Dissecting the Fitness Industry: Messengers vs. Light Bulb Guys (And Gals)

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I’ll be totally straightforward here: negativity sucks. I’m not a fan of it, and I hope you’re not either. We live in a world with so many problems. So many goddamn problems. Why create more problems by being negative? It’s a gigantic waste of time.

I wanted to lead with a few thoughts about negativity because the topic of this post is something I used to be negative about. Like, really negative. So negative, in fact, that I’m absolutely positive it stopped me from progressing in my career. That’s serious stuff.

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Exercise Spotlight: Anti-Rotation Mountain Climber

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Surprisingly, even after a fairly comprehensive YouTube search, I wasn’t able to find anything like today’s exercise. So I needed a name, and I had a seriously tough time coming up with one. I’m still debating, but I think I’m going to run with the Anti-Rotation Mountain Climber.

This name does a decent job of honing in on the primary focus of the movement (resisting rotation), but doesn’t quite encompass everything that’s going on. Really, it should be called the Band Resisted Single Leg Anti-Rotation Slider Mountain Climber. Or something ridiculously long and obnoxious.

Not quite as catchy, is it? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Continue reading →

Fix Your Burpee Technique

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good-bad-burpee-1Just a little shameless plug for myself today…

If you’re having trouble with the finer points of burpee technique, or you’ve never done a burpee before and want to get off on the right foot, check out my new article on EliteFTS.com: Three Burpee Technique Flaws and How to Fix Them.

I talk about what you’re doing wrong with three major parts of the burpee – squat, plank, and jump. Chances are, one of these components could use some work. Enjoy!

Exercise Spotlight: Low Band Lateral Lunge Pallof Press

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Screenshot 2015-05-05 at 3.33.04 PMNote: Every other fitness writer out there seems to have a recurring series that highlights new or favorite exercises, so I thought I should follow suit. Today, we’re going to take a look at a variation of the Pallof Press.

The Pallof Press is a great anti-rotation movement – meaning your body has to fight to resist rotation – that has become extremely popular over the last five years. At this point, there are too many variations to count. So, obviously, we need to add more.

I’m sure today’s exercise isn’t a novel one, but it’s not something I’ve run across in my regular fitness reading. That being said, I thought I’d share it with you since I’m really enjoying it. It’s not a typical Pallof Press in that the resistance isn’t perpendicular to your body, but the same concepts still apply.

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Getting a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology

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Screenshot 2015-04-27 at 1.27.02 PMMost of my friends and family can attest to the fact that I’m not a big fan of formal education. I went to school for a Bachelor’s degree because I felt like it was the thing to do. Everyone else was going to school, so why not? I also felt like I had to snag an undergraduate degree to get my foot in the door.

Admittedly, doing something because you feel pressured into it isn’t the healthiest rationale, especially when it comes to a process as trying as formal education. But that’s how I saw it and that’s what happened. And when I finished my undergraduate degree, I didn’t think I’d ever continue my education in the college setting. In fact, I hadn’t even considered the possibility.

Two years later, however, I chose to do just that.

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