Disclaimer: this info is for entertainment purposes only! If you are injured, seek medical advice from your doctor before proceeding. (Okay, our asses are covered).
There’s no gentle way to say this – training with injuries SUCKS!
Unfortunately, that nagging shoulder pain or swelling in your knee will only get worse if you don’t give it the rest that it needs.
But it’s tough. . .
You’ve been training hard, seeing great results, and you don’t want to stop now because of a little “pain”. Below are a few suggestions to keep you training while at the same time allowing you to take care of what ails you.
Now, it should go without saying, the best way to handle an injury is to prevent it in the first place.
If you’re worried about hurting yourself while lifting, I would encourage you to check out our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. We cover all you need to begin a strength training practice, from equipment, starting weight recommendations, and proper form techniques to prevent injuries. You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion below!
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Alright, before I get into the training with specific injuries, there are a few general tips I give no matter what.
Do you struggle with healthy eating…because you’re not quite sure what that means?
Maybe your doctor told you that you need to lose weight.
Maybe you’re sick and tired of being the self-deprecating big guy/girl in your group of friends.
Maybe you just had your first kid and realized you need to be there for him growing up.
Maybe you woke up this morning, looked in the mirror, and finally came to the realization that it’s time to start taking care of yourself.
Whatever your reason is for wanting to make a change, you’re not alone! Every day, thousands of people make the decision to start eating better and losing weight…and every day those thousands of people don’t really have any plan or idea what they’re doing.
After all, there are so many freaking decisions to be made:
Should I follow the food pyramid?
Should I be counting all of my calories?
What about “heart healthy” whole grains? I hear the Mediterranean Diet is saving lives…
Fear not, for Nerd Fitness is here! (This is where the Nerd Fitness theme song would play…if we had one).
If you’re looking to start losing weight, living healthier, and feeling better, it really comes down to a few key rules:
Eat mostly real food.
Eat fewer calories than you did in the past.
Avoid liquid calories like the plague.
Avoid the plague.
I realize following these rules is much easier said than done – if it was easy then everybody would look like superheroes and supermodels.
But damnit, cake is delicious and you had a bad day and “diet food” is terrible.
And that’s why nobody follows those rules: Life gets in the way and sticking with a diet for more than a week is brutally tough. And diets don’t even work anyways!
And yet…we still fight the good fight. We go on a diet, we starve ourselves, we eat crappy low-fat diet food that tastes terrible, and we become so hungry and cranky and miserable, and yet we STILL don’t see the number on the scale get smaller.
I hear you. This stuff sucks.
There’s nothing more frustrating than putting in the effort for months (or years) while eating food you hate and avoiding the food you love…only to put all of the weight back on when you stop dieting.
I hate that. And I created Nerd Fitness to help people break that cycle and put an actual plan in place to change their lives without being miserable.
This also led to the creation of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, where you’ll get nutritional guidance from a coach that gets to know you better than you know yourself, can answer your questions about what to eat and when, and help keep you accountable.
Schedule a free call with our team by clicking on the image below to see how our coaching program can help you lose weight and eat healthier without hating life at the same time 🙂
And with that out of the way, let’s dig in (heyo!) to the Nerd Fitness philosophy on food. MMMMMM.
My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing, my brain was going crazy.
After ten minutes, I finally mustered up my 20 seconds of courage, literally yelled at myself, got out of the car, and walked through the double doors.
I was getting ready to try something I had always wanted to do but had been too scared….
And an hour later, I left a sweaty mess…
A sweaty mess with a giant smile on my face.
I had just attended my first swing dance class.
I know plenty of people who hate exercise but WANT to find a way to like it. And that’s what today’s post is all about: exercising in a way where life doesn’t suck.
Today I’m going to teach how you to appear more confident.
Why? Because confidence is one of the most important skills in life that you can acquire (other than learning to use the Force, obviously).
I know how important even a little bit of confidence can be in everyday situations, whether it’s negotiating with your boss for a raise, buying a car, giving a presentation, or meeting your fiance’s parents.
