[The Best] Reconsidering the Purpose of Strength Training, and More

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Best Content of the Week

Strength training programs will vary, but most trainers agree on the importance of the big lifts—squats, deadlifts, presses. Walk into any gym and you’ll see the evidence.

Except most of us probably can’t walk into any gym right now. And without gyms, we don’t have access to the heavy equipment we need to perform those big lifts.

Which gives us a once-in-a-lifetime chance to question our assumptions. Are these fundamental exercises as important as we think? Do they actually prepare us for the moments in life when we need to express strength?

— Dani Singer

Why Fitness Is Not Essential in America — Kevin Mullins, drjohnrusin.com

COVID-19 hit the fitness industry like a meteor, one that threatens our very existence. Ironically, state and local governments declared gyms “nonessential” at a moment when physical resilience is literally a matter of life and death. And that makes Kevin Mullins angry. Mullins, a frequent PTDC contributor, says we need to do a better job of making fitness essential. He offers a roadmap for how we can do it, and how to improve our profession and public health in the process.

— Shane McLean

Best Video

Sleep: The Only True “Cure-All” for Health and Performance — Brandon Marcello, NSCA

This hour-long presentation from last year’s NSCA Tactical Annual Training is anything but a snooze-fest. Brandon Marcello is a dynamic speaker who makes the science of sleep a lot more engaging than you’d expect. He explains why it’s important and what happens when we don’t get enough, and recommends a few sleep trackers that aren’t terrible.

— Esther Avant

Best Social Media Post

How different would your life look if you weren’t afraid of criticism? If you just decided it’s no longer going to affect you? Shannan Maciejewski’s thought-provoking post encourages all of us to live unapologetically.

— Christina Abbey

Best Podcast

Building Around What Won’t Change — Pat Rigsby, The Fitness Business School

— Mike Howard

More Great Fitness Content 

[Podcast] The Power of the Pelvic Floor — Sarah Smith and Tim Anderson, Original Strength BodCast

[Podcast] Lift as You Rise — Michelle Boland and Adam Willis, The Empowered Body Podcast

[Video] One-Month Beginner Push-Up Program — BarBend

[Podcast] Why “Positive Vibes Only” Won’t Make You Emotionally Strong — Jade Wu and Susan David, The Savvy Psychologist

[Social Media] Guilt vs. Shame — Jeb Stuart Johnston

The Author Dani Singer is a nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition coach based in Baltimore, Maryland. As CEO & Director of Fit2Go Personal Training, he specializes in helping busy professionals make fitness practical. Dani also serves as a fitness expert for national publications such as Reader's Digest, Muscle & Fitness, and SHAPE Magazine. Keep up with Dani and his team on Facebook and the Fit2Go website.Esther Avant is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, mom, and military wife who coaches women online. As the owner of Esther Avant Wellness Coaching and founder of the Gone For Good weight loss program, she specializes in helping do-it-all women lose weight and keep it off by making exercise and nutrition fit their lifestyles, not the other way around. You can find her at www.estheravant.com, on Instagram, and on Facebook.