New workout! From Lift 4 to Lift more try out this sample workout from Joel Freeman at Beachbody on Demand! https://share.coach.teambeachbody.com/?lang=en-US&postId=1167934&coachId=182856&media=share

I'm BACK

Hey y'all I'm back! I have been down and out physically and emotionally. Between recovering from open heart surgery, nerve damage and setbacks in training then a bout with covid 19 things have really been tuff. Not to use these as excuses I just lost all interest and was heading in a dark place. Thank the lord and my wife plus the birth of 2grandchildren and I feel like my why is crystal clear again. I never lost my passion for health and fitness just the reasons why. I can't tell you how many times I thought about opening up my laptop and updating the blog only to lose focus for some reason or another. Obstacles in the way excuses, sometimes just a screw it and walk away attitude. Anger and fear what will others think of me was I a quitter? Well yes I was quitting on myself my team of coaches who depended on me for guidance I was not a good leader. Today I am in a much better place rededicated and focused I have new goals and on the right track. I hope to bring some helpful content and product updates for your reading pleasure and know that I'm here to stay. Thank you! 

Coach Steve

How To Burn Stubborn Belly Fat

You have been working out and eating the right foods, but there is still this stubborn fat on a particular area of your body that has refused to come off no matter what you do. Considering all things, there is a physiological difference between stubborn fat and regular fat. This is actually a complicated subject. But don’t sweat it, here’s a quick explanation to the stubborn fat ‘thingy’ and how to get rid of it. THE SCIENCE OF STUBBORN BELLY FAT The fat cells of your body have various kinds of receptors for various purposes. You can look at each receptor as a lock, with the keys being hormones and neurotransmitters. A certain reaction takes place when a key is fit into a lock. In the same way, certain reaction occurs when hormones and neurotransmitters interact with these receptors. The 2 types of receptors you should be concerned with at the moment is the alpha-2 receptor and the beta-2 receptor. The alpha-2 receptors are the bad guys - hinders the burning of fat, while the beta-2 receptors on the other hand accelerates the burning of fat. The fat cells of your body have both of these receptors and their ratio will determine the fat burning rate of your body. If your body have more of the alpha-2 receptors than the beta-2 receptors, then the more difficult it will be for your body to burn fat. On the other hand, the more beta-2 receptors you have, the easier it will be for your body to burn fat. So, what’s with the stubborn fat regions? It’s because they have more of alpha-2 receptors than beta-2 receptors. More still, you can’t just convert alpha-2 receptors to beta-2 receptors because you’re born with a certain distribution of these receptors. As you probably know, the stubborn fat areas seem to be the butt, thighs and hips of women, and the love handles for men. HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THIS STUBBORN FAT? When it comes to burning off stubborn fat, the best thing to do will be to restrain the alpha-2 receptors, as you activate the beta-2 receptors. However, the problem is that both the alpha-2 receptors and beta-2 receptors make use of the same key. The “key” in this scenario is the hormone catecholamines. Catecholamines consist of the fight or flight hormones, epinephrine and norephinephrine. Your body in response to any type of stress produces these hormones. However, for the purpose of this article, we are only interested in the type of stress you can induce yourself, which is exercise. Technically, every type of exercise produces catecholamines. But short intensive exercises are the most effective at producing this hormones. The question you’re probably asking right now is how to really inhibit alpha-2 receptors, while still making sure the beta-2 receptors are active? The answer is simple – low insulin. This shouldn’t be surprising, as insulin has been known to play a major role in everything involving weight gain or loss. One thing to remember here is that this is a very sensitive process. Even the slightest rise in insulin level can negate the whole process and hinder you from burning off any stubborn fat. By sticking to a low carb diet or intermittent fasting, you can attain low insulin levels (as regards to burning fat). If you choose to take on a low carb diet plan, then your daily carb intake ought to be less than 20% of your total daily calorie intake for at least 4 days, before you can start burning off stubborn fat effectively. If you prefer the intermittent fasting route, some experts advice that anywhere between 12 -18 hours is best for burning off stubborn fat. Blood flow is another important factor that affects the burning of stubborn fat. Generally, the flow of blood to the stubborn fat regions is on the low side, and without proper blood flow, you won’t be able to get the required hormones (catecholamines) into the stubborn fat regions to mobilize the fat. So, how do you increase the blood flow into these regions? Exercises can help, however your 2 best bets are intermittent fasting and using a waist trimmer like the Shred Belt. Finally, the one aspect that many individuals looking to get rid of stubborn fat overlook is they need to do after mobilizing the stubborn fat. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of mobilizing your stubborn fat only for it to be restored back into those areas. What you need is exercise. Exercise will keep your blood flowing, thereby moving the fat out of your blood stream for good. You don’t have to exercise hard at this point – all you need is just a little sweat to keep your blood flowing. In summary: To get rid of stubborn fat, you have to inhibit your alpha-2 receptors by keeping your insulin level low. You can do this by taking on a low carb diet plan or intermittent fasting, whichever suits you best. Catecholamines are what binds your fat cells to the alpha-2 receptors and beta-2 receptors. You have to perform high intensity exercises to stimulate your catecholamines. Stubborn fat tend to have poor blood flow and this is what prevents the necessary hormones from getting to the receptors on fat cells. Low carb diet, intermittent fasting and the Shred Belt will help increase the blood flow into these areas. You have to exercise at moderate levels to prevent your mobilized fat from getting back into stubborn fat regions. The exercise will help keep your blood flowing, so you can be able to move the fat out of your blood stream. That’s just about it on what stubborn is and how to effectively get rid of it. However, remember that several other factors can contribute to your stubborn fat such as; stress, not getting enough sleep, lifestyle type and exposure to environmental pollutants and toxins. REFERENCES Camps, et al. Weight loss, weight maintenance, and adaptive thermogenesis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013;97(5):990-994. PUBMED Ibrahim, et al. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: structural and functional differences. Obesity Reviews. January 2010;11(1):11-18. PUBMED Silva, et al. Thyroid-adrenergic interactions: physiological and clinical implications. Thyroid. February 2008;18(2):157-165. PUBMED Reckless, et al. Alpha-adrenergic receptor activity, cyclic AMP and lipolysis in adipose tissue of hypothyroid man and rat. The Journal Of Endocrinology. March 1976;68(3):419-430. PUBMED Gormsen, et al. Estradiol acutely inhibits whole body lipid oxidation and attenuates lipolysis in subcutaneous adipose tissue: a randomized, placebo-controlled study in postmenopausal women. October 2012;167(4):543-551. PUBMED Pedersen, et al. Estrogen controls lipolysis by up-regulating alpha2A-adrenergic receptors directly in human adipose tissue through the estrogen receptor alpha. Implications for the female fat distribution. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. April 2004;89(4):1869-1878. PUBMED Lafontan, et al. Adrenergic regulation of adipocyte metabolism. October 1997;12(s1):6-20. PUBMED Sharing from my friends at Iron Bull Strength!

