The very first guest on the podcast is my friend and mentor Matthew Bousson aka Coach Boss (@boussytheboss). He's travelled all over and worked with some of the best athletes and programs in the world. From Stanford University to UFC champions he's worked with the best of the best and brings all of that knowledge and experience into who he is today working with many non-pro athletes like you and I. We spoke about many things but the main topic underlying everything was the differences and similarities between athletes and the general population. We're all humans first, and so you must coach the human before you coach the athlete, lawyer, or parent. Social media as we know is a blessing and curse for delivering information and this couldn't be more relevant within the world of health and fitness, and so we spoke a bit about how to evaluate things you see online. As well as talking about the trouble with trying to copy what athletes and influencers are doing without knowing all the details. We also touched on Matt's experiences in academia and where there is a gap between the classroom and the real world. Matt is currently living in Hermosa Beach, California. If you're in the area definitely hit him up on Instagram @boussytheboss or if you've got anything else you'd want to ask him. He's a wealth of knowledge and experience and always a pleasure to talk to. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

Recently there's been some buzz about the term progressive overload which seems to be the newest fitness word being used incorrectly to sell things. Whether it's just marketing, or genuine ignorance to it's meaning, I wanted to do my small part to help you understand what it means. Progressive Overload is the underlying principal that leads to success in fitness. In short, it is incrementally increasing the difficulty of your training so that your body will continue to adapt and improve. In this episode I go into more detail as to what it is, why it matters and most importantly, how you can utilize it correctly in your training from now on. It is not a very complex topic but extremely important nonetheless. If you're not utilizing it to some extent, you almost certainly will not see results long term. I also make the connection that progressive overload is a term commonly used in strength training but the principal of it applies to every single aspect of our life that we wish to make progress in. School, work, family, home projects, any hobby, everything. To get better you have to do better, simple as that. If you’re looking for more guidance or coaching for yourself and you’re not sure where to begin, I’d love to work with you and be your coach to help you achieve whatever fitness goals you have set for yourself. Contact me on Instagram or Twitter to get started. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

From the time I was 11 until I was about 21 I dealt with a whirlwind of knee injuries that eventually required a major surgery. Seeing as I'm currently only 26 years old, this entire ordeal was a pretty significant chunk of my life so far.I've reflected back on all of this many times and learned many lessons from it. I didn't necessarily realize them at the time, but in hindsight I surely did. It began by understand what makes a good practitioner. Letters beside one's name don't necessarily mean they are good at what they do, and I learned this the hard way. Secondly, I learned how to navigate the Canadian healthcare system and more importantly, that YOU must be in control of your own health. Nobody feels what you feel and you must take ownership of your health. This doesn't just mean playing games with doctors, but it mostly means that you have to take care of yourself on a daily basis. The biggest lesson I learned is as humans, we have to move simply because we can. There might be a day where you can't get dressed by yourself. It happened to me as I explain in the episode and I would do anything for that to never happen again. Not now, and not when I'm 90. So MOVE, because you can. Lastly, and most importantly, tell your mom you love them. Mothers are special and will do anything for you no matter what. I hope you're able to take some lessons from this story of mine. It was quite the experience overall that shaped me into who I am today as both a coach and a person. I wouldn't want to go through it again, but I'm grateful for the lessons learned. If you’re looking for more guidance or coaching for yourself and you’re not sure where to begin, I’d love to work with you and be your coach to help you achieve whatever fitness goals you have set for yourself. Contact me on Instagram or Twitter to get started. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

This episode is all about the mindset you need to adopt to successfully approach and achieve your fat loss goals. Fat loss is altogether not difficult as far as the physical things that need to be done: be in a caloric deficit and exercise regularly. The difficulty comes in actually being able to do these things for a long enough period of time to achieve your desired result. That's where the mindset before you even begin comes in to play. When you approach fat loss with the correct mentality the entire process becomes much easier, more sustainable, and more enjoyable... or let's be real, fat loss isn't enjoyable, so maybe it's just less bad. In this episode I go over some things you should consider before beginning a fat loss phase and how to think about whether or not now is a good time for you to do this. I also speak about some of the roadblocks and challenges you may face during the process so that you can be prepared to combat them when the time comes and are not caught off-guard. Finally, I spend a little time prompting you to think about what you're going to do after you reach your fat loss goal, and the value in being prepared for this beforehand to truly make this something that lasts from now until forever. I always believe that being prepared for any life situation is valuable, and fat loss is no different. It's a difficult thing to do, so we must be ready for what we must do if we want to be successful. If you’re looking for more guidance or coaching for yourself and you’re not sure where to begin, I’d love to work with you and be your coach to help you achieve whatever fitness goals you have set for yourself. Contact me on Instagram or Twitter to get started. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

Gyms are FINALLY opening back up in Ontario, or so it seems. Regardless of where you are in the world, or whether gyms actually stay open for an extended time now, this will always be relevant after any layoff time from training. In this episode I highlight the thing you need to be most careful of when getting back in the weight room. Hint: It's you and your ego... I also give a reasonable strategy to approach the first few weeks back with a progression into what I think the next couple of months of training should look like. This is what I'll be doing with most of my clients and with my own training as well. I also give a bit more detail in to the specifics of how my own training will begin and the reasons why I'm choosing to progress in that manner. Lastly, I go over some things to expect upon your return. It's been some time, so some things have changed. This is based on my personal experience from the initial lockdowns with myself and what I saw with my clients. There are going to be some parts that are a bit disheartening and others that are going to light you up. Either way, it helps in knowing what to expect so that you're neither shocked or panicked when things progress the way they will.Above all else, this is as good a time as ever to fall in love with physical fitness and allow it to forever be part of your life. As we get back into the gyms, it can be extremely valuable having a coach to help guide you. Whether you're in Toronto or elsewhere, I'd love to be able to work with you and get stronger together. If this is something you might be interested in, send me a message on Instagram @danielyores and let's get started!I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

