You Don’t Need an Extreme Diet or Program

During my initial period of weight loss several years ago, I adopted some pretty extreme nutritional practices.

I ate in certain ways because I believed it was the only way to achieve true health and reach my ultimate weight loss goals. I got these ideas in my head after doing lots of self-guided research and from reading advice from people I thought were nutritional experts. I thought I had discovered the secret key to weight loss and everyone who didn’t eat like me was making a big mistake.

As you might imagine, I became pretty miserable to be around during this time. I’ll never forget going home to visit Omaha and going out for sushi with my family. At the time, I was following a very strict paleo diet and refused to eat grains of any kind. I ordered a sashimi platter and ate it all by myself while I enviously watched my family members enjoy rolls, sushi, and other items with rice. They thought I was crazy while I battled with conflicting anxieties: I felt left out but was terrified of what would happen to me if I succumbed and ate grains.

Because I wasn’t armed with the skills to discern good advice from not-so-good advice, I became a bit of a zealot and fell prey to a kind of “all-or-nothing” mentality. I would fast for extended periods of time and when I did eat, entire food groups were 100% off limits.

Ultimately, this approach fueled my problems with disordered eating. When I couldn’t keep up my extreme eating habits, I fell into epic binges where I would eat as many of the forbidden foods as I could get my hands on. Afterwards, I would return to my long fasts and tell myself that I was going to get back on the wagon. Every few weeks this vicious cycle would repeat itself. The very advice I thought was the key to losing weight and being healthy was taking me farther away from either of those goals.

One of the reasons I got into the fitness industry was to help people experience success while avoiding some of the painful mistakes I made during my own journey. For this reason, I want to give you a few pieces of advice on how to detect and avoid extreme advice on eating and exercise. Adopting a sane approach to exercise and divorcing food from fear will go a long way toward maintaining or developing a healthy relationship with food and your body.

There is no magic bullet.

You know those sidebar advertisements promising “one weird trick to six pack abs?” You may roll your eyes at these ads, but they are powerful marketing tools because they prey on our insecurities and desire for instant gratification.

We are used to getting what we want right away with very little effort on our part. With health and fitness front and center in many people’s minds, it’s not surprising that companies are trying to capitalize. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take a single pill or remove one food group and lose weight without diet or exercise?

Unfortunately, the body doesn’t work this way. It takes a long time and lots of trial and error to make noticeable, lasting changes to your physique or improve your health. The sooner you accept you’re in this for the long haul, the quicker you will move down the path of successful change.

Be cautious of any product, service, or website promising you better results in less time. This is especially true of supplement companies who are allowed to make claims about the effectiveness of their products without clinical trials or government regulation. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

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How to interpret science and studies

One of the methods people use to verify the legitimacy of health information is with scientific studies and references. Unfortunately, simply citing studies is not really enough to guarantee the accuracy of information anymore.

Anyone on the internet can write about science or cite studies without the education, qualifications, or knowledge needed to critically interpret what they are citing. It’s easy to cherry-pick one or two studies to back up just about any claim. When you actually read the studies themselves, you will likely find that some “experts” completely misrepresent the contents or conclusions of a study in order to push their own agenda.

Educate yourself on how legitimate scientific studies are put together and what conclusions you can draw from certain types of evidence. Learn to think critically and ask deep questions about what a study is actually saying and what other factors could be influencing its conclusions. Understand what a peer reviewed study is and how study sponsorship can influence conclusions.

A common logical fallacy is to extrapolate causation from correlation. Just because two items are positively or negatively related on a graph does not necessarily mean one thing causes the other. For example, nutritional studies often ask people to record their food intake and then look for certain health markers. You may then see sensationalist headlines like “Eating an Egg is Equivalent to Smoking 5 Cigarettes” or “Diet Soda Causes Dementia.” In fact, these studies merely indicate that there is a correlation between a certain diet or food and a health issue. These studies in no way prove that eating a certain diet causes the problem. There may be many other factors that influence the outcome.

Look for authors who rely on meta-studies, rather than individual studies. A meta-study is an analysis of many different studies on the same topic. Meta-studies are much more reliable than individual studies as they draw from multiple experiences and have more data and trends to back up any conclusions. You can make a stronger scientific argument when you compare multiple studies examining the same basic question.

Seek the middle ground.

I learned the hard way that following a restrictive approach to eating and exercise rarely works in the long term. With the exception of elite athletes or people pursuing challenging performance or physique goals, the average person does not need to follow an extreme eating or training approach to look, feel, and perform at their best.

Beware of blanket statements, especially from people who claim their way is the only way to achieve a particular goal. For example, many diets claim removing certain foods, food groups, or macronutrients is essential for weight loss and optimal health. There are also numerous examples of blanket statements in regards to exercise. Some people claim cardio will kill your gains and should be avoided at all costs. Others claim any exercise that isn’t “functional” (whatever that means) is a waste of your time.

While these claims may work for many people, they are unnecessarily restrictive. You can lose weight and be healthy eating a wide variety of foods. You can get strong, lean, and powerful by consistently following a basic training program without running yourself into the ground or relying on circus tricks. The dark side to following these approaches includes anxiety, burnout, eating disorders, and injuries. Restrictive approaches are usually not sustainable long-term.

Moderation and simplicity aren’t sexy, but they are the key to establishing lasting healthy eating and exercise habits. It is much more valuable to learn how to eat well and exercise while still living a normal life than it is to force yourself to give up things you love or completely overhaul your life. Seek out experts and resources that promote moderation, consistency, and balance in your quest to look great and live a healthy life. Experiment to find approach what works best for your environment, body, and values, or hire a qualified coach to help guide you through the process.

(Note: Some fitness pros that are especially awesome at promoting a sane, moderation centric-approach to food and exercise are Jill Coleman, Nia Shanks, and Precision Nutrition)

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Getting in shape is simple, but not easy.

Just to be clear – I don’t claim that getting in shape is an easy or relaxing process. Just the opposite. Many people need to make big sacrifices or change a great deal about their lives to look and feel better. However, this does not mean you need to follow an extreme eating or exercise regimen that leaves you miserable, anxious, and in no way fits in with your current lifestyle.

Success comes from mastering the following things:

The right calorie balance needed to achieve your goal
Eating a diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods that you enjoy, with some leeway to enjoy occasional treats
Following a safe, smart, and progressive training plan tailored to your goals
Managing stress and prioritizing sleep
Having fun and building a lifelong love of exercise and healthy eating

If you can do these things consistently, you will never need to follow an extreme diet or fork over hundreds of dollars on crazy supplements. You can make better choices while still enjoying your life and avoid my path into disordered eating and misery.

