Author Archives: Grant Lofthouse
The ‘Compounds first’ Rule
A woman DM’d me the other day feeling frustrated. She said, “I always start with deadlifts, but my hamstrings just won’t grow!” So I asked, “why are you starting with deadlifts?” She said, “because that’s the rule, right? Big compound lifts go first.” Nope. Not unless you’re a powerlifter. That’s probably where this “rule” came…
Why They Won’t Cheer For You
Fifteen years ago, I signed the lease for my very first gym. I was fired up, this was the dream. The vision. I couldn’t wait to tell people I cared about. But when I shared the news with family and friends, instead of a proud “Congrats,” someone looked at me and said: “Well, now you’ll…
Weather the Strom, Grow Through It
There’s a powerful truth in nature that mirrors your fitness journey: the strongest trees don’t grow in perfect conditions. They grow through every season – sun, storms, and snowfall, and still stand tall. Just like you. When you’re consistent in your training, nutrition, and mindset, even when life throws you curveballs, you build resilience. You…
Dumbbells vs. Barbells: My Real Answer
The other day, I threw barbell overhead presses into my session, something I haven’t done in a long time. I shared it on my story, and someone asked, “Why barbells and not dumbbells or machines?” My logic is, if you’re training for the long haul (which you should be), you’re not going to stick with the…
Fitness Trends
The other day I was scrolling and saw two fitness creators arguing in the comments. Full paragraphs. Charts. Sarcasm. The whole thing. Both of them clearly thought they were right. Neither of them seemed to care if it was actually helping anyone. And that’s the problem. At some point, fitness stopped being about helping people…
Overcoming Gym Anxiety
I got this Instagram DM the other day and I know it’s something a lot of people deal with: “I saw your post about not wanting to go to the gym but driving there anyway. How do you push yourself more on days like that? I have a lot of anxiety being in the gym…
Ice Cream, Discipline & My Grandma
When I was a kid, my grandma, a lovely little lady with a beautiful Indian accent, always had dessert after dinner. But she didn’t have it every night. She waited for the one she really wanted – Viennetta. In Australia, it was a frozen vanilla ice cream cake with chocolate layers. Looked fancy. Tasted even…