Basketball And Training Videos From Inside MVP Training…
February 4, 2014 by danny · Leave a Comment
Hello all. It has been awhile since I’ve given you a peek inside some of our training and basketball sessions at MVP Training. So I thought it would be a good time to do so again…
First up, I recorded my second installment of “The Move of the Month.” For January, I went with the reverse spin…
Next up is an athlete performing sumo deadlifts and another performing band resisted push-ups.
Ty’s push-ups are looking really good! And Madison is new to deadlifting so I am happy with her form. But as she gets more experienced I’ll continue to work on her form… she needs to get a little tighter in her set-up and stay tight throughout the entire set. But overall, nice work!
Next. Box Squats and Push-Ups.
Ryan is in 7th grade and I recently allowed him to “graduate” to barbell box squats after he showed me consistent great form with his goblet squats. He did a great job of nailing that set! And then we have Kaden in 5th grade performing push-ups. We almost have him down to the floor doing full range of motion push-ups. His form is good in the video but he is still extending his low back a bit much. So I won’t have him going any lower ’til he masters that flaw. But again, overall really good for a 5th grader!
Here’s me trying to practice what I preach. Trap Bar Deadlifts with Chains…
And finally, another basketball video of players from a wide range of ages (5th grade through 9th grade)…
So there you go, we’re building healthy, strong bodies in the weight room, and improving games on the court.
Gotta love it!
Have a great week…
I Have The “Answers” To Everything In Life, Plus Impressive Hip Thrusts Inside…
July 19, 2013 by danny · Leave a Comment
In the health and fitness industry, we often see all kinds of crazy claims.
- I deadlift 8 days a week because they are the best back-builders known to man. Vs… Deadlifts will destroy your lower back and nobody should deadlift. Ever!
- Vitamin D is crucial for optimal health, therefore I lay out in the sun 3 hours a day every day of the week. Vs… The sun causes skin cancer, therefore I put on SPF 300,000 when I walk to the mailbox ever morning.
- The bench press makes my pecs HYOOGEMONGOUS, which is why I bench every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Vs… The bench press is a shoulder killer, don’t ever bench if you want to keep your shoulders healthy.
- Fish oil cures any and all problems in life. Vs… Don’t even say the word fish oil out loud. If you do, you’ll develop prostate cancer within 2 weeks.
Ok, so there might be some exaggerations in my examples, but you get the point. If I look at all the information that I’ve heard over the years in this industry, NOTHING has stood the test of time, as far as “magic.” Pretty much all answers in health and fitness (as well as in life), lie somewhere in the middle. So don’t get too emotionally involved to one extreme or the other. Because there is a study right around the corner that is going to make you modify your views one way or the other. This new information/study might be coming in a week, or you might come across it five years down the road.
The key to getting the body you want, lies in this quote that you’ll see in the “Meet Danny” section of my website: “Those that are consistent, disciplined, and give everything they have, can bring their health, physique, and performance to a new level.” No magic. Show up to the gym and work hard – consistently. In the kitchen, eat plenty of protein and healthy fat, pound the veggies, eat some fruit, and adjust your carb intake according to your goals/results. Simple in theory, hard in practice. But the point is to not get too tied up with ONE system or the newest gadget/supplement/food that promises you that, “by taking 3 capsules of XYZ a day, you’ll look exactly like Jamie Eason in two weeks or less.”
Jamie's physique... built with consistency and effort, not some miracle pill.
Impressive Hip Thrusts
Last week Paityn and her mom, Joie, combined to hip thrust 510 pounds! Studettes! I thought you may be interested in seeing it in action, so here you go…
They were out of town this week, so I’m looking forward to Paityn going for 300 + when she returns next week!
Have a great weekend, and remember, the “answers” always lie someone in the middle…
Recipe of the Week from Marci Nevin… Greek Salad with Avo-Ziki Dressing
August 14, 2012 by danny · 3 Comments
My good friend Marci, who has already contributed to my website HERE, has a great recipe for all of us to try (including me, as I haven’t gotten to it yet, but plan on making it later on the week). This will help me get on track after my donut burger gaffe from last weekend. I’ll let Marci take over from here…
Marci Performing Weighted Chin-Ups
August in California is HOT. While the heat of the summer has never swayed my eating habits, I know plenty of people who don’t like eating heavy foods this time of year. My fiancée is one of them, and as a result he has eaten a big salad for dinner every night for the past few months.
Last week, one of my clients gave me 6 pounds of frozen, wild caught halibut that I’ve been eager to eat. Since we typically eat dinner at with my parents on Sunday night, I thought it would be a good time to grill it up. I was trying to find the right type of side dish to accompany the fish, and I came across this salad, which looked delicious. It ended up being the perfect summertime meal for a very warm evening. Jason got his salad fix and I got to enjoy the halibut, so it was a win-win.
While this may look like your typical Greek salad, I promise you that it is much more. This Avo-Ziki dressing is incredible, and it truly transformed the dish. It’s almost more of a sauce, really, thereby making it very versatile. I ended up putting it on my fish as well, but it would also go great on top of a burger, chicken or other type of meat/fish, or as a dressing for a different type of salad. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Greek Salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup cucumber slices
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup Avo-Ziki dressing
- 2 T (or less) extra-virgin olive oil
Mix romaine, tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix avo-ziki sauce and olive oil. Top the salad with the dressing.
