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One year after the biggest injury of my life, there's a whole lot to talk about.

Injuries can be a real hindrance to gains, especially when they’re serious in nature. Not only can they affect your physical capabilities – they can take a huge toll on your mental state also.  If you’ve been following my work for some time, you may remember that a year ago, I suffered a nearly unheard of injury myself during a game of basketball.

I'm not calling out the individual. I'm calling out the culture.

Somewhere, someone popular broke the news to women that lifting weights wasn’t the “instant bulk” formula that they should be afraid of.

For that, I can speak on behalf of strength coaches worldwide when I express eternal gratefulness.  Introducing the idea of traditional weight training has forever been an area of difficulty, since, until recently, most of its spokespeople were male.

And 'next level' results don't take next level training, programming, or dieting.

The ongoing epidemic in this industry is only picking up steam, and it’s an epidemic that fluffy workout trends are doing what they can to rival.

Our industry has become overscienced for its own good. I’m not sure if it’s because of the inferiority complex we have as a collective group of professionals, since our office is a playground, our power suits come in dri-fit, and our business hours diametrically oppose those of most other professions.  For all these reasons, it can be hard for a trainer to be taken seriously as anything more than a paid motivator or hired goon – especially when the median age for the industry is probably somewhere around 26.

'Cause the truth is, you need it to butter your bread.

I’ve participated in many a rant session with colleagues about the state of the fitness industry, and just how irritated it makes a legit trainer to see the spread of misinformation on large platforms.

Notwithstanding the trainers who won’t admit they’re a part of the problem, most of the people I know have a case for sure.

And my top 12 movies of the year.

It’s that time of year again. Many coaches usually use a year-end blog to summarize some of the best work they’ve seen on the internet, or say what they have planned as goals for the coming year.  Each year (starting in 2011), I make it a point to amass some nuggets of wisdom I either learned or reinforced over the course of the year, and compile it all into one article.  But first, let’s take a look at the highlights for the year.

You're probably paying for the name, and they know it too.

In the western world, we can’t avoid one truth: it’s hard to find someone who wouldn’t relish belonging to something special; something elite – a cut above the rest.  It’s that very perception of importance that makes many say they’d prefer to drive a Benz over a Kia, given money wasn’t an issue.