BucketHeadWendy

Well, since you asked...right now it's mostly old school rap. (Think Ice Cube, Coolio, and Snoop Dogg before he got into reggae.) Truly, there is nothing that makes you feel more like a badass in your own personal Quentin Tarintino montage than those guys. Also, a big fan of Metallica, AC/DC and Avenged Sevenfold, so I got those guys in there too. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and some Skyrim soundtrack just because. Every once in a while, I'll throw in some German pop music, or some French hardcore rap that one of my old bakery buddies introduced me to. It changes weekly due to mood. Weird mix, I know :-P

I agree with upirygirl; this is a business relationship, and from what you mention, he's not conducting himself in a particularly businesslike manner. Unless he's making up his lost time, or cutting what he's charging you to reflect the actual time he's putting in, then you are accepting friendship in trade. Don't accept that. He sure as hell wouldn't allow you to pay him less because you're buddies. Something to think about. Also, does he challenge you? Motivate you? Is he constantly teaching you new things? Are workouts with him always a challenge? In other words, is he still relevant? Or is he just putting you through the same old motions, doing the same old crap day after day? If that's the case, then your money is better spent elsewhere; time to can him. If you come to that conclusion, be kind but firm. This is a business relationship after all, so there should be very little confrontation involved. Most PT's have had this happen a few times, and know how to deal with it professionally. Hope this helps!

Please help! I'm a sleep deprived mother of a four month old. I'm rockin' about three to five hours a night...not uninterrupted, unfortunately. And to top it off, I sometimes undertake some pretty obnoxious shift work. I'm also working out about five times a week, mostly kettlebells and body weight stuff. And I'm eating pretty clean, for the most part. But...I've noticed that things aren't working out for me so well. My DOMS, which didn't used to bug me too much, is hanging around like a violent stalker. I'm tired all the time, and not feeling the great wave of motivation and energy that I usually do when I'm exercising regularly. I've cut my volume down, and tried to dial in my nutrition more...and it doesn't really help as much as I'd like it to. The logical answer is to sleep more, but she's teething now, so I'm guessing that's not a possibility for a while. I'd like to continue exercising, but I don't want to break myself. Anybody out there have any tips? Suggestions? Please?

Welcome, AlexCold! Love your avatar :-)

Ah, the joys of squatting! In truth, everybody's form is just a bit different, especially us ladies, since we're a bit more um...gifted...in the pelvic region. I find that it helps if I widen my stance a little bit. Try different foot positions to find what's comfortable for you. Just make sure you obey the bitch goddess of good form, and you'll be fine. Sometimes, the urge to fall backwards is caused by inflexibility, so make sure to keep the hamstrings and hip flexors nice and stretchy :-) Hope this helps!

Chocolate milk?!?! I'm in! :-P Thanks for the tips, guys! Much appreciated!

The good news- started training for glorious parkour ninja fabulousness. The bad news-I'm apparently way squishier than I ever thought because now I feel like every muscle in my body has been beaten by large, steroid enhanced thugs. I have never been this sore, even when I was lifting very heavy things/setting them down. I've stretched and....that's all I got. Anybody out there know of some secret magic to make this less craptacular? Pretty please? I'm walking like an oompa loompa and I'm scared I'll start bursting into song and punishing naughty British children!

"Staying weak because of how it might make you look is the same as staying illiterate for fear of appearing nerdy." -Geoff Girvitz, stumptuous.com Welcome! And congrats on getting stronger/kicking ass/taking names!

Looks like you're busting out your strength training like a boss! Awesomesauce! Doesn't getting stronger feel great?! I've been going about the business of lifting heavy things/ setting them down for about 3 years, give or take, and I think I might be able to help :-) If strength is what your going for, I'd suggest upping your weight and lowering your reps. I find I get some pretty nice strength gains from a 3-5 rep range. I wouldn't suggest training to failure, though. Find a weight that you can lift for that range that challenges you, but doesn't absolutely kill you. If you can't move afterward, you might want to lighten the load a bit. Also, I would suggest finding a mentor that can teach you some power lifting moves. They are great for strength gains, as well as developing speed and coordination. (And lifting all that weight over your head is definitely an adrenaline rush!) Lastly, and probably the most important: if you want to get strong, make time for recovery. It looks like you're doing a lot; that is wonderful :-) but make sure you're eating enough calories to sustain that kind of activity. Get lots of good quality sleep. Stretch those muscles too; I've always found that helps the DOMS go away faster. :-) Anyhoo, hope this helps! Good luck! :-)

First off, let me preface by saying that writing about myself makes me feel beyond awkward, so if I come across as the kind of creepy person who stares at you blankly in public and has a collection of shrunken heads, my apologies. You've been warned. In real life, my name is Angie. I'm an English and volcab. nerd who likes using words like 'neophyte.' I am an ex chef, a food lover, and an adventurer. I enjoy shooting my friends with high powered projectiles made of paint, football, gaming and crushing my enemies. (And hearing the lamentations of their women!) I'm a new parent, and have both a three month old and a twelve year old, so insanity is probably immanent. My body has kind of given me the middle finger since I've hit my thirties, so something has got to change before my kids become orphans and I get to experience the joys of the afterlife. It's interesting, I'm sure, with all the haunting and chain rattling, but not without it's downsides; namely, the whole being dead thing. So yeah, time to get busy! I'm working on converting to paleo, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. I'm building up some strength via body weight exercises, increasing my cardio capacity via Zombies, Run! and Chasing My Dog, which isn't a mainstream workout program, but is highly recommended if, well, you have dogs. As it stands, my dog is a much bigger fitness badass than myself, which I find depressing. It also makes our games of Chase the Dog a sad, sad public spectacle. Nobody should have to be publicly humiliated by their Siberian Husky. I am on a quest to become the greatest parkour traceur of all time...or, failing that, at least a passable one who doesn't break anything/ look like a drunken clown. I've read the resources here, and it's a great start. I was hoping for any info you guys might have that might help me along? Anything on developing my long jump/grip/general badassery? I'll take anything ya got!!! Thanks for reading this, and anything you might be able to send my way >_<

Ah, a fellow carb fiend. I feel your pain! Even if you don't plan on going paleo, Marks Daily Apple, The Spunky Coconut and Our Full Plate have some excellent recipies that you can utilize that might make your life tastier. I'm not a big fan of veggies either, but I've found a few sauces on those websites that make them pretty tasty. They also have a plethora of slow cooker meals if your pressed for time, and even some gluten free, high protein pastry things that taste pretty awesome :-) As an ex chef, I've got some cooking mojo; if there are any recipes that you absolutely can't live without, send them my way and I can probably find ways to make them healthier for you. Hope this helps!