Last month I attend a seminar in Vancouver with Mike Robertson presenting. Mike is a great strength and conditioning coach from Indiana who put on a 2 day seminar related to the knees and low back. One of the points Mike covered during the weeknend involved the use of a balloon to illustrate core theory.I really liked his analogy and the use of the balloon to make the point. But I thought the point could be taken further. And expanded to other areas of core theory. So I made a note in my conference notes to develop the point further once I got home. And this has since been developed into the 7 Keys of Balloon Core Theory.To read the article go check out Mike's blog, robertsontrainingsystems.com, or click on the following link to go directly to the article:http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/7-keys-of-balloon-core-theory/After you have a read, make sure to leave a comment. Make sure to say:* What you liked about the article?* What other analogies there may be between a balloon and the core?* Anything new you learned from the article?All the best,Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                     okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'

One thing we put a high priority on at Okanagan Peak Performance is education. We have summer interns who come work with us during the summer. We subscribe to relevant journals and trade publications. Staff are paid for the journals and articles they read each week.We put on seminars for our clients every few months. And of course we travel far and wide to learn from the best.So how do we improve on that?We bring the best to us, that's how.And who do we mean by the best anyway? Well bringing in 5 top level speakers from across North America. This list includes:Dr. Charlie Weingroff - I first saw Charlie speak last year in Seattle and I was immediately impressed. He stole the show. His presentations are a great mix of both interesting and useful. He has a great sense of humour and fields questions from the audience like a pro. Besides the fact he is one super smart dude he is also an accomplished powerlifter putting up a 1915 lbs total for his squat, deadlift and bench. Unbelievable!Want more? How about the fact he was the strength and conditioning coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, has his doctorate in physical therapy and trained the special forces the United States Marines. Wow!Dr. Martin Gibala -In our industry there are a number of research papers that constantly get quoted by those of us who want to appear really smart and show what we know. Just kidding. But Dr. Gibala's research is commonly referenced when you are talking about high intensity exercise, EPOC and other exercise related topics. As well, it turns out Olympian Adam vanKoeverden thinks pretty highly of this guy as well. I still can't believe we're going to have him here.Joel Jamieson -Have you heard of this thing called...

Recently Alexandra and I drove down to Seattle with Jordy and Megan for a one day clinic put on by Perform Better. At this particular event we were lucky to catch the following four presenters: Rachel Cosgrove Charlie Weingroff Gray Cook Alwyn Cosgrove Mike Boyle was scheduled to present but I can imagine his new position with the Red Sox probably limits his time and availability to participate in these events. So Gray Cook filled in for him. Are you familiar with Gray Cook? If not it's like saying Crosby is not available for the shootout but Ovechkin can fill in for him. Kudos to Perform Better for providing a fill-in such as Gray. And lucky for all of us in attendance. But let's get to what they all talked about. 1. Rachel Cosgrove -  Designing Fat Loss Programs For Your Female Clients The big take aways from Rachel's presentation was the level of system development that exists at Results Fitness which she owns with her husband Alwyn. Better systems allows for better results. She went into detail showing the breakdown of what an hour session looks like at her gym and provided a number of examples of factors that are unique to training women. For example there should be consideration of prone exercises, jumping exercises, time of month (menstruation) and time of their life (menopause) when training women. 2. Charlie Weingroff  - Understanding Joint Centration If you've seen Charlie speak before you'll know what a treat it is to learn from him. And while he's great online and on podcasts etc he's such an energetic personality you really do need to see him in person. Click at the end of this sentence to see Charlie in Kelowna this summer www.strengthconference.comWhat is joint centration? Well I hope I'm doing Charlie justice by describing...

One of the things we really put an emphasis on at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. is education. I talked about this many times before and the number of different ways we look to further our education and involvement with students.Recently I announced that we would be hosting the Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference. This two day event will bring in some of the top practitioners and researchers in our industry. And I say practitioners and researchers because these are people working in the trenches working with clients on a day to day basis. Or they are performing novel cutting-egde research that allows the rest of us to have a better insight as to what methods work better or ellicit a result sooner.So we feel very fortunate to have these guys coming not only to our region but to our facility. While there may be a day or two in August where our regular coaching or programming is altered to account for this opportunity please know that you will benefit immensely from the enhanced knowledge our staff will gain.If you are a fitness professional, coach, trainer, physiotherapist, massage therapist, chiropractor, physician or anyone else that trains or rehabs clients, you should attend this event.The registration page www.strengthconference.com is now open. Besides two days of presentations and learning we are also hosting an evening social and including some of the meals for the attendees. Register before June 1 for the lowest possible rate.Besides this conference we are hosting we are also going to start something else that new for our area and of special benefit to our members.How many times have you heard one of our coaches make reference of a book, study, recipe or something else and wished you had a pen and paper to make note of the reference?Maybe you have a...