Supplements are often mistaken as a replacement for maintaining healthy habits of exercise, nutrition, sleep and everything else. However, they really should just exist to supplement everything else that we're doing.Supplements are a wonderful and messy thing to begin to understand. There are endless different kinds and all can be marketed to tell you they are somehow EXACTLY what you need to finally get you healthy and have the body you want, and all you need to do is to use it and it will solve your problems. Unfortunately, this isn't true. No supplement or vitamin will magically build that dream body for you. Fortunately, we do have the knowledge and the tools to get everything you're working towards... just not in pill form. In this episode I explain how I think about supplements and some of the things you should also consider before looking into taking anything. I also cover my 3 favourite supplements that I've always got on hand and use for myself for various reasons. They are:Whey Protein Powder: Not special or different, simply unbeatable convenience. Creatine Monohydrate: Allows me that extra 1-2% of gas in the tank to really push through tough periods of training. Vitamin D: Living in Canada I certainly don't get enough vitamin D from the sun and supplementing year-round with it always improves how I feel and perform. I also touch on a handful of other supplements, some of which I use and some of which I personally think are a waste of money. The overall message here is that supplements and their dosages must remain specific to you as an individual. What I do works for me.What I hope you are able to take away is to use a more critical approach to the thought process around buying and using supplements. As well as the comfort in knowing that I, a fitness professional, don't take hundreds of pills a day and that this is simply not necessary. Important Note: Everything that I've mentioned here is simply my opinion. I am not a medical professional and none of this should be taken as medical or nutritional advice. Please seek the guidance of an appropriate practitioner to determine what might work best for you. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

Have you ever really considered that you can't train your body fat? When you exercise, you are training your muscles. Of course exercise plays an important role in weight loss, but it might not be the one you think it does. In this episode, I go on to explain why your training goal CANNOT be fat loss, by definition. I then explain the important role that strength training plays during weight loss. The ability to maintain muscle mass is crucial while losing weight, and training with the goal of increasing strength is the best way to do this. All while eating in a caloric deficit, as that is how fat loss occurs. You can't train your fat to "melt away", we simply must create an environment where a caloric deficit is maintained. I also share my thoughts on how framing exercise positively - gaining strength - is much more beneficial than constantly framing exercise negatively - losing fat. After all, this is supposed to be fun and add to our life! Not something that should we should resent. I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you subscribed and left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

Almost a year into the lockdowns and your hand is still in the cookie jar?Listen, I know it's tough to resist. The snacks are just so delicious, and there's nothing else to do. There's nowhere to go anyways, so what's the big deal?Well, if you've gained weight throughout this despite eating mostly healthy meals and keeping up with your at-home workouts, the snacking is likely to blame.I'm not saying never eat junk food again - believe me, I'm the last person that would tell you that. But, if we want to stop, or reverse the weight gain, we have to make some different choices.I think when changing any habit it's important to understand why we're doing the thing in the first place. So I dive into a few of the reasons that I think many of us are snacking so much. Hopefully this helps you think about why you're doing it, and then we can work on changing that.I then give my best advice to be able to stop or at least limit the unwanted snacking.In a list they are: not having them in the house, portioning them into a bowl/plate before eating, and eating more at your meal times.I'll give some actionable tips to successfully be able to implement these and hopefully gain some better control.However, at the end of the day, this all just really comes down to self-discipline. It's not what you want to hear, but you just really need to put the cookie down.Arnold Put the Cookie Down Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HrnWC8zBcE I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people.  Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

In this episode I offer some direction and practical advice as to how you should be thinking about your workouts.Should you do full body workouts? Legs only? Abs only? Booty HIIT? Should you train for strength, endurance, hypertrophy? What do those things even mean?I aim to give an overview of all of these topics.It's great that you've decided that you're going to start strength training, but figuring out how to actually go about it can be a challenge.Sure, there are infinite free follow along workout videos available, and classes that will get you moving. If you're looking to start working on some goals more specific to you, then we have to think strategically about it.This can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be overly complicated.I explain how I personally think about building a workout program for myself and for my clients, and how you can easily apply these same rules to yourself.I will also explain all of the ways we can alter exercise programs to adapt to working out at home.I even went on a few rants about some of the silly things I see online that are well-intentioned, but ultimately are incomplete.I'm happy that you're moving, but let's just be a little smarter about our approach.This can be an extremely deep topic, so I hope to have covered the basics and answered a few questions - or at least have been able to steer you in the right direction to be able to ask better questions.I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people. Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss

In this first episode I wanted to tell the story of how I got to where I am today as a personal trainer and strength coach.I'm still young and have lots to learn, but the passion for fitness and health has been building my whole life.From being exposed to all kinds of sports as a kid, many injuries, coaching soccer to toddlers, making ALL the mistakes in the gym, breaking my body and putting it back together again, educating myself however I was able to, dropping out of school and finally meshing all of that together - this is the story of why I do what I do.My aim is for you to get a better understanding of the experiences that led me to this point. This will help build the framework of everything that is to come with this podcast. A lifetime of experiences has led me to share what I've learned in hopes of helping you also become a better human through fitness.I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions or feedback. If you could share this with a friend, that would mean the world to me. If you enjoy this podcast, I would be extremely grateful if you left a short review on iTunes. It really helps to spread the message and ultimately help more people. Connect with me on Instagram @danielyoresConnect with me on Twitter @danielyores Podcast Cover Art by @octopuslegss