Developing Speed And Power

When was the last time you did an intense, explosive workout, challenging your body to move as quickly as possible and requiring your undivided attention and focus? If recently, you probably recall that it was hard. Much harder than usual. Most people train within a comfort zone, with comfort being largely determined by what the nervous system is used to doing. Anything beginning to push beyond that familiarity will be met with resistance. And that's because you're asking your nervous system to fire more repeatedly and react faster than normal, causing unfamiliar discomfort for both your mind and body. But if you want atypical results and far better performance, you need to change your routine, step out of your comfort zone, and add some focus to your workouts. Your brain wants to keep you safe, and that’s why you must consistently train your body to react to new stimuli and to make adaptations for better handling of that movement when it happens again. The fact is, your nervous system runs the show. And if you've overlooked the nervous system as a key component to training, then there's a ton of potential for reaching new levels of performance, whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete. Sure, you can go into the gym to lift some heavy stuff and then walk out satisfied with the fact that you've worked your body and built a little bit of muscle, but if you want to do more with your body than just look good, you need to train two important attributes that go hand-in-hand with strength: power and speed. You need to optimize your brain-body coordination, recruit more muscle fibers, and enhance nerve firing speed by regularly doing fast, explosive movements. The first step in incorporating speed and power into your training is understanding your nervous system. The Nervous System's Role In Strength A comprehensive discussion of the nervous and neuromuscular systems can get complex fairly quickly, but there are a few basics that will be helpful in understanding its crucial role. The nervous system functions as the mechanism that allows your mind and body to work as one cohesive unit. It receives input through the sensory nerves and coordinates action through motor nerves. The central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, is connected to the muscles through the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is divided into somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary or unconscious) components. The autonomic system is further broken down into sympathetic (think “fight or flight” responses) and parasympathetic (think “rest and digest”) systems. That all being said, for the sake of simplicity you can think of the nervous system as the “battery” that drives your muscles. Training and developing robustness of the nervous system can be defined as “neural adaptation”. When looking at the nervous system as it relates to developing strength, two components that you should focus on are speed and power. While strength refers to how much force your muscles can exert, power refers to how quickly that force can be exerted. It’s the ability to generate large amounts of force over a short period of time. Speed is the ability to travel any set distance over a short period of time. There are four key components for developing the nervous system and optimizing the neural adaptation process for developing strength, speed, and power. Incorporate any one of them into your training, or ideally combine the modalities, to greatly enhance your nervous system function, your athletic abilities, and your mind-body connection! 4 Ways To Optimize Neural Adaptation For Speed & Power When it comes to optimizing your brain and nervous system, recruiting muscle fibers, enhancing nerve firing speed and optimizing brain-body coordination, it is important to focus on fast, explosive movements. Here you'll find the best training protocols for developing speed and power, as well as the importance of nutrition and recovery. 1. Challenge Your Mind & Body With Overspeed Training In order to develop speed, you need to train for it. A large part of this is forcing the adaptation of your nervous system to levels just beyond its comfort zone. This means getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. A good rule of thumb is if you’re not forced to think hard during a speed workout, it probably isn’t challenging your nervous system. One way to do this is with overspeed training. Overspeed training is, exactly as it sounds, the practice of training your limbs to turnover at a higher speed – a speed over what feels comfortable or natural. Through overspeed training, not only does your brain literally learn how to fire faster and control your muscles more efficiently at higher speeds, but you also develop more powerful and quick muscle fiber contractions, which comes in handy for hard surges during a race or tough workout. It’s something you can feel but might not be able to put into words. You can sense the brain trying to keep up and adapt to this new level. This relates to training speed in any new skill. For example, if you’ve ever tried learning an instrument like guitar, you can feel your brain working hard to adapt as you play something slightly out of reach. Over time, with practice, this speed becomes the new normal. There are some things to consider that