7 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...
read moreNo Gym Equipment…No Problem
“It amazes me that most people spend more time planning out next summer’s vacation than they do planning the rest of their lives.” Patricia Fripp, Professional Speaker This can certainly be true for many people especially when it comes to planning their exercise and nutrition during these challenging summer months. To combat this dilemma we are trying a couple of new things this summer. First, we are taking our workouts outside. The morning boot camps are actually outside at a near by park. Second, we are having the first ever EXL Fitness Skinny Jeans Lifestyle...
read moreSkip the Chocolates Hit, the V-Day Partner Workout
For most people Valentine’s Day is an excuse to blow their nutrition plan, eat a bunch of chocoloate and try to hook up with their significant other. Hey, sounds good to me. I’m all for enjoying a 10% meal and hooking up, but surely we can be more creative than that! Why not mix things up this V-Day with a fun workout you can do in the comfort of your home with your significant other? Today I am going to demo the concept of partner training. Partner training is essentially a workout that involves performing exercises with at least one other person or more. There are a...
read moreThe Healthy 10 Meal Plan
Typically around the beginning of the year, I get people I haven’t heard from in a long time calling me up wanting to get going again in the gym. Which is great. It’s great to catch up with old friends and it’s great to help assist them with their New Year’s resolutions, and exercise is typically one of the most common resolutions. I feel it is an honor that they are asking for my help. So they come in the gym for a quick fitness profile to evaluate their strength, flexibility, posture, balance and overall fitness level (most of them feel like I have them do the...
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