My work focuses on identifying and addressing muscular imbalances, movement dysfunctions, and sources of discomfort, empowering you to lead a more active and pain-free life.

Using a personalized approach that blends corrective exercises, strength training, and mobility work, I design programs tailored to your specific needs. Whether you're recovering from an injury, managing chronic discomfort, or looking to prevent future issues, my approach ensures that your body is prepared to handle life's challenges with confidence and ease.

If you've been feeling limited by stiffness, pain, or poor movement, or if you're seeking guidance to safely progress toward your fitness goals, I can help you rebuild your foundation and optimize your performance.

How I Can Help You

Functional Movement

Enhance your ability to move efficiently and confidently in daily activities or sports through personalized exercises that improve stability, mobility, and coordination.

Corrective Exercise

Address muscular imbalances and movement dysfunctions to alleviate discomfort, improve posture, and restore optimal physical function.

Injury Prevention

Reduce the risk of injuries with tailored programs that strengthen weak areas, improve flexibility, and enhance overall movement patterns.

Post-Rehab Support

Bridge the gap between physical therapy and full recovery with structured, progressive exercises that restore strength, mobility, and confidence in your movements.

About Me.

Fitness entered my life during a challenging time, becoming not just a refuge but a foundation for stability, peace of mind, and balance. That transformative experience fuels my passion to help others achieve their own sense of well-being. Guided by authenticity, curiosity, and discipline, I strive to create personalized training experiences that empower my clients to thrive—both physically and mentally.

Certifications

NASM Certified Personal Trainer (EREPS 4)

As a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, I am highly trained in the science of human movement, fitness assessments, and exercise programming. This certification ensures that I am equipped with the knowledge and skills to create safe, effective, and personalized fitness plans for individuals of all fitness levels.

NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist

As a NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, I have specialized training in identifying and addressing muscle imbalances and movement dysfunctions. This certification equips me with the skills to design customized exercise programs that correct improper movement patterns and enhance overall mobility and stability.

NASM Certified Nutrition Coach

As a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, I have advanced knowledge and training in nutrition science and behavior change strategies. This certification enables me to provide comprehensive guidance on making healthier food choices, understanding nutritional needs, and developing sustainable eating habits.

Testimonials

"Je recommande vivement Lionel ! Après 2 ans de burn-out et des pépins physiques spécifiques (douleurs constantes), il a pris le temps d'analyser ma situation. Il a conçu un programme spécifique pour guérir ma cheville (périostite chronique) et m'a redonné confiance. J'ai retrouvé le plaisir de faire du sport sans ressentir de douleurs.

Il fait bien plus que de la remise en forme : il vous aide à résoudre des problèmes physiques ciblés grâce à des exercices précis, qui semblent au départ anodins, mais qui se révèlent très efficaces. Et surtout, il vous redonne confiance en vous.

N'hésitez pas à faire appel à ses services."

- Frédéric

Shoulder pain holding you back?

This client came to me after 3 months of persistent pain that made overhead pressing impossible. After just ONE session, he went from struggling to even grip the bar to completing a pain-free overhead press with 20kg!

How? Through targeted assessment and corrective exercises:
✔️ Improving thoracic mobility
✔️ Activating weak mid-back muscles
✔️ Building external rotator stability

His response? ‘I can’t believe how much better this feels already!’

If you’ve been pushing through pain or avoiding exercises because of discomfort, it doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s work together to find the root cause and get you back on track!

📩 DM me to book a session and take the first step toward pain-free movement.

#functionalfitness #correctiveexercise #shoulderpain #rehabilitation #rehabscience #fitnessmotivation #personaltrainer #basicfit #basicfitbe

From “I don’t really squat” to hitting 100kg in less than a month. Just a glimpse of how quickly my brain switches and goes all in when I’m proven wrong.

Now I’m starting a powerbuilding program, excited to see how far I can push this. 🫡

#squat #squat100kg #powerlifting #fitness #legday #mindset #crazybrain #powerbuilding #fitnessbelgium #basicfit #biglegs2025

The hack squat is hands down my favourite exercise for building powerful quads, but I see too many people missing out on its full potential due to improper form. So here are some tips to help you maximize quad growth.

𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐲 🦵
First, let’s get into the basics of your quad muscles. The quadriceps, or « quads, » are made up of four muscles: the vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris. Together, these muscles work primarily to extend the knee (think straightening your leg), while the rectus femoris also assists with hip flexion, like lifting your knee in front of you.

𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬 🔬
Unlike traditional squats, the hack squat is a 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞-𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 exercise. This means the primary movement is at the knee joint rather than the hip, placing more direct load on the quads and less demand on the glutes and hamstrings. During the descent, your knees move forward over your toes, which increases the knee flexion angle—the deeper this angle, the more your quads stretch under load. This leads to greater quad activation as you push back up through the movement. 
Because there’s minimal hip extension in the hack squat, the glutes and hamstrings don’t take on much of the workload. Without the need for a hip hinge, the quads remain the primary focus, maximizing the effect on your lower body.

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 📋
Here’s how to nail your hack squat form for maximum quad activation:
* 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 – This increases knee flexion, putting more emphasis on the quads.
* 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 – Slow, controlled descent ensures your muscles stay under tension.
* 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 – Aim to go deep, bringing your hamstrings close to your calves.
* 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐧 – This keeps the focus on your quads instead of your glutes.

Now that you know the mechanics, swipe left to see me going to failure on my last set to get a feel for the movement—and give it a try on your next leg day! 💪

#fitnesstips #legday #hacksquat #bodybuilding #musclebuilding #strengthtraining #fitness #personaltrainer

🧐 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 🧐

Studies show there is no significant difference between taking a set to failure and stopping 1-2 reps shy. The problem is, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝟏-𝟐 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?
That’s why lately, I’ve been experimenting with taking the last set of almost every exercise all the way to failure. 😬

Here’s what my last set on the leg press looks like. On my first three sets, I aim for 10-12 reps. On the fourth one, I go to failure. As you approach failure, it’s tempting to let the weight drop, but 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬. 💪

I aimed for a 4-second negative, but my brain was fried from counting reps and tempo at the same time, and it turned into 3 seconds instead. 😅
I got 14 reps on the last set, meaning the 12 reps from my first three sets were actually 2 reps shy of failure. If I had done more than 14, it would mean I could add more weight next time.

#weightlifting #musclegain #hypertrophy #trainingtofailure #personaltrainer #legday #legpress #basicfit #basicfitbe #fitness #fitnessbelgium #trainingtips

🏋️‍♂️ My fitness journey 🏋️‍♂️

The last decade has been a rollercoaster of challenges and growth. My fitness journey wasn’t linear—it was filled with setbacks, injuries, and moments where I had to rebuild from the ground up.

I discovered fitness during a challenging period in my life, and it became my refuge, helping me find stability, peace of mind, and balance. I’ve dealt with knee issues from a surgery in my teenage years and shoulder problems from jiujutsu. But today, I feel stronger and more capable than ever, thanks to an integrated and progressive approach to training.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with various training methods. I spent years training at home, focusing on functional fitness during the COVID era and while training jiujutsu intensively. For the last 8 months, I’ve been back in the gym, concentrating on hypertrophy. Using the knowledge I’ve gained as a personal trainer, I’ve put on 5kg of muscle and am now in the best shape of my life. 💪

The scariest place to be is the same place as last year.

GROW.

…and don’t be a skinny bitch. 😉

#FitnessJourney #Transformation #MuscleGain #Hypertrophy #FunctionalTraining #PersonalTrainer #Discipline #Progress #BasicFit #BasicFitBe #FitnessMotivation

🌟 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒?
Starting January, I’m thrilled to be coaching at Basic Fit in Uccle (Alsemberg), and I’ve got a few spots left for driven individuals like you who are committed to self-improvement through fitness.

🏋️‍♀️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫:
By emphasizing functional movements, I will help you develop your strength, mobility, and coordination to enhance your performances and gain confidence in all aspects of life.

🎯 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬:
Whether you’re looking to get back in shape, shed those extra kilos, pack on muscle, or enhance your athletic prowess, I’m here to guide you every step of the way towards becoming the best version of yourself.

📩 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝?
If this speaks to you, shoot me a DM! (or share this post with someone who may be interested). I can’t wait to dive into your goals and kickstart your fitness journey in 2024.

