Whether we’re new to strength training or crushing WODs like it’s our jobs, getting strong in the sagittal plane is necessary for strength and power development. As a powerlifting wannabe, squats, deadlifts and presses are my life, but it can’t be my whole life. Lifters are required to be really great at just a few main lifts (three for powerlifting …
Tight hips is about as common as the flu during winter season. Every single time I ask a client how their body is feeling before a training session, more often than not they point to their hips and tell me how stiff it is. More often than not, the tightness we experience around the hips is s symptom of something …
“Should I train like an athlete if I don’t compete in anything?” Last week, a dear friend asked me this question. She’s your typical San Diegan: Corporate job, loves craft brews, super active, and total hipster. She enjoys the gym life but not as much as her outdoor active life. Let’s face it, this responsible-adult-hippie lifestyle is a lot of work …
You know what will never get old in the fitness world? Confusion. Confusion about diets, confusion around exercise, and my new favorite, confusion around mobility techniques. The deeper we go into the health and fitness world, the more we realize that there are a thousand and one “solutions” for a single problem. I personally don’t mind having so many options, but then …
Lifting weights is awesome. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, chalking up for that barbell feels incredibly powerful. Those PRs (personal records) are as addicting as ice cream, and once you get a taste for it, you’ll never go back. Side note: I love ice cream. Yet I know how scary and intimidating it is to start out in the weight …
Some fitness pros prefer to call weaknesses in our kinetic chain as “weak links.” I prefer to call them “energy leaks” which occur through deficiencies in movement quality, tissue quality, structural integrity or programming, not just muscles. Energy leaks tend to evolve. At best, such leaks hold us back from optimal movement and performance. At worse, they create more energy leaks that lead …
Recently on Twitter the President threw a temper tantrum my good friend Tony Gentilcore commented that “easy lifting” is oftentimes the best kind of lifting there is for creating change. Easy" lifting is oftentimes GREAT strength training. Quit it with the (excessive) sets to failure and forced reps. Not missing reps matters — Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore1) March 12, 2017 Clients that …
Massage therapist: “Just relax, and breath.” Me through gritted teeth: “I am breathing!” Thirty minutes into my first massage (yes, the first one ever) and I was still biting my lip. Not only did my body feel like it was run over by a Mack truck, but I was struggling to relax and get in that zen state that everyone …
Once you start learning Pilates, you realize that that every exercise builds on another. The mat exercises form the basis of movements on the reformer and cadillac; which is further intensified or supported on equipments like the ladder barrel, spine corrector, and arc barrel. It all circles back. I call them “Circle of Life” exercise. Like in the Lion King. …
For years, I dedicated 90% of my workouts to cardio. I ran 2-6 miles as early as 5:30am several times a week, and finished the day with an evening spin class. Even on days I focused on strength training, I still ended the workout with a run on the treadmill. Unlike most cardio bunnies, my aggressive cardio sessions were driven …
