How do you know if your trainer or training program is helping improve your performance? Here’s what you want to be on the lookout for when choosing a qualified, certified strength coach to have in your corner. Today’s world is filled with an abundance of information about strength training. It can be easy to get lost in the noise of trendy Instagram exercises or the suggestions of popular fitness “influencers”.   While no one exercise will make or break your game (unless it’s REALLY off the wall and you get injured), there are certain things you should look for in a coach or strength t ..read more

Building endurance is a physical characteristic that is achieved by gradually exposing the body to intense efforts or long efforts of exertion. Progress is attained by slowly adding more distance, more reps, or decreasing the time it takes to complete a distance. Whether it’s “gassers”, the Beep Test, 110’s, 300 Yard Shuttle, or a myriad of track distance workouts, we’ve all done conditioning as athletes in some form. If you’re like me, you enjoyed the challenge. If you didn’t, I hope you at least gave it your best every time. As a coach, or an athlete training on your own, how do you guaran ..read more

Having a foundational education in sports nutrition knowledge is so important to critically evaluate the information being spread about food and nutrition.  View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Are Lucky Charms better than steak? I want to start off by answering that question. No, Lucky Charms are not better than steak. But I also want to add some context to why I’m asking that question. Recently, The Good Rancher released a “sensationalized” article regarding the Tufts Food Compass. If you’re unfamiliar, the Tufts Food Compass is a food product scoring system that assesses the ..read more

A group of researchers purchased 30 featured immune health supplements from Amazon.com and analyzed them. This is what they found. Since COVID-19, the sales of “immune-boosting” dietary supplements have skyrocketed. Supporting, or boosting, the immune system has become a large topic of discussion and many consumers are buying such supplements through Amazon or other online platforms. A group of researchers purchased 30 featured immune health supplements from Amazon.com and analyzed them. This is what they found: 56% of products have inaccurate information label information 43% did not cont ..read more

Recent studies have shown that the health of our gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria living in our intestines, can have a profound impact on various aspects of our health, including our athletic performance. Have you ever considered that what's going on in your gut could be influencing your performance on the sports field? The gut-brain connection is a fascinating area of research that sheds light on the intricate relationship between our digestive system and our brain. Recent studies have shown that the health of our gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria ..read more

Knowing how to shop yourself and your skills to various college programs can help increase your chances of getting an offer. In the first part of this blog, we discussed how to maximize the amount of money you can get toward college tuition through various channels irrespective of athletics.  Those students who also participate in sports have a unique opportunity to obtain additional scholarship dollars.  Knowing how to shop yourself and your skills to various college programs can help increase your chances of getting an offer as well as increase how much of your expenses that offer ..read more

Deadlift Technique and Application Guidelines The Deadlift is a common exercise used to develop lower body strength and power across multiple sports. There are many different variations of deadlift, such as conventional, sumo, hex bar, romanian, and so on. We are going to focus on all of the variations that begin with the bar and plates on the ground. The genesis of this post comes from my experience as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach. I’ve put hundreds, if not thousands, of athletes through some form of deadlift. As I grew professionally, I learned more efficient ways to coa ..read more

No limit to protein absorption post-workout? What does this mean for athletes? Before we talk about the study this blog is referring to, I want to make it clear that when talking about protein and absorption, you absorb nearly all the protein you eat. The real question is whether or not all of the protein eaten and absorbed is used for anabolism (building muscle).  A recent study has the health and fitness industry questioning whether there is an upper limit to protein intake, particularly post-workout. In this study,  untrained individuals, all male, underwent a demanding resistan ..read more

As an athlete, keeping track of your practices and workouts is crucial to your success. As an athlete, keeping track of your practices and workouts is crucial to your success. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, recording your progress can help you improve and achieve your goals. There are several benefits to tracking your practices and workouts. Firstly, it provides you with valuable information about your progress. By keeping a record of your workouts, you can see how far you've come and how much progress you've made. This can be incredibly motivating and help you stay focused on yo ..read more

Ever heard of the term “muscle confusion”? Is it real or just a myth? Let’s start by getting a better understanding of muscle adaptation. When you engage in exercise, your muscles undergo both acute and chronic transformations. In each session, your body dynamically adjusts, and over weeks and months of consistent effort, it undergoes lasting changes. Acute changes more commonly appear as dilating arteries and veins, increased heart rate, increased energy usage of muscles, and small tears in the contractile units of the muscles (the ones that help you lift weights, jump, or sprint). Althoug ..read more