What’s one thing that’s different as you move up to the next level of sport? I’m talking about a quality that changes and gets higher or better regardless of the sport in mind. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about hockey, soccer, swimming or football, improving in this one area makes you more competitive in your sport. It gives you a better chance of winning or getting on the podium. What do you think that one thing is? Some people might guess size. And if your background is in collision sports, such as football or rugby, additional size or mass may be helpful. But that’s not what the answer. Others might guess technique or tactics. For example, if you’re a baseball player maybe learning how to throw a particular pitch really well allows you to advance and succeed in higher levels of baseball. But that’s not it either. The one thing that will always help you in higher levels of sport is speed. Think about that for a second. Are there any sports where additional speed is a detriment? Or are there any sports where speed isn’t important? I can’t think of any examples so let me know if you can. Another thing that proves this point is after working with thousands of athletes over the past twenty years I have seen many advance through amateur to semi and finally to full professional and elite. And when you ask them about the difference of finally making it pro they all say it’s the speed of the game. They didn’t learn any new moves or plays. College football players aren’t undersized compared to NFL players. It’s that all of the players can move at a minimum threshold of speed and the game itself is played at a faster pace. So when an athlete is...

I believe the goal of a great business should be to focus on what it does well, deliver an excellent experience in that area and then find other great businesses to do the rest. For example, when we host the conference we supply lunch for all the attendees and presenters. We know how to make lunches. And we could source all the ingredients required to do so. But it wouldn't be a wise use of our time or resources to make lunches for everyone.So we contract out the types of things that aren't in our wheelhouse and look to form long term relationships with these businesses.Lately we were approached by large business, and by large I mean a multi-national corporation, about partnering up on something.Initially I was hesitant. I would have never considered this company to share our core values and to be a possible partner. But you never know where opportunity will come from. And at minimum you'd like to think you can sit down and have a conversation with anyone. You want to be able to hear them out and find out exactly what it is they are proposing.So I took a meeting with them. And it started off well. They were very polite. They anticipated my concerns and had answers and contingencies in place for all possible scenarios. I challenged them on a number of points and they heard me out. They let me speak my bit. And they truly listened. What they couldn't answer at the time they said they would go back, find the answer and get back to me.I was impressed. And I left the meeting feeling a sense of optimism. And we scheduled a next meeting. And this one went well also. Finally there was a chance to connect with the senior brass for Western...

Last week I was down to San Diego for a conference. And I was able to grab with some time with Steve Weatherford, one of the presenters, for a quick interview. Steve won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants and was named the fittest player in the NFL. Having recently retired last month from the NFL, Steve and his family are relocating to Southern California. He is getting into the fitness space as well as continuing on work for his charity, the Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation.[caption id="attachment_5066" align="aligncenter" width="300"] With the Fittest Man in the NFL Steve Weatherford.Below are some of the questions I had for Steve as well as his answers.Chris: I'm in the fitness industry and know the value of coaching. I remember reading somewhere that after parents, coaches will have the most impact on someone's life. You've played for some amazing coaches in your lifetime including Sean Payton (Saints), Rex Ryan (Jets) and Tom Coughlin (Giants). Who stood out for you? Who was your best coach?Steve: Ernie Hisle. He was my basketball coach back when I was going to school in Indiana. He was an old-school coach and very hardworking. He would be hard on me but was encouraging.Chris: That's interesting that of all the top Division football coaches at the University of Illinois as well as all the Super Bowl winning coaches in the NFL, Steve remembers his high school basketball coach as being the best. (HINT...maybe talent doesn't mean as much as we think?)You made the point really clearly during your presentation that you are incredibly driven. Your perspective in life is that you will either 1. win or achieve or 2. learn. And you've also said no one will outwork you.So I'm curious, where did this drive come from? Was it instilled by an...

Have you ever been around an expert of some type and wondered what their opinion was on something? For example, maybe you meet a financial analyst and you want to know what they consider to be a strong investment to make? Or you go for dinner with a dietician and you pay extra close attention to what they order (yes I did this with Dr. Kleiner in Seattle). And as fitness professionals we get asked our opinions on a variety of topics from what to eat, to what is the best exercise and our thoughts on whatever the popular cleanse is at the time. So I thought I would do up a list of our Best Nutritional Advice. Some of the list are things we've come up with other they years. Other things may be things we've heard or read. Either way it's solid advice. It's advice that I and the other Okanagan Peak Performance Inc coaches live by. The Best Cardio - [caption id="attachment_5057" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cross country skiing is excellent cardiovascular but might not work without instruction, equipment, snow, access... For some reason I want to credit this one to Mike Boyle. And his answer to what is the best cardio is the one that you're most likely to do. And that includes the know-how and the opportunity. Cross country skiing is an excellent cardiovascular sport but if you don't own some ski and don't know how to do it you're probably getting a whole lot of benefit out of it. So rather than spend a ton of time debating whether you should be on the treadmill, elliptical, rower or bike, figure out which one you're most likely to do. And that will be the best one for you. The Best Supplement - When the conversation of supplements comes...

This is the first installment of a series of articles that we are going to call “exercises from around the world”.  It’s no secret that we here at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc love to travel, so it only made sense that we share and teach you some exercises from around the globe in order you make you a bit more worldly, cultured and hopefully more fit.  If nothing else it will serve as a reason to write off a trip or two as a business expense!!!We are going to start this worldwide tour in Turkey, where Asia meets Europe. This beautiful country has 3 of the wonders of the world along with one of the weirdest yet tastiest candy bars on the planet. You Either Love 'Em or You Hate 'Em While I am personally not a big fan of Big Turk, I'm more of Wunderbar kind of guy, I am a really big fan of the Turkish Get Up. I am such a big fan of it that it raises my blood temperature, not only when I am doing this great exercise but more so when I see it being performed incorrectly and thanks to the internet I've seen a lot of non-Turkish Get Up's.This is a very complicated exercise and as such deserves a lot of time and attention to learn it properly so that you can reap the many rewards that this exercise offers while avoiding an injury and ridicule from performing it the wrong way.The best way we have found to teach this exercise is from the top down so we will first teach you the Turkish Get Down.The benefit of teaching it this way is that we have gravity working with us and we have come up with a series of cues that will help you execute...

Hey! How’s it going? Its Chris here and I’ve got an amazing success story to share with you. This post is about Barry Chretien’s fitness journey so far. You know Barry, right? Barry works out at OPP in the mornings 4 or 5 times a week and swims laps 3 times a week at the Parkinson Rec Center. He also runs a marketing agency and does volunteer work feeding the homeless as well, so this makes his results even more impressive. Now before I get to telling everything Barry has achieved in the last 9 months I should back up and give you a little background. You see Barry was someone who had a hard time working out consistently, which was not only a physical challenge but a mental one too.  [caption id="attachment_5045" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Barry before starting with Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. [caption id="attachment_5046" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Barry at the start of his journey with OPP.  Maybe you can relate to Barry in sharing these same challenges such as feeling intimidated when he first started at OPP, having chronic pain in both knees due to severe osteoarthritis or something else standing in the way of optimal health. But even though Barry had these challenges before him, he set the goal of getting into the best shape of his life and decided to start working out at OPP in April of 2016. So far he has: Dropped 90 lbs Gained muscle mass Addressed movement compensation so he is moving better than he has in years Reduced and eliminated pain to the point where most days are pain-free Started mountain biking and hiking again Set a goal to complete Mudd Sweat & Tears and to snowboard next season[caption id="attachment_5047" align="aligncenter" width="220"] Barry after 9 months of training at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc and...

