Health Blog
This blog is about one thing... giving people access to the proper fitness, nutrition and lifestyle habits that lead to living a happy, healthy life.
You'll find articles on dieting myths, proper training techniques, recipes, custom workouts, and even video how-tos and tips from yours truly and other experts in the industry.
If you're frustrated with the lack of progress you've been making towards your fitness goals, whether it's because of a lack of direction or a lack of motivation, then look around this blog, come back often and apply the fitness and nutrition concepts you discover in your own efforts.
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!
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 »
The hCG Diet: Temptations of a Fad
This is a guest article written by Anchorage’s top personal trainer and natural bodybuilder Steph Figarelle:
As a personal trainer who encourages healthy diet choices and a consistent exercise regime for everyone, I have a hard time jumping on the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) diet bandwagon and find the controversy surrounding it frustrating. hCG is a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy, as well as in the pituitary gland of males and females of all ages at a lower concentration. I’ve read several empirical research articles and heard countless success stories from people who have lost a significant amount of weight following this “diet plan,” so I understand that it may have a short-term success rate, however I’m still convinced the diet is a quick fix. Continue Reading The hCG Diet: Temptations of a Fad »
Juice Fasting: Pointless Waste of Time and Money
This article may prove to be controversial, but this is a topic that I can’t stay quiet about any longer and it’s time to blow the lid off this thing. All over the nation, and in Orange County in particular, the trend of “juice fasting” is becoming mainstream and millions of dollars are being spent each year on detoxifying the body through a nutrition plan that consists of juices made from fruits and vegetables. These systems (at least in Orange County) typically cost between $50 and $300, depending on the company you go through and how many days you perform the cleanse for. It all sounds fine and dandy (albeit, a bit expensive) right? So what the heck’s my problem then?
My problem, simply put, is that juice fasting is completely pointless, and the industry behind it is a complete scam. First, let’s look at the claims made by typical juice fasting companies. Continue Reading Juice Fasting: Pointless Waste of Time and Money »
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 »
5 Key Traits to Look For in a Workout Partner
Having another person to work out with is a great benefit for many reasons, not the least of which are the social and motivational aspects. However, just as a good workout partner can motivate you to hit the gym consistently and with a lot of focus and intensity, the wrong workout partner can lead to a lack of motivation, a lack of focus and even a lack of results or injury. Choosing the correct partner is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly and yet most people simply go with whichever friend(s) that they can convince to hit the gym with them. Is this really the best way to approach such an important subject?
If you’re looking for a new person to workout with, then the various prerequisites that I’ve laid out below should help you in your quest. If you already have a workout buddy, you should still evaluate them on the following points and ensure that they are of benefit to your fitness program. Continue Reading 5 Key Traits to Look For in a Workout Partner »
8 Weeks to RIPPED, Weeks #5 and #6
The last two weeks have been a success as I am clearly on the path towards my goal and losing fat at a steady, predictable rate now. At this point I plan to keep doing what I’m doing and it’s just a matter of time till I hit my goal, which should be before the deadline. If I am lucky I may even surpass my original goals!
Looking back, this cut cycle has gone pretty smoothly thus far. I don’t think I would change anything if I were to do it over—my body fat has declined without a major loss in muscle tissue, and my strength has continued to increase steadily throughout the process. My energy levels have been all over the board but that is to be expected when I keep interrupting my ketosis cycle on a weekly basis (an unfortunate necessity on a carb cycling program like this). Thankfully, energy has been high during my weekend workout which is the one that matters most for muscle retention so I can’t complain too much. Continue Reading 8 Weeks to RIPPED, Weeks #5 and #6 »
Don’t Fear the Heavy Weight!
“But, I don’t want to get bulky!” That is the #1 response I get from 99% of my female clients and in general, just about every girl I’ve ever discussed fitness with who wasn’t already a fitness model when it comes to the concept of using heavy weights while training. To be perfectly clear, in order to increase your muscle definition (i.e. “tone up”), to boost your basal metabolic rate and to increase your strength you MUST lift with weights that are heavy enough that you cannot perform more than 8-10 repetitions. That being said, it is not even physically possible for the vast majority of women to put on a significant enough amount of muscle mass to be considered “bulky”—they just don’t have the necessary testosterone floating around in their blood stream!
While there are always exceptions to the rule, most women with high enough levels of testosterone required to get bulky would already be aware of it, because they would likely suffer from other symptoms of high testosterone as well. Continue Reading Don’t Fear the Heavy Weight! »