Believe it or not, but once upon a time I hated to squat in any way. Bodyweight squats? No thank you. Barbell back squat? No sir. Loaded front squat? Pass. Fast forward 10 years later and I’m preaching the Good Gospel of Squats like a good meathead disciple. The squat appears in all my clients’ programming and my own workouts …
Hip hinge domination will take you from average to awesome in every area of your life. For years I obsessed over this movement. I watched students in class hinge so poorly my eyes bled. So I read books, blogs, attended workshops and asked other coaches “how the heck do you teach the hip hinge?” No answer satisfied me. How could it? …
I may be showing my age here but I recall those two little words dominating every 5th grader’s vocabulary when Clueless first came out. That’s right…I was still in elementary school when Alicia Silverstone was the ‘it’ girl of Hollywood. Judge me all you want but I still love that movie. Alicia’s character, Cher was truly a gem. A …
This week, a major light bulb went off for me. The New York Times published a popular and controversial piece last week, After “The Biggest Loser,” Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight, that demonstrates what we already know about rapid fat loss. Chances are, you gain it all back. Call it the ‘The Biggest Loser’ syndrome, but researches found that …
My coach looked at me as I took a deep breath. “I’m ready for this,” I said. He smiled and said “That’s what I like to here!” It was my second deadlift attempt at my very first powerlifting meet, the USA Powerlifting California State Championships in Laguna Niguel, to be exact. Up until that moment, I had failed my third …
Know the saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy?’ Well, it’s also the thief of progress. And gainz. Last week I hit a new milestone – a 100lbs bench press PR! My weakest and least favorite lift. With a powerlifting meet coming up and a hectic schedule that’s forced my training to take a back seat, this was a huge …
Two things I hate about working out: 1) The warm-up and 2) the cool-down. It’s like I love the ham and cheese in the sandwich but not the bread (and thus, not a sandwich). Clearly, you can see my dilemma. Not only are the warm-up and cool-down essential to performance, but without either one I can count on a fast …
“I need to lose a few pounds before this trip.” “Well, what are you doing now to help with that?” I asked. “I”m trying to get back into working out,” she said. “I’m just not that motivated to go every day.” Ah, motivation. The magic juju behind gorgeous, rock hard bodies everywhere. Or so, you’d think. There’s a tremendous …
Side note: The title of this article was inspired by a hilarious post from Pumps and Iron (about furniture). I laughed so hard I decided to ‘borrow’ it for my own post about a very serious topic. Enjoy! January 2016 started out nicely enough. No hangover (because I didn’t go out), no drama (because I was asleep by midnight), and …
I looked in the mirror today after teaching Spin class and was so impressed with my arms. I mean, hello shapely biceps! Where have you been hiding all winter? Turns out that my quest for a stronger push-up is paying off in some sexy arms! And you know what? I kind of dig it. (Make sure you read Part 1 …