Local Olympian to Open Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Kelowna, BC – June 19, 2012) Local Olympic medallist Chris Le Bihan will open the Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference and provide the welcoming address. Le Bihan, who won bronze in four man bobsled at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, will speak as to the impact top-level training methods and scientific research allowed for his success at the Olympics.Notes conference co-host Chris Collins, of Okanagan Peak Performance Inc.; “Typically we associate Olympic legacies with the facilities which remain after the Games. In this case with Le Bihan, we have a real life legacy that interacts with our clients and athletes on a daily basis. He exemplifies what an Olympic athlete should be and is a great mentor for those seeking elite athletic performance.”Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. will be hosting this inaugural event bringing to Kelowna some of the top experts in athletic strength & conditioning. Following Le Bihan’s welcoming address attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn from the best in the field of strength & conditioning.Presenters will include: Dr. Charlie Weingroff – Noted physical therapist, former NBA      strength coach, Nike Sparq Training Human Movement Expert Dr. Martin Gibala – Professor McMaster University, emphasis in high      intensity interval training Dr. Jeff Cubos – Chiropractic sports specialist, certified strength      coach, specialization in core stabilization Joel Jamieson – MMA trainer, specialist in managing athletic      training stress & recovery Sean Skahan – Strength & conditioning coach with the Anaheim      Ducks, 2007 Stanley Cup, 9 players in the 2010 OlympicsAttendees will range from personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, therapists, medical professionals, sports coaches and sports enthusiasts. In addition to the presentations attendees will have opportunities to meet Le Bihan and the presenters during meal...

Over the next couple of weeks we're going to be setting a new standard for fitness education in the Okanagan.What do I mean by that?Well we are sending four of our team to California for a 3 day event in Long Beach that's one of the best in our industry. And this is unique because I doubt anyone else from the Okanagan will be there. But the fantastic foursome of Jordy, Megan, Jeremy and myself are going to getting our geek on to learn as much as possible.I'm so proud that our team is going to learn at this event because it demonstrates our commitment to life long learning. This business is so dynamic that we are quickly learning new things about the body and nutrition which changes the prescription we have for our clients. It is not simply change for the sake of change but a constant quest to seek better results in less time.And that's what this is all about. To get you the best results in the least amount of time by applying evidenced based solutions. We want to be your fitness advisors and seek out the absolute best resources and information for you.That's how I truly think about this. You are all my bosses. And I take investing in your health and fitness extremely seriously. Here's what I mean.Before the event I research all the possible combinations of presentations and lectures and select the topics most applicable to your goals. Once we have the selection of topics I then divide the topics amongst the staff so that we can attend as many presentations as possible. Because we take thorough notes we are then able to teach other what was discussed in the presentations we all weren't able to attend.We also make sure to sit through all the presentations. This...

So we've picked up a new toy for the clients of Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. Obviously it's not a toy but a tool. And we can use it for almost everything we need to do with a client. We can train for strength and power with it. We can move it all planes and angles. And we can track loads and watts to be able measure improvements. What is this new tool? It's a Keiser Functional Trainer. Here's a quick video to give you an idea of what it is. http://youtu.be/P3FAFx4E_x0So what makes this trainer so great? I mean, you've probably see cable columns at most commercial gyms before, right? Well the difference is the versatility of the device as well as the ability to train for power. You can use each cable column independently or in tandem. You can use it for lower body and upper body. You can move through any angle and plane and extend the cable out 12 feet. So you can throw on a belt and do resisted cone drils. But the maybe the best feature about the Keiser Functional Trainer is that you can train at a variety of speeds and loads. And you can quantify all of them. Why does this matter? Well imagine using a traditional cable column and performing an explosive movement such as an explosive row. The pin is positioned in the weight stack at a particular load to provide resistance. When a explosive movement is performed on a column of this type the stack crashes into the top of the column. Plus you have no way of knowing how much power you generated. Now not only you not have the problem of the weight stack not crashing into the column at the top but you'll also be able to quantify your power...

Summer time at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc means a number of things. It can mean the arrival of the hockey players we work with. It can mean the return of a summer intern. And it can mean school is in session. Not literally though as summer is the time students are off from school. But more in terms of the staff at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc going to school. This summer has been no different. Here's a quick recap of where we've been for learning. NSCA State Clinic - Spokane, WAHeading to Spokane for a conference is always fun as I 'm able to reconnect with some college buddies. If you're in the area go see Dan and his staff at the Laguna Cafe. Try the Irish Death beer. I hear it's good. In early June Jordy, Megan & I packed up and headed south to Spokane for the NSCA Washington State Clinic. We would have been four but one of the interns forgot his passport and had to stay home. Interns... A few years ago I had the opportunity to see Dr. Dale Canavan provide a review of the literature with respect to stretching. Knowing the quality of his own presentations I felt confident he would put on a great event this year. We weren't disappointed. Sessions included topics on dynamic warm-ups, sprint training and training the high school athlete. As this all took place at a training facility called U District it was nice to have access to some turf and room to move for the hands-on portion. U District is located in the Gonzaga University district and thus the name. Personally there were a couple of highlights of this clinic. First was Ryan Hite's presentation on speed training. He did a great job on defining the various energy systems...

Normally I write the majority of the blog posts. But every now and again I like to step back and let someone else take the lead. I encourage our staff to do this as much as possible. Write, that is.  In school I was never a very good writer and I'm sure there's a few of you that are thinking to yourselves 'you still aren't very good!' That's ok. I'm working on it. And I'm getting better. And this helps me to be a better communicator. And hopefully a better coach. So I want the same for our team. Today I step aside and let Jordy share with you her experience from the Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, CA. Now in my best Tonight Show impression....'heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Jordy! The Okanagan Peak Performance crew and I went to a 3-day “Perform Better: Functional Training Summit” that took place in Long Beach, California from August 9-11. This conference included both lecture and hands-on sessions allowing us to not only listen to the speakers, but also take their information in our own hands. There were four sessions on at one time; two lectures and two hands on. However, the only problem with this is choosing which session to attend.Do you go to the “one and only” Charlie Weingroff who was explaining “Joint Centration”, or do you go to Martin Rooney for some hands-on “Energy System Training”? After a few rounds of flipping a coin, I ended up attending the hands-on session with Martin Rooney and would crown this session as one of my favorites! I love any kind of hands-on sessions where you get to move and stay active while learning and applying it to your own clients. The best part of this session was the energy that Martine Rooney brought to the room! You...

