Design Your Own Workout Program What does the story about Goldilocks and the three little bears have to do with fitness? It's hard to know how much exercise to do to get the results you want. The 'poppa bear' is that too much exercise could lead to overtraining. The 'mama bear' is that not enough exercise won't produce any results. The 'baby bear' is identifying the optimal … [Read more...]
HIIT or Steady-State: Which Type of Cardio is Best for YOU?
HIIT and Steady-state Are Different When it comes to exercise, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has received a lot of attention for being a time-efficient way for working out (not only is it time efficient, it could slow down how you age - read about that HERE). However, it's important to remember that Steady State Training (SST) is still an extremely effective way … [Read more...]
7 Recovery Strategies to Help You Get Results from Exercise
Exercise is stress on the body Whether you’re lifting weights, running, cycling, swimming, doing bodyweight exercises or simply going for a vigorous walk, exercise is a stress imposed upon the body for the purpose of changing it. Exercise is the process of applying a stress, giving the body the time and ability to adapt to that stress is the real secret to getting results … [Read more...]
7 Benefits of Cardio Exercise
Cardio Exercise is a Key Component of Fitness Running. Cycling. Swimming. Rowing. Dancing. Walking. Stair climbing. Exercise circuits. All of these are common forms of cardio exercise. Along with resistance training to increase strength and flexibility to improve joint motion; cardio is one of the key components of a well rounded exercise program. Keep reading to learn 7 … [Read more...]
6 Benefits of Measuring Exercise Heart Rate
Once Upon a Time We all know the story of Goldilocks and the three bears; as Goldilocks rummaged through their house she found that poppa bear’s porridge was too hot, momma bear’s was too cold but that baby bear’s was just right. This story is how many people approach cardiovascular exercise; some people are poppa bear and do too much high intensity exercise, others are momma … [Read more...]
Health Club, Fitness Studio or Home?
The disruption of the fitness industry Over the past decade a number of disrupting factors have changed how the fitness industry operates; as a result, the question becomes where is the best place to exercise: a health club, fitness studio or home? Disruptive forces Technology From wearables like trackers and hear-rate monitors to streaming services that … [Read more...]
7 Things to Know About Strength Training
Strength Training Builds Strong Muscles That title is kind of a 'no duh,' but most people overlook the fact that strength training is essential for both an aesthetic appearance and to build strong muscles. Because it helps burn calories while enhancing appearance, strength training should be an essential component of any workout program. Not only that, but strength training … [Read more...]
6 Things to Know about the Optimal Number of Reps to Get Results
Results take time We have become an ‘on demand’ society that wants what we want when we want it, which is usually NOW. This is especially true when it comes to exercise. No one likes wasting time, yet when it comes to their fitness programs, I see a LOT of people doing just that because they are using the wrong number of reps for their specific fitness goals. Here are 6 things … [Read more...]
Benefits of Lifting Heavy Weights
Want results from your workouts? Use Heavy Weights! For years only a handful of dedicated fitness enthusiasts have practiced a sure-fire method of achieving results from exercise: lifting weights with the heaviest loads possible. Most common gym routines are derived from the bodybuilding world and focus on moderate-to-high repetition ranges, usually 8-15 reps, to … [Read more...]
5 Ways Social Media Can Support YOUR Fitness Journey
Social Media Can Help Your Fitness Journey What motivates you to exercise? There are two basic motivators: a desire to move towards a goal or the intent to avoid an outcome. For example, you may be motivated to exercise because you want to lift an additional 50 pounds. However, if you’ve been advised to start an exercise program to improve your health because you face the … [Read more...]
6 Benefits of Using Standing Exercises to Strengthen Core Muscles
Your core muscles are designed to work while you're standing! Lying down to "strengthen your core" is sooo 20th century. If you're looking the best core exercises that can help you to reach your goals, consider doing them from a standing position! Let me ask you a question: how do you feel when you’re lying down? Does your energy go up or do you find yourself getting drowsy … [Read more...]
