Chalk Up

Call Directions Website

Chalk Up Jason, your neighbourhood meathead & coach.
✎Private Personal Training ✎Virtual Training ✎Custom Programs

10/05/2026

When it comes to the 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 exercise variations out there;

The 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 can often be confused with what’s new/trendy rather than matching it up to the desired outcome of a client or even personally.

Here’s 3 ways to press, with 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀

𝗞𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗭 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 – 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲

- Giving you virtually no support, your core, upper back and hips are working to keep yourself upright in a proper position to press

- 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 for working on full body stability✅

- 𝗕𝗮𝗱 for muscle growth and pressing as much weight as possible❌

𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀

- Supported movement, allowing you to isolate your shoulders/triceps without the assistance of any other muscles

- 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 for hypertrophy/building muscle✅

- 𝗕𝗮𝗱 for working on stability❌

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀

- Standing, putting a 7-foot barbell overhead will make you use your entire body as “support”. Your pressing muscles are primarily being worked, but if your whole body’s not in tune – you’re going to feel unstable

- 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 for building strength✅

- 𝗡𝗼𝘁 #𝟭 for building muscle❌

Hope this helps for exercise selection in your programs!

09/28/2026

One of the most common kettlebell core / mobility exercises we see performed incorrectly

Whether you’re standing, kneeling, half kneeling; the 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 is to 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 your lower back, while dropping the kettlebell 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 your head, leaving your elbows up as 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 as possible.

It’s an anti-extension core exercise ie, the 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 the kettlebell is behind your head – the 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 your core has to fight against to 𝗻𝗼𝘁 arch your back.

More often than not, 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 can be an issue – for that we’d prescribe dumbbell deadbug pullovers; helping to keep a 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗯 𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗲.

If you find yourself 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 to get the kettlebell behind you, try: 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 your glutes and keep your 𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘀 or (this is the common answer) go lighter!

Hit us up for any help on core workouts!

09/17/2026

Getting your 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 pull up isn’t an 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 feat of strength by any means! It might take a lot 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 than you think.

You’ll likely need to 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 the exercise to make it easier, 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 strength and progress to another variation.

To get yours; try following our 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 and exercise 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀!

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: If you’ve got poor upper body mobility (ie. can’t get your hands above your head, pain in shoulders etc.) it’s 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 to start here to be able to maximize your results

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵: Hit all types of rows, pulldowns, pullovers etc. to strengthen your 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 and 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 muscles with the pull up. 𝟮𝗫 𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Include and progress with the following list of variations. 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝟮-𝟯 𝗫 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺

Banded Pull Ups
Negatives
Rack Pull Ups (feet on ground/stool/bench/+weight)
Kipping Pull Up + Negative
Kipping Pull Up

Still stuck? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. Hit us up for any assistance with 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 goals off your list!

09/03/2026

You’ve been asked it, thought about it and maybe put out a 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 off the top of your head.

But did you really 𝗱𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 into thinking why you even want to start creating a 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 of yourself?

Are you 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 with your.. life, limitations, habits, mental state etc

Do you even think there’s another 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 of opportunity compared to where you’re at right now?

The “𝘄𝗵𝘆” is extremely important and will help to navigate your journey. 9 times/10; it’s a lot 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 than the number on the scale.

08/30/2026

We were stoked to sit down with Gaven and chat about his 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of over 130lb weight loss.

The term transformation gets 𝘁𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 around often, but this level requires a massive change of self in virtually 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁.

We all have vices and eating/diet definitely hold a lot of us back from hitting our goals. Shout out to Nikki Homoncik for paving the road with Gaven’s nutrition!

07/13/2026

Whether you’re trying to enhance your HYROX time or just improve your rowing technique - here’s 3 common beginner mistakes that could be hindering both!

𝟭. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗳

While the rower is somewhat of a “leg press” and “row” treating it as two 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 movements will 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 your rowing efficiency.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗽, think about using your legs for the beginning, be 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱 with the row and don’t be afraid to lean back at the end of the row. We’re looking for a 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 stroke.

𝟮. 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆

We get it, your workout’s intense - however your recovery (after your row) should take slightly 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 than the stroke. Rushing this will lower your 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 and 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 later on.

Slow it down and put more energy into your stroke.

𝟯. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴

If you make 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 with the handle while your knees are bent, going into your recovery; it shows your finish timing is off.

Your knees should be 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 out as you make contact with the handle

06/23/2026

First summer field trip we decided to try a driving range for the first time ! Absolutely hilarious

Our instructor Ashley Don Paul couldn’t make it so we decided to give it a shot on our own, and you can see how that went 😂

Definitely a lot harder than it looks, and it won’t be the last time for us!

05/26/2026

Regardless of your stance on foam rolling / self myofascial release, the fact remains we’re eliciting a response from your 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 that allows your body relax and access more range of motion shortly after. This is the switch from your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) to the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.

This is incredibly useful in doses 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 or 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 a training session. Allowing you to train and strengthen previous range of motions that you couldn’t reach.

To get the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸 add some movement to access/improve range of motion in a shorter amount of time (just don’t be weird about it)

Pair this with mobility and proper training plan; you now have the 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 to keep yourself more mobile, strong with less chance of being injured.

This is going to be way more beneficial than just 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 foam rolling every part of your body for a long time.

As coaches, our  #1 job is to 𝗻𝗼𝘁 let you 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁.  No matter your excuse to us or yourself - we’re here to keep you on tra...
05/25/2026

As coaches, our #1 job is to 𝗻𝗼𝘁 let you 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁. No matter your excuse to us or yourself - we’re here to keep you on track to becoming a better 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 of yourself.

So let’s start with: 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 putting 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 challenges off to 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.

Your workout, responsibilities, hardships and anything you’re trying to avoid.

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 them head on.

04/15/2026

We love to blame our 𝗮𝗴𝗲 for problems that could be solved by taking 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 action. can definitely be one of them.

If you’re not performing 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 exercises to keep your knees strong, you 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 blame them. And no, just seated leg extensions won’t cut it. Improving 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗼𝗻 (closing the space between your calf and hamstring) and increasing your 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 are great places to start.

Here’s a set of 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, beginner to intermediate exercises to throw in and 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 in your routine for better knee health.

𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗻𝗲𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗧𝗞𝗘)
- think to lock your knee while flexing your quad as hard as you can

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗨𝗽 𝗧𝗞𝗘
- TKE progression, incorporating balance and more leg involvement

𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻
- loading your quad/VMO and with progression in height – will aid with ankle mobility and balance

𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻
- Step Down progression with elevated heels, putting more tension on your VMO/knee

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻
- Step Down progression rolling onto the ball of your foot, working more balance, foot strength, and mobility

𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘀
- Heavy band – staying upright and keeping your shins vertical; sit back and stand up using your quads

𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘀
- With support or not, roll onto the balls of your feet – trying to kiss your knees to the floor. Added mobility for your big toe and front of the quads

𝗞𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘀
- Split squat set up with the intention of squatting forward (closing the angle between your foot and shin) keeping your front heel down.

𝗕 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘀
- close staggered stan

Address

713 Krosno Boulevard Unit 3
Pickering, ON
L1W1G4

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chalk Up posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share