Listen Now

Many beginners make the mistake of purchasing a weight that is far too light for them when they start getting dumbbells or kettlebells for their home gym. Today we talk about why you should get a heavier weight than you think, and how to choose the right weight to start with so you don't end up with a useless collection of overpriced paperweights.

I'm gonna share a secret with you. There's no best fat loss workout, no best fat loss exercise.  In fact, exercise contributes very little to fat loss progress.  But if you knew that, it would be harder for marketers to sell you fat loss workouts. Let's talk about that in today's podcast.

In today's episode I talk about why you should allow yourself to have some higher fat, tasty foods while your working on your fat loss goals. And no, it's not because keto. 

If you've spent tons of time stretching or doing yoga and never seem to improve your flexibility, don't feel bad. Stretching isn't how we improve flexibility and mobility. In today's episode we discuss what's missing in most people's flexibility program that is easy to fix and will have you developing real, useful flexibility.

There's a lot of good reasons to do cardio, and there are some dumb reasons, too.  Today we chat about why you should do cardio and how to do it right. And we'll definitely chat about the very best form of cardio.

Nutrition can be one of the most complicated things about your fitness journey.  This is compounded by the myriad fad diets out there all claiming to be the best for fat loss. But nutrition doesn't have to be complicated.  There are some simple things that all good eating plans have in common, and those are what I'm sharing in today's episode. Get a sensible nutrition plan along with coaching and strength training by joining my free, online 6 week strong start program: https://www.starbuckfitness.com/6week

When it comes to your workout program, it can be easy to overlook strength training and prioritize cardio or flexibility exercise.  But making this mistake can really slow your progress. Strength training is the foundation on which fitness success lies. Regardless of your goal, getting stronger helps you achieve it faster.  Today we talk a little bit about starting your strength training program. Want a done for you program that includes strength training, nutrition, and coaching? Want it for FREE?  I'm offering my 6 Week Strong Start program for free in January. Apply here: https://www.starbuckfitness.com/6week

This is the first in a series of "First Steps" podcasts I'm doing to help folks get started on their 2021 fitness goals. There's a lot of overwhelming information when you first start an exercise or workout program, and these next episodes will help you to simplify the process and get started on the right foot, no matter if your 2021 goals involve getting stronger, losing fat, feeling better, or anything else!

Now that the holidays have passed and it's time for New Years Resolutions, lots of folks are setting fitness goals. And goals and resolutions are great, but if you're looking to start to exercise more, or work on health in 2021, there's a something you need to do that's more important than goal setting. In this episode, I talk about what's more important than goals and habits, and share my favorite books to help you along the way.

Strength training is the foundation of any good fitness program.  There are so many benefits to having a good strength program in your workout routine.  Whether you want to get more flexible, have more energy, better cardio, or enjoy life more, you have to be stronger. In today's episode I talk about the reasons why strength is the priority, including how it actually improves cardio as well.

I'm going to rustle some jimmies with this episode.   Today we're talking about the very best fat burning exercise. This is it, the final word on the subject.  But that won't stop online fitness folks from continuing to share different exercises, all of them being "the best".  And that's ok.

It's sometimes difficult for beginners to tell the difference between 2 different, but similar enough looking exercises.  In this episode I go over the differences in technique, and programming application for 2 different leg exercises that beginners commonly mix up.

Since we're halfway through December, lots of folks are going to start thinking of their New Years resolutions. And gyms and trainers will be pushing hard with their New Years marketing. New Years resolutions get a lot of criticism, and much of it is valid.  But are New Years resolutions completely useless? In this episode I explain why they are just the thing for some folks. Find The Nerd Gym at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/QualityStrengthVideo

Lately I've been really seeing how far I can go with creating a minimalist lifestyle. I've gotten rid of lots of possessions and it feels great.  So lately I've been experimenting with furniture free living, and with floor sleeping.  The intent is to create more space for mindful movement and exercise. In this episode I talk a little about one successful experiment in minimalism, and one thing I've tried that hasn't worked out.

Weight loss can be a touchy subject. This is doubly the case for vegetarians and vegans who constantly hear criticisms of their chosen lifestyle.  But the truth is that it can be much harder to eat for fat loss if you're following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. In today's episode I get into the numbers and explain why this is, and at the end I share the best vegetarian and vegan source of protein to help you hit your fat loss goals.

Being able to do some basic and routine soft tissue work and self massage is a useful skill to have. You'll be able to improve your flexibility and mobility as well as your recovery after your workouts. In this episode I share 3 tools I like to use for soft tissue work.

This episode finishes up a short series on variety in our workouts and nutrition by going deeper into what kinds of variety you should add to your strength workouts from and exercise selection standpoint.

In yesterday's episode I talked about variety in your workouts. Today we talk about some strategies to get enough variety in your diet.

It's common for people to incorporate too much variety into their strength workouts because they are trying to do muscle confusion (which isn't a thing), or for other reasons. But too much variety in someone's workout program might be one of the things holding them back. In this episode I talk about how much variety you should have, why less is more in your strength training, and why more variety might be best for cardio.

Being able to get to the floor and back up again with balance and control is not only a huge quality of life issue, but can be a rough indicator of overall longevity. In this episode I talk about why it's important to prioritize floor work and how to quantify your ability to get to the floor and rise so you can track progress and improve your overall fitness.