Total Results Blog

Long-term Total Results clients and regular readers of this blog know that I put very little stock into what is touted by the mainstream fitness industry. What they constitute as exercise is recreation at best, and at its worst it borders on malfeasance. When I have these discussions with people the response I often receive is, "Okay Matt, so what do you consider exercise?" In order to define something, you have to clarify what it is not. An all-inclusive definition accomplishes nothing, and according to the establishment fitness industry, just about any type of activity fits the bill. The best (and only, to date) definition of exercise comes from Ken Hutchins. He defines exercise as, "A process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically-controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time." You will notice that nowhere in that definition does it say anything about aerobics, or stretching; exercise needs to be demanding (i.e. - hard), it needs to correspond with proper body function, and it needs to be controlled. It is not haphazard - it must be purposeful.

So the true essence of exercise is inroad. But what does inroad mean? A simple explanation describes it as the depth of muscular fatigue due to exercise (high-intensity weight training). Let's look a little closer. Ken gives a great explanation of inroad in Super Slow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol. Let's say that you have a starting strength of 120 pounds, but perform a barbell curl with 70 pounds (since you are utilizing a 10/10 speed and will not have the aid of momentum). You perform several repetitions but eventually reach momentary muscular failure, meaning that your muscles' force output is now less than the weight of the barbell. This means that you have inroaded (fatigued) your strength level by 58 percent (70/120 = 58.3%). If you are using Total Results exercise protocol (and you should), this would only take between one and three minutes to achieve.

Why is this important? Much of what occurs metabolically as a result of exercise remains unknown, but we do know a few things. We know that the human body, by nature, is a logical entity. It wants to maintain homeostasis and conserve resources whenever possible (think of how difficult it is for many people to lose weight by conventional methods). We must give the body a significant reason to mobilize its resources and make physiological changes; there must be some sort of perceived threat. High intensity weight training is the threat that spurs the body into action. If we inroad the muscles deeply enough in a systemic fashion (i.e. - in a full body workout) we cross over a metabolic threshold that triggers a growth mechanism. Muscle tissue is broken down over the course of a 20 minute workout, and over the course of the next three to seven days this tissue is repaired and made stronger, along with replenishment of carbohydrate stores that were spent as a result of glycogen and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) being burned. Bear in mind that these changes can only occur in the presence of adequate nutrition, sleep, hydration, stress management, and not overdoing it with additional physical activity in the time between workouts.

How can you maximize your ability to inroad? It starts with having the correct mental approach. For the twenty minutes that you exercise, you should be 100 percent focused on your workout. Put aside all potential distractions, such as your phone, your work responsibilities, and any other of life's problems, and commit yourself completely to the task at hand. Maintain attention to detail as far as speed of movement, pace, turnarounds, and application of the squeeze technique are concerned. Be willing to pay the price; accept that for the next twenty minutes you will experience muscular discomfort, but also know that feeling is temporary. See the big picture and do not allow momentary unpleasantness to derail you from achieving something that is meaningful and lasting. After the workout you should feel fatigued but not beaten down. We want to stimulate physical improvements (which should leave you feeling tired) without grinding you into a nub. If you feel completely spent after a workout it means one of two things: you are either an Alpha subject (something that Ken refers to in his book) with superior neurological efficiency, or you are not satisfying your recovery requirements and may need to reduce your training frequency and/or volume. Most clients that exercise in the morning remark that it gives them a boost of energy that carries them for several hours into their day.

There is often a debate on exercise message boards about which is more important: form or time under load (TUL/repetitions). Ken also discusses this in Super Slow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol. This brings to mind the assumed versus the real objective of exercise. Most people figure that they should try to complete as many repetitions as possible with as much weight as they can handle. This is incorrect; not only does this mindset lend itself to unsafe behavior and potential injury, it completely ignores the correlation between momentum and unloading of the musculature. The real objective of exercise is to systematically recruit and fatigue the muscle fibers deeply enough to stimulate an adaptive response. One should use a weight that they can safely handle at a 10/10 speed that will cause them to reach momentary muscular failure somewhere between one and three minutes of elapsed time. This time frame allows us to involve the aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways and recruit the greatest amount of muscle fibers. Analytically-inclined clients love to look at their progress charts to see how they are doing, but their weights and TUL only tell part of the story. I am happy to explain to them how they are progressing both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Thorough inroad is the straw that stirs the drink as far as exercise is concerned. Better form leads to a higher quality of stimulus, but it is what you do in between workouts that will have the greatest impact on the physical changes that are produced. No matter your neurological efficiency or the genetic hand you have been dealt, Total Results is the best way to maximize your physical capability. Share your experience with a friend and spread the word!