Once you've been training for a while you experience what every lifter realizes at some point.The dreaded plateau.When you first start training you will make gains from week to week. If your deadlift starts at 135 lbs you will find that you will jump to 155 then 185 and 255 in no time.Obviously this doesn't carry on forever or we'd all be setting world records after only a year of training.So is there anything we can do to prolong our gains? Is there a way to off-set wear and tear injuries associated with training? And is there a way to feel 'up for training'?Yes, there is. And it involves unloading your training.What exactly is unloading? Well you can think of it as pre-planned reductions in training volume or intensity or load or all three. We've all heard the expression 'you grow when you rest'. Unloading gives you a brief respite, or rest, from training that allows you to come back stronger.So when should you unload? Does everyone need to unoad?Let's start with the second question first. Not everyone needs to unload. For example, if I go for one hour walks at a caual pace and if have been doing so for the past year I should be able to handle this physical demand fairly easily. The same goes for any other training or physical activity I've been at for a while and is not physically taxing.On the other hand once I've been training for at least six months with some level of intensity I'm probably due for a break. But if I'm just a newbie the intensity and tempo of my lifts isn't at a high enough level to justify easing up momentarily.But let's assume you are someone who has been training for a few years with regular frequency (3-4 days...

Everything we do with our clients has to serve a purpose.The foam roll drills and stretches need to facilitate increased mobility. The nutritional plans need to provide the essential nutrients, energy and hydration. And the training plans need to fit the needs, goals and abilities of the individual doing the work.So I'm always curious as to why people go to yoga?A quick google search lead me to healthyyoga.com with the Top 10 Benefits of Yoga. Their list includes:1. Stress Relief 2. Pain Relief 3. Better Breathing 4. Flexibility 5. Increased Strength 6. Weight Management 7. Improved Circulation 8. Cardiovascular Conditioning 9. Focus on the Present 10. Inner Peace***I'll look at 4,5 & 8 below. The rest are fairly subjective and therefore difficult to measure.***There is no doubt that a number of people practice yoga but I'm always curious as to their reasons? I look at everything that our clients do as being beneficial and purposeful.And yoga has me perplexed.Because I hear constantly of the purported benefits of yoga. And especially the benefits it lends to sports performance.In fact there is power yoga which sounds like it would be perfectly suited to athletes that are seeking more power and to move more quickly.But power is the definition of the amount of work done per unit time. And work is equal to a force applied over a distance. So you need to move a substantial force quickly over some distance to train for power. Holding bodyweight poses for extended periods of time hardly meets the criteria for power development.Case in point India has one, count it one, individual gold medal in the history of the Olympics. Ever. And by the way that gold medal came in air rifle. Hardly a sport requiring power. Well, a powerful gun maybe :)In a similar sense to the...

Recently I was asked to join a Program Advisory Committee for the Okanagan College Human Kinetics program by my friend Dr. Greg DuManoir. You may know Greg from Okanagan College as a professor. Or maybe you attended the Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference which Greg and I co-host. It could also be that you've crossed paths with Greg at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc where he trains. This is an exciting invitation as it allows us to provide feedback to the academic world as to what their graduates are doing really well at when they enter the job force. We are also able to give insights into skill sets that would benefit students once they begin their careers. And we are also able to share the trends that we are observing with respect to training in the post-rehabiliation, weight loss and athletic development fields. But that's not the real topic I'm going to cover in this post. Instead it has a nutritional theme which came to me during our first meeting yesterday. As with all meetings, our hosts at Okanagan College were gracious in offering us a variety of hot beverages as well as cold drinks in the form of juice boxes. It was at this point in the meeting that I leaned over to Greg and thanked him for the idea for my next blog article :) To be fair I know Greg wasn't the one who made the drink selection for the meeting and I'm just giving him a hard time. But it reminds me of a conference I attended in Seattle with Kayla last year. The lunch at this 'fitness' conference included cookies, potato chips and cans of pop. 'Now, hold on' you're probably thinking, 'there's no way juice boxes can be lumped in the same category as the...

When it comes to coaching everyone has a different style. Sure we pick things up from different coaches here and there. We'll steal a tip from this one. We'll adopt a practice from that one. But for the most part we have to figure what our style is and then develop it to the best of our ability. Learning to Lift Analogies For me one of the things I like to use when coaching is analogies. Big surprise right! Why analogies? Well because it allows the coach and client to find a common reference point regarding the concept being addressed. It gets away from the specific language and terms that both people may people may not be familiar. Analogies can also make the experience more fun. Because when someone steps on the training room floor they be very unaware of the technique required to perform a lift. Some may think they know what they're doing and then as a coach when you watch them lift you realize they don't. So you need to step in and coach them. Here's how I like to coach a lift. Analogies Save Time & Money First, of all don't let someone continue performing lots of reps the wrong way. This just ingrains a poor motor program which is then harder to fix later. For example, I wouldn't look over and say to myself 'wow, that guy (or girl) is using terrible form on their deadlifts! I should talk to them later.' That would be like watching someone drive past you in their car going the wrong way and you don't stop them. You let them continue on thinking they are making progress in the right direction but instead they are wasting time and money. Worse the path they are headed down may cause extensive damage...