Are you a runner? It's kind of one of those questions that generates a pretty clear answer. For example, for runners this is what they do for exercise. It doesn't matter what the weather is. it doesn't matter if they have their training partner with them. And it doesn't matter if they are away from home. Runners will always time time and an opportunity to run. So regardless of whether somebody is a runner or not you have to appreciate the mindset runners bring to their sport. But there are a number of other benefits to include running in your training. Here are the Top 12 Reasons to Run. #1 - You can do it anywhereHow many times have been away from home and not worked out. Maybe the hotel gym was non existent. Or you're a cyclist and you didn't bring your bike on the trip. Or for whatever reason there wasn't an opportunity to train and stay active. It's pretty hard to use the same argument with running. Wherever you are in the world there is space to run. Maybe this is outdoors. Or it might be an indoor track or stairs in your hotel. Regardless it's relatively easy to find an opportunity to run. And running shoes are about the easiest thing to pack. Even if you  forget to pack some shoes you can pick up new ones on vacation and still get in a run. #2 - Return on investmentWhen we train it should be purposeful and enjoyable. In terms of having a purpose, the #1 goal of people who go to the gym is weight loss or more specifically, fat loss. Running can burn anywhere from 400-600 calories in an hour depending on the intensity. Not only are you improving your cardiovascular fitness but you are getting leaner in the...

This time of year used to be really bad for me. And I don't mean in the sense of not getting in my training sessions or not following my meal plan.  Instead I mean bad that I had left all of my holiday shopping until the last minute. And not only did I have no clue what to get everyone on my list it seemed like the malls and stores were the busiest they had ever been. I'm sure there are a number of guys that are reading along right nodding their heads in agreement. You could see the anguished looks on our faces as we made laps around the mall getting no closer finding those last minute gifts. Well I'm here to help you. Thanks to the following list, and maybe amazon.com, you can knock off your shopping list in short order. Below are a number of Last Minute Christmas Fitness Gifts. While these don't necessarily have to be for someone that is already uber-fit I might hold off on giving them to the new girlfriend. Your choice though. NutritionProtein Pancakes - Who doesn't like pancakes? And a quick way to make something good, better, is to punch up the protein. A favourite at our home is Kodiak Cakes made with coconut oil and then topped with jam or syrup. Shaker Cups - We all know the importance of a post-workout shake. Especially if your goal is performance related. When you consider the loss of matching lids and the ones destroyed by milk from not being washed out soon enough afterwards, there is always a need for a new shaker cup. If you're stuck to find one stop by Okanagan Peak Performance Inc and we'll give you one. Supplement - While this shouldn't be the foundation of a healthy nutritional...

The body is a pretty amazing machine. And the more I learn about it and figure out what it can do the more amazed I am. One of the more interesting things, imo, is that we have built-in governers. You know what I mean by a governer, right? If you've ever driven a golf cart down a hill you're familiar how the speed is controlled when you descend a hill. This is in place for safety and to prevent tipping or crashing the cart. So what kind of governers does your body have? Well in our hands and specifically the finger tips we have more nerve endings than any other part of the body except for the mouth and lips. If we drew a self portrait emphasizing the areas with higher concentrations of nerve endings it might look something like this. [caption id="attachment_5008" align="aligncenter" width="279"] We learn a lot about our environment through our hands and mouth. Think about a newborn baby and how they learn about this new world. If they can grab something they will. And once they've gotten ahold of it it's going in their mouth. And while this can be a good way to learn and explore it can also be our early warning system if something is potentially dangerous to us. If we touch a hot element we flex in order to retract and pull away. And when we taste something awful we usually will spit it out. So how does this relate to training? Well imagine doing deadlifts. If someone were to injure themselves it would most likely be a back injury. Now if the load on the bar was more than our nervous system felt it could handle it would want some kind of an out. Because when you think about it grip strength is indicative...

What is the hardest part of being healthy? Is it the training? The dedication to eating healthy foods? Is it getting enough quality sleep every night? Depending on what your weakest link is will in part determine what is the hardest for you. If you struggle with cravings maybe healthy eating will be your biggest challenge. If you have injuries and joint pain maybe finding pain-free exercise is the hardest part for you. And with shift work it could be that getting into a fitness routine when you are up at night and sleeping during the day might be the toughest part. Regardless of what is the hardest part for you there is one thing that is common to everyone. And that is simply getting started. [caption id="attachment_5002" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Inertia can make getting started the hardest. Overcoming the inertia to go from doing nothing to doing something is harder than Turkish get ups, sled pushes and burpies. It's harder than eating a kale salad with no dressing. And it's harder than drinking plain branch chain amino acids. (which taste pretty awful btw) In other words going from zero to one can be the hardest thing. Think about it. Once you've done something once you have that experience to draw upon. You know what to expect. You know how hard it will be. And you know that you've survived it in the past and can do it again. And that makes going from one to two much easier than zero to one. [caption id="attachment_5003" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The longer we put off some action, the harder it can be to take action. If you're a procrastinator you know how true this is. You can find any reason or excuse to get out of doing whatever you're supposed to do. And putting it off to the...

If you're a fan of sports than that usually means you're a fan of speed. Speed is usually what's featured on the 'play of the day' for the sports broadcast. And the higher the level of sport you achieve the faster the game becomes.Now of course there are exceptions to this rule. Gretzky would be one for sure. He definitely wasn't the fastest guy in the league. Or his team. Heck, he probably wasn't even the fastest on his line. But for what he lacked in speed he made up with great vision, a competitive spirit and a sense of where to be on the ice.[caption id="attachment_4995" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Great One was not the fastest one.But back to the discussion of speed usually new coaches learn there are a couple of ways to make an athlete faster. You can:A. increase stride rate or how quickly you can turn the limbs overB. increase stride length or how much horizontal distance can be covered with each strideWhen a coach considers these two options for increasing speed they will sometimes seek out drills and exercises to improve in these two areas. To improve stride rate there is an emphasis on being able to produce force at a higher rate. Think of things like jumps, hops, bounds, med ball throws and Olympic lifts and you'll get the idea. These exercises usually involve extension at the ankle-knee-hip with an explosive effort.To improve stride length sometimes this is approached as either a strength or mobility issue. Or both. If an athlete lacks strength they wouldn't be able to propel themselves effectively from one position on the ground to another. Or maybe they have adequate strength but lack mobility at the hip preventing optimal range of motion through the gait cycle.Attacking speed improvement from either of these...

