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Posted by in Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Make a Comeback (featured in STRONG magazine)

Slash your recovery time with these four science-backed supplements. Written by Ashleigh Gass, MS, CSCS, CCN, CNS, CISS N & the STRONG Editors Dietary supplements are a hot button topic these days. With sports nutrition becoming more mainstream, a lot of us are wondering if popping the right pills can really help with everything from muscle building to a faster recovery, and if so, which ones are best? Although numerous studies have recently questioned the quality and reliability of some brands of pills and powders, plenty of science still backs the benefits of supplementation when it comes to post-workout recovery, particularly when supported by a sound nutrition strategy. Check out the full article here: View PDF...

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Posted by in Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Featured in STRONG Magazine

This article was just released in STRONG Fitness magazine, in their digital training guide for this quarter. HOW DO YOU GET PUMPED UP FOR A GOOD WORKOUT? Do you throw some high-energy tracks on your playlist and blast it on your drive to the gym? Or do you watch the latest viral fitspo video circulating the Internet? Or are you like a growing population of fitness buffs that turn to a pre-workout formula to help get you through the grind? Check out the full article here: View...

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Posted by in Training Articles

In Defense of Squats and Deadlifts.

It seems appropriate to begin this article with a "thank you" - a thank you to the strength and conditioning coaches out there who go the extra mile and teach their clients how to squat, and perform deadlifts. I say thank you, because in gyms across the country these lifts, and their variations, are as rare as a $2 bill. Certainly not due to any danger in performing the lifts themselves, but due to the inability of the coaches to a. teach the lifts, and b. pick up on the postural/tissue tension faults that cause the lifts to break down. Due in part to a. and b., many coaches simply resort to throwing their clients on leg press machines and watching them, well, sit and press away. One of my favorite quotes by Mark Rippetoe is "the only problem with barbell training is the fact that the vast, overwhelming majority of people don't know how to do it correctly". Truth be told. For just a moment I'll side with...

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Posted by in Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Gather your food and HUNT down your workouts!

Gather your food and HUNT down your workouts! Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls - we love your questions, and we get them all day long. "What do you eat, when do you eat, what amounts do you eat, what do you eat prior to training, during training, after training……". "What do you train on certain days, how do you do this, that, or the other, how do you build abs, how do you build legs, what about your butt, how do you get that…….." You get the idea. Over time, we will be providing you with intelligent information to assist you with all of your questions. In this article, we offer very simple, highly effective starting points. Enjoy! Hunt and Gather your Food. Sort-of. Traditional Hunter-gatherer societies obtained most, or all food from wild plants and animals, collecting eggs, nuts, fruits, and seafood. Of course nowadays we cannot obtain exactly the same food our ancestors did (and, thankfully for most of us, we don't have to hunt it...

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Posted by in News, Training Articles

Simple-To-Follow New Year’s Fitness Routine

Backflip off the fitness wagon this holiday season? Let me tell you how to stick the landing... Back to reality, or at least the perception of it. Back to the gym, to work, to 'healthy' eating, regular sleep, and te desire to look good naked. (I'd really like to assist you with the latter category). Good news - it's easier than you think. Bad news - all of your herculean goal setting won't work if you are still guzzling lo-fat instant oatmeal for breakfast every day. In this article, I will outline severl simple and easy strategies, that will, if followed, result in fat loss. I'' condense years of formal education and complicated biochemestry into a few bullet points for you. Here goes: 1. Upon rising, have you normal cup of coffee. This time though, after drinking it, head outside and do a 20 minute walk/jog session. The caffeine tastes good, and helps mobilize fat. Already complaining about lack of time to do this? Get up earlier. You want...

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Posted by in News, Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

How Do I Accomplish My Fitness Goals Over The Holidays?

