Switching from days to nights or swing shift isn’t fun. Shift work can wreak havoc on your body’s daily sleep/wake cycle and hormonal patterns IF YOU LET IT. Some effects are unavoidable, but you can drastically reduce their impact with a few simple practices.
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You might not improve your sword-fighting or star-throwing skills, but I guarantee a simple practice or two will help lower your stress and improve your fitness basically overnight. Simply being quiet (both literally and in my mind) has helped me manage anxiety symptoms and improve the quality of my workouts throughout the last year. I was skeptical and I’m definitely no pro, but a little goes a long way.
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Training isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.
I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.
Read MoreI think we all agree that we could eat a bit better, but a nutrition plan (or lack of one) isn’t just about nutrition. Preferences, work schedule, family life, and lifestyle all have a huge influence on how we eat.
Luckily, a solid nutrition plan takes all these things into consideration from the start. And you don’t have to start meal prepping dozens of meals of chicken and broccoli to make meaningful, healthy, lasting positive changes.
Here are 3 ideas to get you thinking. Try one of these out this week and see how it goes!
Read MoreConditioning doesn’t have to be boring and shouldn’t always be sprints or endless jogging. Your conditioning needs will vary greatly based on your personal goals, but a little creativity will go a long way toward working on weaknesses or just making conditioning more interesting.
Here are three very effective methods that don’t get a lot of attention. They’re all useful at different times for different people, and I’ll explain why. Think outside the box and try one (or all) of these out.
Read MoreGetting (and staying) in shape isn’t as complicated as you may think. Sometimes I wish the internet wasn’t such a vast source of information – paralysis by analysis is very real. So much conflicting information may make you question whether what you’re doing for fitness is actually “right,” or even worse, prevent you from starting in the first place.
Here is what’s actually important. Doing these things most of the time will keep you strong, fit, and at a healthy bodyweight for life. 99% of people will never need to go beyond any of these simple habits.
Read MoreTraining isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.
I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.
Read MoreI get it, I’m biased. But think about it this way – if I didn’t see the massive value in what I do, why would I do it? The obesity crisis isn’t going away any time soon and costs the US billions every year, not to mention the incalculable toll on individuals and families. Most adults are overworked, stressed out, and feel forced to put their own well-being on the backburner.
Sound familiar?
It doesn’t need to be this way, and a good coach will partner with you to help you find a solution that works with your life and goals. You don’t need to try to do it alone.
Read MoreThe concept behind hill sprints is simple. Sprint up, walk down, repeat. It isn’t sexy, it’s free, and it’s brutally effective. It’s been around for decades, with good reason.
Read MoreThe traditional one-on-one personal training model is flawed. Many gyms have implemented a semi-private or group training model. That’s a huge improvement, but it still has its drawbacks. Online training has absolutely exploded in the last several years and is a great option, but also has a few flaws, like lack of any face-to-face technique instruction. There’s a better option still, and it’s my primary service that I offer.
Read MoreTraining isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.
I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.
Read MoreLoaded carries are an excellent way to develop total-body strength and conditioning and are a very “functional” way to build strength for everyday tasks. If you’ve only ever done traditional weight training in the gym, you’ll be surprised at how difficult these will be at first. You’ll strengthen your hands and shoulders along with your core, hips, and legs. If done for longer distances or with short rest periods, you’ll jack your heart rate up and build your conditioning as well.
If you have a physical job or are a first responder, training loaded carries is mandatory.
Read MoreIf you don’t follow me on Instagram (@mjttraining), you should. I’ve been doing Instagram fitness Q&A’s every Friday. I’ve been getting requests through DM’s to elaborate on several of them so I figured I’d start compiling some of the most popular questions with longer/better answers than I can provide in an Instagram story.
Read MoreTraining isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.
I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.
Read MoreNote: this is an excerpt from my 10-8 Police Academy training program. This is a two phase 12-week program designed to prepare you for whatever your academy throws at you.
These tips will help you prepare for and test well in most agencies’ PT tests. If you’ve got a unique situation or something I don’t cover here, send me a message and I’ll help you out.
Read MoreTraining productively and progressively is a balancing act between too little and too much stress on the body. Too little training stress and you won’t make any progress. Too much and you risk low motivation, burnout, injury, and if you let it go on long enough, overtaining.
If you’re training hard for a sport, race, academy, or other hard task, you should periodically include “low stress” weeks. These have often been called “deload” weeks, but I don’t necessarily like that term. Here’s how to include low stress weeks in your training.
Read MoreTraining isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.
I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.
Read MoreIf you don’t follow me on Instagram (@mjttraining), you should. I’ve been doing Instagram fitness Q&A’s every Friday. I’ve been getting requests through DM’s to elaborate on several of them so I figured I’d start compiling some of the most popular questions with longer/better answers than I can provide in an Instagram story.
Read MoreOur society, even with all its problems, is the wealthiest and most comfortable that it ever has been in human history. Let that sink in. We are literally at the peak of civilization, and out of the billions of people that have ever lived, WE are the ones that get to enjoy it.
Comfort and luxury are not bad things. But being too comfortable also has its downside.
Read MorePretty much every client I’ve ever worked with has some sort of limitation regarding exercise, whether it be an old injury, medical condition, or other issue. None of us are superhuman, and if you’ve been on the planet long enough, you’ve got things that will affect you in the gym. I have several old injuries that I work around every day.
Despite whatever limitations you have, you can still train productively and progressively. It just takes a little creativity sometimes. Don’t let your limitations discourage you to the point of quitting.