Gardiner Harris was the public health and pharmaceutical writer for the New York Times, and before that he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. He is now a freelance journalist. Harris is also the author of a novel called "Hazard", which centers around the toxic effects of exposure to coal dust. I first became aware of the author through a documentary called "Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders", and he was a contributor to that project. "No More Tears" was published in 2025.

This book is a comprehensive examination of the history of Johnson & Johnson. For all of its breakthroughs and positive contributions as a healthcare conglomerate, J&J also has a very dark history that it would rather you not know about. The company was founded in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1887 by three brothers: Robert Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson, and James Wood Johnson. J&J initially focused on mass producing cotton and gauze bandages, and mostly concentrated on selling to doctors and hospitals. The company's first big money-making product was introduced in 1894 - Johnson's Baby Powder - which contained Italian talc (in blocks it is known as soapstone, and is also used to make sinks, stoves, and electric switchboards). By 1967 there was concern about the safety of talc, and an internal memo acknowledged that it contained trace quantities of two kinds of asbestos, which is known to cause cancer. Rather than publicly acknowledge and solve the problem, company executives devised a plan to discredit the studies that confirmed the dangers. By 1989, most other companies had switched to using corn starch in their baby powder; J&J continued to use talc because it created higher profit margins. A class action lawsuit ensued, and the plaintiffs were awarded a total of $550 million dollars in compensatory damages. Punitive damages totaled $2.5 billion dollars. Years later, it would be acknowledged by a J&J representative that false statements were made under oath about the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder.

Tylenol is probably the most well-known over the counter pain reliever on the planet. It was developed by McNeil Laboratories and became part of the J&J line of consumer products when J&J acquired McNeil in 1959. Most people who were alive in the 1980s are aware of the Tylenol Murders case of 1982, where several people died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide. This was the impetus for the tamper-resistant packaging that is so ubiquitous today. Unfortunately, these are not the only deaths connected to Tylenol. The active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen; according to the author, "More than a century after its discovery, scientists still don't know how acetaminophen works." Anthony Benedi, a former staffer for president George H.W. Bush slipped into a coma and sustained brain swelling and liver failure following a bout with the flu in which he consumed the recommended dosage of Extra Strength Tylenol. On average, Benedi drank between two and three glasses of wine per night, which is the average alcohol consumption for American men. Following a liver and kidney transplant, Benedi sued J&J and was awarded $9 million dollars in damages. Harris goes on to say, "Documents revealed in Benedi's case showed that Johnson & Johnson had known for years that moderate drinkers - a description that applies to most Americans - could suffer catastrophic liver damage from ordinary doses of Tylenol." Finally, the author says, "Acetaminophen has for decades been the nation's leading cause of acute liver failure."

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a synthetic form of a protein that increases the body's production of red blood cells. It is a banned substance in competitive athletics; many of us remember that Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles in part due to his secret use of the drug, and he was subsequently stripped of those titles. The reason it is a banned substance is because the stimulation of red blood cell production thickens the blood, leading to an increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, and embolisms. Even worse, according to the author, "A researcher named Athanasius Anagnostou from Brown University added EPO to a petri dish filled with cancer cells and found that the drug supercharged the cells' growth - the opposite of what anyone wanted to happen." Johnson & Johnson developed their own version of EPO - called Procrit - and by 1998 it had become the company's most profitable product. The problem was the increased risk for cancer in patients that took the drug. In the words of Dr. Otis Brawley, the longtime chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, "What data do you have to assure me that this is not Miracle-Gro for cancer?" J&J started an EPO study in cervical cancer patients in 2001, with 109 patients participating. Within two years that study was stopped because patients given EPO were dying at a much more rapid rate than in the control group. J&J knew this, yet the results of the study were never published.