8 Fitness Trends for 2020
Every year the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) releases a list of fitness trends. While they use quantitative metrics from the fitness industry to identify popular workout programs, there is a flaw in their methodology. Some of the “trends”: personal training, exercise is medicine and health coaching (in the 2020 version which can be READ HERE) are nothing more than … [Read more...]
6 Things to Know About Muscle Imbalances
Looking better, losing unwanted weight or enhancing athletic performance are three of the most popular reasons for why we exercise. While many of us want the benefits from working out, not many of us will walk into a fitness facility and tell an instructor that we have something that needs to be fixed; yet many of us are walking around with muscle imbalances that could be … [Read more...]
The Lifelong Benefits of Being a Rugby Player – Featuring an Interview with Todd Clever
Football. Basketball. Baseball. Hockey. For years these four sports have been the dominant professional leagues in the United States. Overseas and in other parts of the world sports like soccer, cricket and rugby are wildly popular while the American sports are barely acknowledged. Now that it has a shorter, more TV-audience-friendly version, the sport of Cricket is … [Read more...]
Dr. Nick Winkelman – the Language of Coaching
When was the last time you tried something new? Whether it was a piece of food, traveling to a place you’ve never been before or simply trying a new exercise, new is scary because it is different an unfamiliar to us. Think about what you do for work, would you be able to take what you’re doing and make a complete switch by moving to a new country to work in a field that you … [Read more...]
The TEAM Approach to Fitness
A few years ago a major shoe company had an ad with a skinny model attempting to do kettlebell swings but were really the squat-to-front-raise variation that is, simply put, incorrect. To help companies avoid this pitfall, one of my roles as a consultant in the fitness industry is to work as a technical director for photo and video shoots. The job is to watch the talent through … [Read more...]
5 Benefits of Movement Variability during Exercise
How long have you been doing your current workout program? If it’s been more than few months then you may have noticed that you are no longer getting the same results you did as when you first started. Think about this for a moment: the gym is the only place where we repeatedly perform the exact some movements the exact same way. Every. Time. The human body is a … [Read more...]
The Kettlebell Windmill: A Core Exercise that YOU SHOULD be Doing!
Got Core Strength? Don’t waste your precious time on ineffective core exercises! Strength training for core muscles should focus on using the hips and shoulders from a standing position instead of rolling around like a turtle stuck on its back. Keep reading to learn more about your core and why the kettlebell windmill is a core exercise that you SHOULD be doing! The … [Read more...]
Exercise for Each Decade of the Lifespan, part 2
Staying Fit as you Age! The 2nd part of the series is a little late because I sprained my wrist in an old boys rugby tournament and I’ve been limiting my keyboard time to let it heal. The minimum age at this rugby tournament was 40 which was a testament to what I’m writing about; there were a number of men in their 50s and 60s who still play rugby on a regular basis. The … [Read more...]
Exercise for Each Decade of the Lifespan, part 1
Exercise is the Fountain of Youth Here’s a scary thought: YOU ARE THE OLDEST THAT YOU HAVE EVER BEEN! The good news is that getting older does NOT mean that you have to stop exercising. In fact, making exercise the foundation of a healthy lifestyle could be the proverbial fountain of youth, helping you to slow down, and in some cases, even reverse the effects of the aging … [Read more...]
9 Reasons Why Sleep is Essential for Optimal Health
Exercise is Only Part of the Equation - Sleep is Essential for Optimal Health Your workouts can leave you in puddles of sweat. Your nutrition can be dialed in. However, if you don’t get adequate sleep or practice effective sleep hygiene then the exercise you do may not produce the results you want. If you workout an hour a day that’s a total of 7 hours a week and since there … [Read more...]
What to Know About Hormones and Exercise
Hormones Control Cellular Function Hormones are chemicals that control how cells function in your body. Hormones only influence cells with specific receptor sites. Hormones can either be anabolic meaning they help build new tissue, or catabolic because they play a role in breaking tissue down meaning they are responsible for both building new muscle and burning fat, therefore … [Read more...]
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