will increase the effectiveness of speed practice: Speed training should be done only when your body is fully recovered. Your neuromuscular system is highly prone to fatigue and should be trained only once or twice a week. Avoid this type of overspeed work if your system has been exhausted by a hard endurance or strength workout. This is where you’ll see a lot of well-intentioned coaches make the mistake of adding this type of training at the end of a football or basketball practice when the body is tired. Instead, speed work should be done at the beginning of a workout, and can also act as a primer to the rest of practice. Consider training either in the morning when you’re fully recharged, or between 2 and 4 PM during your peak reaction time. Speed training requires only brief doses of low volume, high-output work. This means each session is very short, but very fast. It is not meant to be metabolic conditioning. If you're exhausting yourself metabolically, it becomes very difficult to train your nervous system. Think super short, super quick. Overspeed training is meant to challenge your nerves, not just your muscles. It’s supposed to quickly exhaust your brain while it sends messages to the muscles. Your brain needs a reason to adapt and make this a new normal. Otherwise, you’re not going to develop speed. Here are some effective overspeed workouts you can easily do with equipment you probably already have, or at least relatively inexpensive training gear. -Downhill overspeed running: Use a dry, non-bumpy grass area that allows you to sprint about 40-50 feet down a slope and then sprint another 40-50 feet once you reached the flat (to allow for the continuation of the overspeed effect without the assistance of gravity). Research indicates a downhill grade of about 5.0% is ideal, but don’t feel like you need to go to the golf course with surveying equipment to find the best slope. Just run down a relatively steep hill that isn’t so steep you fall over on your face. -Overspeed cycling efforts: A downhill slope or an indoor trainer works best for these efforts, although you can get them done on the flats in a low gear, such as your small chainring. After a good warm-up, simply choose the lowest possible resistance that allows you to spin at an extremely fast rate without bouncing in the saddle. Spin at the fastest possible cadence (preferably higher than 120RPM) for a maximum of 30 seconds, and then give yourself full recovery before beginning the next set. -Assisted swimming: For this workout, you will need swim stretch cords. In a pinch, you can use a good set of fins to allow yourself to swim faster, but you’ll get better results with less muscular and cardiovascular fatigue by using stretch cords. With the stretch cords attached to your waist, you simply swim as far away from the wall as possible, then turn and let the cords pull you back at a much faster pace than you’d be able to swim unassisted. If you do this correctly, you’re going to find your stroke turnover rate is incredibly difficult to maintain. You can insert this kind of overspeed training at the beginning or the end of one of your weekly swim sets. As with all changes to your fitness program, be sure to progress slowly to avoid injury. 2. Training Strategies For Increasing Power Power is the ability to generate high amounts of force over a short period of time. So while your strength refers to how much force your muscles can exert, your power refers to how quickly that force can be exerted. When you train for power, your brain, spinal cord and entire central nervous system learn to control your muscles in a far more efficient way, creating enhanced muscle utilization without the negative effects of too much muscle bulk. It involves lifting light weights fast and moving quickly, increasing your ability to maximally utilize muscle without bulking you up. The advantage of being able to more effectively recruit the muscle you already have, without necessarily increasing muscle mass, is that you’ll need to recruit fewer muscle fibers for any given intensity. So power is like putting a faster engine in your car without increasing the size of the car or the weight of the engine itself. This results in lower energy costs, less muscular fatigue, and ultimately better performance in any movement. There are three primary strategies for increasing power as fast as possible: plyometrics, speed-strength sets, and complex sets. Plyometrics In the simplest terms, plyometric training can be described as any activity that involves a rapid stretching of a muscle (eccentric phase) immediately followed by a rapid shortening of that muscle (concentric phase). Hopping, skipping, bounding, jumping and throwing are all examples of basic plyometric movements. Each of these movements relies upon the concept that when your muscle is rapidly stretched, elastic energy in the muscle’s tendon components is built up and briefly stored in those tendons, and when the muscle then contracts, the stored energy in that tendon is released, thus contributing to the speed of a movement or contraction. Plyometric exercises promote high movement speed, lots of muscle fiber recruitment in a short period of time, and trained release of the powerful elastic energy stored in your tendons. This means that when your foot strikes the ground, it spends less time in contact with