STRENGTH COMMUNITY BLOG

Thanks to his dedication and coaching skills, Aarón Garcia, a student of the Strength Community, made Arturo Salas a World Champion in Grappling, who displayed exceptional levels of physical fitness and strength. Guest blog by Aarón García Let me tell you something about Arturo. First things first, Arturo is the ...

The Importance of a Healthy Gut. The human gastrointestinal system is one of the body's most complicated and crucial structures. Its role in human health and disease extends far beyond food digestion. But what is the gastrointestinal system? The gastrointestinal system comprises the alimentary canal (which includes your esophagus, stomach, ...

Carnitine - Different Types and What Do They Do? Carnitine is a compound that helps in energy generation in the body. It is present in almost all body cells but most abundant in muscles, the brain, the liver, and the kidneys. The natural food sources of carnitine include red meat, ...

BJJ World Champion - The Comeback of the Year Expert coach in preparation for Olympic competitions A series of injuries kept Hind Charifi away from her sport, Brazilian Jiujitsu, for about a year. This is the story of how we did her recovery process, together with her training, to go ...

What is Carnosine? Carnosine is a protein-building block. It is a dipeptide and consists of two amino acids- beta-alanine and histidine. It plays several crucial functions in the body and is found in the muscles, brain, heart, and other body organs. Carnosine mainly comes from animal sources such as beef, ...

Vince Gironda, from the golden era of bodybuilding, was, and probably is still considered The Iron Guru. His knowledge, tricks, techniques, and innovations, primarily based on experimentation, are still applied today and will probably stay around for years to come, for a simple reason; they work! Even Arnold was trained ...

Vitamin D, also known as calciferol or cholecalciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that the human body can produce on its own. Your skin contains a type of cholesterol called 7-dehydrocholesterol that takes energy from the sun and converts it to vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 goes through the liver and kidneys ...

I've always been a huge fan, user, promoter, and advocate of Eleiko and Sweden is one of my favorite countries in the world, so teaching at the Eleiko headquarters in Halmstad - Sweden was like a dream come true.   I have always admired Sweden for the level of education ...

The connection between food and the brain is inextricably interlinked. Food can either boost your brain's performance or slow it down dramatically, depending on the type of food you've eaten. For instance, processed foods filled with refined sugar or unhealthy fats (trans-fats and seed oils) can impair cognitive function, and ...

People worldwide are constantly looking for and pursuing ways to improve their health, well-being, fitness, and athletic performance without resorting to drugs, steroids, and other substances. There is a significant amount of research in this area, with the majority centered on food, vitamins, herbs, and other supplements. Taurine is an ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Sport Collagen Peptides Effect on Skeletal Muscle Signaling Post-Exercise Collagen consists of 30% of the total protein in the human body. Collagen is essential for the extracellular matrix of muscles and tendons, and muscle force transmission, flexibility, and adaptability. Collagen peptides have a unique amino ...

After the amazing feedback on the Calves Growth Training article, and an important amount of readers asking for a similar article on forearms, here you have a sure way to make your forearms grow. I’m not going to give a detailed anatomical explanation of the muscles of the forearm because ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport What are Cellular Senescence and Adrenal Health? Cellular senescence refers to a process in which certain cells, after becoming stressed or damaged, undergo a series of harmful changes. Cells may become senescent as a result of many variabilities, including misfolded proteins, DNA damage, replicative ...

Glycine the smallest amino acid, is also non-essential, and as in the case of glutamine, there are situations that increase the body’s need for this amino acid and those include acute emotional or physiological stress, recovering from physical trauma, and hyperglycemia.   In a previous article, I wrote Why I ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Trace elements, such as zinc, chromium, and manganese, are critical to many processes within the human body. They can act as cofactors for enzymatic reactions, assist in cell signaling, help stabilize cellular structures and more. Trace elements also play an important role in healthy ...

