Straight Shot Radio

Ep. 45: July Q&A pt. 2: Breathing Techniques, Cardio Timing, and Loose Skin

It’s part 2 of our July question and answer show! We start off with how to properly breathe during different types of training and how it could be the secret to unlocking your strength. You'll also hear why doing cardio before weights isn't the best sequence and how to deal with loose skin after losing weight. 

Ep. 44: July Q&A pt. 1: Sleep and Weight Loss, FitBits, and Hydration

Happy 1 Year Anniversary of the start of Straight Shot Training and Straight Shot Radio! This podcast began as a spinoff of a weekly live facebook Q&A I used to do, so it’s only fitting that we do a Q&A show to mark 1 year of episodes! I had so many great questions come in from the great folks in my Kettlebells and Ultimate Conditioning classes at the Frederick Y that I had to split this episode into 2 parts. In this episode,  I cover why sleep is important in losing weight, whether or not a FitBit is a reliable fitness tracking gadget, and finish with getting into the basics of hydration. Be sure to listen all the way through for details on a special offer to celebrate our birthday!

Ep. 43: Mr. B and The Plane

This is a short story about one of the most hilarious and random, yet heartwarming and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had as a coach. It's the tale of an elderly Air Force veteran who badly wanted to get back up in the air in his homemade airplane, and how he hired me to help him train for his flight... 

Ep. 42: Macronutrients pt. 3: Carbohydrates

This is Part 3 in our three part series on the 3 main macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Along with frosted tips, fanny packs, neon, and high waisted pants, the low carb craze of the 90’s is back! But why are people ditching carbs again? What makes this macronutrient worse than the others?

And on the other side of the aisle, we’ve got the The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that still advocates ALL people eat a diet high in carbohydrates, regardless of activity level. Should we really be eating THIS many carbs? 

In this episode we give you the rundown of exactly what carbs are, what they do, where they fit in your diet, why different people need different amounts, and how to figure out how much is right for you.  

Ep. 41: Macronutrients pt. 2: Fat

Part TWO in our three part series on the 3 main macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Fat seems to ride this rollercoaster of heroism and villainy every other decade. Sometimes it’s is the worst thing you can put into your body and is guaranteed to clog your arteries, and next thing you know it, dietary fat is our best friend and people can’t get enough of it.

In this episode we give you the rundown of exactly what fat is, what it does, where it fits in your diet, why different people need different amounts, and how to figure out how much is right for you. Plus...plenty of fat myth busting and a whole lot of science from coach Rebecca

Ep. 40: Macronutrients pt. 1: Protein

Part one in a three part series on the 3 main macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Since protein is too often overemphasized or underemphasized in the fitness industry, we wanted to start there. In this episode we give you the rundown of exactly what protein is, what it does, where it fits in your diet, why different people need different amounts, and how to figure out how much is right for you. Plus plenty of protein myth busting!

Ep. 39: April Q&A (Vegan Proteins, Creatine, Weight Loss, Aging Athletes, Beer, and Kale)

For this month’s Q&A episode, we’re talking vegetarian sources of protein, how much and what time to take a creatine supplement, losing weight without a gym, recovering and staying competitive as an aging athlete, and the difference between beer and kale. Yes, there is a slight difference, so make sure you stick around ‘til the end!

Ep. 38: Functional Fitness Competitions: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Functional fitness competitions have become increasingly popular in the past decade. Participants set out to “prove their fitness” by partaking in these competitions that test a broad range of fitness challenges including gymnastics elements, heavy lifts, strongman style events, and sprint workouts. While I at one time competed in both the Crossfit open and in local competitions, over the past 4 years I’ve had mixed feelings about making fitness a sport. There are some things I like about it, some things I don’t, and some things about it that I find downright absurd and dangerous. We’ll get into all of it in this episode; the good, the bad, and the ugly…

Ep. 37: Irish Fitness and Sport with Kevin Barry, CSCS

As many of you celebrated the Irish culture this past weekend with the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to jump on board and get into the sport and fitness culture of Ireland by interviewing my fellow trainer at the Y and Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Kevin Barry. Kevin came to the US from Ireland to study exercise science and shares his story with us, along with how training athletes and personal training clients is different in the US than Ireland, and what our fitness and health cultures can learn from each other.

Ep. 36: What It Takes To Be A Personal Trainer

Personal training is an alluring career for people passionate about fitness and health, and for very good reasons. It’s rewarding, challenging, always changing, fast paced, competitive, and puts you on the front lines of the battle against many preventable diseases and musculoskeletal dysfunctions. But it’s not as easy as walking into a gym and starting to train people. In fact, I teach courses at a local college just to help prepare potential trainers get a chance to break into the world of training. Whether or not you plan on working in this industry, the information my guest Rebecca Reifsnider and I share with you in this episode will help give you some insight as to what it takes to become a trainer, and how to be a successful one once you’ve gotten into this field.

Ep. 35: March Q&A (Vitamins and Supplements, Buying Organic, Weight Loss Plateaus, and more)

I took questions from members at the Frederick YMCA and cover how to maintain total fitness while pursuing specific goals, whether or not you should buy organic, when and why to take vitamins and supplements, what to do when you hit a weight loss plateau, whether or not you need protein powder, where you can get your protein from besides chicken breasts, and why a certain gym staple needs to go.

Ep 34: Love Letters to Lifts

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, NASM CPT John Taylor and I write love letters to our favorite lifts: the Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, and Strict Press (overhead press). As a coach, I’m a big fan of variance in my programming of exercises. But these 4 movements are the foundation of my programming and show up every week in one form or another in my programming. Of course ALL of the other movements we do are important and are pivotal in creating truly balanced functional athletes, but these 4 lifts are the base for a host of reasons that we get into.

Things also get weird on some of the letters...especially with the musical accompaniments.