Articles

When it comes to dieting, eating healthy, and trying to reduce fat on our bodies, we tend to try to avoid sugars, carbs, and processed foods. We also tend to believe that reducing sugars in our diet can be easy when we make food at home. But sugars can still be found naturally in foods...Read More

3 Years, 3 Location, 1000 Lives ChangedRead More

I hear it every single day- “I don’t have time” or “I’m young, I will bounce back fast”. These excuses are used when it comes to cooling down after a workout. After all, it is only the meat in between the warmup and cool down that matters, right? However, by skipping the cool down you...Read More

With Thanksgiving approaching quickly this week, we asked your NBS crew what they are most thankful for this year. Everything has been pretty crazy this year to say the very least; it’s important to reflect on what matters most! Check out what our trainers and coaches had to say about what they are thankful for:...Read More

The Pareto Principle, sometimes called the 80/20 rule, is an observation that there is an unequal distribution between inputs and outputs. For example, 80% of car accidents are caused by 20% of drivers or 80% of sales come from 20% of customers. The truth behind the Pareto Principle is not in the exact distributions (not...Read More

This Wednesday, our country will be honoring our brave servicemen and women through Veterans Day. On this day, we give thanks and recognition to our veterans who have given so much to protect our country. Many will be celebrating by volunteering, giving remembrance, and spending time with our heroes. You can even pay your respects...Read More

Medication non-adherence is when a patient, either intentionally or unwittingly, fails to take a prescription medication as prescribed. Seeing as how 70% of Americans take at least one prescription medication and over half take at least two, it is worrisome that between half or more of them fail to take their medication properly, if at...Read More

With the Clash for Cash getting closer every week here is a brief overview of the events of the competition. The competition is scheduled for the 31st of October and will consist of five events:Press MedleyYoke + Keg CarryFarmer’s Hold Husafell CarryDeadlift  The press medley will consist of three implements clean and pressed in the following order...Read More

The other day I was at the grocery store and noticed a pretty large number of shopping carts that had been left out in the parking lot instead of put back into the return corrals. I began to consider why people don’t put them up and how this might apply to health and fitness. I...Read More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEBp1aOA4Gg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkRead More

Smoothies are a meal option if you need something, quick, nutritious, tasty, and balanced in macronutrients and whole food groups. Below are three simple-ingredient smoothies that can provide a well-rounded meal in drink form. Instructions are simple, just combine all ingredients and enjoy!: Green Smoothie: 1 frozen banana ½ avocado 2 handfuls spinach or kale...Read More

I have a running question that I like to ask people early on in their fitness journey:  “How long do you have to train to look like you’ve been training for 10 years?”  This can be formed into other similar questions as well: “How long does it take to develop 20 years of training knowledge?”...Read More

As we enter into the summer months we will all have more opportunities to get more sunlight and thus more vitamin D. Yet many regularly still take vitamin D supplements if they are unable to get daily sunshine. Another factor to consider is magnesium status. People who take vitamin D supplements but who have low...Read More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA7Z9CjAIxa/?igshid=1fall8bdiyczhRead More

During my time playing college football, we would have meetings every Sunday to review the previous game. We had three big boards in the team meeting room: one for offense, one for defense, and one for special teams. Each board tracked different metrics for each group. For example, the offensive board tracked yards gained and...Read More

Red meat often gets bad press in popular media.  This is unfortunate, because red meat, and in particular beef, is one of the most nutritious foods available. Eating for a healthy heart and enjoying one of your favorite foods, aren’t at odds with one another! Recent research actually shows that eating lean beef as part...Read More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_E84lugdsD/?igshid=699o4u9gpf8tRead More

During a pandemic, you may be faced with having limited availability of foods you normally eat. To make matters more difficult, many have their jobs put on hold, or needing to save money otherwise. But regardless when putting a meal together, you can get creative using simple combinations of your basic macronutrients: carbs, fat, and...Read More

The recent spread of the Coronavirus is having global impacts across many spectrums of life. While the disruptions to our daily lives can be frightening and frustrating, there are many lessons we can learn from this event. The question is whether or not we as individuals, communities, or as a nation are willing to change....Read More

In light of the recent developments with the COVID-19 coronavirus, we want to let you know what measures NBS Fitness has and is taking to ensure a clean and safe facility for members and their families.  We currently partner with a cleaning service that cleans and disinfects daily. We also maintain a regular cleaning and...Read More

David discusses 4 mindset shifts that will change the way you allocate your time. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B88lP2oA_LN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkRead More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B82OlPQlECw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkRead More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8OOTKrgXN-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkRead More

Hey everyone! I hope your week is going well and that you’re making time to engage in activities that energize you. How have your workouts been going in the new year? Are you chasing new goals, or continuing your pursuit toward long-term ones? Are you training for an upcoming event, or enjoying the challenge of...Read More

Did you know February is National Berry Month? Older adults are recommended to eat 1.5 – 2 cups of fruit daily. You can add berries to your daily fruit intake for a nutritious AND delicious boost. Noteworthy Nutrients of Berries:Antioxidants, Fiber, Folate, and Potassium Ways to Boost Berry Intake: Enjoy them as a fresh snack.Add...Read More

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B74JCaUAvIM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkRead More

All across the internet inevitably you’ve been seeing articles about New Year’s resolutions; some that speak affirmingly and some that speak about them negatively. Frankly, I’m unbothered when someone tells me they have a fitness New Year’s resolution. Statistically it’s no different that setting a fitness goal any other time of the year. Many fail,...Read More

“Take a deep breath.” “Just stay moving.” “Two more breaths, then get back to work.” How often have you been in the middle of a workout and your trainer or workout partner says one of the above statements to you? We often overlook how important our breathing is, not only during the course of a...Read More

