Blog
Periodization vs. Programming: Are Researchers Testing the Right Thing?
Discover why many resistance training studies may not actually be testing periodization. Learn the difference between programming and periodization.
Wobble Board Push-Ups
Wobble board push-ups turn a familiar bodyweight exercise into a demanding stability challenge. With elevated feet and a weighted vest, this variation tests pressing strength, core control, and full-range push-up mechanics.
Stop Scratching Your Shoulder Scab
Shoulder irritation often persists because lifters keep provoking the same tissues. Stabilizing the scapula and respecting shoulder position can stop the cycle from repeating.
A Good Problem for a Personal Trainer
Client retention can create the best kind of business problem: too many people wanting back in. Strong service, referrals, and consistency beat endless chasing.
Paused Close-Neutral-Grip Chin-Ups (5 Sets)
Paused chin-ups reduce momentum, reinforce control, and increase tension where many lifters cheat. This close-neutral-grip variation also gives the shoulders and spine a brief reset at the bottom of each rep.
Personal Training for Couples (Part 2)
Part 2 flips the focus so Barb trains upper body while Terry works lower body. The clip shows how smart programming keeps both partners progressing inside the same training session.
Personal Training for Couples (Part 1)
Couples can train together without doing identical workouts. In Part 1, Terry focuses on upper body while Barb trains lower body, showing how one session can serve two different needs.
Personal Training for Couples
Training couples can work when the program respects two different bodies, histories, and goals. Smart modifications let clients train together without forcing identical workouts.
How to Speed Up the Healing of a Buckle Fracture
A buckle fracture led to an experiment with vibration, low-level laser therapy, and simple tools to support healing. The approach is unconventional but highly practical.
My Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has benefits, but it is not ideal for every goal or every body. Muscle retention, energy, and personal response matter.
Periodization of Rice
Nutrition and training can follow the seasons. White rice, wild rice, cauliflower rice, mass phases, and fat-loss phases all fit into a periodized approach.
Heavy Hip Thrusts Are Dangerous
Heavy hip thrusts may carry risks that lifters rarely discuss. Nerve irritation, loading decisions, and exercise alternatives deserve a closer look before piling on weight.
A Deep Stretch for Your Chest
A power-rack chest stretch can hit the pecs harder than the usual doorway version. Bar placement, body position, and loading make the difference.
Interpreting Research
Reading research is one thing; interpreting it for real-world coaching is another. Vegetarian diets, stretching, nutrition science, and training methods all get a practical second look.
Our Top 10 Articles of 2018
Revisit the website’s most-read content from 2018, including training strategies, health stories, nutrition takes, and recovery ideas that readers kept coming back to.
Evening Yoga Improves REM Sleep
One evening yoga session produced an unusually strong night of REM sleep. The result raises a useful question about timing, relaxation, and recovery.
Sunbathing Is Good, Sunburning Is Bad
Sun exposure is not the enemy; burning is. Vitamin D, hygiene, food sources, and common sun habits all deserve a more nuanced look.
Stay Ahead of the Research
Good trainers need gym smarts and book smarts. Research can validate what experienced coaches already see, but the best results come from knowing how to connect both.
The News Is Spreading Fast: Use METH for Injuries
Forget the old RICE reflex: movement, elevation, traction, and heat make a bolder case for injury recovery. METH challenges the way lifters think about healing.
A Potent One-Two Combination to Knock Out the Mid-Afternoon Slump
Mid-afternoon energy crashes do not always need more caffeine. A short recovery session and light exposure may offer a sharper way to reset the day.
How I Saved My Mother’s Life
Bone marrow donation, integrative medicine, and a mother’s battle with cancer come together in a deeply personal health story. The stakes could not have been higher.