Can You Go? Seems like a straightforward question, right? Well, that is why I am such a fan of this book and its author, Dan John. He is honest, straight to the point and easy to comprehend. Can You Go? is the third book I have read by John and his “kiss” (keep it simple silly) approach to health and wellness should be modeled by all trainers, in my opinion.

In this book you are going to learn how to qualify goals and quantify assessments. That’s it. The goal of John’s work is to enable you to identify who’s in front of you by finding out what they know and what they came to see you for, i.e., goals, and to be able to test where this person is currently, i.e., assessments. Only after you have done these steps well will you be able to design an effective program. And as a personal trainer, sometimes we are so excited to get started with a new client that we don’t take assessing seriously enough. According to John, you’re making a terrible mistake because “the first line of defense against injury is assessment.” Whoa, I never thought about assessments this way, but this statement could not be more true. (more…)

Daymond John has accomplished a lot in his life. He founded a clothing line that ended up being worth 6 billion dollars. He helps hundreds of businesses grow each year on his hit TV show, Shark Tank. And, somehow, he even finds the time to mentor a separate set of small business owners on the side. How does he accomplish it all? By using the “Power of Broke” mindset.

Most people would not believe that there is power in being broke. How can having the odds stacked against you be a better hand for would-be-entrepreneurs than a favorable deck? Could it be the energy you need to drive to success is found in the struggle? The answers to your most sought after questions only come through adversity? And, if you are willing to stay in the game long enough, you will acquire the know-how to fulfill your dreams? (more…)

Total Money Makeover was a total money surprise for me. I thought that I understood debt and credit, but I was floored by the principles practiced and recommended by the book’s author, Dave Ramsey. In fact, I put the book down at page 48 with one thought on my mind:

“Man was I stupid.”

After this stark realization, I picked the book back up again and noticed the words: “always keep in mind that if you tell a lie often enough, loud enough and long enough, the myth becomes accepted as fact.” (more…)

My first introduction and fascination with barefoot running/training came from reading about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, who run hundreds of miles in the equivalent of espadrilles, light canvas shoes, in one of my favorite books of all time, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

Inspired by stories of the Tarahumara and other fantastic runners mentioned in the book, I purchased one of my favorite shoes of all time, Nike Free 5.0. I did so because they were extremely comfortable, “minimalist” or lower to the ground, and lots of people were wearing them. This was about 5 years ago, and since that time, my knowledge of the foot has stalled, at worst, and increased at a snail-like pace, at best. (more…)

Travis Barnes had an unfortunate childhood. He was abandoned by his dad, and raised by a horrible stepdad, so it’s no wonder that he decided to leave his former life behind and move to Las Vegas, twice. The first visit he leaves before he even settles in and the second he plants roots and begins working at Gold’s Gym, a hangout spot for some of the world’s best bodybuilders. Having been fond of fitness, particularly body building, since he was a kid growing up in Sayre, PA. Travis is elated that on top of finding employment in Sin City that he is training alongside and befriending nationally recognized bodybuilders such as Eric Eckenrode, the 1991 North American Champion of Bodybuilding, who later becomes Travis’ roommate.  Life seems to be getting much better for Travis Barnes, or so he thinks.

Unfortunately, the twisted road ahead is filled with turns we never expect. For Travis this means that more people in his life disappoint him and he makes some very poor decisions. Turns out, his boss at Gold’s Gym is only out for money and doesn’t care about the members’ health. He refers to most of them as “sleeping giants,” or members who pay monthly dues, but never show up. (more…)

In her best-selling book, Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin has done a masterful job researching habits and defining personality types to find out the best methods for all of us to gain positive habits and lose negative ones. I found it quite interesting and pleasing to read that some of the things I often quote in my profession as a personal trainer were confirmed by this attorney, turned world class author.

I had only read the introduction to Better Than Before and I was already feeling a connection to the book’s author, Gretchen Rubin. Although our professions vary greatly, we are passionate, almost obsessed with the same thing, transformation.

Says Rubin, “the thought of a transformation — any kind of transformation — thrills me.” (more…)

Is art or science more important when it comes to being a personal trainer? Are you better off knowing every muscle in the body and how it works? Or does getting along with people and good business skills trump exercise science?

According to 30-year fitness industry veteran Greg Justice, art and science are equally important. It’s just that the art side of things is too often neglected. Trainers can find information on squats and deadlifts just about anywhere, but where do we go to learn personal training etiquette?

For this reason, Greg decided to write Treadside Manner. A book that has nothing to do with exercise and everything to do with customer service. This book was designed to help fitness professionals succeed in business by understanding what it takes to motivate clients, retain clients and grow your business. (more…)

League of Denial by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru is such a great book that you don’t have to be an avid football fan to appreciate it. I was blown away by the information provided on topics ranging from the first case of brain damage to be associated with playing football and the NFL’s denial of the facts. I was impressed and worried by the gritty stories of the men who played the game both knowingly and unknowingly, in spite of broken bones, bulging discs, and even multiple concussions that could occur during the same game. One minute you’re shaking your head in disbelief and the next you are almost in tears as you learn how severely these men suffer later in life. Some end their own lives but don’t shoot themselves in the head so their brains can be studied. As of 2012, there have been over 50 cases of death related to brain damage caused by playing football. I was saddened by this fact, but not overly surprised. I was surprised by how much effort the NFL put into covering it up. (more…)

If “God is in the details” is a way of expressing that details are important to any task one accomplishes, then Pavel Tsatsouline is God and his book, KB Simple and Sinister is the Bible. Inside this “Bible,” Pavel teaches you how to perform two of the kettlebells most popular and most empowering moves, “Get Up” and “Swing.” He also spends time discussing the correct number of sets and reps to do and the amount of weight to use for each exercise, as well as the reasons why these factors matter. The “why’s” are the real eye-openers for me because they reveal tips about strength that you will rarely hear in Western gyms, but will undoubtedly make any man or woman stronger faster. “Kettlebells are like weightlifting times ten,” said Dennis Koslowski, former Olympic Silver Medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. “If I could’ve met Pavel in the early 80’s, I might have won two gold medals.” (more…)

Have you ever noticed that you talk to yourself when you practice or play most sports? Mostly on the inside, but sometimes externally as well. As I look back on the tens of thousands of hours I spent playing my favorite sport of basketball, I can clearly recall having a conversation with myself constantly in games and in practice. Unbeknownst to me, however, was that if this conversation had been one free of judgement, swearing, and other negative self-talk it would have strengthened my game. However, the conversations I was having with myself were anything but. “You can’t miss this shot.” “Why haven’t you scored more points? “You suck.” “Don’t embarrass yourself.” I was totally oblivious to the fact that this type of dialogue was undermining my progress until I read The Inner Game of Tennis by coach and author, W. Timothy Gallwey. One of the five best books I read in 2015, I was totally blown away by Gallwey’s ability to use tennis as a medium and put this behavior into context. He calls this phenomenon Self 1 and Self 2. The teller and the doer and it is the crux of this 134-page book that I love so much. (more…)