I’ve been putting off getting a weightlifting certification for a while now because for lack of a better term… I’m a book whore. I read A LOT! Why? Well, because I love to learn. But as a coach, learning must precede a process to teach and breed RESULTS! My philosophy on coaching & programming has always followed the same process. First learn → test on myself → test on others → gather/analyze the results → keep the good and discard the bad. With this being said, there is always something to learn with interaction with other coaches who have tested just as much as me with a different population. So this weekend, I attended the USA Weightlifting Certification and put together my TOP 10 Takeaways. Below is this list in no particular order.   TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS 1. The Little Things Make a Big Difference 2. Technique Should be the...Read more

Early in my fitness life I fell into a trap… A trap that’s easy to get into and hard to get out of. A trap I didn’t even realize I was in. I spent months, even years, in this state of mind that I’ve seen all too often in my career. Looking back, I wish I had someone to tell me 1) what I was doing wrong and 2) how to get out! So what is this devastating trap? Let’s call it Cherry-Picking… Cherry-Picking (in the workout World) is defined as only picking the workouts that you are good at to participate in – leaving the ones we are not so good at in a dark cave of archived workouts. I see this often with harder and more taxing movements such as running during conditioning portions of a workout and the ever so illusive overhead squat. You might be thinking,...Read more

Traveling doesn’t have to put a damper on your fitness. Yes, your workouts may be less frequent, but there are some simple things you can do on your vacations/work travel to keep you on course towards your goals. Below are 5 travel workouts that require minimal equipment and minimal time. Try these out next time you are out of town! Note: Each of these should be preceded with a warm-up (5-1o Minute Jog/Bike/Row/etc.)    1. Hotel Calorie Burn Equipment Needed: Treadmill/Bike/Cardio Machine Complete 1-2 Rounds Depending on Time. 50 Calories on Treadmill 20 Jumping Jacks 40 Calories on Treadmill 20 Air Squats 30 Calories on Treadmill 20 Push-Ups 20 Calories on Treadmill 20 Lateral Lunges 10 Calories on Treadmill 20 Deep Mt Climbers   2. Express Murph Equipment Needed: Treadmill/Outside Running Route, Pair of Dumbbells Complete 1 Round For Time. 800m Run 5 Rounds of: 5 DB Bent-Over Rows (15+/25+) 10 Push-Ups...Read more

One of my biggest pet peeves is being bad at something involving health & fitness. But the truth is, we are all bad at something. My ankle mobility makes movements like pistols (single-leg squats) near impossible unless an unworldly amount of warm-up and prep time is dedicated before jumping into this movement. I want you to think for a second… What’s your arch nemesis of health & fitness? Is it a specific movement? Is it food choices? Is it not getting enough sleep? Is it being inconsistent? OR is it a lack of direction? Whatever it is the FIRST step to avoid “sucking at fitness” is to Identify Your Weakness. Now I don’t want you to think of EVERYTHING you could be better at. I want you to think about that ONE thing you beat yourself up about on a regular basis. Yup… That ONE! Once you’ve identified this, you...Read more

“We’re talkin’ bout’ practice. Practice. Not the game. We’re talkin’ bout’ practice.” The famous words of Allen Iverson after being asked about missing practice. IF you’re not familiar, check it out HERE. Iverson is a prime example of an athlete that relied more on his talent than on his work ethic. It makes you wonder…what would Allen Iverson have been if he took practice as seriously as he took the game? Maybe one of the greatest to play the game? Maybe the catalyst to winning a championship? All this is left to speculation, but I do know one thing, he would have been BETTER. Don’t get me wrong, Iverson is one of my favorite athletes of all time; I wore his shoes for years! But practice is one of the most important components of “getting better”. So why are we talking about practice? Leading a healthy lifestyle & performing functional fitness...Read more