My Blog
Stop waiting for the “perfect” day
“As soon as things settle down, I’ll make it back to the gym.” “Once I get through these next two weeks, I’ll get back in the game.” You and I have both heard this weak excuse. I’ve said it many times, fooling myself...
Vivi’s superhero training update
For far too long, the gym has not been a welcoming place for women. In my almost 10 years as a coach, I’ve noticed that despite many great changes, this remains the same. I’ve spoken with so many women that simply don’t feel...
3 Steps to strong, safe lifting
While seemingly simple on the surface, there’s quite a lot that goes into lifting weights effectively and strongly. It’s very easy to become overwhelmed by the mountains of information out there (not all of it good, unfortunately). Unfortunately, a lot of...
Life Stacking: The Ultimate Tool for Busy AF Parents
Let me tell you something you already know but don’t want to hear. If you have children, you’re always going to be behind. Despite your best efforts, the chaos that comes with raising a child will constantly work against...
Build the shelf and stack the wins
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by our goals, dreams and aspirations. Maybe you want to get in shape for an upcoming trip, be a better parent, improve your financial situation, or build a business. Or, hell, you’re swinging for...
The Truth about “having abs”
From delivering knockout strikes to swinging kettlebells, you better believe Damali has a very strong core.
10 Commandments of training
The 10 Commandments of Training:Over my 8 years as a coach and 17 years as a lifter, I’ve tried a lot of different methods. I’ve experimented with dozens of training protocols, programs and movement varieties. The following are my non-negotiables when it...
Do less, just do it well.
I’ve been training for 16 years. I’ve tried many different programs, set/rep schemes, you name it I’ve tried it! My training philosophy has changed a ton over that time. For awhile, I followed trends and did workouts from the magazines when I first...
Process goals: The secret sauce
Goal-setting is critical to the success of any endeavor. Goals motivate us in the beginning, guide us when times get tough and are ultimately celebrated when reached. Anytime I had something I wanted to achieve, it came down...
Training with back pain
There’s no way around it, life sucks when your back is hurting. I’ve experienced back pain and tightness off and on over the last 10 years. I am not a doctor or a physical therapist, it’s outside of my scope of practice to...
Celebrate your body
Ask anyone in the gym what they’re working on and a very common answer is “lose weight, tone-up, slash fat” or some other method of improving body composition. While I don’t have a problem with this being a motivator, it simply...
5 Effective fat loss strategies
What if I told you fat loss was simple? Not easy, but simple. I know that it’s hard to believe, because advertisers would have you believe otherwise. Everyone wants to sell you the magic supplement, diet and workout...