I've hit my share of plateaus.  They're frustrating.  They make you question what you know.  In a sense, they provoke the same reactions as seeing Donald Trump run away with the GOP nomination.

On the flip side, my most rewarding workouts have been those where I've busted through to the other side.  I've also learned much more from missing my goals than I have from achieving them. But seeing the forest through the trees is easier said than done.

If you think your program is the reason you're stuck on your squat/deadlift/press, there are plenty of general programs that'll help get you over the hump.  I'd highly suggest 5/3/1 or some Westside Barbell templates.  They might appear different but they're based on a simple principle - more practice, at varying weights, will help you improve.

That said, programming often gets too much credit for breaking plateaus.  In reality, the secret for 99% of us comes down to good coaching and great execution.  Below are three tips to help exactly that.

The final episode of "MythBusters" aired this past weekend.  I don't know about you, but I'm going to miss their epic goatees, pursuit of science, and blowing things up for pure enjoyment.

This week I'd like to pay homage by putting on my own science cap, requisite goatee, and busting one of the strength and conditioning world's myths.  The problem is that there are a ton:

• Lactic acid isn't what makes your muscles burn, it's an excess of hydrogen ions from the Krebs cycle.  
• Sit-ups and crunches aren't going to give you a six pack, they may actually hurt your lower back.  
• Heavy weights won't make you bulky, but overeating might.

All three of those truths aren't just #broscience but actual science.  Yet I'd like to focus on one particular problem commonly seen in runners: IT Band pain.

I never doubt when people are in pain, but for a tiny piece of fascia on your outer thigh, it sure is the target of a lot of frustration.  What if I told you that the pain in your IT band wasn't actually your IT band?  Rather, it's the result of a badly positioned pelvis.

I'm not a politician.  Nor do I play one on TV.  And being that it's Super Tuesday, I'm happy to be as far away as possible from anything political.

I'd also make a terrible politician as I'm a big fan of the saying, "When the facts change, I change my mind."   Label me a flip flopper, but I'm constantly questioning if I'm doing everything I can to make people move better and be more physically resilient.

The three topics below aren't sudden changes of heart, they're refined approaches to my own system of training.  Ironically, now that I sound like a politician I only have one thing left to say: enjoy!

I don’t consider myself a core exercise guy.  I’m more of a pick things up, put them down guy.  But even though core work isn’t sexy, neither is living life with our ribs and pelvis out of alignment.

This week, I’d like to share my new favorite exercise: the breathing dead bug.  It’s part of my 2016 goal to share more actionable information.  After all, there’s only so many deadlifts and positional breathing drills that any “normal” person can take.

My wife, Lindsay, is slowly nodding her head in agreement.

Anyway, I love this exercise for a variety of reasons and for a variety of people.  And if it seems pretty easy, it's only because you haven't experienced it correctly.

I'm not shy about admitting my mistakes.  It's how you learn and grow.  I think it's also important to show that you're always trying to get better.

Most of my mistakes have been with my own training, using myself as a guinea pig. But some mistakes have also been with clients.  This week, I'm fessing up to the latter.

When I was a newly minted personal trainer, high intensity, short duration work was the flavor of the year.  Nothing captured this trend better than the popular Tabata protocol - hard 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, continuously for four minutes.  "Research" had shown it would elicit the same adaptions as a long steady state session.  Even better?  High intensity work like that is gold for fat loss, even if it makes you hate life.

On a personal note, I was also chasing dem gainz.