by Dr. David Tiberio, Doug Gray Category: Applied Functional Science Share The popular song entitled “Dem Bones” is ageless. Furthermore, it is brilliant. James Weldon Johnson first composed it back in the early 1900s. Instead of quoting all the lyrics (as the song...
By Amanda Vogel MA Fitness instructors and trainers are always looking for new exercise ideas to bring to their fitness classes, and there have never been more options at our fingertips, thanks to social media. Picking up new ideas is as easy as tapping the YouTube or...
BY Andrew Mills For many of us, working with individuals with tight/overactive hip flexors is a common occurrence. Learning to properly assess and address overactive hip flexors is a powerful skill in helping today’s client move more efficiently. Spending long hours...
By NASM Turmeric continues to make some impressive health headlines. Best known as the spice behind curry, research is showing how it can potentially play a role in weight loss, along with preventing Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and other conditions. Introduction Most...
By Ryan Andrews & Brian St. Pierre Exploring the pros and cons of this controversial food group. We’re often asked whether dairy is good or bad. Short answer: It depends. In this article, we’ll help you make sense of the research — and the wildly different...
By STACEY PENNEY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS Age is more than a number- it’s an opportunity to serve a growing population. Every day we are bombarded with statistics on seniors and baby boomers, and the customer potential they can bring. But what do trainers (or club...
By Lisa For our bodies to function to their full capacity and to maintain a healthy weight, it is important to eat a nutritious and balanced diet that includes all the food groups in the right proportion. So, questions such as “What are the healthiest sources of fat...
By KATHY ZETTERBERG Static stretching is a highly debated and controversial topic within the fitness and sports performance communities and is focused around the concept that sustained static stretching could impair subsequent performance (Rossi et al. 2010; Shrier...
By TATUM REBELLE Maintaining a strong pelvic floor is vital during pregnancy, yet it remains a commonly overlooked and misunderstood component of most pre- and postnatal training programs. (It’s also something many of us shy away from talking about.) A strong pelvic...
By TYLER READ Video marketing is kind of a big deal right now. In fact, there has been a big hype around it for the last couple of years and everybody’s trying to get in on it. From thirteen-year-olds to start-ups or even established brands, everybody is posting...
BY BRIAN SUTTON, MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES Muscles don’t work alone to create movement. They work together in synergies to create coordinated movements. Here we’ll identify the four muscle subsystems, discover how these synergies work together, and how to...
Vincent M. Pedre, M.D.Gut Health Specialist & Best-Selling Author The mbg Collective is a curated group of our most trusted wellness advisers. Since 2009, we’ve had the brightest, most passionate, and mission-driven leaders in wellness share their intimate stories...
By Brian St. Pierre You’re tracking your eating and exercise meticulously but not seeing results. Has your metabolism slowed to a crawl? Are your hormones off? Is it really possible to GAIN weight from eating too LITTLE? Here’s what’s really going on — and how to...
By Kyle Stull Most clients, and fitness professionals alike, use the term “tight” to indicate that a muscle or other form of contractile tissue is shorter than it should be. After being in the fitness industry for more than 15 years, I’ve heard the phrase “my...
By TATUM REBELLE Exercise and Pregnancy? Yes! See the benefits of why they go together so well and exercise programming ideas for each trimester. Remaining physically active during pregnancy can help improve posture, decrease back pain, swelling, constipation, and...
By Geoff Lecovin Whether you’ve just finished a HIIT workout, completed a CrossFit WOD, hit your PR or finished a triathlon, your focus should move from performance to recovery. This involves: Refuelling Repairing Rehydrating Revitalizing Evidence-based strategies to...
By Josh Gonzalez On the ropes about battle ropes? See how to incorporate battle ropes into your personal training programs using the NASM OPT model. Fitness has definitely changed over recent years, becoming smarter with the application of human movement principles...
By Kyle Stull If you were to research IT band problems every day for the next year, there is a good chance you will accumulate over 365 different articles on causes, approaches to treatment, and quick fixes. Many of these articles would explain how the IT band rubs on...