Do you have a fitness goal that you've been working towards for a while?If it's a weight loss goal you've probably tried different approaches. You may have tried a new training program. Maybe you switched up your nutritional plan. Perhaps you tried a new supplement to boost your workouts or enhance the fat burning process.And if you're like most people you probably have only so many tweaks you can make to your lifestyle in an attempt to achieve your goal before you just throw in the towel and give up. I mean that's a common theme on the after-noon talk shows isn't it? The attitude that it's not your fault, that you're an amazing person just the way you are and all the other warm & fuzzy psycho babble that is used to justify falling short of your goal.Now don't get wrong here. I understand there are a number of factors that contribute to an individual's propensity to gain weight and subsequent ability to lose it as well. And unless we have a blood and hormone profile to work with it may be quite difficult for some to drop weight without knowing the information that can be collected from such tests.But maybe we're going about this the wrong way?Maybe instead of trying harder we need to relax our efforts a bit.What? How does this make sense? How can relaxing the nutritional and exercise efforts you are making be holding you back from having the lean and healthy physique you would like to have?Look at it this way.A new exercise and fitness routine can be thought of as juggling.Ask someone to reduce the calorie containing beverages they consume and they may be able to handle this. (more on this in a bit)Now ask them to take omega-3 every day, plan and pack...

At Okanagan Peak Performance we put the highest priority on education. But we don't want to just say we put a high value on education and not back it up. So we back it up and host one of the top educational events right here in Kelowna, BC. Below is a quick recap of the 2nd Annual Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference (OSCC). When the first year of the OSCC concluded one of the presenterscommented that Boston puts on a top level event but that this event is on par with and set to become the standard in strength & conditioning conferences. And so the expectations were already pretty high when we sought out to plan out the second installment of this event. With our first go round we had 41 registered attendees, plus guests, presenters and our team here at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. This year we set out 96 chairs and there was only standing room once things got started. So we know we had succeeded in terms of growing the event and now all that was left was the chance to sit back and learn from the experts we had flown in to share their knowledge and expertise with everyone. Here's who we brought in. Patrick Ward - The Power Capacity Continuum Patrick is a massage therapist and strength coach currently employed by Nike working with their top athletes. He is one of those really smart guys that teaches themselves things that the rest of us would struggle with even with a teacher or tutor. With his topic Patrick was speaking about how power can be important for the aerobic athlete such as a triathlete as well as a shot putter. In the middle are team sport athletes that will have to generate high levels of power a...

So team Okanagan Peak Performance Inc has just returned from Long Beach, CA where we attended the Perform Better conference. This is an incredible event with many of the top experts in our industry presenting over 3 days in sunny California. Here are our take-aways from who we got the chance to see. Dr. Stu McGill - Mechanisms and Training Techniques Used for Elite Performance and Painful Backs: Cause, Corrective Exercises and Progressions to Performance Dr. McGill is one of the leading spinal bio-mechanists in the world and it's really cool that he's from Canada. Often times if you have the chance to see a presenter that is a leader in the field of research they are great at giving lectures where they present their findings. But put them in a fitness setting however and ask them to lead a hands-on where they incorporate their theory into actual demonstrations and they become lost. This is not the case with Dr. McGill. His lectures are excellent and his hands-on presentations match this quality as well. A few of the key take-aways from his presentations include: * lots of split stance lunges or squats may not be appropriate for everyone* when the core fires there is a double action which he described as 'setting the stone' and 'bringing the hammer'* the best athletes in the world are great not because they can activate a muscle faster than the rest but because they can turn it down faster than everyone else* with this idea of activating muscles McGill used the analogy of a dimmer rather than a regular light switch to indicate muscles being more or less activated rather than on or off Dr. Greg Rose - Developing Power for Rotary Athletes If you watch the Golf Channel you may be familiar with Dr....

The number one goal of people that go to the gym is weight loss. And of this group I would guess that flat toned abs is the ultimate physical outcome of this goal.Now I realize I'm preaching to the choir when I say that a great mid-section is made in the kitchen and not in the gym. But even though many are aware of this they still want to know the newest, hardest and most specific core and abs exercises.Before I go any further it may help to watch a short video to see what I'm talking about.http://youtu.be/AFb9An66IxkAnd so you see all types of core exercises being done in the gym. One of the more popular ones is the roll-out. This can be performed with a variety of equipment including a stability ball or abs wheel but there are also versions using a barbell, a suspension trainer or even a slideboard.And while this is a commonly performed exercise it often performed incorrectly.I say that because the goal of the movement is to remain motionless through the mid-section in the presence of movement through the extremities.Let's assume you were performing a roll-out from the knees. You will pivot on your knees and the shoulder will flex as you roll the implement out and away from you. As you return to the starting position your shoulders will extend all while maintaining a neutral mid-section, specifically at the low back.Typically we see three things done incorrectly when performing the roll-out.Mistake #1 - Extended NeckAre you familiar with the term of a 'packed-neck'? If not don't worry about it. It resembles the chin closer to the chest rather than the head tilted up exposing the neck. When done correctly it may cause you to have a double chin.You have to admit that's kind of funny,...

