Coaching the Hinge vs. the Squat
Personal trainers are generally adept at recognizing the value of different movements on the body, especially the hinge vs. the squat. Understanding that lower body exercises break down into two basic categories–hinging and squatting–will help fit pros better program a variety of valuable exercises for their clients. The differences between the squat vs. the hinge […]
How to Start Your Own Gym
You’ll need to answer some tough questions, visualize the type of business you want to set up, put time into a business plan, consider finances, and work hard to start your own gym. Knowing where to start was the biggest challenge when opening my own training studio four years ago. It was one of the […]
The 5 Pillars of Success For Your Clients
Exercise alone lacks the ability to change body composition and health. Study after study shows that working out by itself has little impact on body composition change: fat loss and muscle gain. So why do we focus on just working out? Part of the problem is that many personal trainers reasonably think we are only responsible […]
How to do Kettlebell Windmills
The Kettlebell (KB) Windmill is a valuable exercise for shoulder stability, upper back flexibility, better movement in the hamstrings and hips (which helps with back pain). You get the best of both worlds with this exercise – it helps you move better and get you stronger. What’s not to like? Muscles Emphasis The entire body […]
Isometric Towel Workout
There are three different types of muscular contractions: concentric (shortening of the muscle), eccentric (lengthening of the muscle) and isometric (muscle doesn’t change length and the affected joint doesn’t move). Let’s talk about the utility of isometrics during this trying period and how you can implement them into your clients’ training program by using nothing […]
No Gym Equipment? Three Training Strategies for Fitness Clients
Shelter-in-place orders have forced our clients to train away from their gym that may result in a decline in seeing results, or worse, unwanted weight gain. For most, this situation means no access to commercial-grade equipment. Clients are left scratching their heads on how to get a great workout, but the personal trainer is now […]
The Bear Crawl Does it All
The focus of the most effective training program personal trainers design should be on the movement, not the muscles. This is why you might see the bear crawl performed frequently in the best training gyms. The bear crawl, a complete bodyweight movement, packs a big punch, working on strength, mobility, and stability. Unfortunately, this extremely […]
Your Clients Need Power Training
After the age of 30, we start losing up to 10% of our strength every decade thereafter; even worse we’re losing nearly three times that amount in power. Power is our ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movement. In application, it’s our ability to get off the floor quickly […]
Battling Ropes
There are certain pieces of equipment that have been around for a long time such as ellipticals and treadmills but over the last 10 years, we’ve seen more creative and “functional” equipment hit the fitness scene like battling ropes. Battling ropes have emerged and become more common in strength and conditioning facilities as well as […]
Should Your Clients Overhead Press?
The overhead press has been a staple in resistance training since the very beginnings. Whether you are looking to build muscle and strength or overall work capacity in your shoulders, few could argue the benefits. Trainers should bear in mind, however, that overhead pressing may not be the best fit for each of your clients. […]