Follow Lindsey Vonn’s Instagram page for some serious fitspiration—holy cow can that girl work! Think that the only way to improve your running is by running more? False! Add some weight training to your routine and feel the miles start to become faster and easier.

No matter what activities you enjoy doing outside of the gym, there are weight training exercises you can do to boost your potential. Golf? Google your favorite golfer’s name and there’s a good chance you can find a sample of their favorite gym workout. Skiing?

Follow Lindsey Vonn’s Instagram page for some serious fitspiration—holy cow can that girl work! Think that the only way to improve your running is by running more? False! Add some weight training to your routine and feel the miles start to become faster and easier.

Many people think that since I work as a personal trainer, I must enjoy spending my days in the gym and the weight room. While I love working with my clients and helping them to reach their goals, I am happiest when I’m outside hiking or skiing for example.

More recently I’ve even started mountain biking. I also know that to maintain and improve my performance in my favorite activities, I have to spend some time indoors with the weights and machines—and so should you!

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

2019 has been the year of trying new things and attempting activities outside of my normal comfort zone. I love being in the woods and exploring new locations and mountain biking takes my adventures to another level.

The first time I tried it out, it wasn’t my legs or my lungs that were the first to burn out, it was the muscles in my hands! I had to keep stopping to shake out and stretch out my hands; after I was finished, holding on to the steering wheel on the drive home was a challenge!

Improving my grip strength has become a new goal for me—single arm farmers carry, bar hangs, and pull-ups have become a bigger part of my workouts. I still have moments of sheer panic where I find myself gripping the handlebars for dear life and narrowly scraping by random trees when the trail gets a little too narrow, but I’m able to maintain my grip and ride it out.

Over the winter I added skinning to my list of outdoor activities along with downhill skiing and snowshoeing. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s like hiking uphill with your ski boots and skis attached to your feet.

The first time I went I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the trek up; I work out daily and downhill ski a few days a week, in my mind, there was no reason it should have felt so hard! Needless to say, I was hooked and was determined to become better at it and get to a point where I could hopefully carry on a conversation as I made my way up the mountain.

By adding more lower body training to my workouts and jumping on the treadmill a couple of times a week, it gradually started to become easier. I’ll continue to train over the summer in hope that it will be an easy transition into the winter by the time there’s enough snow coverage.

Dedicate the Time

I’ll take fresh air and some sunshine over being in the gym any day, but to keep up with my outdoor activities I know that I have to spend some time with the weights and machines. Doing exercises that are specific to the hobbies I do for fun and that work my total body is essential to keep myself fit and to also reduce the possibility of accidental injuries.

By building up the muscles that support my joints (particularly my knees) I’m able to stay active for longer periods of time and not feel as sore after the fact. Google is a great resource when it comes to looking for exercises that may help you, but reach out to a trainer in your area for an exercise program that is more specific to you and your needs.

The post Workout Inside to Improve Performance Outside appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

According to Medical News Today, “Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels drop below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening if a person does not receive treatment.

Three years ago, I had to undergo multiple health screenings to stay on my father’s insurance plan. When the doctor called me back and told me I was hypoglycemic (meaning I have low blood sugar), I was surprised, but when thinking back it totally made sense.

According to Medical News Today, “Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels drop below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening if a person does not receive treatment.

Treatments focus on returning blood sugar to safe levels.” When I asked my doctor what I needed to do with my new diagnosis, she recommended eating multiple smaller meals throughout the day and eating small, healthy snacks every few hours to maintain my blood sugar levels.

Prior to learning about hypoglycemia, I can remember occasions where I experienced different symptoms that I should have kept track of and notified my doctor of. The worst instance was when I was teaching a ski lesson and had all of the typical indicators: shaky, dizzy, unable to concentrate, trouble focusing my eyes, confusion, moody, and hungry.

I pushed through it at the time, thinking I was just “hangry,” finished the lesson, and luckily only had a short drive home. I couldn’t eat fast enough and by the time my sugar levels started to even out, my body spent the rest of the day trying to re-regulate itself and I spent the rest of the evening in bed too exhausted to do anything else.

Over the past three years, I’ve learned what snacks help to keep me full the longest and I almost always have extra food packed just in case. I even keep a stash of jelly beans or (my favorite) Sour Patch Kids in my glove box for emergency situations.

If I start to get too low, I know that the fastest way to get back to a healthy balance is with fruit juice—apple, cranberry, and grape are the ones I’ve found to be the best. Other snacks that are good to have on hand are bananas, trail mix, and energy bars like Clif Bars.

Working With Hypoglycemic Clients

I still slip up and find myself without extra carbs occasionally, putting myself in situations that I find to be frustrating and embarrassing. As a personal trainer, I hold myself to a high standard and know what my body is capable of doing.

Recently I was biking and didn’t keep track of the last time I ate; I started to feel shaky, dizzy and felt cold and clammy. Instead of being able to complete the ride, I had to wait while one of my friends went to get the car. My body wouldn’t allow me to keep going.

I blamed myself, apologized profusely to my friend, and felt my body trying to readjust for the next few days—I really had to keep track of how I was feeling and eat even more frequently than usual to stay in equilibrium.