By TRX With the sensationalism of today’s 24-7 news, the menace of terrorist attacks and the saber-rattling of rogue dictatorships, it would be easy to believe that we live in the most violent time on record. But yet if we look back in human history, it soon becomes...
Ahhhh…. The trials and tribulations of back pain – perhaps the most elusive member of the “aches and pains” family. How it feels and where it comes from can vary drastically from person to person. It can be attributed to anything and everything from a...
By MICHAEL YAREMKO Avoiding non-contact injuries with corrective exercise can help keep your hockey team on the ice and in the game. Anytime I mention that I am a hockey player, the first question I get is, “How come you still have all of your teeth?” Hockey is...
By Kyle Stull Thoracic mobility is a key component of spinal rotation. See why optimal thoracic spine mobility is so important for functional movement. Thoracic mobility has become a buzzword over the last several years. This is likely due to the constant barrage of...
By BRIAN SUTTON, MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES · Olympic lifts and their variations have long been used as a strengthening technique to enhance sports performance. Olympic lifts and their variations have long been used as a strengthening technique to enhance sports...
By CHRIS ECKLUND, MA, NASM-PES, CSCS, USAW, TP A high school athlete walks through our doors and we can see their strength, stability and biomechanical control deficits from their gait pattern. We’ve also had collegiate and professional athletes come to our facility...
By John Berardi, Ph.D. It’s a hot debate: Can personal trainers, health coaches, and other non-RD professionals give nutrition advice to their clients? You’ll be surprised (and relieved) to hear: Yes, to a degree. Here’s exactly what you’re allowed to say, and why...
By Amanda Vogel MA With 2018 now on our minds, it’s a good time to ponder how the fitness industry might change in the upcoming year and beyond. One thing’s certain: technology will continue to integrate with pretty much everything related to health and fitness. Where...
By Kyle Stull Foot pain can be one of the most debilitating types of pain and discomfort for both the average individual and the athlete alike. To put it simply, when your feet hurt, everything hurts. The foot is essentially the foundation of the body; it is the first...
By Fabio Comana Drinking a protein shake after resistance-training is a popular nutritional strategy adopted by many fitness enthusiasts and athletes to boost muscle protein synthesis (MPS), but does evidence support this practice, and if so, then what type of protein...
By JOSH ELSESSER There are four hormones that are critical to the success of your client’s weight loss program. Cortisol, insulin, thyroid, and the sex hormones (testosterone in men, and progesterone in women). When kept in balance, these hormones have the largest...
BY NATALIE CUTLER “Insurance”: yikes. If you’re anything like me before I became a certified insurance advisor at Next Insurance , the word brings you anything from mild anxiety to extreme frustration. For me, the hardest part about working in the insurance industry...
By Fabio Comana Neuroplasticity was a relatively unknown term until the 1970s when scientists began accepting the notion that our brain is a not a physiologically static organ, becoming fixed shortly after birth with approximately 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) (1,...
By Chris Korfist Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, a big part of my week was getting up early on Saturday morning to watch cartoons. One of my favourites was “Super Friends” (my second favourite was “Land of the Lost”), especially the episodes with Bizarro, who was...
By Brian St. Pierre and Krista Scott-Dixon Is sugar “good”? Is sugar “bad”? It’s hard to know for sure these days. Which is interesting because… Sugar is a fundamental molecule in biology. Human bodies need sugar. Sugar makes up the backbone of our DNA. Helps power...
By Geoff Lecovin Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a combination of biological and mood disturbances typically occurring in the autumn and winter months. SAD is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, hypersomnia, carbohydrate cravings and weight gain....
By THOMAS F. WEST, PHD, LAT, ATC Our upper extremity is designed around our hands, our primary tool for manipulating objects in our environment. To this end, the shoulder complex provides the upper extremity with a wide range of motion, allowing us to position our...