If you asked people who work out what is one the most basic bodyweight exercises you can do, what do you think the answers would include? Probably movements like pull-ups, chin-ups, squats, lunges and of course push-ups. If you think about push-ups might be the most common answer as you don't need a bar to grab as for a chin-up or pull-up and lower body training is usually equated with going for a walk or a run. So push-ups could be considered the gold standard of bodyweight training. This makes sense when you think of all the versions that exist of this exercise. You can do regular, hand reset, feet elevated, scapular, shoulder touch, Spiderman, off-set and many more types of push-ups. But there is something that unites all the various types of push-ups. And I don't mean that they are all closed-chain horizontal pressing movements. No, unfortunately the common trait is that they are all  done incorrectly. What? How is that possible? Isn't a push-up simply placing your hands on the ground, setting the feet and then pushing the body away from the ground? Yes, it is but there are a number of other things going on which create problems and undermine many of the benefits that come with doing this exercise. So here are the 3 Most Common Mistakes Made When Doing Push-ups. Check out the video first if you're in a hurry or to get more out of the text. http://youtu.be/sdLsJd0w9bc Mistake #1 - Pecking the Ground Like a ChickenWhen you do a push-up the arms and should be the only parts of the body that are moving. And when the set starts to get a little tough you see the head start pecking the floor like a chicken. Rather than let the head start moving around like...

Do you like pumpkin? People are divided on this flavour. And it seems to depend what variety of pumpkin you are talking about.The same people who have no interest in pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving will make sure to stock up in the plug-in pumpkin flavoured air fresheners at this time of year.Regardless of whether you think pumpkin is appetizing or disgusting doesn't change the fact that there are many health benefits of eating it.Pumpkin is a great source of vitamins specifically A,C and E. As well you also get a good dose of copper, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.***just a quick aside for the Breaking Bad fans...have you found your knowledge of the elements has improved when the opening credits shows the symbols of the various elements...just me?***Pumpkin is also a good source of protein, iron and tryptophan. And to jump over to another show while we're at it, tryptophan is the amino acid Seinfeld has the episode where everyone falls asleep after the big turkey dinner. Might have more to do with all the fat and calories but a great episode anyways.Anyways if you're looking for another way to give pumpkin a chance try out the recipe below which I 'borrowed' from Eric Cressey's blog. And if you already like pumpkin, what are you waiting for. Give this recipe for pumpkin pancakes a try.You'll only need seven ingredients to pull together this tasty recipe: 2 Egg Whites 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 1 Large Banana 1 Scoop Low Carb Vanilla Protein Powder ¼ cup Almond Milk 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree 1 Teaspoon of CinnamonDirections:1. Put the ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth.2. Heat up a skillet or pan and spray with non-stick spray. Pour the batter onto skillet, and cook!This recipe makes 2-3 normal sized pancakes, so you...

Have you noticed more and more people getting sick the last little while? Or maybe you've been sick yourself. Either way I've got you covered. Below is a protocol from my friend Esther at Prescription Health Studio. You'll find here contact info at the bottom of this post. The reason this all came about was that Esther and I were supposed to have a meeting a couple of weeks ago and I had to cancel as I felt I was coming down with something. You know what I mean? You are more fatigued than usual. Your workouts feel harder than they normally do. And you feel the tickle in the back of your throat when you wake up in morning. A nasty chest infection is just around the corner. So anyways when I let Esther know how I was feeling she replied with the protocol to keep me healthy and ward off any pending illness. I wanted to share this with you. Here are her instructions for for staying healthy during the cold and flu season as well as when you feel you are coming down with something. I wanted to answer your request for more information about what I like to recommend to my patients and also the protocol I use to keep myself from getting sick during the season.To keep my immune system strong during the cold and flu season I like to take:1. Thymus Spray by Douglas Laboratories. 1 to 2 sprays twice daily This thymus liquid extract consists of several proteins and peptides known as thymic factors that are derived from thymus tissues. The thymus is necessary for the maturation and maintenance of the immune system and works by releasing thymic factors that regulate functions of other cells in the body. These peptides are important for the healthy maturation and activation...

Do you have a fitness person on your Christmas list? Below are a number of ideas that they will like to see under the tree on Christmas Day and be sure to put to use right away. The lists are grouped based on gear, nutrition, education and technology. Fitness Gift Idea #1 - GearThe most obvious place to start would be a gift certificate to whichever place carries the favourite brand of apparel or shoes. And don't get me wrong I'd never say no to a g/c for some new kicks or a training shirt but it kinds of lacks originality. Instead what about putting together a fitness travel pack for someone? This could be either for the travel itself or for training on the other end. For a travel pack think of things such as a shaker cup, a greens supplement, a neck pillow, a small collection of travel toiletries, some gum and a magazine or book on active things to do where the traveller will end up. As for ideas of what to get for fitness on the road think of things that are light-weight and pack easily. Bands, tubing, a jump rope, a Travel Roller, a lacrosse ball or a suspension trainer will all work. When you travel and need a gym you will seek one out and have access to everything else in terms of weights, dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells. However when no gym is available this is when the gear listed above can quickly provide an effective training session. Fitness Gift Idea #2 - NutritionWe all know how important nutrition is to achieving great results in the gym. And so a gift of nutrition would be an awesome way of telling someone how important they are to you at Christmas. With the previous gift we suggested a greens supplement to...

Have you ever heard something related to health and fitness that you just know to be true? I'm talking about the things every fitness professional and even a number of regular health nuts know as well. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself 'where did this information come from?' or 'how do I know this to be true?'. Because when we stop and think about it this way we can end up scratching our heads wondering how we did come to believe whatever it is that we believe. Consider for example the notion of the window for post-workout nutrition timing. This is the idea that to maximize your results in the gym you need to follow your training session with carbs and protein as soon after your last set as possible. Now before we get to the truth about post-workout nutrition let me tell you a story. This is one I'm stealing from nutritional expert Alan Aragon and it goes something like this. A family has a special recipe for pot roast. It is the family's special meal and all relatives and friends know about it and look forward to having it at gatherings. [caption id="attachment_3922" align="alignleft" width="222"] Sometimes info gets accepted because of tradition. Besides the specific cooking instructions there is one unique step involved in preparing this family's special meal. And that is that after all the seasoning and preparing but before cooking the pot roast you cut off one third. One family member asked her mom 'why do we cut off 1/3 of the roast?'. And the mother replied 'it's your grandmother's recipe so you'll have to ask her'. So the girl calls her grandmother and asks the same question. Her grandmother answers that many years ago when they started making pot roasts they didn't have a big...

