The other week, I got a drop in to my Booty Camp class. She was young, slender, already warmed up, and ready to go at 5:45am on a Monday. I gave mer my schpeel about the class, “80% yoga, 20% picking up heavy things” and she looked freaked out when I handed her a foam roller. “Like, what kind of...
Nine years ago this week, on September 12, 2003, Johnny Cash died of complications from diabetes. Johnny Cash was 71. My Dad was 12 years old when Johnny Cash came to play at the Skyline Drive-In in LaFayette, my hometown of less than 2,000 people in rural Georgia. Johnny got so drunk after the...
I have launched the new CoachStevo.com and boy are my launching muscles sore. Not much has changed to the casual observer, but there are a lot of new capabilities for my clients that will be rolling out of beta in the coming weeks. Since most of you are readers of my blog, I should let you know...
A few weeks ago I told someone what I do for a living and I found myself giving away hundreds of dollars in advice for free again. The young man was tall and very skinny, and told me he “just couldn’t put on muscle.” This was the conversation that ensued: “How often do you squat?” “Well… [looks at...
or How I Learned to CTFD, Pick Something, Then Do it Until I'm Done My clients worry a lot. They worry that they are making the right food choices, performing movements properly, avoiding the bad diet situations, and keeping the company that is going to keep them active. But with all there is to...
Before I was in the wonderful world of fitness, I did the internet marketing thing. Specifically I looked at numbers and made recommendations for how to tweak websites to make them sell more stuff. The world of website analytics revolves around "key metrics." Unique visits, time-on-site, and above...
In January of 2011, I went to Boston because I wanted to see what Dan John and Mike Boyle, two people who’s training styles could not differ more on paper, had in common enough to present together. I was drowning in all the options available to me as a coach and sick of all the cults that had...
The Experience For the month of June, I wanted to give the Big 21 an honest shot. So I didn't care about weight gain or performance in any other area but O lifting. I ate whatever my body told me to eat (this is a fine distinction from eating what ever you want), slept as much as I could, and...
A few months ago one of the trainers in the gym where I play with barbells told me they never saw me work very hard. I would come in with very light warm up, little stretching, no drama, and perform 10 repetitions each of the front or overhead squat, the snatch, and the clean and jerk with about...
One day a few weeks ago, I came up up with a workout. This isn't unusual; it's kind of my job. I did the workout. Then I had a group of strong female athletes do it. Then I had a strong male athlete do it. Then I had the Coyote Point Kettlebell Club do it. I took notes and feedback. I tweaked. I...
My wife flies around a lot. She’s all important and what-not, so she gets to travel to big cities helping people with her elite lawyering skills. Since these are usually quick trips, she travels with a roller bag, a really big purse, and not me. When it comes time to board the plane, a funny thing...
I've been "Russian Kettlebell Certified" for a little over 2 years. My logo is a kettlebell. I have kettlebells on my shirts, pants, hoodies; I have kettlebells in my living room, bedroom, and 600lbs of them in my truck. So it's not surprising when people ask me, "Why kettlebells?" I'm obviously a...
General James T. Mattis is an interesting guy. When I was playing Marine, he was the person I most idolized in uniform. General Mattis (Call sign "Chaos" How cool is that?) has been in the Marine Corps since January 1, 1972. He has commanded Marines in every situation from rifle platoon commander;...
When I was a teenager, my family went on a trip to Great Britain. We drove from London to Edinburgh and made one very special stop at a castle along the way. Now castles are cool and all (especially the ones with dungeons), but this particular castle in the North East of England was extra rad...
My favorite book is The Magus by John Fowles. It was given to me by my first mentor, the late Dr. John Miller. The book is so good and I love it so much that I have never finished it. Every time I pick it up, I come across a sentence so breathtakingly perfect that I have to close the book and leave...
What if I told you there was a single habit that could make you healthier, fitter, better looking, richer, smarter, and more frequently laid? What if I told you that habit had zero learning curve, took less than 10 minutes a day and was practically free? You’d probably ask if I have a bridge in...
Everyone wants to get from Point A to Point B. But one of the great problems on the journey towards health and/or fitness is knowing if you're making progress. How does a sprinter know he is improving? He runs faster on race day. But between races, he might have no idea where he is on his journey....
I have been training every day since the day I met Dan John. I have encouraged most of my clients to do the same. As a result we have all gotten stronger (without getting sore) and I have amassed a modest amount of experience with the Grease the Groove, Even Easier Strength, Easy Strength, 40 Day...
In his 2002 book, How Wars Are Won: The 13 Rules of War from Ancient Greece to the War on Terror, Bevin Alexander makes a big deal of rule #5: feign retreat. It's a damn good rule. Every great commander since Gilgamesh has followed it and boneheads as recently as Tommy Franks have fallen for it....
The vast majority of my clientele are regular folks. They want to feel better, move better, and look better. I have a handful of athletes, but for the most part the people I work with take a casual approach to fitness. I am assuming the same is true about people who read this blog. Which is why I...