There are certain things in life that are good for us. For example, as the winter approaches we know the importance of vitamin D and getting exposure to sunlight. Unfortunately, flying to a beach vacation and spending the whole day in the sun may result in sun stroke and sun burn. Another example is drinking water, especially during prolonged, strenuous exercise. Some people are so on top of staying hydrated that they can dilute the salt concentration of their cells to such an extend they hinder performance. Basically the take home message is that too much of good thing can render that good thing, bad. Such is the case with a couple of exercises commonly performed in training programs. The first is the suitcase carry. [caption id="attachment_4985" align="aligncenter" width="245"] If luggage didn't have wheels this is what we'd be doing in airports. This exercise is great because it helps develop grip strength and it allows you to train each side independently.  Targeted muscles include the lats, the quadratus lumborum and medial glutes. To perform effectively you want to select a heavy enough load to reap all the benefits. In terms of your technique we want to walk as straight of a line as possible. Follow the seam on the floor in your gym or imagine walking a tight-rope. The straighter the line you walk, the better. Secondly, you want to walk tall. Look off in the horizon with chest tall and head neutral. Imagine the military 'at attention' look and you've got it. Lastly, and this part is most often messed up, don't collapse sideways under the load in one hand. Both shoulders and hips should be level throughout and the hand shouldn't be collapsed into the side of the body. You don't have to be doing a lateral raise while walking...

Have you ever noticed how the people who have the best physiques tend to share certain traits? For example, they are dedicated to their training. They make sure to capture every training session with a dozen or so selfies and an overuse of hashtags. And they are also meticulous with their meal planning.You know what I mean?You see the pictures on their social media of their Tupperware for the week all neatly arranged and labelled. They make sure to snap a pic of every low-carb, low-sugar treat they have for a cheat meal. And they show us what their groceries look like after coming home from the grocery store.Now as easy as it is to poke fun at these dedicated health nuts, they do get great results. And maybe we can steal a page from their meal prep to reap some of the benefits for ourselves.Below is a step-by-step process for your weekly meal prep.Step 1 - Pick Your ProteinAlmost all of the clients we work with would benefit from an additional dose of protein. For almost every goal, whether it be the endurance athlete, the individual with a physique goal or the bodybuilder, additional protein may not only help it may be essential to achieving the best results.When we think of protein we can look at seafood (shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, crab, lobster), fish (salmon, halibut, bass, snapper, tuna), meat (look for grass-fed rather than grain-fed options including beef, pork, wild game) chicken ,turkey, eggs and dairy. Opt for grass-fed rather than grain-fed dairy options.  Products here include milk, cottage cheese, yogurt and cheeses.  A couple of comments related to yogurt are that Greek yogurt is one of the healthier options and secondly you should avoid the ‘fruit on the bottom’ styles of yogurt.***Quick aside***There are a number of healthy vegetarian and vegan options...

Drop Up to 2 Jean Sizes In Only 8 Weeks! Rock Your Jeans (RYJ) is an 8 week fitness training where participants can lose up to 2 jean sizes. Participants receive 8 weeks of unlimited fitness coaching, nutritional coaching, facility access, weekly accountability meetings, some gear, prizes for the best results and a wind-up dinner at the end. This program only runs twice a year and space is limited. Sign up today and join us for a Nutritional Seminar on Thursday October 6. To register stop in to Okanagan Peak Performance Inc at 1511 Sutherland Avenue or call (250) 212-2972.  

What are you scared of? For me it's snakes. I have a real fear of snakes. I don't know where this came from but I don't like them. Even seeing them on TV or in a movie gets my heart racing and freaks me out. But besides snakes there are other things that make me uncomfortable. I'm not a huge fan of cold water. I don't like to do things where I don't feel 100% prepared or ready. And I don't like not knowing. So I guess I should move somewhere with warm water, no snakes and we the answers to all our questions. Kind of sounds like heaven doesn't it? haha Seriously though we all have certain things that make us feel uncomfortable. Maybe it's crowds. For many it could be public speaking. I know some people that don't particularly enjoy air travel, particularly if it's over water. And we can look at each other's fear, anxieties and things weren't not comfortable with and smile. We might tease them a little bit about having a fear of spiders or swimming in deep water. We might think their phobias are childish because they aren't our own. So how does having overcoming our fears, phobias or things that make us uncomfortable help us with our health and fitness? Well below are 9 Reasons Why You Should Get Out of Your Comfort Zone. You learn about yourself - When was the last time you tried something for the first time? It's kind of a hard question to answer, isn't it. And because this is a hard question to answer tells us we are creatures of habit. When we do things the same way all the time we can sometimes run on auto-pilot and miss out on many of life's lessons. In particular we can...

What constitutes an effective workout? Is it when you feel a pump in the targeted muscle(s)? Is it when you work up a good sweat?  Do you need to be sore the next day? Do you need to go to failure? What about tasting your previous meal a second time as you are about to vomit? Does this sound familiar? Does it sound like you? Unfortunately the fitness industry does a terrible job at helping people understand what constitutes an effective training session. Unless something is worthy of a YouTube upload, can honestly own the title of beast-mode and foster water cooler talk the next day you are wasting your time. There are coaches that come back from conferences and can't wait to show their clients the newest, latest & greatest exercise guaranteed to leave them sore for days. Is this what we really want? After almost 20 years I have yet to have a client come to us asking for soreness. Or to be physically crippled from exertion. Or sweaty and out of breath. That is no one's goal. Soreness, fatigue and sweat may be side effects of a training session. But these shouldn't be the primary goal of training. Better health. Better movement. Increased fitness. Enhanced performance. These all make for better reasons for training. Yet we still see more businesses delivering 'all out fitness'. You are encouraged to push the intensity to the 'red line'. And everything should be done as high intensity interval training or HIIT. While there are benefits to increasing the intensity and testing yourself from time to time it isn't the best option all the time. But rather than take my word for it let's look at a few examples to show that 'red line' or 'all out' is not your only or best option....

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks you've probably heard the name Ryan Lochte. And if you're not familiar with the name than you may have heard something about a US swimmer at the Olympics fabricating a story about being robbed in Brazil at the Olympics.You can google the story later if you're interested. Otherwise I'll you're up to speed let's see what take-aways there are from this train wreck.[caption id="attachment_4941" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY SportsSo with that in mind here are 6 Lessons from US Swimmer Ryan Lochte to help with your health & fitness. Have Fun - I would guess Lochte might be a pretty fun guy. He's always seems to have a smile on his face, he has a funky hairstyle and enjoys a night out celebrating. His decision making might need some work. The take-away lesson would be to enjoy the process. Choose workouts that you enjoy doing. Train with people you like. Eat healthy foods that you find appetizing. Life's too short to not enjoy the process. The Company You Keep - This example has less to do with Lochte and more to do with the swimmers that were hanging out with on the night in question. You may have heard the expression that you are the average of the company you keep. If you're a student you'll want to hang around with the smarter kids. If you're looking to grow your business you'll want to connect with leaders in this area. And with health and fitness you'll want to train with people who are stronger, faster and fitter than you are. Or at minimum you'll want to associate with people who are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Be Honest - I'm not sure who Lochte thought he...

