Fitness Articles

In the Fitness Articles section you will find topics ranging from proper exercise techniques, to mental conditioning articles, to core fitness concepts and everything in between.

So read on, leave your questions/comments, and apply what you learn to your own fitness routine! To get the most out of the advice within these articles, schedule a free, no-commitment training session and consultation with me and together we’ll put these concepts into action!

The Proper Form for Distance Running

Anyone who has read the book Born to Run understands the importance of proper form when running, which can make enormous differences not only in running performance, but in endurance, comfort and injury prevention as well. Although humans are designed to travel by foot long distances on a regular basis, our modern, sedentary lifestyle has caused us to forget proper running technique as we age. The addition of over-compensating footwear has exacerbated the issue and consequently, a large majority of people do not run in a safe, sustainable fashion. Shin splints, knee issues and hip bursitis are just a few of the common side effects of improper running that plague those who do so on a regular basis.

Running long distances, frequently, doesn’t HAVE to mean inevitable injury however. By fixing your running form you will be able to greatly increase the distance of your runs while simultaneously reducing the impact on your joints and soft tissues and thus, the risk of injury. Continue Reading The Proper Form for Distance Running »

Weight or Inches: Which is a Better Measurement of Fitness Success?

“How much do you weigh?” It’s a question that can cause people to recoil in horror, or even get you slapped for asking—our society is obsessed with the scale and all of the interpretations to be made from the sinister 3-number sequence that it displays. However, is the scale necessarily the BEST measure of one’s health, body composition and/or level of fitness?

One thing my clients get accustomed to is having their inches measured on a regular basis as well as their weight (and their body fat, where applicable). While weight can tell you at a glance the general ballpark of where you’re at, it doesn’t take body composition into account. This poses a problem because having a lot of muscle mass isn’t a bad thing, but will make someone quite heavy relatively speaking. For example, a 100lb female made mostly of muscle will look much smaller and WAY tighter than a 100lb female made mostly of fat. Continue Reading Weight or Inches: Which is a Better Measurement of Fitness Success? »

My Goals for 2012 and How to Make 2012 Your Most Effective Year in Fitness Ever

Here we are, well into the first week of 2012! 2011 was an amazing, transformative year for me, my business, and also for my clients. I was absolutely blown away by some of the results I’ve seen and the effort expended by the men and women I’ve had the privilege of working closely with, and I feel extremely lucky to be in this field and be able to help them achieve these successes each and every day.

Every year I make new goals for myself (and you should too). I like to include goals related to fitness, business and personal development, because I believe it’s important to strive for improvement in all three areas of the mind, body and finances. I also think it’s critical to let others know your goals because that helps hold you accountable, and accountability can mean the difference between yet another failed resolution and one that you can strike out as “Mission Accomplished!” In the spirit of accountability, I am going to include some of my own goals most important goals here. Continue Reading My Goals for 2012 and How to Make 2012 Your Most Effective Year in Fitness Ever »

Understanding the Injury Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention Continuum, Pt. 2

In part 1 of this series, we discussed the proper steps to take for treating an injury, including the R.I.C.E. method, seeing a surgeon and seeing a chiropractor. Rather than looking at each aspect of the continuum as an alternative to the others, it is critical to understand that each has a specific role to play, and the best option is to utilize the services of each of them, when the situation calls for it, in a systematic way.

Moving on in our discussion of the injury treatment continuum, today we are going to look at the final three pieces to the puzzle—the physical therapist, certified fitness trainer and massage therapist—and what role each plays in injury rehabilitation and prevention. While injury treatment refers to “fixing” the issue—in other words, the immediate attention given to stop injuries from getting any worse and setting you on the course to recovery, rehabilitation is the process of actively helping you to recover from the treatment and returning the body to it’s state prior to the injury. Continue Reading Understanding the Injury Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention Continuum, Pt. 2 »

Understanding the Injury Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention Continuum, Pt. 1

Chiropractors, surgeons, massage therapists, physical therapists, trainers… are they all interchangeable?  Many people seem to think so, at least to a degree. A lot of folks think that it’s up to personal preference who you should see (“I don’t trust doctors, so I choose to see a massage therapist or chiropractor for my injuries”) or simply have no idea one way or the other. I wanted to do a short write up for you guys so you can better understand the proper person to see at which time, to get the absolute best possible care.

