I'm a big fan of productivity and efficiency. And that should appeal to all of us. If we can get a similar result with less effort or a better result with the same effort, than we should do this. In the business world we've learned, in some cases the hard way, that multi-tasking doesn't work. We can't carry on a conversation with someone while replying to emails. We may miss part of what is being said to us or we make a typo or grammatical error in our reply. When someone matters we should eliminate distractions and focus on what we're doing. For example, I can remember back in school and studying for exams. Some people would listen to music. This approach never worked for me as part of the brain is paying attention to the lyrics and melody. And I didn't want to give up this fraction of my attention to anything other than preparing for the exam. When what we're doing doesn't really matter we may be able to get away with doing two or more things at once. This might be something like folding laundry and watching a show. You can probably do both at the same time without too much difficulty. So what about training? Where do we draw the line in terms of multitasking or including a distraction in the training process? With moderate intensity exercise listening to music has been known to lessen perceived exertion (1). The music serves as a distraction and helps the exercise feel less hard than it would normally. Usually the type of exercise done in these studies is steady state aerobic exercise like riding a stationary bike. There's not much to think about and you can even your close your eyes and go for it. The same wouldn't apply to...

If you know me you know I like speed. I enjoy finding new and better ways to help our athletes produce force at a higher rate. This helps them have more success in their sport and can extend careers when others might be losing a step.But as much as I'm an advocate of training to improve speed I will often start slowly with a new client. In fact you might hear the coaches at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc use expressions like:'Speed hides need'or'Nobody cares how fast you can do it wrong'or'We're going to start slow in order to go fast'or'Anyone can whip a rented mule. We're here to train thoroughbreds'[caption id="attachment_5434" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Are you training to be sore, sweaty and out of breath?Unfortunately though for a number of coaches there is a pressure to start at the end. They feel that their clients need to be sore, sweaty and out of breath at the end of every session. And should someone end up puking during a training session, which is then acknowledged with pats on the back and rounds of encouragement and praise. The following day is spent recounting the story around the water cooler at work while struggling to make it down a flight of stairs.No one should want or have to experience that. Instead we should be helping people become stronger, leaner, fitter and happier versions of themselves.And not only can this take time it should take time.Rush the promise and you end up short-changing yourself on the results that could be achieved.Don't believe me?Check out the following research studies that prove the point that you are better off to take the moderate rather than the extreme path to success.Study #1The first study had six males perform 5 sets of eccentric biceps curls at 110% of their 1 rep...

There can always be a number of ways to achieve a result. As the expression goes, many roads lead to Rome. But the more specific we can be with our goal the more specific we can be with the prescription.With resistance training the question can often be one of should I do lighter weights and more reps or heavier weights and fewer reps? And typically the average person will be led to believe that lifting heavy weights makes you big and bulky and so they select lighter weights in order to tone and not get big.[caption id="attachment_5301" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Often times people will select light weights with the goal to tighten and tone while looking to avoid increased mass.But this isn't the best approach. If we think about the group that trains to put on the most size i.e. bodybuilders, they will typically train with higher volume (i.e. reps x sets) to stimulate a hypertrophy (i.e. growth) response.Additionally, the people that train most intensely e.g. sprinters, will have some of the leanest physiques out there.So there appears to be some confusion as to what we should do to get leaner and or stronger.A study by Mangine et al. 2015 looked at the effect of volume and intensity when it comes to developing size or strength. The study included 29 resistance-trained men and ran for 8 weeks.The participants were divided into two groups. One group followed a high intensity protocol by performing exercises in the 3-5 rep range or approximately 90% of their 1 rep max (RM). Three minutes of rest was allowed between sets.The other group followed a high volume protocol with exercises performed in the 10-12 rep range or approximately 70% of their 1 RM. One minute of rest was allowed between sets.Here's what they found.The high intensity group made larger...

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...

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....

At one time heart rate monitors would have been considered for elite athletes and those with extra cash for all the latest gadgets. Not any more. The regular fitness enthusiast, amateur athlete and weekend warrior recognizes the value of using a heart rate monitor to track their workout. And not only has the price dropped substantially but the technology has also improved to provide more accurate readings. If you are already in the habit of using a heart rate monitor keep doing so. And if not, what are you waiting for? The sooner you begin tracking your workouts the better results you will begin to see. Below are 4 Top Reasons for Using a Heart Rate Monitor #1 - Proper IntensityWhile it's great to push ourselves when we train I subscribe to the approach that it's better to stimulate and not annihilate a system. You want to figure out what is the dose of exercise that won't kill you but will challenge you enough to come back stronger. In training circles this is referred to as the minimal essential dose. Think of this in terms of poison. Too much of it will kill you but a small dose may allow you to develop an immunity to it. This is similar to how vaccinations work. Anyways wearing a heart rate monitor allows you to track your heart rate and know when you are doing the right amount, not enough or too much. #2 - Track DurationWe're all busy. And if we could have the results of proper hydration and training without all the efforts many would choose this path. But the reality is a magic bullet doesn't exist and so we have to make efforts to maintain our health and fitness. Using a heart rate monitor allows us to see how long we have been...

