Blog

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

Monostructural (single-movement) workouts are an essential complement to any training program. They allow undivided attention to movement mechanics without distraction by fatigue or complexity generated by the addition of other movements. These workouts typically ...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

This workout is chock full of what every midlife woman needs: plyometrics for our bones, strength training for muscle and metabolic health, and cardiovascular stimulation for a healthy heart!

The triceps are an often overlooked muscle group, overshadowed by th...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

This week we are focusing on an awesome movement called the Sumo deadlift high-pull (SDLHP). This is a great “minimal-equipment” alternative to rowing, whether it be on the water or on the Concept 2 rower at your gym. 

I love this movement because it is a full...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

This is a great workout taken from the CrossFit archives that focuses on hip extension and shoulder strength using a modified version of the push-up called the “pike” push-up. 

Hip extension is a foundational functional movement that is involved in many of our...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

So much attention is paid to longevity - living our best lives for as long as possible - and for good reason! We all want to enjoy our time in this life to the fullest.

For women, midlife brings hormonal changes that result in a decline in muscle and bone mass...

By Carla DiGirolamo, MD, CFL1

Training while on vacation is a challenge for all of us because we are out of our daily routines and without our usual access to trainers, coaches, and equipment- not to mention those late nights celebrating with friends and family. So “vacation” training must be...

By Dr. Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1 

We’ve all been there. You wake up feeling more exhausted than you did before you went to sleep and today is a heavy training day. Right out of the gate emerges the feeling of defeat.

The ability to modify training on the fly is a valuable skill to help na...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

When we train, we often focus on the muscles of the front of the body, the ones we can see. We do crunches for our “abs,” and squats for our “quads” - you get the idea. But what about those muscles that we don’t see, like our hamstrings, lower back, and spinal ere...

By Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

This workout has everything that’s great for your bones and then some! We have 2 plyometric movements that stimulate the bones from different directions and a weighted movement, the dumbbell thruster, which adds a weight-bearing stimulus to the bones. The interval...

By Carla DiGirolamo, MD, CFL1

This workout continues the theme of “time under tension” and we are again using static holds as a way to increase time in an active position. Why are we doing this so much? I asked my coach the same thing. The answer is because we rarely do these types of movements ...

By Carla DiGirolamo, MD, CFL1

This workout uses a TABATA format over multiple movements to challenge you to accumulate 300 total repetitions in the shortest period of time. This workout has so many benefits, but here are just a few:

•  The use of multiple complementary movements requires qui...

By Dr Carla DiGirolamo MD, CFL1

Pressing Stamina

Last week we focused on isometric holds and tempo repetitions to increase the amount of time that muscles spend under tension or resistance (TUT). This week we are building on this foundation to target muscle “stamina” which is the ability ...