When I sit down with someone to explore personal training options, we talk in detail about goals and why those goals are important to you. “I’d like to improve my endurance” is a very common one. It’s probably the second most common goal after getting stronger. I tend to sort
Oh the quick fix… the cleanse, the diet, the detox, the magic weight loss plant/pill/injection. Everything is always going to be so fast, so quick, so easy…just enter your credit card and effortless skinny bliss awaits! *Puke!* Say it with me folks: QUICK FIXES DO NOT WORK LONG TERM! The
Someone recently asked me a pretty common question during a personal training session last week. “Hey Alec, how do I ditch the beer gut?” It’s a really common question. There are some things that are unique to the beer gut beyond normal fat loss principles that are worth covering. You
How do we beat the afternoon slump? Taking an evidence based approach to strength and longevity means using all of the evidence. Sometimes, I write you an article based on the consensus derived from the latest and greatest research. Other times, I write based on the “clinical” evidence that comes
Do you need goals or do you need standards? Goals are important. I’m not going to sit here and say they aren’t. But many goals end up being outcome goals. Outcome goals, like “I want to lose 20lbs” or “I want to win this basketball game”, tend to be things
Are you overtrained or under recovered? Both terms have become popular buzzwords lately and they are referring to similar conditions. Let’s clarify! Whether we are talking about overtraining or under recovery, it is all about your ratio of stimulus and response. Training is stimulus that is designed to get a
Whether you are looking to get more energy, get stronger, stay healthy, lose weight, or just maintain your sanity, better sleep is vital. If you aren’t getting 7-8 hours of restful sleep per night consistently, you absolutely have to address this. Short term, you’ll feel much better, have more patience,
When you start your strength training journey, I can almost guarantee it won’t end with you only getting stronger. If your time in the gym doesn’t enhance your life outside of it, something has gone wrong. Strength training leads to better nutrition. I wrote about this a few weeks ago
Should you weigh in daily or count calories? I’ve noticed that a LOT of things in fitness are cyclical. One year, a habit or tactic is the hot “new” thing and the next year, the pendulum has swung and now you should never do that thing. The latest trends are that
What if you just can’t lose weight? More often than not, alcohol is a factor. Sorry friends. I am going to be a buzzkill. We all have to actively decide what our relationship to alcohol will be. That is going to look a little different for everyone. I will also