#basicfit #personaltrainer #selfimprovement #fitness #healthandwellness #movementspecialist #uccle

Landmine arcs

Rotational movements are often overlooked in the gym as most people focus on the sagittal plane. However, our daily activities naturally occur in the transverse plane and involve rotation, from twisting to reach the top shelf to turning to look behind us. To build strength, prevent injuries, and enhance functional fitness, consider incorporating rotational exercises in your workouts.

Enter Landmine Arcs (or landmine 180, twists, …) – an excellent rotational core exercise. This dynamic exercise goes beyond aesthetics, targeting deep core muscles, including the obliques and transversus abdominis. The objective? Cultivate a core that not only looks strong but truly is strong. Strengthen it to stabilize and restrict movement, enhancing your functionality and allowing your strength to shine beyond the gym.

#landminearcs #functionalfitness #corestrength #fitness

🎃 Pumpkin pancakes 🥞
41g P | 33g C | 12g F | 410kcal

-45g of oats
-2 eggs
-45g of pumpkin
-23g of protein powder
-vanilla extract
-40g of blueberries

1) put the oats in a blender and break them down into oat flour.

2) ass the rest of the ingredients (without the blueberries) and blend them with the oats.

3) take that combination and use it as pancake batter.

4) serve and top with some blueberries.

5) enjoy! 🤤

#pancakes #pumpkin #recipe #healthyfood #healthy #snack #breakfast

Great exercise to active hip abductors under physiologic rage, meaning natural range.

Not as easy at it seems. For many people it’s difficult to control knee valgus, so the leg is going to work extra hard.

I’m doing that on a 30cm box because I don’t have anything smaller, but you don’t need much depth for this.
Slight bend on the front leg, with all your weight on it. The other leg is going back and to my working side, a diagonal back.
On the top position, straighten the leg so you fully contract the muscles in the glutes.

It’s a time under tension thing so you don’t really need to count reps.

The step-up is one of my favourite lower body exercises. It’s not as easy as it looks, but it’s a great way to learn how to do a correct hip-hinge.

First, what is a hip-hinge? It’s a fundamental movement patterns where you bend at the hips - not the spine - to harness your body’s largest muscles, the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings. Both of these muscles are often underactive because we spend too much time sitting.

Why the step-up? It’s one of the best exercises to target the eccentric phase (stepping down) of the movement as well as the concentric phase (stepping up).

Few tips:
- Don’t start with a box too high, 30cm is a good height to start at.

- Place one foot on the box, the back foot remains on the floor, with roughly 60 percent of your weight on the front leg and 40 percent on the back leg.

- Glide your front femur back slightly, so that you feel a stretch in both the hamstring and the glute max; they should be very slightly loaded.

- You want to lead with your glutes and hamstrings, not pelvis or ribs. all your power will come fro these muscles working together, and not your back.

- With your front foot, push down on the box with intent and with minimal push-off assistance from the back foot.

- On the way down, keep the tempo as slow and even as possible; aim for three seconds from step-off to landing.

Start with body weight only, but once you have the movement and sensation down, you can add weights or increase the height of the box.

What is zone 2 cardio, and why did I decide to incorporate it into my training regimen?

I always avoided cardio because I saw it as a weight-management tool. Understanding how the body works helped me change my mind, so here is a quick summary.

* What really is cardio?
Cardiorespiratory or aerobic fitness, is all about how efficiently your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles and how efficiently your muscles can extract that oxygen, enabling you to run long distances. It also comes into play in daily life, manifesting as physical stamina. The more aerobically fit you are, the more energy you will have for whatever you enjoy doing.

* What is zone 2 training?
Zone 2 is going at a speed slow enough that one can still maintain a conversation but fast enough that the conversation might be a little strained. It translates to aerobic activity at a pace somewhere between easy and moderate. If you know your maximum heart rate, zone 2 will correspond to between approximately 70 and 85 percent of that peak number, depending on your fitness levels (as a nerd and data geek, this is my favorite part of the process).

* What is happening in terms of energy?
Our mitochondria can convert both glucose and fatty acids into energy. Someone working at a lower relative intensity will burn more fat, while at higher intensities they will rely more on glucose. The healthier and more efficient your mitochondria, the greater your ability to utilize fat, which is by far the body’s most efficient and abundant fuel source. This ability to use both fuels—fat and glucose—is called “metabolic flexibility”.