Next year is fast approaching and with it, a theme of clear vision. 2020 means being able to see clearly what is in front of you without blur or distortion. With that in mind, I wanted to share our vision for next year with all of you.  The Current State of Fitness The other day...Read More

December is here again. It always seems to sneak up on us so fast. Great news is that this is the time to enjoy family, friends, and rich traditions. Be aware, it is also the time of year when tempting treats are everywhere we turn. Unlike other times of the year when the occasional wedding...Read More

At NBS Fitness, our process for getting new clients integrated into the facility is through a No Sweat Intro. It’s just a conversation to get to know you, learn about your goals and struggles, and share with you the best way we can help. During the conversation we’ll ask you what your “Why” is. We...Read More

Fitness is essential at all ages. As our bodies age, it is not a time to slow down or relive the glory days, it’s time to get real about movement and practical fitness. Based on the needs of the aging body, certain changes may need to be made, but strength and conditioning should continue to...Read More

About 40 percent of the United States food supply (1,500 calories/ person/day) goes uneaten. Discarded food in homes and foodservice accounts for 60 percent of this total food loss and is mostly avoidable. Here are several tips to help reduce food waste and save money! Look for recipes on websites that can be searched for...Read More

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about my experience in the Boy Scouts of America growing up. I was a scout all the way through high school when I got my Eagle Scout. I love the idea of young boys and teens developing life skills under the guidance of adult leadership...Read More

While Halloween is typically a day full of costumes and imagination, it can also be full of candy. It does not have to be so scary, however. While Halloween occurs one day a year and habits ultimately provide the consequences to our health, what we do can magnify our usual habits when surrounded by so...Read More

Today I would like to contribute to a topic that people have been fighting about on the internet since its inception: Nutrition. Every couple of years, a fad diet will emerge with its very own rules, restrictions, and claims of being the best way for all human beings to eat and live. We’ve seen Zone,...Read More

Can you feel it in the air yet? Fall will soon be upon us! In order to honor the season and to promote good health, here is a tasty, simple, and healthy recipe to kickstart the Fall. Ingredients:  1/3 cup old fashioned oats uncooked1 teaspoon dried chia seeddash of salt to taste1/3 cup unsweetened almond...Read More

Resistance band training can (and should) be added to your daily workouts. They can be utilized in many ways, from stretching through an increased range of motion, to performing high-volume work in your workouts. With high-volume resistance band work, you will strengthen connective tissue, which in turn will prevent possible soft tissue injuries.Greater storage of...Read More

Supplements are a popular topic among not only your friends at the gym but the general population. There is a supplement for just about everything these days. The industry has grown tremendously in the last few decades, and with that growth, endless options have become available to us, making it more difficult to know which...Read More

This is more fun way to make zucchini than in the pan, but a better alternative to potato chips that also can improve fruit and vegetable intake. Enjoy! Ingredients:  ‐ Cooking Spray  ‐ 2 Medium Zucchini (about 1 pound)  ‐ 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil  ‐ 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan (3/4 oz) ‐ 1/4 Cup Plain...Read More

Human beings are emotionally-driven creatures. Our emotions have a major influence on our decision-making and can even overpower our logic, coercing us into making decisions we know are not the right ones. This happens in our fitness and health decision-making as well. We see it every day as fitness professionals. Clients will have a bad...Read More

In recent months, as we review our workouts at the whiteboard together, we often discuss what our output effort during the conditioning portion should be, 75%, 85%, max effort.  We have also discussed “redlining.” I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what that essentially means, somewhat scientifically. If you go out too...Read More

I recently had a consultation with a man in his 40’s who had a background as a wrestler. This background taught him a ton of mental toughness which he used for many years to develop himself physically. As he got older, the daily toll of high intensity training sessions started to catch up to him...Read More

A recent article by the NY Post showed that American’s waste around $18,000 a year on non-essential expenses. Purchases such as cable, Netflix, eating out, music streaming, subscription boxes and impulse purchases slowly add up to take a large share of the average American’s spending power. This helps to show how the average household has a credit...Read More

Most of us desire to have a six pack of abs while also having the best-looking arms or legs in the gym and are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. This includes putting hour after hour into achieving this goal. Recovery days do not exist and lack of energy via poor food...Read More

Today marks my 10 year anniversary as a CrossFit coach. I was introduced to CrossFit in December of 2008. After having a membership at ATC for years, I needed a change.  I actually used my ATC membership and I had a couple of people I “trained” with and I really enjoyed the community, but I...Read More

I had breakfast with a friend the other day. He started asking me very specific questions about how to implement intermittent fasting. My response was not what he expected. I asked him what was the longest period he had followed a healthy nutrition plan and been consistent with training. 5 years? No. 1 Year? No....Read More

With Summer upon us, that means loads of fresh fruits and vegetables!! Here are some tips on how to save them from early death! Important things to keep in mind are : Don’t keep your produce in the door of the refrigerator where temperatures fluctuate. Keep them in the middle or bottom drawers to keep...Read More

Many people struggle finding quick breakfast recipes that are well-balanced and whole food-based. In today’s fast-paced culture, readily available breakfast foods tend to be either high in fat or sugar (or both) and often also lacking in colorful nutrient-dense plant foods. You have fruit or an omelet with vegetables. This recipe provides a healthy, well-balanced...Read More

Properly planning your training days to ensure you are hitting all of the different muscle groups (without creating imbalances) can be a tall order. With endless combinations of programming variables and schools of thought regarding training, it can be very difficult to decide what exercises to include in your training program. However, breaking the body...Read More

