First things first - I want to thank everyone that came out and made it to my nutrition seminar yesterday afternoon.  We had great attendance for such a sunny, warm afternoon, and there were some really great questions that made me think.  In fact, Richard Simmons even made an appearance (albeit through the wacky picture on the right).

For those that missed it, I can only say that you missed a fun time and that you need to eat more plants.  Seriously. You do.

Anyway, one issue that's been on my mind recently has been our general feeling that we always need to stretch and have "long" hamstrings.  As I've said before, anytime we get "tight" it's for a specific reason, and blindly cranking on muscles because "it feels good" can be a recipe for disaster.

Hear that, Presidential Fitness test!?  Sit and reach, be damned!

There are three words in the English language that I absolutely can't stand: "everybody," "always," and "never." (Actually, if I could choose a fourth, it would be "gurgle.")  

Why?  Because what we learned in Kindergarten is true - no two people are the same, and we're all special boys and girls.  But, if I were to pick one exercise that could almost include the three words above, it would be Single Leg Deadlifts.

OK, are you really surprised that it's some form of deadlifting?  Probably not.

Anyway, flash back a few months ago, and I really didn't think Single Leg Deadlifts (SLDLs) were that important.  Sure, they're cool and a nice to have....but they're often super hard to perform correctly.  Plus, isn't deadlifting on two legs just a bit more bad ass?

Fast forward to today, and I've completely changed my tune. In fact, if SLDLs are cool, consider me Miles Davis.

To start things off, I wanted to announce that I'll be giving a nutrition lecture on June 7th, where I work at The Training Room in Somerville.  While I abhor shameless plugs of self-promotion (and yes, I've fully realized the irony....as a blog is essentially its own form of self-promotion), the topic will be "Navigating the Paleo, Vegan, and Low Fat Matrix."

As you could probably guess from the title, I'll be discussing the Paleo, Vegan, and Low Fat diets by themselves - the pluses and the minuses.  But, the discussion will also be through the lens of what we've learned about nutrition over the past few years: all calories are not created equal; the need to focus on foods and not nutrients; and most importantly, will any diet make Taylor Swift look less like a Praying Mantis?

Just kidding about that last one.

(Maybe.)

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.