Exercise to Make You More Awesome: The Step Up

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! It's been busy at the gym for the past few weeks, and I had my sister in town this weekend which was nothing short of awesome. If you're curious, we ordered....and finished....an entire boat of sushi. It was pretty much the best meal I've had in a while.

That said, it's been some time since I highlighted a particular exercise, so I wanted to do so with an exercise that's not as popular, but pretty darn effective: the step up.

First things first, this is not your 1980's aerobics class brand of step up.

May 20, 2013 By: Alex Tanskey Comment

Your Scale is Lying

I know what you're thinking...

"Oh, great. Here's another post on why the number on the scale doesn't matter."

Boom. You're right. But, I have the evidence to prove it.

Let's face the facts: we are a numbers-based society. But, the problem begins when we rely on one specific factor (in this case, scale weight) and ignore everything else.

One such example occurred this past weekend with a client of mine. For some backstory, she's just coming off having two young boys (both under the age of 4), and she started with us about two months ago. At the outset, she weighed in at 131.2 and had a body fat percentage of 29.4%. Definitely not terrible, but not good either.

Contrary to what you may have heard, lifting weights will not transform women into da Governator.

Fast forward to yesterday, and we took her latest numbers. While the weight on the scale measured 133.2....her body fat had DROPPED by 4.2%! Did she weigh more? Yes. But, is that increase due to more lean body mass and less fat? You betcha.

After talking with her a bit more, I came to find out that she had actually gone down a size in her wardrobe (further evidence that lifting weights will NOT transform a woman into Mr. Schwarzenegger). However, she was continually under the impression that she wasn't making progress because the number on the scale wasn't going down.

Below is a picture (not of my client) that has made it's way around the internet over the past year. I think it gives a solid appreciation for how basing your health around a scale is an unhealthy and simply wrong way to live your life, as this client looks like she lost 10-15 pounds, even though she weighs more in the picture on the right.

Ok, so what's the secret?

Instead of focusing on running or "cardio," my client and I were focused solely on getting stronger! She also made more of an effort to eat more whole foods and less processed foods. Is it simple? Yes. But was it easy? Nope.

The number that displays when you step on a scale is hardly indicative of any success in the gym. Of course, if you're solely interested in the number on the scale, you could simply cut off your least favorite arm and reach your goal. But, does that mean you should?

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May 16, 2013 By: Alex Tanskey Comment

Why I Love to Lift

Given that I'm a personal trainer, it's no secret that I love to pick up heavy things and put them down. In fact, I'd be lying if I said my dream the other night didn't involve some sort of push-up competition.

But, don't get me wrong. There's more to this meathead than meets the eye. For example, if you prick me, do I not bleed all the way back to the squat rack?

Ok, maybe that was a wee bit melodramatic. However, in all my ramblings on this site, I have yet to really explain why I love to train and lift as much as I do. Below are four key reasons that I keep praying at the church of iron, and I hope you enjoy them. (Hint: getting strong in the gym will translate into getting strong in life.)

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May 14, 2013 By: Alex Tanskey Comment

Heavy TGUs, Posture, Sleep and a New Squatting Anthem

Well, I'm not sure who else has noticed, but the whole Boston-New York rivalry has definitely been kicked up on a notch in the past few weeks. With the Knicks over the Celtics, and now the Rangers set to face the Bruins, I'm pretty sure this year can only end with the Yankees facing off against the Red Sox. All of which equals my personal, fandom hell.

Let's face it. I'm a Knicks, Rangers, and (most of all) Yankees fan, but I live in Boston. As such, the volume of my cheering is usually low enough to make a mouse say "excuse me," not too mention the ribbing I receive from fellow trainers and clients every time Boston plays New York. In fact, I'll admit to acting like a Boston fan on occasion, just to make certain situations more tolerable (but secretly hating myself while doing it.)

So, as I'm thinking about the impending NHL playoffs (and keeping in mind that I'm writing this post on my 2nd cup of coffee after staying up way to late to watch last night's NHL playoffs), I figured it's time that I share a few other articles and posts from around the interwebs.

First, here's a video I took of myself performing a Turkish Get-up with 44 kilograms (that's 97 pounds). While it's not perfect, it was a goal I've been working towards for the past few months.

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May 12, 2013 By: Alex Tanskey Comment

When "Vegan" Doesn't Mean Healthy

Today, I'm fighting a common thought that's prevailed in society: avoiding animal foods will automatically make you a healthier person.

We may all know some vegans, vegetarians, and others (pescetarians?) that are on a plant-based diet. To clarify, I'm not doubting all the political and environmental reasons that some people choose to eat a more plant based diet, because as Bobby Brown once famously said, "that's their prerogative." Instead, what I'm after is proving that the idea of solely cutting out animal products from your diet is not necessarily going to make you healthier in the long run.