All or Nothing is BS

I want take a moment to invite EVERYONE to release the dreadful, uninspiring, overwhelming, bullying “all or nothing” expectation that you are hanging over yourselves like a heavy black cloud ready to swallow you in “I told you so’s.” All.Or.Nothing.Equals.Negative.Energy. All.Or.Nothing.Equals.Unsustainable. Let’s change this approach, this idea, this ridiculous badge. Each moment is anew.A chance to choose again.One day committed or surging in another area of your life DOESN’T mean your commitment to your health just “shit the bed.”It means in the next moment, you can choose again. Go ahead and give me an example of one time that All …

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Sitting. Just. Too. Much. Sitting.

Sitting. Our human body which was Born To Move, is subject to so. much. sitting. So we develop low back pain, weak hamstrings, tight hips and a weakened core. Then it gets worse because at the end of a long day of sitting, our bodies are baked from sitting, and because we are tired, well we sit s’more. Yuck. Life in your body does NOT. Have. To. SUCK. Want to feel better for LIFE, then MOVE. Strengthen your body. Add flexibility to your body. Add stability to your joints. That will then add confidence to your Self, trust in your …

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Are We a “Strongman Gym?”

Just recently a dear friend of mine and someone who I look up to in Strongman Sport complimented our House of Blue by calling it a “Strongman Gym.” I quickly replied, “we are not a Strongman Gym.” Yes, we have plenty of Strongman equipment. Yes, we have coaches, including myself who have competed in Strongman. Yes, we excitedly host Strongman Events. Yes, we happily sponsor Strongman Events. Yes, we train team members to compete in Strongman, MANY for the first time. Yes, WE LOVE LOVE LOVE Strongman. It is however, a part of what we do here. We have created …

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Would you treat your car like that?

Go ahead, leave your car in the driveway. Abandon it. Let it lay dormant for days, weeks, months, years. Let the fluids lay stagnant.Let the battery deplete.Let the tires flatten, warp or deflate.Let the paint fade.Let the frame rust. You see where I’m going with this? That car wants to RUN!That car wants to DRIVE! So do our BODIES! MOVE TO IMPROVE! Get up. Get Active. Get Going. Get Living.

What’s with all the Warm-up Stuff you DO in There?

Dynamic Warm-ups! It’s what we do! But why? ☝🏼We reduce the occurrence of muscle strains because our muscles are warmed & prepared for the work ahead. ✌🏼We increase our blood flow & lubrication to our muscles and joints, once again preparing them and igniting them for the work ahead. 👌🏼We welcome joint movement and activate our sensory receptors within our joints, muscles, and tendons to let them know, “HEY we are about to do this thang!” Movement Is the Essence of Life! Movement IS Life!

Here’s Your Permission to take a BREAK!

I’ve learned it’s okay, soooo fukn okay to take breaks. I’m tired this afternoon. There, I said it. It’s almost 2 pm and I’m tired. I’ve HAPPILY & PRODUCTIVELY worked 14 hour days back to back. Have work multiple “hats” during that time, and now I’m tired. So, I’m taking a break this afternoon. And it’s okay. I have no inner voice telling me, “I’d better do this or I will fall behind,” or “I’d better do that,” or “stop being lazy,” or any of that bullshit. I have set free judgment. I have set free this asinine idea that …

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Incestuous Exercise

I know I know-that’s a pretty odd title , but it was the first thing that popped into my mind while reviewing a workout with one of our coaches last week. Well, what the hell do I mean by “incestuous exercises?” Well, there are thousands upon thousands of movements in the exercise family, and in many cases you can marry 2 of those exercises together. The results?  Now, I’m not saying we need to refer to our workout regimen as “incestuous.” As a matter of fact, compound functional exercises might be a safer bet when talking about them. Here are …

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Your Treadmill Doesn’t Love You ….

The Dirty Little Secrets your Cardio Machine has been hiding from you……. What IS “Steady State Cardio” anyway? It can be defined as sustaining any cardiovascular activity, at a steady effort or fixed intensity for an extended amount of time. Easy peasy example: running….on a treadmill….for 20 or more minutes…at the same exact pace & incline. Got it? Okay, now on to some dirty secrets: Secret #1: If fat loss and creating a lean, healthy, defined body is what you desire, long duration steady state exercise or “hamster-ing” on a cardio machine is the exact opposite of what you need. …

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“But what should I eat? I don’t know what to eat.”

“But what should I eat? I don’t know what to eat.” As a trainer, one of the first & most common questions posed to me by many team members, friends, family & random in-boxers tend to ask me “what should I eat?” This question is usually fueled by aesthetic wants and I get it, totally. But before you ask that question for the aesthetic purpose, I think we all need to step up a bit in our consumer …right to know what is IN the foods we are eating. Not just what’s in McDonalds, because all we know what is …

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Move…..totally

A mentor of mine recently used the phrase, “movement is the essence of life.” As always, Thank you Elliott Hulse… As we train, make a conscious effort to use the full range of motion through your movement. Allow your body to recruit each and every muscle fiber possible in order to maximize the potential of your movement. Cutting your movement short will only deprive your muscles and joints of the work they WANT in order to thrive. In short, don’t take any fukn shortcuts. If you body can actively travel through the range of motion requested, DO IT. It will …

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