The lead-up to the Tough Mudder weekend was full of excitement! We were looking forward in running the mud course together as a team as we all spent a lot of time and money training up for this event. The energy we put in to organizing a team, coordinating with each other to get the details in order, reaching out to sponsors for support, committing time to meet together for training, all required energy from
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With less than a week to go before the the debut of Tough Mudder in China, Team Olive Branch is ready to take to the obstacle course and test what they’re made of. It’s only fitting that this week’s blog post be centered around being ‘tough’. So what does it mean to be tough anyways? From Merriam-Webster Dictionary: physically and emotionally strong : able to do hard work, to deal with harsh conditions, etc. Sounds
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Now that October Holidays are over, and we’re all back to the regular swing of things, some of us struggle to get back on the regular workout routine. It could be due to the depressing weather here in Shanghai, or the mundane day-to-day tasks of working again, or perhaps it’s because we’ve lost ground on our once awesome fitness level. One way to ease the transition of getting back on your workout routine is
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“I am not trying to scare you, but if you aren’t cautious with your exercise form, you may be injuring your lower back.” Joe Zhang Olive Branch Personal Trainer Today, Joe Zhang, personal trainer at Olive Branch, will show you some examples of basic exercises. Learn to keep your back straight! Back Squats Function: This is an awesome exercise for your whole body because not only does it enhance your strength and
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I have blogged on multiple occasions the need for everyone to do strength training (here, here, and here), so here is a basic article to get you started on the “King of All Exercises” - the squat (barbell back squat to be exact). If you’ve never performed a back squat before using a barbell, then please exercise with caution as you do not want to risk injury to your back, neck, knees or anywhere
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Download podcast here to listen! Very pleased to share with you my good friend, John Vallis' podcast interview on Olive Branch's beginnings as we discuss on his wellness platform: Wellness In China The Wellness in China podcast speaks with the top movers and shakers in the booming Chinese health and wellness industry, with host and Doctor of Natural Medicine, John
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We’ve all been there. It’s been over 6 months since I’ve done any exercise and I’m out of shape, and out of motivation. Why is the first step getting into shape, so hard?! For some of us, starting to a new fitness routine can be as daunting as public speaking. It’s worse than going to see the dentist because at least that’s over in 1 hour and you don’t have to go back for
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Push-ups are arguably the most popular bodyweight exercise ever; and certainly the most common bodyweight chest exercise. THE BENEFITS OF PUSH-UPS: BUILDS STRENGTH: You will be lifting around 50% (knee push-ups) to 70% (toe push-ups) of your bodyweight during a proper push-up . Push-ups are an efficient way to build your strength for your upper body muscles, especially your chest (pectoralis major), triceps (triceps brachii) and your shoulders (anterior deltoid). They can also train your
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Continuing from last week’s blog post on how to do a proper push-up, this week’s blog is addressing the common mistakes that people make while doing push-ups. Keep your eye open for them - now you have the knowledge to do them better! Rotated Hand Position: Placing your hands on the ground incorrectly causes undue strain on the wrists and puts the elbow in an unstable position. Solution: Hands should be straight but slightly
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As I’ve written before on the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) report on red meat, they have just come out with a new study on coffee, maté and very hot beverages. In this latest study, 23 scientists from across the globe convened in Lyon, France to comb over the thousands of studies of both humans and animals, they have available to determine the evidence for causing cancer in coffee, maté and hot
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