JCJohn Carroll

1. Article · Sep 26, 2026 · John Carroll

   The bear plank bird dog is the hardest bodyweight core move I’ve ever tried — here’s what happened when I did it for a week (opens the original)

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   Last month, I did the bear plank shoulder tap every day for a week and, while I found it an effective exercise for the deep core and upper arms, it is not one I’ll be adding to my roster. It’s a testing move and one seemingly designed to make you look ungainly. Having read the piece, my editor stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, “In that case, how about the bear plank bird dog for this month?” A variation on a theme, I mused, like an idiot. It is, as it sounds, another adaptation of the basi

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2. Article · Aug 23, 2026 · John Carroll

   I did the bear plank shoulder tap every day for a week to build deep core strength and anti-rotation stability — here’s what I learned (opens the original)

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   There’s a scene in the Steve Martin film The Man With Two Brains in which his character, the unforgettably named Dr Hfuhruhurr, has to pass an increasingly absurd series of sobriety tests after being pulled over by the police. The final one is tap dancing and juggling oranges while singing the Katalina Matalina song. That’s sort of how I felt doing the bear plank with shoulder tap, except for the singing. And I wasn’t even being watched by a suspicious police officer. It’s an adaptation of the b

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3. Article · Jul 27, 2026 · John Carroll

   I did the shin box stretch for a week — here’s what happened to my flexibility and balance (opens the original)

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   I’ve been doing more stretching in recent months, and not just because I feel a responsibility to practice what I preach. As the years roll by (and they seem to be picking up the pace), stretching becomes increasingly important for better flexibility and balance, and to relieve the pain caused by muscle and joint stiffness. It can also help prevent strains and muscle damage. We should all be stretching at least two or three times a week, if not daily. Most of us think about our legs and back whe

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