When training a client living with hypoglycemia, The Personal Trainer Development Center states, moderate-level activities like brisk walking, light jogging, and cycling have a greater potential to lower blood glucose and cause hypoglycemia (depending on how diabetes is treated).

Each person’s exercise regime should be modified according to his/her habitual physical activity, physical function, health status, exercise responses, and stated goals.”

Trainers need to respect their scope of practice and not overstep their boundaries. Refrain from advising clients on topics you are not qualified to work with, including (but not limited to) diet, medication, and other underlying health complications or injuries.

As a trainer, be sure you’re prepared if your client does experience hypoglycemic episodes—have snacks or juice on hand, know how to spot the symptoms, listen to your client, and ask how they’re feeling throughout the workout.

The post The Relationship Between Training and Hypoglycemia appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As a personal trainer, I often get asked questions regarding all aspects of fitness. Should I do cardio or lift weights first? How long should I do cardio for? Should I increase the weight or do more reps? Often these questions are asked without any background information and the person asking expects me to have one concrete, end-all, be all answer that they will follow for the rest of their lives.

The fitness industry is constantly changing as new trends, fads, and crazes emerge, ebb, and flow. I feel guilty constantly giving the answer, “It depends,” but it’s the most honest and truthful thing I can say. I’ve put together some of my favorite “it depends” questions I get from beginners at the gym and tried to answer them a little more thoroughly after doing some more reading and research regarding what the industry is saying today.

How Much Cardio?

My answer to this question depends on what the person asking does outside of the gym. Are they sitting at home on the couch or behind a desk for most of the day? Are they chasing after a wild three-year-old or doing housework all week?

For people just beginning to get active, start with 5 or 10 minutes of walking on a treadmill or track or pedaling a bike. Starting slow is key; waking up the day after hitting the gym for the first time and not being able to get out of bed or comfortably stand up or sit down is less than ideal.

The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines states that individuals should aim for, “at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity to minimize weight gain or to prevent increases in BMI.”

Physical activity doesn’t mean you have to be chained to the “dreadmill” either. Definitely count the minutes you spent raking leaves or shoveling snow; if vacuuming the living room gets your heart rate up, include that, too!

Cardio or Weights First?

What’s your ultimate goal? Are you trying to improve your 5k time or are you looking to increase strength? Whichever is more important to you is what you should commit most of your energy to. If you’re doing cardio first but strength is your main goal, your muscles will be fatigued before their most strenuous activity.

If you are brand new to the gym and fitness life, do whichever one you DON’T like first. That way, you’ll be sure to get it done and you won’t be tempted to skip it later!

Bonus answer: if weight loss is your goal, head to the weight room before hitting the cardio equipment!

More Weight or More Reps?

Before I answer this question, your main focus should be your form. If your exercise form isn’t spot on, you really shouldn’t be adding any weight to it or repetitively training a poor movement pattern.

Once your form is on point, add some repetitions. If you can comfortably bang out some more reps without any pain, discomfort, or too much strain think about gradually increasing the weight you’re using. Increasing too much too fast or chasing a number you think you should be attaining (either weight or rep wise) is a recipe for future injuries.

Listen to your body; depending on different variables—you amount of sleep, what you’ve been eating, stress levels—your numbers may change each session. If you’re not feeling 100%, you may not be able to lift as heavy or as much.

The path to progress isn’t always a straight line, there are ups, downs, and everything in between. As long as you’re making the effort to show up, it’ll happen over time.

Should I Diet?

This question is one that is most sustainable to your daily life. If you like eating pasta and bread and hate avocados, for example, the keto diet probably wouldn’t work for you even though your best friend lost 20 pounds following it.

I wrote the following in a previous article Don’t Think Of It As A Diet on nutrition:

Find foods that you like to eat and that sustain you and make you feel good. To get lasting results, find a way to eat that you can maintain long term. Cutting entire food groups out completely and then adding them back in often lead to drastic weight fluctuations.

Not to mention feeling unhappy and deprived—it’s not easy going out to eat with friends and watching them eat everything that you’re now “not allowed.” If you know you’re going out with friends later or can’t give up having a naughty midnight snack, plan ahead for it; find a way to fit it into your new healthy way of life.

You Can Find Your Answer

While the answer to a lot of the questions I get at the gym is “It depends,” your fitness goals and current lifestyle can sometimes help get you to a more concrete answer.

Decide what your goals are and stick with them, switching what you want to accomplish each week will only lead to frustration and disappointment. Be consistent, be honest with yourself, and set small attainable goals that will get you to your ultimate objective.

The post It All Depends on Your Goal appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Let me start off by saying I am not a nutritionist or a dietician or anything along those lines. I am a certified fitness professional that enjoys reading any and all new material on the latest diet research and trends. Gym members and my clients often ask me nutrition questions and I’m happy to share what worked for me and what I’ve learned from different sources.

Nutrition Tracking

It takes time and it takes honesty. Be honest with the program you’re using and be honest with yourself. To get the most benefit out of tracking what you eat, you need to be as accurate as possible. Maybe this means you have to get out the measuring cups or a kitchen scale—it’s so easy to underestimate when you’re “eyeballing” it.

Personally, I would recommend tracking for at least 7 days, but definitely continue until you feel like you have your calories or macros or whatever you’re tracking under control. I really enjoyed logging each food and then checking to see how it affected my numbers (I tried keeping track of calories as well as macros, which I’ll get more into later).