It's hard to find a sport where having less speed would be an advantage. And in this case we would have to be talking about sports that are objectively measured i.e. faster,higher,stronger as opposed to subjectively measured with judging.I don't have to think back very far to a situation where I wish I was a little bit faster.This situation goes back to when Megan and I were in Las Vegas for a conference and had plans to go to a concert on one of the nights. Anyways the conference schedule was to have all the sessions completed by 6 pm with the concert set for 730 pm.It looked as though everything was going to align perfectly for us and then the presentations went over time and the conference was behind schedule. This meant that we would now miss the last presentation of the day.But guess what?The last presentation was by a friend of mine. And were sitting up near the front row.I was waiting for the previous speaker to finish up so we could sneak out during the break and not create a distraction during my friend's presentation.Of course the conference host takes the stage and announces there won't be a break and they will go straight in to the next session. So I lean over and tell Megan 'we have to leave now'.So we pack up our stuff, trying to quickly and quietly exit from the room as the next presentation is starting.Now this where more speed would have helped me.I had been sitting for 9 hours and so I would be tight and slow moving. If I had the time what would be the best way to to sprint the 20 or so meters to the back of the room and out?Should I do some aerobic exercise?What about a...

So how do you roll? I don't mean this in terms of your style but more as to how you move.  [caption id="attachment_3979" align="alignleft" width="300"] This is not how we roll   For most of the adult population the day consists of sitting on the commute to work, sitting at a desk, sitting on the drive home, sitting to eat dinner followed by sitting down to watch the latest episode of Suits. [caption id="attachment_3980" align="alignleft" width="238"] You might want to sit down for this one While the obvious pattern above is too much sitting we make this worse by not only not moving enough but moving in only the sagittal plane (think forward and back). We are ignoring movements in the frontal and transverse plane. Recently we have seen in increase in multi-planar movements and function from people like Dewey Nielsen, the folks at Primal Move and any else that trains with varied movement and challenge. So why the interest in rolling and 3D movement? Well part of this traces back to how we learned to move as infants. We learned head control, then as we explored with our heads to get to whatever it was that caught our attention we would bring our opposite arm or leg over to flip over. And while we learned this rolling pattern as infants it has been lost as we become more sedentary, become injured and age. However as we address our ability to roll we can see improvements in our ability to perform in rotational sports such as hockey, tennis, golf as well day to day movements such as squats and hip hinges. Check out the video below to see Charlie Weingroff, who spoke at the 1st Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference, talking about rolling. http://youtu.be/gmQuG2mnkWwHere are a few takeaways from the video and...

Whenever we add a new member to our team we use a fairly standard evaluation process. And this includes asking what they think is the most important element lending to the success of the client.And their answers vary from:'Nutrition is the most important. You can't out-train a poor diet. And society in general is eating poorer quality food and more of it.'Can't argue with that.Others will say:'Getting enough varied and intense exercise is the key. With some many modern conveniences we can work, shop and be entertained without getting off the couch. Plus fewer schools, in the US, offer physical education and kids are more into social media and gaming.'Good points for sure.Really confident young coaches will say:'The coaching is the most important. Showing people the proper and safe way to train allows them to lift more intensely than otherwise. Plus they the individual is accountable to another person ensuring better compliance to the process.'Ok, yeah that makes sense.And still others will argue that:'The program is the most important. As long as you have a solid plan for what is supposed to be done, how much and when, anyone can implement the instructions and get the same results.'I wouldn't disagree with that one either.But guess what? They'd all be wrong. Because the first and most important consideration for achieving a rehab, weight loss or performance goal is mindset.If you believe you will fail, you already have. If you don't trust in the process you are just going through the motions. And if you don't believe that you can achieve great results you won't.When I look back after all the years of working in the fitness and performance industry there is one common feature of those who achieved the best results. And that was their positive mindset. It was the belief that they could do...

Reading is probably one of my favourite ways to relax. While I don't mind catching up some shows on Netflix or watching a movie there isn't the same kind of relaxation involved with reading.It might have something to do with the fact that movies involve more external stimuli and reading is more internal. I don't know? All I know is that it's pretty darn relaxing to have an interesting book to lose yourself in forDitch an hour or so.With that in mind here are some of the books I'm currently reading and some of my favourites as well. Feel free to add your faves to the comments section below.Non-fictionInfidel: My Life by Ayaan Hirsi AliThis is an incredible true story that my wife and I both really enjoyed. It's told from the perspective of the author who escapes her Muslim upbringing in Africa and flees for her life to Europe. Against her families wishes and ditching her arranged marriage there is a bounty place on her capture and return. She later becomes a member of Parliament in the Netherlands and advocates for helping others suffering as she once did back in Africa.The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir RawiczThis book came out as a movie a few years but really didn't do it justice. But that's no surprise. Movies can never measure to an incredible book. Recently as well, there have been claims that the story was fabricated or exaggerated. This doesn't change it for me. I still found it a great story about over-coming adversity, the will to live and realizing how good we have things.Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura HillenbrandAre you seeing a pattern here? Yeah, I like stories of survival and Unbroken is one...

