Got Passion?
***This is an excerpt from a newsletter I wrote to all the EXL clients this last April, so it’s a little out of season, but the message is timeless.*** This time of year is challenging for me. I find it hard to transition from winter to spring, from ski season to mountain bike season. Because the snow has been so soggy I’ve forced myself to do a few spring bike rides. Ya, I was slow. A ride that normally takes me 90 minutes took me close to 2 hours. I can probably chalk it up to being out of biking shape, but more importantly I contribute it to a lack of passion. My...
read moreThink Skinny This Holiday Season
The holiday season is upon us once again. One of the reasons the American waistline is ever expanding is holiday weight gain. Depending on the study, the average American gains between 3-11 pounds during the holidays. Most don’t lose the holiday weight during the ensuing New Year’s resolution rush to the gym. So year after year we Americans get fatter and fatter. My approach during the holidays is…break even. Don’t gain and don’t lose. Enjoy the holidays, but don’t over indulge. The way I see it, you’re already ahead if you start the New...
read moreTime-saving, Fat-burning Cardio…NO Fancy Equipment or Gym Needed
This week I’ve enlisted my EXL Cardio Boot Camp guru, Shawn Webb to tell us a little about cardio and more specifically interval training. Shawn always has creative body-weight only exercises in his bi-weekly cardio boot camp to light up his clients’ metabolism and he doesn’t even need any fancy equipment. ~ Mat “the trainer” Hello fellow boot campers! Tell me if these are two common complaints that people have about cardio. 1. I do not have the time! And, the excuse for those that actually do have time for cardio… 2. I do my cardio, but I don’t...
read more7 Best All-Around Exercises
About a year ago I posted an article called “The 7 Worst Exercises”. It shocked a few people because the list contained a few beloved exercises like the “Thigh Master 2000” and elliptical trainers, exercises a lot of people thought were great exercises (read the post here and learn which others made the list and why). After posting the article I had numerous people ask me, “Mat, what are the 7 best exercises?” I just figured I had written and spoke enough about all the good exercises that I didn’t need to make such a list. So let me reiterate my criteria for a “good...
read moreFunctional Warm-up for Boot Camp or Training
Warming up has changed throughout the years. Back when I was in high school athletics we did a series of static stretches. You know the kind…the whole team spreads out in lines on the field and you bend over and reach for your toes while trying to keep your knees straight at the same time you count to 10 as a team then clap and move onto the next stretch. Most the time nobody was real serious about getting a good stretch, half the time someone would break wind and then the whole stretching session was blown because we would be laughing so hard. I’ll be honest we were...
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