Yes, tracking your food intake takes a little more time than usual. Yes, your numbers will look much better if you don’t record the half of a pizza you ate after a few beers with your friends. Yes, it can absolutely be frustrating if you keep going over your calories or can’t seem to hit your target numbers. However if you’ve “tried everything” and can’t seem to reach your goals, tracking your food can be the ultimate determining factor.

Keep Food Quality In Mind

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t treat myself to a pint (or an ice cream taco) from Ben and Jerry’s or the occasional donut. Most of the time I follow the rule of trying to only buy foods from the outer aisles of the grocery store. This includes fresh produce, meat, dairy (i.e. things that aren’t processed and don’t come prepackaged in a box or bag).

I was a vegetarian for about 8 years and I’m still very conscious of my veggie intake. While I eat some meat now, I try to have a significant part of my plate be full of fresh (or even frozen) vegetables; they provide nutrients that your body needs and help to fill you up. Win-win!

Figuring Out Your Macros

What are they? In the simplest of terms, they are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. I found that they were super easy to track in MyFitnessPal. Under “nutrition,” there’s a specific macros pie chart where you can set your target percentages. A good starting point might be 30% carbs, 30% fat, 40% protein; adjust your numbers from there week to week depending on how you feel and how it’s affecting your progress.

No, carbs are not the enemy! If you’re working out and including exercise in your weekly schedule, your body gets its energy from carbohydrates. Examples of what I consider to be “happy carbs” might be sprouted grain bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice, or protein pasta (I usually find this in the gluten-free sections of the store). Try to find carb sources that offer added nutritional benefits, not the white flour, bleached, Wonder Bread stuff.

So you’re over your carbs by 12%, or over your allotted calories by 75 or even more—It’s okay! Really, you were pretty darn close and did your best; tomorrow is a new day where you’ll get to try it again and change up what you eat for the day. And even if you’re not close? Keep trying! Ask for help, do some research and look for legitimate sources of information (choosemyplate.gov is loaded with ideas and is a great place to start). It’s not easy to change your eating habits and it will take time and practice.

Don’t Think of It as a Diet

Find foods that you like to eat and that sustain you and make you feel good. To get lasting results, find a way to eat that you can maintain long-term. Cutting entire food groups out completely and then adding them back in often lead to drastic weight fluctuations.

Not to mention feeling unhappy and deprived. It’s not easy going out to eat with friends and watching them eat everything that you’re now “not allowed.” If you know you’re going out with friends later or can’t give up having a naughty midnight snack, plan ahead for it; find a way to fit it into your new healthy way of life.

When you do go out with your friends or treat yourself a little more than you should, please enjoy it! Enjoy every single bite of it and have it in your head that you’re going to get right back to your new eating habits as soon as you’re done.

I often get asked what I eat, some of my favorite things that I eat daily include the following:

Sprouted PB and J

• 1 slice of sprouted grain bread
• 1 Tablespoon all-natural peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar-free jelly

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bowl

• 1 egg + 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• 1 hot Italian lean turkey sausage
• ½ – ¾ cup of any and all extra veggies (onions and peppers are a great go-to, basically whatever is in season)
• 2 slices sweet potato “toast”

Fill-You-Up Fruit and Yogurt

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
• ½ teaspoon vanilla, maple, or almond extract
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• ¼ cup fruit of your choice (berries, apple, kiwi, etc.)

Pep in Your Step Protein Shake

Blend together:

• 1 cup coffee
• ¼ cup walnuts
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds

The post Don’t Think of It as a Diet appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Photography by Jeffrey Perez, Oahu, Hawaii

To accumulate enough Continuing Education Credits to renew my ACE certification, I try to attend two conferences per year. In 2018 I attended IDEA PTI Eastern Conference as well as the NSCA Personal Trainers Conference in Baltimore. After attending three days filled with lectures and hands-on demonstrations I decided to write up a few blogs/posts/articles on what I learned and what appears to be trending in the industry this year.

In March I left Vermont and the incoming snowstorm to fly to DCA for the annual IDEA PTI Eastern Conference being held in Alexandria, VA. I woke up at 6:45 each morning to head to the conference center where I listened to talks and participated in workshops put on by some of the biggest names in the fitness industry.

I got to learn from the same people that I follow on Facebook and Instagram and ask them questions and pick their brains to figure out just how they did it. They shared their tips and tricks and I left the conference on Sunday afternoon loaded with new information and new exercises to share with my clients at home.

The first article in this series will focus on the importance and the definition of leadership.

What Is a Leader?

Write down what leadership means to you and what qualities you feel a good leader has.

• Are you embodying those qualities?
• What could you improve on?
• Are you letting your thoughts and words limit yourself from getting to where you want to go?

While I was at the conference and listening to these experts talk about what makes a good leader, I couldn’t help but realize they were describing the owner of the club I work at. I feel lucky to have a person I can talk to every day that I feel is a great role model.

This is also someone from whom I can learn essential skills that are required to succeed in the fitness industry. Not everybody can say the same, but definitely try to find a person you can learn from and that inspires you.

Meet People Where They Are

Practice empathy, learn about what the client’s dreams and goals are, dig deeper, and find their real why. See the world from your client’s perspective and try to understand their needs and emotions.

