Want results from your workouts? Add more weight! For years only a handful of dedicated fitness enthusiasts have practiced a sure-fire method of achieving results from exercise: lifting weights with the heaviest loads possible. Most common gym routines are derived from the bodybuilding world and focus on moderate-to-high repetition ranges, usually 8-15 reps, to … [Read more...]
7 Benefits of doing Cardio
Running. Cycling. Swimming. Rowing. Dancing. Walking. Stair climbing. Exercise circuits. All of these are common forms of cardiorespiratory exercise, what many people simply call cardio, that can be found in most fitness facilities. We know that along with resistance training to develop muscular strength and flexibility training to improve joint motion that cardiorespiratory … [Read more...]
5 Ways Social Media Can Support YOUR Fitness Journey
What motivates you to exercise? There are two basic motivators: a desire to move towards a goal or the intent to avoid an outcome. For example, you may be motivated to exercise because you want to shave a couple of minutes off of your 10K time or be able to lift an additional 50 pounds - that is the type of motivation of moving towards a goal. However, if you’ve been advised … [Read more...]
6 Benefits of Vertical Core Training
Lying down to "strengthen your core" is sooo 20th century. If you're looking the best core exercises that can help you to reach your goals, consider doing them from a standing position! Let me ask you a question: how do you feel when you’re lying down? Does your energy go up or do you find yourself getting drowsy and ready to fall asleep? The chances lying down makes you … [Read more...]
8 Fitness Trends for 2020
Every year the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) releases a list of fitness trends. While they use quantitative metrics from the fitness industry to identify popular workout programs, there is a flaw in their methodology. Some of the “trends”: personal training, exercise is medicine and health coaching (in the 2020 version which can be READ HERE) are nothing more than … [Read more...]
Join a health club or go to a fitness studio?
Over the past decade the fitness industry experienced a huge disruption from a couple of areas; 1 being technology which will be addressed in a future blog. The other disruptor to the fitness scene was the explosive popularity of fitness studios. Fitness studios existed before 2010, but the 20-teens saw a HUGE explosion in studios from Barre to indoor cycling to high … [Read more...]
6 Things to Know About Muscle Imbalances
Looking better, losing unwanted weight or enhancing athletic performance are three of the most popular reasons for why we exercise. While many of us want the benefits from working out, not many of us will walk into a fitness facility and tell an instructor that we have something that needs to be fixed; yet many of us are walking around with muscle imbalances that could be … [Read more...]
The Lifelong Benefits of Being a Rugby Player – Featuring an Interview with Todd Clever
Football. Basketball. Baseball. Hockey. For years these four sports have been the dominant professional leagues in the United States. Overseas and in other parts of the world sports like soccer, cricket and rugby are wildly popular while the American sports are barely acknowledged. Now that it has a shorter, more TV-audience-friendly version, the sport of Cricket is … [Read more...]
Dr. Nick Winkelman – the Language of Coaching
When was the last time you tried something new? Whether it was a piece of food, traveling to a place you’ve never been before or simply trying a new exercise, new is scary because it is different an unfamiliar to us. Think about what you do for work, would you be able to take what you’re doing and make a complete switch by moving to a new country to work in a field that you … [Read more...]
The TEAM Approach to Fitness
A few years ago a major shoe company had an ad with a skinny model attempting to do kettlebell swings but were really the squat-to-front-raise variation that is, simply put, incorrect. To help companies avoid this pitfall, one of my roles as a consultant in the fitness industry is to work as a technical director for photo and video shoots. The job is to watch the talent through … [Read more...]
5 Benefits of Movement Variability during Exercise
How long have you been doing your current workout program? If it’s been more than few months then you may have noticed that you are no longer getting the same results you did as when you first started. Think about this for a moment: the gym is the only place where we repeatedly perform the exact some movements the exact same way. Every. Time. The human body is a … [Read more...]
Want Results? Use these 6 Recovery Strategies for your Fitness Program
Exercise is stress. Whether you’re lifting weights, running, cycling, swimming, doing bodyweight exercises or simply going for a vigorous walk, exercise is an imposed stress for the purpose of initiating changes in the body. It’s important to understand that exercise is the process of applying a stress, giving the body the time and ability to adapt to that stress is the … [Read more...]
6 Ways Measuring Exercise Heart Rate Leads to Workout Results
We all know the story of Goldilocks and the three bears; as Goldilocks rummaged through their house she found that poppa bear’s porridge was too hot, momma bear’s was too cold but that baby bear’s was just right. This story is how many people approach cardiovascular exercise; some people are poppa bear and do too much high intensity exercise, others are momma bear - not working … [Read more...]
Steady State Training or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Which Type of Cardio is Best for YOU?
When it comes to exercise High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has received a lot of attention for being a time-efficient way for working out. However, many personal trainers, strength coaches and fitness instructors know that Steady State Training (SST) is still an extremely effective way to improve aerobic efficiency which reminds me of an ongoing debate in … [Read more...]
7 Fitness Tips for How to Design your own Exercise Program
It can be difficult to know how much exercise to do to get the results you want; here's what we do know for sure: working out too hard too often, or not exercising hard enough or that frequently, will NOT lead to the changes you want. Getting results from your workout program first requires determining the proper amount of exercise for you and your fitness needs. How can you do … [Read more...]
The number of reps you SHOULD be doing in your Workout!
We have become an ‘on demand’ society that wants what we want when we want it, which is usually NOW. This is especially true when it comes to getting results from exercise and workout programs. No one likes wasting time yet when it comes to their fitness programs I see a LOT of people not making the most out of their time in the gym because they may be using the wrong number of … [Read more...]
Top New Fitness & Exercise Products at IHRSA 2017
“Beware the ides of March,” was a warning delivered by a soothsayer to Julius Caesar in the Shakespeare play about the Roman emperor. The term ides does not mean a specific date but can be translated as the middle of the month. Caesar was indeed assassinated on the ides of March proving the prophet right. Flash forward to the 21st century in general and the fitness industry … [Read more...]
8 Things You Should Know About Strength Training
The most popular reasons for why people focus on strength training for their workouts is to improve their aesthetic appearance and create a ‘toned’ physique. Anyone who has ever spent any time in a weight room has probably relished the opportunity to ‘flex’ and show off his or her freshly sculpted muscles. What good is spending hours in the gym if you can’t show … [Read more...]
6 Ways Exercise Can Change the Way you Feel
Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you're not firing on all cylinders? You hit every traffic light, you get stuck behind the one person who has never been to Starbucks and needs to ask about the difference between a latte and a cafe mocha. And despite your usual sunny and charming disposition you feel like 'meh.' Even with a positive outlook of always … [Read more...]
Equipment for At-home Workouts
Are you a fitness fanatic wondering how you're going to exercise if you can't make it to your favorite workout facility? Don't worry, I have you covered. As someone who has spent more than 2 decades working in the fitness industry, including with health clubs, certification organizations and equipment companies, I know the type of equipment that can help you maintain your … [Read more...]
Workout Solutions for when You’re Stuck at Home
On September 11, 2001 I was training a client at a large health club in downtown Washington, DC, about 4 blocks from the White House, when we heard some buzz from the cardio area where the TVs were located. We all know what happened next. The following days were a surreal experience that felt like a collective punch in the gut. A journey back 19 years is time is … [Read more...]
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