Johnson and Johnson entered the medical implant business in 1998 when it purchased DePuy Orthopaedics. Hip implants were first invented in the 1950s, and the linings between the steel cups and balls were made of Teflon, which worked well for a while but eventually wore away and required revision surgeries. Eventually the linings were made of heavier plastics, but in the 1960s two surgeons came up with the idea of using metal instead of plastic so that the implant would last a lifetime. Unfortunately, friction between the ball and the cup could result in tiny metal shavings that "killed surrounding tissue, loosened the joints, and released toxic ions that poisoned patients' hearts, brains, and eyes." J&J's metal-on-metal hip implant was called the ASR XL; they stopped selling it in 2013 after the FDA strengthened hip implant regulations. According to the author, "Johnson & Johnson settled the many lawsuits involving problems with ASR XL implantations for $2.5 billion."

These are not the only examples of unethical behavior. In the early 1970s J&J hired Dr. Albert M. Kligman to conduct a study as to what would happen to humans and rabbits if they were injected with talc and asbestos. As the author explains, "Kligman was a problematic researcher, to say the least. For many years, he had conducted tests of Johnson's Baby Powder, as well as Band-Aids, shampoos, and other drugs, on African American prisoners and mentally disabled children. These experiments were often exquisitely painful for his vulnerable subjects." Finally in 2021, J&J expressed remorse for allowing such experimentation to be conducted. Too little, too late.

Why is this book important? Most people don't realize just how many products fall under the J&J banner (I did not either, until I read this book). Pharmaceutical companies pay enormous fines for misdeeds and look at it simply as the cost of doing business. J&J is no different. Harris states, "Between 2010 and 2021, J&J spent $25 billion on litigation." That doesn't even include the bribes given to doctors and hospitals to get them to prescribe their drugs and other products. Another point to consider is that the FDA is not really looking out for you. There are numerous examples given where the agency looks the other way or is actively complicit in J&J's unethical behavior.

Gardiner Harris has done an outstanding job of writing and researching "No More Tears." Near the end of the book, he lists several suggestions for how the system can be dramatically improved. You deserve better than the corruption that has gone on for decades. I encourage all of you to read this book and decide for yourselves.

Diagnosis of chronic disease has skyrocketed over the last 40 years. According to the National Cancer Institute, this is defined as "a disease or condition that usually lasts for 3 months or longer and may get worse over time." We have seen many medical conditions among Total Results clients, but some of the most common chronic debilities that we have encountered are osteoarthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. These chronic conditions certainly bring with them their own set of challenges, such as obtaining medical clearance from a physician and helping the client to overcome their underlying fears related to exercising with these conditions, but we have been very successful at helping clients with chronic disease to improve their health and quality of life. As we will discuss further, there is both a genetic and lifestyle component that can increase your risk for developing a chronic disease.

Osteoarthritis is probably the most common chronic condition that Total Results clients encounter. This can be characterized by pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. Osteoarthritis is more common in people who have performed repetitive movements for long periods of time, or if they have suffered a previous injury to a joint (for example, if you have sustained knee cartilage or ligament damage you are more likely to experience osteoarthritis later in life). The older we get, the greater the likelihood that we will experience osteoarthritis in one or more of our joints. In your Total Results workouts, the first two repetitions of each exercise serve as a warm-up to lubricate your joints and reduce pain (it's also why we typically perform the Leg Curl exercise before the Leg Press, so that your knees are limbered up). It is our job as instructors to find the client's safe and pain-free range of motion, so that the musculature can be stimulated while minimizing joint pain.

Heart disease comes in many different forms; in fact, two of our current clients had significant heart procedures performed prior to starting at Total Results. Obviously, the heart is the most important muscle in the body; however, you cannot volitionally control the contraction of your cardiac muscle. Skeletal muscle is the only type of muscle tissue that you contract at will, and while most cardiologists require a patient to perform cardiac rehabilitation before giving them clearance to begin or resume exercise, I believe that strength training is the most effective form of cardiac rehabilitation. Helping doctors to understand the nature of our program has always been a big challenge, but it is important to build trust with the client and communicate effectively with their doctor. We will work with the cardiologist to formulate the best course of action and ease the client into the program.

Diabetes can take on two forms: Type I and Type II. Type I diabetes is typically diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood, and is characterized by the pancreas producing an insufficient amount of insulin. Type II diabetes occurs later in life, and usually involves the body being unable to produce enough insulin or an inability to use the insulin it produces. High blood sugar is a corresponding factor. Prediabetes is a precursor to Type II diabetes, and many clients have come to us after being diagnosed with the condition. The good news is that Type I diabetes can be managed (although not completely reversed), and Type II diabetes can be completely reversed with deliberate action and lifestyle changes. High intensity strength training is important from a standpoint of building muscle and changing your body composition, but also going to muscular failure will help to reduce glycogen (stored form of carbohydrate) stores in your liver and muscle cells. This will help you to improve your insulin sensitivity and level out your blood sugar.