Coaching, programming and nutrition are important components of a fitness program. But they aren't the most important. At this point many will be rolling their eyes or scratching their heads. What else could be more important? Certainly not supplementation, recovery or equipment. We would argue that mindset trumps all of the things that normally are seen as the essential elements in a fitness routine. Because let's face it...great coaching, programming and nutrition mean very little to someone who doesn't want their goal. It means little to someone who doesn't believe in their goals. And it means very little to someone that isn't willing to make changes to achieve their goal. And with the right mindset is the commitment to do something on a consistent basis. This is part of the secret formula of success which is to do things repeatedly. Success doesn't come with training 1,2 or maybe 3 hours per week. And it doesn't happen by eating healthily during the week only to drink beer and eat pizza during the weekend. And it doesn't happen by getting to bed on time four nights of the week and staying up too late the other three nights. Success happens when we do the right things regularly. [caption id="attachment_4934" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Positive, consistent habits lead to success. After having coached, presented to and interacted with tens of thousands of clients and teams I can tell you this be true. Consistent positive efforts lead to successful outcomes. But I was curious what consistency meant to our clients? I wanted to know what consistency meant to them? And how does it relate to their health and fitness goals? Here's what they had to say. 'Consistency means overcoming inertia. A body at rest wants to stay at rest. If I'm always resting it's harder to get going again.''When...

Last weekend I competed in a bike race. While I ride my bike to work and enjoy getting out for longer weekend rides this isn't something I've done a lot of. But it won't be my last. [caption id="attachment_4926" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bob, Greg and I before the L'alpe de Grand Blanc bike race. A friend, GD, registered us a few weeks ago for this race. I do remember while preparing for the conference that he was planning to do this. Part of me subconsciously acknowledged this. And part of me buried the prospect deep below everything else that needed to get done for the conference. Then on Wednesday last week came the call. 'You need to pick up your race packet on Saturday. The race starts Sunday at 9 am.' Ok I thought. Game on. Let's do this. At this point where was no point for distractions. No concerns about which workouts to still do. How much of a taper I could use. Or anything else relevant to prepping for a race. Instead all I needed to do was make sure my bike and gear were ready to go and to get a good night's sleep. Here's how it went and how I did. Plus a few things I might do differently next time. SleepWhen I say that I wanted to get a good night's sleep the night before what I mean is that I got good sleep for a few nights before the sleep. I knew I was going to be picked up at 745 am on race day. So to factor in enough time for fuel and hydration I wanted to comfortable getting up for 6 am. No problem there. TrainingWhenever you enter a race you want to feel you were able to bring your best on that day....

On a scale of 1-10 how good is your nutrition? Or better yet, if we evaluated your nutrition in terms of the quality what number would you give it on the same scale? (assuming 1 be to poor quality and 10 would the best possible) How would you rate the amount of calories you eat in a day? If 1 meant the absolute wrong amount (high or low) and 10 meant the perfect amount based on your goals, age, sex, occupation and training demands. Lastly how would you rate the timing of your meals on a 1-10 if a 1 meant terrible timing and missing meals altogether and a 10 meant always fueling your body for optimal health and performance? For most people these would be some hard questions to answer. They might not know how much they should eat and probably don't weigh, measure or track their intake to know how much they eat. As well, many people might have a misunderstanding as to what constitutes healthy nutrition. Do this mean organic? Gluten-free? Natural? Vegan? Vegetarian? Low cal? Low carb? Fat free? Eating the right macros? Lastly, what is the consensus on meal timing? Should you eat 3 squares a day? Or maybe 5-6 smaller meals? What about intermittent fasting? Can you eat at night? [caption id="attachment_4919" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Confused about nutrition? You're not alone. The more you think about it the more confusing it can get. But it gets worse. As we just described above many people don't have the knowledge of a dietician to know everything there is to know about eating healthily. And some people may have a good knowledge on the nutritional basics but they just don't have the time. Maybe work has them on the road more days than they are home which doesn't leave...

Anyone that does resistance training does so with the goal of getting stronger. Individuals coming off an injury want to get back to regular activity as soon as possible and do this by increasing the strength of the supportive muscles.Individuals with a weight loss goal understand that increased strength will lead to added muscle mass. And this extra muscle mass becomes the metabolic furnace to burn extra calories when we're not in the gym training.Athletes as well train to increase strength as this helps them minimize the potential for injury as well as enhance performance in sport. A stronger athlete can typically produce force more quickly than a weaker athlete which provides an athletic advantage in terms of speed. As well, when an athlete is stronger this does wonders for their confidence which can translate to better performance during games.So how do we typically go about getting stronger?[caption id="attachment_4907" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Increased strength benefits all training goals.Well one of the first protocols for strength was developed by Dr. DeLorme who helped rehab injured soldiers. DeLorme noticed the soldiers recovered more quickly and completely when given a strength training protocol as part of their rehab.I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably know what the protocol was...Finish the following...'3 sets of ___ reps'.If you said 10 reps, you'd be right. That's the training plan for the DeLorme protocol.And it worked really well. In the short term.Over time however, it doesn't yield the results it did in the beginning. And this should come as no big surprise to anyone reading this. Consider the following example.Mary is new to weight training and has just learned how to do a trapbar deadlift. For the month of May Mary does 3 sets of 10 reps with 75 lbs on the bar. Each...

I'm always curious about what drives people? Especially when we're talking about 'the best of the best' or impressive performances. Take professional athletes for example, they typically don't need the money and have already won at the highest level. Why do they continue to train, prepare and compete? I mean, once you have enough money an extra cheque isn't really going to do much to inspire. And if you've won at the highest level of your game then the challenge becomes to see how many times can you repeat this success? Can you exit your sport as one of the best ever? What kind of legacy do you leave behind? Maybe these are some of the things that drive athletes to continue when the cheques and trophies have already been collected in abundance. Now maybe it becomes a personal challenge to see how many times they can reach the top? [caption id="attachment_4892" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Don't talk to me about problems. 11 rings and only 10 fingers. Because, let's face it, the life of a professional athlete is a very small window. The NFL is also known as the 'Not For Long' league. I remember reading the average career of a professional football player is less than 3 years. Think about that for a moment and imagine if the average of your career was less than 3 years. Do you think you might bring your best everyday? Do you think you might feel some pressure to extend this if you could? Maybe the realization that his opportunity is so short lived explains why NFL players will do whatever it takes to stay in the game. The other thing that might drive athletes is something that drives others who are successful as well. This could include entertainers, artists, business people and more. So...

