Form Phobia
If there is one thing that will totally discredit a personal trainer in my eyes, it’s lack of reinforcing proper form. I don’t care how long you have been training people, or how many letters you have next to your name. If you stand there and your client is performing an exercise with atrocious form… Read more
The Shoe Talk
There are a few things one will notice upon walking into our facility (Cressey Performance in Hudson, MA). 1. No foo-foo machines. It’s a place designed by athletes, for athletes. As well as for those who are serious about making a serious commitment to their long term health. Although we did break down and buy… Read more
Who Says Girls Can’t Lift Heavy Stuff?
This is a video I took of my client Tina over the weekend while she was training. A few things to note: 1. Tina works her ass off. Matter of fact, she once split her pants wide open while warming up to squat and even though she didn’t have an extra pair of pants, she… Read more
The Perfect Snack
Two words: Beef Jerky I can’t think of many things more perfect than beef jerky. Scratch that. Kate Beckinsale in a bikini feeding me grapes while I’m watching Star Wars in my private jet on the way to Hawaii would constitute as perfect. What can I say? I’m a man of simple pleasures. But after… Read more
The Inevitable Conversation
One of the pitfalls of being a strength coach/personal trainer is that you can never escape the inevitable conversations you’re going to have with complete strangers once they know what you do for a living. To be honest, sometimes I feel like all those parents who dread the day they have to discuss the “birds… Read more
Exercises You Should Be Doing (Half Kneeling Cable Chop)
Contrary to what many people believe, there is no clear evidence that exists to link tightness or weakness of a particular muscle group to injury. However, it has been shown that a significant amount of injuries were noted in those trainees with right-left strength and/or flexibility imbalances (asymmetries). When evaluating new clients, I always like… Read more
Exercise Physiology 101
In his book “Form and Function: The Anatomy of Motion, ” Evan Osar states, “research indicates many orthopedic injuries are related to weakness in the decelerators of the body or lack of eccentric control. Many injuries occur in the deceleration or slowing phase of motion.” Before I go on, lets have a little review on… Read more
Small Rant on Fat Loss
We all know that in order to burn body fat, we have to provide some sort of caloric deficit (calories in must be less than calories out) to do so. Despite what many people claim, they are not the lone exception in all of human history that defies the laws of thermodynamics. As I have… Read more