What is a proper pull up? I can count at least a dozen variations off the top of my head, so which one is the goal here? A proper pull-up meets these criteria: • Elbows are straight at the starting position • Palms are facing away from the face • The chin comes above the …
What is it that football players and other athletes do to get in shape so they’re primed and ready to go on game day? They weight train. This should not be a surprise to most. They perform progressive exercise programs composed of specific lifts to develop power, strength, agility, balance, and flexibility. Having been an …
All day, I ask gym-goers about their fitness goals and what they are currently doing to achieve them. I like to know how many sets and repetitions they perform. It’s a fancy way of asking, “How many times do you pick that up and put it down?” People typically do 3 sets of 10. Some …
California does a lot right when it comes to health and fitness. People are relatively active and it’s easy to imagine why; the weather is conducive to it and the culture promotes exercise. People are health-conscious and the effort to strive for a healthy body is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Kudos California! As …
Every aspect of what we consume is of the utmost importance because food fuels every moment of our lives. The frequency, quality, type, source, and quantity of that fuel all weigh in on our day-to-day health. They also have a huge impact on how our bodies use or store food and therefore our tendencies to …
You cannot out train a bad diet. I probably say that at every consult and no one ever flinches. It’s easy to identify a bad diet—it’s everything that feels good to eat: refined sugar, excess salt, processed food, and saturated fat. There’s a reason we love those foods, we are biologically programmed to be physically …
Several major problems arise when you implement a machine-based workout program. Your Joints Will Suffer: Many machines force you to work muscles independently of each other that typically work together in real life. This causes unnatural pulling on joints. An example is the leg extension and leg curl machines. Your hamstrings and quads never work …
Ball and socket joints, like the shoulder, have magnificently huge range of motion (ROM). Unfortunately, this is paired with a large capacity for injury since so many muscles are involved in holding the joint in place and safely moving the limbs around it. When the muscles around the shoulder joint are properly developed and taken …
Squats put me to shame. Seriously, next time you want a good laugh, ask me to squat, it’s a riot—I’ll just fall right on my bum. This simple movement, that every infant masters before even learning to walk, drops me on my tailbone. It’s hardly an exercise in anything but humor for others and frustration …
I’m giving away my secrets here, so read carefully. Why? Because I know you need to get fit more than I need to hold on to my valued information! What if I told you that you could walk into a gym with little or no fitness experience and surpass the strength progress of almost every …