the ground, leaves the ground more quickly, and moves you along at a faster speed. When training with plyometrics (or any of the other power strategies you’re about to learn), the delay between the stretching, eccentric phase and the shortening, concentric phase needs to be very short, about no longer than a quarter second, and this is why all plyometric exercises need to be characterized by fast powerful movements Here are some of the best plyometric movements you can use in your endurance training program: -Depth jumps: Jump off a raised platform or box, land on both feet, and immediately jump as high as possible. For this and any other of the leg exercises in this article, you should minimize ground contact time. -Single-leg hops: With one leg, hop up onto a slightly raised surface. Even jumping up onto a (non-moving) treadmill belt is fine. -Bounds: Run, but with oversized strides and maximum amount of time spent in the air. Every time your foot strikes the ground, push off as hard as possible to maximize stride length. -Clap push-ups: In a variation on the standard push-up, push up explosively, clap hands, and land. You can do these from your knees if necessary. -Medicine ball throws: Take two to four steps and throw a medicine ball explosively from the chest as hard as possible toward a wall or training mat. Extend arms fully when throwing. -Medicine ball slams: Hold a medicine ball overhead, then slam it into the ground as hard as possible. Catch and repeat. As a reverse alternative and similar exercise to medicine ball slams, you can do “muscle-ups” when in the pool, pulling yourself up and over the pool wall. -Power skips: Perform playground-style skipping, with your knees exploding towards your chest as high as possible. As with bounds, your goal is to maximize time spent in the air and powerfully drive your knees towards your chest. -Jump rope: Perform double or alternating leg rope jumping, with a focus on minimizing ground contact time and getting as many jumps as possible in the allotted period of time. -Hurdle hops: This side-to-side movement is included because lateral motion is missing from most endurance training programs. Over a line, tennis ball can, cone or step bench, jump side to side as many times as possible in the allotted amount of time. You can jump with one leg (more advanced) or both legs. Here’s how a sample plyometric routine looks, and during race season or the build-up to a race, you only need to do a program like this once per week to get results: Depth jumps – 10 jumps from 3- to 5-foot box Clap push-ups – 10 Single leg hops – 10 Med ball throws – 8 Power skips – 20 yards Bounds – 40 yards Medicine ball slams – 8 Hurdle hops – 10 per side Jump rope – 20 seconds You can go through this entire routine two to three times as a circuit, and unlike most circuits, you’ll want full rest between any sets that use similar muscles (typically between 60 seconds and three minutes). For sets that don’t use similar muscles, such as depth jumps to push-ups, you don’t necessarily need to rest. Speed-Strength The only real difference between “strength” and “speed-strength” training is that for speed-strength, you perform the same multi-joint, full body lifts but you perform them quickly and explosively, often using lighter weights so that you can indeed move a weight as fast as possible. Compared to lifting weights at a slow and controlled speed, which maximizes strength, explosive training maximizes movement economy, motor unit recruitment, and even lactate threshold. This is the basis of Olympic weightlifting. But you don’t have to know the snatch and the clean and jerk to get the benefits of speed-strength training. Other ballistic, explosive exercises that don’t involve quite as much coaching or as steep a learning curve, include: Dumbbell lunge jump Medicine ball throws Medicine ball slams Cannonballs Chest Throws Power Cleans You should also check out this fantastic and free plyometric and power training library. To get the most benefit out of your speed-strength sets, you should generally perform 3-5 sets of just 3-5 repetitions for each exercise that you do, using a weight that is 40-60% of your maximum weight, lifted at maximum speed. Take full recovery between speed-strength sets (2-5 minutes), and when necessary, you can also use “intra-rep” recovery, meaning you take 20-40 seconds between each repetition in a set. If you’re accustomed to high rep, medium weight, bodybuilding or Crossfit style weight training, this may seem much different than what you’re used to, but this is what it takes to maximize power production. Complex Training You may have already been aware of the benefits of plyometric exercises and explosive weightlifting just described. But it is slightly less well known that combining traditional strength and explosive exercises results in greater muscle fiber recruitment and even faster improvements in power and rate of force development. “Complex Training” is exactly that: a workout comprised of a strength exercise followed by a plyometric or speed-strength exercise. Examples of Complex Training include: Squats followed by squat jumps Lunges followed by lunge jumps Front squat followed by drop jumps Bench press followed by medicine ball chest throws Overhead press followed by overhead medicine ball throws Pull-ups followed by medicine ball slams The