It’s now three weeks into 2019. Many of you are kicking those New Year resolutions you made into high gear. You’re maintaining your 3 days of week at the gym. You increased your daily vegetable intake. You haven’t missed a day of meditation. Then, there are some of you who are struggling. Last week, you got busy at work and had to stay late, which meant missing the gym. Part of the challenge of working out is making time. Read More

Happy New Year! As my 1st post of the year, I thought it would be appropriate and relevant to discuss how to construct and design a workout program. This sounds simple but doesn’t get the respect it deserves. The internet has a ton of workouts you can get for free. The problem arises when you try to decide which one is appropriate for you. When people share with me their level of frustration with this approach, I like to respond that trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose isn’t fun. Read More

As the year draws to a close, I’m writing my final 2018 post for the blog. I wanted to reflect on something I came to embrace at the studio this past year. I came to understand what makes the studio unique. What sets the studio apart from other training studios is not our workouts. It’s not the equipment we use. Even though we take our program design seriously, it’s the consistency and delivery of the workout and the environment it’s within. Read More

The team at J & D Fitness celebrated our annual Christmas party at Top Golf this past Saturday. I then capped off my weekend on Sunday afternoon by getting our Christmas tree. I’m currently writing this from a Starbucks listening to Andy Williams belt out “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. I’m in full holiday mode. I’m a fan of traditions. I think this is because I enjoy predictable outcomes. I have 2 restaurants I typically bounce between on weekends with my family. My current truck is a Ford and I’ll probably replace it with another Ford. I only fly with 2 airlines. As I thought deeper on the subject, it’s not tradition, I’m a fan of consistency. That makes sense, because my livelihood has depended on it the last 28 years of my life. Read More

I’m fresh from hosting the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Nevada state clinic this past weekend. I was truly lucky to have the UFC Performance Training Institute as my host venue. The UFC opened their Performance Training Institute last year in Las Vegas and their vice-president, Duncan French, has been very candid in that he wanted the center to be involved in all things training in Las Vegas. Sometimes in life, you do get lucky. Read More

Did you like veggies as a kid? I actually didn’t mind them. I had my favorites, green beans and carrots. I’m thankful that both my parents forced me to eat a well-balanced diet. I believe that’s why I enjoy veggies to this day and don’t have any nutritional deficiencies. I do wish I had a coach early on when I started strength training that forced me to work on my mobility. That alone may have saved me from a few injuries. Read More

The fitness studio industry is currently in a bubble and gyms are opening up at a rampant rate. I don’t make it a habit to follow the formats of other studios, but I do have to keep abreast of what my competitors are doing. I will routinely shop these facilities, observing the treatment of their walk-in guests, their front desk protocol, and how their gym floor is situated. Something that appears to be common amongst many of these places is their lack of a proper warm-up. It’s either minimal, at best, or missing completely. As a gym owner, I understand that your goal is get people in and get them moving as soon as possible to experience your workout, but skipping this vital part can make someone’s 1st visit hazardous. Read More

This past weekend, I sat down with Mike Boyle’s Advances in Functional Training, Revised and 2nd edition. I was sharing my thoughts on this book with a fellow veteran coach in the fitness world. He was shocked to hear me give this book high praises. Allow me to clarify, he agrees with the content. His reasoning was, “I doubt it taught you anything new. Why are you so high on it?” He was pretty dead-on, but the book provided me with affirmation on many of the things we do and practice at the studio. Read More

I just got back from the Perform Better Functional Training Summit that took place in Long Beach, CA. My staff and I attend this event annually. It’s a great opportunity for us to learn as a team together. It also gives me a quick glimpse into the future of fitness and to see the new “hot” topics and training modalities. This year didn’t let me down, as mobility and breathing were frequently discussed. Neither topic is new, but how they are being implemented into the workout are. As the fitness industry get’s away from “Frankenstein”, or muscle group training, and shifts into movement-based exercise, people are starting to appreciate the benefit of moving better. I’ve mentioned in prior articles that it’s rare for someone to walk into my studio and share that their #1 goal is to move better. Read More

Years ago, I listened to famed strength coach Mike Boyle state that “Personal Trainers have the hardest jobs in the world.” Boyle is known for working with high level athletes from the NBA, NFL, and MLB. He was the strength and conditioning coach for the Boston Red Sox during their last championship run. Read More