Finding the right stretches for you involves some experimentation, patience, and a willingness to safely push beyond your comfort zone. I hope you get some inspiration from the videos below! 

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Unlock your potential with a stronger neckWithout a doubt, the muscles of the neck are severely neglected in most strength training regimens.  With the poor posture habits being ingrained from hours spent on cell phones and at computer screens, there is surely an impending epidemic of neck pain and dysfunction that will be impacting increasingly

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If you live a sedentary lifestyle or work a desk job, planning exercise sessions in your weekly routine is absolutely critical to maintaining your health and quality of life. We all know this, but for many, the challenge is finding the time to fit some type of exercise into their schedule on a consistent basis. With

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A common complaint that I hear from people who struggle to maintain a consistent fitness routine, is that the workouts are too boring. To that, I say your workouts aren’t supposed to be exciting, they’re only meant to be effective! If you want excitement, play a sport or start a new hobby. Training is simply a means

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Body recomposition is the process of lowering your body fat while increasing muscle mass, resulting no net change in your body weight. There are many paths to achieving this, but understanding the common themes will help to make the process as efficient and sustainable as possible.  The following six principles will ensure your body “recomp” is

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Humans are highly sensitive beings. As we go about our lives and are exposed to the stimulus of the world around us, we develop our natural intuition. This natural intuition, when listened to, provides us with all of the guidance we need to maintain our health and adapt to changes in the environment around us.The

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Mindset is the Foundation of SuccessThe following concepts regarding mindset, once internalized, will allow you to take full control of your training. You’ll avoid regressing to bad habits, being inconsistent, and letting your emotions dictate the quality of your training. Even if you feel like you are on top of your mental game, we all

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I decided to mix up my training by incorporating some isometronics, which is a method that combines maximal isometric holds and isotonic contractions. Although not commonly used, it is actually a very old-school training method. I was first made aware of it through Charles Poliquin, who had picked it up from one of Anthony Ditillo’s

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Not every training session should be a heavy lifting day! For those times when your body is feeling a bit worn down from intense training, it’s still possible to get a productive workout in by doing a shorter, less intense workout that focuses on building up your weaknesses, improving mobility deficits, and working on your conditioning.  ​The

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If you want to build up your triceps, this is one workout that will definitely put on some size! The key is to keep a short rest period in between exercises and to always use full range of motion. If you want to see part 2 of the workout, make sure you become a subscriber

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There’s often a lot of confusion surrounding how you should train if you are skinny-fat (high percentage of body fat and low amount of muscle mass) . Because you need to both build muscle AND lose body fat, it can be tricky to determine what to prioritize. Although many different approaches can be successful, but

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This past February, my girlfriend and I went on a 4-week trip around Europe, and our second stop was Ireland. We happened to find a great gym (Inspire Gym, Larne, Northern Ireland), so we took full advantage of it when we weren’t spending time touring the beautiful countryside.  More often than not, I tend to

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Hanging Leg raises are a staple in my abdominal training. I’ve been doing them for years, but not always with the best form. The most common mistake is bending the arms and leaning back as you lift your legs, which turns the movement into more of a lat exercise; That’s not necessarily a bad thing,

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I would never have thought that I would enjoy writing a blog on how to make beef stew, but I guess that’s just what us millenials do for fun these days. I think many people avoid making stews and slow cooked meals simply because they require some planning in advance, but once you finally get

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Einkorn Wheat vs Modern WheatI love to experiment with different ingredients in the kitchen, and one that I’ve been using a lot of lately is Einkorn flour! I sought out this grain after trying to find alternatives to the standard modern wheat which for me is hard to digest and results in many negative side

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Reading time ~20min. To go to the quick summary, click here. The basics of building muscle mass are no secret. Overload. Eat. Recover. If you have just started training seriously and are struggling to gain muscle mass, chances are that you don’t need a more advanced training program, a complicated nutrition plan, or a sophisticated supplement

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The first in my series of cooking videos featuring some of my favorite high-carb and gluten-free recipes. There are plenty more on the way! It’s the first cooking video I have made, so I appreciate any feedback to help me make my videos better and more relevant for you.  Also, if you have any requests for

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Here is a basic yet challenging workout for the lower body and abs.  The front squat -> back squat drop set allows you to use a moderately heavy weight for more reps than you would be able to front squat alone, which will increase the overload on the quad muscles.  Start conservatively with the weight

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Wouldn’t it be great if we all had an endless supply of willpower?  No amount of temptation or distraction could throw us off course. Making a change in our habits would be as simple as deciding to do it. Unfortunately, this is not how human behavior works, which is evident by how hard it is