If you’ve ever made a dietary change that you took seriously for even at least one day, you know the feeling. You’re trying to stick to a plan but there is someone who insists that you eat something. And it’s usually not their favorite meal prep recipe if you catch my meaning. For most situations,...Read More

Everyone has heard the term DOMS being tossed around in the gym but what exactly is it, what does that mean to you and how do you recover from it? DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. This means that after a strenuous exercise, the body may experience pain or stiffness that doesn’t usually start...Read More

We often spend so much time practicing and trying to perfect what is important or easy to us. As a result, we spend little time on things that we do not find important or hard to do. With that being said, let me ask you this:   What is more important than breathing and how...Read More

In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to ever walk on the moon. Since the beginning of space travel 536 humans have been into space and 12 have walked on the moon. A total of 18 people have died during launch, flight, or entry. Putting a man onto the moon is an incredibly complex...Read More

NBS Fitness is happy to announce the Spring Nutrition Challenge! In honor of National Nutrition Month, the challenge coordinator and registered dietitian, Tim Burbeck, will kick off the 6-week challenge with a seminar on March 23rd for all registered challenge participants. This is a challenge for anyone who is looking for a fresh start, to...Read More

The Sumo DL High Pull is one of CrossFit’s 9 foundational movements. We teach it to all of our new CrossFitters while going through our OnRamp course.  It doesn’t often come up in programming, and quite honestly I’ve often wondered why it is considered one of CrossFit’s foundational movements, so I did some research and...Read More

I find that many people often need to be reminded that fat loss secrets don’t exist. As I was considering this article, I knew that right off hand many people reading are thinking, “yeah man! The charlatans preying on desperate people with magic pills suck!” Yes, they do suck. That’s a boring topic to me though, and one...Read More

There are several things to understand when your goal is feeding strength. Number one, like any athlete, you have to consider overall calories. If you not eating enough, you will be weak. Secondly, you have to consider the macronutrients, carbs, fat, and protein. Strength athletes are recommended to consume 1.6 -2.0 g/kg of bodyweight (or...Read More

Who depends on you? Who depends on you to be healthy, fit, and strong? Who might depend on your physical abilities thirty years from now? Tomorrow? Today? Who depends on your mental and emotional health? Who depends on your example? Now is the time where everybody reevaluates their life over the previous year and vows...Read More

Dynapenia is the loss of muscle strength, (rather than muscle mass) and is often associated with older adults. It can have devastating effects on a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Climbing stairs, picking up a grandchild, or quite simply getting out of a chair or the bathtub become barely possible. Additionally, this loss of...Read More

If you don’t want to keep adding candles to your birthday cake every year then this article is not for you. Still here with us?  Awesome! Have you ever skipped the weights before at the gym? I know I have. The truth is you could be impacting your lifespan without realizing it. How? One of...Read More

I’ve been in the fitness industry over a decade and have seen the full spectrum of people’s successes and failures. Everyone shows up motivated. Some of them take action. A few less keep up that action in the short term. A few less train smart and follow an intelligent program. And even fewer keep it...Read More

Do you ever find yourself sucking wind after walking up three flights of stairs to get to your apartment? Maybe after a heavy set of squats, or deadlifts? If so, you might try to incorporate some conditioning into your workouts to help improve this.  It’s not fun when it takes 4-5 minutes or longer to...Read More

The holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving, a holiday characterized by spending time and enjoying good meals with friends and family. It is meant to be a time of grateful reflection and thanksgiving for all that we have. Ironically the following day is Black Friday which is a time spent in consumer chaos, away from...Read More

During one wellness presentation, I asked a group of people what they thought was the average amount of weight gained during the holiday season every year in the U.S. Some people on the far end guessed an average of 10-15 pounds. Others had a little more conservative guess of about 5-7. The answer is closer to about one pound. With...Read More

When I first made the transition from powerlifting to CrossFit with the goal of becoming more well-rounded in my health and fitness, I struggled a lot with body weight movements like pushups, sit ups, and pull ups. This was partly due to my weight but also due to lacking the capacity to perform higher rep...Read More

When I was in St. Maarten during vacation, my wife and I went on an excursion with a tour guide who drove our bus. The tour guide talked about how once in an effort to combat the snakes, they introduced mongooses to the island. For a time everything was great. The mongooses reliably cleaned out the...Read More

Recently I have been trying to diet down and get lean again.  2 weeks ago, I got an update from my coach, that resulted in lower carbs on low and medium carb days, and 104 min HIIT cardio per week, broken up over 6 days. The HIIT sessions are done on the newly repaired air...Read More

For the most part, no supplement is going to beat out hardwork, and sometimes pre-workouts can severely hinder your ability to get an accurate RPE on activity, skews heart rate, and can lend to an enormous crash later. For those reasons, I have a tendency to stick to a strong cup of coffee unless I...Read More

Every Day I’m Hustilin’ A lot goes into your daily training beyond just your physical ability. Sleep, nutrition, and stress all play a role. Sometimes we walk into the gym ready to kill the workout but instead, we end up as carnage. The perfect training day is a Unicorn, if there is one in existence,...Read More

I’m about to go on my first cruise next week. Some people desire to be beach-ready physique wise for cruises and I don’t really care for it, but I am planning on coming back and starting my plan to get lean right after. Why? I want to perform better, sure. Being at a stable weight...Read More

The ankle is probably one of the most ignored joints in the human body, especially in athletic performance. Poor ankle mobility affects everything up the kinetic chain. It can lead to knee, hip, lower back, and shoulder problems. It is important as a coach or athlete to earn the right squat, especially heavy weight. If...Read More

Donald Trump is President, Amazon is delivering groceries to your house using drones, and Drake is the top musician in the world. What does all this point to? Zombies. Yep, for sure the zombie apocalypse is on the horizon and if you’re not prepared for it, you’re not going to make it. Luckily for you,...Read More

