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Melissa Gunn in Angeleno Magazine – October 2003

“People think they have to work out every day to get the body they want. But that can be counter productive. You have to let your muscles rest…” ~ Melissa Gunn Like VERT, Suppliers nixes momentum in favor of a tougher, safer burn. “SuperSlow forces you to slow down and use your muscle instead of momentum in a safer, more controlled environment,…

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It’s hard. Is that really necessary?

By Melissa Gunn | May 24, 2021

It’s hard. Is that really necessary? Here is a look at what happens during those last 10 seconds when your heart rate jumps, you’re out of breath, and your mind is telling you that you are done. It is at the point where you keep trying but you can’t move the weight stack anymore, where the…

9 Tips on sleeping through the night

By Melissa Gunn | March 16, 2021

First of all, give your strength training time your full effort. Don’t give up. Remember, as long as you are moving slowly and not flinging the weight or suddenly dropping the weight, you are very safe with pushing to full intensity.  Walk for 30-90 minutes every day. This is great for overall stress relief.  Supplement…

7 Exercises to Alleviate & Prevent Back Pain

By Melissa Gunn | September 18, 2020

Most of us are at home more right now during this time. This may mean sitting more with poor posture and possibly moving less with not as many places to go. This can lead to lower back pain. As an antidote, it’s important to be aware of strengthening muscles to improve posture, flexibility and blood…

Slow-Training originator Doug McGuff on YouTube

By Melissa Gunn | July 11, 2019

Dr. Doug McGuff talks about how regular High Intensity Strength Training keeps you strong and functional into your 90s and 100s. This is key to preventing falls, recovering from surgeries, keeping your immune system strong and maintaining optimal health, ultimately increasing your quality of life. Watch the video:

Client Lost 45 lbs And Keeps Them Off!

By Melissa Gunn | June 13, 2019

Emily came to Pure Strength in 2008 after trying different exercise routines and finding it hard to stick with any of them. She traveled a lot for work and had many meals on the go, with few healthy options, and too many oversized portions. After hearing about slow strength training from both a family member and a…

No Crash Diets—Find Real, Long-Term Solutions!

By Melissa Gunn | June 3, 2019

Am I doing the right things? FIND A LONG TERM SOLUTION – NO CRASH DIETS! The success of my weight loss is solely determined by my genetics. It’s true that genetics do play a role in your ability or inability to lose weight, however, it will only affect your success to a certain degree. Research…

The Myth of Spot Weight Reduction

By Melissa Gunn | May 8, 2019

Spot reduction refers to the attempt to remove body fat stores from specific areas of the body by performing exercises that target those areas. For instance, a common question we get at Pure Strength is, “Can we do the abdominal machine? I really want to get rid of the fat in my stomach,” or… “Can…

Sarcopenia, Muscle Loss and Aging

By Melissa Gunn | April 8, 2019

The importance of muscle Every time we lift our legs to walk up a flight of stairs or raise an arm to scratch our nose, we’re using our skeletal muscles. These muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and produce voluntary movements of our body parts. As we reach our late 20s and early 30s,…

The Big 3: our favorite exercise machines

By Melissa Gunn | February 26, 2019

You might have noticed that there are some machines we tend to favor more than others, a select few that we put into your routine week after week. That’s right, we’re talking about the Leg Press, Pull Down, and Chest Press. They are our Big 3. These three machines produce compound movements that are easy…

“Express Weight Training” proven to work

By Melissa Gunn | January 24, 2019

This article from September 2018’s New York Times health section discusses a research study which examined what effective weight training programs might look like to build significant strength gains. “An inspiring new study of how much—or how little—weight training is needed to improve muscle’s strength and size finds that we may be able to gain…