From Couch to Running: The 8-Week Program Nobody Gave Me When I Started By Marcus Cole, Certified Running Coach When I first tried to run, I lasted 90 seconds before I thought I was dying. I remember it clearly. It was a Tuesday morning, I’d watched some YouTube video about “couch to 5K,” laced up … Read more
Cardio Before or After Weights? It Depends on the TYPE of Cardio By Marcus Cole | Workout Answers I get this question at least three times a week: “Should I do cardio before or after weights?” And nine times out of ten, I see the same generic answer online: If your goal is strength, lift … Read more
The first time I tried to build a home gym, I spent $800 in a single weekend and ended up with equipment I barely used. A commercial-grade spin bike dominated my spare bedroom, a set of mismatched dumbbells lived under the bed, and a pull-up bar slowly bent my door frame. I had gear — … Read more
Last spring, I caught one of my longest-standing clients — a 44-year-old accountant training for his first powerlifting meet — scrolling Instagram between squat sets. He swore he’d only been resting “maybe two minutes.” His phone said nine. That moment…
Last spring, I hit a wall. My garage gym had become a hazard zone. A full rack of fixed dumbbells lined one wall — 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 45s — and navigating around them was a workout in…
Last spring, I hit a wall. My morning walks had become genuinely boring, and my bodyweight routine had plateaued hard. I’ve been a personal trainer and strength coach for over 15 years, so I know exactly what plateau feels like…
After 15 years of coaching athletes, I thought I had core training figured out. Planks, dead bugs, cable crunches, hanging leg raises — I had my toolkit and I trusted it. Then a competitive CrossFit athlete walked into my gym…
I’ve been coaching clients for over 15 years. In that time, I’ve heard every excuse for stalled progress imaginable. But one pattern kept showing up again and again: people were wildly off on their protein intake. Kitchen scale protein tracking…
I’ll be honest with you. For years, I coached clients through squat progressions while wearing flat cross-trainers and never thought twice about it. Then one of my longtime clients — a 42-year-old guy named Marcus — came in one Tuesday…
Last spring, my garage gym took a direct hit. A pipe burst overnight and destroyed my cable machine — the one piece of equipment I relied on for pulling work, rotator cuff rehab drills, and tricep finishers. Replacing it wasn’t…