By Chuck Leve Imagine, for a moment, the first day of your first job. Were you nervous? Anxious to get out there and prove yourself? Did you wonder which fellow co-workers were going to become your friends? Were you afraid to make a mistake? In all the AFS research...
By RICH FAHMY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES Cueing is a vital skill that every fitness professional should master. It is essential for coaching proper technique and it creates a connection between you and your client, conveying how in-tune you are with their movement and...
By Kyle Stull Wrist injuries are very common. This is especially true for those on the ice and snow, and also in wheeled sports and activities such as skating and skateboarding in more recent years. In fact, wrist injuries are the second most common type of upper...
By BRYAN D. BURNSTEIN, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS, NASM-CES, PES, FNS, USAW A successful sports performance program may be summarized by two primary outcomes; athlete availability and athlete durability. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the sports performance...
By John Berardi, PhD. Worried about Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration? There are many things we can’t control when it comes to cognitive decline. But certain nutrition and lifestyle choices may help to lower our risk. Here’s how to stack the deck in your...
By John Berardi, PhD. Learning more about nutrition is one thing; turning that knowledge into results (and a thriving practice) is another. That’s why, in this article, I share seven proven business models from top health and fitness experts. Use them to grow your...
By RICH FAHMY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES The lunge is a versatile, simple and effective movement for lower body training. Various positions, planes of motion and speeds can all yield different training adaptations for the exerciser. Lunges are the gift that keeps on...
By BRIAN KENT, NASM-CPT, CES, PES Ah yes, the “Why are they doing that?” remark. We’ve all seen it. Somewhere in “Training Land”, a trainer is making a client do some movement that looks, well, rather ridiculous. It might even look so odd that the untrained eye or...
By MARTY MILLER, ATC, DHSC, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, MASTER INSTRUCTOR Core training has become a staple of almost all conditioning programs. Whether it is for high-level athletes, the weekend warrior, or your average fitness enthusiast, “working the core” tends to get a...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA · Incidence of IT Band Syndrome The warm summer weather is the perfect setting for people to get outdoors and participate in the activities they enjoy. However, too much of a good thing can lead to overuse injuries. Iliotibial band...
By Kyle Stull Different foam rolling techniques: Why the fuss? It seems as though the best way to foam roll is in the name—roll. Rolling back and forth does have some merit and support from the scientific community. In a recently published review of foam rolling,...
By AMANDA VOGEL, MA How do you professionally handle negative feedback? Receiving positive feedback from group exercise participants about your performance as a fitness instructor can make your day! It feels great to be praised and confirms that you’re on the right...
by Michael Rosengart, CPT, CES, CSCS In order to perform your best, you need to move well in a biomechanical way and a mobility practice will help you do exactly this. Can you get into the correct position on every exercise or drill? Do you have the ability to move...
By Brain Sutton MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES A growing epidemic facing the next generation of Americans is childhood obesity. This epidemic will have lasting effects on health, wellbeing, and rising healthcare costs. In fact, childhood obesity has roughly tripled...
By Kyle Stull Foam rolling, a form of self-myofascial release (SMR), hit the mainstream almost 15 years ago and is continuing to increase in popularity. While there are several ways to measure these popularity trends, an interesting approach is to look at the...
By TRX Editor FUNCTIONAL TRAINING Aren’t they the same thing as medicine balls?” asked the unassuming gym-goer on more than one occasion. Quite the contrary. As many of us know, these two classic pieces of functional training equipment have some similarities –...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA We can all relate to our mothers telling us to “sit up” and “don’t slouch” when we were kids but never really took it to heart. Now research is indicating that mom actually did know best about posture. Considering how often we use...
By CHRISTINE ROMANI-RUBY Range of motion is an important part of any conditioning program. Increasing flexibility improves joint motion, while a decrease in flexibility results in less motion at the joint. Enhanced flexibility can provide many benefits, including a...
