By DR. ALLISON BRAGER According to the Center for Disease Control, the National Sleep Foundation, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, our nation’s sleep debt is an increasingly pervasive problem. The industry of sleep medications, supplements, mattresses, and...
Written by Nick English Labelled as “The Birthplace of Intermittent Fasting,” we know that such titles are often exaggerated on the internet, but Lean gains have a claim to the throne. This is where the popular 16/8 fasting method started for strength athletes....
By Nicole Golden Shoulder pain, prior injury, or overall dysfunction is a very common problem in both the athletic and general populations in a personal training practice. A complaint of shoulder pain occurs in 16 to 26 per cent of adults and is the third most common...
By Dana Bender Consistently exercising over time has an array of health benefits. It’s easy for individuals to emphasize the physical benefits of exercise more, but there are a variety of mental health benefits that are just as important to note. According to the...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Most people know what they “should” do to foster a life of wellness. Eat a balanced diet and avoid processed foods, get regular movement, prioritize sleep, reduce stress, and cultivate a positive outlook on life that includes purpose, meaning, and...
By Nicole Golden Many adults, especially those between the ages of 20 and 50, report high levels of psychological stress. Many of us are constantly over-scheduled, over-committed, overworked, and fail to spend adequate time on self-care. Stone et al. (2017) found...
By Nicole Golden There is nothing quite like the disappointment of excitedly starting an exercise program, preparing for a new season of your favourite sport, or attempting a personal record (PR) only to find yourself injured and on the sidelines. It can also be very...
By Dr Alison Brager Remember those days of staying up well past midnight in college? Weekend or weekdays, hanging with friends or no friends, we all may think in our thirties and forties, how did we do that? The answer lies in tiny molecular clocks present in every...
By Nicole Golden Do you or your clients complain of bothersome pain in the shoulder, knee, hip, or foot? Perhaps you or your client do not remember any sudden injury leading to the pain? It may be described as a pain that moves around and waxes and wanes. Overuse...
By Brad Dieter There is a phenomenon most of us experience in life. We maintain very similar body weight and body shape for years on end and then suddenly it feels like our body’s changed overnight and then we have a new body that we were not expecting. Then we find...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY If you’ve ever suffered from lower back pain, you know that it can be, well, a pain! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a National Health Interview survey of 31,997 adults in 2019. Their reports showed that 39% of respondents...
By Nicole Golden Metabolic syndrome, hair loss, insomnia, frequent colds and flu, missed menstrual periods, ulcers, and orthopaedic pain are just some of the health problems blamed on excessive stress. Yet, stress is an elusive term. Is it a mental sequela related to...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Ever wonder about the various fields you could work in if you were to pursue a nutrition degree or certification? The extent of your options is much larger than you imagined. You could apply to work in hospitals or home care settings, work...
By DR. ALLISON BRAGER This subject is of huge importance within the NASM Performance Enhancement Specialization. It’s near impossible to ignore the importance of sports psychology during an Olympic year. For the most recent Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the...
by KINSEY MAHAFFEY From wearable fitness trackers to group fitness classes that use heart rate monitors, it’s not uncommon to be incentivized to train in specific heart rate zones to see the results that you want. Does heart rate training work? In this article, we’ll...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI As you prepare yourself a nice dinner, you may think to pair the meal with a nice wine. Or perhaps the weekend rolls around and you plan social outings with friends or relatives, in which you think to indulge in a few drinks. However, if...
By KAT BAREFIELD MS, RDN, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, ACSM-HFS In this post, we’re going to explore the health effects of getting insufficient micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). This article will also cover: The critical functions of various micronutrients The most...
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...
By Nicole Golden “The gym is mostly for grandma; she belongs there more than the rest of us do. We are doing this for recreation, she is doing this to sustain her independent way of life.” (Isratel, 2021) Regular exercise and strength training is critical...
By Nicole Golden It is somewhat shocking to look at statistics on death and chronic illnesses in the United States only to realize that many of these diseases are entirely preventable by lifestyle choices. Metabolic disorders (i.e., dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes),...
By Brad Dieter Personal training can be one of the most rewarding careers an individual can pursue. You get to connect with people on a meaningful level, you positively impact their lives, and you can work in a field that you are passionate about. However, one of the...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY There are endless tech options available when it comes to tracking intensity levels during a workout, but technology sometimes requires a learning curve, and it can be expensive. While these products do provide tons of helpful information for...
Core stability and strength, while an important component of any person’s fitness profile, is critical for the health and well-being of older adults. Conditions such as balance and coordination deficits, back pain, poor muscle endurance overall can be...
by Stacey Penney Before we can begin to answer the question of how much activity is enough, we need to consider what fitness means. Fitness is synonymous with health, our physical condition and even our ability to complete the tasks required for our ongoing survival...
By TRX Workouts Designed With Everyone In Mind Whether you’re a Navy SEAL, a septuagenarian with bad knees, or anywhere in between, you can use the TRX Suspension Trainer. Suspension Training® is accessible: anyone, at any fitness level—including people with mobility...
By Dana Bender With the multitude of workouts available on the internet, it can feel overwhelming to get started. Also, beginner exercisers, or those just getting back into it after a break, might not know the best place to start. During the first stages, it is...
