The fitness lifestyle can take a toll on the best of us and very often motivation wanes after a few months of training. Why is that? Consider this: fitness is the only sport where rank beginners expect to perform at the peak of the sport within months. Consider this: when you got your first skies, […]
It seems that every couple years, our society finds a new food, which is then blamed for all ailments and natural disasters alike. In the 80s it was dietary fats, then Dr. Atkins rolled around and carbs became evil. Lately, trans fats were pretty much outlawed, red meat will kill you after one bite and […]
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: […]
White rice versus brown rice is one of those nutrition debates that have been going on since the 80s without a clear winner. It is also a case where the size of the argument is much larger than the size of the practical difference for most trained people. Brown rice retains the bran and germ, […]
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. […]