By Catherine Delaney When I first became a trainer, I was intimidated when it came to helping people with their nutrition. It sounds silly to admit it now because nutrition is arguably one the most important factors when it comes to getting results. Over time, I have...
By Josh Elsesser A quick Google search for the topic of program design for weight loss provides well over 2 million results. Needless to say, there is a lot of information, and sometimes misinformation, on the “best” ways to lose weight. Known as the Law of...
GEOFF LECOVIN In the garden and on the shelves, strawberries are the spotlight of spring. Easy to grow and good for you, see what these nutritional gems have to offer! Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) are a bright red fruit with a juicy texture, characteristic aroma...
BRIAN ODDI, PH.D., CPT, NASM-PES, NASE-CSS There are many individuals who are striving to stay healthy and fit, however, they lack time to dedicate to a fitness program due to the busy demands of family, work, and pleasure. Speed training has shown to be a very...
By John Berardi and Brian St. Pierre Whether you’re a personal trainer, strength coach, nutritionist, or health coach, you’re going to get a ton of nutrition questions. Heck, even if you’re just really passionate about health and fitness, you’re probably getting...
By Mike Bracko Stretching and flexibility training have undergone dramatic changes in the fitness and sports training realm. Over the last ten to fifteen years more research has been published and subsequently applied to fitness and conditioning programs. Previously,...
By NASM Have you ever dropped the ball on getting back to a prospect? Do you forget to follow up with someone that says they want to start in six months? How do you remember to reach back out to people who have taken a break? Fitness professionals have a line of...
By Jeff Lecovin This supplement will make you Bigger, Leaner, Faster and Stronger! Or will it? Nutritional supplements are a multi-million dollar industry, and chances are you, or someone you know, is taking one or more supplements to get that competitive edge. This...
By Dana Bender People start practicing yoga for many different reasons. For some, it’s a desire to deepen their awareness of self and their physical body. For others, the reason is to begin a fitness program, with some choosing this practice to focus on the weight...
By Shannon Fable It’s time to refresh the idea of the comp training session if you want to land long term personal training clients. You, and your prospective clients, have to explore the real value behind the free session, beyond just the try before you buy...
By SHANNON FABLE At a time when the need for qualified fitness professionals is at an all-time high, it’s hard to understand why so many instructors and personal trainers struggle to fill classes or find clients. As an industry, we are trained first to analyze the...
By Dan Edwardes Parkour hHas involved quadrupedal locomotion patterns, crawling drills, since its inception over 25 years ago. Anyone who has ever come to one of our classes,workshops or events will be familiar with just how challenging, demanding and sophisticated...
By Andrew Mills As fitness professionals and sports enthusiasts, we know how devastating an ACL injury can be for an athlete, both professional and recreational. Discover how the NASM Corrective Exercise Continuum can be used to help prevent this potentially career...
Almost every person has some sort of muscular dysfunction or imbalance that can lead to pain and injury. The NASM Corrective Exercise Specialization (CES) delivers a proven method that reduces dysfunction and helps people move, feel and live better. The CES is...
When stress, anxiety and fatigue combine, the body reacts by tightly contracting the muscles. Eventually, bands or knots form in muscle tissue that will not release on their own. These painfully tight spots are called trigger points. Trigger points can refer pain to...
By NASM More and more fitness professionals are targeting specific demographic groups – from road warriors to dog lovers to cancer survivors and patients. Does it work? Trainers reveal the rewards—and the challenges. ON-THE-GO GOALS Last summer, after 10 years as a...
By KATHY KUENZER While there may be disagreement about how long the Chinese have practiced the martial art of tai chi—2,500 years or 400?—there is little dispute that in its current form, it makes practitioners feel healthier. Tai chi was originally a form of Chinese...
Yes, they can — with proper training and some important caveats. By John Berardi, Ph.D. It’s a hot debate: Can personal trainers, health coaches, and other non-RD professionals give nutrition advice to their clients? You’ll be surprised (and relieved) to hear: Yes, to...
by Juliet Kaska Workout burnout is a common problem for the avid exerciser. Effects can be as simple as lethargy or not seeing results and as serious as severe injury and organ failure. In other words, we should not take burnout lightly—and we should take the warning...