* Conclusion.
How we utilize different fuels, such as glucose and fatty acids, is critical not only to our fitness but also to our metabolic and overall health. So while it’s true that it will help you burn fat and thus lose weight, I think it’s far more important to think about zone 2 training as a tool to improve your metabolic health. Zone 2 training will increase your number of mitochondria, mitochondrial efficiency, and increase your metabolic flexibility making it a great tool to improve overall health and longevity (healthspan and lifespan).

Use it or lose it.

As you get older, you loose muscle mass which increase the risk of fall, injury and more. But you know what’s even worst? Your sedentary lifestyle.

These images are of MRI scans of a 40-year old triathlete compared with the quad MRI scans of a 70-year old triathlete and a 74-year old sedentary man. Clearly you can see the older triathlete had been able to maintain a significant amount of muscle mass.

Muscle mass and strength doesn’t significantly declined as a function of aging alone. Instead, it is a loss of function & inactivity that is a greater factor! Simply put, if you want to maintain muscle mass, strength, decrease risk of falls and just functional independently as you age - stay active & always choose to pursue a life of physical fitness.

Open for business!

Fitness has always been a big part of my life for the past 10 years. It’s helping me find stability, peace of mind, and balance. Now, I'm driven by the desire to guide others towards that same state of well-being and share my knowledge with all of you.

That’s why I decided to become a certified personal trainer.

I’ve been plotting this in silence: a lot of soul searching, of education and training to be ready to embrace a new life, a new start. How fitting to announce this almost a year to the date of me loosing my job.

If you need help to reach your fitness goals or simply want to improve your quality of life, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

More exciting news coming soon!

📷 thanks @mayabenovitch for making me look good on the outside (and inside too) and bringing me into her family at @lokahiholisticstudio

📚 Best books of 2022 📚

I read around 20 books last year, here are the 5 that impacted me the more:

-The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk: taught me about trauma, inner child and healing. I learned to change the way I see the past so I could love the present, and to love all the parts so I could love the whole.

-The Bhagavad Gita translated by Eknath Easwaran: taught me about spirituality, Atman and detachment. I learned to reconnect with my Self, to not be attached to the fruits of the actions and to focus on the present.

-The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: taught me about wealth, happiness and time management. I learned that my vision of happiness was wrong, and by redefining it I became more happy in the process.

-Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: taught me about fate, wisdom and temperance. I learned that i’s all about the domestication of emotions, not their elimination. Transforming fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking.

-The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous: taught me about economics, inflation and hard money. I learned about “gold standard” and why it has been all downhill since we decided to get away from it. (the part about BTC is only 1/3 of the book)

*honorable mention: The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté, Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli and The Futur of Humanity by Michio Kaku.

#books #trauma #healing #spirituality #bhagavadgita #happiness #naval #meditation #marcusaurelius #stoicism #bitcoins

📚 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. 📚

This pile of unread book sitting on my table is a constant reminder of the brilliant concept of 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, as explained by 𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘮 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘣 in his book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯.
He talks about the legendary Italian writer, 𝘜𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘤𝘰, owner of a large personal library:

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 "𝘞𝘰𝘸! 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥?" 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 - 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 - 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘨𝘰-𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨…𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺.

The goal of an antilibrary is not to collect books you have read so you can proudly display them on your shelf; instead, it is to curate a highly personal collection of resources around themes you are curious about. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞.

As Taleb puts it: "𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥." Whatever its size, an antilibrary creates a humble relationship with knowledge. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭.

#antilibrary #nassimtaleb #books #knowledge #blackswan

I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting this news to hit me this hard. The last few weeks were difficult and it was helpful to take some time to think about this clearly, process it and see what it meant to me.

Almost 6 years separate these two pictures and it’s crazy to look back and think of everything that happened since on a macro level but also a personal one.

The person on the left was shy, socially awkward and had no clue of who he was. But the one one the right is strong, comfortable with himself and see the world in a completely different way.
Every unpleasant situation that happened helped me grow into the person I am today. Being able to grow a little bit everyday is a gift, and one can only hope that it never stops. If you have high expectation for yourself, the road will be long and never ending. But now, at least, I feel like I can be proud of the person I am today and the one I’m working on becoming tomorrow.

