If you’re thinking about starting a workout program, you might be wondering if you’ll be sore after training at the gym for the first time. The short answer: if you’ve never worked out before, some mild muscle soreness is likely, but a fitness professional can help you ease into a program so you aren’t overly sore. The good news: as you get used to working out, you won’t be as sore as often because your body will adjust to the activities you do. Very experienced gymgoers also get sore from time to time. This usually happens when they do an exercise for the first time or significantly increase the intensity of a workout by adding weight or volume or by reducing rest. While it’s true that people can work out at such extreme levels that they become ill or injured, it’s very rare—especially when people train under the supervision of...Read more

Miracle diets, cleanses, crazy workout programs, strange supplements, wraps, measuring cups and scales, fasting, macro tracking—what’s the real secret to weight loss? Glad you asked—because we’ll give you the truth. No gimmicks, no-nonsense. Just the info you actually need. Here’s the real secret to weight loss: Everyone is different, so the best plan is to work with an experienced, credentialed coach who can create a food and fitness plan that will lead to steady, sustainable, long-term progress. That plan might not sound as cool as “lose 20 lb. in 20 days,” but we know that our methods work. And they help people create a new lifestyle, not just make a dramatic change they can only maintain for a month or so. “Hacks” and crash diets just aren’t sustainable and many of them create more problems than they solve—if they solve any problems at all. Over the years, we’ve seen too...Read more

Many people want to lose fat—so will weight training help them do it? Yes! Lifting weights is a great way to burn fat, but here’s something else to consider first: Many people want to lose fat so they look toned and their muscles are more visible. The look they’re going for usually requires fat loss as well as a little muscle building. You build muscle through weight training. So if you have aesthetic goals, weight training isgoing to be a great tool for you. Now don’t get me wrong: 30 minutes of cardiovascular training—running, cycling, rowing, swimming etc.—will burn more calories than 30 minutes of weight training. For example, an online calorie-burning calculator estimates that a 180-lb. person will burn 410 calories through 30 minutes of cycling at moderate intensity. The same calculator estimates that the same person would burn 246 calories through 30 minutesof vigorous weight training. So conditioning...Read more

Many people want to know exactly how to build muscle in the upper back. For some, it’s about aesthetics: They want to add size and definition to their trapezius muscles, latissimus dorsi, deltoids and rhomboids. Other people want to prevent or rehab injuries by building up the muscles of the rotator cuff: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. And then there are those who are focused on the upper back for “performance,” whether that means improved posture in daily life or sporting success. Here, we’ll tell you how to train your upper back with compound and isolation exercises. Sets and Reps First, remember that “building muscle” means different things to different people and a coach can provide the best plan based on your goals. For example, for those who want increased muscle size, 3 sets of 8-12 reps with medium loads will often do the trick. For those who...Read more

We’ve been asked this question so many times: Does fat make you fat? The one-word answer is “no.” So why do so many people avoid fat or believe it causes weight gain? The answer is likely because the diet industry went through a low-fat craze in the ‘90s. And it doesn’t help that body fat and dietary fat share the same name. You are what you eat, right? Wrong in this case! It also doesn’t help that the word “fat” is sometimes used to describe someone who is overweight. If you combine all that, it’s easy to see why so many people avoid fat and so many products have the phrases “low in fat!” and “fat-free!” on their labels. But dietary fat isn’t a problem. It’s one of three important macronutrients. Protein and carbohydrates are the other two. Fat is just a nutrient that supplies energy and it’s a source...Read more