We’re naturally attracted to and will have our opinions swayed by those who have (or appear to have) a lot of confidence.
Nerds usually get the short end of the stick in the “naturally confident” department, but that doesn’t mean we can’t acquire it like a new skill, Matrix-style!
So today we’ll discuss five steps that you can take to start seeing a difference in self-confidence immediately.
Before we jump in, I should note that many of our coaching clients report “increased confidence” as a consequence of the program. Which makes sense, because after you’ve changed your nutrition strategy, lost some weight, and learned to pick up a barbell, you start to understand what you’re truly capable of. Which is a huge confidence boost!
If you’d like to learn if our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program would be a good fit for you, you can click on the image below for more info:
There’s an argument in the fitness world that you can either choose to lose fat or you can choose to gain muscle.
You just can’t do both at the same time.
The claim goes something like this:
To lose fat, your body needs to be in a caloric deficit. This deficit allows your body to use up pre-existing fat stores.
To gain muscle, your body needs to be in a caloric surplus. This surplus provides the energy your body requires to repair and build bigger muscles.
How could one possibly do both?
Great question.
Let’s answer it.
Today we’ll discuss losing body fat and building muscle at the exact same time. To see if one can tighten their belt, while simultaneously building strength and gaining muscle.
To help on our journey, we’ll rely on science, studies, and Harry Potter references.
This is Nerd Fitness after all.
First, we’ll talk about the science of losing body fat.
Second, we’ll discuss how you build muscle.
Then, we’ll tie it all together with a bow and chat about if you can lose body fat while building muscle, both at the same time (spoiler alert: you totally can).
“I’ve been losing weight at 2 pounds a week for months, and yet I’ve been stuck the past two weeks despite doing all of the same stuff, what gives!?”
“I’ve been adding 5 lbs a week to my deadlift for half a year, but this week I lifted less than before! WTF?”
“I’ve been running faster and faster miles for a year now, but I can’t seem to break past the seven minute mark. Not cool.”
Today, I’m going to talk to you about plateaus:
Are they real?
What happens when you get stuck on one?
How can you break through?
We’ll dig into the myths and realities of plateaus in this article, but I’m guessing you’re reading this because you’re currently stuck!
I know how demoralizing plateaus can be, especially when it comes to strength training and weight loss – they can be a total momentum killer!
If you’re currently stuck on a plateau and can’t seem to find your way off of it, consider checking out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.
Our coaches will get to know you and your schedule, your life situation (kids? night shift? long commutes?) and then build a custom workout program to fit that schedule. Your coach will work with you to navigate the other aspects of your life, change up your workout program, and help you get through it and back on track.
You can learn more about how our coaching program can help you by clicking on the image below:
There’s nothing more satisfying than picking up a ton of weight off the floor and holding it in your hands.
Jón Páll Sigmarsson, the Icelandic Strongman/Powerlifter once said (while deadlifting 1005 lbs), “There is no reason to be alive if you can’t do a deadlift.”
Now, that may be a bit extreme, but deadlifting is truly a romantic lift.=
On deadlift day, I don’t need assistance or a spotter – it’s just me, the barbell, and the weight. I love nothing more than to put my headphones in, put on a favorite playlist, and focus on nothing but me and that weight.
This is the next article in our strength training from our lead female NF Coaching instructor, Staci, covering all things strength training.
As for her story, she went from this to this thanks to heavy strength training:
And for her credentials, here she is easily deadlifting 400+ lbs at bodyweight of 150 lbs:
Staci has been part of Nerd Fitness for the past 7 years, and is now the lead female trainer in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program!
You might be reading this article, or on the hunt for strength training basics, and you’re overwhelmed:
Am I doing my deadlifts correctly?
What kind of workout should I follow?
How often should I train?
What if I’ve never worked out in a gym before?
Deadlifting in itself is not dangerous – but like with any movement, deadlifting incorrectly can be. Properly executing the deadlift will allow you to build a stronger posterior chain, less fragile joints, and a body that can handle whatever life throws at you.
