It’s one thing to get on social media and wax poetic about the benefits of lifting heavy for women, and it’s another to get your female client committed to doing so. The stigma with women and lifting has been around for longer than most of us have been alive, and there’s a perpetual cycle of misinformation out there that fitness …
An Easy Tip to Clean Up Your Hand Placement on a Barbell or Dumbbell
Do you know how to grip the bar or dumbbell when you lift? While this seems like a basic question, in my years as a trainer, I often see people default to a grip that doesn’t suit the act of lifting weights. A weak grip equals to weakness, period. You won’t be able to lift as heavy, or get pull-ups …
Exercise of the Day: Pallof Press with Overhead Reach
Last week I was in Boston visiting family and had the opportunity to train at my friend Tony Gentilcore‘s gym CORE in Brookline. It’s so rare that I get to train with another trainer these days that when Tony asked me if I’d like him to program the day’s workout for me I jumped at the chance. And this is how …
5 Ways to Remain Resilient and Athletic As You Age
The lifecycle of a very active person after the age 25 seems to go as follows: Marathons CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Powerlifting Bodybuilding General training for fun and new hobbies Feel free to move one of these up or down; it doesn’t matter. Our interests evolve, as does our training. By the time you get to your 40s, you may find …
The 5 Rules Every Group Fitness Attendee Should Live By
Group fitness studios are popping up all over the place for a reason. Not only do we want a great workout in a top-notch environment, but we humans crave community and connection above all else. That’s why we’re willing to drop hundreds of dollars for studios like SoulCycle, Orangetheory, and even CrossFit. But don’t be fooled by the great …
4 Lessons From My Biggest Fitness Failures
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 …
4 Pilates Exercises for Low Back Pain in Weight Lifters
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, …
3 Common Training Cues Ruining Your Shoulder Health
When it comes to cuing our clients or using cues on ourselves, we have to consider this fact: Not all cues are right for every body. Saying things like “activate your core” or “turn on your lats” is oftentimes gibberish passed down from one CPT manual to trainer to another, until it makes it’s way down to Sally, the stressed …
3 Signs You’re Burning Out
Ask any ambitious, hard-working person how burnout feels in their jobs or careers and they’d tell you it’s soul-crushing. Thankfully, we’ve gotten better as a culture at detecting the symptoms of work-related burnout. But what about fitness burnout? Is it even a thing? Yes, fitness-related burnout is a real, and it can happen to anyone who is remotely passionate about …
The Truth About Toning and What it Really Means
Trainer: So tell me about your fitness goals. Woman: I want to get in shape. You know, get a little more toned but not too bulky. Trainer: Safe to say, trainers here this one a lot so the eye roll isn’t about you, it’s about the words “toning and “bulky” in the same sentence. These terms can mean many things …