“Sitting will kill you”—this is a CNN headline that caught my eye a few days ago. In fact, many recent research studies have revealed that being sedentary and sitting too much will shorten one’s lifespan, diminish quality of life and contribute to the development of chronic diseases. How is it possible that, with the knowledge…
Toning up, or improving muscle definition, is one of the most common goals of individuals starting an exercise program. The term tone comes from “tonus,” which is the technical term for a state of contraction of a muscle fiber. If all of the fibers within a muscle contract, it creates the shape commonly associated with…
How would you feel if I told you that I would give you $100, give or take $200? For years, this is not unlike what we’ve done with heart-rate training. Measuring exercise intensity using heart rate has suffered from two major problems: Using relatively inaccurate formulas to make specific exercise-intensity recommendations Attaching discrete, seemingly all-or-nothing…
If you are a night owl, an early bird or a combination of both, there is one thing we all have in common: You probably aren’t getting enough sleep. While many of us aspire to get those recommended eight hours of sleep, we often try and get by with five or six. Let’s face it—sometimes…
In the movie Fletch, released the same year that ACE was founded (1985), comedian Chevy Chase plays the role of Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, a reporter working undercover to expose drug dealing on the beaches of Los Angeles. Over the course of his investigation, Fletch assumes a variety of creative characters as he identifies the corrupt…
If you watch sports on TV, at some point you’ve probably heard a commentator talk about an athlete having explosive or powerful muscles. For example, professional football player JJ Watt has received a lot of attention for his off-season conditioning program, which includes flipping a large truck tire. A sportscaster was recently discussing Watt’s training…
Your genes don’t tell your story—what is between them does. Your genetic make-up is a little like being given a car that you didn’t get to choose. Your genes might determine what kind of car you get, its quality and some of its specific features. All cars have a steering wheel, four tires, an engine,…
Testosterone is an anabolic steroid responsible for promoting the repair and growth of muscle proteins. Currently, there are a lot of half-truths out there regarding low testosterone levels among men and how to raise them. To help clarify some of the misinformation being propagated, here is what you need to know about low-T and what…
Over the past decade, foam rollers have become a ubiquitous piece of exercise equipment, found almost anywhere people like to sweat. In general, foam rollers are cylindrical sections of hard foam, approximately 6 inches in diameter, and available in a variety of textures and lengths. Softer foam rollers are pliable and mold to the shape…
There is a huge cultural shift taking place today as many states consider allowing the legal use of marijuana as a recreational drug. In 1996, California was the first state to allow the medicinal use of marijuana, and since then 24 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Currently, four states allow…