As strength coaches or personal trainers, we are normally givers, and in many cases, it becomes challenging to receive. As in any aspect of life, there must be a balance, and a good way to do it is to invest in yourself.   By investing in yourself I’m not talking ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sports An adequate amount of dietary protein is necessary for the body to function properly and maintain cellular health. Protein is the major functional and structural component of every human cell. Dietary proteins are comprised of individual amino acids that act as building blocks and ...

Glutamine is a very underrated conditionally essential amino acid, but it has an impressive host of benefits, especially in our field, that I will highlight in this article. Why I Love Glutamine   Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the blood, and our cells can actually produce it. ...

L-carnitine L-carnitine is an amino acid derivative found in most tissues in the human body. It is considered a conditionally essential nutrient in situations where intracellular levels are low. This can be due to certain genetic conditions, mitochondrial dysfunction, diabetes, the aging process, and high-intensity exercise. The carnitine shuttle is ...

In this article, you will learn one of the most effective ways to give your calves noticeable growth through a specific training program.   Before getting into the program, a brief anatomy description of the calves is provided, including information about the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. The training program is ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Creatine is an amino acid synthesized in the body and obtained through dietary sources. It plays a key role in cellular energy production. In research, creatine has been shown to support athletic performance and muscular health. Recent studies indicate it may also support the ...

Sleep is not a luxury; it is a human necessity and invaluable to one's health. In fact, one of the oldest forms of torture is to prevent people from sleeping. During sleep, our bodies perform most of the processes of repair, construction, growth, detoxification, and cleaning. Some scientists believe that ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Exercise and regular physical activity are the primary means of enhancing physical fitness, which plays a critical role in overall health and wellness. However, exercise alone is not sufficient to yield the positive health outcomes many seek. To get optimal results, exercise should be ...

The concept of varying the resistance during a repetition is not new and you can even evidence it in old pictures of the iron game, where you can see chains as a means of resistance. Nowadays new tools have been developed, but the concept is still the same.   The ...

Guest blog by Designs for Spot Gut flora refers to the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome, which has been shown to support neurological health, gastrointestinal function, healthy response to inflammation, and many other aspects of human health. Recent research has shown that certain botanicals may support a healthy gut microbiome. Berberine is ...

In part 1 of this article, I talked about the right tests to properly evaluate and diagnose cholesterol issues and the main causes of dyslipidemia. In the second part, I’ll talk about what to do to correct abnormal levels of blood lipids.   I also mentioned that for me dyslipidemia ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Sport Consuming a nutrient-dense diet ensures that the body has the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other beneficial compounds available for its needs. Western-style diets consisting of primarily energy-dense, ultra-processed foods, and lower levels of key nutrients are continually associated with the development of chronic health ...

Cholesterol has been demonized as a human killer and the lab results are capable of creating panic in a large percentage of the population, including medical doctors. But should that be the case?   I’d like to start by saying that this article is like the starter, if you will, ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Creatine is among the most popular ergogenic aids for sports and exercise. As a nitrogenous organic compound, 95 percent of which is stored in muscle, it is proposed that large doses of creatine can enhance athletic performance by delaying muscle fatigue, particularly during high-intensity ...

There is a considerable debate around this concept, and it not only goes about what should be included but also about the name itself.   Let's start with the name. In many circles, the given name is "cheat meal" and all the possible associations to "cheat", which I'm totally against ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Melatonin is known for its role in regulating the sleep–wake cycle, but it has additional roles in the body including the support of antioxidant status and a healthy inflammatory response. It also may play a role in maintaining a balanced gut microbiota. Many of ...

Overtraining is considered an enemy of performance, health, and wellbeing. But is it always such a bad thing, in every single case? I want to start with a phrase that I learned from my late mentor that says “fatigue masks fitness”, and that encloses what I’m about to talk about ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body with critical roles in human health. It acts as an intermediary in energy metabolism and is a substrate for the synthesis of glutathione, neurotransmitters, and nucleotide bases. Although glutamine is classically described as a ...

