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Minimal Sneakers: Worth a Try?
Over the past decade, science article after science article has suggested that overly cushioned, modern footwear is weakening our feet. Findings detailed in such articles express that dexterous, strong feet not only improve athletic performance, but also ability. As someone who believes in looking at my training from the foundational level (mastering the basics: functional movement capacity), I took those…
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CrossFit Review & Alternatives
In 2014, during my final year as a full-time personal trainer, much of the personal training community branded CrossFit as the gym with sloppy trainers who don’t check or correct form, with a program beloved by cultish zombies who know no better than to do as instructed. This reputation was only further solidified when CrossFit introduced everyday trainees to a…
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Muscle Fibers 101 & Goal-specific Training
Our bodies are composed of three types of skeletal muscle fibers: (1) Type I: slow-twitch, high endurance capacity; (2) Type IIa: fast-twitch, large, powerful, medium endurance capacity; and (3) Type IIb: fast-twitch, large, powerful, and easy-to-fatigue (sometimes called fight-or-flight muscle fibers). Your muscle fiber composition ratio is dependent on a muscle’s function, your age, your genetics, and – something you…
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Exercise, Training, or Ritual
Are you exercising, training, or performing rituals? You might consider the first two to be synonymous and the third, esoteric and totally foreign. However, I would argue that the first two are similar but distinct, and a lot of people might unintentionally be engaged in the third. Either way, I would argue that each are valuable and can play a…
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Understanding and Manipulating Macronutrients
Our bodies require three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These nutritional categories are further subdivided based on variations in composition and nutritional content. Through understanding these variations, you can adjust your choices to better fuel and recover from workouts and improve your overall health. Calories per gram/macronutrient: Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram Proteins: 4 calories per gram Fats:…
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Why You Need an Exercise Log
An exercise log has three primary functions: it should contain a pre-written daily workout or workout of the day (WOD, as CrossFitters say); it can be used to track training output per training session; and it’s a way to compare weekly and monthly training progress. Although a written exercise log (digital or physical) might seem too simple a tool to…
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Do You Need a Gym for an Effective Workout? – A Fit Mom’s Experience
As a young, broke mom, I worked out at home for five years before ever joining a gym. I developed a six-pack for the first time a month after giving birth to my son, and a few months later, my legs were toned for the first time. I had my first taste of muscle growth and progress with exercise. I…
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2020 Self-help Message
I’ve been part of a superficial industry for a long time now: the fitness world. After seventeen years of people criticizing my body shape or exercise goals, I came to realize what I wrote below, which is intended for anyone struggling with rejection, minimization, or insults regarding their health and fitness goals. The message: don’t seek validation outside yourself I’ve…
