So, you suddenly need to train at home…

I've been tweaking workouts to accommodate home gyms if (when?) commercial gyms are required to close. For folks who have a barbell, weights, dumbbells, adjustable bench, and squat rack (ideally), I can make most anything work. But for those with just resistance bands and maybe an exercise mat (like yours truly), its decidedly tougher. So how would I train if I got an email today saying my gym...

Thanks to Daylight Savings Time the Zombie Apocalypse is Coming

FORGET CORONAVIRUS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IS COMING THIS MONDAY. And you can thank the switch to Daylight Savings Time. When I started coaching I was obsessed with learning all the cutting edge details of fat loss, such as different protocols, magic hacks, supplements, and every trivial nuance. As I got busier I realized that the basics (calorie control, tracking, progressive training, sleep,...

The Rock’s Cheat Meal

Wow! Look at the Rock's cheat meal! What a horrible message. He's labelling his favorite foods as a cheat! Doesn't he realize stigmatizing foods as off-limits or "bad" creates enormous anxiety in the average person? It becomes like forbidden fruit to gullible Adam, a splinter in their brain they can't quite shake, so eventually they break and binge and spiral into a bottomless black hole of...

30 Years Without a Cheat Meal?

I don't have many noteworthy qualities that I'm proud of. Unlike my wife's friend. He's absolutely brilliant and a lead researcher in developing the recent Ebola vaccine and (apparently) even tested it on himself. When I first heard that, I quickly reminded my wife was comic book type shit and exactly how Dr. Curt Connors became The Lizard. But one thing I'm happy with is that I've never been an...

Survivorship Bias in Fitness

During World War 2, the US Air Force had a problem. Planes were returning to base riddled with bullet holes, so the military decided it needed better ways to protect the planes and the crew. When they plotted out the damage the planes were incurring, it was concentrated around the tail, body, and wings. So the USAF immediately set forth to reinforce these areas. That is until Abraham Wald, a...

Brilliant at the Basics

It's 2001. I'm sitting in a crowded conference room in Toronto, having my first Paul Chek experience. At the time I only knew Chek as the Swiss ball guy, so I expected a speech about stabilizers, core, and functional training. Thirty minutes later and Paul had covered soil health, the healing power of the sun, and how the next and final world war will be fought over clean water. Perhaps it was...

Client Transformation: Tim’s Before & Afters

Before & afters have been part of the coaching business for decades — cause they work! They’re a powerful way to cut through the noise and reach potential new clients who want to make a similar change. I’ve always been a bit apprehensive in terms of beating the before & after drum. For one, it's, well... unoriginal. But I also feel guilty taking the credit for someone else’s hard work....