I'm sure most of you have taken a plane before. And you've probably paid for that flight.Sometimes you time it right and book during a seat sale. And other times you need to get somewhere and end up paying more than you'd like. And definitely more than what others are paying for the same flight.Back when I was in grad school my brother was working off-shore off India. He became sick and I ended getting on a plane to help him back home to Canada.Since the amount of time from we when learned he was sick to the time time it was decided I would go get him no more than a few days passed.So I showed up at the airport and bought my ticket on the spot to leave on the next available flight. This is not the way to travel on a budget.Even though I was sitting beside someone travelling the exact same route as me we experienced vastly different financial 'pain' to make that trip. Even though the result was the same our investment in that trip was totally different.And this is very similar to the experiences many people have when they work out in the gym.Some people plan ahead and have a purpose in mind and get tremendous results from their efforts in the gym.Others do not plan anything out and are not sure of their purpose. These people get minimal, slow results from training.Below are 5 keys that account for achieving great or marginal results.Reason #1 Some Get Better Results - PlanIt's really hard to make effective use of your time in the gym when you don't have a very clear idea of what you're going to do that day in the gym.What exercises are you doing? How many sets? How many reps? What loads will you...

Here's another post from Dov. In his last post Dov introduced himself and shared his story about how he lost 130 lbs and has managed to keep it off.Below Dov talks about a behaviour that sabotages your results. He's talking about smoking while you are trying to improve your health.But he isn't someone who stands on the sidelines and hurls insults and comments without foundation or understanding. I say that because when I trained Dov he was a smoker. But he made the decision to quit and hasn't looked back.Whether you are a smoker or not, there may be something in your life that is holding you back from attaining the best results possible. Simply substitute whatever that is for you to get the take home message.Dov, the floor is yours....On my last post I mentioned I wanted to discuss some hurdles I had to overcome to achieve significant fat loss; thought it may be true that "losing weight isn't hard", you might be doing some things that make it significantly harder on yourself.SMOKING.If you smoke, and you are working out, just stop working out.If you are sure you cannot quit smoking, do yourself a huge favor, and resign yourself to being a flabby, out of breath, unhealthy person for the rest of your life. There is absolutely no point in attempting to do "cardio" or lift weights, if you smoke.You won't have the oxygen you need to push yourself to any meaningful level.When you work out, the point is that you are putting strain on your muscles so they recover stronger than before. If you cannot generate enough power or sustain enough endurance to perform, you are wasting your time in a serious way. Walking on a treadmill because your lungs cannot supply your poor dying body with enough fuel to...

This is always a fun blog post for me.  I like to try and look at what I noticed over the past year, what I saw working and where I think things are going for the coming year.Some of my guesses may be a little bit optimistic.  As in maybe these are things I'd like to see happen in the fitness industry.  And others will happen, it's just a matter of how soon and when others recognize them as well.So let's get to it.  Here are my Top 10 Fitness Predictions for 2011.1. More suspension training.  People seem to like hanging out.  I think it's a combination of the versatility and the challenge that comes with performing some type of suspension training.  Add to that the fact that each exercise can be quickly modified to a regression or progression and it allows this tool to work well in any group fitness setting.  Look for more gyms to offer suspension training classes.2. Less is more.  In life we all want maximal return on investment.  No one wants to spend their time, money or efforts on something that yields marginal results.  With sleep being the one exception we are going to see what is the minimal amount of training and caloric intake required to ellicit the best possible outcome.  In calculus I remember these questions as being 'max-min' problems.  What is the maximum return with the minimum cost?  More will look at their investment in health in this way.3. Simpler workouts.  You'll see more people perform workouts with less equipment.  It might be one set of powerblock dumbbells.  Or one kettlebell. Or one suspension trainer.  Or maybe even just their bodyweight.  Gone are the days of needing a variety of machines and accessories in order to complete a decent workout.  Gyms recognizing this...

Hey there: It's Hallowe'en weekend and in the past I've given you some strategies as the 'best' treats to eat this weekend. Or I've given you extra workouts to do before heading out for a night of partying but today I have something different in store for you. But before I get to today's tip I want to let you in a little experiment I'm running.The experiment is the Collins Health Project. What this involves is a behind the scenes look at the healhy and not so healthy things I do. Yeah I admit it. Every now and again I like to enjoy a beer, some pizza and maybe even some ice cream. But I have a standard to maintain, as do the rest of you. And of the best ways to make ourselves accountable is to let others what we are doing. They will support us and give us a pat on the back. And at the same time they will let us know when something is out of character given what out stated goals are.So with that in mind I'm going to video portions of my workout? I'm going show what I'm eating, how much and how often. You'll get to see what I do to relax during my down time. This will serve two purposes which are to help me get in the best shape of my life and secondly to help you steal some ideas that may help you as well.Stay tuned because some of the first footage you'll see from this Hallowe'en weekend will be unique but hopefully serve as a great launching pad for the rest of the project. Now on to the tip.Did you ever watch the Price is Right? I remember watching this a kid when we would visit our grandparents in Edmonton....