I have had the privilege of being in a large number of gyms around the world, and that has allowed me to witness many different spotting techniques, and funny enough, they repeat themselves worldwide.   Those techniques (if this could be called a technique) go from the personal trainer or ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Get a bunch of doctors together and ask about thyroid testing, and you’re likely to get a range of responses. One might say that TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is the best and, oftentimes, the only test needed, and another might say that TSH is not ...

As I mentioned in an article before, we are living in the society, times, and mindset of the quick fix, and that also relates to pain relief, as I’ll explain in the following paragraphs.   Different types of pain I have my own classification for different types of pain. For ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sports Not much can ruin a pleasant conversation more than bad breath particularly when it’s taking place within tight confines such as an office or car. Oral malodor is often much more than a superficial offense requiring peppermints or toothpaste. It can be an indication ...

High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is a powerful tool for coaches, trainers, and trainees when prescribed correctly.   What Science Says Even though the scope of this article is not to show all the research behind the prescription of HIIT, I’m going to name some of the benefits that science ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport The human brain is a complex organ that may undergo changes during the aging process. Age-related declines in cognitive function and neurological health may be related to multiple biological pathways. These may include neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of ...

In this article I’ll share the steps and considerations in order to prepare a tennis player to be a winner in his/her class.   This Division 1 tennis player couldn’t practice his sport because he had medial and lateral epicondylitis and one of the tendons had a 40% rupture. He ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Testosterone deficiency is reported in 20% of men over 60 years of age and rapidly increases to more than 50% of all men over the age of 80.  The declining levels of testosterone are a natural occurrence for a number of physiological reasons but ...

In Part 1 of this article, I described the different types of diets and how they apply to different population. In the second part I’ll describe how I prescribe eating plans to my athletes and clients.   How do I prescribe eating plans to my athletes or clients? As you ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sports Type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), is a medical condition that is growing in numbers on a global scale. Worldwide, approximately 463 million adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, and those numbers are expected to surpass 700 million by 2045. Diabetes ...

The word diet comes from the Greek “diaita” which means way of life, which in turn is derived from the verb “diaitan” which means rule your own life, to govern yourself. This to me implies individuality!   As you can see, the original meaning of the word has been distorted ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Sports “Not only are there zero case reports of kidney injury from high protein diets—the medical dogma of restricting protein in chronic kidney disease is almost purely mythical.” (Theodore Naiman, MD, a family physician well known in the low carb and ketogenic community)   “Increased ...

I believe that things don’t happen by accident, and as very eloquently mentioned in a TED talk, ideas come from the conjugation of many different factors.   In this specific case, we were filming exercises for the training software and it was a leg day, particularly squats. In order to ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Sports It’s hard to believe that in certain circles, protein has gotten a reputation as being harmful for bone health.  After all, Paleolithic hunter-gatherer diets typically contained a large proportion of meat, yet anthropologists can sometimes distinguish the remains of hunter-gatherers from those of agriculturalists ...

Having statistical data is always fascinating, especially when is about showing the results and benefits of doing a proper Structural Assessment analysis, along with the right training program for that person.   This is a case study of a cyclist that was looking at improving his performance after a relatively ...

Guest Blog by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon There is a lot of confusion in the weight loss space. While there are certainly many factors as to why high-quality weight loss can be challenging, one cannot overlook the core fundamentals.   One core principle is understanding what you put in your mouth. ...

Did you know that you can enhance and positively affect your brain performance? And that you can accomplish this at any time of the day? Here is how I do it.   I recently wrote an article about Pre-Workout Supplements where I addressed the subject of my favorite supplements to ...

Guest blog by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Before I get into the direct answer; let’s start by talking about the food guide pyramid that came in the mid-1980’s, basically it said we’re going to reduce higher quality proteins and animal proteins, because of cholesterol and saturated fat. That we should eat ...

Every time I don’t train at my gym, I face the most common situation on commercial gyms, and it is that people, even with personal trainers, simply take one piece of equipment, perform one set, rest for a certain number of minutes while sitting on the very same piece of ...