Are you one of those people that constantly travels for work, and you can never seem to fit in a simple workout, or never know if there is going to be a gym where you are staying? I know quite a few people who do tons of traveling for work, and this always seems to...Read More

…is rarely (though sometimes) the genetic freak.  Before you start peppering me with your anecdotals and acquaintances that defy that statement, I will acknowledge that there are exceptions to that rule. However, the most successful athletes I have known or heard of are usually those who have a bit of genetic predisposition and a lot...Read More

Over the last several months, Steve and I have been working hard to become debt free. In an effort to reduce our monthly expenses, in January, I sold my jeep and “bought” a less expensive car. After driving the car a couple of months, I decided I didn’t care about the car enough to warrant...Read More

I want to outline and explain a few things that dramatically improved my performance in training and ultimately in competition at the 2017 World’s Strongest Man u90kg competition. These changes were lifestyle and diet based, and for their relatively minor investments they could be considered force multipliers with how much of an impact they had....Read More

Fructose Fructose is the sweetest of all-natural sugars. It is somewhat special compared to other sugars. It has its own GLUT transporter which is cool and could potentially make fructose a better option as a carb source, by lowering the total amount of insulin secreted due to specific glucose transporters. Fruit could be a better...Read More

So, what are you willing to sacrifice to reach the goals that you have set for yourself in life? Do you not know? Have you never asked yourself this question before? If you’ve set goals for yourself, then surely you have. Maybe you haven’t, and if that’s the case, then I’d be willing to bet...Read More

Is strongman training appropriate for everyone? 1. Yes, assuming they are healthy enough to do any form of physical training. What are the benefits of strongman training compared to more traditional training styles like powerlifting or bodybuilding? 1. Strongman training involves a few fundamental human movement patterns: the overhead press, the deadlift, weighted carries, and...Read More

In today’s world, a majority of the population has bad posture. With the amount of sedentary lifestyles and desk jobs, our posture is the first thing to suffer. In past articles, I have talked about S and C posture. Just incase you missed it; here’s a quick overview. S posture is excessive rounding of the...Read More

In our pursuits of athletic and physical improvements, we must ensure that we have the proper foundation to continue to build upon. There are two physical capacities that we must enlarge before we can add more on top of them: strength and aerobic capacity. What is capacity? Capacity is used to reference ability in a...Read More

I experienced something recently in my life that has made me change the way I look at myself. I came to the realization of how easy it is to get caught up in our own crap. What do I mean by that? Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Most of the time...Read More

SET UP Stand with heels underneath your hips, legs locked out Hands outside the shoulder with a full grip, elbows slightly in front of the bar Begin with the bar racked on the front on the shoulders, belly tight POINTS OF PERFORMANCE With a tight and rigid body, break at the hips and knees dipping...Read More

Earlier this month I had the the opportunity of taking the Level 1 RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset) course. Long story short, it was more insightful then I ever imagined. As many of my clients and colleagues know I am a firm believer in proper movement mechanics, strength, stability and mobility. All of these play an...Read More

When CrossFit first gained public attention, there was a lot of criticism of the “WOD” training structure from sports scientists and strength coaches. While traditional training utilized a long term periodization model for programming, CrossFit utilized a daily form of programming. Periodization is simply the organization of training. At CrossFit NBS we utilize a long...Read More

I am taking a foods class at the University of Memphis, and we went over apples in one of our class periods. I thought there were a few interesting takeaways in the lecture. We went over the 3 types of apples: Cooking, eating, and combination. The main difference between the apples is the sugar/fiber content....Read More

At the very beginning of any life change, we tend to look at the end picture and all that it will entail before we decide if it will be worth it.  Once we have decided that it is, we often find ourselves with a wave of motivation to start moving all the big rocks in...Read More

Let me ask you something. Have you ever sat and daydreamed about something that you were going to do, or perhaps something that you may have already done but you wanted to revisit that place so you thought about it in you head? I’m sure you have. Maybe you were about to go on a...Read More

We are always trying to find new exercises that challenge and help us reach new levels of performance in the gym and on the course. The tall kneeling step-up is one of those exercises. This exercise is great for developing stability, improve motor patterns and nervous system stimulation. As a rotational athlete, it is very...Read More

  Recently I have had numerous clients compete in powerlifting meets. Some are remote clients (out of state that I do not meet with) and others that are local, whose progression I see week to week (if they follow the prescribed program). Here’s an outline of my experiences and my approach to guiding a client...Read More

Day in and day out you see golfers in the gym doing “golf” exercises. You’ll see them at the cable machines performing their golf swings with resistance or dumbbells and even standing on a medicine ball to improve their balance. Are they accomplishing anything? Probably not. Last thing, we want to do in any sport,...Read More

Mechanics The most important place to begin in CrossFit (or any weightlifting sport for that matter) is with proper mechanics. Mechanics refers to the ability to move properly through core movements. This includes moving your body and external objects in the most efficient, effective, and safest manner possible. In simple terms, you must learn proper...Read More

This article was inspired by a sermon by Jason Cook of Fellowship Memphis on February 4th. I’m writing this article for myself to remember, some of you may enjoy it as well.  Regardless of your religious beliefs, the Bible offers great lessons about how we should live our lives. Stories from the Old Testament provide...Read More

I love me some strict pressing. While typically barbell strict press, I also program is in with log, swiss bar, fat bar, dumbbell, and just about anything you can safely press overhead. I find its utility to be a bit higher than bench press, so if I am really having to consolidate training days, it’s...Read More

