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Best Content of the Week

This week's content gets to the crux of what we do professionally as coaches and personally as athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

As coaches, we need to understand energy balance to deliver the results our clients want, while also helping them enjoy the process. And as lifters and gym rats, we need to leverage our energy and manage fatigue.

We cover all those topics, along with financial guidance for fitness pros, a fun podcast about why we play, and a searing look at what we really mean when we talk about becoming "our best self."

— Esther Avant

Best Article

Clearing Up the Calories-In, Calories-Out Confusion -- Danny Lennon, Sigma Nutrition

Most clients come to us because they want to lose weight. That's why it's so important for us to understand energy balance—a complex, nuanced topic that, too often, is framed as a "debate" over calories in vs. calories out.

A topic with this many moving parts requires a deep and serious treatment, which Danny Lennon delivers. Strap yourself in for the most comprehensive article you'll ever read on the factors that determine fat loss and weight gain. By the end, you'll never again give credence to the idea that calories don't matter.

— Shane McLean

Best Video

Deliver Great Results -- Pat Rigsby 

In this three-minute snippet from a two-part series on his 2021 fitness industry predictions, Pat Rigsby shares the perfect description of our jobs as trainers: "Deliver the results the client wants through an experience they're going to enjoy." If you have 25 minutes, it's worth watching his full presentation

— Esther Avant

Best Social Media Post

Posted by John Rusin on Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Keeping up with your fitness this year was no small feat. Gyms shut down. Dumbbells were sold at astronomical prices (and good luck finding kettlebells at any price). Once we got back into the gym, training while masked presented a new challenge. So it's no surprise that our new normal is far more stressful than the old normal. And with stress comes fatigue. That's what John Rusin covers in this post, offering four methods to work through fatigue without making it worse by compromising your recovery.

— Christina Abbey

Best Podcast

Being More Formidable in Life -- Andrew Coates with guest Derek Wilcox, Lift Free and Diet Hard 

In this rambling and enlightening discussion, Derek Wilcox and Andrew Coates cover a lot of territory, from dealing with the nervous energy of competition to channeling your efforts in the gym into formidability in other parts of your life.  

— Mike Howard

More Great Fitness Content 

Coach and Grow Rich -- Billy Hofacker, tonygentilcore.com

WTF Is Your "Best Self”? -- Stefanie Bonastia, jessikneeland.com

Sometimes the Dumbbell Is a Better Choice than the Kettlebell -- Kelly Starrett, The Ready State

Play, Reciprocity, and Context Are the Keys to Happy Communities -- Kurt Nelson and Tim Houlihan with guest Jessica Mayhew, Behavioral Grooves