Guest Blog By Designs for Sports Depression is a complex mental health disorder that affects individuals and society on a large scale. It is the second-most leading cause of disabilities globally. The economic burden of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults in the US was $210.5 billion in 2010. There ...

Coffee consumption has been the center of controversial positions for a long time. In this article I’m going to show many of the benefits of this beverage, and the research that backs up those findings.   One thing that is perfectly clear for me is that as Lucretius said, “one ...

Guest blog by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Do you trust food labels? Food companies get a lot of flexibility in what they report on a food label. They use information about individual ingredients and then estimate what may be in the final product. Food companies are allowed nearly 20% error in ...

Guest blog by Designs for Sport Pick up any popular magazine or click on a health headline and you’re more likely than not to find something about fasting. Fasting is all the rage right now, being touted as having anti-aging effects, facilitating fat loss, boosting mood and providing mental clarity and sharp cognition. Research even ...

Guest blog by Designs For Sports A Review demonstrates effectiveness of vitamin intake on pancreatic cancer risk Pancreatic cancer is the 12th most common cancer in the world and often has a poor prognosis, even if diagnosed early. It typically spreads rapidly and is rarely detected in its early stages, ...

In Part 1 of these series I talked about the length of the training session and why you shouldn’t touch your phone while training. In Part 2, I discussed about hydration, performance, and the importance of the use of electrolytes. Now in Part 3 I’ll address the subject of the ...

Guest blog from Designs For Health   Resveratrol is a polyphenol with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been widely publicized for its cardiovascular, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-aging benefits.  Resveratrol activates sirtuins, which can increase insulin sensitivity and protect against oxidative damage. Previous research with resveratrol has demonstrated improvements in ...

From Part 1 of this series of articles, you know that a great training session shouldn’t last more than 60 minutes and that you should minimize your exposure to EMF radiation whether it is a mobile phone, a smart watch or a laptop.   In Part 2 I will discuss ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Sport Adequate protein intake with the full complement of amino acids, especially the branched-chain amino acids like leucine, are important for ensuring the building blocks for building healthy muscles. However, muscle health requires more nutrition than just protein. Consuming a nutritious diet to ensure sufficient ...

  If you have read my series of articles “How to prepare for a great training session” you might already know how pre-training food, supplements, stretching, training plan and motivation can improve or totally ruin your workout. But let’s talk about what to do during the workout to make sure ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Health Could Skimping on Protein Make You Binge on Carbs and Fat? There seem to be two major camps in the diet wars: low fat and low carb. In the former, people go out of their way to buy skinless chicken and fat-free dairy, and ...

  There are thousands and thousands of hypertrophy programs out there, some of them work and some others are useless. This time I will focus more on the principles behind One of My Favorite Ways to Train for Hypertrophy and then I will provide the actual program explaining possible modifications ...

A guest Blog from Designs for Health Incandescent lighting has served to illuminate the spaces of mankind since Thomas Edison first patented the lightbulb in the late 19th century. After nearly 130 years of service, this faithful lighting technology has suddenly been forced into retirement to make way for the newer, ...

It is well known that training in a commercial gym is quite a challenging experience, going from people stealing your equipment – even plates on a bar you are using –, to being unable to properly progress on the weight because of the lack of small increments in dumbbells, cables ...

Guest blog by Designs for Health Study demonstrates fat intake is associated with an overall lower mortality and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease The association between different macronutrients and their correlation with overall mortality and cardiovascular disease is controversial. Fat often gets a bad reputation in traditional medicine, although ...

We are living in the culture of the short cut, or perhaps, the culture of the least amount of effort, and strength coaching and personal training are not the exception. A large number of trainers believe that YouTube, or similar platforms, are the ultimate source of knowledge and from there ...

Guest Blog by Designs For Health Study demonstrates curcuminoids increase HDL and lower lipoprotein(a) in type 2 diabetes patients There are only a few natural products that have demonstrated such a wide range of protective properties as curcumin. Turmeric has three main bioactive components, namely curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. These ...

On parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 we discussed the planning of the training program, pre-training food, pre-training supplements, uplifting motivation and stretching, respectively. On part 6, I will discuss the warm-up.   Just walk inside a commercial gym and you’ll find a wide range of approaches to warm-up, ...

On parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, we discussed the planning of the training program, pre-training food, pre-training supplements, and uplifting motivation, respectively. On part 5, I will discuss stretching.   The subject of stretching is very controversial, especially when it is related to the one performed before the training ...

Guest blog by Designs for Health Study demonstrates omega-3 supplementation attenuates microglial activation and inflammatory response from traumatic brain injury   The treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a clinical challenge. Medical treatments for post-concussion symptoms have consisted mainly of opiates for headaches, anti-depressants, anti-nauseas, anti-vertigo, stimulants, ...

On parts 1, 2 and 3 we discussed the planning of the training program, pre-training food and pre-training supplements, respectively. On part 4, I will discuss some uplifting motivation.   And this brings me back to the times when I was working at Prentiss Hockey Performance. Ben and I were ...

Guest blog by Designs for Health Resveratrol helps to improve arterial stiffness and reduce oxidative damage in diabetics   Resveratrol is a polyphenol with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  It has been widely publicized for its cardiovascular health benefits; however, there are few human studies in patients with atherosclerogenic diseases. ...

In part one I talked about The Training Program, on the part 2 I discussed about Pre-Training Food, and now it's time to address Pre-Workout Supplements   In general, when talking about pre-training supplements, you have two main options. The supplements that are meant to increase neural drive and focus, ...

A recent study demonstrates omega-3 fatty acids increase blood flow to regions of the brain associated with cognition Guest Blog by Designs For Health   According to a recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, by using neuroimaging, researchers were able to demonstrate increased blood flow in regions ...

How to Prepare for a Great Training Session - Pre-Training Food   In the first part of these series, I talked about the training program, planning and measuring. On the second part of this article, I will address the subject of pre-training food.   The subject of food is a little ...

A guest Blog by Designs for Health Zinc is where it's at! Zinc has a long history known as the mineral of the immune system. New research from Oregon State University demonstrated that it appears to affect how the immune system responds to inflammation. A zinc deficiency may play a role ...

How to Prepare for a Great Training Session - The Training Program   This is a multi-series article, and in every post, I’ll address a different point on how to prepare for a great training session.   Winston Churchill is credited with the expression “who fails to plan is planning ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Health New study demonstrates how gut bacteria causes obesity According to a new study published in Nature, a research team from Yale has identified the mechanism in which gut dysbiosis leads to obesity. Scientists have already understood that the gut microbiome is associated with metabolic ...

The Russian Squat System   Soviets were well known for producing impressive results on Weightlifting, and their performance at the Olympic games was absolutely outstanding. They were also well known for their devotion to strength training research with a large number of publications on different subjects, including the implementation of ...

A Guest Blog by Designs for Health Fish Oil and Vitamin D - The Serotonin Power Team Many studies have demonstrated that fish oils and vitamin D help improve cognitive function, but what exactly is the mechanism of action? In an article just published in FASEB Journal, serotonin is described as ...

Guest blog by Designs for Health High-carbohydrate foods are rewarding to the mouth Biting into a glazed donut, with the subtle crunch of the sugar coating giving way to soft, pillowy dough underneath, can instantly transform a mind-numbing work meeting into a temporary visit to one’s proverbial “happy place.” (That ...

Guest Blog by Designs for Health Previously we discussed the importance of moving an individual’s paradigm away from calorie quantity and toward calorie quality in the battle against obesity. Re-educating individuals about the metabolic differences between protein fat and carbohydrates in regards to obesity will give them confidence to abandon ...

A guest blog by Designs for Health There is more to weight management than just "Calories In, Calories Out" “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Though highly debatable, the general premise of this well-known and oft quoted cliché is that it is hard to break old habits and ...