In your initial meeting, ask what they have done in the past and how it made them feel. As they say, there’s a reason we have two ears and one mouth; when it comes to creating a lasting relationship and retaining your clients, listening to them is twice as important as thinking about what you’re going to respond with next.

• What did and didn’t work for them?
• What did they enjoy and even more importantly, what did they hate doing?

Things they’ve experienced in the past can have a big impact on their present and future. Once their “why” is defined, remind them of their mission, keep them motivated, and encourage them to repeat it to themselves throughout the day so that they’re not only making good decisions while training but while they’re on their own as well.

Dream Bigger

Believe in yourself, realize that you have more potential than you can even fathom at this point in time, and be the spark in somebody else’s life; if you’re not making someone else’s life better, you’re wasting your time.

Even though Todd Durkin wasn’t at IDEA East, he’s one of my favorite people to turn to when I need motivation, inspiration, and positive energy. I highly recommend signing up for his emails and checking out The WOW Book. He gives out daily tasks that encourage you to hustle, discover your life’s purpose, and always be grateful. He also has a list of the Top 41 Tips for Success in the Fitness Field which includes his 90 Day Wonders tip—every 90 days write down and answer the following questions:

1. What have you accomplished in the last 90 days?
2. What are your present challenges, issues, or obstacles?
3. What are your goals for the next 90 days?

Jonathan Goodman (also wasn’t at IDEA but definitely deserves a follow) is another fitness mogul who tries to share as much free information as possible. His emails offer great advice and on his website The Personal Trainer Development Center he posts the best fitness articles of the week every Sunday.

The articles range from strength training and body image to being a better coach and how to get more clients. The PTDC used to put on a conference in Toronto where I was actually inspired by presenter Lisa Simone Richards to start writing on a larger scale in order to share what I know with more people.

Be Decisive

No decision is always a bad decision. Instead, make a recommendation.

Today I actually just received an email from Jon Goodman that encouraged the reader to make a bad plan. At least you’re doing something in the moment and you can make corrections as you go rather than remaining stagnant and doing nothing.

There’s a book that I read in the past, and while I can’t remember the name, I specifically remember it saying something along the lines of “Just hit send.” I also work in the ski industry and a big motivational line we use is send it! To me this means even if it’s not 100% perfect, go with it. Get it out there before somebody else steals your ski line, or writes your article, or gains a new client before you do.

In an article posted by Team Tony they wrote, “When you make a decision and every bit of you is committed to it, it’s amazing what mountains you can move. When you commit to a decision–I mean really commit to it–you are essentially saying to the world, ‘This is how it will be.’ If you find something that you are passionate and excited about and add decisiveness, you can make anything happen.”

If you’re interested in learning more about how to improve your leadership skills, some of the speakers recommended the following books and podcasts:

• Strategic Coach Website by Dan Sullivan
• 212 The Extra Degree by Sam Parker & Mac Anderson
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
• The Life Coach School Podcast
• The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential by John C. Maxwell
• The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell
• Mastery Series Podcast

The post Leadership in Fitness appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

When you think of a personal trainer, what personality traits tend to come to mind? Cheerful, energetic, enthusiastic, right? For some people, the bubbly exterior comes naturally, and they barely have to work at it. For others, keeping it up can be draining, and they come home exhausted at the end of the day.

I struggled with depression for 15 years, without realizing why I was feeling the way I did. When I was 12 and 13, my family said it was puberty and my hormones. In high school, my grades were good and I was on the cheerleading squad, so the times that I completely broke down were chalked up to stress and working too hard. In college, I would completely shut people out; I was a ghost in the dorm, and would hide out in the library, even while I knew that what I was doing was ridiculous and uncalled for.

After college, things really spiraled out of control. My anxiety and depression were ruling and ruining my life. I would wake up on beautiful, sunny days and not be able to pull myself out of bed. Rainy days and bad weather were actually painful. I would cry over the tiniest things, and sometimes for no reason at all. I pushed everyone away, because I thought they shouldn’t have to be exposed to me when I didn’t even want to be around myself.

The End of My Rope

When I finally decided to ask for help, I was completely, 100%, down to my last thread of sanity. I was desperate. The doctor’s office told me I would have to wait over a month to see someone. I called every day for two weeks, begging for help, sobbing into the phone asking for someone, anyone, to please fix me. I can still remember my doctor asking me if I had considered suicide, and feeling the embarrassed tears run down my face as I turned to look out the window because there was no way I could look at her or her expression as I nodded my head yes.

For me to have these problems made no sense. I was a personal trainer! I was in the gym six days a week, encouraging people to reach their goals. I was doing and trying everything to make myself feel better—where were my endorphins, my happy hormones, my runner’s high? I was pushing myself harder and harder, in the hopes that exercise would prevent me from falling into another life-sucking black hole.

Despite all this, some people told me that if I chose to get medicated, it was basically a form of addiction, and I wasn’t trying or looking hard enough to find another solution. But they couldn’t possibly comprehend what I was feeling. Nobody else knew how much of a struggle it was to get through each day, the negative thoughts I constantly battled. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I wasn’t sleeping well, my brain never stopped, and nothing was working. I was at the end of my rope, and the weeks I had to wait to see a doctor were agonizing and exhausting.

