Edition #16 | How to Prevent Running Injuries

Plus: functional bodybuilding with Marcus Filly, 1 trait all fad diets share, and more.

August 15, 2023

Good morning and welcome to The Weekly Rep, the official newsletter of fitness.

In today’s edition:

  • What is functional bodybuilding?

  • How to prevent running injuries, according to a physical therapist

  • The 1 trait all fad diets share — can you guess what it is?

  • A can’t-miss meal prep recipe that’s sure to become a staple

  • New study reveals the # of steps you should be taking each day (it’s probably fewer than you think) — find out how many!

Let’s dive in 💥 

FLEX YOUR BRAIN

How many teaspoons of added sugar does the average American adult consume per day?

a. 7

b. 12

c. 17

d. 22

Every week, we’ll pick people at random who reply to this email with the correct answer to receive a 1-month Lift Box subscription!

Last week’s answer — 7 or more 😎

IN THE NEWS
WEEKLY WORKOUTS

At-Home Fat Burning HIIT Workout

Get ready to unleash your inner beast with this heart-pounding, sweat-inducing 20-minute high-intensity workout! No equipment is needed, just your unwavering determination and some perseverance to push through the pain. Follow along as Dan from Tiff x Dan performs every exercise with you, highlighting proper form and technique. Think you have what it takes? Give this workout a go today!

Marcus Filly’s Favorite Tricep Exercises

From the founder of Functional Bodybuilding, this dumbbell-only tricep workout guarantees to deliver the muscle gains you’re striving for. Drawing inspiration from his days as a CrossFit and D1 collegiate athlete, Marcus Filly’s workouts now focus on longevity and sustainable progress. Put your arms to the test and give this workout a try the next time you’re planning to hit triceps — you won’t regret it! Take a quick look at the exercises you’ll be performing:

  • Narrow dumbbell chest press

  • Dumbbell tate press

  • Crush grip skull crushers

  • Dumbbell overhead tricep extensions

What Is Functional Bodybuilding?

Have you ever asked yourself why you work out?

Is it because you want to have an aesthetically pleasing body? Or because it makes your body feel strong? Or maybe it’s your way of calming your mind and relieving stress. Ask most people this question, and you’ll probably get an answer that’s a mixture of these three options.

But now ask yourself this: how many times do you leave the gym with a lingering injury, or push through pain during a workout? How often do you look in the mirror, and wonder why you’re not seeing progress even though you’re burning calories and doing everything right?

It makes no sense that so many of us use exercise as a way to feel and look good, but are too often faced with pain, stress, burn out and frustration when it comes to our workouts.

It kind of makes you wonder if there’s a better way to train, right?

Well that belief is how functional bodybuilding came to be.

PROFILE

How to Prevent Running Injuries, According to a Physical Therapist

Running is an amazing form of exercise. Not only can it help build strong bones, strengthen muscles, and improve cardiovascular health, but it can also boost your mental health thanks to the release of those feel-good neurotransmitters, endorphins. But what starts off as a healthy way to move your body can sometimes turn into painful knees, a stiff low back, and an overall achy body for many runners. If that sounds like you, you’ll be happy to know that preventing those running injuries isn’t as hard as it seems, though.

According to Dr. Matt Barle, a doctor of physical therapy and founder of Trident Physical Therapy, there are a few key things frequent runners can do to prevent these common problems from occurring in the first place.

“I’ve worked with many runners over the years, and there is usually one commonality between them all: they aren’t fans of strength training,” Barle laughs, noting this doesn’t apply to all his patients, “but most.”

He continues, saying “There seems to be this misconception that if [runners] strength train, their runs will be affected negatively. The truth is quite the opposite.”

THINGS TO…
…DO 🙌

Improve Your Grip Strength

”I’m about to tell you something that nobody is telling you… and it’s the leading cause for why you and so many people continuously plateau at the gym, which in turn absolutely kills your momentum and motivation: YOUR GRIP STRENGTH IS WEAK. There, I said it. Allow that to sink in. Your grip strength is WEAK!”

…TRY 💯 

The Best Water Bottles To Beat The Summer Heat

Staying hydrated is an essential part of being active in the summertime. Whether you’re heading out on a hike, hitting the gym for a lift, or simply rehydrating your body throughout an active day, having the right water bottle can make all the difference. To make sure you’re meeting your recommended daily water intake, we’ve curated a list of the best water bottles to ensure you stay quenched all summer long.

…MAKE 🍚

Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

Have you ever opened the fridge just to find nothing ready to eat? You probably didn’t feel like cooking in the moment, wishing you had meal prepped the day before. Say goodbye to those days of wishing you had meal prepped in advance. With under 500 calories, these protein-packed buffalo chicken rice bowls are a must-add to your meal prep rotation!

…FIX 💪

Your Calf Raises

You may not think about your calf muscles often, but they play an incredibly important role in your overall balance and ankle stability. It’s the reason most lower body strength workouts include calf raises. Arguably the best exercise for targeting your calves, it’s an exercise many people mess up. Watch the video below for simple tips to get the full benefits of calf raises.

…KNOW 💭

The One Trait All Fad Diets Share

When you think of all the fad diets over the years, they all have one commonality. It doesn’t matter if it’s intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet, low carb, Atkins, Paleo, Mediterranean; you can fill in the blank with whatever diet comes to mind, they all have this same goal.

LAUGHS FOR LIFTERS

  • Dad Joke of the Week

    • Q — What is a Jedi’s go-to workout?

    • A — Hot Yoda

  • The real reason we all go to the gym

  • What takes place when you’re deciding your weekly workout plan

BAND OF THE MONTH

Upgrade your workout playlist with August’s band of the month, The Simplicity.

We had the opportunity to catch up with the band and ask them a few questions including, “how’d you get your start?”

Check out the article here!

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