We love the Deadlift more than any other exercise at Nerd Fitness, but it’s also one of the more intimidating exercises out there. It’s also easy to get wrong, and easy to injure yourself if you start to develop bad habits with it!
Many people are afraid of the deadlift and avoid it at all costs, because they’re afraid of splitting themselves in half or getting injured in another way.
Strength training and fear of injury can be scary enough to keep MOST people from starting, which is actually why we created our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. Your coach gets to know you, builds a program based on your experience and goals, will check your form on each movement (via video), and keep you accountable and on track!
You can learn more about our coaches and schedule a free call with us by clicking the image below:
Okay, today we’re going to fall in love with the deadlift, and make sure you can do them right!
When somebody mentions they practice yoga, these might be some of the questions that enter your mind. I know it’s what I thought about!
Although I was initially afraid of getting on the mat for years, I now freaking love it and flow through some yoga poses whenever I can. It’s my favorite solution for improving mobility and flexibility, staying injury-free when strength training, and even quieting my overactive mind.
And I want you in on it.
We have 21 yoga poses outlined below so you can start your yoga journey. We’ll begin with a complete video routine from our Nerd Fitness Yoga course, so you can see how they work. We’ll then go over the yoga poses in detail. And we’ll end with a couple videos going over some key stretches designed for desk workers.
All because I like you so much.
Our yoga poses are broken out into three levels, for you to progress in difficulty. What can I say, we love leveling up here at Nerd Fitness. Most of our poses are basic, Level One, in case you are completely new to yoga. However, we’ll include a few more advanced poses for further advancement.
I get an email at least once a day that says the following:
“Steve, what should I do for a workout?”
After all, many people are interested in getting started with strength training and want to know what workout routine to follow.
Considering that a program should be developed around a person’s biology, age, goals, diet, free time, etc, there’s a lot of factors I can’t get in through email that would allow me to tailor a program specific to that person.
It’s really easy to overcomplicate this process as there are an infinite number of exercises, sets, reps, and programs to choose from.
And yes, we have a solution for people that JUST want to be told what exactly to do: Our uber popular 1-on-1 coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life.
We take the guesswork and uncertainty out of this process for hundreds of people – and we’d love to be able to pair you with a coach who can do the same: click the image below and speak with our team to learn more:
“Whoa. Fahad! You could fit another Fahad in your old pants!”
Not every Nerd Fitness success story comes with a jaw-dropping transformation.
But in Fahad’s case, it totally does.
And not only does this story come with the physical transformation of Fahad (duh), but it comes with a mental transformation too. Which, in my humble opinion, is his true BIG win. Fahad’s new frame of mind is the secret to all of his later and physical success.
Even more impressive? Fahad’s story has all taken place in the past 6 months! Who knows where he’ll be 6 months from now!
I recently had a chance to interview Fahad, a computer repair technician from Los Angeles, who flipped his internal monologue to create new healthy habits for himself.
Habits that made him drop a few pants sizes….and habits that changed him inside and out.
I’m honored that Fahad’s transformation began with his investment in the Nerd Fitness Academy, our flagship online course and community.
Regardless of whether or not you’re a member of our Academy, I have a huge hunch there will be a ton from this story you can relate to and a lot of lessons you can apply to your everyday life.
Let’s bring in Fahad.
(Pretend like the audience just went wild on a talk show as Fahad walks out on stage.)
If you want to get some concerned looks from your friends and family, tell them you are following an all meat or Carnivore Diet.
It seems to fly in the face of common sense to eat meat, more meat, and nothing but meat.
Yet I see a growing trend of eating a carnivore or “zero-carb” diet. To eat meat, and solely meat, in the name of health.
The popularity of eating only meat made me curious enough to explore the topic. It might be completely and totally insane, but if there are health benefits to eating steak all day, I vow to get to the bottom of it.
So today, Nerd Fitness looks at:
What is the Carnivore Diet?
What are the claimed benefits of an all meat diet?
What do you actually eat on a Zero Carb Diet plan?
