If you are feeling tight in the neck and shoulders from too much typing and texting (I know I am!) here is my favorite stretch for getting some relief. Channel your inner scorpion!
Read MoreI've been getting a lot of questions and requests for my best recommendations for foam rolling, stretching and mobility. As a trainer and a massage therapist I love helping clients and students with the best strategies for taking care of their fascia and muscles. Check out my collaboration with LiveStrong for the best foam rolling techniques for the whole body.
Read MoreFoam rolling is a great way to take care of tight tissues and to mobilize your joints. But there are some things to avoid. Check out my latest collaborating with LiveStrong for tips from me and other fitness pros. And check out all my LiveStrong interviews here.
Read MoreCheck out my latest NewsUpNow.org segment for my five go-to moves for building a strong back and arms. Whether you want to improve your posture or build/tone your muscles these moves are the foundations.. All you need are two dumbbells and a resistance band to get started.
Read MoreSuper proud to have collaborated with @krgrundy for Livestrong to show off my favorite posture improving strength moves. If you want to improve your posture to reduce pain, improve performance or just to look your best these five moves are a must.
Read MoreAre you struggling to find a fitness routine during all this? Does your diet need help but you’re not sure where to start? Is your body crying out for more stretching and mobility? You’re not alone and I have three free ways to help.
Read MoreAfter running 30 miles this week and a brutal shoulder day Friday and leg day yesterday my body was screaming for a mobility day. Often my hardcore clients will need a full blown mobility session every once and a while so I put this together with my greatest hits! If you have sore, stiff hips, back, knees, shoulders, neck, etc consider grabbing a foam roller, yoga strap and lacrosse or tennis ball and follow along with me for an hour. I promise you’ll feel yummy when you’re done!
Read MoreThe most common way to make an exercise harder is simply to add more weight. But adding more weight isn’t always an option, particularly if you are working out at home. And sometimes just adding more weight even if you have access to it isn’t always the best choice if you have injuries or joint issues. There are several strategic ways you can progress exercises to challenge your body and avoid plateaus in strength-building.
Read MoreIncreased computer work and mobile devices leaves us with tight and painful hands, forearms and biceps. In this video Dr. Cruze shows us how to use an effective self-myofascial technique to release and mobilize hands and forearms to reduce pain while at home.
Read MoreOver the past 20 years, almost one million Americans were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to weight training. I was asked by my friends at MEL Magazine "which exercises will get me ripped, and which will literally rip my body apart?" Nowadays just about anybody can toss on a microphone and lead a group fitness class. And Instagram is crawling with “trainers” telling folks what they should be doing in the gym. It can be hard to tell what’s based on facts and science and what’s bunk. So here's a ranking and explanation of an assortment of exercises by how beneficial they are — from muscle-building to (literally) back-breaking.
Read MoreWant to amp up your cardio and endurance fitness in 2020? Join me in my new 6-week RunFit Boot Camp! Classes will consist of a mix of speed work, hills, tempo and endurance running both indoor and outdoor, as well as strength circuits designed to improve your mobility and strengthen your core, back and glutes. Perfect for all levels and experience, this scalable 18-class program is open to Bay Club members as well as non-members.
Read MoreI get asked all the time by clients, gym members and colleagues who I trust for care when I’m in pain or injured. Dr. Brad Bailey and Dr. Nick Cruze at SF Premier Chiropractic are hands-down my go-to guys for keeping my body in great working order. They have successfully helped dozens of my clients recover from injuries, reduce pain and improve posture. Literally every person I have sent them has improved and raves about the quality of care. They are the real deal and I’m so proud to have them as JJFit partners. And I’m grateful that Dr. Cruze took a few minutes to be interviewed here for those curious about their practice.
Read MoreMany of my clients suffer from occasional muscle spasms in the back, hips, legs and shoulders due to what I call “desk life.”Mobility, strength and core training can help guard against these problems, but sometimes it’s necessary to go a step further to help treat and prevent flare-ups, whether they’re caused by too much sitting or by an injury. Common ways to deal with muscle spasms include visiting a chiropractor, physical therapist or massage therapist. But there are some less common ways. Check out my latest Law.com column for four treatments that many of my clients have used to reduce pain and get back on their feet again.
Read MoreI suffer from occasional muscle spasms in my back, hip and leg due to an old injury. Years of mobility, strength and core training plus the care of some amazing chiropractors, physical therapists and CMTs have minimized my flare ups. As long as I’m careful and catch signs of trouble early I’m usually golden. But every once and a while I get a doozy of an attack and when I do, in addition to traditional chiropractic and massage, these four treatments help reduce my pain and get me back on my feet again.
Read MoreWhen you arrive at the gym, there’s probably a lot on your mind — from stress over neglected emails to excitement about weekend plans. While you certainly get bonus points just for showing up, if you’re working out while distracted or haven’t been trained on proper movements, your workout could lead to unintended consequences. Based on years of observations, I've identified the main moves people execute incorrectly time and again — and provided instruction on how to perform them properly. Thanks to my amazing friend and writer Jill Schildhouse for including my tips in this Oxygen.com article and to my beautiful clients Erica and Sarah for demoing good form.
Read MoreIf you follow me on Facebook or IG you know I caught the running bug this year. I finished my first half marathon in under two hours and managed to log 13-20 mile runs four weeks in a row without injury. This is a huge change for me. Before this year I’d never managed to get more than 5 miles without pain. I credit my improvement to working on my ankle mobility, having my gait analyzed and spending just five minutes prepping my body to run with this simple, effective warm up routine. Check it out along with 14 of my other best running tips.
Read MoreToo many people overlook the all important foot when warming up for cardio or lifting. Dysfunction in the feet leads to pain, injury, poor performance up the chain and a bevy of other nasty stuff. Simply rolling your feet for ~90s/day stimulates proprioceptors that send important information to the brain, fixes many common form issues and keeps the fascia, intrinsic muscles and joints of the feet mobile and healthy.
Read MoreTake a break from crunches and situps and “resist” your way to a fit middle. Check out these tips and videos from my latest Law.com Fit Counselor column.
Read MoreIf you follow me on social media you've likely caught on that I'm running the SF Half Marathon in July with #teamunicorn. But I wanted to be smart about this. I realized there could be some dangers to running 20-30+ miles per week over many months. So before I really amped up my training, I worked with the awesome Dr. Justin Jellin, DPT, ART to have my running gate, muscle output and form professionally analyzed in a RUNATOMY assessment. I interviewed Dr. Jellin for JJ Fit 24/7 so you can learn more about RUNATOMY and decide whether you could benefit from a similar experience.
Read MoreHardbody? Heck yes! Calluses that inevitably result from lifting weights in an attempt to become said hardbody? That’s a nope. But alas, hard pads of skin and lifting weights tend to go hand in callused hand, with calluses most often appearing at the base of the fingers. There are, however, a few simple tricks to prevent and remove calluses (and all those other pesky skin ailments) caused by hitting the gym. Checkout tips from me and dermatologist Rajani Katta in this article from Ian Lecklitner from the DSC blog.
Read MoreOnce a month I gather the best fitness and nutrition news, tips and videos from my blog into one handy email. I never share email addresses with third parties and you can unsubscribe at any time. Check out past issues.
