Workout Routines

Women are sorely underrepresented in exercise science. There’s a variety of reasons for this, but one of the more pervasive causes is a misunderstanding of the impact of female biology. Let’s cover some basics. The menstrual cycle involves a follicular phase, followed by ovulation, followed by the luteal phase. During these different phases, hormonal profiles […]

  Fifteen years of working out, and short, efficient workouts are still the foundation of everything I do. In fact, 12 Minute Athlete was built on this exact idea: that you don’t need a gym, fancy equipment, or an hour-long workout to get strong, fit, and confident in your body. You just need a little […]

Many lifters wonder whether their performance in the gym is normal. When performing multiple sets, many lifters will notice they can’t quite match the number of reps they got on the first set on set 2, 3, and so on. As a lifter and as a coach, knowing how much of a drop-off to expect […]

  15 years into training, and I still get excited when I see a pull-up bar. There’s something magical about calisthenics. No gym required. No machines. Just you, your body, and gravity — in a random park or parking structure or wherever you can hang and move. And honestly? It’s fun. I just love feeling […]

Growing up, I believed I just wasn’t athletic. I wasn’t the fastest kid in gym class. I didn’t make the sports teams. I was “average,” and I figured that was just how I was built—some people were naturally athletic, and I just wasn’t one of them. What no one told me back then is that […]

Is it better to isolate a muscle, or should you just stick to the tried-and-true compound lifts? Theoretically, compound movements present more potential bottlenecks to reaching true muscular failure than isolation exercises. When it comes to targeting one muscle as well as possible, this is a downside. There are simply more muscle groups involved – […]

  If you’ve ever skipped a workout because you “just weren’t feeling it,” you’re not alone. It’s easy to think that motivation is the secret to consistency. That people who train regularly must be naturally driven, disciplined, or hyped up all the time. But the truth is, most of us — yes, even seasoned athletes […]

When discussing artificially sweetened beverages, or even when seen consuming one, you may have heard some version of the following: “Artificially sweetened beverages trigger cravings and lead to overeating.” “You’re better off just drinking water.”  Or my favorite, “you’re better off sticking with the full-sugar version of the drink.” It almost seems like a “this […]

I started working out after college with my very first push-up—and I haven’t stopped since. Since then, I’ve trained through just about every phase: calisthenics, boxing, circus arts, gymnastics, and now, jiu-jitsu. My interests have shifted. My body has changed. But one thing has stayed the same: I want to be the best athlete I […]