BY KENNETH MILLER, MS Got Power? Training for power has been underrepresented, or at least misrepresented, for its benefit and application in life. When we’re younger we take for granted our ability to sprint after a ball, jump over a fence, or evade the person who is...
DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA The ability to perform a squat or partial squat is an essential primal movement in life we must all be able to do, whether you are 8 or 80 years old. When we think of a squat, most of us associate the move with weight training or a...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA The economic impact of low back pain (LBP) is greater than $100 billion per year and causes more disability globally than any other condition (1,2). It is the most common cause of activity limitation in adults aged 45 and younger and...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries among physically active people accounting for an estimated 23,000 sprains — daily –that are attributed to athletic activity. (1) Basketball players suffer the highest incidence rate...
Louise Grant discusses how pre-habilitation can help clients about to undergo hip surgery. As chartered physiotherapist, I have a specific interest in hip patients and prehabilitation generally. Prehabilitation means analysing an individual’s posture, movement...
by Ian O’Dwyer | Date Released : 17 May 2016 I recently presented four days with Tom Myers of Anatomy Trains, in Sydney (AU) and Auckland (NZ). Our workshops were directed at 1) merging the power of “hands on” and movement, 2) identifying and enhancing...
[Infographic] Part 1: By John Berardi Ph.D. and Helen Kollias Ph.D. Most people who count calories for weight loss or weight management assume it’s an exact science. It’s not. Here we outline 5 reasons calorie counting (i.e. logging your food to calculate intake) is...
Plus a clear recipe for turning ‘bad’ fitness goals into ‘good’ ones. By John Berardi, Ph.D. If you want to achieve your health and fitness goals, you need a powerful formula, something to organize your efforts. In this article we’ll help you get organized while...
By David Cruz, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA The economic impact of low back pain (LBP) is greater than $100 billion per year and causes more disability globally than any other condition (1,2). It is the most common cause of activity limitation...
Short-sightedness is reaching epidemic proportions. Some scientists think they have found a reason why. By: Elie Dolgin The southern city of Guangzhou has long held the largest eye hospital in China. But about five years ago, it became clear that the Zhongshan...
By National Academy of Sports Medicine Increase your heart smarts with info on how exercise impacts your heart, how to measure fitness via heart rate, and top cardio concerns fitness pros should know. How it Works Your heart weighs only about 10 ounces and is roughly...
Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries related to the rotator cuff are common issues within the general population and among athletes. This article will provide you with background knowledge and practical suggestions on how to prevent or improve conditions of this muscle...
Post Operative Breast Cancer TRX Exercises The more I learn, the less I know. I’ve been a fitness and nutrition professional for 11 years now but it is moments like these where I set out to understand something that is outside my experience that I am most humbled....
Adults over 50 who are caring for ageing parents are not like other fitness clients of similar age. For starters, caregivers tend to be less healthy. A study by the insurance company MetLife noted that “adult children 50+ who work and provide care to a parent are more...
By FABIO COMANA Cardio programs continue to evolve given the changing needs and desires of exercisers. Driven in part by time constraints, but also by emerging research, it is the shorter, more-intense, yet time-efficient programs that are perhaps the most popular...
By Justin Price The role of the personal trainer is changing. Traditionally, fitness professionals have helped clients reach their health and fitness goals by designing effective exercise programs, educating them about nutritional choices and motivating them to adhere...
BY: DEWAYNE SMITH DeWayne A. Smith, holds a Master’s of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion with an emphasis in Sport Psychology from the California University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine from...
by Neil J Feldman, DPM. As we learned last month, foot pain doesn’t just start in the feet- it’s all about the hips! Neil Feldman, DPM explains how pelvic dysfunction can lead to foot pain, and how establishing proper posture can lead to better movement. What does...
