I can’t help but trip out on the Beating of my Heart. Like all Scientists I like to hypothesize, test, and qualify my findings. With my heart, there are all kinds of stimulations I produce which allow me to dive in on the quality of my beats, quantity of the beats and so many questions about how and why my heart is the way it is. This incredible muscle is sometimes underreported on in Sport because we focus often times on skeletal muscle and its value to producing work for our achievement. Your HEART Muscle is different and really special. What are its needs? How can I boost its performance? Lets take a look under the hood and check out some reasons why???

Put your Protein Shake down, stop instagramming your favorite cross fitter and listen up... Some day you are going to die. Thats right, I said it; some day the breath will leave your lungs, your heart will stop beating, your consciousness (as we know it, respective to your education and spirituality) will cease and your body will begin its process of reverting into the same materials from which it was created. This description MAY have startled you, you may have a sinking feeling in your stomach, you may have FEAR. But as humans focused on the transcendence of body and spirit (otherwise known as Athletes) we must not settle with a feeling but rather deduce the cause of the FEAR, and really pinpoint why we view our eventual demise with such trepidation?

I vividly Recall one of my Head instructors at Fire Academy. He always gave it to us straight, whether it was techniques on popping a door or how to angle my hose for optimal knockdown on flames. Another piece of advice he gave me was to 'never have sex the night before a practical exam, it will kill your aggression'. I dont know why but this has always stuck with me and today im going to dig into the research behind sex and performance, because we ALL want both!

Imagine You are flying 30,000 feet over my programming Template for a year. We are cruising, sipping cocktails and watching a Badass Tom Cruise Movie when we come into late Summer/ Fall. The Muscular Endurance that we strive for has been met, so the long Summer hikes, trail Runs and Mountain Biking Sessions can be dominated. We have built stability and capacity out of our primary movers like the Glutes, hamstring and Quads... But Now its time to get deeper, develop an inner strength that will not only round out your strength but can get you the top end speed you want.... its time for ADDUCTION. 

So there I was, my muscles frozen from cramps, my stomach in knots, my vision blurred... and I still had 5 more hours of running! Worlds Toughest Mudder in 2015 was a huge disaster. It was my first 24 hour endurance race and my nutrition was completely wrong, and I was feeling it. Strong headed and unprepared, my will got me through but I learned a valuable lesson from the other racers on the course who were smashing pizza, and pickles and Coke the entire race... Salt is your friend. Since then I have paid way more attention to the quality of Sodium levels in my blood and my athletic performance. Lets dive in on why you should be paying closer attention to Sodium levels if you want to become the best athletic version of yourself.

Without going any further.... Which would you be? Flexible? OR Mobile? 
As an athlete and Gym owner I hear the two Terms Flexibility and Mobility used with very little regard for differences. But there IS a huge difference and today I am going to shed light on this so YOU can change the way you think about your daily training. This under appreciated distinction is literally the linchpin of athletic performance. Have I peaked your interest? Lets get bendy today and develop a greater understanding of what it actually means to be a functional athlete. 

If you are like me, the hunt is always on for the 1 whole food supplement that can capture all the benefits without shaking up multiple concoctions or swallowing heaps of pills. The Vital Proteins Brand has consistently been a brand that I use because of #1 the Collagen and #2 the Beef Liver. Well I now have a #3... The Sports Greens. Today on the 5 reasons WHY, we are going to deconstruct this killer supplement and show you why you need to keep it on your counter. 

Twice per year I do a check in. It is not to be confused with a Check up in the sense that I would check my blood pressure or my back squat, the Check In is more profound and re-connects me with what I have called my "3 P's for Success" . Principles, Purpose and Persistence. There is no exact date for this intraspection but simply a feeling or natural wave of sentiment that draws me back to it. Today I want to brush you all up on the 3 P's and give you the simple answer to the problem that vexes all humans... How to live Peacefully. 

Did you know that at the 2012 Olympic games the most sought after medical consultation by athletes, after Musculoskeletal repair, was Dental Checkups and treatments? !! In a Continuing Quest to have everyone of you think before eating, I wanted to talk a bit today about the importance of your Mouth... Yes that place where your food comes into contact with the body first... Lets dive in on a couple proven facts about how the health of your mouth can effect your performance in the gym and competition.

Question of the day...
What is your favorite Summertime beverage or food? 
Chances are, you are thinking of something cold. A iced tea, ice cream, or a cold salad... Probably not a hot tea or spicy lamb curry. The intuitive sense of cooling your body off with cold foods is truly something that Americans take as the surest way of relief. But... (you know there has to be a but) what if I told you that the real physiological relief comes in the way of herbs?! Lets take a look at the common misconceptions of icing your body down and the natural way your body can beat the heat. 

It never ceases to amaze me when I travel around this great land of ours; Humans feeding themselves the worst possible nutrition and then reacting in negative ways to themselves and others. Well the prescription for a happier society, a happy existence depends almost exclusively on the food choices you make! I plead with you, you few conscious activists in the world, to help spread the message that FOOD IS FUEL and FUELING THE MIND BRINGS GOOD VIBES!

The Short answer is yes. Yes you should be concerned about the amount of Zinc you are taking in on a daily basis, yes you should supplement your diet with it and YES Zinc has a lot to do with your ability to fight illness and cognitive decline. 
But Zinc? Really.... Though it may be a the bottom of the list when it comes to lining out all the necessary nutrients in your body, there is surprising evidence that this mineral plays a much bigger role than once thought.

