Did you hear that rustling? Don't worry, it's just my inner introvert hyperventilating into a paper bag.

Why?  Because I'll be speaking (yikes!) this Saturday, July 25th at the first TR Symposium.  While I'm still finishing my slides, it's going to be a great day of learning and information at The Training Room.  Having previously worked at one of the "top gyms in America" - as labeled by Men's Health - I can say with confidence that our staff at the TR is in the top 1% of the industry.  Plus, not only are we knowledgeable, we're also easy to look at. ;)

The topics are: Building a Stronger Runner, The TGU: Benefits and Breakdown, and Train Like an Athlete.  My topic?  Defeat and Dominate Your Deadlift.  With the help of Justin Bieber and Rich Uncle Pennybags (the real name for the Monopoly guy), I'll explain what transformed my deadlift over the last two years.  After all, I might know a thing or two about deadlifting:

"Those dang Turks!"

Kidding, of course.  But that's one of the kinder phrases people say when performing Turkish Get-Ups.  Well that or "Alex, I just sure love when we do Get-Ups!"

(I'm still waiting to hear the latter.)

To be honest  I don't "get" all the complaining. I love Turkish Get-Ups (TGUs) because they're A) tough and B) feel like an exercise Mr. Miyagi would have you perform. And who doesn't want to train like Daniel-San?

Happy July 4th everyone!  As you’ve noticed – and unless you’re my Mother, you probably haven’t – the summer months have led me to crank out fewer blog posts than I’d prefer. I’ve been traveling, watching Orange is the New Black, and hanging out with my good friend – Channing Tatum. 

I’m just kidding.  I haven’t watched that much OITNB.

Hello there.  My name is Alex and I'd like to share a secret with you: I'm hypermobile.

Surprised? That's because our usual stereotype of guys - especially those that like to lift heavy things - is being so tight and bound up that they'd make the Tin Man seem like a supple leopard.  My hypermobility has made me a bit of an anomaly in that regard, and it's also what made me so good at throwing a baseball.

Wait a second, who am I kidding?  By "good" I really mean, "halfway decent."  After all, I played baseball at Vassar - where half the males of the entire school made up the baseball team.  The other 23 guys wore skinny jeans, rode fixed gear bikes, spoke about bands that didn't exist, and argued the merits of the prison abolition movement while drinking PBR.

True story.

I want to get to the heart of the action this week, as I continue with Part 2 of "7 Rules of Highly Effective Weight Loss."  

Of course, now that I typed "heart of the action" I can't stop singing the Huey Lewis song, "Heart of Rock and Roll."  If you love ol' Huey like me (or just the 80's in general), you're welcome.  If not, I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

Anyway, why am I writing about this topic - as opposed to deadlifts and lolcats, which are the real meat and potatoes of this blog?