Do you realize that once-upon-a-time, carrying a few extra pounds of fat was considered a sign of good health? How did we go from a culture that appreciated girth to one obsessed with being skinny? Why do we exercise the way we do? What societal forces influence the ways that we exercise? Dr. Natalia Petrzela is an Associate Professor of History at the New School in New York City and teaches about the history of the fitness industry; Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise...

What motivates you and why? Motivation is an elusive emotion; high achievers seem to have motivation seeping from their pores while slackers can barely be motivated to answer the door for the food deliver service. Motivation can be focused as a powerful force used to accomplish seemingly insurmountable tasks. Emily Rudow was motivated to make her mark on the world and set out to run a half marathon a day for a period of days. Find Your Stride is Emily's book that can help you to find...

There is a famous saying that abs are made in the kitchen; what it means is that no matter how hard you exercise, if you are not following a proper nutrition protocol, you may not get the results that you want. The purpose of the food we eat is to provide specific nutrients that we need for optimal health and performance. The nutrients themselves cause a number of chemical reactions in the body that could either increase lean muscle mass or torch unwanted fat. Dr. Shannon O'Grady, the Chief...

Why do you do the exercises in your workout program? Why do you add certain exercises to your routine, but not others?Not all strength-training exercises are the same or produce the same output; in this section of Smarter Workouts, you will learn why it is so important to perform exercises for the way that your body is designed to move. In addition, you will learn the one movement pattern that ALL muscles are involved in performing; it's all about strength training for the way you move on...

Dr. Rick Richey is a physical therapist, personal trainer, massage therapist, studio owner and fitness educator and podcast host for NASM, one of the largest personal training certification organizations in the fitness industry. On the second half of the conversation, Rick shares his insights on the latest trends, we discuss what you can do to build more physical activity habits into your lifestyle and we offer tips for how you can use exercise to enhance your quality of life. It's all about...

If you think that planks and crunches are the only core exercises that you need to do, then think again; on this episode of the audio book for Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple, we transition from mobility into strength training, specifically strength training for your core muscles. This episode identifies the muscles that control movement in the core region of your body and identifies the fundamental approach that you should follow when designing an exercise program to...

Dr. Rick Richey is a physical therapist, licensed massage therapist, studio owner and an educator and podcast host for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (FYI - NO one in the fitness industry has 1, single job; making you sweat doesn't pay a lot, so we all have to get our hustle on). Rick was recognized as the 2022 Personal Trainer of the Year by IDEA, a trade association for fitness professionals; on this episode, which is actually part 1 of the conversation, we discuss the differences...

How will 2023 make you sweat? What new fitness trends do you need to keep your eyes out for? It's a new year which means that between December 31, 2022 and January 1, 2023, suddenly EVERYTHING about changed about fitness and that you need to start over from ground zero. Not really, but the way that information is delivered this time of year certainly makes it feel that way. The fact is that it is NOT the latest, greatest fad that can help you achieve the results that you desire, however, the...

We are all born knowing how to walk which explains why running is one of the most popular forms of exercise; we already know how to do it and all that's required is a decent set of shoes, some proper kit and you're off. However, poor running mechanics or a poorly designed training program could cause injuries and keep you from being able to do any exercise. There are many different methods of training for running, the most important approach is to identify one that works for your needs and...

Do you experience lingering injuries that just won't seem to heal? Do you want to find a way to supercharge your results? Mobility training is probably the most overlooked component of a workout program. Mobility refers to a combination of joint range of motion and tissue extensibility; in other words, mobility enhances your ability to move and it could strengthen your muscles and connective tissues in ways that lifting weights never could. This episode reads from Chapter 3, Mobility...

If Monday is "international chest day," (so-named because a lot of people tend to do chest press on Mondays) which day is international mobility day? Mobility workouts are a popular on social media; however beyond being a current trend, mobility should be a key component of your overall workout program. Knowing how to properly enhance the range-of-motion of your mobile joints as well as how to strengthen your stable ones are foundational components of long-term exercise success. Chapter 3 of...

No one knows exactly how the aging process will effect the human body, but we do know that regular exercise can help slow down the speed at which we age. Actors and actresses use exercise and an overall healthy lifestyle to always look their best so that they can land that next part. Andy Orbeck, Nicole Stuart and Desi Bartlett are three Los Angeles-based fitness instructors who help keep the leading ladies of Hollywood looking their best and teamed up to write the book, Total Body Beautiful:...

Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple originally started as a series of blogs called, "1-weight workout" and teaches you how to design workouts for mobility, strength or metabolic conditioning using only one piece of equipment. Chapter 2 concludes with specifying the 2 distinct, different types of strength training that should be a part of your overall workout program along with identifying the pieces of exercise equipment that can give you an excellent workout whether at home...

Originally recorded in 2017, this is a rerun of a conversation with Eric Fleishman, also known as Eric the Trainer, the personal trainer to a number of well-known Hollywood celebrities. In this episode, Eric shares how he got interested in fitness, why he studied the early generation of bodybuilders and how he used those lessons to shape many of the bodies that you see on a screen. Unfortunately Eric Fleishman recently passed away; this episode is being replayed as a tribute to his legacy and...

Time. Equipment. Not knowing what to do. These are all common excuses for not getting results from an exercise program; however, one important thing missing from this list, the issue of chronic inflammation. Inflammation is your immune system's natural response when fighting an outside invader like a bacteria or promoting the healing process after tissue has been injured. Acute, or short-term, inflammation is your body working to heal itself. Chronic, or long-term, inflammation can actually...

It is often said that entrepreneurs are people who work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40. It takes a lot of things to be a successful entrepreneur: a great idea, motivation, a tireless work ethic and the ability to be comfortable with failure so that you can learn from your mistakes. Lauren George is a business owner, content creator and go-getter who performs a number of different jobs in the fitness industry, all of which she created for herself. Lauren talks about her motivation to help...

This episode of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple is the conclusion of chapter 2 which reviews two different types of strength training and how they can make changes to your body. In addition, you will learn about the most effective types of equipment that you can use for a great workout at the gym, home or anywhere you can move your body. It's all about how to design your own workout programs on this episode of All About Fitness. GNARLY NUTRITION: Visit goGnarly.com and...

Necessity is the mother of invention. Fitness enthusiast, personal trainer and powerlifter Molly Galbraith saw a need for women who enjoy being strong to come together to form a community around strength training and that is how Girls Gone Strong came into being. What started as an online support community has evolved into an organization focused on education, specifically on the science of strength training not just for women, but for all genders. Molly and the Girls Gone Strong team have...

Jay Glazer is a sports reporter, experienced MMA fighter, conditioning expert, gym owner, author and now podcast host; on this episode he talks about his experience as a combat athlete, how he got started as a sports caster and his work with combat veterans who suffer from PTSD. Jay explains how living with depression has led him on a mission to help others who suffer from the disease as well as combat veterans who may be living with PTSD which has led him to starting MVP, Merging Vets and...

Not all strength training is the same; lifting a barbell is different than swinging a kettlebell and using a set of dumbbells provides a completely different workout than using a machine. To make sure that you are doing the best exercises and workouts for your goals, you should first have an understanding of how the human body is designed to move and the different ways that it can be challenged with exercise. Kevin Carr is a Boston-based performance coach, educator, massage therapist, author...

ALL successful exercise programs have one thing in common: they adhere to the established principles of exercise program design. It's true, any experienced strength coach or personal trainer can watch any workout and know within a few minutes whether the person who designed it knew what they were doing or not (in many cases, it's the latter). Very similar to the craft of cooking, there are specific principles that dictate how an exercise program should be designed and formatted, and if you...

Do muscles really have memory? How does your brain tell which muscles to move and how hard they should work? Is it possible to learn how to shoot a basketball like Steph Curry? Dr. John Krakauer is a professor of Neurology who runs the Center for Motor Learning and Brain Repair at Johns Hopkins University (he's a smart dude who knows why and how we move). Dr. Krakauer is an expert in the field of neurophysiology which is the science of how our brain controls our movements. On this episode,...

Living in 2022 is great: we can have almost anything we want delivered to us by simply swiping our phones; however is this much automation a good thing? As humans we were all born knowing how to move, but modern society has evolved to a point where movement is not necessary, the result is that many of us are simply moving less. When we move less, we lose our ability to move well which could result in an injury when we exercise. Gray Cook is a physical therapist and strength coach who has...

This audio book series of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple is continuing with Chapter 2: How Exercise Changes Your Body. In this episode you will learn about how your heart functions during physical activity, why it's important to pay attention to the 3 laws of physics when you're planning your workouts and the variables that are a component of EVERY exercise program. It's all about the science of exercise program design on this episode of All About Fitness. GNARLY...