Here at Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance, we provide performance-based care for conditions of the musculoskeletal system. Our mission is to provide the members of our community access to the same results-based, quality health care that is typically reserved for collegiate and professional sports teams. Most competitive athletes form personal, long term relationships with their...Read More

With the new years comes the idea of new year’s resolutions and with resolutions we see a broad spectrum of approaches. I know I have seen social media posts that range from big goals and big changes to one small action done daily to people who say they don’t need the New Year to spark...Read More

“No one said this was going to be easy” This phrase is something everyone has heard at some point in their lifetime. (If not, I suggest getting into a hobby that does not entail playing video games). This phrase can be aptly applied to School, Sports, Religion, or Work. Basically anything in life. I would...Read More

It’s that time of the year again: the “new year, new me” saga. How often are those words said with real intention but no real commitment. So, how can we actually achieve these New Years’ resolutions? Set realistic goals – ensure that you don’t set yourself up for failure. Write them down – Statistics show...Read More

After this short blog post about sitting back and doing nothing while someone killed themself with bad habits, I had a long talk with David about what we could do.  After very short deliberation, we have decided that I am going to open up my own books to take a few clients that fall in...Read More

The plot of zombie movies is pretty basic: human kind slowly gets taken over by lifeless creatures that turn each person they bite into another zombie and the small percentage of surviving humans are struggling to survive. It’s a scary concept but clearly fiction; definitely not something we have to worry about….right? Well, I’m here...Read More

How do you Recover Outside of Training?  The first installment of this series was basically me telling you all that I love to drink. Well, not entirely. I enjoy a good drink, unlike some of you all who prefer to drink fruit-flavored stuff spiked with alcohol or beer that takes like water ‘cause you are...Read More

Picture this, you’re at the gym and you see some guy on the bench press. He’s an average looking guy that looks like he may lift, or he may look like he doesn’t even lift, but that’s beside the point. Okay, so he’s benching and is struggling to get some reps in with 135, or...Read More

In my opinion, the T-Bar is the most useful piece of equipment in every gym. Why you may ask?  It can be used to train both upper and lower body, help teach proper motor patterns (hip hinge, squat, deadlift) and it also can be used to train all aspects of strength, power and hypertrophy. What...Read More

Today, I was able to catch up with one of the first coworkers I ever had in my career as a coach.  It was good catching up , and remembering the early days of our careers.  My god, how things have changed for me.  Getting older in itself comes with some maturity, but growing up...Read More

“David, I…HATE…RUNNING!” I’ve heard it more than once in my time as a trainer. Running is a very polarizing activity. Some people love it, most people hate it, and neither side really understands how the other one can feel the way they do towards it. I once programmed a mile run into the training plan...Read More

I would say that I am still pretty new to the sport of powerlifting. I’ve been doing it for almost 3 years now, but I feel like there are many lessons that can be learned in 3 years.  I would like to share a couple of them with all of you in hopes that my...Read More

Headaches are one of the most difficult and common ailments that affect people world-wide. Although they are more common with females, headaches are a burden that almost every person is likely to experience not only in their lifetime, but every year. I understand the complexities of headaches and that many people are likely challenged by...Read More

Last month, we discussed the various types of ruck sacks as well as how to pack them successfully in part 1 of this serious.   Today, we will talk a bit about training for or around your ruck. Most clients that I work with are rucking because rucking is an important ability within their career path. ...Read More

9 Keys to Strengthening our Affiliate (community) I recently read this e-book, Always Be Caring: The 9 Ways to Strengthening Your Affiliate Community  written by Ben Bergeron. The material was written specifically for gym owners and coaches, so during my recent turn presenting during our monthly CE sessions, I delivered my best interpretation of it...Read More

BETTER AGED As people, we adapt and learn which allows us to progress. Well, some of us. Others fail to change and thus fail to progress. Either way, when we implement what we have learned (often through failing), we identify certain variables as the cause of the failure and change those variables. Then we see...Read More

Supplements can be confusing.  Many are absolutely worth the time and effort, while others are clever marketing ploys that don’t really make much, if any, difference on your performance.   Further, of the ones that are worth while, the truth is that *situationally* they aren’t appropriate.  So how do you know what to take and when? ...Read More

Building Callouses Despite what you may have heard, callouses on our hands are actually a good thing. Large callouses however, are not. Let’s start by defining what a callous actually is. Callous –showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others.  Oh, ok, not that kind. Callouses are quite simply just a hardened or...Read More

We discussed rucking on episode 3 of the Iron and Lead Podcast very briefly, and since then I have had quite a few questions on rucking.  While I have had the benefit of working with hundreds of military/LEO/big dudes for the last few years, I do think rucking can be an enjoyable (*gasp*) activity for...Read More

YOUR POSITIONING SUCKS My poverty bench is so comical it could have its own stand up show and make a killing. Seriously, it would sell out the FedEx Forum. My current goal is to hit a (measly) 400lbs bench on the platform. Over a year ago I completely changed my bench setup and stance, which...Read More

Our hips create a lot of power and its important that we learn how to harness that power, especially in the golf swing. How do you harness the power, through a proper hip hinge. What is a hip hinge? The hip hinge, is flexion and extension originating at the hip. It is a fundamental pattern,...Read More

I usually suggest people to eat whole foods as opposed to protein shakes, and to drink protein shakes as their last option. Whole food meals are going to be your best bet for improving body composition, and your diet should consist of mostly whole foods. I do think however, there is a time and a...Read More

Let me ask you a question. Do you ever find yourself getting distracted from doing the things that you need to do to become the best possible version of yourself? I know that for myself, it is a never-ending struggle to stay on track towards reaching my goals and even completing simple tasks, such as...Read More

