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Michael Sirani 2/7/18 Michael Sirani 2/7/18

What is Capital District Sport and Fitness?

It’s official. I’m moving back to Upstate New York and will be opening Capital District Sport and Fitness this spring. Creating CDSF has been many years in the works and is something I’ve envisioned since I first stepped into the weight room as a skinny high school freshman back in 2004. I truly believe the gym is one of the most powerful environments there is to promote change. What I used to think of as a place that exists solely to improve your aesthetics and strength now means much more to me.

Michael Sirani 8/29/17 Michael Sirani 8/29/17

3 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself to Push Past Plateaus

Even though your reasons for waking up early, working out, and eating well are different than mine—and different than the person training next to you—doesn’t mean we all don’t feel the same things when going through our fitness journeys.

Excitement when you hit a big lift.

Happiness when you reach your goal.

Fear when you start something new.

And frustration when your progress stalls.

When your progress stalls or you hit a “plateau,” it’s too common to jump ship and abandon your current program. Maybe you haven’t put weight on your deadlift in the past month or you haven’t lost weight during the past couple of weeks. With this article, I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath and ask yourself three important questions before you re-route your fitness journey. Hopefully it will ease your mind, give you a plan, and help you keep moving forward.

Michael Sirani 6/22/17 Michael Sirani 6/22/17

4 Easy Steps For Improving Thoracic Rotation

Most of us live in a world where our daily routines involve hours spent in front of a screen, in a car, or on a couch. As the hours you spend sitting accumulate, it’s likely the mobility of your hips, spine, and shoulders will begin to decrease. However, most of us may not see the negative effects of this decreased range of motion until we ask our body to perform an activity that challenges these ranges.

For example, let’s say you used to be a great baseball player in high school and golfed every summer with your buddies. Flash forward years from then and now all of the time you’ve spent at your desk has caused your shoulders to get tight and you no longer have the range of motion you once had. Your golf swing just doesn’t feel right, and throwing a round of batting practice leaves your shoulder feeling sore for days.

In this article we’ll cover four simple steps for how you can improve your thoracic mobility, which will allow your shoulders to feel looser, neck to feel better, and rotational activities like golf, baseball, and tennis feel easier.

Michael Sirani 3/20/17 Michael Sirani 3/20/17

What Should You Do If Your Hip Pinches When You Squat?

If you’ve ever felt a “pinch” in your hip in the bottom of your squat, or have worked with a client who complains of this symptom, this article will help educate you on why this may be happening and teach you what you can do to keep your hips healthy and ultimately avoid this painful pinching.

Michael Sirani 3/13/17 Michael Sirani 3/13/17

How to Stand Out During an Internship in the Fitness Industry

If you’re a college student with aspirations to make it in the fitness industry, or an exercise enthusiast who is passionate about switching fields and entering the strength and conditioning world, this article is essential for your future success.

If you think you’ll be able to thrive by taking a weekend course or by knowing twelve different variations of bicep curls, you’re wrong — even though I see nothing wrong with hitting your biceps twelve different ways.

You need to first understand that the fitness industry can be weird, because unlike