Last weekend Graeme and I had the opportunity to attend a speed coaching clinic with Derek Evely. Derek was the Leeborough Centre Director of UK Athletics from 2009-2012 prior to the London Olympic games in 2012. He has  coached a number of number of Olympic podium athletes and continues to work with some of the best hammer throwers in the world.   Derek was a wealth of knowledge and a great presenter. His delivery of the content was professional and allowed for discussion and questions. At one point he even Skyped in 3 of the best sprint and hurdles coaches in the world with Kevin Tyler, Andreas Behm and Stu McMillan from Altis in Arizona. If you're not in sprinting circles these names probably don't mean too much. But these four individuals represent the best of the best when it comes to sprinting knowledge and coaching ability. And it was definitely a special opportunity to listen to them and be able to ask questions. And let's face it...every athlete wants more speed. Actually I'm not even an athlete but I still want to move quickly. There's just something about being able to accelerate and hit a top end speed better than most that appeals. This might have to do with having a burst of speed a the end of a road race, of being able to win battles in team sports (i.e. basketball, football, soccer etc) or simply wanting to look more like a sprinter than a runner. [caption id="attachment_4878" align="aligncenter" width="299"] Running versus Sprinting -                            Which body type do you prefer? So if we can agree that all athletes want more speed and that most general fitness clients wouldn't mind moving more quickly as well than we need...

One of our core values at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc is education. We believe that when we are better educated it helps our clients achieve better results in less time. But not all our learning is for business. Sometimes we just like to read to relax and expand our minds in other areas. Many of our clients like to read as well. So we took some time to ask a number of our clients what their favourite books are. And this is the list we came up with. There's no particular order to the list and the books aren't separated as fiction or -non. Not by Chance - Tim Thayne The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom - Slavomir Rawicz Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - Tony Tsieh The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - Charles Duhigg High Fidelity - Nick Hornby Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer Legacy -  James Kerr Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Lead...And Others Don't - Jim Collins Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Daniel Pink Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point, David and Goliath, What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives - Dan Millman A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai A House in the Sky: A Memoir - Amanda Linkhout Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, Eaters of the Dead, Prey, Micro, Timeline, Pirate Latitudes, State of Fear, Congo, Airframe, Grave Descend, The Great Train Robbery, Next and lots more - Michael Crighton The Bourne Identity and lots more -  Robert...

Many years ago when I got started as a fitness coach I made a huge mistake. Now it wasn't anything related to technique where somebody got hurt. And it wasn't an inappropriate comment or action that I made. Instead it was more of a case of something I didn't do.I had been hired by a lady to help her get ready for a marathon she was going to compete in. And so I did all the relevant assessments and tests. I made sure she had the right nutritional approach to fuel her workouts and recovery. And I made sure her training was geared towards success in the marathon.I was proud of myself. I felt as though we had the best plan going forward to allow this client to achieve their goal in the most efficient and enjoyable way possible.And then I found out I was wrong. Here's what I mean.During one of our training sessions I engaged this client in some conversation related to the training. And it went something like this.Me: Have you run many marathons before?Client: No this will be my first one.Me: Are you doing the race with friends to make it more fun and enjoyable?Client: No it's just me.Me: Oh, so it this like a 'bucket-list' type of thing?Client: No, not really.Me: Well, do you just really love running and want to get and do what you really love for 26.2 miles?Client: No, actually I can't say that I love running.Me (after scratching my head for a while): Remind me again why you're training for a marathon then if you don't really enjoy this, you're not doing it others and it's not a big goal of yours.Client: Well I need to lose 20 lbs and everyone knows running is one of the best ways to lose weight.Me: (Speechless)...Once I felt...

This morning I gave a presentation to  group of business leaders. And at the end I fielded questions from the attendees. And as is usually the case many of the questions had to do with nutrition.One individual in particular asked for some help with portion control.He said 'I eat fairly healthy, I just eat too much'. What should I do?This is not an uncommon problem many people face. They eat more than they know they should but find it hard to break the habit. And the answer to this guy's problem is not to start weighing and measuring all his meals. Because although there are some people that will take the time and effort to do this, most will not.And I want to provide solutions that will help the most people. I want to provide solutions that are easiest for most people to incorporate into their lives. And I want to provide solutions that don't require an additional investment in time and money.I know that's asking a lot but if we can find a solution that satisfies all of these conditions than we probably have something that will be easy to get started on and continue with.Curious what the tip was?It was to use smaller serving plates.[caption id="attachment_4862" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Portion control can be as simple as a smaller plate. And the reason is most people don't weigh and measure their food. Most people don't count their calories. And many people grew up in an era to finish everything on their plate.So does this work?Yes, it does. And it reminds me of a research study (I'll dig up the citation for anyone that wants it) where a group of people were divided in half. The entire group was going to watch a movie and eat popcorn. Half of the group were given a small cup...

 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...

It's fairly common to enter a gym setting and not know where to begin. This is obvious based on the number of gym newbies that venture straight to the treadmills. [caption id="attachment_4838" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Treadmill: It's pretty hard to do it wrong. A treadmill is pretty straight-forward. There's usually a large button marked 'Start' and if you were able to successfully navigate the parking lot, lobby and cardio area, it's safe to assume you are proficient in walking. Hence the popularity of the treadmill. It's easy to start. You are able to watch your favourite show. It doesn't have to be very difficult. There are numbers to track the work you did. And most importantly, no one will judge you for your technique on using a treadmill. I mean, c'mon, you're walking on a treadmill. But further still, nobody else at the gym really cares what you're doing or how you're doing it. But that's a story for another time. Instead of talking to you about how people don't know how to get started once they get inside the gym there is another common issue people struggle with at the gym. And that's what to eat before training. Many people struggle with how they should fuel their body for training. And others know they should eat something yet feel nauseous part way through their workout. If this sounds like you below are some tips to ensure you are optimally fuelled and not tasting your breakfast a second time. Tip #1 - Ease Into ItAt this time of year many are getting starting on a training program for the first time or resuming one after a layoff. And with positive intentions they try to jump straight back in to where they left off. Or it could be a training partner that is leading...

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...

Last week I had the opportunity to go and try whole body cryotherapy (WBC). If you're not familiar with what this it's kind of like being in a stand up tanning booth but instead of being strayed with tanning dye you are blasted with nitrogen gas. [caption id="attachment_4794" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 2 mins left at -165 C. Brrrrr!!! In the picture above you can see me standing in the capsule. When you first enter the capsule your head is below the level of the top of the unit. You are then raised up until your head pokes over the top.What you can't see is me in my undies, thermal booties and gloves. The whole process takes 3.5 minutes total. But trust me, you'll want someone else standing there talking to you to distract you from the time remaining. If you're too much of a wimp you can always push open the back door and stop the experience whenever. So what are the purported benefits of WBC? Some of the more popular claims are increased recovery after exercises and how it facilitates rehab post-injury. Since most days involve a training session and I'm currently mending an ACL surgery, it made perfect sense to go and give this a try. While there may be enhanced subjective recovery and decreased muscle soreness the research has yet to come out showing additional benefits (1). At minimum there doesn't appear to any adverse effects to WBC. After the experience I did notice my glutes were cold. And I did feel more alert. I guess this is similar to jumping in the lake this time of year. You will definitely feel refreshed after. If you are interested in knowing more or giving WBC a try, go and talk to the guys at Cryo Care. They're almost next door...