I’m going to be very honest: somedays, I rise each morning just to go to the gym in hopes of seeing David running so I might make fun of him.  And man, he doesn’t disappoint. However, through this sibling-like tough love, I found myself feeling a little bad for him as the temperatures headed into...Read More

I used to say that anyone who can physically squat a thousand pounds surely doesn’t have any mental weakness but much like many other definitive statements that I have made, I’m about to challenge this one. I first began lifting back in 7th grade. As I started puberty, I shot up in height very quickly...Read More

1) Getting Out of Bed If you were hoping this means that you should hit snooze until 10am, sorry sleepy head. This is referring to HOW you get yourself out of bed. Luckily, this is an easy fix, and one you may be doing correctly already. There are a few reason that getting bed out...Read More

A few months ago, I wrote an article about the importance of warming up before teeing it up on the golf course. Way too often, I see people trying to squeeze in a workout, skipping or just completely forgetting the warm-up because they feel the main movement is more important. When in fact, the warm-up...Read More

Sometimes, life has themes.   Over the past year or so, I have taken a step back from my previous perch as the super set-in-her-ways diva and have done a bit of introspection.  This quest to understand myself a bit more led me to a really great set of writing prompts by Jordan Peterson (...Read More

The CrossFit Games For the first time in CrossFit Games history, it will be televised on a national network. The Games will be broadcast through 2017 and 2018 on CBS, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Digital. With nearly 400,000 athletes from more than 175 countries The CrossFit Games is the single largest participatory sporting...Read More

Sports Performance is a buzzword that holds a high amount of value in competitive athletics. When most people think about performance in sports, they think about training, lifting, agility drills, or other activities that increase the athlete’s abilities. Athletes invest a large amount of time pushing their bodies through extremely high levels of physical stress...Read More

Don’t be Camera Shy If you are like me, explaining things via text can be difficult. Important bits of information can be lost in communication if the message is misinterpreted. This is amplified when trying to give instructions to clients who need explanations or form breakdowns and technique cues. For one thing, the coach is...Read More

Over the past several decades, fitness in golf has been a highly debated topic. Until recently, fitness was viewed negatively on the golf community and was something you “never” should do. However, even though times are changing, people still critic the place of fitness and lifting within the golf community. Prime examples of this are...Read More

In the short time that I have been involved in strength training and powerlifting, there are many things that I’ve noticed throughout that time, and something that sticks out more than most of the atrocities that I come across. That is the act of “program hopping”. Yep, I’m talking about your friend that in one...Read More

Welcome to our third and final installment of the NBS Fitness Guide to Supplements. In Part 1 we discussed the importance of protein and the different types and qualities available. In Part 2 we discussed the importance of a peri workout protocol. We are going to finish this series off with talk about products that can help...Read More

Puzzled We were fortunate enough to enjoy some much needed time with our grandson last weekend. Jackson is absolutely our greatest joy and we treasure our time with him. During our customary trip to Target on Saturday, he picked out a 1000 piece puzzle for us to do together. I always enjoyed putting puzzles together with my children...Read More

The Best Post Meet Recovery Ever! We always talk about taking a break after the meet to let our bodies recover. For those of you who follow this advice, you understand why. Those that do not implement this will understand one day. For me personally, when I finish a meet I don’t have motivation to...Read More

We are all looking to get the best results from our training. However, are we getting the best results if we don’t really know what we need to improve? This is where a movement screening comes in handy. The results from movement screening can help you program your training to improve and restore your physical...Read More

Why CrossFit Kids I’ve been coaching kids for as long as I’ve been coaching adults. One of the focuses has always been teaching kids proper movement patterns that will translate when they get into upper grade level athletics and training. Another benefit to starting kids young is that it sets a precedence for them as...Read More

When I was younger, I managed a commercial gym.  During this time, I became very close and familiar with the members of that gym. As a result, I became a sounding board for frustrations for many of them.  So it wasn’t surprising when Pam* asked if she could come talk to me about some concerns...Read More

Seriously. One easy trick allowed me to have the most productive year of training I’ve ever had. I am now in the best shape of my life, the leanest I have ever been, and the least injured I have ever been. And the greatest part is you can do it too! Whats the secret? I hired a knowledgable professional...Read More

My mind is obsessed with powerlifting and every aspect that goes into it. This haunts me. It can take focus away from other areas. But it also allows me to correlate random things to explain powerlifting in a better way. I was sitting in church and we were talking about vineyards and the growth of...Read More

I feel like we all sound like broken records with our talk about nutrition, dieting, cardio, and everything else that goes hand-in-hand with shedding weight and leaning out. Well, I’m going to “weigh in” on the issue. See what I did there? Now, do you want to lose weight? That seems to be what the...Read More

Kettlebell Training Kettlebell training has always been a favorite of mine. I took a course several years ago and became Level 1 Certified in Kettlbell training in 2010. Eventually, I’d like to become RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified). Programming Kettlbell workouts in our CrossFit programming occurs at least weekly. One of my favorite KB movements is the...Read More

Since the beginning, athletic endeavors and sports supplements have gone hand in hand. We’ve come a long way from ancient Greek wrestlers chewing on rhodiola leaves to the multi-billion dollar supplement industry we see today and we will continue to make progress in the future. The purpose of this series is to educate you on...Read More

At Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance, our motto is Prepare. Perform. Prevent. We truly believe that the services and content that we push for at Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance are a direct reflection of this motto. If a service does not reflect at least one aspects of this motto, then it is not one...Read More

Part 2 Last month, I started an article about the importance of warming up properly before a round of golf. So, let’s review what we talked about in the last post. How many of you walk up to the tee, grab your club and just hit the ball, as the player in the video below?...Read More