As you settle down in from of your computer to read the latest and greatest Fitness and Nutrition blogs from your truly, there is a high probability you have already done a bit of fitness today. You have exercised to relieve stress, clear out the pent up energy and generally feel good about your life. The combination of Mind, Body and Spirit in your daily practice are essential , I agree. Well what if I told you that there is some new science out that shows Moderate Drinking can actually be a part of your daily exercise routine?! Its all physiology baby! In the same way we spark our metabolism to cleanse the body, a little drinking can actually do the same for the mind. 

There is a Antioxidant inside each cell in your body that has more to do with your overall health and wellbeing than any other. Your Protein choice has a lot to do with how well this antioxidant functions and how much is readily available. I want you to question the marketing and claims that are on the packaging of your brand and look deeper and move towards better health . Glutathione and Whey Protein, an introspective look at refueling.

Each morning as part of my daily Nutrition routine I eat a handful of Nuts with my coffee. To some that may sound quite out of the ordinary but starting the day with a good amount of fat allows me to 'break-my-fast' and get fuel my brain and body for morning training. As most of us, I am blessed with choices. Choosing which nut to fuel my morning with is sometimes a question so I thought I would dig into it a little bit more this week. Do I go with the walnut? A nut that I literally grew up on, coming from Linden CA where we lived on 12 acres of walnuts. Or the Almond? The creamy and dense nut that my grandfather and uncles grow and tend to be the kale of the burgeoning Nut business! Lets find out. 

Ill be honest with you, if you didn't start building you beach body a few months ago you are playing catch up at this point. Fat Loss and performance are built over the course of months and not weeks. But there is hope to get your body dialed outside of instilling a proper nutrition plan into your lifestyle. It is going to take work, the pain face may come out a lot but I promise the following Cardio/Strength training tips will work 100% of the time. So throw out your ideas on what you should be doing and listen to what you ought to be doing!

How often are you questioning Normalcy? Do you look at your life, your routine, and truly examine how it can be given a boost? Not surprisingly, the benefits begin with your nutrition. There is a class of vegetables you should be eating daily called "Crucirferous" (cru-sif-erous) vegetables that can do more to detoxify your organs, and reduce the oxidative stress associated with training and lifestyle. These vegetables are ones that your probably pass by in the store because its not potatoes, or spinach but I am encouraging you to do a double take and do your health a favor. As Ill explain you can be creating big hedge against cancer and the silent killer, Dementia. Lets get into it!

Traveling is the most prized wealth that we have as mobile and capable humans. This week I find myself traversing the deep blue waters and craggy seasides of Greece. I am stricken with an innate curiosity that has me researching and analyzing everything as it passes through my consciousness . And so there is food... The nourishing fuel that here in Greece is almost a prehistoric routine. Greek eating has spawned many trends in food culture but none more popularized than the "Mediterranean diet". Now I think diets are bullshit but I will dig in today on a few key aspects of this lifestyle which align well with healthy living,  longevity and performance.

Are you savvy with the term 'being plastic'? This malleable substance is used to shape, bend, and form to anything that is asked of it. The goal of a a thoughtful yearly program design is to maintain plasticity throughout your meso cycles of Hypertrophy (muscle growth) as well as optimizing your Central Nervous System adaptations and recovery. To achieve the desired plasticity I have employed scientifically based formulas for building, peaking and tapering through the seasons. All focusing on intensity, load, and recovery. 

There are few things that get me more excited than learning something new. My dorky excitement is elevated when new findings occur right in front of my eyes, on products and nutrients that I may be taking for granted. Well my friends, this is exactly what has happened when I simply turned one of my supplement bottles over and looked closer at the contents! Magnesium has just stoked me out and today we are going to dive in on 2 little known facts about this VITAL mineral.

Kindness, Selflessness, Altruism... high concepts that are touted in self help books, on the big screen, and of course in all manner of religious dogma. It is said that you should 'treat others like you would like to be treated'. So is this kindness to others really just a "bank" that we get to fill to hold our own self esteem at a certain level? Or is there really something to actually being KIND to others? What do acts of Altruism do for our health? Im interested and today will dig in on the concepts that surround the Kindness to others. 

As I write this now, I am sitting in JFK in New York City. This airport Is a microcosm of a greater craziness that is the world we live in right now. The constant hustle, the environmental pollution, and our daily training grind all has an effect on our overall longevity. The analogy of burning both ends of the candle is absolutely the truth for many of us. A byproduct of all this is adrenal fatigue and cognitive decline we could be slowly getting sick because of it. Well I have a ancient strategy to keep you living longer, training harder and thinking clearer. 

Living in the Ketone zone is much more than just restricting your carbohydrate intake and crossing your fingers. Ketosis, the bodys ability to burn fat as energy, can help you achieve goals from decreased inflammation to fighting cancer but for many its about shedding weight. The process can be tough both mentally and physically. The high rate of failure in implementing a Ketone Lifestyle is because the recipe is not as simple as many people try and make it. Today we are going to focus on key ways to help you keep your sanity and burn fat at the same time . Goals  are certainly achievable, dedication to the process is necessary, but using the following pro tips will speed up your results without halting your performance. 

For as long as I can remember I have said, "it isn't about how you are performing, its about how you are recovering". I have studied this 'chicken or the egg' conundrum in training for years. The debate about what we as coaches should put an emphasis on, expectations in the gym or expectations of the immune system. There is growing evidence from some of the best science minds in the world that your immune system is the key to athletic performance. As the focus shifts, so does the nutrition. And for this, we surprisingly find mushrooms hold treasures that have been yielding gold medal results for millennia.