John Alvino

Why do you go to the gym? If you’re like most people, you simply go to the gym to lose fat, build muscle or a combination of the two. Sure, there are some exceptions to this general rule – people who want to improve their health or athletic performance, for instance – but the vast majority of trainees out there are motivated by the desire to merely get leaner or bigger.

Our initial inspiration to make these physical changes usually comes from feelings of insecurity about how we appear. How do I know? After over 20 years in the iron game, I could provide you with thousands of examples of trainees for whom this is true.

But there is no need to go any further than my own personal experience. Read more…

Fact—98% of all dieters fail. This statistic is beyond staggering. I find it amazing that people can even muster up desire to continue down a path paved with unyielding disappointment and frustration. But many do—with only failure to show for their efforts.

Instead of becoming part of that disheartening statistic, why not become part of the 2% that have achieved success instead? To pull this off, we will need to discover the secret to their seemingly impossible accomplishment. Let’s investigate.

If we turn to the fitness “experts,” we typically hear that dieters fail because they follow a flawed plan that slows down their metabolic rate and sets them up for the dreaded rebound. How do I know they say this? Because I used to spew the same BS! Read more…

Sprinting is unequivocally one of the best training methods for developing speed and power. It also has a potent side effect of triggering massive changes in body composition, i.e. fat loss and muscle building.

In addition to the benefits listed above, sprinting requires optimal hip mobility, which forces all partakers to train this essential yet often-neglected fitness quality. There are not many movements that can simultaneously accomplish all of these training effects.

For the above reasons, everyone should be incorporating some form of sprinting into his or her training.

But before you start blindly running suicides every morning on your neighbor’s lawn (especially if your neighbor happens to be me), hold on! You see, just like any other great exercise, sprinting does come with risks—hamstring pulls and tears are not uncommon for the overzealous trainee who is trying to sprint too hard too soon. Read more…

For those of you who don’t know, double unders are a basic yet amazingly effective rope jumping technique.

Simply put, they involve turning the rope under your feet twice for every one jump. This technique develops coordination, timing, agility, conditioning, and neurological efficiency. Oh yea, and it also has a little side effect of burning a ton of body fat.

With all of these benefits, why doesn’t everyone do them? Well quite frankly, double unders can be difficult to learn. And unlike most other effective “gym” movements, double unders can’t be merely willed or forced.

In fact, mastering double unders requires the right mindset, quality coaching, and of course, a good deal of practice. Leave any of these components out and double unders can quickly become one of the most frustrating movements you’ll ever attempt to learn. Read more…

For many years now, the barbell squat has been considered the king of all exercises. However, I would argue that the deadlift should reign supreme.

My assertion is based on the fact that the deadlift is the most “functional” movement you can do. You see, proper deadlift mechanics stem from the primal pattern by which we pick things up off of the ground. This movement pattern is part of our DNA. Restoring and improving your ability to perform this movement pattern should be a core element of your training program. And the deadlift is the chief exercise in this category.

The deadlift improves strength, endurance, and spinal stability. But the benefits don’t stop there.  In fact, the deadlift fiercely strengthens the posterior chain (low back, glutes and hamstrings), while indirectly training the entire body. Read more…