While corrective exercises aren’t sexy, they are fundamental for safe overhead lifting. I didn’t know anything about these types of exercises when I started weight training, and if I did, I probably wouldn’t have hurt my shoulders! If you aren’t ready to overhead press, you’ll want to do these exercises regularly as part of your warm-up and recovery routine. Every. …
Believe it or not, but just because you can press weights overhead right now doesn’t mean that you should….yet. The majority of us adult athletes and weekend warriors aren’t ready for overhead work simply because we haven’t earned the right to do so, and we rarely question it. We just dive right in to a MetCon and hope for the …
There was a time that I lost my fitness mojo and feared I’d never get it back. I hated going to the gym, didn’t want to follow any program, and was bored out of my mind. This went on for two years! In that time, I worked with a personal trainer until I could no longer afford it. I followed another …
I remember looking in the mirror trying to figure out how to change the shape of my thighs. I didn’t necessarily want them small (I have thick Brazilian legs), but I wanted them longer and leaner. Friends told me to try barre classes. Others suggested I run marathons. Popular magazines confirmed Pilates was the secret sauce. I had no idea …
You know squats are good for you, and you certainly know that stretching is good for you and your squats. But what kind of stretches should you do? There is a lot of conflicting information nowadays about when to stretch, how to do it, which ones to do, or for how long. Might just be easier to skip it altogether, …
Yes, it’s the New Year and everything is about goal setting and doing something new, but I’m going to switch it up today. Instead of selling you on program to help you achieve some desired look or fitness goal for 2019, I’m going to share the most important failures and lessons that I’ve learned in my fitness journey. The failures …
Our society is hellbent on setting and achieving goals, no matter what the cost. Companies set aggressive quarterly and annual goals, every January millions of people commit to getting fit as their goal, and we as individuals set performance goals to get a raise or promotion at work every year. Yes, goal setting is very powerful, even necessary to getting …
To explore Pilates is to piece together a never-ending puzzle that heightens the awareness of your body and mind. When I began my Pilates practice at 24-years-old, all I felt and understood was how deeply connected I was to my core (a.k.a. “The Powerhouse) – a small but important piece of a much bigger puzzle I had yet to discover. Years …
Anyone who has spent significant time under a barbell knows a thing or two about low back pain. There are the occasional aches and pains that tend to heal itself on its own, and there are others that become more chronic and disruptive to everyday activities. My low back pain started “normal” enough – nothing a little foam rolling, rest, …
If you had told me five years ago that Pilates would make me a stronger lifter I would have laughed in your face. Lifting weights is hard enough. How could an exercise method popularized by housewives and celebrities benefit my inner meathead? As it turns out, Pilates is one of the toughest exercise methods I’ve ever put my body through because …