If you need some help sorting out the good information from the noise or want a specific plan catered to your needs and goals, please fill out an application for my online training program.

July 18, 2017January 21, 2020

Which Deadlift is Right for Me?

I’ve always loved deadlifts. Ever since I first got into strength training, the deadlift has been my favorite exercise and one at which I’ve excelled. My very long arms and shorter torso gave me great natural leverage for this lift (although they certainly hurt me in the squat). I was able to get into a good conventional set-up and safely grind out a heavy single for more than 10 seconds if necessary. I loved adding weight every workout and seeing my back and legs get noticeably stronger.

My personal best deadlift at 330lbs

However, when I began working as a trainer and helping a wide range of clients, I had to change up the way I approached deadlifting. I realized that not everyone was cut out for conventional pulling from the floor. In fact, most people looked terrible in this position. Over time, I experimented with different bars, positions, and heights. Through trial and error I learned how to help someone find the deadlift variation that worked best with their unique body and training history. Oftentimes finding the right variation was the difference between pain and frustration and making rapid progress.

This article outlines some of the different deadlift variations I use with clients of all skill levels, most of whom never perform conventional deadlifts from the floor. Even if you are a great conventional puller, you can use these variations to build strength in weak portions of the lift. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of deadlifts; I left out some of the basic hinge exercises I use with new clients along with exercises like the deficit or snatch grip deadlifts which make the lift more challenging. However, for the average gym goer who just wants to look better and feel stronger, one of the deadlift variations listed here will likely be a good fit.

Barbell deadlifts

Conventional

Everybody wants to do conventional deadlifts, but few perform them safely. In a conventional deadlift, the lifter sets up with their feet in a narrow stance (usually about shoulder width apart) with their hands placed outside their legs. A great deal of hip mobility and back strength is required to get into this position and maintain a neutral spine (flat back). This style of deadlifting tends to work best with people who have long arms relative to their torso. Because conventional deadlifting has the highest risk versus reward, many people would be better off choosing another variation instead.

Sumo

Sumo deadlifts use a much wider stance with the hands placed inside the legs. This position allows you to stay more upright, reducing the demand on your back and increasing the involvement of the quads. People who have shorter limbs relative to their torso take well to sumo deadlifting. In my experience, more people are able to safely and successfully pull from a sumo setup than a conventional setup.

Trap Bar

Although not a true barbell deadlift, the trap bar deadlift is perhaps my favorite deadlift variation. A trap bar is a hexagonal bar that you stand inside of and grip with your arms outside your legs and your palms facing in. Most trap bars have a side with elevated handles which are higher off the ground than a barbell. The combination of higher bar and neutral grip means that the trap bar requires less mobility than either barbell set-up, making it much more accessible. If you are lucky enough to have one of these bars at your gym, I recommend adding the trap bar deadlift into your regular routine.

Elevated Deadlifts

Not everyone has the mobility to deadlift from the floor, even with a trap bar. The good news is you can still train the deadlift with a partial range of motion (ROM). Elevated deadlifts including rack pulls, block pulls, and plate pulls can also be used to train the upper portion and lockout of your deadlift if this is a weak spot for you. It is especially important to keep the bar pulled close to your body and get a big butt squeeze at the top of the lift to avoid rounding or hyperextending your lower back.

A rack pull is a shortened ROM deadlift completed from pins or safety bars in a power rack. You can get a similar effect by placing a loaded barbell on a stack of bumper plates or blocks. Position the bar at a height that allows you to maintain a neutral spine. This can be as low as an inch or two off the ground or as high as just below your knees. Elevated deadlifts may be performed with either a conventional or a sumo stance.

Romanian Deadlifts

Another option for people who can’t deadlift from the floor or who are new to deadlifts is to perform Romanian deadlifts (RDLs). In an RDL, the lifter starts from the standing position and then reaches back into a hinge. The bar should not touch the ground. Rather, focus on reaching your hips back and far as you can and finding tension in your hamstrings before returning to a tall and tight posture with a big butt squeeze at the top. You will likely be slightly more bent over than in a deadlift from the floor.

Like elevated deadlifts, you can perform RDLs from either a conventional or sumo stance. You can also use dumbbells. Keep the dumbbells close to your legs throughout the movement. This will be more taxing on your grip strength but you may be able to get a greater stretch in the bottom position.

Find What Works for You

Everyone has a different body with different needs and limitations. Your long-term success in the gym depends on figuring out which exercise variations put you in the best position to be successful. If conventional deadlifting feels awkward or bothers your back, switch to one of the variations discussed here. You will likely feel stronger and more stable and see faster progress towards your goals with fewer setbacks.

Want to get better at squatting and deadlifting? Download your FREE copy of my mini ebook Squat and Deadlift School below.

I share my favorite form tips and provide progressions to help you work toward (or supplement) barbell training.

I’m confident both novice and experienced lifters can use the book and accompanying videos to take their training to the next level.

July 11, 2017October 23, 2018

How I Overcame My Dislike of Vegetables

Eat More Vegetables

A few years ago, my idea of eating vegetables was having a leaf of lettuce and a tomato on my daily sandwich. Like many people, I had no idea where to start when preparing vegetables and, quite frankly, they never sounded very appetizing to me.

This changed when I moved into my first apartment and taught myself how to cook. Each week I went to the grocery store I would pick out some new vegetable to try. I used google and an old recipe book I picked up at a bargain bookstore to figure out different ways to prepare what I had purchased. Gradually, my repertoire of vegetables expanded. I even found dishes that I really loved to cook and tasted great.

These days, vegetables make up the bulk of my daily eating. I have incorporated vegetables into all of my regular meals and even miss them when I travel and don’t eat them for a few days. In this article, I want to share some of the strategies I have used for eating more vegetables. My two basic approaches are to simplify preparation and add more vegetables into meals you already eat.

Salads

Salads are an obvious way to include more vegetables in your diet. Salads allow you to cram loads of vegetables into a single meal while providing enough flexibility with flavors and textures to prevent food boredom. If you get bored with salads, you probably haven’t spent enough time experimenting to find a few combinations you truly enjoy. You can add just about anything to a salad. Different types of greens, leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner, canned vegetables, and chopped raw vegetables all work well.

Salads are a great option for healthy weekday lunches. Add a protein source to make a complete meal. If you are worried about your greens getting wilted, store your dressing in a separate container and add it to your salad just before you eat. You can also make a side salad with just veggies to go with dinner.

