Before the trip, I had two things on my mind: the exhilaration of the inland seas we call Great Lakes, and my above-average body composition (and how would it stay that way, on such a long vacation, accompanied by drunken sailors)....
The weight should be so heavy that you can only move it 10 times in a row. (10 "reps" in gym-speak). If you can lift it for more than ten reps, it's not lifting weights any more; it's cardio. Cardio is good for you but we're talking about lifting for now. That said, technically, there are many set and rep ranges. 5 sets of 5 reps 4 sets of 15 reps 3 sets of 8 reps But you can get great results with three sets of 10 reps and it's easy to...
If you didn't guess, I'm talking about supplements and those who sell them. They are not always regulated by the government. Whereas food in grocery stores is highly scrutinized for our protection. Some work, some don't, and some do harm. Every few months a fitness or medical professional approaches me claiming to have a new and improved line of supplements. To protect my clients I do my homework before selling them. What ends up happening is I find a lot of holes in their research. Often times I learn that the proprietor doesn't even...
They say the older you get, things get taken from you. Unless, that is, you learn new modalities like soft tissue release and joint distraction. Then you can get older and be better at the same time. I found this out at Fuel Training Club, and I want to pass along the cool stuff I've learned. In January 2014 I started training there 4-5x a week. Full disclosure of affiliation: we promote each other, so technically I am bias. But everything I'm writing here is true. It's intense lifting and cardio. Here...
You should treat avocados like a fat. Your basic avocado has about 20-30 grams of the succulent stuff, depending on its size. This is handy since that's the correct fat portion for a low carb meal, if you're into that. Another way to control their portion is to mash it up. Half a cup is 18 grams of fat. They taste great with a bit of salt and pepper, they're amazing on salads, or as a dip. See below for recipes. Their fat profile is very healthy. Kinda like a nut. In terms of...
If you read my recent blog about quinoa, which was pretty popular, you might have felt like I was bashing it. And I don't mean to get the husk off. So I'm going to write about the benefits of quinoa in more depth, than my previous piece (where the goal was to dispel the myth that quinoa is high-protein). I take your feedback seriously. So this one's for you and for Quinoa. What it is: It's a seed but nutritionally it resembles to a whole grain. The outside is poisonous and is removed...
My Dad’s barbeque was sold to him by a “friend” for $100. Any money we saved was subsequently wasted on burned meat. This grill has more hot and cold spots than Brett Favre's career. If that metaphor means nothing, try this one: This grill has more hot and cold spot than Tinder (so I've heard). The only consistent thing about this grill is that it has never been predictable. One day I took it apart and cleaned the burners with an old ice pick – patiently pushing through the dozens of burner holes...
People are surprised when I tell them that quinoa is not high in protein. I don't blame anyone for not knowing correct nutrition science because incorrect advice is ubiquitous. And it's not coming from just scam artists or beauty magazines. It is on the news, from your doctor, or personal trainer, or the labels you see in the grocery store. Every day I hear someone give bad nutrition advice. It used to upset me. Now I spread the truth through this blog. Please share it. Quinoa is mostly carbs and the protein...
[caption id="attachment_831" align="alignleft" width="300"] My actual books![/caption] Stuck in a rut? These are some books that have helped me and a lot of my clients. Maybe one of them can help you. The Four Agreements This is a short book. It's a really simple framework that if followed even sometimes, can keep you out of drama. After I read it, I made four more "agreements" or guidelines to follow. At the time one was about Jiu-Jitsu, one about business conflicts, etc. Mind Gym This is a fun and light read. It's a collection stories from...
Running is great. Running too much too soon, will hurt you. Literally everyone in the health and fitness industry agrees on this concept, which rarely happens! If you didn’t run much this winter, here's a safe way to get back into it: Try running for a 30-60 seconds, and then walk 30-60 seconds. Repeat for 10-20 minutes and reassess how you feel over the next two days. If you didn't injury yourself, then run again a bit further or with shorter walking sets. The app "Couch to 5 k" might help you. Obviously the idea is to...