The computer-phone in your hand is indispensable, but if you aren’t careful, it will cause you a lot of spinal problems. Neck pain can be debilitating, but it’s easier to fix than most people realize. [Read more…]
Back Pain After Leg Day? The problem may not be where you think.
Back pain after leg day is telling you something is wrong in the kinetic chain. Listen up!
Is poor ankle mobility causing your back pain? Are your hip flexors fooling you into believing your squat form is good enough? [Read more…]
Surfing And Owning My Fear
A wall of water like this can be intimidating.
During my recent trip to Costa Rica, I admitted to myself a mental obstacle keeping me from improving my surfing. Although I have been able to routinely catch waves and get turned down the wave, I am still struggling to develop much style or body control while riding. I am still a nervous surfer, afraid of big waves even when they are breaking gently. This is mental detritus left over from stubbornly attempting to surf during low tides in Dominical, Costa Rica, a place known for waves that rear their ugly head and punish rookie surfers. Dominical at low tide is no place for a beginner. It’s the type of break that breeds true surfing fear. Why did I insist on paddling out into this madness? [Read more…]
What Causes Kidney Stones?
By Reader Request: What Causes Kidney Stones?
A reader recently had a kidney stone. Here’s dose of science so you’ll never have one again! If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, watch this to understand what causes kidney stones. If you never want to have a kidney stone, you want to watch this video.
Bulged Disc? Don’t Panic.
While bulged discs are fiendishly painful, you can recover quickly if you follow the right protocol.
Bulged discs are also known as “herniated”, “prolapsed” , “ruptured”, “slipped” or “protruding”. I have intimate experience with this type of injury (see my post about the incident). Here’s a dose of science to help you understand the problem and how to recover. [Read more…]
The 3 Miracle Stretches for Low Back Pain
Back pain sucks, but it’s easier to fix than you realize.
This post is for my readers in the trades who work on their feet all day wearing 20 to 40 extra pounds of tools on their hips. For those of you who know me, you also know that I have felt your pain. The three stretches I’m about to show you have fixed my chronic low back pain. (These stretches are great for office workers too.) Do these every morning before you go to work. It only takes 5 minutes.
Coach Saves My Surfing Trip
Hello Friends. I took a surfing trip last weekend to Mexico. I found an awesome surfboard to rent. The waves were perfect. The weather was perfect. Everything was going as planned. I went out on the first morning and caught two nice waves. Sweet! On wave three, tragedy struck.
Science
Promoting science means citing real research from peer reviewed medical studies. Science does not mean, “what has worked for me” or “what has worked for some people”. It means what works, period. Real results don’t come from believing what you see on TV or on a flashy website or an actor’s testimonial. The fitness industry makes money selling gadgets because they can package them up and ship them to you with big promises. The “perfect push up” or the “ab machine” are not miracle devices. Real results come from applying the tenets of human biology, nothing more. Changing your body requires something the fitness industry can’t package up and ship to you. It requires that you change your lifestyle. [Read more…]
Think Meditation Won’t Help Your Physique? Calm that Thought.
The research is overwhelming. Mindfulness meditation will help you get ripped. [Read more…]
30 Day Fat Cut Before and After: Was it worth it?
Whew. Glad that’s over! Time to drink a beer! I weighed in at 173 this morning. Ouch. I was 188 a month ago. (Granted, about 5 pounds of that was water weight, but I had been trying to gain enough mass to tip the scale at 190 all summer.) My strength has definitely suffered and I know I lost a some muscle mass. Now it’s time to get it back. [Read more…]