We have also worked with clients that have autoimmune conditions. This is when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. A few conditions that we have encountered include Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Celiac Disease. When clients suffering from these diseases are dealing with flare-ups, it can greatly impact their workouts. Sometimes they cannot workout at all during a flare-up, while other times their strength and endurance are significantly compromised. Communication between client and instructor is paramount, and we must treat each occurrence individually. There is no one-size-fits-all plan when this happens, but we adapt the best that we can.

There is plenty that we can recommend to help you if you are battling a chronic disease. You must realize that chronic disease doesn't happen overnight, and an immediate reversal is unrealistic. It is important to recognize that a change in your daily habits is essential. This involves not just incorporating high-intensity exercise into your life, but also improving your sleep habits, managing stress, and adding in low-level movement several times per week. What you put into your body makes all the difference in the world; avoid inflammatory foods such as seed oils, processed foods, and sugar. In order to preserve your physical independence and build strength, you must lift heavy things! Stay educated about your disease and other chronic diseases; we frequently give book recommendations that you will find helpful.

Together we can reverse your chronic disease! It all starts with a single step.

Life is more than just a series of consecutive days clocked in and clocked out. Without some larger purpose, life loses much of its meaning and direction. You can see it in some people that retire from the working world. They spend the majority of their lives in pursuit of something, and once they retire they have twenty-four hours to fill and no idea what to do with themselves. One must have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and contribute something in a meaningful way. I believe that there is a greater feeling of achievement and accomplishment when you are doing something or are a part of something that is bigger than just yourself. It is one of the reasons that I got involved in coaching football a few years ago - to educate and mentor young people, but also teach some of the life lessons that I learned during my playing career.

Simon Sinek is a bestselling author, business consultant, and motivational speaker who wrote the outstanding book, "Start With Why." He notes that many successful people and organizations can articulate what they do, and some can explain how they are better or different from their competitors, but few can clearly define why they do what they do. The author cites examples of companies that have clearly communicated their "why", such as Apple and Southwest Airlines. Even though Apple's products may not be significantly better than comparable devices, the company's purpose has been more clearly defined than that of its competitors and has resonated with Apple's customers. It is one reason that people stand in line for hours waiting to get the new version of an iPhone when it is released, even though they could buy it a couple of days later without the hassle. Southwest Airlines's low-cost model was not original; it was copied from a company called Pacific Southwest Airlines. However, Southwest Airlines did a much better job of commuting its "why" (cheap, fun, and simple air travel) to their customers. From the time that Herb Kelleher started the company until the writing of Sinek's book (2011), Southwest Airlines did not have a single year in which they didn't turn a profit (including the oil crises of the 1970s and early 2000s, and after September 11th).

It all starts with "why." What is your greater purpose? As Sinek says, "WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don't mean to make money - that's a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?" Why do you hit the ground running first thing in the morning? What are you enthusiastic about? Total Results was created by Tim Rankin in late 2001. He was an engineer who had worked in the corporate world for over a decade, and the former college lacrosse player had fallen out of shape. Tim was able to regain his vitality and get into the best shape of his life by using what would become the Total Results exercise protocol. He believed in it so much that he quit his corporate job and started Total Results in his garage. Tim's personal "why" for starting the business was to help people experience the same benefits that he was able to attain and to assist them in creating positive lifestyle change. Tim did this for 20 years, and over that time he mentored several other exercise instructors, including me.

Since Tim and his wife Pam passed the torch to us in 2021, I have done my best to carry on what he started so many years ago. What is my personal "why"? I love instructing exercise and educating clients. I want to help them to achieve what they cannot do on their own, and I want to assist them in maintaining their physical independence by staying out of the medical system. I also love challenging conventional "wisdom" and being outside of the exercise establishment. The Total Results mission is to provide the greatest and most comprehensive exercise experience possible. One thing that I am most proud of is the fact that we have held true to our founding principles, even when other similar studios have compromised their approach. One must evolve and adapt with changing times, but if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.

What is your "why"? What is it that you most want to achieve by exercising at Total Results? Getting to know a prospective client during an initial consultation helps me to gain an understanding of their goals, how they define success, and determining their "why". If you are an experienced Total Results client, you will eventually experience some tough times. Remember your "why", and the reason that you came to us in the first place. Together, we can get on the right path. It all starts with "why".

