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 ...

Usually, after 8-9 months of challenging running and calisthenics based workouts (see Solstice Plan), I am ready for a few months of non-impact aerobics of indoor swimming and biking for cardiovascular workout options. However, this year, I have tested out some gear during the 30 degrees days of the past month and feel like pushing it a little during the winter ...

Have you ever heard of this statement? Often it refers to challenging military / law enforcement training programs. The first time I heard the saying was at SEAL training and I never quite understood what it meant at the time because it felt like 100% physical at the time. I promise you this. It does not refer to 90% mental being ...

Here is an email from a military man seeking to get better at his pull-ups and pushups for an upcoming PFT for Special Ops Selection. _Thank you for the 14 day "pull up":http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/2678-pull-up-tips and the "push up routine.":http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/2679-stuck-on-pushups-try-the-pushup-push-workout I did it to the letter, doing on average of a 130 pull ups and 300+ pushups per work out. I went from ...

The Pull-up is the great equalizer when it comes to hard exercises to master. Questions from how to do more, how to do any, how to ace pull-up fitness tests come in all the time. Over the years, we have created and used many workouts (like the ones below) to improve pull-ups, but one of the first elements you should consider ...

Breathing – of course it is important in everything we do. From athletic performance, shooting, and relaxing, we all have had to control our breathing in some fashion. But did you know that you can speed up and slow down your central nervous system by learning some breathing techniques? Did you know you can fail a running test one day and ...

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 ...

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 ...

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’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 ...

After spending more than a decade helping people become members of Special Operations units in every branch of the military and SWAT Teams in federal / state / local law enforcement agencies, I have seen a few common denominators that spell success, or graduation. Ask "did you think about quitting" to any member of a Special Operations unit in the military ...

How many of you have taken a physical fitness test (PFT) and did not score as well as you have in the past during your own workouts? Often by the end of a PFT, you will be fatigued and the last cardio test will be slower than normal workouts scores. Here is an email I received that I think we all ...

I typically group men and women into the same workouts, especially if they are applying for positions in the military, law enforcement, and fire fighting careers. My personal opinion is that women can perform on a men’s standard (they do not have to, but can) with a little extra work and proper training. I have experienced this personally throughout my years ...

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 ...

Getting into a running program after an injury or just starting running for the first time ever or many years is very tough. For one, the joints, soft tissues, and bones can all be injured by common “overuse” injuries such as: * Shin Splints * Very Common Knee Tendinitis * Runner's Knee (PFS) * ITB Syndrome * Heel Injuries (Plantar Fasciitis) ...

Sleep... How important is it to those who exercise often as well as to those who do not? Scientists have been studying sleep patterns for decades, so there is plenty of research on the importance of sleep in our daily lives. Sleep also affects performance in between workouts during high intensity training programs like military and law enforcement training. I guess ...

Sometimes we think we are in shape because a "test looks easy" or "you were in shape in high school", but many people fail to prepare for a fitness test and wind up realizing they need to change their training AND their thinking.  Check out this email: Stew - I run all the time 4-5 days a week and usually get ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...