I often get emails and questions from people about certain programs, gadgets, fitness videos, GPS devices, music, heart rate monitors, pedometers, I-phone applications, you name it. I get to test much of this new fitness technology out and will either decline to write about it or give it a plug. If you have followed my decade of articles on fitness, you ...

"Recovery and Maintenance," We hear these terms often in just about every area of our lives:  from improving your fitness and athletic performance and handling stressful professions to maintaining your health with a strong immune system.  Typically, most people in the military / law enforcement fitness and health genre ask about how to get stronger for Fitness Tests while working long ...

This week’s email strikes home on a daily basis as we all age and try to do the things we did in our teens and early twenties. Here is an Eight Step explanation of what to do and what NOT to do to keep on going strong. *Stew - I am 41 years old and still try to hang with the ...

People who exercise and those who do not, often neglect the upper back and rear shoulder muscles. Life has a way of bowing your upper back and rolling your shoulders forward. In technical terms, we are basically “internally rotated” with the shoulder girdle. Many things in life "internally rotate” us such as driving, sitting at a computer, playing video games, texting, ...

This week, an email from a physical therapist in the Navy asked me about training people to have better balance. He states, “One of the biggest culprits to injury as we age is falling or losing your balance. Do you have any plans for folks to gain balance or better stability?” Great question! When training athletes, one of the most important ...

When to eat and what to eat are constant questions that affect your fitness performance, weight loss / gain goals, as well as overall health.  I was recently challenged with a question by email that asked, "What should I eat/drink before, during, and after my workout?  My goal is to perform better in my running, swimming, PT test and following spec ...

Every year after a few months of decreased running due to winter months, I receive emails from people who are starting to ache after only a few days of running. Typically, if you take off for more than 2-3 months from a regular running routine, chances are when you start again you will start off “where you left off” and actually ...

Whether you are a military, special operations officer, an athlete, or just a regular person seeking to lose weight, all groups experience similar personal obstacles. Those who succeed in their training programs learn to conquer self-doubt. That is the key to fitness! Every day, excited people join fitness clubs determined to attend classes or workout for an hour a day, five ...

Often young men and women ask me about training for the military and police officer professions, but unfortunately most of them (about 60% who email me) have to lose weight in order to meet the minimum requirements for the height and weight / body fat standards.  The military refused more than 47,000 people due to not passing the height-weight / body ...

Soldiers often contact me to update me on what they are doing for physical training.  Their fitness training cycles usually vary a great deal from basic training to maintenance training while overseas or preparing to go overseas.  Recently, in an AP article that was featured at Today Online, many combat veterans are adding sprints, agility drills and core exercises to build ...

I recently wrote an article on "Adding Balance to Your Life,":http://policelink.monster.com/police-fitness/articles/101253-add-some-balance-to-your-life but it was aimed more at beginners and for those who are losing their balance as they age. People fall everyday due to loss of balance muscles that accompanies a sedentary lifestyle. Spending your 40s, 50s, and 60s not exercising regularly can lead to a variety of broken bones and ...

We have all heard that daily exercise and eating a healthful diet can help you fight many diseases and illnesses to include diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer. This weekend in Tucson, AZ, I had the honor to meet a woman who donates her time to help people fight cancer through exercise. The “Sarge,” Anita Kellman runs the "Beat Cancer ...

Most people who email me are pretty motivated but need guidance on how to get to a new level of fitness and health. From the unfit seeking to getting healthy and lose weight to the athlete seeking to change from a sport workout routine to a military workout routine to better prepare for the different challenges that the military provides, I ...

I often get emails from beginners starting to exercise or officers who are avid trainers asking about what are some of the things I like to use, wear, and even listen to when exercising. Here are a few of the many things I like to use. I have been searching the fitness business world for places to put my logo on ...

This week, I received a frequently asked question about swimming with fins. Swimming with fins during rigorous military training like BUD/S, Coast Guard HRSS, Air Force PJ, or Public Safety Divers and some law enforcement SWAT programs is required in open water tests. My philosophy with teaching swimming is “a picture is worth 1000 words, but a moving picture is worth ...

Here is a great question from a sailor seeking to better his PFT run time and has gathered extra information about training with heart rate monitor training. _How much emphasis should I put on target heart rate while training for the PRT run? The Navy PRT web page says the target heart rate for my age group (25 years) is 117-146bpm, ...

If you are like a majority of the people who exercise regularly, often the question of what do you do first - Cardio workouts (Running, swimming, biking, cardio machines at the gym) or Resistance training workouts (lift weights or PT) is discussed. This article will further discuss that question on several different levels. What combination is best for the following common ...

Do you really not have enough time in your day to exercise? Too many times people say, “I need to exercise but I do not have enough time in the day.” Or, when they do have the time they only have the energy to lie down and watch TV. Whether you are on travel working late hours or at home dealing ...

An email from a Fire Fighter instructor looking for advice on creating a fitness maintenance plan and fitness building program for his major city fire fighters prompted an answer that was diverse in its ability yet cost effective. “I think your recent publication of Fire Fighter Workout and Public Safety Diver training cross over very well. The problem on our job ...

Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, originated thousands of years ago in ancient Greece and have been a major component of fitness in athletics, military, law enforcement, and daily fitness for home workouts without equipment. Here is a request from a Perfect push-up customer seeking to do more exercises without having to go to a gym. A note from a reader: I need ...