Use Templates to Make Vegetable Sides

When I want a quick vegetable side dish for dinner, I turn to one of three templates. I love meal templates because they allow you to keep the steps of a recipe the same while still providing room to change up the flavor or feature different ingredients. Once you master these simple techniques, it will be much easier for you to throw together a healthy side.

Template 1: Steamed Vegetables

This is the easiest template of the three, but also the most plain. To steam vegetables, simply chop them up into smaller pieces, place them in a pot or steamer basket with an inch of water, and cook on high until desired softness. My favorite veggies for steaming are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, and asparagus. Add plenty of seasonings or a bit of fat to the finished veggies if you want some extra flavor. This article from The Kitchn gives more detailed information on how to steam individual vegetables.

Template 2: Veggie Medley

A medley is made by chopping up veggies and sautéing them to desired doneness. My medleys usually feature zucchini or another summer squash with onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. You can also saute dark leafy greens like spinach or kale. Cook them in some butter or oil or use an olive oil spray if you are watching your calories. Add plenty of seasoning.

Template 3: Roasted Veggies

Roasted veggies are the perfect healthy comfort food for cold winter months. Roasting is a great way to soften up heartier veggies and starches such as broccoli or cauliflower, potatoes, squash, carrots, onions, and other roots and tubers. Cut the veggies into even pieces (softer veggies like zucchini should be a bit bigger), distribute evenly on a sheet pan, coat with oil and spices, and cook at around 425 degrees for 30-60 minutes. Check out this great article from The Kitchn for more information on how to roast any vegetable.

Snacks

Raw vegetables are a low-calorie, healthy snack that won’t go bad when left out of the fridge for a few hours. Carrots, tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, and cauliflower all make great snacks.

If you have a weekend meal prep day, you can chop up raw veggies and distribute them into bags to take to work. Leave these in your office fridge or at your desk to help you out if you get unexpectedly hungry in the afternoon. You can also munch on veggies while you are cooking dinner or watching tv at home.

Smoothies and Greens Powders

If you are already making smoothies on a regular basis, you can easily add in some extra servings of vegetables. Consider trying a smoothie recipe that features more vegetables, such as this one. Celery, cucumber, fresh herbs, and spinach are vegetables that work in smoothies. Be sure to add in a scoop of protein powder (vanilla flavor works best for veggie smoothies).

You can also add frozen spinach to just about any smoothie. I used to make post-workout chocolate cherry protein smoothies and I always added a heaping cup of frozen spinach. I liked the thicker consistency I got from using more frozen ingredients and I couldn’t taste the spinach at all.

You can also add a scoop of powdered greens to your daily smoothie. There are lots of greens products on the market. Greens powders are a great way to get your daily dose of veggies in when you are on the road and don’t have access to fresh food. You can also take a daily serving of greens powder during the winter months or other times when you are particularly vulnerable to illness. This isn’t a substitute for whole food, but it can help you cover your nutritional bases.

Sneak More Veggies into Other Meals

One of the easiest ways to eat more vegetables is to find ways to add them into meals you already like. The possibilities here are endless. Making pasta? Add a can of diced tomatoes and some fresh mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers. Scrambled eggs? Add in some leftovers from the veggie medley you made the other night or chop up some onions, mushrooms, and spinach. If a recipe already includes vegetables, double or triple the suggested quantity.

Some meals work especially well with lots of veggies. Anything you cook for a long time, such as a stew, soup, or chili, allows you to add in loads of veggies. Other one pot meals such as stir-frys, curries, and casseroles rely on veggies for a lot of their bulk. I’ve found that using frozen or canned vegetables works well with these kinds of meals. You don’t always have to have fresh produce on hand to make healthy choices and get in your daily dose of veggies.

Be a Little Adventurous

Eating more vegetables may require you to get out of your comfort zone. Ease into this process by choosing one new vegetable to try every week. Do a quick google search of the easiest way to prepare the vegetable on its own or add it into a dish you already make. This article from Precision Nutrition offers some great advice on the best ways to prepare common vegetables. If you like what you make, add it into your regular meal rotation. You can also give a vegetable a couple tries to see if you prefer it prepared a certain way. After several months of doing this, you will have expanded the number of vegetables you like to eat and know how to prepare.

It’s not always easy figuring out how to make healthier choices. That’s why I created Eleven Easy Meal Templates, a free PDF guide to help take the guesswork out of healthy home cooking. Sign up using the box below.

July 5, 2017October 14, 2019

Beat Emotional Eating

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Do any of these situations sound familiar?

You’re having a rough day at work and finally find a few minutes to step away from your desk. Once you get to the break room, you struggle to resist the temptation of all the snacks sitting out on the counter. You grab a few fun-sized chocolate bars and half a donut.
You didn’t get an expected promotion at work, so that night you tell yourself you deserve to treat yourself to half a pizza and a pint of ice cream (or an entire bottle of wine).
It’s 10:30 at night, and you’re watching a boring episode of your partner’s favorite tv show. You mindlessly reach for some chips and before you know it, the entire bag is gone.

Emotional eating is insidious. It comes in many forms and usually happens without our conscious knowledge or consent. Frequent emotional eating episodes can derail your efforts to lose weight or build healthier habits, even if you do everything else well.

I have personally struggled with emotional eating and binge eating for many years. Through a combination of mindfulness, slowing down, learning more about myself, and going to therapy, I’ve made great strides in combatting this challenging problem.

Many of our struggles around food aren’t actually about food at all. If you need some help managing your emotions, or if you suspect you may be suffering from an eating disorder, I strongly encourage you to seek professional help and speak with a therapist.

If you just want to cultivate more awareness and learn some strategies to stop emotional eating, read on for the tools that are most helpful for me and my clients.

Notice, name, and respond to emotions.

Cravings are often triggered by emotions that have nothing to do with hunger. Some of the most common culprits are boredom, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. Many of us learned to use food to cope with these uncomfortable emotions at a young age, which makes emotional eating a difficult habit to unlearn.

First, you must learn to accurately identify your emotions. The next time you feel a craving, stop and ask yourself “what’s really going on here?” Precision Nutrition calls this practice “notice and name”. Practice labeling different emotions based on how they feel in your body or brain. Write them down if necessary (more on this below).

Next, determine how you can respond to this emotion in a way that doesn’t involve food. Many of the best responses are physically active, mentally stimulating, or promote relaxation or connection. Engaging in a fun activity, calling a friend, tackling an important work task, going for a walk, or meditating are all possible options to address boredom, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. These actions not only prevent emotional eating, they can also help you become a happier person.

Distinguish between true hunger and cravings

There is a difference between craving a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and being genuinely hungry for dinner. In order to combat your emotional eating habits, you need to learn the difference between these two sensations.

One of the best ways to identify true hunger is to set a timer for 20 minutes when you notice a craving. During this time, if possible, remove yourself from food and find something else to do. Oftentimes, once you get back to work or start doing something fun the craving will pass completely and you will realize that you aren’t actually hungry. If after the timer rings you are still hungry (or even hungrier than before), then you can decide whether to satisfy the craving, grab a healthy snack, or eat a full meal.

Another useful mind trick is to consider what types of food you are craving. If a plate of chicken and broccoli (or one of your go-to healthy meals) sounds appetizing, you are probably actually hungry. If you are only hungry for sweets or a greasy burger, you are probably experiencing a craving.

Keep a journal.

Keeping a food journal is a great way to get more in touch with your natural hunger cues. I don’t mean logging your caloric intake, although that can be helpful. This kind of food journal tracks hunger and craving levels throughout the day and around meals.

Rate your hunger and cravings levels on a scale of 1-10 (10 = totally stuffed/not at all hungry or no cravings, 1 = extremely hungry and craving everything in sight). Record these numbers when you wake up, before and after meals, and before you go to bed. For most people, allowing yourself to get to peak hunger between meals is a recipe for overeating. Aim to keep your hunger levels between 3-6 before meals and no more than 8 after meals.

Those of you who struggle to get in touch with your emotions may benefit from keeping a different kind of journal. At the end of every day, write down a short account of your day. Describe the various emotions you felt, how they affected you, and how well you handled them. Practice giving names to these emotions and, where applicable, make special note of how they affected your hunger and craving levels.

Journaling is also useful to help you figure out what went wrong after you binge or succumb to emotional eating. Think back to the sequence of events leading up to the binge and try to identify as many triggers are you can. These could be anything from being extremely hungry, to walking by a particular restaurant, to getting in a fight with your partner. Write as many details as you can remember so you can try to handle the situation better next time it comes up. When we commit to writing these things down, we start to see unhelpful patterns in our thoughts and behaviors.

Change your environment so it supports your goals.

In Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Chip and Dan Heath explain that when trying to make changes, what seems like a people problem is often a situation problem. People are highly susceptible to certain behaviors based on environmental triggers. Therefore, you can work to tweak your environment so emotional eating is more difficult.

If you are prone to emotional eating, stress eating, or binge eating, you should not keep any junk food in your house. It doesn’t matter if the food is yours or belongs to your partner or kids: if it is in the house, you are at risk for eating it at any time. Sometimes trigger foods are not overtly junky. Things like peanut butter, protein bars, dried fruit, and nuts are common “healthy” foods many people still overeat. If you have a problem with a particular food, healthy or not, remove it from your house or workspace and don’t buy it again.

Slow, mindful eating is an incredibly powerful tool to increase your enjoyment of meals and help you combat emotional eating. Make a habit of devoting your full attention to meals. This means when it’s time for dinner, you set the table, eat a full meal, and avoid electronic distractions. When the meal is over you “close” your kitchen and nobody gets to grab anymore food for the rest of the night. This is especially helpful if you have a bad habit of mindlessly snacking in front of the tv after work or late at night. Train yourself to eat only at meals and spend the rest of your day working, playing, or relaxing without constant snacking.

Finally, whenever possible avoid situations that trigger overeating. If you know you are prone to binging when you allow yourself to go too long between meals, keep a healthy snack with you at all times. When you have to face your triggers, come armed with a plan to help you deal with the situation. A journaling practice can help you better understand emotions or situations that trigger unwanted eating.

Practice self-compassion.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my fitness journey is to be nicer to myself when I mess up and succumb to emotional or binge eating.

Although it is useful to analyze your behavior to find ways to better handle difficult situations in the future, it is not helpful to wallow in guilt or punish yourself with negative self-talk and over restriction.

Precision Nutrition has a practice called the “clean slate”: when you have a bad day of eating, you start fresh the next day without any baggage or guilt about your actions. Building a healthy lifestyle is a process with many ups and downs. Learn from your mistakes, treat yourself with love and respect, and continue taking steps towards a happier and healthier future.

If you want help taking charge of your eating habits, please fill out the application for my online coaching program.

June 28, 2017February 25, 2020

Training Around Knee Pain, Part 2

In part 1 of this article, I explained how to warmup and foam roll to address knee pain. I also looked at which cardio options are the most knee-friendly.

Part 2 digs deeper into how you should modify your training when your knees are acting up. Please be advised that if you experience intense, debilitating pain or your pain persists for several weeks, you should see a medical professional.

Prioritize Posterior Chain Training

Depending on the severity of your pain or injury, you may not be able to perform knee-dominant exercises like squats and lunges right now.

Luckily, you can get a great training effect, build muscle in your legs, and get stronger by using exercises that primarily target the glutes and hamstrings. These exercises put much less strain on your knees and may actually help alleviate some of your knee pain in training and daily life.

Glute Bridges and Hip Thrusts

I have all of my clients with knee pain perform some variation of glute bridges or hip thrusts. These are some of the best exercises to directly target the glutes.

They are also very versatile and can be loaded a variety of ways depending on your goals. I program bodyweight bridges in my warmups, heavy barbell hip thrusts as a main lift during training, and high-rep band bridges and hip thrusts as a finisher. Get creative with how you use these exercises and don’t be afraid to go heavy once you master proper form.

Deadlifts

Another favorite exercise for those with knee pain is the deadlift. This exercise allows you to train your entire legs without putting as much direct strain on the knees. Be sure to choose a deadlift variation that doesn’t cause you any knee pain and that you can perform properly. Sumo deadlifts and trap bar deadlifts may be a better option than conventional deadlifts becasue they require less mobility and less knee flexion. I also like the Romanian deadlift because it allows you to hinge from a standing position, which again requires less mobility and less demand on the knee.

Other Options

Other great posterior chain exercises include good mornings (with bands, kettlebells, or barbells), back extensions, leg curls, kettlebell swings, and leg press with your feet positioned high and wide on the platform. Add in some isolation work for the smaller muscles in the glutes and hips. Some favorites include lateral band walks, seated machine abductions, and standing cable abductions. These exercises work best with light weights and high reps.

Adjust Knee-Dominant Exercises

Dealing with knee pain doesn’t mean you can’t continue to use knee- and quad-dominant exercises like squats or lunges. However, you will need to keep a very close eye on your form and consider making some tweaks to the way you load or perform these exercises.

It is extremely important to prevent any inward buckling, called valgus, of the knees. Allowing knee valgus puts tons of strain on the joint and may be contributing to your pain or injury.

Pay attention to your foot position. Your weight should be evenly balanced between your big toe, little toe, and heel when your foot is flat on the floor. Think about driving through your heel when completing single-leg exercises or leg presses to further engage the glutes and hamstrings. I also cue clients to spread the floor apart with their feet during squats.

Squats

There are several ways you can tweak your squats to reduce knee pain. Because some of these tips are contradictory, it’s important to experiment and find what works best for you.

Many people will benefit from widening their squat stance slightly and sitting back into their hips. Box squats are a great tool to learn how to sit back more into the squat and take more advantage of your posterior chain. Use a slightly lower back position when back squatting to accommodate this new stance.

Other people find that increasing their squat depth actually reduces their knee pain. If you tolerate it, try using a high-bar back squat or a front squat to get into an ass-to-grass squat. Front-loaded goblet squats also work well in this context. No matter how you choose to squat, be extremely careful to keep your knees out over your toes throughout the entire lift. Think about spreading the floor apart with your feet.

Unilateral Training

Choose single-leg exercises that keep your knee in a safer position. Single-leg deadlifts and RDLs are a fantastic exercise to build posterior chain strength and improve knee stability.

When clients are ready to reintroduce single leg knee-dominant exercises, I always start with split squats and step ups. I only progress to lunges when clients have demonstrated they can perform these two exercises with good form and without pain. Some clients never return to lunges, and that’s totally okay.

If you are experiencing knee pain, chances are good that you have poor mobility, weakness in some key muscles, or are performing exercises with shoddy technique. Try incorporating these strategies in your workouts to address these problems and build better training habits moving forward.

Want to work on squats and deadlifts without exacerbating knee pain? Download your free copy of my ebook Squat and Deadlift School below. I share the exact progressions and exercises I use to help clients feel strong and confident with these exercises, including ways to modify your training if your knees are bugging you.

June 26, 2017February 25, 2020

Training Around Knee Pain, Part 1

Several years ago, I began to experience regular knee pain. This was extremely frustrating for me as I love training legs and am on my feet all day long for my job.

Fortunately, with a few tweaks to my training, more attention paid to technique, and a renewed commitment to warmups and foam rolling, I was able to greatly reduce the intensity and frequency of my pain and return to a normal training routine.

Knee pain can be extremely frustrating but it doesn’t need to derail your training. This first article provides some of my favorite warmup and cardio strategies to reduce knee pain and better prepare yourself to train safely. The second part addresses ways to modify your lower body training.

I have used these techniques myself and with my clients with great success. Please be advised that if you experience intense, debilitating pain or your pain persists for several weeks, you should see or medical professional.

Warmup

Before you do any training, I recommend completing a dynamic warmup to engage the glutes and hips and mobilize your hips and ankles. You must understand how to use your glutes when training your lower body, and activation drills help you get more in touch with these muscles.

I always begin all of my training sessions with a set of glute bridges. Some other activation drills include clams, fire hydrants, lateral band walks, and bird dogs. Try adding a resistance band to these exercises to make them more challenging.

People with knee pain often lack mobility through their hips and ankles. In addition to the activation drills above, complete a few mobilization drills to promote proper joint movement.

Some of my favorite hip mobility drills include hip rockers, split-stance rockers, half-kneeling hip flexor stretches, 90-90, 3-point lunge (sometimes called spiderman lunge or groiners), and fire hydrant circles.

To mobilize your ankles, complete a few sets of this wall ankle drill or inchworms to round out your warmup.

Foam rolling

Foam rolling may help relax overactive muscles and reduce knee pain. However, many people approach foam rolling incorrectly and therefore waste their time.

Instead of quickly rolling back and forth over an entire muscle, take your time and go slow. Look for spots that feel particularly tender and hang out on top of those. Take a few deep, slow breaths and try to feel the muscle release.

Pick one or two problem areas each time you roll so that you can devote 2-5 minutes on each muscle. The areas most commonly responsible for knee pain include the adductors (inside your thigh), IT band (outside your thigh), quads, and calves. You can foam roll at the start or end of your workouts.

Knee-friendly Cardio and Finishers

Bicycling – both on a stationary bike or on a real bike – is a great way to get in cardio without aggravating knee pain. Many physical therapists prescribe cycling as part of a knee rehabilitation program. Be sure the seat on the bike is not too low; your leg should be almost straight at the bottom of your pedal and not crunched up at a 90 degree angle. Riding a bike with clip-on or strap-in pedals allows you to take more advantage of your hamstrings on the upstroke.

Swimming is another great training option for people with knee issues. There is almost no impact when you swim, making it a very joint-friendly option.

Be cautious and ease into running. Always complete a dynamic warm-up before you run and foam roll a few times each week. Always wear appropriate footwear for your body. Start with a walk-run approach that has you alternating between periods of lower and higher intensity. If you continue to experience knee pain, meet with a running specialist to analyze your mechanics or consider switching to a cardio modality that you can tolerate better.

I also love heavy sled pushing and pulling as a finisher in the weight room. This exercise gives you a great full-body training effect without putting much strain on your knees. If your gym doesn’t have a sled, you can use an overturned box stacked with weight plates.

In part 2, I discuss how to train your legs if you have knee pain.

June 20, 2017January 21, 2020

Fix Your Squat

Squatting is one of the best full-body exercises and a staple of many training programs. However, many people squat incorrectly. Some people have mobility issues causing them to squat with poor form while others simply choose a modality that is inappropriate for them.

This article provides some of my favorite hacks to fix common squatting problems. If you notice one of these issues with your squat, try making the changes I suggest and see if you don’t feel much more confident and strong after a few workouts.

Your heels come off the ground

If your heels come off the ground as you descend into the squat, you may lack ankle mobility. Try grabbing two small weight plates and placing them under the back portion of your heels. Make sure your toes stay on the ground. This will often allow you to squat much deeper while maintaining floor contact with the entire foot.

You fall forward or your knees shoot forward

If you fall forward in the squat, you need to learn to use your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) and rely less on your quads.

Use a small box to practice sitting back into the squat. Choose a box that puts your thighs parallel to the ground when you are sitting. Start by pushing the hips back and sitting back very slowly into the squat, controlling the entire descent and not simply plopping onto the box. Make sure to break with the hips first rather than the knees.

You can also try squatting with your chest and face a few inches away from a wall to teach you to sit back.

You aren’t squatting deep

Inability to squat deep (thighs parallel with the floor or below) can be caused by numerous mobility issues including poor ankle mobility and poor hip mobility. Make sure you are performing a dynamic warmup that opens up your hips before you squat and try using the heel plate hack mentioned above.

Even if you have good mobility, you may lack the confidence or body awareness to control the squat to the right depth. Use a box set to parallel to learn how low you should be going.

Finally, you may have hip bones that prevent you from squatting deep. If you feel like something is wrong or your form totally collapses when you try to squat to depth, simply use a higher box and work within your own limits. Don’t force your body into unsafe positions in the gym!

You have trouble with back squatting

Lots of people jump into barbell back squatting before they are ready. Back squatting is an advanced exercise that doesn’t sit well with many body types. I would only advance to back squatting after you have mastered front-loaded squat variations such as goblet squatting, kettlebell front racked squatting, and barbell front squatting.

Those of you lucky enough to train at a gym with specialty bars can take advantage of the safety squat bar for lower-risk back squatting. If you have a history of low back or elbow pain, I recommend you avoid back squatting entirely. Unless you are a competitive powerlifter and need to back squat for your sport, you can get all the same benefits of squatting with a front-loaded variation that is safer and more comfortable for your body.

If you are struggling with your squat, reevaluate how you are training the movement. Always complete a dynamic warmup to open up the hips and ankles, engage the posterior chain, and prepare you for the demands of your workout. Use one of the hacks from this article to address a specific technique flaw. Be sure to choose a modality that allows you to perform the lift feeling safe and strong. Many people can get all the training effect they need from front-loaded squat variations. Experiment to find out what works best for your body and gets you the best progress towards your goals.

Want to get better at squatting and deadlifting? Download your free copy of my brand new mini ebook, Squat and Deadlift School below.

I share my favorite form tips, troubleshoot common problems like the ones above, and provide progressions to help you work toward (or supplement) barbell training.

I’m confident both novice and experienced lifters can use the book and accompanying videos to take their training to the next level.

June 12, 2017February 4, 2019

What Should I Do When I Come to the Gym?

It’s Monday at 11:45am and you heading to the gym for a quick lunchtime workout. Your last meeting left your head spinning and all you can think about is the work you need to complete that afternoon. You throw your things in your gym bag and race over to train.

When you get to the gym, you walk out onto the floor and totally blank on what to do. You hurry through a few sets of bench press, chest flyes, curls, and crunches. Everything feels rushed and you are unable to focus. You return to your desk feeling like you accomplished very little.

Wednesday finds you in the same situation, except this time you complete a handful of different exercises. The rest of the week you are so swamped with work and unmotivated from your lackluster workouts you don’t make it into the gym at all.

This cycle repeats week after week.

This story exemplifies how many busy professionals approach their training. You don’t have a plan or know how to maximize your time. Instead, you bounce haphazardly between the exercises you know and like. You may try to follow a multi-day body part split, but fail to make it in for all of the workouts. This not only wastes time and results in no progress towards your goals, it can lead to imbalances and potential injuries.

I want to suggest a better way to build workouts, even on the fly.

Legendary strength coach Dan John explains that there are five major movement patterns: squat, hinge, push, pull and carry. Full-body workouts that focus on these five major movement patterns are an effective, efficient, and enjoyable way to train. This article looks at each pattern and provides exercise examples and progressions for each one.

You can use this basic framework and the exercises included to quickly assemble a safe, effective, and challenging workout. At the end, I include two sample full-body workouts based on these principles.

Squat

The squat is a lower-body movement that uses lots of flexion at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. Think of a squat as sitting down into a chair.

There are many different ways you can train squats at the gym. Start with bodyweight air squats or box squats. Next, progress to front-loaded variations including goblet squats, double front racked kettlebell squats, and barbell front squats.

Once you have mastered basic squat form, you can add in barbell back squatting. I don’t have all my clients back squat. Most people can get the same benefits from front-loaded squat variations, which tend to have a lower risk of injury.

I also include single-leg exercises under the squat category. Everyone should do some single leg exercises throughout the week. This is especially true for runners or athletes.

The most basic single leg exercises include step ups and stationary split squats. Once you are more comfortable, you can progress to various lunge variations (reverse, forward, walking, side, or deficit), rear-foot elevated split squats (also called Bulgarian split squats), and single-leg squats.

Hinge

The hinge is the second major lower body movement and it involves lots of flexion at the hip, minimal flexion at the knee, and almost no flexion at the ankle. Think of a hinge as picking something up from the ground.

Everyone regardless of age, experience, or injury history needs to train the hinge. You don’t want to be the person who throws out their back helping a friend move or picking up their child at the playground. Learning to move from your hips and load your legs without risking your spine is an incredibly important skill.

The deadlift is the king of hinge exercises. You can perform a variety of deadlift variations depending on your skill, strength, and injury history. Choose a deadlift variation that allows you to get into the longest position without any rounding of the spine. For example, if you are one of the many people who lack the flexibility to perform a great barbell conventional deadlift from the floor, try pulling from a sumo position, elevating the bar on blocks or doing rack pulls, or using a trap/hex bar. You can also use dumbbell or barbell Romanian deadlifts to practice moving into a hinge from a standing position, which requires much less coordination and flexibility.

Other hip hinge exercises include the cable pull-through, back extension, goodmorning, and kettlebell swing. Experiment with different exercises and implements to determine which choices are best for your skill level and body.

Push

Upper body pushing and pulling movements are divided into vertical and horizontal categories. As a general rule, most people should perform more horizontal pushing and pulling than vertical pushing or pulling. People with shoulder injuries or very tight upper backs should use caution or avoid vertical pushing and pulling altogether.

Horizontal pushing includes pushup and chest press variations. Pushups are a tremendously efficient exercise that builds upper body strength along with core strength and stability. If you can’t complete pushups from the floor, elevate your hands on a bench or smith machine and work your way down.

Chest press exercises include standing cable or band chest press, flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, floor press, and single arm presses at any angle. Start with dumbbells or kettlebells and then progress to the barbell.

Single-arm landmine pressing is a great half-way option for people who want to train their vertical press but don’t want to or can’t get into a fully overhead position. Complete these in a half-kneeling position for an extra challenge for your core and legs.

Vertical pushing exercises include different types of overhead pressing. If you include vertical pressing in your program, start with light weights and use implements such as dumbbells or kettlebells that allow less restricted movement of your shoulders. Once you are strong and sure of your form, you can progress to barbell overhead presses such as military press or push press.

Pull

Horizontal pulling is also known as rowing. You can row using barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, cables, machines, and even your own bodyweight. Beginners should begin with bands or cables (low row, single arm cable row, face pull) and machines (chest supported row) before progressing to dumbbells and kettlebells (bent over rows or chest supported rows). As with all movements, the barbell is the most advanced progression and should only be used if you are sure of your form and have built a solid foundation of strength.

Trainees of all ability levels can benefit from bodyweight inverted rows using a TRX or a smith machine. Elevate your feet or add a weighted vest to make these more challenging.

Vertical pulling includes chin-ups and pull-ups using a variety of grips and implements. You can also perform lat pulldowns if you aren’t strong enough for pull-ups or want to supplement your vertical pulling training. Check out the video below to see a TRX progression I use to help my clients work up to their first bodyweight chin ups.

Carry

Carrying is perhaps the most basic of all the movements included in this program. No matter who you are or what you do, you will need to complete carries on an almost daily basis. Common real-world examples include carrying groceries, children, pets, or moving objects for your job or hobby.

My favorite carry is the basic farmer carry. Grab two heavy weights, stand up with tall and tight posture, and walk around. You can mix up your carries by holding weights in front of you (front rack carry), overhead (waiter carry), or by pulling or pushing a heavy sled or box.

With this framework, you can easily put together an effective full-body workout even when you are crunched on time.

Pick one exercise from each category and complete 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps each.

Use supersets (two exercises paired together) to save time. Pair hinge with push and squat with pull.

Finish with a few rounds of carries and call it a day.

I provide two examples of workouts catering to beginner/intermediate and advanced lifters below.

Beginner Workout

Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Smith machine elevated pushup

Step ups

TRX inverted row

Farmer carry

Advanced Workout

Barbell front squat

Chin ups

Dumbbell bench press

Kettlebell swings

Waiter carry

Putting it all together

June 5, 2017October 23, 2018

Stock Your Pantry and Freezer for Easier Cooking

It’s Wednesday night at 9pm. You’ve just come home from the office after an unexpectedly long day and you’re totally exhausted and ravenously hungry. You open your fridge and see that there is nothing inside. You realize you didn’t buy enough food at the grocery store over the weekend and it’s too late to run there now.

What do you do? If you are like a lot of people, you pull up GrubHub and search the for the fastest, closest Chinese food or pizza. Doing this repeatedly costs a lot of money and will wreck your efforts to eat healthy or lose weight. The good news is you can easily prepare for situations like this and ensure you always have healthy options available.

If you want to make easy, delicious meals at home, invest some time and money into stocking your pantry and freezer. Having a fully stocked kitchen makes it easy to put meals together on the fly, even when you don’t have time to go to the grocery store. It also allows you to experiment with different flavors so you don’t get bored with your food.

In this article, I share my essential pantry staples and how you can use them. It can be expensive to stock up on all this stuff at once, so buy just one or two things each time you visit the grocery store. After a few weeks, you’ll be well on your way to having a fully stocked kitchen.

Spices

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people trying to eat healthier is that they get tired of eating bland food all the time. With the help of spices, making good food choices doesn’t need to be a death sentence for flavor. Stock your pantry with plenty of spices to add variety to your meals. In addition to tasting great, many spices provide health benefits.

My essential spices are salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic or garlic powder. Other common and useful spices include cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme. Look at the recipes you make most frequently and buy the spices that repeatedly pop up.

I am also a big fan of spice blends. Stores like Penzeys, The Spice House, or your local spicer will have many different blend options to chose from. Spice blends are great for people who are short on time or don’t really love to cook because they allow you to add complexity to a dish with little effort. Simply chose the blend that matches the flavor you want, apply liberally to your food, cook, and enjoy. You can purchase blends that work well for certain cuisines, cuts of meat, vegetables, preparation methods, and more.

Oil and Acid

Next on your pantry shopping list are oil and acids, such as vinegar and citrus juice. These items are very versatile and can be used to cook food, make salad dressings, and add flavor to a variety of dishes.

My three go-to oils are olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. I use olive oil and avocado oil to make salad dressings and I cook primarily with coconut oil. Sesame oil is handy to use for stir frys.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the wide variety of vinegars at the store; the basic three are apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. Vinegar is great for dressing salads and you can also add a splash to stir frys, soups, and other dishes.

Other acids include lemon, lime, and orange juice. You can buy bottles of lemon and lime juice to keep in your pantry, but these must be refrigerated after opening.

Canned Goods

Canned goods sometimes get a bad rap in the health food world. However, I believe that for the average person the benefits of convenience outweigh any loss of nutrients. I use canned goods on a regular basis for salads, soups, stir frys, and chilis.

I recommend always keeping a few cans of protein on hand. My preferred canned proteins are chicken breast, tuna, and salmon, but any protein you enjoy will work. Vegetarians (and people who enjoy them) should keep plenty of canned beans on hand.

Canned vegetables are a great addition to soups, chilis, curries, stir frys, and other one-pot dishes. I usually keep some tomatoes, green beans, corn, olives, and stir fry vegetables in my pantry. I also use canned pumpkin in my daily oatmeal.

When buying canned goods, always try to chose items packed in water instead of syrup or oil. This helps you keep calories in check.

Dry Grains and Legumes

Dried grains and beans are a cheap way to fill out any meal. You can keep these items in the pantry for a very long time. Keep in mind that many dried beans and grains take a while to prepare and may work best cooked in large batches and then saved for later. If time is a concern, you can also buy instant rice or other grains that you can cook quickly in the microwave. Many cooked grains can be frozen and saved for several months.

I always keep bags of oats, jasmine rice, and basmati rice in my pantry. Some of my other favorites include couscous, lentils, and quinoa. You can experiment to figure out which grains and legumes you enjoy and work with your body.

Frozen Foods

The pantry isn’t the only place you can keep food on hand for easy meal prep. I recommend keeping a few key items in your freezer for when you can’t make it to the store or need to fill out your favorite dishes.

First, keep a bag or two of frozen protein that you enjoy. My favorites are chicken breast and shrimp. Most grocery stores now carry a wide range of frozen fish that is often higher quality than what you can grab at their fish counter. If you are concerned about the environment as well as your health, check out http://seafood.edf.org/.

Keeping a few bags of frozen fruits and vegetables in your freezer is also a great idea. Frozen fruits make great additions to smoothies or oatmeal and frozen vegetables can be added to omelets, stir frys or simply popped in the microwave for a quick and easy side dish.

Other Pantry Items

You may notice a few of your favorite items missing from my previous lists. Things like nut butters, honey, dried fruit, pasta, and nuts are staples in many people’s pantries. I encourage you to think honestly about your relationship to these items; for many people, these foods are no better than having candy or cookies lying around the house. People start eating them and aren’t able to stop. If this sounds like you, I recommend keeping these items out of the house. If you don’t have a problem with these foods, feel free to enjoy them sparingly as treats.

pantry

Having a well-stocked pantry and freezer makes it much easier to cook healthy meals that aren’t boring or bland. It also means that you will never be unable to prepare something healthy because you didn’t have time to run to the grocery store. Instead of ordering a pizza when you get home late and don’t have food, you will be able to quickly throw together a healthy meal that tastes great.

Need more help putting together easy homemade meals? Check out Eleven Easy Meal Templates, a totally free PDF guide to creating fast, tasty, nutritious meals without the hassle. Sign up using the box below.

May 22, 2017October 26, 2018

Essential Kitchen Tools for Easy Home Cooking

When I was in college and first learning how to cook for myself, it always seemed to take forever to prepare meals. Over time, I learned the importance of having the right kitchen tool for the job. For example, it took me way less time to chop vegetables for scrambled eggs with a nice chef’s knife instead of trying to cut everything with tiny steak knives. This also carried over to the quality of the food I prepared. I didn’t have to suffer dried oven-baked chicken breast anymore once I discovered the wonderful power of the George Foreman grill and the slow cooker. Stocking my kitchen with the appropriate tools made it much quicker and less daunting to prepare healthy, tasty food at home.

Failure to cook most of your own meals is one of the biggest obstacles to healthy eating. For many people, cooking and preparing food is a cumbersome and frustrating process. Even with decent cooking skills, a poorly-stocked kitchen makes meal preparation much more challenging. If you want to make it easier to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals, invest in a few key pieces of equipment. This article gives you my go-to kitchen tools for easier home cooking.

Pots, Pans, and Cooking Utensils

There are three essential pots and pans you can use for all your cooking. The first is a frying pan. This is my go-to pan for day-to-day cooking. Frying pans can be used to scramble eggs, sautée veggies, and make one-pot meals, including stir-frys and curries. You can also use them to cook certain cuts of protein including steaks, seafood, and pork chops. A cast iron pan is especially versatile since you can use it in the oven as well.

Second, you need a large pot and a small pot. Both can be used to steam, boil, or blanch vegetables. I use my small pot to cook grains such as rice, oats, quinoa, and couscous. The larger pot is more versatile, allowing you to make homemade soups or chilis, boil a dozen eggs at once, poach chicken breasts, and more.

Although you can purchase these three items separately, it often makes more financial sense to purchase a pots and pans set. Any store selling housewares (Target, Walmart, Kohls, Amazon, etc.) will carry these. Look at several brands, read reviews online, and choose an option that works best for your budget. Smaller sets are best for those just starting out with cooking or who have limited kitchen space.

You should also purchase one silicon spatula, one silicon ladle, one silicon slotted ladle, and one wooden spoon. These may come with your set of pots and pans or can be purchased in a separate set. These four tools will cover all basic cooking needs.

Sharp Knife and Cutting Boards

A single, high quality chef’s knife is all you need for most basic kitchen tasks. It is safer and less time-consuming to cut meat and produce with a chef’s knife than a steak knife or another small knife. Chef’s knives can be pricey, so read reviews and find an option that works best for your budget. If you have a larger budget or are a more advanced cook, you can purchase an entire knife set. Just remember that this isn’t necessary for people who just want to make basic, healthy meals.

To keep your preparation space sanitary, you should purchase one cutting board for raw meat and a second cutting board for everything else. Choose the largest cutting boards that fit on your counter so you are not cramped. There is no real advantage to different materials for the beginner cook, so pick the option that works best for your budget.

Slow cooker

The slow cooker is the ultimate appliance for people who want great tasting, healthy food but don’t want to put much effort into cooking. For a delicious dump-and-go meal, add a big hunk of protein, a bit of salt and other spices, some heartier vegetables or legumes such as carrots, onions, potatoes, and beans, and set to low for 8 hours. The long cook time brings out tons of flavor from even the toughest cuts of meat and requires little hands-on time.

If you don’t already own a slow cooker, I recommend splurging for a large size (6 quarts is ideal) that is programmable. Larger sizes allow you to double or triple your recipes, leaving you with plenty of food for leftovers. A programmable slow cooker allows you to put in the ingredients and then leave for a long period of time with peace of mind that your meal won’t be overcooked. This is also a great option for cooking meals overnight.

Grill pan or George Foreman Grill

Indoor grilling is another great way to prepare fast, delicious meals. A grill pan or a George Foreman grill allow you to capture some of the delicious flavor and texture of grilled meat indoors, all year round.

Grill pans are generally made of cast iron and sit on top of your stove. The George Foreman grill is a plug-in countertop appliance that uses a lid to cook both sides of the meat at once. The grill pan has a longer cook time and works better for thick cuts of meat such as steaks and bone-in chops. The George Foreman is a bit faster and is ideal for boneless cuts of meat and burgers. You can use either of these tools to quickly cook large batches of protein. Simply preheat the grill, season the meat, and cook until it hits the desired level of doneness.

There are many different sizes and costs for both grilling options. Be realistic about how much meat you want to cook at once and purchase an appropriate size so you don’t end up extending your prep time because your grill is too small.

Blender

My final appliance recommendation to round out your well-stocked kitchen is a blender. Blenders combine multiple ingredients into smoothies, shakes, sauces, spreads, and soups. Smoothies and protein shakes are an especially valuable time saver for people with hectic mornings. If possible, I recommend investing in a high-end blender as cheap blenders tend to break down with frequent use and end up costing you more in the long run.

Tupperware and Freezer Bags

If you prep large amounts of food, you need a way to store the leftovers or take food on the go. Invest in a high quality food storage set (such as Tupperware or Rubbermaid) for effortless storage and more portable meals. Choose a set with various container sizes that are BPA free and microwave-safe. In addition, quart and gallon freezer bags are great to freeze leftover meals or raw ingredients to ensure you always have healthy meals available if you can’t make it to the grocery store.

katie-smith-104748

Cooking at home doesn’t have to be a daunting process. With the right tools and a bit of practice, you’ll have a much easier time navigating your kitchen. You don’t need to spend a ton of money or buy the fanciest model of an appliance. Think about how much space you have, how much you want to spend, and then use online reviews to determine the best option for you.

Appliances are an important piece of the puzzle, but how do you know what food to make? If you’re struggling to come up with easy, healthy, homemade meals, I’ve created a solution I’ll think you’ll love. Eleven Easy Meal Templates is a totally free PDF guide to my go-to meals for busy people. Grab your free copy using the box below.