Recovery LAB
The missing piece to your full strength and conditioning program Let’s be honest, it is definitely not the sexiest, most Instagrammable element of training, is it? Rolling around on a foam roller can be awkward if you don’t know what you are doing and leave you feeling a bit like a dog […]
Coach vs. Trainer
The problem with trainers is that they are just too damn good at giving advice…. As a health and fitness professional and business owner, I’m constantly asking myself how I have contributed to people, how I helped them and what we can do to be even better after every class or training session, upon meeting […]
Fat Consumption
Fat was out of the picture for the better part of the 20th century due to the massive in-field study (Seven Countries Study) conducted by Ancel Keys. He investigated the dietary patterns of different countries, measured their blood pressure, collected blood samples and gathered other significant measurements. Finally. Ancel Keys concluded that dietary saturated fat […]
Alcohol: 5 biggest impacts on your fitness
Alcohol has barely been a part of my life for a few years now. I drank for the first time in 2018 a couple of weeks ago. I’ve become such a lightweight that my tab was as small as my calves (#teamnocalves) and I couldn’t even make it to midnight. Having a kid definitely changes […]
Reverse Dieting
Reverse dieting can be the difference between maintaining your fat-loss progress, versus gaining it all back with a vengeance. For the benefit of your health and happiness you should not stay on such low calories for too long. The biggest downfall that many people face after a hard fat-loss phase is a diet rebound. This […]
Sleep your way to fitness
For the active lifestyle that I have, I need to really make sure that I sleep enough on a regular basis. I need plenty of energy to deal with my physically tiring job, the 5x per week that I train myself, the focus to be The Lab’s blog writer, and also to help look after […]
Shredded 18 will transform you
Shredded 18.2 has just kicked off with a great turnout of over 40 participants. There is a lot on offer for everyone involved with this 5 week body transformation program. Participants will have access to an unlimited amount of group classes at The Lab and also an outdoor Saturday bootcamp. The classes combine conventional strength […]
Starvation Mode: Is it real?
We have all experienced a point in our fat-loss journey where our progress stalls. Why does this happen when we’re training so hard and it feels like our food rations are comparable to war times? Either we are eating more than we think or there’s some other worldly sorcery at play here. Starvation mode in […]
Deep Squats: Why you should do them
Some gym goers may tell you that deep squats are bad for your knees and that you avoid them at all costs. Hopefully by the end of this blog you can give a rebuttal to their point of view. Deep squats are where your hips go well below your knees on the bottom part of the movement. […]
Carbs at night: Does it cause fat gain?
The role carbs play are often misunderstood in regards to how it changes our body composition. I shake my head every time I hear a personal trainer give misinformed advice about the significance of eating carbohydrates at night. The reduction of your overall calories by eating less carbs is the main contributing factor to your […]
Tips for Gaining Weight
Gaining quality weight is not as easy as you might think. Not everyone’s primary focus is to lose weight when it comes to fitness goals. There are a number of gym goers that are trying to increase their body weight in order to build more muscle and/or improve performance. Nobody usually has a goal of […]
Dieting Exit Strategies
It’s taken months of painstaking dieting and hard graft in the gym to finally achieve a body transformation to be proud of. Time to celebrate with a bottle of champagne and a well-deserved mouthwatering cheat meal of your choice. You wake up the next morning feeling a justifiable sense of accomplishment and achievement, and not […]
Reasons Your Scale Weight Increased
The fat loss fairy might still be working her magic even if your scale weight has increased. The obvious answer to the title question is that you gained some weight from overeating. This might be very well true but before jumping to this conclusion, we should look at all the other variables that could cause […]
10 Macro Friendly Foods
Macro friendly foods are foods that can easily slot into your daily calorie and macro (proteins, fats, and carbs) nutrient targets and keep your hunger at bay. During a fat loss phase the main hurdle to your success is stopping yourself from getting hungry. When you’re hungry the chances that you will cheat on your […]
Setting Goals for the New Year
The New Year is a common time for people to aspire to making self improvements. We start the year off with ample motivation to achieve our New Year’s resolutions but the success rate is hit and miss. When it comes to fitness goals it’s definitely easier to have a clear end result that you’re after. […]
5 Ways to Stay Fit on Holiday
Holiday season is a common time of year to regress on all the work we have done with our training. We spend all year trying to shape up so the last thing we want to do is put all that hard work to waste. Training becomes less of a priority and we allow ourselves free reign […]
Recovery Nutrition 101
Recovery nutrition can make the difference when it comes to making significant progress with your training. With the right nutrition to supplement your workouts, you can recover and adapt quicker to a new training stimulus. A lack of proper nutrition can result in increased muscle soreness, greater fatigue, and affect your overall progress. 4 important components […]
Muscle Soreness – How to minimize it?
Muscle soreness or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is a feeling we can all relate to for up to a few days after a workout. There are plenty of funny memes on how walking up the stairs is a mission in itself after a heavy leg workout the day before. The exact cause of DOMS […]
Carb Load to Improve Your Running
Carb load is a term that might leave your mouth watering at the thought of having free reign to chow down on all your favorite carbohydrate foods. Doing a carb load correctly can have a significantly positive effect on your performance in an endurance event generally lasting longer than 90 minutes. There is more to a carb load than […]
5 exercises that improve your athleticism
5 Exercises That Improve Your Athleticism Fitness is not just about having shredded abs and big biceps. These are just potential benefits that you might obtain. When I entered a strongman competition I was the strongest I had ever been but I definitely didn’t look as good as I did during my physique competitions. My […]
Fat Loss: Cardio vs Weight Training
Fat Loss: Cardio vs Weight Training As the old saying goes, it’s 70% diet and 30% training that determines your body shape. I definitely agree that nutrition plays the biggest part in your overall results but your progress will be strongly enhanced by the way you train. The first time I saw my abs I […]