The University of Fitness

Weightlifting 101: Best Tools for the Job

Stepping into the weight room first time can seem a bit daunting. Even if you consider yourself experienced in weight training, it can sometimes be confusing to pick out which tool will best suit your need. There are a bunch of different options out there, so it helps to know the pros and cons of each type of weight to make better decisions during your workout and maximize the effects of your weight training.

Decisions, decisions…

Here are a few basic types of weights:

• Barbells/dumbbells
• Kettlebells
• Bodyweight
• Weight machines
• Odd object weights

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Nutrition 101: One Simple Diet Tip That’s More Than Half the Battle

I’m sure everyone’s heard some version of this little gem of diet tips, but it really is one of the most valuable pieces of advice to follow when it comes to eating healthy: don’t eat anything that comes in a bag or a box. The premise is so simple it can be sort of puzzling: just eat natural foods, the kind that don’t come prepackaged in a cardboard box or an airtight, sealed bag. “Really, that’s it?” That’s it. That means no sugary cereal, no Twinkies, no Doritos, and while we’re at it, you can forget about drinks that come in cans too.

Congratulations! You’re in the right aisle.

Just to cover all our bases, here are some other versions of this rule:

• Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
• Don’t eat anything that doesn’t rot.
• Don’t eat it if there’s something on the ingredient label you can’t pronounce/recognize as actual food.
• Buy your food on the outside edges of the supermarket, not the middle aisles. [Typically where fresh food is]
• Don’t eat anything that casts a shadow. [Oops, how'd that get in there? Silly vegans.]
• Don’t eat anything on a dare.*

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Introduction to Fitness

Welcome to the University of Fitness!

First of all, what is fitness?

Technically speaking, fitness refers to the ability to do a job [fit to run a marathon, fit to run a company, fit to run a fantasy football team - note: I am not any of the above]. In physical terms, it refers to the ability to perform a task, or it could refer to how well you can perform a variety of physical tasks, which is overall fitness.

Sometimes fitness is a job requirement.

Fitness and health are used interchangeably, but health actually refers more to the general well being of your body’s systems, such as all your organs, tissues, etc.. However, you shouldn’t think of fitness and health as two different categories, since much of the work done to improve one will help the other. As a general health term, fitness is usually about being in “good shape”. That generally involves some form of body transformation, such as: [...] Continue Reading…