Do genetics make a difference?

A fair question. So let's take a look. On the left, we have the late Rocky Johnson. On the right, his son Dwayne. Clearly the apple didn't fall from the tree. Genetics for the win! But is it really that simple? As powerful as genetics may be, they're just one piece. They’re also routinely misunderstood, especially on social media. Ever see some jacked dude on IG post a photo from before they...

Key programming modifications for older lifters

Blanket "cookie cutter" recommendations for mature lifters are useless. A 49-year-old can have a 35+ year training history (good and bad)—they might not have exercised regularly since high school. Of course, the most important areas that almost always require modifying relate to recovery—which fundamentally comes down to improving sleep, and managing stress, both in and out of the gym. But with...

Creating flexibility

The Big Rocks of a diet & exercise plan are surprisingly flexible. You don’t have to follow specific workout splits, work in certain rep ranges, or include a bunch of "must-do” exercises. Calories don’t have to be the same every day, and you can even work off a 7-day average. The weekly average approach also applies to daily step count—a simple indicator of how much you move but a BIG...

“You can’t keep adding”

This is one of my favorite sayings concerning exercise programming. You can’t just keep adding exercises, workouts, cardio, conditioning, or even just stuff to do—or remember to do! Everything has a cost, and it all feeds into the equation of time, energy, and focus versus overwhelm. Here’s another way of looking at it: Everything you do or make time for writes a check from your Recovery Bank...

Troubleshooting progress plateaus

In the '80s, Van Halen was the biggest rock band in the world. Their live performances were legendary, as was their artist rider—the part of the performance contract that specifies everything the artist required to perform that day. The long rider contained a clause requesting that "a large bowl of M&Ms with all brown ones removed” be placed in the dressing room. And while it was frequently...

The mainstay of progression? Great technique

Muscle needs an incentive to grow, so doing the same work over and over just won’t cut it. You gotta ask for more to get your muscles to wake up and lay down new tissue: * Lift more weight * Complete more reps at the same weight * Add more working sets Otherwise, your triceps are perfectly content to sit back and relax as you fart around in front of the dumbbell rack doing 8 sets of kickbacks...

Understanding motivation: how to have a more sustainable and enjoyable journey

As a coach, motivation is tricky. Clients sometimes report losing the motivation to continue their program. On the one hand, I think motivation is a bit of a cop-out. You gotta want it—’cause if you do, motivation ceases to be an issue. But it’s also not so cut ‘n’ dried. Losing motivation is interpreted as "the goal just isn't important to me anymore, or at least not worth the amount of work I...