Don’t Go It Alone

For some people, seeking help is the first step toward finding the right balance of medication. I was one of the lucky ones that found the proper prescription on the first try. The clarity in my head was a new sensation. For the first time, I could sit and just be, and not think about anything. No thoughts of what I needed to do, what I should have done, or what I could be doing. I could sit, drink my coffee, and think about absolutely nothing.

I definitely still have days that are harder than others, but nothing like what they used to be. I’m able to get up in the morning and look forward to whatever the day might bring. Prior to seeking help, I’ll be the first to tell you that I was in a terrible place and was struggling daily to deal with my issues. I’m still the same person I was before, except now I have the ability to breathe during stressful situations. Instead of hiding from the world, I prefer to get out of bed and be outdoors.

You might be like me, doing all the right things and still struggling every day. If you’re in a bad place, ask for help. There’s no shame in it. Don’t give up. Keep asking, be persistent, and stay strong.

The post Exercise Can’t Cure Everything appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you know me personally, you know that for the past seven years I’ve arranged my schedule to make room for teaching ski lessons in the winter. I love to ski and I’m happiest when I’m able to teach others how to love the sport as well; I generally work with children under the age of 7, but the other day my supervisors asked me to teach an adult lesson. Most instructors would jump at the chance to get out of a children’s lesson—it’s not easy work and involves a lot of nose blowing, mitten finding, and coming up with ways to distract the kids from eating the snow.

I ended up teaching one on one with a woman who had been taking lessons for three days; she said she started to get the hang of it but on the third day they gave her longer skis. She felt like she had to re-learn everything—the skis weren’t responding the way she wanted them to, she couldn’t turn, and wedging to a stop was proving to be next to impossible for her. She was frustrated, defeated, and kept trying to give up completely. She was uncomfortable in the situation and felt like she was failing; her ultimate goal of learning to ski and taking the chairlift with her husband was no longer on the horizon, and instead it was nowhere in sight and seemed to be completely unattainable.

When the lesson ended that day, she said she would keep practicing and knew what she still needed to work on. Whether or not she follows through, I’ll never know, but I did what I could to help her and tried to make the experience as positive as possible for her.

Somewhere along the line, the fear of failure becomes stronger than the urge to try something new, or increase a weight, or make a big life change. I actually prefer teaching younger children how to ski because they haven’t developed any fears and they learn by doing rather than overthinking every movement. They’re there to have fun and learn best by playing games, not even realizing they’re learning new skills. They don’t really have any goals in mind and even though they may get frustrated sometimes, tears can usually be fixed with goldfish crackers and a quick break to make a snow angel or squish a snowman.

Identify Your Progress

The women that I train at Vermont Sport & Fitness Club generally start out using weights that are significantly lighter than what they’re capable of lifting. They’re afraid of “getting too bulky” or lack general confidence in themselves and their abilities. Getting them to understand that a rep range is a range for a reason is a big part of what I do—they don’t always have to make it to 12 repetitions.

Progressing by failing isn’t something that is easy to wrap your mind around and it takes time for them to stop beating themselves up for only getting to 10 reps with a heavier weight rather than getting in a full 12 using something easier and lighter. They often see it as a failure rather than as a way for them to progress and increase their weights and reps in a future workout. I love my job as a trainer because I can help women realize their full potential and that they truly are stronger than they think.

Similar to coaching skiing, I like making workouts fun and something to look forward to. Coming to the gym shouldn’t feel like a chore or punishment. Even though I push my clients and encourage them to work and breathe through the tough exercises, I also try to make sure they leave with a smile, even if it’s a sweaty, tired one.

The post The Failure to Progress appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I tend to carry stress and tension in between my shoulder blades; it’s become a feeling I’ve grown accustomed to and have learned to deal with it over time. Add to that the extra stress of the new exercises I was introducing to my workouts, it’s safe to say I was pretty uncomfortable. Fast forward to my Friday afternoon session with 9 year old Megan: I moved quickly to dodge out of her way and felt a pop and some serious pain go through the back of my right shoulder. Thoughts started racing through my head. “How am I going to teach class tomorrow?” “What if I tore something in my rotator cuff?” “Did I really just injure myself playing with a little girl?” It was at that point that I knew I had to back off what I was doing and spend some more time recovering from my workouts.

The Importance of Rest and Recovery

Recovery and rest days are important. You can’t continue to challenge your body, push it to it’s absolute limits, and expect it to hold up and not break down if you don’t take some time off. Your muscles need time to repair themselves after lifting heavy weights, introducing new exercises, or doing intense cardio. A lot of people have even said they notice the most muscle gains on their rest days.

Taking a rest day doesn’t mean doing absolutely nothing and sitting on the couch binge watching Netflix all day—but honestly, sometimes that may be what your body needs, too. Try these four rest and recovery day activities the next time you take a day off from the gym.

1. Go for a walk or an easy hike

Get outside! Fitness doesn’t always have to take place in the gym. Check out the local downtown scene or nearby hiking trails and spend time exploring.

2. Rent a bike and pedal the nearest bike path

Bike paths tend to be pretty flat. Take your time, enjoy the scenery, and maybe make some new friends along the way.

