Every now and then one of my clients will say some derivative of the following: "it hurts when I do X....is that OK?"  

My answer?  Well, let's not do that anymore.

When the individual picks themselves off the ground after getting bowled over by my deep wisdom (or, lack thereof), they usually go on to ask if not doing X is going to hurt their progress.  The answer? Absolutely not! "No pain, no gain" is not just silly, it's moronic.

Every now and then something really grinds my gears.  Now, we all have our quirks, like when someone doesn't use a blinker, when someone doesn't eat their pizza crust, or when a bro doesn't wipe down his bench after practically giving it a bath in his sweat.  But, one of my biggest pet peeves is the use of one single term, "cardio."

A few months ago, I ranted about the difference between a workout (which is just meant to exhaust you), and training (meant to make you better).  It's a key difference, because anyone can make you sore and tired....but it takes discipline, effort, and a plan to make you better.

It probably comes as no surprise that I detest "cardio" to such heights.  I never use that word, because once again, it tends to imply that you're not really training for anything in particular.   Anyone can go hop on a treadmill or bike for 45 minutes and move their body....but what are you really working towards?  

I hate sit-ups. I really do.  And, if I haven’t made that clear by now, then you probably don’t know me very well.

So, it must come as no surprise that after I go on my weekly rant about why I hate sit-ups, I often get asked “what do you do to train your core instead?”  While I usually start by having midgets punch me in the stomach, there are a few other things I tend to incorporate.

Just the other day, someone asked me if I had a man crush on Dwight Howard’s shoulders.  The answer?  Why yes, yes I do.

Now, let’s not go off the deep end, as I think he’s completely overrated and the Kim Kardashian of the NBA (famous for never really doing anything).  But, attaining “Dwight-caliber” shoulders will remain a pipe dream for the majority of Americans.  The reason?  They already have a bad shoulder.

I hope everyone had a fantastic labor day weekend!  I know I did, as I was lucky enough to have my parents up here and we visited the Sam Adams Brewey in Boston.  It's chock full of free beer (yes, free beer), and despite my outwardly appearances, free beer still pulls on my manly heart strings. 

In fact, our day was a bit like this after the brewery: