Mark Diaz is the head strength coach and owner of Physiqology, a personal training business based in New York City. He offers New Yorkers a sustainable system of personal fitness training that seamlessly integrates exercise, flexibility training, diet and supplementation.
The Paleo diet is simple to follow, because the rules are inherently simple: if it walks, runs, swims, flies, or crawls on its belly, you may eat it. If you can pick it up off the ground, dust it off, and eat it, you may eat it. By applying the rules […]
Carbohydrates are organic compounds that encompass the food group known as “that which most of us love to eat the most.” Carbohydrates are sugars. There are two main classes of carbohydrates: simple sugars, and polysaccharides. Simple sugars examples include glucose, galactose (the sugar found in dairy), and fructose (the sugar found in fruits. Polysaccharides are […]
Dietary Fat is Not an Enemy Not all fat is bad. In fact, some fats – also referred to as lipids – are very healthful, and help you to lose fat on your body. Healthy fats have several beneficial properties. They provide a feeling of satiation. They aid in the management of insulin, and prevent […]
The Importance of Rotational Dieting Previous writings from our site outlined the importance of gut, or intestinal, integrity. Once you heal the gut in the short term, you must follow a program of preventive maintenance to reduce stress to the digestive system. The best way to accomplish this end is with a rotational diet. To […]
The food choices that you make on a daily basis are the most powerful tools you have at your disposal to lose fat, improve your strength, and stay healthy. If you eat correctly, you can save countless hours in the gym, thousands of dollars in supplements, and still make superior progress. The Science of Nutrient […]
True Spot Reduction for Fat Loss Spot reduction in fitness training is the outdated belief that one can lose body fat in specific areas by performing extra work in those areas. For example, it was once believed that performing abdominal work made the abs leaner, or that performing a high volume of arm work would […]
In part I of this series, I outlined the importance of controlling blood sugar and insulin response. These are the first most important steps when trying to lose body fat, whether it be in the legs, or anywhere in the body. For the sake of clarity, I will repeat it again: losing leg fat – […]
The first and second installments of this series on getting rid of leg fat focused on the importance of managing insulin levels and estrogen metabolism. This final article focuses on the importance of growth hormone and how to manipulate it through exercise and dietary protocols. Increasing Growth Hormone Lack of production of growth hormone is another […]
The short and sweet answer is no. There is a ton of published research stretching over the last twenty years, and not one study of note concludes that static stretching is helpful to producing maximum force or torque in a workout. Most studies actually support the idea that static stretching, since it stimulates the parasympathetic […]
Awhile back, a personal trainer from a small town in upstate New York sent me an email asking me about what Preacher curl (Scott curl) bench I liked best and why. His question came in two parts: what brand to buy; whether to purchase a seated Preacher curl, or a standing one. For my money, […]