Should you use lighter weights and higher reps?

This week, I want to field a question I've received a few times recently: Why does it seem like all the fitness influencers are recommending using lighter weights? Maybe a better question is this: why would heavier weights be more popular? Heavier loads (1-6 reps) are ideal for developing strength. They can also build size (hypertrophy) if you accumulate enough "productive reps" aka reps at or...

Injuries and fitness goals are about knowing your options

  Getting hurt sucks: Perhaps it's something going pop in your back mid-rep. Or a niggling pain in your shoulder that gets progressively worse. (Serves you right for trying to work through it.) Or even a non-workout related injury that still forces you to hit pause. All of the above suck royally, each in their own way. How much they suck depends on a lot of things outside of your control....

How getting diagnosed with ADHD redefined discipline for me

A while back I was diagnosed with ADHD. The biggest take-away was hardly an "a-ha!" moment: basically, I can't multi-task effectively. Now, yes, the research shows that no one can, really, but turns out I struggle with it even more than most. This is especially true with things that are mentally taxing and need a lot of focus, like writing, designing programs, or even thinking through a complex...

When my clients are “stalled,” I wait to adjust calories. Here’s why.

I get variations of this question a lot from my coaching clients: "Why u no adjust my calories? I've been stalled for 2 weeks!" As with many things, the most immediate answer is IT DEPENDS: on your caloric needs, age, activity, and body composition, etc. But beyond that, there are a number of reasons why I tend to wait a bit. Let me go through a few of them... First, sometimes it just takes time...

Cardio goals vs. weight training goals

This week I'm gonna cover a really good question from a client: “Bryan, it ok to have both a goal for lifting AND a goal for cardio? I want to make big progress with my programs AND I want to be able to head out and run a 5k-10k if a pal asks without much notice. I hear so much conflicting information about ‘running will ruin your gains’ or ‘you can do cardio but keep heart rate.” Great...

Coming back from Spring Break

I hate Spring Break. Well, no, I don't have an issue with a week off in the sun with family and friends. This is even more true for those summer vacations many folks are thinking about or planning right about now. Even from a coaching fat-loss perspective, there's nothing wrong with a week off the program. And yes, I do mean REALLY off: booze, tacos, pizza, zero exercise... IF — and it's a big...

How much sugar can I eat?

I get this question a lot and again the answer is IT DEPENDS on your caloric needs, age, activity, and body composition. First of all, sugar isn't evil. It's simply glucose bound to fructose; however, it's "refined" using chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, phosphoric acid, and calcium hydroxide. But once you eat it the body breaks it down to glucose. In other words, effectively, it's a damn...