Avo-Ziki Sauce
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ c grated cucumber
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 clove grated garlic
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 t fresh dill, finely chopped (I left this out as I didn’t have any on hand)
Combine all ingredients by hand or with a small food processor or hand blender.
It sounds great, Marci! Thanks for sharing this with everyone. I can’t wait to try it!
NOTE: This recipe comes from the Diane Sanfilippo’s book, “Practical Paleo.” You can find the book HERE.
Warning: Sexy Picture Inside
January 3, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
While I was living in California for the past 7.5 years, I missed a bunch of fun family/friend get-togethers. Fun times such as the annual “Moustache Bowl Game Party.” Now that I’m back in Illinois I got to participate in this party and all the coolness that goes with rocking an 80s ’stache. I must warn you, in the picture below you will be witnessing some EXTRA sexy facial hair. I’m just saying, prepare yourself. Ready? Ok, here you go…
Me, my brothers, & B. Leit showing off our moustaches.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t be jealous. We wore those ’staches well, and looked damn sexy! Yeah right, I think each one of our wives just about puked when they saw us like this. 
Well, this is supposed to be a training/nutrition/basketball website, so I guess I better leave you with a little information along those lines. Let’s see, what can I come up with? Oh, how ’bout this; remember to make time for fun and to not take yourself too seriously… otherwise stress will add up. And when that happens, achieving your health and physique goals becomes that much harder.
Have a good one everyone. I hope you enjoyed the “lovely” picture. 
P.S. Should I shave it or “let it ride” for a few more days?
Your Healthy Reminder: Don’t Forget This!
November 16, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
As I’ve talked about previously, there are a number of reasons to workout and eat healthy…
The hard work is worth it!
-To improve performance
-To look better to attract others
-To look better to feel good and confident about yourself
-The high that often comes from a good, hard training session
-Improve energy
-Reduce stress (this is huge factor for many people!)
-To reduce the risk of all kinds of health problems
Now, the last one I mentioned unfortunately is the an afterthought for many people. But it should be high on the “reason to workout/eat healthy,” list. A couple reminders of why this is so important…
The Real “Main Reason” to Workout – This was a blogpost that I did awhile back talking about a guy that I used to train in California (currently training him on-line). When he came to see me, things looked bleak. His doctor told him that he was 48 seconds (give or take a few weeks) away from developing diabetes. and had a bunch of “red flags” when the doc checked all of his numbers (cholesterol, glucose levels, etc, etc). Anyway, this all GREATLY changed after a few months of good, hard training, and much improved eating.
It’s All Muscle Mark Young talks about how dangerous it is to carry around a bunch of abdominal fat, shows us some scary pictures (like what a “fat” heart looks like), and basically scares the bejesus out of us.
Sometimes fear can be a good thing.
Now, I do want to point out once again – if you are currently not living a very “clean” life, it doesn’t have to miserable and boring to workout and eat healthy. For example, you best believe that I’ll be having some fun with friends and family over Thanksgiving week (i.e. beer will be consumed, mashed potatoes will be consumed, and I plan on eating 4 pumpkin pies… not pieces, pies). Work hard, be disciplined, be consistent, and PICK YOUR SPOTS when it comes time to getting a little crazy. If you hop RIGHT BACK ON the clean living wagon, it’ll be all good. Scroll up and review the benefits of training and a solid nutrition plan, they’re well worth it!
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The Real “Main Reason” To Workout
March 1, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
If I were to take 3 random people and ask them: “what is the main reason you work out?” If they were being honest, I’d probably get answers that look something like this:
-so I can have washboard abs
-to get BIGGER gunz!
-so I can have a nice booty
I’ll be the first to admit, going to the gym in attempt to improve my physique has motivated me for years – and will probably continue to be the case for years to come. But when we take a step back and think about it, the main reason for working out and eating right, is because it is GREAT for our health. My 59 year old client (we’ll call him “Sam”) came in to train with me a few months back after he went into see his doctor only to find out that he was pre-diabetic. Sam had trained with me about 4 years ago but then took time off only to let himself get out of shape. He had been e-mailing for the past 1.5 years saying that he plans on getting back in to work with me. Well, after the news he received from the doc, it was time for Sam to finally put his foot down and get back to the gym. If Sam would have continued down the path that he had been going, the quality of his life would have greatly changed, and diabetes was inevitable.
He had a follow up appointment with his doctor last week to see if his workouts and improved nutrition would have a positive effect on the numbers for the various tests (glucose levels, cholesterol, etc) that raised so many red flags just 3 months ago. Well, when Sam came into his training session today, I’m thrilled to say that not only are his numbers improved, they are so much better that the doctor said he COULD NOT BELIEVE how much better they look! He told Sam that no meds are needed, and that he just needs to continue down the same path that he has been on! His HDL (good cholesterol) is the best that it has been in years, and he is down 16 pounds. Keep in mind that when Sam came back to see me, it was the holiday season. For most people it’s considered a win just to maintain weight during this time of the year. This makes Sam’s results all the more impressive!
The Secret Sauce
The secret to his success is, that there is no secret. Sam shows up 3 times a week every week to train with me (and his training partners). And he has greatly improved his nutrition. So if there is a secret sauce it is this: consistency + discipline = results. His hard work has paid off and Sam is now the poster-boy of how to fight off diabetes and live a long, healthy life!
