I hate bragging, but my clients have been absolutely ferocious in the gym these past few weeks.  I'm not sure if it's been the fact that the holidays are right around the corner, or if the moon is in some crazy lunar stage, but personal records are falling faster than Miley Cyrus' dignity.  This past week, five clients of mine have hit new PR's on their deadlifts (of at least 15 pounds or more), which makes me as happy as a Camel on Wednesday.

True or false: I love lifting heavy things. 

If you answered false, either a) you don't know me very well, b) I've somehow slipped into a parallel universe or, c) you're trying to give the joker a run for his money.

That said, there's a lot more to lifting heavy things than simply lifting heavy things.  In order to get stronger (or even, dare I say..."tone up"), it's absolutely necessary that we move well - and that's where things get real interesting. 

It's pretty simple to explain to someone that in order to do certain exercises correctly (like the deadlift), we need to move well in order to simply get down to the bar in a correct manner.  From there, we need to continue to work on moving correctly and understanding the hip hinge, to avoid having your back resemble the upper half of a question mark.

But, it's also important to move well for the reasons below: 

One issue I hear pretty often is that people have "tight" hamstrings.  Now, I'm somewhat among this crowd, because my legs are far from those of a supple leopard*, and for 364 days in elementary school, I would wake up fearing the dreaded sit and reach test. 

As such, I tend to do a lot of corrective work on my hamstrings/hips, but you'll rarely see me do any normal stretching.  Why?  Because simply stretching your hamstrings is a waste of time.

Think about it - if just stretching your hamstrings worked, why would so many people be so tight back there?  Before we talk about how to correct the issue, it's important to talk about WHY you may have tight hamstrings, and like much in this field, there's no easy answer. 

Recently, I was asked about my thoughts on the Paleo diet. Truth be told, I think it's a great way to lose weight and eat healthy.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it's for you (or the people you know).

It's been an incredible last few weeks for both Lindsay and I, and we are both finally settling back into our normal routines.  I've been quiet on the blog recently, as during the past two weeks I've been squeezing in a full week of work into about 4 days.  Suffice to say, I napped on Sunday.  Hard.

Anyway, as I've grown busier I've also started receiving many more emails, several from clients that would like advice or want to reschedule.  Here's one such email I received a few weeks ago:

 "Hey Alex, my piriformis has really been bothering me for the past week.  I think the best thing to do is rest for a few weeks and come back when I'm ready." 

Sorry, try again.