With all the talk about hitting big goals, I want to downshift to focus on small wins. Often it’s the big goal and destination that gets all the attention. We all know examples of this, a big bodyfat loss goal, perhaps a competition, a vacation or wedding, maybe the marathon. I’ve got some big goals myself (like improving a cardio goal) that I want to achieve this year. While it’s great to set big goals, they can seem so distant into the future. They are likely weeks, months

First, let's talk about what causes hunger, surprisingly, there are a number of causes. While the most obvious is that you need to eat, there are some underlying factors. 1. Blood sugar starts to drop. This is a trigger to initiate eating. 2. Your senses deceive you. If you walk by something that smells or looks delicious, it can cause those rumblings to start. Note: DON'T TRUST THIS! 3. You have an increase of the hormone ghrelin. This is your hunger hormone and increases yo

Recently I was asked the question on which foods should be considered bulking foods and which ones should be considered cutting foods. To rephrase this, which foods should be consumed when the focus is on gaining muscle (for the record, I don’t like the term bulking, prefer massing) and which foods should be consumed when losing bodyfat. The easy nutrition coach response would be to just say either, you only have to hit your macros. While that’s true, the reality is, there ar

My goal/focus of these is to breakdown each bodypart and cover multiple aspects as it comes to training it. Specifically function, considerations, my favorite exercises, general tips and tricks. Today I’m going to talk about your biceps, was going to do arms, but that’s a lot and want to make sure I cover it all in depth. Education is important but big biceps is importanter (lol). Here are some things I see often. One, biceps get overtrained either directly or indirectly. The

Nothing is more motivating than seeing progress. When we get results, we want to do more of the thing that got us the results so it continues and increases. They reinforce each other; you get results and then, you stay focused, to then, get more results. Habits are what drives progress. When habits are locked in, the progress and results are going to happen. There are two keys here to unlock. The first is, determine what are the results you are wanting to get and second, what

Today I’m going to talk about glutes. This is probably one of the most mis-represented bodyparts. Depending on who you ask, they are either top of mind with regards to importance, or not even on the radar. First, next to the waistline, glutes are probably one of the most visual bodyparts, both for men and women. For women, there is usually a huge focus. Men, unfortunately, not enough. While everyone wants (and fellas should want) a solid booty, there are bigger things going o

I get this question often, which is why I wanted to do a full length deep dive. I'm a huge fan of date night and it's good to be able to be able to get outside of our own kitchens to eat. Let me start with why macros alone provide flexibility versus just sticking to a calorie in goal and/or being restricted to only eating specific foods. With a macros baseline however, if I recommend 145g protein, 170g carbs, 60g fat, it’s a lot more specific. This helps individuals know they

“Abs are made in the kitchen.” Not true. I agree that lower body fat is heavily influenced by your nutrition, yes, but your abdominal wall still needs to be trained like any other muscle group. Strength, definition, and injury prevention all come from consistent training. FUNCTION: Rectus abdominis – attaches from the hip to the bottom of the ribcage; causes flexion of the spine. External oblique – starts at the lower portion of the 8 ribs, inserts into the hips; helps with l

Injuries happen to us all. Sometimes they’re minor, sometimes they’re severe. But when they happen, there are two main goals to focus on: Goal 1: Heal and recover fully. Goal 2: Maintain progress or even make new progress (i.e. don’t give up!!) First things first, always listen to your doctor or medical provider, like a physical therapist. Follow their recommendations and programming. When someone has an injury, I often see two mistakes: A) Not allowing enough rest/recovery f

In our society socialization is linked with food. At the same time, our culture’s focus is not on good nutritional practices. The need to be social is important (yes, even for you introverts, lol). When social events combine food, the goal is to be social but not completely fall off the rails. Here are the most commonly seen challenges: Poor food choices at an event. Often the only things available are carbs and fats—crackers, spreads, fried handheld options, ‘mystery’ meat.