Did you know that half of the annual weigh gain in America takes place during the holiday period? Furthermore, a recent study found that most of this weight is retained indefinitely. Rather sobering when you realize that the average American gains 3lbs/year, while losing 1 percent of muscle mass/year after the age of 25. Thinking that through, if your lifestyle is largely sedentary, in 5 years you would have lost 5 percent of your muscle mass, and gained 15 lbs of fat. It's the perfect storm formula for insulin resistance, diabetes, abdominal obesity and a really big behind! The motivation to BEGIN, continue, and SUCCEED with fitness over the holidays has to come from a strong inner fire. A determination that come January, you are going to look and feel better than you have in months. A realization that, this holiday season, you can enjoy the food, family, and festivities, while kicking butt in the gym. Here are a few tips that will help you succeed. Sick with simple...

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Posted by in News, Training Articles

How Do I Train if I Don’t Have Time?

Good news - you are not alone. Better news - it has been done before, by many thousands of people with perhaps less time than you! Busy schedules, and general confusion about what to do in the gym are the two most common reasons people never really start a training program. Before I discuss a strategy that works for those of you with seemingly no time to train due to businesses, jobs, families, or all three, understandthis; this strategy is effective, but it's also intense. You will need a bit of coaching in order to do this style of training because there are movements that are likely new to you. These movements are challenging, and very effective for full body strength and toning but require a bit of technical "know-how". Additionally, I always recommend that you learn the basics of injury prevention (flexibility, tension reduction, warm up drills, etc) so that you can incorporate all of this stuff into your 'short and sweet' training program. I have a quick-start training program...

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Posted by in News, Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Three Types

There are 3 Types of Authors: Which are you working with? The purpose of this article is to bring to your attention the three types of authors, coaches, advisors, etc out there in any industry. Why? Because there are people in every industry on this planet who are marketing their services and products to you and it's important to learn how to evaluate them. Your success is determined in part by the people you learn from, and take advice from - so choose your author carefully! Author #1: Has never tried it - but writes about it, or tries to teach it. The absolute best example of this is the never-ending flexibility debate in the training world.  You will read almost everywhere, from many 'experts', that flexibility training either doesn't reduce exposure to injury, or, even more ridiculous, that it should not be performed prior to strength training.  Yet, these coaches/authors/academics have typically never trained flexibility properly themselves, and certainly have not used it in the real world with...

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Posted by in News, Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Results Come to Those Who Prepare

Ever wonder why the first month of your training goes smoothly, but then you find many of your old injuries returning? Or, you begin your season with perfection only to find yourself stiff, sore, and tired within 3 months? Contrary to popular belief, injuries and fatigue should not be a normal part of training in the gym or on the field. However, there are many reasons why they occur so frequently. Training is inappropriate to the level of the athlete. This basically means that you end up ‘in over your head’. If you are a beginner to the gym and using programs designed for athletes with 10 years of lifting experience, you’ll usually end up hurting yourself. Too much, too soon. Ever been on a team where you show up on day one of training and get your ass run into the ground? Seems innocent enough, until the next day, when you wake up to a nice pair of pulled hamstrings. Most people don’t know how to remedy this,...

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Posted by in News, Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Nutrition has truly become a source of fascination for our society. This is excellent news, really, because it means most of us are interested in improving our diet, overall health, energy levels, and physique. However, when I begin nutritional coaching with athletes and clients, something very interesting happens. I learn about the assumptions, or beliefs that they have. Generally speaking, people make several assumptions: In order to achieve success in the gym, on the field, or to lose body fat, anything resembling 'junk food' must be eliminated entirely and somehow avoided forever. That a certain level of starvation must occur to reach their goals (when preparing for a figure show, many people ask me if lettuce is all that I eat). That 'willpower' is required in abundance in order to eat well, and that they lack this 'willpower'. That a healthy diet means no fat, no sugar, no alcohol, no cheese, no fun..... And the good news?? None of the points above are correct. I am not invalidating anyone's...

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Posted by in News, Nutrition Articles, Training Articles

Dr. Berardi: When Exercise Doesn’t Work

Greetings sports fans - tonight I am posting an article that will forever change the way you think about nutrition and training. This article was published by Dr. John Berardi, who is known globally for his specialty in performance nutrition. Specifically, his ability to translate research into real-world results with thousands of athletes and weekend warriors alike. In reading this article you will come to your own conclusions - my intention here is to help you understand why all that training you've been doing lately hasn't resulted in the physique changes you expected! When Exercise Doesn't...

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