It is easier to win the day if you make the right choices for breakfast. As my mentor used to say, “The first thing you put in your mouth in the morning… provided it is food… dictates all neurotransmitters for the whole day.” When working with clients ranging from world ...

We’ve always been told that we are what we eat. But if you go a bit further, you’ll understand that we are actually what we absorb. Nowadays we have much less nutrients inside our cells than our grandparents. Modern agricultural systems and lower stomach acid levels (HCl) are two of ...

Part of my philosophy on training, and other aspects of life, is to keep eyes and mind wide opened, and be willing to try new findings, and that includes Sarcoplasm Stimulating Training for hypertrophy and muscle pump. Because of this, I found a training program in the Journal Frontiers of ...

What is warm-up? Warm-up is extremely simple. Stay away from people who overcomplicate things … the typical wannabe coach will prescribe moronic routines consisting of 10 minutes of carioca drills supersetted with humping a foam roller for hours on end. This set-up is more likely to earn you a restraining ...

The vertical jump is one of the hallmarks of athleticism. It is used to test an athlete’s ability and discriminate those with great potential from those with… not so much potential. So, it comes as no surprise that much energy and thought has been given on ways to improve it. ...

Of all the lifts, the overhead press and its many variants have to be the most misunderstood and, sadly, underutilized. Yet, it is a very powerful tool to use in your arsenal for shoulder, traps and triceps hypertrophy, athletic performance and, believe it or not, shoulder health. Back in the ...

Anyone with even a passing interest in nutrition knows that any number of topics can stir up emotions. One of the worst offenders is cholesterol. Although pretty much every one knows of cholesterol, few actually know what cholesterol is and what role it plays in the body. It’s high time ...

Decide what to focus on. Save time. Make your efforts count. Use the strength deficit formula. Who is it for? It applies both for athletes and bodybuilders. Bodybuilders will know whether they should focus on strength or size at this point of their training. Athletes need this information to periodize ...

Metabolic conditioning is all the rage right now, from Crossfit to more ancient, traditional methods of fat loss. This is nothing new, as many athletes have used different methods ranging from bodyweight exercises to exercises using kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells and other tools to improve their conditioning and body composition. The ...

A 2012 study found that 52% of Americans felt that doing their taxes was easier than figuring out how to eat healthy. This begs the question: is it that hard to eat healthy? Well, the environment definitely makes it harder! Healthy food is expensive. Plus unhealthy food is ubiquitous. It ...

As iron addicts, we eat to build mass. But food is many things, depending on who you ask: fuel for energy, building blocks for the body, comfort for the mind and soul. It seems everyone has their idea of what food is and popular diets have flocks of believers who ...

Aging is a fact of life. However growing old is a matter of choice. Although aging is still a process we know precious little about, a growing body of science is devoted to it, because the age pyramid seems to be inverted. As such, it has become a growing social ...

A guest Blog by Designs for Health Despite decades of advice to increase physical activity for the purpose of “burning calories” to aid in weight loss, millions of people conducting their own “n=1” experiments have found that exercise does not result in magical body fat loss. Lack of expected results ...

Guest blog by Designs For Health Ever since Dr. Robert Atkins came out with his first low-carb diet book in 1972, carbohydrate restriction has been a slam dunk for weight loss. In those early years, however, that impressive weight loss was often accompanied by fears that even though health appeared ...

Do Your Suffer from a Strength Deficit? Specific performance demand specific types of strength. They are a necessity to grow. A strength deficit can hamper your gains in muscle mass or strength. What is a strength deficit? It refers to the ratio between concentric and eccentric strength. Essentially, an eccentric ...

Hamstrings are the Rodney Dangerfield of the muscle-building world: they don’t get no respect. They’re situated on the back of the legs, compounding two issues in the bro-training manual: being part of the legs and not being seen in a mirror. And yet, any bodybuilding aficionado can tell you that ...