Posts by Gavin McKay | Be Well Philly

Author Archive

EXPERT ADVICE: 8 EASY WAYS TO LIVE GREEN AND HEALTHY

Take care of yourself while taking care of the planet—it can be done!

Posted by Gavin McKay on 5/21/2013 at 4:03PM | No Comments

We know it sounds too good to be true—doing something good for yourself and for the environment—but with these eight easy ways to live healthy and green, you can get double the results for your efforts and feel great about your choices, too.

1. Walk or Bike to Work

The average commute time in the U.S. is 25 minutes—ick. That’s a whole lot of sitting in a car, bus or train. Combining low-impact exercise with your commute builds movement and stress relief into your daily routine while reducing energy usage and vehicle emissions. If you live close enough to work to commute by bike, the value of all the stress, pollution, sitting and expense that are avoided by not using a car and dealing with traffic is priceless. There’s no smarter good-for-you, good-for-the-planet two-fer.

READ MORE

HOW TO USE AN ERG ROWING MACHINE (VIDEO)

You know you've always been curious about how to an erg. Here, Fusion's Jesse Frank demonstrates proper technique for a killer workout.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 6/4/2012 at 12:31PM | No Comments

Don’t just run, spin or (God forbid) elliptical every time you go to the gym. Mix up your cardio with a rowing session at least once a week. Coach Jesse Frank of Fusion Cross-training demystifies the proper rowing technique so you can jump on the erg and get the huge cardio and strength benefits of this full body exercise. Learn how to set up the feet, proper rowing technique and common mistakes to avoid.

Give your tired muscles some TLC with this easy-to-follow lesson for using a foam roller.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 5/8/2012 at 10:22AM | No Comments

You might have seen those funny foam cylinders lying in the corner at the gym, but what the heck are they? They’re called foam rollers. Think of them as little (and free!) massage therapists for your sore, tired muscles. Neat, no?

Fusion Cross-training’s Jesse Frank gives us a simple, concise and effective lesson on foam rolling in this week’s video tutorial. Plus you’ll learn exactly how to adjust your body and the roller to hit critical areas if you’re a runner or avid gym-goer.

Yup—even you.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 4/30/2012 at 10:22AM | No Comments

Does doing a pull-up seem next to impossible? Don’t be too hard on yourself—pull-ups are one the toughest upper body exercises you can do. But here’s a secret you might not know: There are ways to modify pull-ups to make them possible at any fitness level.

In the video below, we demo easy modifications you can do to help build strength. Follow our advice and I promise—you’ll be doing pull-ups in no time.

Runners, take 10 minutes to do this yoga-inspired stretching routine to improve performance and minimize injury.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 4/16/2012 at 3:26PM | No Comments

You’re a runner—and that’s awesome—but are you putting as much energy into your stretching routine as you are to your running schedule? I’ve seen so many runners who don’t stretch the way they should; lots of them end up injured and sidelined. Bleak, right?

Here’s a way to avoid that fate: Fusion Cross-training owner/trainer Jesse Frank designed a yoga-inspired routine that can be done immediately after your run. Just find a grassy area, take 10 minutes to do some down dogs, and you’re well on your way to optimizing your recovery and performance.

Learn a strength routine that can help runners improve performance and minimize injury.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 4/16/2012 at 3:08PM | 2 Comments

Distance running is great but it comes with a whole set of overuse injuries to watch out for. Part of the problem is poor form (learn proper running technique here), but another common culprit is muscle imbalances that force your body to compensate in ways it’s not meant to, leading to injury. Jesse Frank, Fusion Cross-training owner/trainer and partner of Team Philly Race Training, has designed a strength routine with runners in mind. Work it into your routine to help optimize your race-day performance, bring muscles back to balance and minimize injury.

You might be doing your push-ups all wrong. Here's how to perfect your form.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 4/9/2012 at 10:11AM | No Comments

In all my years of training, I have to say that the push-up is oftentimes the exercise that clients struggle with the most. It is one of the basic upper-body exercises, one that everyone knows and has tried to do at some point, so there’s an expectation we can all just … do it.

That’s probably why people get so upset at themselves when they struggle so much to perform one. The fact is that most people use terrible form when they try to do a push-up, and with a few key steps almost anyone can learn to do one perfectly. That includes you.

