If you ask a trainer how they approach their training programs, they can give you a detailed plan on how they deliver a workout. If you ask them how they warm-up, they may go between tissue work and mobility drills. Now ask them how they approach recovery. What is their plan? That’s where you may hear crickets. Years ago, I became more deliberate about my approach to recovery. I started to schedule recovery time, like I do my workouts. The outcome was that I saw a rapid improvement with my recovery. Read More

Have you ever watched a professional athlete celebrate after a great play by striking the double bicep pose? This pose has become the ultimate sign of strength. Yet, the deadlift is currently considered one of the   best exercises you can do for strength. It requires overall strength with an emphasis on your lats and glutes, but I have yet to see a powerlifter turnaround and show off his glutes after performing an impressive lift. We’ve all taken a moment and looked at a side profile of our arms when passing a mirror, some of us more than others, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Read More

You have probably heard the saying “The body is the best machine ever built”. I agree. It’s built on adaptability. If you scuff your hand with sandpaper a few times, it will become callous and more resilient. If you scuff your hand with sandpaper for 2 minutes, it will bleed. The amount of the dosage is what needs to be considered. Even if the stress is considered a good thing, too much of it can be a detriment. This is always a hard principal for people in our western culture to grasp. Read More

A subgroup of the fitness industry that saw a massive spike in growth a few years back was the fitness tracking and wearable sector. One of the first was the Fitbit, to be later outdone by the Apple watch. I like to spot a trend by observing how much space it takes on the trade floor at the International Health and Racquet Sportsclub Association or IHRSA annual conference, (which I try to attend every year). Read More

A popular drill at the studio is the overhead kettlebell press. It is a good vertical pressing movement that strengthens the deltoid (shoulder), tricep, forearm, grip, latissimus dorsi (upper back), and core. If you are not familiar with the drill, you hold the kettlebell in the “rack position” and proceed to press the bell overhead. Then similar to performing a chin-up, you pull the bell back down into the starting position. One of the cues we provide our members is to squeeze and make a fist with the arm that is not pressing. The goal here is to squeeze intensely. If done, you’ll feel the muscles of entire arm engage. This is based upon the principal of irradiation. Read More

A few years back, I changed my approach to coaching and simplified the way I was coaching movement-based exercises. What I realized was that many of the people I was working with had a diminished sense of body-awareness. An example of this would be if we attempted to perform any single leg exercises, such as a single leg squat. A common remark I would hear is “I have no balance”. The problem was more than just balance, they also had poor proprioception. Read More

Physical work is good. Our bodies are built on it. “Tissues of the musculoskeletal system have a common denominator: they all require the stimulus of nondestructive stresses to maintain their health.” This is taken from Mechanical Low Back Pain, Perspectives in Functional Anatomy by James Porterfield, and Carl DeRosa. One of the first things that I explain to someone when I start to work with them is that you are going to work. It’s my job and responsibility to determine the correct dosage, but once we figure that out, it’s time to sweat. On that note, like a kid visiting Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, too much of a good thing is not good for you either. Read More

Your body is the smartest machine ever built. It’s built on task efficiency. It will get a job done in the easiest way possible. I believe this is where we coined the term, “path of least resistance”. If you drop a napkin on the floor, as you bend over to pick it up, your spine will flex. There is nothing wrong with that. We should be able to change levels, stop and change direction, walk, and rotate without pain. The problem is that as we have evolved in western culture, we have developed and adopted these life hacks that have made life easier, but it has come at an expense. Read More

Partly brought on by the popularity of kettlebell training 20 years ago and the increased research on the negative side effects of sitting, training the muscles of the superficial back line have become a staple in many training programs. The kettlebell swing, one of, if not the foundational exercise you perform with a kettlebell, is a good choice to effectively train this area. The Superficial back line (SBL) connects   and protects the entire posterior surface of the body like the shell of a turtle, starting from the sole of the foot to the top of the head in two pieces- toes to knees and knees to brow. When the knees are straight, as in standing, the SBL works as one continuous line of integrated myofascial tissue. Read More

Every 10 years or so, you will have an accepted protocol or accepted approach in strength and conditioning that will get challenged. This challenge will typically come from someone in the research realm. The researchers usually do not have a dog in the fight, so they perform their research and will share the results from their collected data. The problem is that everyone doesn’t receive or accept these findings at the same time. What I’ve experienced is that the change usually starts at the professional and Olympic athlete level- Group A, then the high-level athlete (usually at the Collegiate or High School level)- Group B, followed by the active gym goer from the general population- Group C, to eventually be welcomed by the beginner from Group D. Read More