There are many ways to vary your training regimen, but we’d like to focus on four that are commonly overlooked: have a plan/program, and prescribe multi-joint, multi-planar, and unilateral lifts. These four components can help provide a well-balanced routine throughout the week and add much needed variability your body needs to adapt.
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Nutrition is a vital component of health and fitness. They, truly go hand in hand. Much like fitness, there is no one size-fits-all meal plan that can fit the needs of everyone. Inevitably, most people will start rummaging through the abyss of google for a diet to meet their needs. Seeking answers from multiple sources often seems like a good idea at first, but it usually takes a turn for the worse when everyone claims to have the answers, and yet each suggestion conflicts with the next. … Intermittent Fasting, No wait, eat every 3 hours… Eat whole grain, unless you follow Paleo then don’t eat grains at all… Diet is extremely individual. Moments of success can lend clues to lead you in the right direction. Your body weight, energy level, and performance can all be indicators of your diet is working. Check out our guide to test your nutrition.
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Low back pain, slouched shoulders, neck pain? The guilty culprit? Spending so much time in poor posture! There are many causes for these aches and pains, but a good place to start is taking a look at how we position ourselves at work. Since so many people spend their days sitting or standing at a desk, it is crucial to know how to set up our workstation properly. The following are some recommendations to set up your workplace properly so you can improve those painful muscle imbalances.
If we could only choose three exercises for the rest of our lives, the deadlift would be among those three (and probably # 1). In our opinion, it is the one of the most functional exercises you can do while stimulating more muscle fibers both anteriorly and posteriorly than any exercise. Coincidentally, it releases anabolic hormones like nobody’s business and helps improve posture, further enhancing dopamine production; two great reasons to deadlift on top of the profusion of other positives. Think about it, when you bend down to pick something up like a couch when you’re moving, groceries when you’re shopping, or a kid when they’re having a temper tantrum, the deadlift prepares you for those daily tasks. Hate being in the gym? Don’t have enough time to exercise every angle and muscle in your back? Then the deadlift, although exceptionally difficult, is your answer. If your form, the load and intensity are right, the deadlift will build more mass than cable rows, lat pull-downs, and dumbbell rows combined. However, the deadlift is one of the most abused exercise we see everyday as trainers.
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Prepping for a bikini competition or wanting a nice shaped butt for summer? Looking to increase glute and hamstring activation for your lunges, squats and deadlifts? Or maybe you’re looking to reduce your low back pain and gain more glute strength? Hip thrusts/hip lifts/glute bridges are gaining a lot of attention in the fitness world right now. It is great for building glute strength, stability of your knees, & to shape a perfectly round butt!
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The Turkish Get-Up (TGU) is a great, complex functional movement that utilizes multiple muscles groups. Moreover, it’s a movement that demonstrates both stability and mobility. This exercise commonly utilizes a kettlebell in one hand while the elbow is extended and shoulder is flexed throughout the whole movement. TGU is a great exercise to perform in the gym if you’re pressed for time and it doesn’t require much equipment or setup. Traditionally, TGU is used with a kettlebell but a dumbbell will suffice if you don’t have access to kettlebells.
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Surrounding our muscles, bones, and organs is a network of connective tissue called fascia. Unlike our muscles which are more elastic in nature, fascia is more plastic in nature, made primarily from dense fibers of collagen. From a musculoskeletal point, fascia helps support efficiency of movement, reactive forces, and injury prevention. However, muscle imbalances, overuse, stress, and injuries can create “knots” or entanglements within the tissue, causing restriction of movement. We often refer to this areas as trigger points.
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Engage your core! We hear this phrase being tossed around all the time, but a lot of people may not necessarily understand how to engage it. A functionally active core is essential to improving your posture, preventing low back pain, improving your balance, and so much more. However, there are many dysfunctions that can occur within our core. It is often necessary to revert to breathing and foundational core exercises to rebuild a stronger, more efficient base for our body to work from.
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Time is one of the BIGGEST excuses people use to justify why they can’t to workout. With spring break and summer coming up, travel can often be a conflict as well. We all have time for what me make time for. Whatever the reason, our “No-Excuse Workout” can be done anywhere or anytime. No equipment needed (except your strong body). It’s also low-impact if you have down-stairs neighbors at home or in a hotel, and can be done in a small space (yes, even a cubicle if you need a quick break at work).
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Whether your goal is to be healthier, lose weight, or to gain weight, including healthy fats in your diet is essential for satiation and also a positive hormonal profile. However, most fats come in liquid form, making them convenient to use, but they’re often used precipitously mainly due to the misconception that because they’re healthy they’re innocuous. Now, too much of anything is bad for you (let’s get that cliché out of the way now), and a little, when it comes to oils and fats, goes a long way.
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