I’m incredibly fortunate to get to train high-level athletes every day. I can’t help but be insanely proud every time I watch a client play on TV or in person. It’s easy to get excited about pro athletes, but let’s not forget that non-athletes make up the majority of most fitness professionals’ client roster. And where working …
If you’ve exercised at any point in your life, chances are you’ve been duped by at least one phony fitness trend. In part 1 of this post, I covered four fitness trends that tricked me at one point or another. Here are four more: 1. NEGLECTING YOUR QUADS Somewhere along the line, it became cool to …
The Trend is Dead: 8 Fitness Trends that Didn’t Pan Out, Part 2 Read More »
I hate math. The first “C” I ever got in school was in calculus my sophomore year of high school. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but math was just never my thing. I still hate math, but I’ve learned to add in 45-pound increments pretty well. And despite my constant need for a calculator to do …
3 Reasons to Use Percentage-Based Training Programs Read More »
This week’s Technique Tuesday wraps up the deadlift, specifically how to find the right deadlift hip position. I’ve struggled with this in the past and when it clicks, it makes a huge difference in how much weight you can pull. Start with your hips too high and you’ll rely mostly on your lower back and …
Technique Tuesday – Finding the Right Deadlift Hip Position Read More »
I’ve had some bad habits over the years, but perhaps the worst was always telling everyone how busy I was. “How are you?” people would ask. “Good, but I’m SO busy,” I’d respond, my words grasping desperately for sympathy. I’m embarrassed by the way that sounds. And now that I’ve dropped that phrase from my …
5 Strategies to Crush Your Workout if You’re Crunched for Time Read More »
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, I’m not old (yet) and I’ve learned some new tricks recently that have dramatically improved my personal training arsenal as well as my clients’. Since working with the staff at 212 Health and Performance (they’re a self-proclaimed “kettlebell gym” but truthfully, they’re so much more …
This week’s Technique Tuesday shows you how to use your breathing to brace your torso during the deadlift. This will protect your back AND help you lift more weight. Breathing during the deadlift can be tricky. There’s more to it than just gasping for air. Check it out: Next week, we’ll talk about how to …
Technique Tuesday: Breathing During the Deadlift Read More »
Earlier this year, I humbly apologized to a handful of exercises that I unfairly accused of being wimpy and useless. Part 1 of this series saw me rethink my approach to the following exercises: Turkish Get-Ups Cable Pull-Throughs Pull-Overs Lunges Chops and Lifts Now, I program these exercises on a daily basis for athletes, powerlifters and …
Exercises I Used to Hate (but Now I Kinda Like), Part 2 Read More »
This week’s Technique Tuesday is all about the bench press and why you must keep your elbows under the bar to press heavy weights. Want to know why elbow position is so important? And why gripping the bar too close, over-tucking the elbows and touching too low on the chest can sabotage your bench press numbers? Check it out: …
Technique Tuesday: Elbow Position During the Bench Press Read More »
I’m still riding the high of yesterday’s Optimizing the Big 3 seminar with Greg Robins and Miguel Aragoncillo. We had an enthusiastic group of lifters who came in willing to learn and ready to crush some heavy weight. We forced many of the attendees out of their comfort zones as they tried new techniques and …
