Tired of the same old crunches and planks? After years of training clients and experimenting with core training, I’ve developed three unique ab exercises that deliver serious results.
Category: Bodybuilding
Mushrooms: The Overlooked Superfood for Muscle Growth and Longevity
Mushrooms have been high on the nutrition trends list for a while now. I remember prior to 2015 it seemed like mushrooms were some kind of empty calorie topping you might put on your pizza, but fast forward to today…
Happy 2021! Who’s got Goals!?
It’s next year! Wait, did I say that right? Anyway, it’s not 2020 anymore, hooray! Hopefully you got plenty of sleep last night, because it was awfully loud here and today is the day to get to work. As cliché…
The 2020 No Meat Athlete Bundle is Here!
Hey guys! It’s that time again… This year’s No Meat Athlete Plant-Based Heath & Fitness Bundle is the biggest ever with 46 meal-plans, cook books, and strength/fitness guides! It’s valued at over $2669.61, but for this weekend it’s just $95.…
Interview with Chef AJ!
I had a great time recently speaking all about my story, as well as my training and nutrition with the esteemed Chef AJ! We have crossed paths many times in the past at events but somehow never managed to collaborate,…
Plant-based Nutrition – BarBend Interview!
Want to know the nuts and bolts of how vegan strength athletes eat?? Nick over at BarBend was a pleasure to speak with about plant-based nutrition and did a phenomenal job with this article and video. In it he goes…
Plant-based workouts in the time of Corona, April 28th
Who wants some novel core exercises they can do at home?? In this episode of ‘Derek shows you tips and tricks while the gym’s empty’ I share a couple of my favorite core moves I’ve learned over the years, and…
Plant-Based Workouts in the time of Corona, April 5th
Yes, we’re still closed for the time being, but luckily I’ve got a decent backlog of quick workout tips to share! I’ve been using movements like the ones I’ve been sharing while training clients virtually via Zoom, so you can…
Plant-Based workouts in the time of Corona, March 23rd
As mentioned in our last post, Root Force Personal Training is currently closed due to COVID-19. I’ve been posting some short workout videos from our *empty* gym, as well as training clients virtually via Zoom. If you’re interested in virtual…
Breaking: Exercise Makes You Happier Than Money
According to new research from Oxford and Yale, physical activity has a greater impact on your mental health than your economic status! I think this is an intuitive result (at least for anyone working in the fitness industry), but it’s…
Switch4Good Podcast – and Updates!
If you haven’t seen any of their work, Switch4Good is a platform for athletes advocating against dairy for health and performance. They feature world class athletes, produce excellent, well informed content, and have a great podcast; which I was…
Activism, Athletics, and Raising Vegan Kids
Last month Max, Forest and I were privileged to be interviewed by David Yastremsky of Vegan Wear, the cruelty-free men’s wear company. Our discussion was pretty broad so we actually released it as two posts on the Vegan Wear…
All Plants Have Complete Protein
Just in case anyone wasn’t sure on this point, they do. This myth came from the 1971 book Diet For a Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe, who stated that plants are deficient in certain essential amino acids and therefore…
4 Tips to Step Up Your Warm Up
I think everyone can agree that warm ups are one of the most tedious parts of working out. You’ve gotten to the gym and you’re ready to get to work then get on with your life, not spend 20…
Another Plant-Based Bodybuilder is Born
Plant-based bodybuilder –> Plant-based figure competitor, to be exact! Kalie’s experience: She went vegan, reduced her protein intake, and ate a moderately high carbohydrate diet and still kept her strength, muscle mass and lost fat She mentioned that compared to…
Muscle Tea
Muscle Tea – our daily recovery beverage! – Green Tea Hibiscus blend from Traditional Medicinals ✅✅ – Ginger ✅ – Cayenne ✅ – Juice from 1/4 lemon ✅ – 1 serving Clean Machine Fruit Punch Clean BCAAs We’ve posted…
Plant Based Protein Super Shake
I’ve been perfecting the craft of whole-food vegan shakes for nearly a decade now. When I started, my goal was simply to pack the most possible calories and protein into a drink made from whole plant foods – and you…
Marcella’s Latest Research Published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology
We’re always experimenting on our own bodies here at VM&F, trying to find the best strategies for achieving fit, functional bodies on a whole foods plant-based diet. I’ve been lucky enough to pursue this fascination with fat loss and muscle gain…
Guilt Free TV
I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with Jeff Morgan of Guilt Free TV alongside fellow vegan athletes Crissi Carvalho and Jon Venus. In it we went over some of our experience in the trenches as well as our…
New Exercise – The Deep Squat Calf Raise!
I’ve invented a new awesome looking exercise! 😂 Our studio doesn’t have the space for single use machines, so I’ve spent plenty of time trying to creatively train my calves (which still won’t grow) and I’ve finally come up with…