While I've been recovering from ACL surgery I've found I have more opportunity to read. And one author I particularly enjoy is Dan John.[caption id="attachment_4775" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Dan John and I in Vancouver.Dan John has been a strength coach in the industry for over thirty years. Some coaches have acknowledged him by saying he has been recording workouts for longer than many in our industry have been alive.In other words he has a lot of wisdom and a great manner in which he shares the many pearls he has gained over the years. Below are three random pieces of wisdom from Dan John.i. You Can't Do It All Often-times we'll have a new client come in to get started with some training. And when we discuss their goals they'll express wanting to rehab their shoulder, get stronger and run a faster 10 k.And individually each of these goals is possible. And is also possible to work on all three at the same time. The problem becomes one of sacrificing gains in each in order to obtain a result in all areas at the same time.Let me use an example to explain.[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Don't fall for the trap of multi-tasking.Imagine you are at work. And you have a major project that is due. This should get all of your focus and attention. But rather than block out a set chunk of time you chip away at this project while also checking email, taking calls and any meetings that come up and helping your colleague with their project as well.At the end of the day, is your project done? Do you feel satisfied with your efforts? Or did you feel pressure that there isn't as much forward progress as you'd like and you know your boss will probably feel the same way.So...

Recently there have been a number of reality tv shows with an entrepreneurial or business aspect. The Prophet and Shark Tank that come to mind. And while it's not necessarily a major feature of either of these shows I definitely like certain business concepts and practices. This includes the Pareto Principle. What the Pareto Principle tells us is that 80% of our rewards comes from 20% of our efforts. In other words there are things we can do which can have a huge impact in our businesses.The goal then becomes to not only figure out what the 20% is but how to make sure we put as much emphasis and attention on the 20% as possible. And this got me to thinking as to whether the Pareto Principle could be applied to our health & fitness as well? Could we figure out which actions and efforts lead to positive results? And if so, could we then alter our focus to ensure we are doing only the things that give us the very best return on investment? I believe so. And here's how I suggest we could go about doing so. Journal Everything [caption id="attachment_4767" align="alignnone" width="275"] Write down what you eat and what you do for exercise In order to figure out what works best, and what doesn't, we need to be meticulous note takers. For example, if someone's goal was fat loss, we might track how much weight we lose using a variety of different training protocols. How much weight did you  lose when you included running as part of your program? Or when you  added in going for a run over the lunch? Did training for a power-lifting competition make much of a difference? Keeping a journal well allow you to go back and see the periods where your weight dropped, maintained, or...

Saggy skin. Belly pooch. Stretch Marks. Leaking.Did any of you moms just shudder? Cringe? I feel you. Why do so many of us want to erase the marks of a pregnancy? I know I struggled with it. I have stretchmarks where I didn't before. I have a little belly now that I never did before. My bellybutton even looks weird, for crying out loud! Where does this warped perception come from? We're surrounded by this celeb or that who have melted away the pounds. Other postnatal moms who have 4 perfect kids, cook 3 course meals from scratch every day, have impeccably kept houses, and look like models. Or people in our lives who expect us to get back to how we looked before. And to be honest, many of us will never get there.Let me clarify something first. I'm NOT saying you won't ever be able to get a flat stomach back. I am NOT saying you can't make fitness a central part of your life. I'm NOT saying you can't get to a healthy weight, and build muscle. I'm NOT saying you can't love yourself. What I AM saying, is you need to take a look at yourself, and realize that you are TRULY and THOROUGHLY BEAUTIFUL. If you're a mom who has struggled to fully believe that sentence, hop on into my boat. Let's float and talk about some mental shifts that I know were crucial for me to shift my perceptions. 1. Pokemon had some things rightDo you remember/have you heard of Pokemon? It's an awesome game/TV show that was a big part of the 90's generation, and still is! One of the concepts of Pokemon is the evolution from a beginner Pokemon to a more powerful one.You'll have a pretty awesome little Pokemon that goes through an incredible transformation, and becomes something even...

If you were a fan of Seinfeld you'll remember the Thanksgiving episode. Jerry starts dating a new girl that has an awesome toy collection. And since this happens to be right around the time of Thanksgiving, Jerry and the gang decide they will 'drug' his new girlfriend by feeding her a turkey dinner rich in tryptophan which is believed to induce sleepiness. Once they manage to induce a turkey coma in this poor girl can Jerry et al break out all the toys and play.[caption id="attachment_4743" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What's the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy? Tryptophan!So what exactly is tryptophan? Well it's an essential amino acid meaning our bodies cannot make it and it's essential that we get in our diets. And just to back up a bit, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. When we have a particular collection of amino acids, arranged is a very specific order and give this collection of amino acids a 3D shape we have a protein. I usually like to coach and teach with analogies so here's one for amino acids.If we had a bead necklace that was balled up and folded into a specific shape that would represent the protein. All of the beads on the string represent the amino acids. If certain amino are missing, it's not the same protein. If the order of the amino acids i.e. the order of the beds on the string, changes then it's not the same protein. And if the shape of the balled up necklace changes, it's not the same protein.But enough about protein chemistry, what does tryptophan do and why does that matter? Well tryptophan is a pre-cursor of a number of other important metabolites including: hormones such as serotonin which then leads to melatonin and vitamins such niacin (B3). If our...

Are you familiar with the term 'probiotics'? This is an interesting subject area as people are either totally in the dark on the topic or have good intentions but are misapplied.For example, with the second category of people they may believe they are addressing the bacteria of their gut by eating yogurt or taking a digestive enzyme. And while these may help with the digestive process and overall health they are not what we mean when we talk about probiotics.Probiotics include the beneficial bacteria of our gastro-intestinal (GI) tract that help us absorb and digest food. And basically this includes two main types of bacteria, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. And besides digestion these bacteria help with our health in terms of our immunity, metabolism and body composition. These helpful bacteria are also great anti-inflammatory agents.In our GI track we have a ton of bacteria with some estimates putting the number at 10 trillion. Of this composition there are both good and bad forms of bacteria. And in a very general sense you can almost think as though there was a limit on the bacteria for our GI track. When we consume foods and have lifestyle habits that favour the bad forms of bacteria the good bacteria can get pushed out.And the opposite is also true that as we eat more foods that are probiotic enhancing and change our lifestyle for the better we can swing the balance to one where the healthy bacteria dominate. When we have more probiotics in our gut we are better able to deal with symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, reflux, allergies and nausea.So which foods will help the good bacteria to flourish? Think of things like yogurt (plain varieties, not the fruit on the bottom), soy, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh and kombucha. Some of these foods...

When someone gets started with a new fitness routine there are a lot of questions that come up.Everything from 'What should I eat before training and after?', 'Should I do weights before cardio or vice versa?', 'Should I do more or less reps/sets?', 'How long should my workouts be?' and 'How often should I train?'Do any of these sound familiar?I'll bet that not only did they sound familiar when you were starting out with your fitness journey, some of these may still be questions going through your head.Let's take a look at one question for now: 'How often should I train?'.I guess before we get to answering that question, we need to know: why is somebody asking? If we know a little more about the person asking, and the context in which they are asking, it will help us to answer the original question.For example, consider if we had two different people asking the question of how often they should train.Number 1: The first person is a med-school student with a young family. This person is in class, the library or the lab every waking moment. The couple of free hours per day they can find are spent bathing, cooking meals and tending to their children.When this person asks how often they should train it is from a position of 'I know I need to do this but I don't have 30 free minutes per day'.I can hear the frustration and anxiety in their voice when they tell me their reality. For this person I might recommend 5-10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing and some light stretching to begin or end the day. Anymore on their plate and it just won't get done. And it will leave them more frustrated and sad.Number 2: The second person who has come to me asking this...

