Eating Food Burns Calories: The Thermic Effect of Food Have you ever heard that you burn more calories digesting celery than the celery contains? This is actually a myth that I hear a lot as a personal trainer in NYC, but it does point out the significance of something called the thermic effectof food (TEF), […]
Before I get into the theme du jour, let me state the very obvious ( my personal training clients in NYC know the sermon all too well): calories matter most when trying to gain or lose weight. However, the actual diet composition, meaning the percentage of proteins vs. carbohydrates vs. fats, can also greatly influence […]
Today’s article was inspired by my glorious 40th birthday and my brother’s wise input (he came as a surprise guest from Germany – best gift ever!!) Needless to say, we spent my big day in the gym…but not any gym; we trekked out to Bev Francis powerhouse gym in Syosset, Long Island. For the uninitiated, Bev’s […]
Disclaimer: If you are a fan of the Donald, you might not want to read any further. Also, I wrote this before Iowa, so it may not be relevant anymore. In any event, I took the recent political circus as an opportunity to shine some light on how his strategies reflect human nature in general, […]
Today’s newsletter is a collaboration between our newest team member Kieran and myself. As always, we are dealing with the question of gains.Everyone knows that heavy weights (think sets of less than 10 reps) are the best tool for gaining muscle mass. However, recent research has shown that this might be only part of the […]
Anyone who has ever picked up a dumbbell is familiar with the concept of supersets, which is the pairing of two exercises. Arnold used them and so did many others. So, they work right? The answer to that is not as clearly cut as one thinks. Let’s break down the two different kinds of supersets: […]
The above is a debate that is almost as heated as Hillary vs. Bernie, Trump vs. sane people. In the blue corner, you have white rice, void of its hull and all fibers; in the red corner it is brown rice, full of fiber and vitamins. At first glance, it seems like an unfair fight. […]
Welcome back and I am wishing you a huge 2016! It’s a fact: a truly impressive back is about as rare as a functioning senate or a three syllable word on an episode of the Kardashians. Why is that? For one reason, it seems Monday is worldwide chest and biceps day, in any gym on this planet. […]
Steady state vs High intensity interval ( HIIT) is another area of heated debate amongst fitness enthusiasts, so let’s look at the evidence. Basically, there are two schools of thought: – the old school, with long duration, low intensity cardio sessions (45 to 60 minutes at a steady state) – the new school, recommending high […]
Since this is the season to get huuuuge ( like our furry friend in the picture), one might as well try something new. We have all heard ad nauseaum that we need to lift heavy in order to grow. And that is, to an extent, true. The pump also plays a role in hypertrophy in […]