As a coach, I’ve experienced that the better you learn a specific topic, the more simplified you learn how to explain it. This has led me to become weary of anyone who tries to overcomplicate a subject matter when explaining. I think my disconnect is that many people confuse memorization for understanding a concept. I blame that on the way most of us were taught in school. We learned to memorize what would be on the test. I know I fell into that trap. When providing cues while coaching, I try to keep it as simple as possible. “Sniff air”, “Squeeze your glutes”, “Shoulders in your back pocket”, to mention a few. I find myself always referencing three things- glutes, core, and lats. Yes, the lats, or latissimus dorsi, are important. I will briefly share with you, why. Read More

As we all deal with the global pandemic of COVID-19, a common statement from those in epidemiology, the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, spread, and control of the disease, is that we have to trust the science. This idea of how we approach and accept science inspired me to think about how we deal with science in the fitness world. I’ve taken a research and scientific approach to the programs we offer at the studio. It made me reflect on how we apply science to our progressions in exercise. Read More

When mapping out an exercise program for someone, there are multiple variables involved. You need to consider the goal- improve mobility, strength, fat loss. You need to factor in their age, any past injuries, and current fitness level. Finally, you assess their current motivation to implement change. You mix that all up, and the outcome should be a well-designed program. I used to have two things that I recommend everyone adopted, no matter what, and have recently increased it to three. Drink more water, three- five liters daily, at a minimum. Eat more vegetables. Using the size of your fist as a portion size, consume four to five fists daily. Read More

Time stands still for no one. We all age. As we age, there should be an adjustment to how you train. This adjustment should take into consideration an improved skill level as you become more skilled in the exercises you can do. I thought this subject would interest people because I find myself having to adjust my personal workouts to maintain good health as I age. At times, I can be my worst pupil. In this post, I’ll break up the age categories into training in your twenties, training in your forties, and training in your sixties. Read More

I recently had a member ask me why I don’t use barbells in our small group training. My response was broken down into two parts. First, the studio is 2,400 square feet. Our small group training can have a maximum of six people. Logistically, it is not safe for us to have six people with loaded barbells in that space. The next part of my answer was from a training and program design perspective. If I take the movement patterns of the body- squat, hip-hinge, push, pull and carry, I would only use a barbell for one. That single pattern would be pulling. Read More

One of the biggest fears with working out is getting hurt. We want the results. We’re willing to put in the work. But what’s the right dosage? It’s similar to cooking. There are some grey issues and everything isn’t just black and white. Like cooking though, too much of an ingredient or too long in the oven can ruin your dish, or in the case of working out, you. When recommending an exercise, there is an order that if you follow it, will provide you solid results. The challenge you run into is that people like to skip some of the necessary steps. It’s my belief that people have to earn the right to proceed. Read More

The rate of infection and deaths from COVID-19 has been dropping in Nevada. This has enabled me to increase our semi-private group size from four people to a maximum of six. As gyms and training facilities began to re-open in the Las Vegas area, we experienced an increase in studio interest as some people did not want to return to the larger facilities. One of the restrictions we created was to shrink our group size down to four people as we navigated the waters of re-opening. It’s been 3 months and we’ve had a good response from the cleaning and sanitizing protocols we installed. Regardless of COVID-19, I would never allow my groups to get too large. The larger the group, the less motivated people become. There’s an actual term for it, “social loafing”. Read More

A common challenge I observe people experience when undertaking a new workout regime is overcoming the myth that they should be able to exercise efficiently on day one. To improve your overall fitness level, there are movement patterns around which you should construct exercises. Read More

As we all navigate the murky new waters of COVID-19, I’m trying my best to determine which changes are here to stay and which things will eventually return to normal. I’ve observed and read how some organizations are changing their business models completely. Many fast food chains are putting more emphasis on drive through instead of dine-in eating. Many of the airlines are opting to not sell the middle seat for now, but have been clear that they will eventually have to go back to selling every seat. It’s not economical, nor do I see Boeing or Airbus creating a new plane on the fly, no pun intended. At the studio, I have been trying to get back to reading the current research on effective fat loss, strength and conditioning. Easier said than done. Read More

Is a deadlift an upper or lower body exercise? If you had to classify the movement pattern, it is a hip hinge. The hips are the dominant access of movement. The Glutes, hamstrings, and lumbar spine must work synergistically to pick the load up off the ground. You are picking the load up with the arms and the shoulders must maintain a point of stability with the scapulae retracted. If the shoulders pull forward, the result will be a rounded upper back. This can be considered a power leak and leaves the lifter susceptible to injury in the lower back. Read More