This past weekend, I hit a new PR on hang cleans at 225 (which, for the internet, is probably not all that impressive).  While I’ve posted the video, what you can’t see is how after my reps I walked around an empty gym high fiving walls, fake people, and screaming the lyrics to Luke Bryan.  True story.

But, it made me realize that I don’t talk about Olympic lifting on here, even though I do the lifts very often.  So why do I stay quiet about it?  Well, for the majority of adults, Olympic lifting just doesn’t make sense (yup, I’m looking at you, Crossfit).

Of all the fitness jargon that’s used on a daily basis, there’s one word I absolutely CANNOT stand.  Nope, it’s not “Crossfit,” nor is it “cardio.”  Today, I’ve got my crosshairs on the word “toned.”

Getting toned is a myth.  Plain and simple. In fact, the best way to break down this word is to look at what it actually means: building muscle and losing fat.

In any profession, I think it's fair to say that only about 10% are truly great at their jobs.  While it's probably pretty tough to spot them, you can usually tell pretty quickly which of your coworkers "get it" and which ones are merely punching the clock.

The same is true in personal training and the fitness industry.  Yet, the mistakes that some of the not-so-great trainers make are often remembered much more than the successes of others.  For instance, most of my clients have worked with personal trainers before, and several of them have horror stories about how they were hurt from an improper exercise, or now have a convoluted notion about what it actually takes to "get in shape."

As it's currently below 16 degrees outside here in Boston, I wanted to ask one question: am I the only one who doesn't mind getting smacked in the face by the cold, backhand of winter?  Earlier today, I heard a woman complaining about how she couldn't text on her iPhone because it froze her hands to type.  Seriously!?  It's called winter for a reason!  And while part of me wanted to turn around and ask about her other "first world problems" I decided to keep grazing through Whole Foods, and simply think warm thoughts.

Anyway, as the week is coming to a close, I figured it was a great time for a new edition of good reads.  Hope your eyes are hungry, and that you're all still going strong on any new years resolutions. 

If there’s one complaint I often hear, it’s that people don’t have the “time” to workout.  Well if such is the case with you, all I have to say is "I'm sorry, I didn't realize your health wasn't a priority.”

There’s a misconception that to work out hard, your workouts also need to be long.  Well, that’s completely wrong.  Most people are surprised when I tell them that the amount of time I devote to lifting is 45 minutes, every other day.  Yup, you read that correctly.  If you streamline your workouts and take your program seriously, you should be spending less than 3 hours at a gym every week.

Ok, so how does one streamline their workouts?  Well, here are five easy changes to make below: