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REFRAMING THE MICROCYCLE: WHY YOUR TRAINING WEEK DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SEVEN DAYS
Training Level TEN Coaching Training Level TEN Coaching

REFRAMING THE MICROCYCLE: WHY YOUR TRAINING WEEK DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SEVEN DAYS

Are you the type of person who sometimes struggles to fit all of your physical activity into a 7 day period?  Do you wish you could plan 3 strength training, 2 cardio days, and 2 yoga days into your training week and still have days you don’t do anything at all? 

The good news is, you can!

It’s all about reframing what your training week actually looks like and how it is laid out.  Mainly, it’s about getting away from the idea that a training week has to be 7 days.

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THE FIVE CARDIO ZONES & HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE THEM
Training Level TEN Coaching Training Level TEN Coaching

THE FIVE CARDIO ZONES & HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE THEM

Highway to the…Cardio Zone? The Heart Rate Target Zone system of categorizing exercise has caught quite a bit of steam across the ‘gram and in fitness circles of all types. What you’ve probably heard most is the term “Zone 2 Cardio,” and if you’re anything like me, you've most likely asked yourself - “well what about the other zones?” Well, you’re in luck because today we’re talking about what the zones are and how to use them.

You may be surprised to hear that you probably already know more about the 5 heart rate target zones or “cardio zones” than you think. If you’ve ever been late for a plane and had to sprint through the airport with all your luggage to make the flight and you feel your heart pounding as you finally plop down in your seat, you’ve been in the higher end of the cardio zones. You see, there is a direct, linear relationship between exercise intensity and heart rate. In other words - the harder you exercise, the higher your heart rate is (which most of us know intuitively!). The 5 numbered zones are simply a “framework” to categorize and understand the purpose of different training intensities as well as how they impact things like performance, health, and longevity.

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STAYING ON TRACK WITH YOUR GOALS POST HOLIDAY SEASON
Wellness, Mindset, Nutrition, Training Level TEN Coaching Wellness, Mindset, Nutrition, Training Level TEN Coaching

STAYING ON TRACK WITH YOUR GOALS POST HOLIDAY SEASON

Did you know that by mid-January, a large population of (about 80%) people abandon their “New Year's Resolutions”? I’d argue that primary reasons for this include a combination of setting unrealistic expectations and not having a strong “why” behind the goal in the first place.

Having a strong “why” such as “I want to lose weight so that I can keep up with my kids on vacation and have the energy to make those memories that will last a lifetime” will likely carry a lot more meaning than “fitting into that bikini you wore in college”? Make sense?

If you didn’t set a New Year’s Resolution, this still applies to you. Goal-setting is an important part of success. So, whether you are looking for a better way to set realistic goals or you are coming off of “Dry January” or “Whole 30”, let’s review a few ways to do this in a way that supports your goal in the long-run...

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DE-INFLUENCING FITNESS & NUTRITION TRENDS
Nutrition, Training Level TEN Coaching Nutrition, Training Level TEN Coaching

DE-INFLUENCING FITNESS & NUTRITION TRENDS

Fitness trends come and go over time and can make it hard to discern what’s really going to be helpful for improving your health long term, or what is just a facade. Many times, these trends come from either anecdotal research, or is cherry-picked from current research.

So how do you know what is real and what’s too good to be true? Today, I hope to help you out with that...

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MORE EVIDENCE THAT MEAL TIMING MATTERS
Nutrition, Gut Health, Wellness, Training, Supplements Alex Mazzurco Nutrition, Gut Health, Wellness, Training, Supplements Alex Mazzurco

MORE EVIDENCE THAT MEAL TIMING MATTERS

If you frequent this blog, there’s no doubt that you know “calories are king (and/or queen)”. When it comes to weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance, energy balance is what dictates the body's response to its respective environment.

You also know that calories are not all that matter.

We at Level TEN pride ourselves on focusing heavily on biofeedback; things like sleep, digestion, energy levels, etc. As such, we also recognize that there is more to “optimizing” your nutrition. We have to consider WHAT you are eating, not just how much. And it’s also becoming more and more clear, from a scientific standpoint, that WHEN you eat can also play a role.

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RESISTANCE TRAINING & PAIN
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

RESISTANCE TRAINING & PAIN

Physical activity that puts demands on the body has many benefits that vastly outweigh the risks.  From increases in strength, injury prevention, improved mental health, and longevity; we KNOW resistance training is wildly beneficial.

One thing to remember however, is that exercise is a stressor on the body.  This means that from time to time we may experience discomfort, pain, and injuries.  

The goal of this article is to explore pain with regards to resistance training and understand how to navigate through and around pain appropriately within your workouts.

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PRIORITIZING MOVEMENT WITH KIDS
Training, Wellness Alex Mazzurco Training, Wellness Alex Mazzurco

PRIORITIZING MOVEMENT WITH KIDS

Helloooo!  Coach Tom here to discuss why and how we should help foster kids to learn about healthy movement.

First let’s consider some simple facts from the CDC regarding childhood obesity: 

The prevalence of obesity was 19.7% and affected about 14.7 million children and adolescents. Obesity prevalence was 12.7% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.7% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 22.2% among 12- to 19-year-olds. 

These are numbers that have only increased over time as well.  We know that early childhood obesity can result in a number of adverse health conditions earlier in life. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems such as asthma and sleep apnea, and joint problems.

What’s the solution to this ever growing problem? How can we combat all the forces at play that are working against kids such as?  As a parent I believe the first place to start is by setting an example and working on yourself first.  Prioritizing your own health by displaying a positive relationship with food and exercise is a great way to set your kids up for future success.  I can assure you future parents - that kids are most definitely “monkey see, monkey do”.  As far as the fine details of nutrition for kids, I'll leave that to nutrition experts.

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WHAT KIND OF CARDIO IS BEST FOR ME?
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

WHAT KIND OF CARDIO IS BEST FOR ME?

It's important to note that cardio shouldn't be done at the expense of losing lean body mass. With increases in cardio, we often need increases in calories or sleep needs to help protect lean mass and to keep recovery and biofeedback in a good place.

The goal is to optimize overall health without sacrificing other aspects of it.

Believe it or not - There is now research that shows a strongcorrelation between loss of lean body mass and a rise in all cause mortality and muscle mass as an indicator for an increase in longevity. Do your cardio - but don't forget to prioritize strength training & adequate nutrition!

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LOWER BODY FAT & SIX PACK ABS, BUT AT WHAT COST?
Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco

LOWER BODY FAT & SIX PACK ABS, BUT AT WHAT COST?

The drive to look our best is a large factor for many of us when it comes to why we get into working out and eating healthier. The truth is, there is nothing wrong with having that be used as a motivator. What many don’t know is that to be truly lean–the guy with the 6 pack, the girl with no lower belly fat, there is a LOT more work involved than just exercising regularly and eating healthy.

You have probably heard of the 80/20 rule, the balanced lifestyle, and you have potentially even gone through dieting phases where you were stricter than these. The main difference in these types of diets or lifestyles is the true cost of changing your life. You may think it is worth it, that you’re ready for that kind of commitment–but let’s talk about what it truly means to live the super lean lifestyle.

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BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS HARD
Wellness, Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco Wellness, Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco

BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS HARD

Behavior change is hard. And unfortunately, the more “failed” attempts you have had in the past, the more difficult change usually becomes. So why is that?

One theory that is commonly used to develop and evaluate behavior change is the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). This theory has been developed by Albert Bandura to help explain why (or why not) people participate in various health-enhancing behaviors.

In this theory, there are four main components that ultimately relate to behavior change: Self-efficacy, Outcome expectations, Psychosocial factors, and Goals. Each one contributes, in some degree, to peoples’ participation and ultimately success in behavior change.

Let’s look at each one and see why they matter.

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THE SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION & APPLYING IT TO HABITS
Wellness, Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco Wellness, Nutrition, Training Alex Mazzurco

THE SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION & APPLYING IT TO HABITS

Motivation has been anecdotally referred to as the “secret sauce” for seeing, and keeping, results in the fitness journey. Influencers, coaches, and athletes alike “make it look so easy” because they seem constantly motivated. By similar logic, lack of motivation is often the scapegoat for stalls in progress. So what is the science behind motivation? Is it really a prerequisite for sustaining a healthy lifestyle? Let’s dive in.

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TRAINING VOLUME: FURTHERING THE DISCUSSION
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

TRAINING VOLUME: FURTHERING THE DISCUSSION

Spoiler alert: The answer is it depends. Numerous factors need to be considered when assessing the appropriate amount of work to be programmed to maximize your gains. Things like:

Training age/experience (are you brand new to resistance training or have you been lifting for years and years)

Exercise selection (are you performing compound or isolation movements, are you biasing long muscle lengths vs short muscle lengths, etc)

Nutritional Status (are you hypocaloric, hypercaloric, eating in maintenance, low carb, etc)

How much volume have you been doing recently?

Are you making progress at the current level of volume you’re performing?

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USING TEMPO IN YOUR TRAINING
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

USING TEMPO IN YOUR TRAINING

You may have heard of “tempo work” in your training prior to today, but perhaps you've yet to utilize it in your own workouts. Tempo, or time spent under tension, is something we use at Level TEN - often to help clients not only gain strength, but improve control in their exercises.

So what is tempo? Tempo is the speed at which you perform a repetition of a given exercise. This is also sometimes referred to as TUT or Time Under Tension. You’ll see them used interchangeably.

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HOW LONG SHOULD I REST BETWEEN SETS?
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

HOW LONG SHOULD I REST BETWEEN SETS?

As coaches we typically program or offer up a general guideline for our clients on how long they should rest between sets of their exercises. This is a vital part of programming workouts as most people simply don’t think about how long they truly should rest between sets.

First let me state that rest periods are extremely goal dependent. I like to think of prescribing rest periods into 2 main categories:

Conditioning or Metabolic - Shorter rest.

Strength or Hypertrophy - Longer rest.

This is a simplification, but just know that rest periods will directly affect your ability to chase a certain goal.

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IS BEING “EFFICIENT” IDEAL FOR YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS GOALS?
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

IS BEING “EFFICIENT” IDEAL FOR YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS GOALS?

When it comes to efficiency and exercise, we’re referring to a measure of how much EXTERNAL work you get for a certain INPUT of energy.

Exercise efficiency is broadly defined as “the ratio of mechanical work rate over energy expenditure”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Essentially it means, the more we do something, the more effective our body becomes at doing it.

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TRAINING FOR POWER USING PLYOMETRICS
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

TRAINING FOR POWER USING PLYOMETRICS

When we think of individuals who should incorporate power, or velocity based training in their programming we think of explosive athletes. Football players, sprinters, shot put throwers, and the most obvious, olympic weightlifters.

The goal for all of them is to generate force at the highest speed possible.

But what about the everyday, average person who is simply trying to get a little stronger or put on some muscle mass? They surely don’t need to train for power, right? While they probably don’t need to train for power the way these athletes do, there are still benefits for the average person to incorporate into their training plans.

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LET’S TALK MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

LET’S TALK MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE

So what exactly is mechanical advantage?

Mechanical advantage is the ratio of the moment arm through which an applied force acts to that through which a resistive force acts.

Now, if you are thinking what in the world does that mean, you are not alone. In simpler terms, it is essentially how much or how little force your muscles need to generate in order to lift a weight.

Therefore, although you might be lifting a 25lb dumbbell, depending on the lever system in your body, you might actually need to apply more (or less) muscular force than 25lbs to lift that weight.

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PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD MAY NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS…
Training Alex Mazzurco Training Alex Mazzurco

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD MAY NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS…

This is arguably the most common phrase used in the “fitness industry”, more specifically in the lifting community. And for good reason.

It’s a, if not, THE key element to seeing the progress that we want to see. But from what I frequently observe in discussions and posts regarding it, there’s definitely some confusion about what this term really means.

Hopefully by the end of this article things are a bit more clear.

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IT BAND SYNDROME: AN OVERVIEW
Wellness, Training Alex Mazzurco Wellness, Training Alex Mazzurco

IT BAND SYNDROME: AN OVERVIEW

Among the physically active, in particular runners, IT band syndrome is a common nagging injury that can be quite painful and tedious to deal with. Understanding anatomy and biomechanics a little bit better is a great place to start when looking for relief and prevention of IT band syndrome.

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