Globo Gym employs a highly-trained, quasi-cultural staff of personal alteration specialists. And with our competitively-priced on-site cosmetic surgery, we can turn that Frankenstein you see in the mirror every morning into a Franken-fine!
Of course you’ll still be you in a legal sense, but think of it as a thinner, more attractive, better you than you could ever become without us.
-White Goodman, Dodgeball: The Movie
There are some REALLY bad personal trainers out there. Conversely, there are some AMAZING trainers out there, and they can be the missing link between you and sustainable, consistent progress (or even an elite level of athletic performance).
But when I joined a gym that gave me some free personal trainer sessions, my world suddenly got a lot larger. After talking to the trainer and being handed a complete workout and nutrition strategy that was drastically different from what I had been doing for the 6 years prior – and having more success in a month than I had ever had before – I had an epiphany: “I am an ignoramus and a doofus, and I have a lot to learn.”
As I transformed personally and started formulating the ideas that became Nerd Fitness years later, I took a weekend-long personal trainer certification class as required by my local gym, and saw first hand all these soon to be “trainers” that were about to get certified. The range of experience, education, enthusiasm, and professionalism varied DRASTICALLY from person to person.
I came to realize that this particular certification (as with many others) was more of a “start your fitness professional journey” rather than a test of actually qualifying whether you knew your stuff. In short, many certifications are just the tip of the iceberg when determining if your trainer is worth a damn.
A good trainer is worth every penny they charge. (I know my current virtual coach is the best money I spend each month!)
A bad trainer is not only a waste of your time and money, but can set you back months or even years in your training. You’ll get no results, and waste valuable time/money in the process.
Unfortunately, many trainers just don’t give a damn; they’re going through the motions, not providing a program that provides lasting results.
Today, I want to talk about how you can avoid the bad trainers and find the good ones. They’re not cheap, but the amount of money you spend doesn’t always determine their quality.
Speaking of trainers, I want to quickly share why we have our own coaching program. There’s nothing worse than spending 6+ months in a gym and doing what you think you SHOULD be doing, only to step on the scale and realize that you haven’t made any progress!
If you’re somebody that’s worried about wasting time, or you want to have an expert hand craft a workout and nutrition program that’s based on your current situation, consider checking out our really popular 1-on-1 Online Training Program!
I’ve been training with an online coach for the past 4 years and it has been the biggest boost for me in the world.
Click on the image below to schedule a free call with our team to see if online coaching is the path that could work for you!
If you’re going to hire a trainer, here’s how to find a good one.
Walk into any gym on a Monday, and there’s a good chance not a single bench will be open.
Because Monday’s are National Bench Press Day.
At least, that’s what it seems like!
For many years now, bench press has been considered by many to be the most important exercise in the gym, so many people put the bench front and center in their training program, before all else.
For the last 30-40 years, the bench press has become the universal lift for bros everywhere to determine out how strong someone truly is. The questions are things like:
How much do you bench?
Do you even lift??
As popular as it is, the bench press in its current form is really less than 100 years old.
In fact, until the 1930’s, people did a movement called the “floor press”, which was similar to a bench press only done from the floor.
In fact, at first many people did a movement called a “belly toss” – where the bar would come down and bounce off the belly to help the lifter get it back up.
The three movements – bench press, belly toss, and floor press were all popular until the 40’s and 50’s, when the bench press started to become more and more popular, as bodybuilders liked how the bench worked their pecs better than the other two movements.
As the bench press became more and more popular, powerlifting emerged in the 1970’s and separated itself from weightlifting as a sport of its own.
And to this day, the bench press is still a somewhat controversial lift.
How’s that for a history lesson! I’ve asked Staci, our lead women’s coach from our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program to help teach how to bench.
If you’re somebody interested in powerlifting but not sure on your form, afraid to go to the gym, or just looking for the confidence to get started, sign up for a free call with Team NF to learn about how our coaching program could help solve those problems!
You can schedule that call by clicking in the big yellow box right below here. Otherwise, keep reading this post for more killer content on how to level up your bench press!
