“Tension is part and parcel of what we call the mind. Tension does not exist by itself, but is reflexively integrated into the total organism. The patterns in our muscles vary from moment to moment, constituting in part the modus operandi of our thinking and engage muscles variously all over our body, just as do...Read More

I’m a football fan and a studier of great leaders. Knowing this, my brother and my sister-in-law bought me Nick Saban’s book How Good Do You Want To Be? for Christmas. The book recounts some of his lessons from the football field and from life. For example, Coach Saban was a student at Kent State...Read More

During the fall, high-frequency upper-body training wrecked my already football-ravaged shoulders. I ended up with a twinge of impingement syndrome in my right shoulder and an accident while overhead pressing gifted me a minor glenohumeral separation/dislocation/that shit really hurt for a while. To remedy the errors that I made, I backed down my pressing volume, had manual...Read More

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like you just have to dance while concurrently releasing some rage? We have your solution…punch dancing. Here’s how: (3642) ShareRead More

One of the first things I ever read about writing was to avoid clichés. For a while I took that advice seriously—never with a grain of salt. Now I think about things differently. I don’t litter my writing with clichéd terms and phrases, but I use them as they are familiar; they are something we...Read More

I’ve been holding out too long—it’s time to let you in on my secret. While what seem to be new fitness eating plans have popped up all over the world, I’ve been secretly toying with my own innovative nutrition strategy. It’s called Intermittent Eating. Before you jump the gun and say its intermittent fasting wrapped...Read More

I’m not going to turn this into a post about how deadlifting gives you dat booty. We met our quota with those when the first one was published/posted/put on the internet. However, in 1992 Sir Mix A Lot, without conscious effort and through his lyrics, described the deadlift in one curt line. “I’m long, I’m...Read More

If you had walked up to me on the street two years ago and told me that in 2012 I’d be the co-head presenter at two seminars, I’d have looked at you cross. Not because I wouldn’t have believed you, but because I would have been creeped out. Stranger danger isn’t cool and I don’t...Read More

Being that the internet has become a powerful information monster, many strength coaches and therapists have grown to legendary status. Some, it seems, in a matter of months. I’m not complaining—the internet has done wonderful things for my career, and you’re obviously reading this article through your connection—but sometimes it’s tough to decipher the true...Read More

Lately I’ve trained alone. For one reason or another, my schedule hasn’t matched those that I normally train with. So on most days I drive to the gym and hoist iron in solitude; it’s been a powerful meditation. During my sets, while I’m actively moving weight, my mind is blank. There is nothing in the...Read More

This past weekend I stuffed my gym bag full of my finest mesh shorts, picked up my buddy and intern, Justin Assadinia, and pointed my Saturn Vue toward Hamden, CT. After five and a half hours, lots of head banging and the occasional Lonely Island Dance party we arrived at the coveted Ranfone Training Systems....Read More

My friend Stephen’s middle name was Lawrence; I wish I had known that when we were kids—I would have called him Larry, although, that probably would have been a mistake. His wit was quick and unforgiving; I would have paid dearly for such a trespass. He was a master of public humiliation, and he had...Read More

Part of me doesn’t want to write this–in doing so I have to make a big admission. I’m a coach and personal trainer–my job is to design programs that work and meet a desired end. If the end is fat loss, however, my exquisitely crafted program plays the understudy. And here it comes… Diet > Exercise It’s...Read More

Recently I had the opportunity to interview my good friend, and former classmate, Joe Giandonato. It was a huge opportunity. I’ve been picking his brain for years–the dude’s managed to store an encyclopedia’s worth of strength and conditioning info in his cranium. But Joe’s not just a walking knowledge center, he can apply his knowledge....Read More

There are few things on which I spend money–I call them the cash-drop trifecta. The trifecta is composed of food, gas and a few chosen supplements. Sure there are bills thrown in the mix, but we are talking about the important stuff. BCAAs sit atop the list of supplements I’m willing to spend money on–when used...Read More