science behind these matched pairs of exercises is that the strength set “primes” the central nervous system so that more muscle fibers are available for the subsequent explosive exercise. The difference between the type of strength sets that you perform in a Complex Training vs. a traditional strength set is that your repetitions are lower and heavier in a complex set. For example, you go heavy on the first set, rest briefly, then progress to the next set, then finally, rest long. For example: Front Squat, heavy x 3, rest 10 seconds, progress to Drop Jump x 6, rest 2-3 minutes Overhead Press, heavy x 3, rest 10 seconds, to Med Ball Throws x 6, rest 2-3 minutes Just like power workouts, Complex Training should be used more than traditional strength training as you get closer to a race or competition. Each of these strategies, along with tips for developing potent power no matter whether you’re in the gym, backyard, basement, park or hotel room, can be pursued using training tools for increasing power, including power racks, agility ladders, medicine balls, kettlebells, sandbags, adjustable plyometric boxes, weighted vests, training sleds and power cables. 3. Support Nervous System Function With Nutrition As mentioned earlier, the nervous system receives input through the sensory nerves and coordinates action through motor nerves. Since the speed with which your nerves communicate will directly influence the speed of this process, there’s a great opportunity to introduce food-based compounds into your body that actually optimize nervous system function for speed. Your nerves are wrapped in myelin sheaths and a diet for power and speed should be composed of the specific nutrients that support the formation of these sheaths, as well as the health of the nervous system as a whole. Two of the most important nutrients for supporting nervous system health are omega-3 fatty acids (especially docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) and B complex vitamins. Flax seeds and walnuts are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but the amount of DHA actually absorbed from seeds and nuts is relatively low. Very good sources of more readily available omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, sardines, cloves, grass-fed beef, halibut, shrimp, cod, tuna, kale, collard greens, and winter squash, as well as algae-based derivatives like chlorella or spirulina. From a vitamin B standpoint, good plant-based sources are simply dark leafy greens like kale, bok choy, or Swiss chard. Including those as staples in your diet is very good for the nervous system. Organ meats are another top source of B vitamins. Give liver a try with a little bit of egg (the yolk will provide more B vitamins) and coconut flour, fried up with some onions and bacon. Beans and lentils will also provide B vitamins. 4. Down-Regulation & Recovery We've talked a lot about the overlooked importance of the nervous system as it relates specifically to speed and power. There's also much-untapped potential in learning about down-regulation of the nervous system and its recovery capacity because as mentioned above, the neuromuscular system is very prone to fatigue. Things like exercise intensity and frequency, nutrition, sleep quality, alcohol intake, and lifestyle stress all play a role in the rate of recovery. Keep in mind that In most cases, when your nervous system is drained from high-intensity efforts or too much stress, it needs 48 hours to fully recover. So how do you know if you’re recovered and ready to go? There’s a simple phone app called the CNS tap test that simply has you tap the phone as many times as you can within a 20-second time frame, keeping track of how quick you’re tapping. And this is a really good reflection of your central nervous system strength. The CNS tap test is a simple way to quantitatively track the strength of your nervous system. Paying attention to Heart Rate Variability (HRV) provides a more comprehensive indicator of your nervous system health, and based on your HRV numbers you’ll have a good idea whether you’re prepared for a difficult workout or need to take it easy. In a nutshell, HRV is the measurement of heart rate irregularity (yes, your heart beats at irregular intervals). A high HRV has been correlated to improved athletic performance and training adaptation and a low HRV indicates risk of overtraining and injury. You should measure your HRV first thing every morning using a wireless heart rate monitor like the Polar H7 and an HRV tracking app like the NatureBeat phone app. Summary Use of overspeed training, smart power development, nutritional support, and recovery all combine to support neural adaptation in strength development. Awareness and optimization of the nervous system will lead to massive gains in power and speed. The next time you go to the gym or in your next workout, resist piling on the weights and instead move every rep at a lighter weight far more quickly and explosively. If you’d like to try this approach with cardio instead, see if you can run at a cadence of at least 90 steps per minute or cycle at a cadence of 120+ RPM with very short bouts of 20 to 60 seconds. See what it feels like to increase the cadence, train speed and to pay attention to that component of the nervous system that a lot of people neglect when they train. Credit Ben Greenfield

