Fitness tips are like opinions; everyone’s got one. Friends, academics, professionals and influencers all have their take on the most life-changing workout, nutrition and mindset advice they would give. Having transformed hundreds of lives across almost a decade, we're no stranger to these common threads of guidance (or misguidance). With this in m…

Ever been told that if you wanted to lose weight, that you should go run a mile? “It burns lots of calories! Running will help you lose lots of weight. Lifting makes you bulky; don’t do that.” In this final post in our False Fitness Advertising series, we bust the myth of “Cardio is Better than Weightlifting for Weight Loss.” In the meantime, if yo…

NEW YT VIDEO: Are You The Last Person You Take Care of?" | Interview with Haven Client Jasmin Link in our stories! Podcast also available in our stories! Have you ever felt as if you were losing yourself, caught in the day to day of family, work - putting yourself last Told by your doctor news you were shocked to hear? Getting new pains and aches y…

I don’t care who you are, or how far along your fitness journey you’ve gone; we’ve all doubted ourselves. We’ve all at some point told ourselves that we didn’t have what it takes. That no matter what we did or how well we did it we could not succeed. Well, instead of me telling you nicely that you do have what it takes, I’m going to start by assumi…

The carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM) says that increases in body fat are caused by excess consumption of carbohydrate, which then disrupts normal insulin metabolism leading to weight gain and weight-related illnesses. According then to the carbohydrate–insulin model, low-carbohydrate diets would be the most effective in causing long-term weight los…

Above all: our mindset. We know what to do, which is eat less and move more. We know we need to hit the weights, and we know we need to be in a calorie deficit. But why don’t we do it? That’s where all sorts of limiting, false beliefs about ourselves and the sacrifices required to see results get in the way. A close second is false advertising. The…

You might be shocked when I tell you that it’s NOT traditional core exercises, like crunches, sit-ups, or planks. In fact, you might not even believe me at first. But hear me out. The best exercises that can be done on a daily basis to melt the belly fat and slim down your abdomen are free weight, compound exercises like barbell bench presses and b…

Can I gain muscle mass and get shredded at the same time? Yes and no, and it depends. Like a lot of things in fitness, there is no one size fits all solution or answer. The simple answer (and the good news) though is yes: you can build muscle and get “shredded” or burn body fat at the same time, especially as a beginner. Many of our clients for exa…

Who are we, and what do we do? The answer to that question has changed over our past 6 years in business. From offering group fitness classes by myself, to then creating the Haven Warrior 6 Week Challenge, to shifting to “transform your body, transform your life” and now again changing our answer - Haven has had to redefine itself over and over aga…

Everytime I’ve sat down and enrolled someone into one of our transformation programs it’s the same. Yes, the client wants to lose weight, tone up, burn belly fat. The typical aesthetic changes. Or they want to get stronger, improve their flexibility, get rid of joint pains and increase their energy. The regular health challenges. Buried deeper are …

The scale doesn’t define you. The scale is one measure of success. There are more important things than that number. In this episode of the TYBTYL Show I sat down with our Haven Warrior Perla. She shares her experience losing 100lbs and how dissatisfied she felt. Weaker, skinnier, exceedingly hard and punishing on herself. You would think such a gr…

It’s another day of personal training for Greg. He heads on over to the park to find his client. As he draws nearer, he hears some sobbing. Greg approaches the young woman, and is both surprised and concerned. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” “I just hate the way I look and I feel. I hate feeling this way.” In the earlier, younger days Greg becam…

Ever had this experience: you sign up for a gym, go for a few days, feel frustrated not knowing what to do, hurt yourself, beat yourself up? Then you leave. And no one ever cared. That is all too common. Although big box, open-access gyms do have their place in the market, for many if not, arguably, all of us at some point could’ve used a high-cont…

This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with our Client Success Manager Yadira. Yadi was explaining to me that she joined a big box gym to go in on days where she can't make it to Haven. Although she felt confident performing her workouts (how to squat, how to deadlift, etc.) she didn't know how many days per week to go or what to do duri…

Hi there! This is Coach Bismark from Haven Gym in Elizabeth, NJ, a personal training and nutrition coaching facility where we help transform bodies and lives through fitness, nutrition and mindset. I'm also the host of this podcast which I hope will help you, and others in the marketplace and our community transform their bodies and lives, too. Top…

Hi there! This is Coach Bismark from Haven Gym in Elizabeth, NJ, a personal training and nutrition coaching facility where we help transform bodies and lives through fitness, nutrition and mindset. I'm also the host of this podcast which I hope will help you, and others in the marketplace and our community transform their bodies and lives, too. Top…

Lifters will live and die with their opinions. The debate surrounding whether high reps or low reps induce more muscle growth could be almost a hundred years old, if not more. Studies say one thing, social media tells another. Everyone from powerlifters to football players to bikini competitors all have a different say. So what is it? What's the tr…

Do You Really NEED to be 2+ Hours in the Gym Everyday? What if you don’t have the time to workout? Im this episode of the Change Your Body Change Your Life Show I go Over (in 8 short minutes) how you can lose your first or next 15-20lbs workout out for only 2 hours a weeks, 45min a day for 3 days. (I even give you a sample workout that both men and…

If you tried to lose weight you've heard this: you can't lose weight because you eat too little. Maybe no matter how hard you tried to count your calories and be in a deficit, you can't lose weight and this is why. Maybe that's why you're stuck. Maybe all the Keto people have been right all along...it's because you eat way too many carbs! Carbs are…

I knew a vegan who was 300+ pounds and could not lose weight. I knew a die-hard Keto warrior and she could not lose her pregnancy weight. They swore by their diets. No one, and I mean NO ONE could change their mind. I kept trying to teach them the one key that if they did nothing else but follow it they would finally be able to lose the weight (the…

High reps? Low reps? Mid reps? Should you confuse the muscle? In this episode we go over the answer to what rep range is the absolute BEST for the most muscle growth and fat loss. We dive deep into: The Spectrum of Rep Ranges The Specificity Principle Mike Mentzer and Schwarzenegger vs. Kai Greene as Case Studies Progress Overload as an Overarching…

Will you be a part of 80-90% of us who make New Years Resolutions but then give up by February? Try this mental shift instead to ensure that you ACTUALLY lose weight, build muscle and reach your body goals this time around. Make sure to show some love and share with a friend :). Also! If you're interested in our locally famous 6 Week 15-20lbs Sexy …