A significant number of Total Results clients deal with joint difficulties. This becomes more common as we age, especially if we have been active in participating in sports or other activities with repetitive motions. We see a lot of lower back discomfort (some muscle weakness, and some structural abnormalities), knee pain, elbow problems, as well as neck weakness that can cause headaches. Many, if not most of these obstacles can be overcome with regular Total Results workouts and some simple lifestyle modifications. One of the biggest and most rewarding challenges that I face as an instructor is how to work around shoulder maladies. Since part of the Total Results mission is to help people to improve and maintain their functional independence and live their best life, keeping the shoulder joints healthy is an absolute must. Over the years we have developed a comprehensive toolbox for improving the function of the shoulder joints and minimizing discomfort.

In order to gain a better understanding of the shoulder joint, we should discuss its anatomy. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint (the ball is the greater tubercle of the humerus, and the socket is the glenoid fossa of the scapula), and the bones involved include the humerus (upper arm), scapula (shoulder blade), clavicle (collar bone), and acromion (the small part of the scapula that connects with the clavicle). The major muscles that produce movement about the shoulder are the deltoid (upper arm), trapezius (a kite-shaped structure that spans from the rear part of the neck, across the top of the shoulders and down between the shoulder blades), latissimus (major upper back muscle), pectoralis major (chest), and the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that help to stabilize the shoulder joint, but also work to perform abduction and external rotation of the humerus. The shoulder is a very mobile joint; as you have probably noticed, you can move your upper arm in a number of different ways. Unfortunately, because of this mobility it is an inherently unstable joint, which is why it can easily be injured. Common maladies include rotator cuff impingement or tear, biceps tendinitis, frozen shoulder, torn labrum (cartilage deep within the shoulder joint), instability from a previous injury, or simple muscular strain.

As I mentioned earlier, through trial and error over the past two decades we have created successful strategies for improving shoulder function and reducing pain. Bear in mind that I did not invent any of these modalities; I am simply fortunate enough to learn from some very smart people. Timed Static Contraction (TSC) can be a useful tool to allow clients to perform certain exercises (such as the Chest Press and Overhead Press) in a portion of the range of motion where they do not feel any joint pain. Regular readers of this blog are very familiar with TSC, so I won't get into too much detail. We can also substitute the MedX Overhead Press for the Super Slow Systems version; the two machines have movement arms that track differently. The MedX version moves in a slightly upward arc, which often feels more comfortable for people with shoulder maladies, and it is why we have both options at our disposal. In some cases we may need to entirely avoid performing any vertical pushing and pulling movements, as clients with shoulder difficulties can better tolerate horizontal exercises.

The External Rotation exercise can be performed in order to strengthen the rotator cuff. This can be done as a preventative measure or as a means of rehabilitating an injury and avoiding surgery. External Rotation can be applied as a TSC by the client, and resistance is provided with the opposite hand for 90 seconds. As a former quarterback with lots of wear and tear on my shoulder, I find this exercise to be extremely valuable. We can also do what is called "gapping the weight stack" when performing the Chest Press exercise. In this scenario we move the movement arm one or two pin holes forward so it does not come to such a deep position when the weight stack bottoms out. This can help reduce strain on the shoulder joint. Dr. Doug McGuff, owner of Ultimate Exercise, has a very helpful video on his website (drmcguff.com) that illustrates how this is accomplished. Finally, I have some clients perform a shoulder hang exercise that I learned from Ken Hutchins and has been recommended by retired orthopedist Dr. John M. Kirsch. This involves the use of the Nautilus Multi-Exercise machine; the client will hang from the top bar with their palms facing forward. First they will hang with their feet supported by the bottom step of the machine, and then they will gradually work toward hanging with their feet suspended in air. This exercise will usually last between 30-60 seconds and has been wonderful in improving frozen shoulders.

In a perfect world, clients would perform the full complement of exercises on all of the machines at Total Results in a dynamic fashion. We like to have a balance between upper body and lower body pushing and pulling exercises so that the body can develop symmetrically and without any muscular imbalances. However, life is rarely perfect and sometimes it is important to sacrifice symmetry in order to avoid further joint irritation. Ours is not a one-size-fits-all program, and these adjustments may be for either the short or long term. Whatever your situation, we can find the proper solution through patience, active listening, creative thinking, and trial and error.