Preventing Muscle Soreness

Aching after a brutal workout? A common misconception is that sore muscles are a sign of an excellent workout, and its proof that your body is making changes in a positive direction. But the truth is that sore muscles and workout quality don’t go hand in hand. It usually just means that you pushed yourself too hard or that you’re doing new exercises. There are even steps you can take to avoid muscle soreness from the get-go.

Even though muscle soreness isn’t a necessity when you’re working to get results, it can creep up on you. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can make you feel the burn while your muscles recover and rebuild. But, if you take the right steps after your workout, you can go hard without paying the price. Here are eight easy ways to prevent post-workout pain.

What Are Sore Muscles?

Before we dive into how to relieve muscle soreness, it helps to know why you get sore muscles in the first place. When you exercise intensely, that can cause micro-tears in your muscle tissue, which leads to delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This typically develops 12 to 24 hours after a tough workout, and can linger two or three days. The most common symptoms of DOMS include slight swelling, stiffness, and reduced range of motion in the affected joints, and increased tenderness and reduced strength in the affected muscles.

How to Relieve Sore Muscles

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, sometimes you’re going to overwork your body and find yourself in some pain after a workout. Exercise-induced muscle soreness usually fades within a few days, but if you’d like to speed things up, follow these tips to help you help you get on the fast track to feeling 100 percent.

1. Stretch

Stretching is your first line of defense after a good workout. When you train, you contract your muscles, and the muscle fibers get shorter. Lengthening them after a workout promotes mobility, and can lead to a more thorough recovery. While fitness experts can’t seem to agree on this strategy—one Australian study claims that stretching had no impact on sore muscles—it certainly won’t hurt, especially if your flexibility is limited. If you’re new to stretching (or at least new to stretching routines), check out five of our favorite total-body mobility moves.

2. Foam roll

Using a foam roller to massage your sore muscles after a workout can significantly reduce DOMS, according to a recent study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. Give each major muscle group at least five rolls, starting with your calves and working your way up your body. Spend extra time on sore spots. For a more detailed tutorial on foam rolling, check out Tai Cheng.

3. Massage your sore spots

Don’t limit foam rolling to your post-workout routine. Do it between workouts to ease muscle soreness and boost mobility. Indeed, to see significant improvements in the latter, you have to foam roll even on the days you don’t train, report scientists at the University of Oregon.

4. Eat for rapid recovery.

Even if you’re eating at a calorie deficit, you want to make sure to get enough healthy proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, all which play important roles in repairing and maintaining muscles, and warding off sore muscles. Beyond that, consider strategically-timed protein supplementation. A couple hours after working out and when you sleep are two times when protein synthesis (muscle repair) increases, so a post-exercise scoop of Beachbody Performance Recover and a pre-bedtime scoop ofBeachbody Performance Recharge assures your body access to amino acids. “Amino acids are your body’s building blocks,” explains Beachbody’s Director of Nutrition Content, Denis Faye, “consuming them at the right times assures they’ll be there when you need them.”