Change is scary because of the unknown. Pieces are falling, everything is moving and you don’t know what to expect of the future. Chaos can crush you, but it is also a time of great opportunity where everything is possible. Sometimes it is all you need to be the person that you were supposed to be.

Can wait to see where I’ll be in 5 years.

Thanks @athleticgreens for the unexpected goodies!

Athletic Greens is an all in one vitamins, minerals and probiotics drink. I’ve been using AG for a few years to cover all my basis in terms of vitamins and minerals. The probiotics are huge for me as an healthy gut micro binôme is important for our immune system, the gut brain access and mental fonctions.

I drink mine in the morning with some water and lemon juice.

#athleticgreens #notanad

Morning ready.
☕️ 🥋 💪

#bjj #jiujitsu #morning #coffee

🍄 BRAIN ON PSILOCYBIN 🍄

In its normal state, shown on the left, the brain’s various networks (here depicted lining the circle, each represented by a different shude) talk mostly to themselves, with a relatively few heavily trafficked pathways among them.

But when the brain operates under the influence of psilocybin, as shown on the right; thousands of new connections form, linking far-flung brain regions that during normal walking consciousness don’t exchange much informations. The brain appears to become less specialised and more globally interconnected, with considerably more intercourse, or « cross talk », among its various neighborhoods.

When the memory and emotion enters are allowed to communicate directly with the visual processing centres, it’s possible our wishes and fears, prejudices and emotions, begin ton inform what we see. Likewise, the establishment of new linkages across brain systems can give rise to synesthesia, as when sense information gets cross-wired so that colours become sounds or sounds become tactile. Or the new links give rise to hallucination.
The forming of still other kinds of novel connections could manifest in mental experience as a new idea, a fresh perspective, a creative insight, or the ascribing of new meaning to familiar things.

Researchers argues that even a temporary rewiring of the brain is potentially valuable, especially for people suffering from disorders characterized by mental rigidity. A high-dose psychedelic experience has the power to « shake the snow globe », disrupting unhealthy patterns of thought and creating a space of flexibility - entropy - in which more salubrious patterns and narratives have an opportunity to coalesce as the snow slowly resettles.

EAT REAL FOOD:

Do you know 10 companies control almost 90 of the calories consume in the US? And spoiler alert: they don’t care about your health.

IF YOU SEE A LABEL ON FOOD, IT’S A WARNING LABEL. IT MEANS IT HAS BEEN PROCESSED. REAL FOOD DON’T NEED A LABEL.

Indeed, sugar is often a hidden ingredient in processed foods. Among other things, it enhances flavor, promotes browning and aids in preservation; however, the high sugar content in foods comes with a trade off. The empty calories in sugar don't provide any nutritional benefit to the body and can lead to excessive weight gain. Also, people who consume diets high in added sugars consume lower levels of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and other nutrients, and by displacing these protective nutrients.

Because food companies don’t need to add an "Added Sugars" line (in grams) within the "Sugars" section on the nutrition facts label, it’s almost impossible to know we’re actually putting in our mouths. Instead, added sugars are only mentioned in the ingredient list -- and only in decreasing weight order, not by percentage of calories.

Not only are they using some of those tricky sugar synonyms in the ingredient list, but they're also using several of them, in a single product. Added sugars are added sugars. So by dividing the total amount of added sugars into three or four different sugar names instead of using just one type of sugar, companies are able drop their added sugars further down the list (the less the weight, the lower the rank on the ingredient list).

One of the easiest ways to recognize sugar on a food label is by recognizing the -ose suffix. When you find words that end in -ose, there's a good chance it is sugar.
Sugars ending in -ose include: Sucrose, Maltose, Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, Galactose, Lactose, High fructose corn syrup, Glucose solids.
Just because it doesn't end in -ose, however, doesn't mean it isn't sugar. There are plenty of other names as well that may or may not sound like sugar.

STOP EATING PROCESSED FOOD, STOP SUPPORTING THESE FOOD COMPANIES AND EAT REAL FOOD.

MAKE SLEEP YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

Sleep is the most important part of your day and not getting enough of it can really impact your health. Everything from muscle growth, immune system, life length, heart and brain can be affected by the time you spend in bed and the quality of your sleep.

