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We're back with the first pod of the new year expanding our offering to address health holistically and what better topic to start the new year with than finances. So often people can excel with their gym and work goals but still suffer with anxiety over not having their financial house in order. Harrison probably could have gone for 3 hours on this one but we keep it under an hour covering the basics of personal finance and the calculations you need to perform to feel confident you're doing enough. 

Fresh off watching a late showing of the new Spider-Man movie, guest host Stephen and I take a closer look at bodyweight exercises which he has history of heavily incorporating into his workout regimen. We dive into pros and cons, studies examining hypertrophy, the role bodyweight exercises should play in your routine and why generally strong people (me) might still have difficulty performing pull-ups and how to overcome that gap. 

Harrison is a little busy this week so I invite Michael Martin C.S.C.S etc. to do a spot again on the show, this time reviewing a NYT 's article that came out around Thanksgiving on saving your knees. This article caught out eye because it espoused the notion that switching from running to a conceivably lower impact movement like biking, swimming could counterintuitively actually harm the knees. The article also lists ways to promote knee health and prevent injuries.  

Motivation, grit, determination, will power, whatever you call it is a big component of not only success in the gym but your personal and professional life as well. There are a myriad of techniques used to stoke motivation that we've all used at one time or another and today we see if there is any research behind these common practices. 

Today we respark a longstanding debate Harrison and I have over the role of traditional isolated abdominal exercises in physical fitness. We run through our same battle lines, review the misconception of core vs abdominal vernacular, look at some common abdominal exercise myths and get interrupted by my daughter a few times. Let us know if you're Team Dadbod or Team Abs!

CrossFit and physical therapy haven't always gotten along, but the times they are a changing! Today we interview Dr. Blake Huddleston who is a practicing physical therapist and CrossFitter that works extensively with CrossFit athletes inside and outside of their boxes. We listen to Blake discuss how physical therapists approach working with CrossFitters, look at some data suggesting CrossFit may not be as injury prone as the public perceives, get his take on selecting a safe box based on coaching and as always, why kipping?

We're back for season 2! Caffeine is seemingly ubiquitous at this point and can be found in almost any beverage from coffee to water but how should we actually be consuming it? While the research on that question is always in flux, we find some insights on short and long term health outcomes for caffeine consumers, examine the addictive qualities of the drug and banter on personal habits. 

This week on GymClass we have our first season recap episode. We will be back after roughly a month of preparing content for the next season. We have several exciting interviews, physical challenges and ideas for personal goal achievement and accountability setup and cannot wait to get started. Thank you all for listening to us week-in and week-out. It has been a blast and we have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you. If you have ideas for the next season of what you would like to see/hear, don’t be shy! Hit us up on the socials or our website. See everyone in season 2!

"Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me everything he knows."  -Al Unser. This week on GymClass we interview Michael Martin, a CSCS, owner of Impact Physical Therapy, certified orthotic fitter, athletic trainer and exercise physiologist as well as my dad. We pick his brain on the differences between rehabilitation for his PT patients versus recovery for athletes he's trained, bug him with nagging injury questions and have a worth it or B.S. segment on different recovery devices and equipment.  

We've referenced crossfit a lot on this podcast without having an actual crossfit episode. That ends today. Brian Matthews is a 10 year USMC scout sniper vet, a level 2 certified crossfit coach and competitive weight lifter. In today's episode we riff on the Olympics and Crossfit games, dive into Brian's approach to coaching clients with a wide range of abilities and find out what numbers Harrison will actually have to hit to be competitive in the Crossfit open.  Keyword Tags: Crossfit, Olympics, Crossfit Games, 

Harrison gets a cracky-backy session, Mark Felix is still a beast and Chandler Reed knows a lot about powerlifting. This week on GymClass, we interview Chandler Reed of Reed Strength and Conditioning on how he prepares his body for competitions, find out what's new in powerlifting and hear more nonsense about Harrison's max bench. Join us this week to learn all things powerlifting. 

This week we take a deep dive into Army fitness with the man, the myth, the legend, Staff Sergeant Alex Klaus. We listen to Klaus's fitness journey, examine his professional role as a Master Fitness Trainer and get his take on acing the ACFT and supplement use in the military.