3. Foam roll

My favorite areas to roll out are my quads, inner and outer thighs, upper back, and lats. If you come across some spots that feel extra sore, try to rest on or around them for about 20 seconds before you resume rolling again.

4. Find a gentle yoga class

Check out your nearest studio or pull up a class on YouTube, try searching “gentle yoga.” A couple of my favorite instructor channels are YogaTX with Cole Chance or Yoga with Adriene. Doing yoga for 20-30 minutes twice a week can not only benefit your body, but your mind as well.

The post The Crucial Need for Rest and Recovery appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Earbuds, or in-ear headphones, are designed to shut out the outside world—when a good pair of earbuds goes in, you can see the person across the gym slamming their weights down on the ground without being startled by the sound of them. You can see the creepy guy trying to make eye contact to talk to you, but you’re listening to your music and can’t hear his even creepier attempts to ask you out. With the right music playing, your headphones can help you dig deeper and do one more rep than you did last time and they can get you pumped up to crush your next mile.

Reviewing All the Headphones

When I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing headphones, I figured I would get one pair in the mail from this company to try out. One USPS box from Coby and multiple pairs of different earbuds later, here I am feeling like I was overly critical in my own reviews, so I turned to my friends and asked if they would try them out to give me their opinions as well.

As far as the earbuds with the cords were concerned, there wasn’t much difference between any of them. On the pairs that had a volume control option, rather than controlling the volume they would skip the song I was listening to. Maybe it was my phone or the Spotify app that I was using, but it happened with every pair that had the volume control. They all had the same general mediocre sound, and none of them stayed in my ears very well. The overall verdict from myself and fellow athletes was that any of them would be okay to have as an extra pair, but we wouldn’t choose them as our primary pair of headphones to use.

Reviewing Wired Earbuds: Coby Berries

In the pair that I got, the right bud was significantly louder than the left. I don’t know if all of them are like that or if it was just this particular pair. I wasn’t a big fan of the thick, inflexible cord and thought these would be a good pair to have as an extra in my gym locker that I wouldn’t mind losing or beating up on.

Reviewing Wired Earbuds: Coby V3rg3

Even though the box said there were extra ear cushions, I couldn’t find any of them and the buds fell out pretty easily. The sound wasn’t super clear, but I really liked the sliding volume control feature. The cord was thin and stayed out of the way, which is a good thing since I tend to swing my arms a lot on the treadmill.

My friend Ethan, who is basically Bradley Martin’s twin, couldn’t get the connector to fit into his headphone jack while his phone case was on. He liked the basic design of the earbuds and referred to them as being “very trendy,” but he was not a fan of the sliding volume control. He thought the cylinder behind the earbud was visually too big, but it didn’t cause them to fall out. This set of earbuds wouldn’t be a good choice for anybody who keeps their phone in a case due to the 90 degree angle of the headphone jack.

Reviewing Wired Earbuds: Coby Automatix

Upon opening the package, there was a random extra ear cushion floating around in the box. I found the sound to be mediocre—not bad, but still not great. I tried switching out the ear cushions and still didn’t find a size that fit my ear and kept the buds from falling out. These also had a thick cord that got in the way. My friend Brett that helped me test them thought they would do well as a spare pair to have and really liked the nice purple color. Overall, though, he wouldn’t choose to use them as his primary set of headphones.

Reviewing Wired Earbuds: Coby EpicX

These were very similar to the Automatix, if not identical. I was a little confused because the set of earbuds in the box didn’t match the picture they had displayed on the outside.

Sean, a frequent gym goer, really liked the fact that this pair had a built in mic feature. He’s had some issues with his phone recently and had to rely on the mic on another pair of headphones while his phone’s speaker was malfunctioning. He thought they fit his ears well and they stayed in throughout his workout. Luckily, he had a jack connection adapter for his iPhone, but he thought that if they offered a “lightning” connection it would make them more user friendly for both Android and Apple users.

Reviewing Wired Earbuds: Coby Intense

I experienced a popping metallic sound in the right earbud whenever I tried to adjust it. The hooks that are supposed to hold the buds in place were too big for my ears, so they just got in the way.

Ben needed an extra pair to use while on his runs or mowing the lawn, and liked that this pair were marketed as sweat resistant. He thought they felt cheap and as if they were low quality, but didn’t notice any significant issues with them while in use. They quieted outside distractions for him, however, he thought that if the bud was at more of an angle, rather than straight, they would feel slightly more secure.

Reviewing Wireless Earbuds

Two of the pairs of headphones were wireless and I was really excited to try them out. It was my first experience using wireless headphones and they were super easy to link to my phone. I liked that they stayed out of the way and I didn’t have to worry about hitting a cord while I was running.

Reviewing Wireless Earbuds: Coby Intense Cordless

This pair had the same fit as the Intense version with the cord. The volume control on the cord felt cheap and like it could easily be broken. It was also located closer to the right earbud and weighed it down so it was even harder to keep in my ear.

My friend Rah tried them out for a while and thought the cord that attached the earbuds was too long. He felt it was uncomfortable to use while running, and suggested gym rats and weightlifters might like them better than runners because their movements are more controlled rather than cardio based.

