Straight Shot Radio

Zach Divelbliss was in a car accident several years ago that left him in a coma for 6 weeks. When he came out of it, doctors told his family that he may never walk or talk again. Today Zach trains twice a week with Straight Shot coach Rebecca Reifsnider where he does squats, deadlifts, ladder drills, hurdles, and a whole lot more than walking and talking again. Zach’s recovery hasn’t been easy, and his injuries have affected him greatly both physically and mentally. He still has a long way to go before he can get back to his passion of welding, but with his never-quit attitude, his positive outlook on his triumphs and setbacks, and his ability to laugh through it all, Zach makes progress in and out of the gym every day. 

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. 

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!

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... 

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.  

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

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!

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!

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…

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.

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.

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.