Nick Tini, one of my coaches at Fusion Cross-training, gives a step-by-step tutorial in the video below.

Fusion Cross-training's Gavin McKay shares four easy tips to get you running like a pro.

Posted by Gavin McKay on 3/27/2012 at 12:13PM | 1 Comment

It might seem like learning the correct technique for running would be like learning the correct technique for breathing (i.e. intuitive, innate). This is not exactly the case—at least, not at this point in history, after we’ve become accustomed to super-cushioned, heal-lifted sneakers and while many of us have never really played running sports. So I put together a concise but comprehensive video training to give you the key elements of a healthy running form that can help you to run longer and faster without as many injuries. Perfecting timing for Broad Street, eh?

It’s simple—just remember this mantra: length, lean, lift, relax. The video below breaks down each of these guiding principles with examples and even some drills that so that you can take these keys and experience how seemingly subtle differences in your running movement can produce huge lifelong results.

No matter where you land for the holidays, shake out the kinks, burn a few calories and bust away stress with this super-simple, total-body workout from Fusion's Gavin McKay

Posted by Gavin McKay on 12/20/2010 at 9:26AM | No Comments

Gavin McKay is the owner and creator of Fusion Cross-training with locations in Center City, Philadelphia and Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. He’ll be sharing his fitness tips and advice weekly on Be Well Philly.

THE DANGEROUS HOLIMONTH

Don't let December turn into a monthlong health and fitness break

Posted by Gavin McKay on 12/13/2010 at 11:47AM | No Comments

You don't have to eat perfectly or work out daily, but a little holiday maintenance will help avoid having to start all over again January 1st.

Holidays are designated days of relaxation and are a great time to enjoy family, friends and celebrate life. However, it’s important to remember it’s a holiday—or, if you’re lucky, a long holiweekend, which you can look forward to and get some extra rest and mental space from your routines—but you need to be careful not to check out of your healthy lifestyle for a week or more. Most anti-fitness breaks start with a holiweek that snowballs into a holimonth or holiyear.

If you normally use the holidays as an excuse for unhealthy choices, remember Newton’s first law: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion until acted upon. What is true for physics is interestingly quite true for human behaviors as well. When you workout, isn’t it easier to also eat healthy? And when you are working out several times a week, doesn’t it feel almost easier to just stick with the routine and hit the gym again the next day? However, when you’ve fallen off healthy eating and preparing healthy food, it can seem like such a chore to make a healthy home-cooked meal one night. This is true of almost any similar positive behavior, such as reading, meditating, cooking, or making time for those you love. When you’re doing it, it feels easier and enjoyable, but when you aren’t, it feels like a huge effort to start it up again. READ MORE

Author Archive

EXPERT ADVICE: 8 EASY WAYS TO LIVE GREEN AND HEALTHY

Take care of yourself while taking care of the planet—it can be done!

HOW TO USE AN ERG ROWING MACHINE (VIDEO)

You know you've always been curious about how to an erg. Here, Fusion's Jesse Frank demonstrates proper technique for a killer workout.

HOW TO USE A FOAM ROLLER (VIDEO)

Give your tired muscles some TLC with this easy-to-follow lesson for using a foam roller.

ANYONE CAN DO PULL-UPS (VIDEO)

Yup—even you.

YOGA AND STRETCHING FOR RUNNERS (VIDEO)

Runners, take 10 minutes to do this yoga-inspired stretching routine to improve performance and minimize injury.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS (VIDEO)

Learn a strength routine that can help runners improve performance and minimize injury.

LEARN THE PERFECT PUSH-UP (VIDEO)

You might be doing your push-ups all wrong. Here's how to perfect your form.

BROAD STREET TRAINING: HOW TO PERFECT YOUR RUNNING FORM (VIDEO)

Fusion Cross-training's Gavin McKay shares four easy tips to get you running like a pro.

VIDEO: A TRAVEL-READY HOLIDAY WORKOUT

No matter where you land for the holidays, shake out the kinks, burn a few calories and bust away stress with this super-simple, total-body workout from Fusion's Gavin McKay

THE DANGEROUS HOLIMONTH

Don't let December turn into a monthlong health and fitness break

Sponsored Content

Magazine

Best of Philly

Weddings

Phillymag.com Blogs

Health

Guides