For this week's post, I wanted to focus on a question that comes up every now and then in training: is there such thing as a "running specific" or "fat loss" program?

Now, before I answer, allow me to rant:

One of the worst things about the fitness industry is the jargon that's used on an everyday basis.  Terms like "muscle confusion" do nothing but make you confused (not to mention, it doesn't exist). "Sport-specific" is just another name for "human specific."   And "functional?"  Well, I'm not sure what that means anymore, especially when Bosu balls are involved.

So, before you heed the advice of these fitness charlatans, let me say this: 90% of the time, it's all marketing.  

With that said, I do want to say that "running" and "fat loss" programs actually do exist, but on one condition:

You need to already be strong.

The human body is simply amazing.  In fact, it's one of the reasons I love my job.  The fact that something like breathing can loosen someone's "tight" hamstrings, or eliminate their back pain, is always amazing to watch.

The human brain, on the other hand, can often be our biggest enemy.

What do I mean?  We all like to believe that we're exceptions to the rules.  I can't tell you how many times people have told me about nagging hip, knee or back injuries, resigned to the fact that it won't ever feel normal again.  Alternatively, I also tend to hear people tell me that they've "tried everything" but still can't seem to lose the extra weight. 

Well, call me Tough Love Tanskey, but I'm here to let you in on a secret: you're not THAT special.

A few weeks ago, I got into a debate on the interwebz with another strength coach.  

The forum? A message board we both belong to (yes, it's like a secret club of strength coaches).

The subject?  Deadlifts.

While the subject matter is probably no surprise to you, the other coach stated that heavy deadlifts were simply more risk than reward and it didn't make sense to deadlift anything above "laundry weight."

To be honest, I think my head exploded when I heard his reasoning.  Why?  Because to me, a world without deadlifts is like....a world without chocolate!

Every now and then, I think back to when the lanky, 9th grade version of myself stepped into my high school weight room.  Meek, weak, and uncoordinated, I was petrified by heavy weights.  Worst of all, I held one of the biggest phobias of any pimple-faced underclassman: the fear of looking like an idiot.

Without any direction, or any clue about strength and conditioning, I stuck to the machines in the left corner of the gym.  I was happy to be stuck in my comfort zone, seeing no progress whatsoever, which is a very bad place to be. Why?  Because plain and simple, lifting weights is daunting.

One of the best parts of my job are the amount of questions I receive from my clients.  While there are stupid questions (e.g. "Is this, like, Crossfit!?" Answer: No!), I absolutely love when people want to find out what's inside my head.  In fact, I consider it a great compliment.  

On that train of thought, I tend to get a fair amount of nutrition related questions, being of course, that I'm also a nutrition coach.  Today I'd like to expand on one of the questions I hear quite often:

"What should I eat after a workout?"

Being the loud and boisterous individual that I am (ok, I'm chuckling at even suggesting that), I always have the same controversial response: 

"It depends."