage of the MLB players I shared clubhouse space with.Dan is one of the funniest cats I know. He and Jay Onrait are the anchors and my teammates at FOX … [Read more…]

Developing calluses is a necessary part of the process for building strength as you perform heavy deadlifts, rows and pull-ups.During the early days of my pro baseball career, I went “no BGs” (that is, sans batting gloves). I liked the feel of the wood on my skin, the pine tar smell my hands retained, and the even more sensitive feel of striking a ball flush. Possibly … [Read more…]

I love the typical vision of the dude in the leather weight belt. You know the one, neck as thick as my thighs, covered in chalk, slapping his chest and grunting as he leans down to pick up a barbell.  This character entertains me.As much as the sight of that medieval looking contraption around his waist makes me giggle, I know it’s doing more harm than good. Logically, if … [Read more…]

You all remember my friend Fred, right? He’s the NBA executive who came looking for workout inspiration and decided to take a crack at my 5 X 5 workout. Today, I have an update on his progress and answer some of his questions. I know how thoroughly invested we all are in Fred’s life, so I wanted to bring y’all into the conversation. Fred: Kapppyyyy,Week 3 – … [Read more…]

I love the dumbbell snatch. It’s one of the exercises I perform simply because enjoy it. I dig the sensation of moving the weight fast and the sting when my feet hit the floor.Lucky for me, the dumbbell snatch translated perfectly to baseball. Picture Andrelton Simmons going from an athletic position to leaping up to, well, snatch a bullet line drive. Notice the … [Read more…]