HITZ Fitness

is convinced that I just want to post this to mock his aerobic capacity while highlighting how cool my dog is. He’s pretty smart.

Cash has officially maxed out the gym treadmill. 10.0x5x20 seconds. Not even winded. Point of comparison: I didn't even know the treadmill went up that high 😂😂😂. Next up: time to teach him how to use the Prowler!

Late Night Squats & Arms. Added in conservative singles (@387/390/393/397) at the end of my working sets b/c my bar speed was moving FAST, and I'm trying to build confidence under heavier weights. I don't do a ton of volume for arm training anymore, so felt a little rusty with these exercises. The 🐶🐶 Bar is pretty joint-friendly though.

Treadmill work for the pup .... plus some weird trot-prancercize deal that he thinks is cool. Top speed: 8.8.

Celebrating 5 full days of DELOAD after 6 successful, will-bending weeks of SquatHell (4x/wk). Deload can mean different things to different people, but for ME it involves a break from my Progressive Overload Training principles, an opportunity for my joints and central nervous system to recover, significant increase in nap frequency/intensity, and time for me to play around in the ToyBox that makes my gym FU***NG AWESOME. Chest Monster Set included: Tsunami Bar Bench, Bamboo Bar Incline, Band-Resisted Swiss Bar Push-ups, & Cable-Resisted DB Flyes.

Project Muscle-up Status: COMPLETE. ✅ Foundations were set with by hammering out YEARS of the strength components, supplemented by a few WEEKS learning & applying the "skill" component. Strength -to-BodyWeight Ratio is pretty nasty on this kid. Narrow grip chin: BW +45lbs. Dips BW +65lbs. 😳😳😳

High(ish) Bar Doubles + PitShark + Elevated GHRs. LMT says 2 of my ribs were "out" yesterday, and apparently are back "in" now. Not sure what that means, but it sounds like an improvement 🤞

My client, Zander, working one Muscle-Up Regressions while I make fun of his graceful dismount......only 2weeks into this progression. We're gonna master these by end of FEB.

I love teaching clients how to lift heavy ass weight with textbook form, but my favorite part of coaching/training is finding ANY meaningful metric of strength and then teaching someone how to master that specific skill, brick by brick.

T-Rex Bench starting to feel 👍👍. Frustrating not to hit my post-rehab goals for 2016 on schedule....but I'm getting pretty damn CLOSE. Helpful perspective: exactly 1 year ago I was using little pink weights in a PT clinic & wondering if I would ever be able to lift with any intensity again. Sh*tty experience of being severely broken & having to re-learn how to be strong(ish) has definitely improved my coaching & maybe even my self-patience (.......nope).

Back to basics...... still feel like a 🥔, but trying to fake some energy until I can build up training momentum. 1-man ch🐶🐶rleading squad held it down for me when I got tired & wanted to go home early.........

Joints are currently 💩. Can't breath out of my mouth or nose either.....so.......Tonight felt like a good time to mess around with some of my new Christmas gear (more currently in transit..... always more) trial run of the Wishbone Renegade attachment tonight for a Leg-centric Giant Circuit. Reverse Hack + Hack Squats + Step back lunges + GHRs + Sissy Squats. Good pump w/minimal joint discomfort. One more day of playing with my toys & then back to the meat& potato programming.

Back from a 10 day Barbell / Compound Lift sabbatical. Everything's extra heavy & my knees/hips were groaning and creaking like an old roller coaster. But........ my joints aren't on 🔥🔥🔥 anymore, so 'll take it.

No quit in this guy. NONE. No idea where he got that trait from........

BOOM!!! TREDDEATH has been unleashed! Spent the last few days figuring out the modalities (self-testing everything is both essential and super-💩💩💩), so now just tinkering with exercise selection/order to ensure programming for my clients is intense and effective, but not debilitating. Dis gonna be good 😈😈😈😈

20s intervals at 4.5 / 5.0 / 5.5 / 5.8 today. He's completely out-training his program. And lookit that smooooooth treadmill exit!!! 🐶👏🏻🐶👏🏻🐶👏🏻🐶

Celebrating negative x-ray results & a return to wearing shoes again! Pretty tired of clients making fun of my homeless-frat-bro Jordan sliders....
Bench: 5x3 @ 310 + SnatchGrip High Pulls + Band Resisted pull-ups (Merman-leg whhhhip shoutout to 🖕🏻😂😂 )

On this day, traditionally reserved for reflection, couch-sitting, and leftover binge eating, I am thankful for many things. In my professional life, I'm undoubtedly most thankful for MY CLIENTS: a diverse group of 56 athletes with wildly different goals, experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and beliefs...... but unified in a singular purpose of GETTING BETTER EVERY DAMN DAY. They motivate me to be the best teacher & coach that I'm capable of being, and enable me to make a living doing what I truly love. 🙏🙏🙏

FunFact: Last November, I couldn't put my left arm above my head without excruciating pain, had lost more than 50% grip strength in my hand, and routinely went numb from elbow to finger tips. I couldn't: squat, deadlift, OHP, vertical pull, dip, or perform ANY barbell pressing exercises. I even looked into the possibility of re-activating my law license. 😳😳😳

In the last year, I've been poked & prodded, visited sports medicine specialists, and even tried practitioners of "non-traditional" medicine (don't judge).
More importantly, I read everything that I could get my hands on and diligently applied my new-found knowledge to my own recovery/rehab.
Important Lessons:
(1) None of us is invincible
(2) Don't neglect shoulder health & maintenance
(3) Don't ignore shoulder dysfunction / pain
(4) Rehab only works if you DO IT WITH INTENTION & ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

Between my super lucrative InstagramDogVideo business (I can always dream....), training clients to be awesome, & running a ridiculously well-equipped gym, sometimes I actually lift stuff for fun & whatnot.

Vids from this week's training: best that ALL of these lifts have been since before I bought a juice bar. 😏
Hip Thruster 755x3
Squat 420x1
Bench 325x3
Incline Bench 262x2 (super duper strugglebus)

Undefeated!. My dog is the 💣.com.
🐶💪🏻🐶💪🏻

Working on BarPath & ButtPath with . Information ▶️▶️ Improvement Consistency ▶️▶️Progress
Weight PRs are central to the goal of Progressive Overload, but I also consider FORM PR's to be just as important, especially when working high in the RPE Range. Haphazard form leads to injury leads to time away from lifting leads to NO GAINZZZZ.

CASH has officially mastered the treadmill!!. This also happens to be the most time I've spent on a treadmill in my entire life. Next week: Introducing him to the PROWLER.

GymChristmas is coming early.! ....... Messing w/one of my news toys; this one is from . Haven't been able to do wide grip pull-ups in a full year, so hoping this creates a pain free ROM. Not sure what was happening with my legs ...... 🤔. Gotta clean that s**t up