If you’re still using the same warm-up routine your high school gym teacher taught you, it’s time for an upgrade. A focused, targeted warm-up doesn’t have to take a ton of time, especially if you group a few activation and mobility drills in a sequence you can move through efficiently. I came up with a mobility flow recently that hits …
3 Fitness Program Must-Haves That Deliver Results
After chatting with a few friends recently, I came to the surprising realization that most people outside fitness circles (i.e coaches, diehard trainees, etc) have no idea how to discern between a good or a bad fitness program. There are simply too many options out there. Plus, I found that a lot of people don’t even know what they’re looking …
3 Tips Before You Start Barbell Squatting
Note to self: It’s barbell training month over here on Barbell Pilates so to catch you up, start here. The right to barbell squat is earned, not given. Even lifelong athletes have to work their way up to barbell squatting (they may just do it quicker than most), so it’s worth taking your time to learn to do it properly. …
Barbell Training 101: What You Need To Know Before You Start
Let’s break down what it takes to start barbell training because there’s a lot of misconceptions out there about it and it can be very intimidating to start. Barbells aren’t necessary or right for every body, and most healthy individuals might not need to learn more than just a few basic barbell exercises in their lifetime. It all depends on …
5 Smarter, More Effective Core Training Exercises
Enough with the crunches and planks, friends. It’s time we get smarter about how we train our core musculature. Nearly every client or student I meet tells me they have weak abs (their words, not mine), and when I ask how they’re currently training their core, they sound off on a long list of crunch variations. Look, I’m not one …
Stop Using This Word To Describe Your Achivements
You know what word women should eliminate from their vocabulary forever? The word “just”. As in… “I PR’d my bench press but it was just by a kilo. I have a long way to go.” “I lost weight but it was just one pound.” As a coach, we do ourselves a great disservice by downplaying our achievements in the gym and …
Single-leg Training Tips from the Pros
As a former powerlifter, I can’t imagine life without bilateral movements like the barbell squat and deadlift, and sure enough, every one of my female clients can squat and hinge like a boss at some point. But recently I’ve taken a page out of Mike Boyle’s playbook, downplayed the role of these big lifts in my female athletes’ programs, and …
A Resistance Band Travel Workout
Nothing says dedication like doing a travel workout during a busy work trip. Especially when that work trip requires that you hit up spots like Spain, Scotland and Ireland (can I have that job?). One of my clients is off to Europe this week and asked what she could do with her resistance band while on the road. Naturally, I …
20 Things To Let Go Of To Achieve More
This is not an article about goal-setting. There is no SMART goal method (gosh I hate those) and there are no tips or secrets to achieving the body you want. Instead, I’m going to share a powerful exercise I recently learned to set yourself up for success. Think of it as the behind-the-scenes work that occurs for all your goals …
Pilates for Men: How to Coach Strong, Athletic Bodies
Let me cut to the chase: Men should train differently than women in Pilates. Yes, both sexes learn the exact same exercises, but the emphasis on the what and how they’re done are different. This isn’t sexist, it’s common sense. Not only are their goals different, but gender and lifestyle differences present a unique set of challenges that may warrant a …