What a year it has been for Rockman Fitness. The idea started at the end of 2019 with a written summary on protein powder that I wanted to share with my clients, my friends and beyond that, to anyone who wanted to know more. By the end of the year, rockmanfitness.com has had hundreds of views from around the web and a healthy handful of subscribers to boot.
Rockman Fitness continues to be run solely by me, Daniel Rockman, a personal trainer and aspiring exercise physiologist, to spread fitness knowledge that can help the everyday gym goer understand more about the interaction between exercise and their body. The website does not generate any revenue (no ads for you!), but helps me clarify my standpoints on certain fitness ideas, spreads awareness of my personal training business and means I will see less people hurting themselves in the future. So, if you've been enjoying reading my thoughts, please continue to share this website with friends, family and any gymbros who need to be corrected.
At the start of the year I set myself the deadline of uploading a high-quality post every fortnight. This target was upheld for almost the whole year, slipping once during the middle of lockdown when mental fortitude was hard to come by, and the past month now lockdown has lifted and I've been able to get outside the house more often.
This post will mark the website's 30th blog post. To celebrate let's have a look back at the best posts from the year that got cancelled!
Top posts of 2020
In one of my longest and most diverse posts, I lay out what the barefoot revolution is, why there is a problem with modern shoes and how to combat the side effects of crappy shoe design, all through the lens of my own experiences. This particular post was one I was very invested in writing about, yet couldn't find the words for it for months. While I was on the journey of discovery surrounding barefoot shoes, I found myself going against what modern marketing and perceived peer pressure had been trying to teach me. Luckily, I had the guidance of an old client of mine, @andybryantpodiatrist's awesome instagram page and I never cared much for what fashion thinks. I am still stoked with barefoot shoes and my gross, cranky toes have never been happier.
This post provides 5 practical tips aimed at getting even the most slumped of spirits to accomplish something each day. It also starts and ends with a musical quote and has Rocky in the preview image, what more could you ask for? Coming at a time when Melbournians could only leave the house for 1 hour a day, to walk by yourself or with one friend while wearing a mask, this post really hit home for a lot of readers. Plus, it reads very smoothly if I do say so myself.
Hopefully an eye-opener for a lot of people on the "dangers" of sitting down. I dash the fear-mongering headlines and cut down to what sitting down for too long looks like, what it causes and 3 ways to reduce the harm this is causing to our population. If you sit at work and at home, this article is for you.
Or my alternative title: The curious incident of my sore calves in the night time... and the day time and the night time again and then the day time again.
A quick anecdote on the recovery process and how I reaaaaally didn't do it well at the start of the year. Seriously, don't do recovery like I did on New Year's Eve. Instead, read this article so you understand the basic physiology behind recovery and make sure the major modifiable determinants of recovery length are optimised before you even think about hopping on a foam roller.
Who is fitter? Me as a kid when I could run for 23 hours a day or me now, who has built up some strength at the gym but mostly stopped running?
In this article, we use the 11 components of fitness to answer this question. Learn more about the 5 components of health and the 6 components of skill to find out how your own fitness fares. Each component includes a definition, how to test for it, and how to improve it.
Looking to 2021
I am excited to share that I will continue writing for Rockman Fitness in 2021! Looking back on old posts it is clear just how far this website has taken my writing and knowledge, so I want to keep that momentum going into the new year. Although I will be heading back to university, so blog timing might take a little longer, I will be sharing only the most fascinating, concerning and downright useful information I learn from my Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology with you! If that sounds interesting to you, or if you just like making me happy, make sure you sign up at the bottom of this page to receive notifications when a new post is released. Remember I'm not trying to sell anything so I promise not to send you any useless emails!
Before 2020 wraps up
I'd, like to thank my editor, Rhi, for consistently correcting my random capital letters and lack of commars out of the pure love of proper grammar (I assume, because she isn't getting payed!). Jarryd Chait from @jarryd.chait.design for designing an incredible logo for me. I'd also like to thank my parents for spreading the word to all their friends and family like wonderful parents do. Finally, thank you to you, family, friend or internet subscriber, for taking an interest in your health and fitness and choosing RockmanFitness.com to read in your spare time. I appreciate it.
With that out of the way, 2020 can finally finish.
Bring on 2021!
So long 2020!