Do you have a personal trainer? How have things been going with him/her lately? Are you reaching your goals that you set for yourself? I’m going to lay out some tips here that I think will help you in your fitness, strength, physique endeavors, or whatever your goals may be with your personal trainer if...Read More

Behind all the tan, awkward cut bikinis/speedos and carb-depleted divas lies a sport I really love.  So much, that I am frequently encouraging people to get out of their comfort zone and commit to a formal show.  While I think this is a really great goal for a lot of people, I am reminded time...Read More

When it comes to the organization of training, many people fall back to basics they learned early on in their training career. Things that have been passed time from one lifter to the next and so on and so forth. Many times lifters are not even sure of the purpose or reasoning behind their training...Read More

Pouring into Broken Glasses (2) Now that we have been formally educated by a recognized institute (Part 1) and continue to learn from others while building more of our own theories, next we need to weather the storm of attempting to actually teach people. Trainers and coaches are nothing more than teachers, and athletes and...Read More

Last weekend, the entire NBS team and I, had an amazing opportunity to attend the Elitefts Sports Performance Summit at Ohio State University. It was a once in the lifetime opportunity to have all of those brilliant minds together in one place. At the summit, we were lucky enough to learn from some of the...Read More

How to Be A Great Swinger! Kettlebell swings are personally one of my favorite exercises.  No matter your fitness level, you can learn to swing properly and efficiently. Swing Stance and Set Up Start with placing your feet slightly outside hip width. Your stance should be more narrow than a squat stance, with toes pointing forward....Read More

In the past few years, countless great strength athletes have began incorporating hypertrophy components into their programming.  While the cited reasons vary quite a bit, there’s no debating that there is clearly a case for hypertrophy work for the strength athlete.  Some of the more sophisticated reasons would be to create a frame that can...Read More

Are you a runner who needs help getting back up to speed? Running injuries are seen in everyone from the recreational runner to the most advanced ironman athletes. As a provider for all athletics at the University of Memphis, one of the most challenging sports to tackle is track and field. It is a well acknowledged fact that track...Read More

Pouring into Broken Glasses (1) Back to School An education in Exercise Sports Science is largely comprised of memorizing muscles, understanding movements, and practicing tests to apply to subjects in a lab setting. You learn the scientific theories behind testing as well as the protocols themselves, which test for specific values. Most of this information...Read More

The first ever CrossFit Games was held in 2007 in Southern California at what is knows as, “The Ranch”. Anyone could sign up to compete. This was the workout for the 2-day competition. Saturday Event 1 For time: 1000 meter Row then, 5 rounds: 25 Pull-ups 7 Push jerks (135 / 95 lbs) Event 2...Read More

Did I catch your attention with my gripping title? I hope they’re a few of you that get a moment to read this tid bit of valuable information that can help you to create more stability by understanding the 3 muscular contractions, and what each of them do. One of our biggest goals we want...Read More

The age excuse is a topic that I encounter on a regular basis in my personal and professional life. “I am to old for ‘X’ activity.” “Getting old sucks.” “Back when I was younger…” People talk about age like its an unescapable, constricting prison. It’s as if age simply deteriorates you and keeps you from being active,...Read More

How to Use Bands and Chains for Accommodative Resistance The concept of accommodative resistance can be explained as “the increase of resistance while lifting through a range of motion” (Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing. (2012)). This can be accomplished by using bands or chains to increase tension/weight at the lockout of a...Read More

Kipping Pull Up – The Final Chapter You’ve established a superman (arch) and the hollow position and we’ve taken that movement onto the bar. The next step is actually getting the pull up. Part of the goal when working the Superman/Hollow position is to generate enough force that you create horizontal momentum.  At the apex...Read More

Go to college. Get an exercise science/ kinesiology degree. Go to grad school. Get an internship.  Suck at your trade for a while, then slowly get better. Make mistakes and learn from them. If someone asked me to summarize the path to becoming great in the fitness industry, that would be my initial suggestion.  As we...Read More

I may be slightly biased in my opinion on this subject but 17 years of training and 10 years in the fitness industry has influenced my ideas on what constitutes a solid gym from a gym that sucks. I am sure there are more than just five ways to know if your gym sucks but...Read More

There are many training program systems for strength athletes and different theories are applied within these systems. With so much specialty equipment out there, people tend to get lost in what  to use and more importantly how to use it properly. In this installment in our “Specialty Equipment Series” we are going to look at...Read More

In the past, strength training in golf has been a highly debated topic. However, times are changing. Strength training is important in every sport, even in golf. That’s right, I said it! Proper strength training, on a regular basis, will help prepare a golfer for the physical demands put on their body, reduce risk of...Read More

Recently I had the opportunity to work with Zach Gallmann, founder and producer of the popular strongman series, Finding Strength, at EliteFTS. Zach had heard a lot about the new RPR method for improving performance and fixing compensations. He had a lot of interest in finding out if RPR could help him, so we got him in...Read More

Have you ever done this? Have you squatted and sat back onto a box before? Do you have any particular reason as to why you were doing that? Perhaps you saw it somewhere, maybe someone told you to. Well, here at NBS we have many people who box squat, and a variety of reasons for...Read More

I’m lucky, I have perspective. In the fitness field I’ve worn or wear many hats and that has allowed me to participate and witness many things. It has allowed me to meet and know many people. I’ve had the chance to watch people both fail and succeed, to witness people give up and persevere, and to...Read More

History This case involves a female in her early 30s. She is active, physically fit, and exercises regularly at NBS Fitness. Her complaint is severe pain in the front of the left hip (7/10 on a 0-10 scale). This pain is most notable during active flexion of the hip during exercise or getting up from a...Read More

