During the quarantine phase of dealing with COVID-19, we had to shift our workouts from the studio to online and provide them virtually for our members. Participants having minimal or no equipment forced us to use bodyweight as the resistance for many exercises. When I started designing these programs, I considered it an optimal time (I had a captive quarantined audience) to dedicate 2-3 exercises daily with the objective of improving mobility. The 3 areas that are traditionally addressed for mobility in strength and conditioning are the ankle, hips, and thoracic (upper back) spine. Hip mobility and it’s lack thereof, have become all the rage recently. There are Instagram pages dedicated to it. Read More

If you’re like me, being quarantined, having a limited work schedule, and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted your daily routine. I was forced to temporarily close the studio a month ago and I’m currently training people privately and in small groups using Zoom. Virtual training isn’t the same as training someone in person, but it does provide a viable option. I’ve had to quickly adjust many of my coaching cues on the fly, so that they still translate online. I’ve had to substitute where I previously had the ability to touch and physically move someone, to solely using visual and verbal cues. Read More

It’s not uncommon for someone to walk into the studio for the first time and ask me “Do you provide weight training?” The reason for their confusion is because we don’t have any typical machines at the studio. I decided to use today’s blog post to explain exactly what “weight training” is. The first thing I should clarify is that research has proven that to improve muscular fitness you must apply the overload principle. Read More

We just wrapped up a Body-fat loss Challenge in the studio. I typically schedule these twice a year (January and August). The duration of the Challenges is always five weeks. The objective is to lose as much body-fat as possible within the five week window. Body-fat is measured using a Lange skinfold caliper. A typical amount of body-fat seems to hover around 2%. The winners of the Challenge usually lose upwards to 4% in body-fat or more in the five week span. To facilitate and help fat-burning we recommend people increase their intensity in their workouts and the frequency. Read More

In 2001, Thomas Meyers authored Anatomy Trains. The book instantly became a staple in the functional strength and conditioning world. The book shows and explains how the muscles throughout the body are interwoven by fascia. Fascia is a body-wide collagenous web. I like to use the analogy that it’s a layer of Saran wrap that encompasses the muscles. Taking the information from this text became an outline for trainers on how to group exercises and movement patterns. There are seven trains, or lines, that run throughout the body. Read More

We’re three weeks into the New Year and I am observing people struggling in getting started with their program. The New Year came and went, and so did their discipline. We’re right at that point where you can’t reference the year as “new” anymore. By February 1st, it’s just the year 2020.It’s not new anymore, similar to when you purchase a car and it depreciates as you drive it off the lot. The problem with the holidays is that people start to loosen up their self-control around Thanksgiving. Think about it, we have a holiday that we celebrate the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World by eating as much as possible. I admit I fall into that trap. What other holiday would you eat 2 servings of pie? Read More

Happy New Year! I wanted to start the year off continuing my discussion from December on improving shoulder stability. If you didn’t read the first part of this post, please go back and give it a read. In a quick recap I discussed the importance of posture and tissue quality of the latissimus dorsi. I would like to add that in addition to treating the muscle tissue of the latissimus dorsi, you need to address the tissue quality of pectoralis minor. As cited by Physical therapist, Shirley Sahrmann, in her textbook Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndrome: Read More

Years ago, I started listening to a legendary strength coach for tips to be better coach. He had been in the industry for years, worked with professional athletes from different sports, and was a lifetime learner. During one of his talks, he mentioned that his experience from working with lots of people from different populations, had made him a good coach. I mention this as I write my final blog article for 2019and we bring 2019 and my 29th year as a coach and trainer to a close. When someone has a problem with shoulder stability, and it’s not from an injury, I follow a specific protocol that has generated successful outcomes. I’ll discuss this strategy in 4 sections. Read More

There’s a new documentary film on Netflix making a big buzz titled, “The Game Changers”. It’s a story how a professional mixed martial artist goes on a quest, in search of recovery methods after suffering two debilitating knee injuries. On this journey, with the end goal to get back on the competitive stage, he comes across the benefits of a plant-based diet. The movie ends with him learning how to fly after eating only plant-based food. Yes, that’s a joke. My post today isn’t going to be about converting you to a plant-based diet, it’s about the power of making subtle changes. Read More

I just returned from a quick trip to Long Island, NY. My wife’s nephew was getting married. It was a fun trip filled with visits to a couple of my favorite restaurants, discussions of memories from before I moved to Las Vegas in 2003, and a workout at the gym (Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym) which I called home from 1992 to 2003. I always credit this gym to where I got my start in personal training. It was where my interest in training first peaked. The funny thing was that nothing has changed there since I left 16 years ago, and I don’t know if that’s good. Read More