Reviewing Wireless Earbuds: Coby Motiv8

These were my personal favorite pair. The sound was significantly clearer than any of the others I tried; while the bass was still lacking I was able to look past it for the most part. This pair actually stayed in my ears and out of the way. I would recommend this pair to friends and clients in the market for a decent pair of wireless headphones. The packaging is appealing and I feel they would work well for both runners and lifters.

The post The Coby Earbud Roundup: Shut Out the World appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Doing something is always better than doing nothing. If you’re committed to your goals and are hell bent on accomplishing them, there are very few acceptable excuses to skip your workouts so try not to fall into the following traps.

Trap 1: It’s Too Nice Out to Be in the Gym

Fair point, and I have this battle with myself throughout the entire summer. You don’t have to be in the gym to get a workout. Other options might be going for a hike, heading to your local playground to create your own exercise circuit, or renting and trying out a paddleboard for a few hours.

Sample Playground/Park Circuit

Depending on your fitness level, try the following exercises for 30-60 seconds—all you need is a bench:

• Step ups
• Side step ups
• Incline push ups
• Incline mountain climbers
• Single leg sit to stand
• Tricep dips

Trap 2: I’m Too Tired

I get that, believe me; I wake up at 5 am five days a week and I’m in and out of the gym until as late as 9:30 pm most days. When that alarm goes off in the morning, I have to remind myself why I’m doing it before I can get up and moving. It takes self discipline, and sometimes it takes a heck of a lot of coffee.

If low energy continues to be a serious problem, consider heading to your primary care doctor to have him or her run some blood tests. They can let you know if you have a nutrient deficiency or if something else might be going on. If your lack of energy isn’t medically related, try heading to bed earlier in the evenings. Turn off the tv, put your phone down, and clock out early for the night.

I’m not a big fan of pre-workout supplements. Instead, try a coffee or a caffeinated tea about 20 minutes before you plan on working out. One of my clients drinks a coffee on her way to the gym and it’s amazing how much better she functions with a little caffeine boost.

Try to schedule your workout at a time of day where you feel the most energized. If you ask me to play tennis after 5 pm, I’m completely useless. I know that I tend to be the most alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic between 8-10 am. Consider tracking your energy levels throughout the day for a few days and see if you notice any trends.

Trap 3: I Don’t Have Time

Please refer back to the opening paragraph: doing something is better than doing nothing. Get some sort of movement in throughout your day. Set reminders on your phone to alert you to get up from your desk and move around, park across the parking lot at the grocery store, or get up and walk around while you’re talking on the phone.

My personal favorite way to get in a workout when I’m short on time? YouTube. Pull up the website and type in however much time you have plus the word “workout” (ex: 20 minute workout). You can complete a lot of these videos in the comfort of your own home with little to no additional equipment.

Trap 4: I Have Too Much Going on at Home

I understand that life happens and it feels like circumstances can really get in the way sometimes. Keeping track of your goals (even if they’re not fitness related) can be a big help during tough times.

Trainer Todd Durkin recommends asking yourself three questions every 90 days to keep yourself on track:

• What have I accomplished in the last 90 days?
• What are my current present issues, challenges, and obstacles?
• What are your goals for the next 90 days?

These are some great questions. Be selfish. Take time to think about yourself and what you need to become the best version of you.

Then, write down realistic, attainable goals for yourself and enjoy the feelings you get when you’re able to cross them off. Make sure to keep them in a visible place where you’ll see them every day to remind yourself what you’re working toward.

Don’t Wait to Start

It’s so easy to put off a workout until tomorrow, or Monday, or January 1st. If you’re new to fitness, slow and steady wins the race; doing too much, too fast often leads to injury and a legitimate reason to not work out. If you’re serious about reaching your fitness goals, stop making excuses. Commit to yourself, commit to your trainer, and commit to reaching the goals you set.

The post The Traps Destroying Your Commitment to Your Goals appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

My Daily Knee Battle

For the past five years, I’ve dealt with pain, grinding, crunching, and swelling as part of my everyday life. Even after taking a high dose of ibuprofen prior to spending the day skiing, my knees will still swell up to the size of two fat, puffy, jellyfish. The sounds my knees make whenever I walk up a flight of stairs can only be compared to someone crinkling an empty bag of potato chips. When I really want to gross people out, I have them place their hand on my knee cap while I simply flex and extend my knee, with no weight and no resistance, you can feel something popping and grinding beneath my patella.

I’ve seen multiple physical therapists, trainers, and doctors and nobody has been able to figure out what is causing any of my issues. One therapist said my adductors were too tight and I spent my sessions having her stretch out my inner thighs with a rolling pin. My doctor told me my quads were too tight and I should spend extra time foam rolling and stretching. My trainer mentioned something about gluteal amnesia and had me focus on trying to get my glutes to work in combination with the rest of my muscles.

I’ve tried it all. I’ve got buns of steel, my adductors are lengthened, and my quads, well, my quads are basically non-existent. When I tore my ACL four years ago, I was required to have surgery to repair it because my surrounding leg muscles weren’t strong enough to support my knee without it. Since then, I’ve used my resistance loop religiously to continue my PT exercises to strengthen my inner gluteal muscles, I teach four kettlebell classes per week, and I’ve tried all different types of leg exercises to try to specifically target my quads to no avail.