Speed is one those things every athlete wants more of. It may be described as quickness or having a faster first step but ultimately it comes to having more horsepower. But how we go about developing speed is a good question. Ask five different coaches what they do for speed training and you may get five different answers. Recently there was an article published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research by Hancock et al which looked at how post activation potentiation (or PAP) affects swim performance. This research team took 30 collegiate swimmers and had them do a standard warm-up followed by a 6 minute rest. After the rest the swimmers performed a 100 m time trial with splits at the 50 m mark plus blood lactacte was sampled. One grip did 4x10 m maximal swims on the minute against the resistance of a power rack before taking the 6 minute break. These four swims lasted an average of seven seconds and the resistance for each swimmer was set based on their mass and 100 m swim time so as to equivalent for everyone. What they found was that performing the four maximal sprints resulted in a swim times that were 0.54 seconds faster than the group that didn't perform them. Think 0.54 s doesn't matter in the 100 m freestyle in swimming? It would if you were #11 and you were the only to perform this kind of warm-up. In theory it could shave 0.54 seconds off his time and take him from 48.67 to 48.13 and the gold medal.RankHeatLaneNameNationalityTimeNotes165Nathan Adrian United States48.19Q261Gideon Louw South Africa48.29Q382Sebastiaan Verschuren Netherlands48.37Q484James Magnussen Australia48.38Q585Brent Hayden Canada48.51Q667Brett Fraser Cayman Islands48.54Q678Pieter Timmers Belgium48.54Q, NR863Nikita Lobintsev Russia48.60Q987Cullen Jones United States48.61Q1077Konrad Czerniak Poland48.63Q1164César Cielo Brazil48.67Q1274James Roberts Australia48.93QI point this out to show that a half second...

Do you, or someone you know, play hockey? If so, have you ever wondered what characteristics the top players share? If you put a number of hockey players through a battery of tests which ones would the top hockey players excel at?This would be important information to have if you were a hockey player. You could see what the top players all do well. Next you could get an assessment done to see how you rank in these areas. Finally you could have a top level strength coach design and coach you through an effective program to develop these abilities as well.A recent study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research compared three groups of hockey players with respect to the their anthropometric measures, dryland and on-ice testing. 45 players at either the  D1, D3 or junior elite level of hockey participated in the study.These players were assessed on-ice for their top end speed as well as a repeat shift test. Off-ice looked at their vertical jump, Wingate test, grip strength and skate treadmill VO2max.Here's what they found.First of all, D1 players typically had lower levels of bodyfat than D3 players. So if you are a young player that has had success in the past but has poor nutritional know that this will catch up with you. You cannot get the majority of your calories through a window and maintain a lean body mass.Secondly they found there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the aerobic capacity of the players. Whether the player was at the D1, D3 or elite level of junior did not make much of a difference on their VO2max.However what they did find was that D1 and elite junior players had better anaerobic fitness, vertical jump, Wingate performance, grip strength, top speed and repeat...

I’ve misplaced my motivation somewhere between the soft pillows and biweekly Timmies runs.You gasp and sit up. The alarm on your phone is blaring its obnoxious wake up call, urging you to move your butt out of bed, from beneath the warm, comfortable, soft.....zzzzz.... ARGH, HUH, WHAT???! For a moment, you can’t remember why on earth your eyes are open, or what day it is. Then you remember. It’s Monday. You’re getting up to exercise. You’re supposed to be leaving your haven of blissful dreaming to get changed, go out in the cool air and run/bike/drive to the gym. You think about the cold side of the pillow (colder than your ex’s heart), lay your head down, and promise yourself you’re just going to close your eyes for a moment. Just close them to wake them up. You’re startled awake by your alarm. For work (or school, or a coffee date, or some other appointment). Not exercise, because you fell asleep. Again. Ah well, looking on the bright side, there’s always tomorrow to start. Yeah, tomorrow, it’ll be different. Is this you? Is this a struggle you’ve battled and lost multiple times? (Insert infomercial background music here).No, sadly, life and exercise cannot be solved by an infomercial. Chris wrote an excellent article (read here) on motivation, pain, athletes, and finding what matters to you and using this as your driving force to live stronger, fitter and as an absolute goal crusher. This is a follow up post. On that note, most of us, in regard to exercise, fall into one of these categories: You’ve battled the motivation and rocked it. You have this exercise thing figured out, and have no trouble getting out to run/bike/gym/team practice/gallop your horse into the sunrise. You have yourself convinced you love exercise, but whenever you...

Six-pack. Washboard abs. Strong core.These are all terms that are often used when training the abdominals. And it is often one of the first places people look to address when they start on a fitness training program!But there's another term that has to do with abdominal training that gets talked about less frequently, yet affects quite a number of people.What is this, you may ask? A condition known as diastasis recti abdominis (DRA)!Did you know that about 66% of mommas have had DRA (1)? Personally, diastasis recti was mentioned to me by my wonderful mother as something to watch out for during pregnancy.  But I figured it would just resolve itself after the pregnancy, and my body would be back to where it was. As a physiotherapist, my mom used to give prenatal classes, so I had genetic connections! However, most women have never had anyone educate them on DRA. Add to that the fact that the topic of rehab, or diastasis recti recovery, or any of the other common post-pregnancy issues are all things rarely ever mentioned.SO WHAT IS DIASTASIS RECTI?[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329"] Notice the line running vertical between the left and right abs? That's the linea alba.DRA, quite simply, has to do with the abs. And it doesn't matter whether you have a six pack (like Ryan up above) or are closer to a full keg, we all have the same muscles. Only the level of leanness and strength varies amongst all of us.So, dear mom, although not everyone's abs look like Ryan's, we all do have them! But let's focus, he's purely here for educational purposes. Those ab muscles are actually called your Rectus Abdominis, and are the outermost layer of your core. So, although you could probbaly see Ryan's his six pack (this is the rectus abdominis) through a down...