Let’s say you are training in a fitness bootcamp one day and while performing jump squats, you land in an awkward position. Immediately, you feel an extremely sharp pain in your knee and you’re down for the count. Below are the exact steps you would want to take. Continue Reading Understanding the Injury Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention Continuum, Pt. 1 »

Injury Treatment: The R.I.C.E. Principle

Sports physicians, physical therapists and certified personal trainers all agree that the RICE principle (rest, ice, compression and elevation) as outlined below is by far the best method of self-treatment for minor, acute (single occurrence), sports-related injuries. This includes things like twisted ankles, tendinitis, muscle strains/sprains and even fractures.

While proper warm-ups, cool-downs and a well-designed integrated training program greatly reduce the chance of injury and thus cover the area of injury prevention, there is still a chance (cue Lloyd Christmas, “… So you’re TELLIN’ me there’s a chance!”) that you may get injured during your training—in fact, the more intense your training program is, the more chance there is of injury. Even if you do everything correctly, things can happen outside of your control, so you must be prepared for situations which may occur. Continue Reading Injury Treatment: The R.I.C.E. Principle »

5 Training Tips for the San Diego Mud Run

The San Diego Mud Run is an awesome, fun event that takes place during the fall each year, and in this year’s case will be held on Sunday, October 30th. If you’ve never participated in a mud run before, you are seriously missing out! Between the dressing up in costumes to getting completely plastered in dirt, water and mud, these types of events are a great way to let loose and do something active that you might not otherwise even imagine doing.

Now, just because the events are for fun doesn’t mean that they can’t and shouldn’t be taken seriously. The typical mud run is between 5km and 10km, or approximately 3-6 miles—which is a significant distance in and of itself, not even taking into account the fact that there are obstacles, pits full of mud, tunnels and a ton of other things along the way that will tax your body much more than a simple road run would. Continue Reading 5 Training Tips for the San Diego Mud Run »

4 Exercises to Increase Your Vertical Jump

Anyone who plays basketball, volleyball, or other sports that require vertical leaping is almost certainly interested in increasing the height of their vertical jump. After all, dunking, spiking, and general dominance in these sports depends heavily on how high off the ground you’re able to get. Many people attribute the ability to jump high to genetics, and while genetics can be partially responsible for gifted athletes who can seemingly fly through the air with little effort, every athlete can significantly increase their vertical “hops” through a proper workout routine.

A common myth in the fitness industry is that calf strength is the primary factor determining one’s jumping power, but this is not true. The vast majority of the power of a jump is generated in the thighs (hamstrings in particular) and hips (gluteus maximus in particular), thus creating a training regimen that focuses primarily on improving the strength of these muscle groups makes the most sense. Continue Reading 4 Exercises to Increase Your Vertical Jump »

April’s Recipes, Workouts and Q & A Wrap-Up

Below you will find a list of all of the recipes and Q & A sessions from this past month’s newsletters. If you’d like to get these types of articles delivered to your email on a regular basis, please sign up for the Fit Facts Newsletter (and get a free e-report in the process!). Continue Reading April’s Recipes, Workouts and Q & A Wrap-Up »

8 Weeks to RIPPED, Weeks #7 and #8

Well, the last two weeks of my cutting program have come and gone and the results are in—looks like I came very close to my desired goals and I am very happy with my progress over the past 20 months. While 20 months of hard training and dieting to gain 7 lbs of muscle may seem like an unfair trade-off, it’s actually a pretty good accomplishment for an advanced lifter like me who is approaching his fitness naturally (ie. without steroids). I think it’s clear at this point that I am knowledgable enough about my body that I can predict how certain situations will affect it, which is a very good skill to have for long-term weight management.

Coming out of this cut, I am leaner than I thought I would be, and yet at the same time have continued to have personal records on my lifts at the gym, which is great. Continue Reading 8 Weeks to RIPPED, Weeks #7 and #8 »