Beachbody Performance Recover also helps to fight fighting post-workout pain by including pomegranate extract into it’s formula, which a study at the University of Austin, in Texas, found to  reduce exercise induced muscle soreness by an average of 25 percent. And if you also consume a serving of Beachbody Performance Recharge, our overnight protein supplement, before bed, you’ll double down on soreness-fighting phytonutrients with a dose of tart cherry extract.

5. Get heated

Heat increases circulation, especially focused heat like that of a jacuzzi, making it a powerful recovery tool between workouts—emphasis on “between workouts.” Immediately after a training session, such heat can exacerbate inflammation, and the jets can pound your already damaged muscles, resulting in more muscle soreness instead of less.

6. Favor fatty acids

“When your muscles are sore, inflammation is a significant part of the problem,” says Denis Faye, Beachbody’s senior director of nutrition. To help reduce this inflammation, consume foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids—such as salmon, free-range meat, flax, avocado, and walnuts—to your diet. The natural anti-inflammatory properties of these foods can help dial back soreness after overexertion.

7. Keep moving

The last thing you want to do when everything hurts is to move, but that’s exactly what you need to do. If you’re using a Beachbody program, it probably comes with a recovery workout or two. These workouts are designed to help your body work out kinks and soreness. They can be used anytime you need them, can’t be done too often, and always leave you feeling much better than before you started.

If your program doesn’t have a recovery workout, a gentle yoga class or going on an easy hike are good options. Fitness pros call this kind of activity “active recovery,” and if you find yourself winded or unable to hold a conversation while you do it, you’re over-exerting yourself. If you want to be technical about it, wear a heart rate monitor and stay below 140 beats per minute.

8. Ice it.

Immediately after a tough workout, icing your muscles can stave off inflammation. “Inflammation is one of nature’s defense mechanisms, but it works like a cast—it immobilizes you,” says Steve Edwards, former Vice President of Fitness and Nutrition at Beachbody. “When you keep inflammation down, that area is free to keep moving, and movement promotes healing.” Like stretching, its effectiveness is up for debate—some researchers have claimed that ice is only effective for injuries and not for run-of-the-mill soreness, but it’s a simple and safe option that many top-level athletes swear by. “Unless you ice so long that you give yourself frostbite, there’s really no danger,” Edwards says. “It seems to really speed up healing without any adverse effects.”

Are You Too Sore to Work Out?

Sometimes you can power through a workout with sore muscles, but sometimes it feels downright impossible. If you’re unsure what to do, follow our advice about how to decide if you should lace up your workout shoes or take a rest day.

Should You Take a Painkiller to Relieve Muscle Soreness?

Popping some Vitamin I (the street name for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAID] such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin), can significantly reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness, but that relief might come at a price. An ever-growing body of research has linked NSAIDs (including ibuprofen) to everything from cardiovascular issues and intestinal dysfunction to suppressed protein synthesis post-exercise. Occasionally taking a couple capsules for muscle soreness is probably fine—but give some serious thought to using it regularly. For more information on this topic, check out

Resources: Donnelly AE, Maughan RJ, Whiting PH. Effects of ibuprofen on exercise-induced muscle soreness and indices of muscle damage.

Gorsline RT1, Kaeding CC. The use of NSAIDs and nutritional supplements in athletes with osteoarthritis: prevalence, benefits, and consequences.Clin Sports Med. 2005 Jan;24(1):71-82.

Rahnama N, Rahmani-Nia F, Ebrahim K. The isolated and combined effects of selected physical activity and ibuprofen on delayed-onset muscle soreness. Journal of Sports Science. 2005 Aug; 23(8): 843-50.

Trelle S1, Reichenbach S, Wandel S, Hildebrand P, Tschannen B, Villiger PM, Egger M, Jüni P. Cardiovascular safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: network meta-analysis.BMJ. 2011 Jan 11;342:c7086. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c7086.

Warden SJ. Prophylactic use of NSAIDs by athletes: a risk/benefit assessment. Phys Sportsmed. 2010 Apr;38(1):132-8. doi: 10.3810/psm.2010.04.1770.

Wharam PC, Speedy DB, Noakes TD, Thompson JM, Reid SA, Holtzhausen LM. NSAID use increases the risk of developing hyponatremia during an Ironman triathlon. Medicine and Science Sports and Exercise. 2006 Apr; 38(4): 618-22.

Body Beast 5 Day

Hey everyone wanted to share this exciting news with you so I'll make it short and sweet!

The Beast is BACK! Coming this September, Official Sagi Kalev is bringing you 5 all new weight training workouts that will push your body to the limits in A Week of Hard Labor!