When it comes to nutrition, carbohydrates are an interesting topic. You either find people fall into one of three categories when it comes to this macro-nutrient. Some will avoid carbohydrates like the plague for a variety of reasons. This could be due to an attempt to eliminate gluten from the diet, a belief that carbohydrates make us fat or for other health reasons. Others will consume carbohydrates in small quantities while only selecting the varieties believed to the healthiest. Sometimes this include carbohydrates that are gluten-free, low glycemic, organic, whole grain or simply fruits and vegetables. Lastly there are some people who don't get too excited about carbs. They will eat bread, pasta, cereal and rice without taking a special pill or scheduling an additional training session to burn off all this additional energy. Gets kind of confusing, doesn't it? What information do you follow? Do you go with what the healthiest, leanest person you know says? Do you go with whatever the newest information, i.e. a trend, is suggesting? Or something else? While this post isn't about deciphering nutritional sources to determine who or what to trust the short answer is to trust those who are the most educated in a field and where the majority of evidence points. For example, if I could follow a nutritional recommendation from a nutritionist from someone with a PhD in this field, from a scientist in another field of study or from a well-known fitness person, I'll trust the person with the PhD in nutrition. As well, if the majority of evidence, i.e. peer reviewed research, on a topic indicates a particular finding I'll usually go with that. Consideration must be given to the type of study, duration, number of subjects etc but assuming the methods are solid I'll go with what most research tells us....

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...

Have you ever done things as part of your training that you've changed?I guess I should re-phrase that.Are there parts of your training process that you look back on now and realize it to be wrong?That's not an easy thing to do. And I don't mean that it's hard to recognize mistakes we've made. Instead it's hard to acknowledge that we were wrong. It's hard to admit we weren't right.But that happens. And it's process of the progression of the training process. As better information becomes available it's only natural that we adopt the correct information and update programming accordingly.I'm trying to think of examples and the one that comes to mind is recognizing the value of a dynamic warm-up before activity. It used to be people would static stretch as part of their warm-up and jump straight into training.Imagine going to the start line of 10 km race. Very few racers, especially the contenders, will be on the ground holding static stretches for prolonged periods of time.[caption id="attachment_4686" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rarely will you see this at the start line of a running race.What you're more likely to see is athletes warming up with motion. They will be doing skip drills, leg swings or some other time of activity to loosen up, warm up, activate the core and stabilizers while stimulating the nervous system.[caption id="attachment_4687" align="aligncenter" width="285"] Warming up with butt kicks.Along the lines of looking into the rear-view mirror to see areas of training that have changed there's one that involves recovery.Maybe you've seen pictures of athletes sitting in ice tubes after training sessions to enhance the recovery process. We believed that the ice bath would help with the inflammation response that followed a training session. The cold temperatures would constrict vessels and decrease blood flow to areas of the body...

Every summer we see a number of hockey players come back to Kelowna and return to Okanagan Peak Performance Inc for their off-season hockey training. These players want to get to the next level, to produce at the highest level and finally to have a lengthy career at the highest level. This summer we welcomed back a number of players who had played professionally, played in & won at the Spengler Cup and played at the World Championships. But also had a number of younger players training with us. One in particular was Alex Swetlikoff. [caption id="attachment_4680" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Alex Swetlikoff Now it might not be easy to recognize Alex underneath his helmet and gear but maybe this will help. He is the son of Dr. Garrett and Tammy Swetlikoff and attended KCS in Kelowna while playing bantam hockey.When he's at the gym he always goes about his workout. He comes in grabs his program, warms up and gets to it. And he finishes every workout the exact same way. He seeks me no matter where I am in the gym, comes over and shakes my hand saying 'thanks Chris'. It's always been this way over the years we've been working with Alex. It all started probably about 5 or so years ago when training a number of young hockey players. Besides Alex there was Gio Sambrielaz who stood about a foot taller than Alex as he was a couple of years younger. Fast forward to this summer and Alex has grown and matured to the point where he is now going to venture away to play hockey in the Fraser Valley. This coming year Alex will suit up for the Yale Academy Lions of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League as a second year bantam. Other teams in this league include...

What motivates you to train? You know on the days when it's cold and maybe even rainy outside? Of course it's still dark outside. Your bed could not be more comfortable. Yet for some strange reason you defy what is easy. You pull back the covers to be shocked with the cold of early morning. You throw one leg over the side of the bed and stub your pinkie toe on the edge of the bed frame. Then you shock yourself further with the brightness of the bathroom lights which are one or two degrees brighter than looking directly at the sun. You feel dizzy, Your head may be pounding. The last thing you are thinking about is putting food in your mouth and venturing out into the cold. Yet you do so anyways. Have you been there? I'll bet you have. Anyone who has trained long enough has. Every athlete has. Anyone who is serious about their goals has. What is is that motivates these people? Well for most people it's the avoidance of pain. Sometimes this might be an actual physical pain. Pain from an accident, a disease or some other cause. And these people know how bad the pain can get. And how this pain can affect their lives. And prevent them from doing things they enjoy. And that missing out on these things will bring them sadness. [caption id="attachment_4676" align="aligncenter" width="300"] According to Aristotle, the masses are wise.  But pain doesn't always have to be physical, Some people are alone, depressed and not feeling the best about themselves. They would like to have more confidence, to have a better physique and to be noticed by someone else. And so for them the option of living in pain or getting out of a warm, cozy bed in the...

Have you ever wondered what personal fitness coaching would be like? Have you wanted a way to sample personal fitness coaching without a long-term commitment? Would a more economical trial version of personal fitness coaching help you decide if this is a fit for you? Have you held off getting started due to how busy things get during the summer? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these than you should apply for the 3-Week Kick Start Fitness Training Program at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. [caption id="attachment_4658" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Apply for the 3 Week Kick Start Program. Sample Group Fitness and Semi Private Training for 3 weeks at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. to find out what is the best fit for you. Program includes: 2 Semi Private sessions per week 2 Group Fitness sessions per week Full facility access No Joining Fee No contract  This program is normally valued at almost $600. Successful applicants will be able to participate in this program for only $177 + tax for a savings of almost 70% off. To apply send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with ‘Kick Start’ in the subject line. You will receive an email back the application. Or stop by Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. and fill out an application on-site. Conditions Completion of application form Never have participated in an Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. program Local to Kelowna, BC Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount Program runs September 8-28, 2015 Application deadline is September 4, 2015

Do you suffer from low back pain? Have you in the past? Most adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. And part of this has to do with the initial set up of their low back and pelvis. In previous posts we've talked about how the low back and pelvis is like a bowl of water. When the belt line is parallel to the floor no water spills out of the front or back of the bowl. However when the belt line points down to the front (anterior tilt) water will spill out of the front of the bowl. And if the belt line points up to the front (posterior tilt) then water will spill out the back of the bowl. [caption id="attachment_5014" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Anterior pelvic tilt = spills out the front. Poster pelvic tilt = spills out the back. Neutral pelvis = no spills. If start with a compensated position (where water is spilling) to begin with we are asking for trouble when we add load, reps, sets and intensity on top of this faulty position. So what do we do at this point? How do we learn how to correct this faulty position which leads to a low back injury? Well the first thing we need to understand is the range of motion we have from a posterior to anterior tilt. Oftentimes people will struggle with moving into posterior tilt, especially if they have excessive arch in their low back. To learn this range of motion, and to feel how to move between posterior and anterior tilt, we like to use the cat & camel drill. [caption id="attachment_5012" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The cat & camel drill. Curing more people of their addiction to ice cream than anything else. Here's how to set up for...

