Squatting is one of the essential exercises anyone can do. We need the strength from the glutes, quads, and hip flexors in almost every movement we make throughout the day, so why are they avoided in traditional exercise programs? I have had many people come in that are avid exercisers or are even coming from another functional fitness program who have not been taught to squat correctly. Many people tell me they cannot squat, but after a few months, they are squatting and doing it well. People have been told that squatting is bad for you, and it can be if you are not taught correctly. Many trainers have their clients avoid them completely because they are afraid to teach them. To me, teaching the squat is easy. I am trying to get my athlete to do a couple of things. Set up well, hit the proper range of motion,...

Last week, I was at the grocery store when I heard someone talking about their fitness camp that they attend, and I heard them say, “It’s CrossFit-ish.” I have been training people for ten years, and let me tell you this, if you are not in a CrossFit gym, you are probably not doing CrossFit. CrossFit has many variations and can be done with minimal equipment, but it is different at a CrossFit gym. Most ‘CrossFit-ish’ workouts are missing is the “Evidence-Based” practice of fitness that makes CrossFit, CrossFit. The three most important and interdependent facets of any fitness program can be supported only by measurable, observable, repeatable facts. The CrossFit methodology’s implementation starts by defining what we are looking for by creating absolute metrics in every workout. In layman’s terms, each workout has movement standards so we can accurately retest. If everyone is doing a different type of squat...

I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2009 when a buddy of mine in the military introduced me to it, and I will be honest with you, I have had some knocks and injuries. Now 2009, I mostly did bodyweight workouts and a little barbell and kettlebell work tossed in while I was still playing college soccer, but I got deep into CrossFit in the fall of 2010. Since then, I have at minimum done five CrossFit workouts a week, and at times 2-3 workouts a day. In the last ten years, I easily have close to 3,000 workouts or more under my belt, 20-30 outdoor soccer games a year, and who knows how many indoor soccer games. I’ve competed in all types of fitness competitions, from different races to functional fitness comps, and along the way, I have had to take some time off going 100% due to one thing or...

Everyone wants to lose weight but do not know-how. Many start searching the internet for diets until they find one they think seems easy and will work. Diets are hard. End of story. Its why so many people have a hard time sticking to one, but they are one of the biggest sellers online. Dieting is simple, tough, but simple. Avoid sugar at all costs. Eat enough to support the exercise. Eat most of your carbohydrates in the meals around your workout. (this means you need to workout to eat carbs) Although those are only three things to follow, they are Achilles heel for most people. Although health and fitness is my life, I have trouble following these same guidelines, but I have developed a strategy to help me stay on track, and that is “Lunch is Dinner.” Every night I fire up my Traeger grill and cook something. Simple...

Often when I hear people talk about their workouts, somewhere in there, they talk about how many calories they burned, and many people judge their workouts on that number. What if I told you that the calories you read from your Apple Watch or FitBit are just guesses? Everyone knows I love fitness trackers and think that they are great and should be worn. The problem is that people only look at one metric nowadays, and that is calories burned, and even the most accurate fitness trackers could be a minimum of 30% off. It is crazy to judge the validity of your workout on something that is just guessing.  During your workout, you need to watch your heart rate more than the calories. Bottom line is you have to understand your workout zones to get any real feed back from a heart rate tracker.  For most people, the goal...