I recently ran across a great article at EliteFTS on joint maintenance and it was spot on awesome that I decided to share it. With joint and musculoskeletal pain being one of the most prevalent conditions in today’s society, there are a lot of poor resources full of articles and experts trying to sell you on...Read More

Obviously by now, everyone has heard about the hikes in insurance premiums that are going to be occurring in Tennessee or in other states for 2017. If not, you can read about Tennessee increases here. With the amounts that premiums, copays, and deductibles are increasing, its no wonder that health care is one of the most...Read More

An Introduction to RPR: For those who are unfamiliar, over the last two or three months, I have added a new and powerful service to the line of performance and results based services at Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance. The vision of Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance from the beginning has been to provide the best...Read More

Life is about so much more than the Gym.  It’s easy, as a personal trainer, to get tunnel vision and believe that you have everything figured out when in fact you’ve become complacent in several important facets of life.  I have divided my life up into 5 areas that I refer to my sacred geometry...Read More

The kipping pull up is perhaps one of the most sought after gymnastic movements in CrossFit, but can take quite some time to learn. While it may appear as though one is just swinging on the bar and pulling up, there is actually a lot of technique involved. Strength and patience are also key elements...Read More

GPP is one of those cool catch phrases that fitness folks like to throw around to sound smart (me included) but what is it? Is it metcons? Is it pushing the prowler? Is it steady state cardio on a machine? If you don’t know the correct answer, no worries, this article is designed to get...Read More

As David pointed out on his facebook this week, we hosted The Clash For Cash And Cash Car Pull this past weekend and it turned out to be a great success.  NBS Fitness itself has hosted 10 or so events in its existence, and various pieces of our staff have been helping in some capacity...Read More

Why You Should Be Using Specialty Bars to Bench Press Last month’s ARTICLE we looked at specialty bars and why you should use them for your training, particularly squat training. This month we are going to look at specialty bars and implementing them for training the bench press. Before everyone gets freaked out: No, we...Read More

This fall marks my 7th year as either a competitor or provider in collegiate athletics. During these seven years, I’ve been fortunate to do my part in 4 different programs at the Division I level. These experiences have been as narrow as a football only focus to as broad as encompassing all varsity collegiate sports. Being in college athletics long enough, you...Read More

When a meet is approaching there are three questions that you will always be asked.  The first question is are you ready for the meet?  The second question is how did your training go this cycle?  The final question is what is your goal for the meet?  I’m sure that there are more questions that...Read More

Mid-South Spine and Sports Performance is invested in the continual process of providing the best in sports performance care for our athletes and patients. One of these products have been our recent addition of Foot Levelers functional orthotics. These orthotics are providing a much needed support system for an often neglected are in many athletes,...Read More

In the past years, I have been able to really dive into the gut of fitness industry.  Between hosting powerlifting meets and strongman events at NBS, continuing to compete in physique shows, and doing media coverage of national/pro level physique shows, I have been privvy to the backstage antic of many competitors.  One thing that...Read More

In today’s age of trigger warnings, social pressures, and fragile self esteem, people struggling to incorporate fitness into their lives have turned to a commonly used self preservation tactic known as playing the fitness victim. It is characterized by a complete lack of responsibility with a good dosing of helplessness to taste. If you or someone...Read More

Specialty Squat Bars: WTF is this? How many times have you walked into a gym and seen a piece of equipment so odd that you are left scratching your head thinking, “What the hell, why is that even in here?” We get that a lot at NBS, because we have equipment you won’t find at...Read More

Recently, I stumbled across a social media shout out to my strength coach from the University of Iowa, Chris Doyle. The post was meant to congratulate him on a story about a recent pay raise that he had received after an undefeated regular season last year. Basically showing respect to his success and hard work....Read More

  How committed to your goals are you?  Do you whimsically hope for something good to happen, or do you go out and let nothing come between you and what you want to accomplish.  Our bodies naturally, like water, follow the path of least resistance.  If you allow your body to remain at rest then...Read More

As you may remember, my last blog talked about my expectations and excitement for the Reflexive Performance Reset™ (RPR™) seminar being held at The Spot Athletics in Columbus, OH. I was looking forward to this seminar for personal and professional reasons. First, I’m familiar with the challenge of getting a muscle to fire in a specific...Read More

“The Power Of Habit”  by Charles Duhigg is a book that sat in my Amazon wish list for a long time before I pulled the trigger and bought it.  While the book made a lot of great points, I wont ruin it by giving you a summary.  Instead, I got to thinking about how the...Read More

Beginner Background Earlier today I was joking with a member about some of the silly things I did when I was a beginner and I thought all of you would appreciate some of these stories as well. I started training the summer between 7th and 8th grade. Around this time my testosterone levels were starting to increase...Read More

This is literally the only detergent allowed to touch my clothes. Can’t be squatting and have weak shorts, that’doesn’t just be terrible. This is the detergent for those individuals that don’t just want to be strong in the gym but in every aspect of life!Read More

A few weeks ago, me and another member were having a conversation that I have long had with myself about knowledge and learning. This conversation was particularly about nutrition and human performance, but I would argue that it can be applicable to becoming better at your craft, regardless of what it may be. The conversation at hand...Read More

Since joining NBS almost 2 years ago when I was just interning here, I have managed to add about 100 lbs to my bench press, well over 100 lbs on my squat, and well over 100 lbs to my deadlift. Needless to say, if you are wanting to become a stronger version of yourself, then...Read More

Body image wasn’t something I thought I would ever write about.  Not because I don’t have thoughts about it or have no experience with it, because I certainly do.  However, I think its SUCH a hot topic for people and there’s almost no way to address it without upsetting someone.  As my reach has expanded...Read More