If you know me you know that I love business. I'm always looking for recommendations as to what people have read which helped them in business. And when I have down time I like watching Shark Tank, Dragon's Den and The Prophet.I guess it's a number of things that appeal to me about business. Part of is the risk that's involved and paired with a potential reward. As they say with investing, you should invest in what you know. And I consider business to be one of the ultimate investments you can make as you should know your area of business better than most.As well it's fun to learn about really great and successful companies. In particular I like learning about the core values of a business. What is that they stand for? What do they believe? How do these values help distinguish them from the rest of the competition? Does what the business believes resonate with me?A good friend of mine, LM, and a very successful entrepreneur shared something really valuable with me once regarding core values. He said that once you know and can articulate your core values every decision you make regarding your business becomes a lot simpler. And he's right. Whenever I think about a question facing our business I put it through the filter of our core values. And then you can evaluate how the question stands up to your core values.For more than a year now I've been scribbling down our core values in the notebooks I always carry around. And for some reason I never made them public. Maybe I thought the list wasn't complete? Or maybe I needed to take some time to 'sleep on it' and really make sure our core values were accurate.Anyways, I think we're more than ready to make our core values known...

The other day a client walked past the front desk and said 'I'm done. My back is spasming and I can't train today'. I could see the pain and disappointment in this young athlete's eyes. She was a dedicated athlete and was upset with only the physical pain but also with the thought of not being able to move without pain. I asked her if she has a few minutes to check what was wrong. I should clarify that this wasn't an attempt to diagnose an injury. Instead I wanted to take a look at her movement patterns to see how she was moving and how this might be affecting her low back. The first thing we looked at was her overhead squat pattern. This was a bodyweight assessment and she was ok to get into the set up position. However as she began to squat she winced and said her back spasmed. I asked her if it hurt standing, when she began to descent or at a certain depth. She said it was at a certain depth. The next thing I had her do was get on the ground on her back to see if she could hug her knees to her chest. She could and it didn't aggravate her back. This was interesting to note because she couldn't achieve the same knee and hip flexion from a standing position. After the knee hug test I asked her to keep both knees straight and lift one leg as high as she could. She raised one leg a few inches off the ground and repeated the same for the other leg. This was unusual as typically we look to see 80 degrees of hip flexion on this test. Right now this athlete was demonstrating 10 degrees. Maybe. When I asked the...

Have you been to a peewee or bantam hockey tournament lately? If so, you may have noticed something about the players. And that is the variation in sizes.  You can have a situation where there is a 5'2" thirteen year old taking a face-off against a 6'2" player. Not only is the one player a foot taller than the other but he can also outweigh him by 50 lbs or more. Fast forward five years or so and these players could be much closer in size. And it's possible the smaller player could pass the other in size. Given all the variations in size that we see in young athletes it only makes sense that we train these athletes differently. But instead what we typically see is a one-size-fits-all program for all athletes. And the elements selected for this program may be based on what the best athlete is able to do with the hope this will spur the other athletes on to achieve the same. Worse there also instances where a coach tries to do what pro athletes in their sport do for training. How effective would it be for a 12 or 13 year old to try and replicate Sidney Crosby's off-season training program? Not only will not be the best option in the short term for this hockey player it also stunts the long term development of the player. Long Term Athlete Development, or LTAD, refers to training the right things at the right time for the athlete. There are 'windows' of training where it is more effective to train certain athletic abilities and skills than to simply do what the pros are doing. [caption id="attachment_4639" align="aligncenter" width="300"] LTAD - Training the right things at the right time.          While having fun. For example, girls...

Recently I was making my way through the interior of BC giving presentations at conferences and corporate functions. And there was a message that came through with all the presentations which  only seemed appropriate to include here as well. And this message had nothing to do nutrition. Or training. Or supplements. Or any of the obvious things that have to do with fitness or performance training. Instead the message had to do with mindset. And I used a couple of stories to make the point of how to set the proper mindset for training. Because often times we'll hear of people who get started on a fitness program and don't see results. Or they make a nutritional change but the pounds aren't coming off. They make a number of lifestyle changes which should help them achieve their goal yet they don't realize the success they had hoped for. And sometimes this is due to not having the proper mindset for success. What we normally ask people is if they believe they can achieve their goal and if they are motivated to do whatever it takes. Because it's not uncommon to find out people that don't achieve success didn't believe in themselves from the get-go. And further they weren't too excited to do whatever it takes. You can imagine if someone doesn't have their mindset oriented properly they may struggle to get to the gym for their early morning workouts. And they may find it difficult to adapt to a new nutritional plan. And getting to sleep on time may be less of a priority. But once they have the proper mindset great things can happen. And success inevitably follows. During the presentations I shared a couple of stories related to mindset. The first has to do with believing if someone else...

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...

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...

I'm always curious as to why people train? Are they seeking a body transformation? More lean mass? Less fat mass? Are they looking to address an injured or painful joint? Maybe they would like to increase their performance in sport? Or maybe extend a professional career?Obviously there are lots of reasons to train. And they to achieve success in each of these would be different.But there is something that is in common with all of these different training goals. And that is the value of testing. And maybe the appropriate term these days would be 'monitoring'.So that is the question to anyone who trains...what are you doing to test or monitor your training?Do you wear a heart rate monitor? Do you use a training journal? Do you weigh yourself before or after training to check water losses? You you keep a clock on yourself to keep track of rest breaks and total duration?Besides what we do during a training session we can also measure our workouts outside of the gym as well. We can use an HRV device for recovery, we can measure our heart rate in the morning and journal our nutrition.So why even monitor or test in the first place? I mean you can usually test if something is working or not without testing right? And for athletes shouldn't the goal be success in the sport anyways?You could answer yes to both of these. It is possible to see improvement in the early stages of training without testing. And athletes may see little benefit and potential injury if testing is not appropriate.But that doesn't outweigh all of the benefits of testing or monitoring. Here are a few.1. AccountabilityI know I am competing in Tough Mudder on June 20 in Whistler. This race will be tough (pun intended) and will...