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Dr. Bob Rakowski’s nutrition seminar at the 2016 SWIS symposium covered a variety of dietary and lifestyle interventions, from gut healing protocols and sleep support to nutritional cleanses used with elite athletes. Although there were a lot of specifics discussed in regards to the details of nutritional protocols, supplements, and dosages, I feel that the

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We’ve been around for millions of years and we’re still trying to figure out what to eat! The 2014 Integrative Healthcare Symposium was a great meeting of the minds several of the leaders and innovators in the areas of integrative and functional medicine, and one of the most anticipated events was a panel discussion discussing the merits of vegan,

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With all of the conflicting information circulating around the internet, it is easy to be uncertain about the value of gluten-free diets and and you may be wondering if adopting a gluten-free diet would even benefit you.  The reality is that much of the controversy is related competing financial interests (on both sides of the debate),  outlandish

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The snatch and clean & jerk, as well as their variations (snatch pulls, clean pulls, from the hang, from blocks, from a deficit, power variations) are great exercises to develop strength, power, and muscle mass in the legs, entire back musculature, and shoulders.  With a little creativity, you can develop weightlifting complexes that suit your specific

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Everyone knows that you’re not supposed to round your lower back. “Lift with you legs, not your back.” “Keep a flat back.” “Spinal flexion is BAD.” In an industry that is very divided in regards to training theory, “not rounding the back” is one idea that is widely accepted among personal trainers and strength coaches.

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In no particular order, here are 20 things about training and nutrition I learned (or confirmed) in 2013: 1. Strive to develop strength and flexibility at the same time.  Being strong without having good range of motion is useless. 2. For fast results, multiple training sessions in a day are a must.  Changes in body

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In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I still have a long way to go when it comes to developing my own flexibility. I’ve spent a large portion of my training career chasing higher poundage on the bar with the bare minimum time put into stretching. While I did make sure

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A freak accident or momentary lapse in concentration during intense training is all it takes for injuries to happen. Some injuries could stall your progress for months and even require surgery. If you’re a serious gym rat, that kind of setback is your worst nightmare. Modern orthopedic procedures are more effective than ever, but most

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In theory, bulking up is simple: train hard, eat well, and allow enough recovery time. So why are so many people unsuccessful in their attempts to pack on muscle mass? The biggest factor in failed bulking programs is lack of preparation. But not just in terms of nutrition. Preparing to bulk includes establishing a base

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Anyone who has pushed themselves through tough training sessions has undoubtedly experienced nausea at some point or another. It’s to be expected with intense workouts, especially when you have a high work-to-rest ratio (i.e. short rest intervals) that don’t allow for full recovery in between sets, such as with interval training, circuit training, and high-volume

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If you’re involved in the fitness world, you are probably familiar with the benefits of using whey protein in a post-workout protein shake. The speed of absorption, high bio-availability, and large amount of branched-chain amino acids make whey ideal for muscle recovery. There’s a reason whey protein powder has been the gold standard for many

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Most lifters, bodybuilders, and athletes who struggle to gain weight know exactly what foods they should be eating and how much.  The issue is being able to organize their eating schedule and setting aside time to prepare their meals.  The suggestions I’m going to lay out are very simple yet effective ways to ensure that you can

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If you are struggling to make it through your workouts and you feel low on energy, make sure your pre-workout meal is setting you up for success.  Here are three rules to follow to make sure you are getting the most out of your pre-workout meal: 1. Choose a high quality source of protein Having

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One of the more interesting presentations at the 2014 Integrative Healthcare Symposium was by Dr. Hal Blatman speaking on the advances in the science of fascia.  In the world of strength training, rehabilitation, and fitness, fascia seems to be the topic of the hour, mainly because its importance has been neglected for so long and people are now

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Getting consistent, restful sleep, is undeniably one of the most essential components of a successful strength training program. Being able to recover from workouts, build muscle mass, lose body fat, and manage the stress of everyday life is all dependent on the amount and quality of sleep that you get. In part 1 of my How

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There is no substitute for good sleep.  The lack of consistent, quality sleep is one of the most common causes of lack of progress in a  training program.  This is especially true in a high stress city like New York.  There’s never enough time in the day to get everything done, but is sacrificing your

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One of the most important factors in recovering well from workouts is managing stress levels.  Most people encounter stressful situations on a daily basis that pose a challenge both mentally and physically.  Avoiding stress all together is not a realistic strategy for most of us, so it is important to have strategies that help you

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As more people are realizing the consequences of all the toxic chemicals that are being dumped into our environment, cleanse programs, fasts, and and special detox diets and supplements have been increasing in popularity.  Some people dismiss these methods as “fads”, especially so-called “conventional doctors” (who have practially no success in curing chronic conditions…), but the truth is

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