5 days, 5 totally distinct and intense workouts. Each day, Sagi targets a different muscle group and will make you work those muscles to exhaustion. You'll be glad when you finish each day, because when you're done, you're DONE. Coming this Labor Day, exclusively on Beachbody On Demand.

Daily Sunshine

DAILY SUNSHINE™ THE 3-IN-1 SMOOTHIE

THE 3-IN-1 SMOOTHIE FOR PICKY KIDS.
AND PICKIER PARENTS.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we all naturally craved fruits and vegetables? In real life, though, eating healthy is hard. If it doesn't taste good, kids won't eat it. And if it's not healthy, you don't want them to have it.

That's why we made Daily Sunshine, the whole-food-based 3-in-1 smoothie formulated for kids’ nutritional needs. Now you and your kids have a quick, healthy alternative to junk-food snacks—that also tastes delicious.

Available in smooth and creamy Chocolate flavor and fruity and sweet Strawberry Banana flavor.

Buy
Daily Sunshine Now

Buy Now

Watch this video about Daily Sunshine.

THE BENEFITS OF DAILY SUNSHINE

IT'S A PROBLEM EVERY PARENT FACES… 

You know your kids need fruits and vegetables. But they beg for snacks loaded with salt, saturated fat, and high-fructose corn syrup—and zero real nutrition. What's a well-meaning parent to do?

You give them Daily Sunshine, the healthy smoothie kids love—and parents feel great about serving! Daily Sunshine puts an end to the kitchen table battles, the bargaining, and the compromises. Now everyone can be happy at snack time.

WHY DAILY SUNSHINE?

3-IN-1 SMOOTHIE
Daily Sunshine is made with organic fruits and vegetables, organic pea protein, and healthy fats. It delivers the equivalent of a full serving of fruits and vegetables† in each smoothie. Just add water, shake, and drink!

NUTRITIONIST DEVELOPED
Daily Sunshine is carefully formulated with the building blocks of nutrition kids need to help them grow up healthy and strong.

PEDIATRICIAN-APPROVED FORMULA
4 out of 5 pediatricians approve the Daily Sunshine formula. So you can be confident you're giving your family great nutrition every day.

KID-APPROVED TASTE 
How can a "real-food" formula taste so great? We put both flavors through rigorous taste tests to ensure they satisfy the world's toughest critics—kids!

THERE'S NOTHING SECRET ABOUT OUR INGREDIENTS.

Check out our label. These are real ingredients you can recognize. Made with organic fruits and vegetables,† organic pea protein, and healthy fats, plus a few other important ingredients to help support optimal health.

Daily Sunshine Chocolate Nutrition Information
Daily Sunshine Strawberry Banana Nutrition Information

WHAT YOU GET

CHOOSE YOUR PACK:

30-DAY SUPPLY BAG
To keep in your kitchen

24 SINGLE-SERVE PACKETS
To take with you anywhere

REAL-FOOD PHILOSOPHY

OUR REAL-FOOD PHILOSOPHY

We make Daily Sunshine with key whole-food-based ingredients. It starts with whole fruits and vegetables,†which are carefully inspected and thoroughly washed. Then they're pureed, strained to remove any unwanted seeds and stems, dried, and ground to a powder. That's how we deliver whole-food ingredients in a healthy, delicious smoothie every day.

OUR STORY

"Why I created Daily Sunshine"

ISABELLE DAIKELER
creator of Daily Sunshine and co-formulator of Shakeology®

As a mom, I know the struggle of trying to get your family to eat healthy. What's worse, even seemingly "healthy" snacks are filled with refined sugar, saturated fats, and artificial flavors. I also know that while Shakeology is an incredibly important source of dense superfood nutrition, most of us still need a source of nutrients from fruits and vegetables that we can share with our kids as an alternative to the unhealthy snacks they beg for. And that's why I created Daily Sunshine.

This is a smoothie that everyone will love. It's made with organic fruits and vegetables†, healthy fats, and it provides plant-based protein. I know how hard it can be to convince my son to eat all those things—but not with Daily Sunshine!

I still drink my Shakeology every morning, and then every afternoon my son and I each have a chocolate or strawberry banana Daily Sunshine. The best part is, it's not a battle, he asks for it! Sometimes I even make Daily Sunshine a reward for eating a small bowl of veggies! How about that for a healthy incentive? But, shhhh, don't blow my cover.  Message me for more details and thanks for reading!