ARTICLES
The latest articles and news items
SHEDDING A NEW LIGHT ON YOUR REST DAY
By MORGAN SHAPIRO Rest days. Something all of us gym rats know we need to partake in, but often have a hard time doing. We are regularly exposed to phrases such as "no days off" or "no pain, no gain." While working hard and pushing ourselves in the gym is excellent,...
5 TIPS FOR SETTING REALISTIC NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS DESPITE THE PANDEMIC
By Dana Bender As we consider setting personal resolutions for 2021, it is crucial to recognize that the goal-setting process and the behaviors are chosen to achieve those goals might look different this year due to the pandemic. Typical fitness-related New Year's...
Does intermittent fasting work for women?
By Helen Kollias, PhD Intermittent fasting works really well… for certain people… in certain situations. Some might even say it’s “life-changing.” But others? Not so much. And this seems especially true for women. Take my parents. For as long as I can remember, my...
HIIT WORKOUT PLAN: PROGRAMMING, EXERCISES, AND BENEFITS
By Pete McCall One of the most common misperceptions that many fitness enthusiasts have about exercise is that it is necessary to spend hours working hard and sweating buckets to get results. Nothing could be further from the truth. Workouts featuring High Intensity...
PLYOMETRICS: DEVELOPING POWER IN EVERYDAY ATHLETES
By CHRIS ECKLUND, MA, NASM-PES, CSCS, USAW, TPI Power is the ability to produce large amounts of force quickly. Are there any athletes that would not want to improve their ability to generate power? Strength and Conditioning Coaches who want to give their athletes...
A FIT RESPONSE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE GYM SHUTDOWN OF 2020
By PAMELA LIGHT, MA Personal trainers are no strangers to battling unseen barriers to fitness. For decades, we have helped our clients overcome scheduling issues, flagging motivation, less-than-supportive spouses, preexisting health conditions and more. But the words...
4 NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF INADEQUATE SLEEP AND HOW TO SLEEP PROPERLY
By PETE MCCALL No one is born knowing how to exercise. It is a subject that must be studied and understood correctly to do it properly. Earning the Certified Personal Trainer credential from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) means that you can design...
ACTIVE RECOVERY: REST DAYS, WORKOUTS, AND EXERCISES EXAMPLES
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY Recovery is important for getting the most out of your fitness programming and an essential component of a personal training education. I spend a decent amount of time talking with my clients about proper recovery techniques to avoid burnout and...
WHAT IS A KETOGENIC DIET AND HOW DO YOU FOLLOW IT?
By BRAD DIETER Over the last several decades, we have seen a rise in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. These diets have ranged from just low-carb diets to ketogenic diets to even zero carb diets (e.g., The Carnivore Diet). These dietary approaches have become...
8 TIPS FOR TRANSITIONING BACK TO AT-HOME WORKOUTS DURING THE PANDEMIC
By DANA BENDER With covid-19 numbers rising exponentially across the country, many avid fitness center enthusiasts might be concerned that their local fitness center will close again due to safety precautions and local regulatory guidelines. These individuals might...
MOVING FORWARD: A FITNESS PIONEER’S PANDEMIC-INSPIRED BEST PRACTICES
By LAURA QUAGLIO “My whole schtick when I opened in 2013 was to provide the fitness industry’s first one-on-one personal training that’s done in a group setting,” says Donny Day, NASM-CPT, owner of Peak Zone Fitness in Lake Highlands, Texas. Pre-pandemic, his workout...
APPROACHING THANKSGIVING WITH A HEALTHY MINDSET
By ABBEY GRIFFITH As an eating disorder survivor, the holiday season can be scary. In early recovery days, my mental approach to the holidays looked something like this: First, it was Thanksgiving, a whole holiday about food, listening to people talk about their diet...