"I WILL IF YOU WILL!" Haven't we all been there? Especially as young boys. "I'll jump in the river if you jump in the river" "I'll show you mine if you show me yours..." - well, let's go too deeply into that one! But you get the idea - a like-minded friend gives you the confidence you need to do something you were actually hesitating about. About to enter the gym we frequent last week, we passed two rather skinny-looking teens and heard one use that famous phrase "Well, I will if you will". The other one shook his head: "I dunno". We stopped and asked "Are you thinking of joining the gym" because we always like to encourage guys to do that. It turned out that they were actually scared because they were a bit skinny and didn't want to be laughed at. We said that everyone came here to improve and get fit - you didn't have to be 'top of the range' before you could get in.  We persuaded them, and wa...

That title is a cheeky way of introducing a post celebrating the art of handbalance. But, keeping your workouts and your ordinary affairs in a sensible balance is no bad thing.  Hand balancing requires strength and a strong core, plus flexible shoulders. And, because your balance organs are in your ears, when you're upside down they are close to the ground - so learning to balance on your hands is harder than learning to balance on your feet. And remember how long that took you! So, don't despair if it doesn't work for you straight away. Just keep practicing. And remember, the correct stance is a dead straight line through wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, legs, feet and toes. Your chest should be ever-so-slightly hollowed. OK so far? We'll start with that perfection - but feel free to practice against a wall, both ways around, to develop your endurance for supporting your weight wrong-way up! Which of those is best? Above the waist - left. Below the waist - right (espec...