 I don't know about you, but when a woman is pregnant, EVERYONE seems to be worried about her nutrition. Don't drink alcohol, drink lots of water, eat healthy, supplement, sleep, don't stress...Yes, these are all extremely valid advice bits to make sure you're providing the best of the best for the little human you're working so hard to grow. And we need to be careful, because fetuses are nature's most incredible parasites. They will draw all of the nutrients from your body, before they go without what they need. Which is why we need to be so careful in taking care of our own nutrition! On that note, the following list is not about me telling you what you need to be doing and not doing, but about helping you find the best balance for you, in a real life setting! Here are 8 tips that I found incredibly important to keep up my own sanity, when it came to nutrition:1. To care for your bundle of joy, take care of you first.We are often so incredible careful about our bodies when we're growing our little ones (multi-vitamins, balanced meals, cut down/stopping smoking/alcohol, exercise etc. ), but as soon as they are welcomed into the world, we go back to our known habits! As a new mom (or second or third or fourth time mom), you total sleep and quality is down, you're taking care of everyone and fulfilling their needs, and often not eating enough, or very healthy!  You may feel fried. I know I sure as heck did. The best way to care for your family, and accomplish everything you need to, is to care for you first. And when you exercise sufficiently, you'll have more energy, feel better about yourself, and grow stronger as your little one grows bigger! So make sure...

Have you heard this quote before: "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" - Derek Bok - President Harvard University And so my question to you is what areas of your life do you rely on an expert? For example, I use an accountant and lawyer for a reason. Not only did I not go to school for these disciplines but I also don't have the time to stay current with changes in these fields. So even if I had studied accounting or law in university, what I learned at the time may not apply anymore. Governments pass new laws and judges write new decisions that effect future legal outcomes. So it is essential I enlist the best to help me in areas of my life and business where I'm not an expert. What about you? What are the areas of your life where you're not an expert? More specific to this blog, what is your knowledge in the areas of anatomy, physiology, nutrition and supplements? What about when you get injured, do you know what do or what to avoid doing? With the internet and explosion of social media we're seeing more and more people look online for a health, fitness or performance solution. Compound this with COVID and the web can the first place many people start to do their research towards having a better body, improving their health or sports performance. But is this wise? Should we trust online websites and blogs? (other than this one of course!) A recent study from the University of Alberta looked at this question. Who are the authors of these blogs? What are their credentials? And what information are they putting out there? The researchers checked out 194 of the top fitness blogs online (fortunately we are well below this ranking...

When I think of longevity a couple of movies come to mind. Cocoon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button cover this theme in different ways. Or a quick history lesson takes us back to Ponce de Leon and the search for the fountain of youth. Researchers at USC may have found the protein that confers anti-aging benefits. The protein is MOTS-c and is a mitochondrial protein. Mitochonria can thought of as the powerhouse of the cell and are responsible much of our cellular energy. MOTS-c acts by heping promote metabolism amd maintaining homeostasis. Previous research into MOTS-c has shown that it helps increase insulin sensitivty and reverse obesity in mice. In human when we exercise we see the level of MOTS-c is elevated almost 12x and remains elevated for up to four hours post-exercise. What the research team at USC did was inject MOTS-c into mice of various ages and then measure their speed and agility, among other things. For mice, young is considered 2 months old, 12 months is middle age and old is 22 months. The researchers injected the mice three times per week and had them perform a running test. The mice would warm-up for 5 minutes at 13 metres per minute. After five minutes the speed was increased one metre per minute for five minutes to reach 18 metres per minute. The mice then ran for up to 30 minutes at a top speed of 23 metres per minute. What they found is the older mice i.e. 22 months old, were able to keep up and outrun the young and middle aged mice. As well, the older mice were more sure-footed compared to the younger mice. This is encouraging and it appears MOTS-c may play a role in healthy aging. It helped with the metabolic fitness...

Growing up we always associated smoking with cancer. We'd have the school assemblies to prevent us from lighting up. The packages of cigarettes had images of disgusting gum and tooth disease caused by smoking. And we all knew a relative or loved one that was a smoker and passed away from cancer. That could all change. Obesity could overtake smoking as the main cancer risk by 2040 in women and soon after in men. And with the pandemic this isn't getting any better. Since this time last year most people have put on a few pounds, are less active and eating more junk food. And when the food delivery services show up in our neighbourhood it's usually bringing fast food. Combine this with more people quitting smoking and it's easy to see how obesity will overtake smoking as a greater risk for cancer. So what's the big deal with obesity? Well fat isn't inert tissue that gets added to the body and has no effects. It doesn't just sit there quietly but is active. It sends signals to other tissues and organs that affect growth, metabolism and reproductive processes. When we are obese we are vulnerable to tissue damage and developing tumours. And there are least 12 types of cancer linked to carrying excess weight. Regular exercise is important for cancer prevention specifically breast and colon cancer. A recent study in the UK involved exercising mice three times per week for 30 minutes. These mice showed lower levels of inflammation, which can lead to the development of tumours. As well, the mice that exercised improved their metabolism, had less fat in their livers and moved more quickly. In the UK there are 135,000 new cancers per year (about 4 in 10) deemed to be preventable. Exercise can be a great way...