I’ve been using @ouraring for more than 3 years now and the data collected during my sleep is so valuable to help make positive change for myself.

This is what happens when you are accountable for your sleep and make it a priority to improve it. 12% increase of total sleep and 60% increase of deep sleep over the last 15 weeks (the dip in week 46 is because I was sick for 4 days). I’ve add 1h to each without changing my bed time and wake up time. Same time in bed, just better sleep quality.

Because of that, I was able to perform better during my workouts and my jiujitsu improved by training 4 times a week (leading to me getting my blue belt).

Your secret weapon to perform during the day happen at night.

😴😴😴

#ouraring #ourachallenge #oura #sleep #deepsleep

COLD EXPOSURE FOR HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE:

Studies showed that people who regularly do deliberate cold exposure increase their brown fat store (around the heart, neck and upper back). Brown fat is a healthy, mitochondrial enriched fat storage compartment that assists in heating the body and using/burning white fat (the typical kind around the belly and elsewhere) for energy.

HOW?
11min per week divided across two or three sessions has been demonstrated to have numerous health benefits.

Submersion in cold is better than cold showers; cold showers are better than nothing.

HOW COLD?
Think “I really want to get out(!) but I can stay in safely”. Hypothermia is not good for our health; but goose bumps, chattering teeth, and shivering arms aren’t dangerous conditions.

You can combine deliberate cold exposure with sauna or hot showers to get the benefits of the heat too. Even though you can alternate heat and cold *if your main goal is to increase metabolism then you should end with the cold* because it forces your body to use its own energy to heat back up (see The Soeberg Principle).

❄️❄️❄️

Info from: @hubermanlab @susanna_soeberg + @davidsinclairphd

🔵🔵🔵

Today mark an important day in my bjj journey as I got promoted to blue belt. Words cannot express how happy I’m as this is one of the most rewarding and difficult things I’ve ever done.

Thanks to my coach Pablo for giving us a place, the time and the knowledge to get better. Thanks to all my teammates for beating the shit out of me everyday and helping me improve.

A belt is a great way to look back at how far you’ve come. But at the end of the day, a belt is just a belt. It’s there to hold your gi, and your level hasn’t changed by getting a color. You’re still the same as before, only with more responsibility.

Now onto purple…
Oss!
🥋

#iconbjj #iconbjjteam #bjj #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsu

Matcha is one of the healthiest hot drink out there. Not because of antioxidants but survival molecules that Camilla sinensis makes when grown in the shade. When we ingest them, they boost our survival enzymes to fight aging and disease.

These special plant defense molecules are called xenophormetins. They turn up survival defense enzymes such as Sirt1 and AMPK, known targets of resveratrol and metfotmin derived from grape vines and French lilac, respectively.

Matcha green tea has many health benefits. For example it helps burn fat when you walk, protects kidneys from damage, improves memory, decreases inflammation and kills cancer cells.

Thanks @davidsinclairphd for all the knowledge on matcha, cheers everyone!

🍵 🍵 🍵

Do those 3 easy steps and watch your sleep improve 😴

Picture dump from Sunday’s competition.
Congrats to all my teammates for their amazing performance.

#bjj #iconbjj #iconbrussels #graplingindustries

Iron sharpens iron.
🔥⚔️🔥
->swipe to see us naked 🙊🤣

#bjj #bjjlifestyle #gi #nogi #iconbjj #iconbjjteam

With Jiujutsu, your neck always takes a beating. People twist it, pull it, stacks it. Guillotine, RNC, head and arm, anaconda, … I was always stiff for days after hard training.

Iron Neck (@theironneck ) is a great tool to rehab your neck but most importantly, strengthening it to prevent injuries. It reduce stiffness and improve mobility through isometric exercises.

Yes I may look dumb with that strange machine on my head, but my neck have been fantastic ever since.

3 other of my favorite exercises for knee strength.

(See previous post for the first ones and the full story)

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Lionel Grau
Personal Training

Contact me

How I Can Help You

Functional Movement

Corrective Exercise

Injury Prevention

Post-Rehab Support

About Me.

Certifications

NASM Certified Personal Trainer (EREPS 4)

NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist

NASM Certified Nutrition Coach

Testimonials

​

Follow me on Instagram

Lionel Grau Personal Training

Contact me

Lionel Grau
Personal Training