3 Knee Friendly Quad Exercises That Aren’t Squats (and 2 That Are)

Recently I asked a group of fitness professionals if they had any suggestions for new exercises I might be able to try that target the quads and are “knee friendly.” The response I got was incredible. I wrote down all of their ideas, tried them out, and came up with the following list of my personal favorites.

Terminal Knee Extensions

• Attach a band to a stationary object (I used a squat rack) and place it around the top of your calf muscle, but below your knee joint.
• Facing the anchor point, alternate flexing your knee forward and extending it back completely against the resistance band.
• Focus on squeezing your quad and trying to straighten your knee as much as possible.

I personally loved this exercise because I could actually see my quadricep working. I was also able to keep my hand on my patella to keep track of any grinding. There was some popping at first, but keeping my knee in line with my ankle rather than letting it cave in made it go away.

Petersen Step Up

• Placing one foot on a step, slowly lower the heel of your other foot to the ground, coming up onto the toes of your standing leg.
• Make sure your standing leg is doing all of the work.

While I definitely felt this directly in the quad of my standing leg, I also felt a significant amount of grinding in the same knee. This is one I’ll have to work on in front of a mirror to make sure my alignment is correct and my knee isn’t caving inward.

Banded Leg Extension

• From a seated position, wrap a resistance loop around your ankles.
• Keeping your knees in line with each other, pull your toes back towards your shin and extend your knee out as straight as possible.
• Lower your foot down while keeping tension on the loop and repeat.

This is a great exercise because you are able to control your range of motion. If you find you’re experiencing pain or grinding at a certain point of the extension, extend to just before it and continue the exercise from there. Pay attention to your starting point, gradually strengthen your quad, and watch your range of motion increase.

Goblet Squats

• Position your feet wider than hip width with your toes pointing out at about a 45 degree angle.
• Holding a weight (or use just body weight), stay tall and drop your hips down towards the floor as your knees track over your ankles and toes.

Previously, I’d only focused on my glutes and hamstrings during this exercise. Once I started sending all of my focus to my quads, I definitely started to feel them doing more of the work. When you’re doing an exercise, send your focus to the muscle you’re trying to work and don’t just go through the motions.

TRX Front Squats

• Stand facing away from the TRX anchor point.
• Hold the handles with elbows bent and hands just in front of your rib cage.
• Walk your feet back to about a 45 degree angle, coming up onto your toes.
• Drop down into a squat, staying up on your toes and drive back up again.

This is a great warm up exercise, it’s great to get the blood flowing in the quads, and I love it. Increase your rep range and feel the burn. This is probably one of the first exercises I’ve done in a while that I can really feel my quads activate and it makes me far happier than it should.

The post 3 Knee Friendly Quad Exercises That Aren’t Squats appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Did I mention I work for the ski resort?

Two weeks later, I found out my ACL was nowhere to be found. Four weeks after that, my custom-fitted knee brace arrived, and I was back on the hill (on my old skis). I skied for the rest of the season without my ACL, relying completely on my knee brace to hold everything in place, until my surgery the Friday before Easter. There was no egg hunt for me that year—I was laid up on the couch with my CPM (continuous passive motion) machine, loaded with painkillers, fading in and out of consciousness, while Parks & Rec and Frozen played on Netflix.

The following Monday, I attended my first of many physical therapy appointments. I’m sure that my PT did his job to the best of his ability, but I hated it. I wanted more. I didn’t want to be just back to normal, I wanted to be better than I was before. I wanted to find out what weakened my knee in the first place, and try to find a way to prevent it from happening again.

A Blown ACL Reveals a New Passion

A month before I tossed myself down the mountain, the instructor in an exercise class I was taking pulled me aside and told me that if I continued squatting the way that I was, I was going to encounter problems with my knees. Foreshadowing much?

I got a desk job at a local gym where I could do my exercises, and didn’t have to do too much on my feet while my knee healed. One of the trainers offered to work with me to see if he could help me with the residual issues I was dealing with, like the severe grinding I was experiencing behind my knee caps. We worked on my form (a lot) and started to increase the weights I was lifting. I started to notice muscles developing, and looked forward to our Friday morning sessions. I felt strong, and before long I was hooked.

I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back to school, because I wanted to help people the same way my trainer helped me. I had my bachelor’s degree in psychology already, and my student loans were going nowhere fast, but I was determined. I held two jobs, went to school full time, and managed a 4.0 GPA. I studied my ass off, and put everything I had into my classes. If I was going to spend all that money and commit to becoming a trainer, I was going to do it right.

Don’t Take No for an Answer

When I first found out I had torn my ACL, I was devastated. I was told my skiing career was over, and my knee was never going to be the same. Around the same time, Lindsey Vonn had crashed and blown out her knee, but still wanted to recover in time for the Sochi Olympics. If she could ski down a hill at over 60 mph, there was no reason I couldn’t teach a handful of four-year-olds how to ski.

Tearing my ACL changed my life in the best way possible. It made me realize what I enjoyed most in life, and what I wasn’t willing to give up. It made me realize just how stubborn I am, and that when I put my mind to something, I will get it done. It made me realize what I was really capable of, both mentally and physically. What experiences have changed your life? How have you gotten to where you are now?

The post How a Torn ACL Changed My Life appeared first on Breaking Muscle.