By ANDREW PAYNE Do you have trouble losing body fat, yet seem to gain it after even the smallest slip up with your diet? Or does it feel like you can eat for days without gaining an ounce? It could have something to do with your current body type. But is it really...
By Nicole Golden Spare tire, breadbasket, muffin top, Jello pudding pack, and love handles are all terms synonymous with abdominal (belly) fat. “What should I eat to get rid of this muffin top?” “I heard that XYZ workout program will melt away all of my gut, is that...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI As times change, so do new ways of thinking. With that, many new philosophies surrounding food and diet culture emerge. One of those beliefs use to be that a high-fat diet was the cause of many diet-related diseases such as heart disease....
By Allison Brager Veganism has been a tremendously growing movement in recent years. Best-selling books & plant-based protein start-up companies, products, and nutrition courses have fueled its growth. Every kind of nutritional plan has its benefits and costs....
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY Cutting weight may not be the answer for long-term weight loss goals, but if you’re looking to lose body fat and increase muscle mass for an event that’s 2-4 months away, then doing a cut might be a strategy for you to consider. WHAT IS CUTTING...
KINSEY MAHAFFEY Welcome to part 5 of our push-ups series! If you’ve been following along, then you’ve already read about the importance of form and how to perform a push-up, ways to program and progress the push-up in Phases 1-3 of the OPT Model, and the importance of...
KINSEY MAHAFFEY Can pushups build muscle mass and be incorporated into strength training? Yes! In part 3 of this series, we explored different variations of the push-up and how to progress the push-up in Phase 1 of the OPT Model, Stabilization Endurance Training,...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI “Make sure you stretch!” – Something we often hear before or after we participate in any sort of exercise. But is stretching that good for you? What exactly are the benefits of having a regular stretching routine? Let’s explore the...
By Dana Bender As a coach, we are always looking at tools we can use with our clients to help them develop and gain personal insights that can propel them into taking future actions. In the realm of coaching, we are not using the insights to tell a client what we...
JACQUELINE KAMINSKI “Make sure you stretch!” – Something we often hear before or after we participate in any sort of exercise. But is stretching that good for you? What exactly are the benefits of having a regular stretching routine? Let’s explore the...
DR. ALLISON BRAGER You may have heard that abs are built in the kitchen. While this is partially true, it’s not the full story. While a healthy dose of body fat is a sign of overall health and wellness, body fat ought to be evenly distributed. This is how a...
Three strategies you probably haven’t tried. By Krista Scott-Dixon, Ph.D., Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic Nutritionist SHARE Reviewed by Jennifer Martin, PhD It’s 3:17 am, and you’re awake. Your bedroom is a cool 65° F, and inky black thanks to your blackout...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY You have likely seen food labels that say, “High in fiber!” These types of advertisements seem to suggest that something high in fiber must be healthy, but why? Does fiber matter? Am I getting enough of it in my diet? What types of foods have fiber?...
By Dr Alison Brager Six years ago, I had an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest banana plantations in the world: The Dole Plantation in Costa Rica. I visited during the peak heat of the summer.It was in this moment while profusely...
By Justin Kompf One of my biggest interests in health and fitness is behavioral coaching. Many chronic health issues boil down to decisions people make day in and day out. Coaching is both an art and a science that can help people change their behavior and thus their...
Dr Allison Brager Exercise should not be stressful. I repeat exercise should not be stressful. Exercise should alleviate stress. Before I get into the biological explanation as to why exercise should and ought to alleviate stress, let’s briefly discuss how...
By Kinsey Mahaffey An athlete can eat a vegan or vegetarian diet without sacrificing their performance or body composition, but it takes planning and intentional food choices to be successful. This article will help to serve as a nutrition guide for plant-based...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY I’ve had many a client come into their workout in a panic because they seemingly gained 3-5 pounds overnight. The conversation goes something like this: “I can’t believe I put on 3 extra pounds yesterday,” says the client. “What do you mean?” I ask....
By Dana Bender Many organizations have started asking their employees to return to work onsite after they had been working remotely during the last year and a half due to the pandemic. While very few companies have transitioned to a full-remote work model, most of the...
By DR. ALLISON BRAGER Newton had it right all along: For every action, there is [indeed] a reaction. In 2021 this means that however hard we work towards our fitness goals, wellness goals, and professional goals, we must work that hard or harder towards recovery.I...
By Andrew Mills As explained in the NASM-CPT 7 course, there are several types of muscle actions which are utilized to produce human movement; however, when most people think of exercise, they likely picture isotonic muscle actions. Isotonic muscle actions move a...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY If you’ve worked out with a personal trainer or in a group fitness class, you may have heard the term ‘pelvic tilt’. A fitness professional may have even told you that you have a pelvic tilt, but what does that mean? Many people may be unfamiliar...
By Chris Frederick In a previous blog that compared static vs dynamic stretching, the NASM OPT model delineates what type of stretching is used at specific levels of training clients. This is especially important to know if you’re a Stretching and Flexibility...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY A regular stretch routine will help you increase your flexibility, move better overall, and it’s also a great way to de-stress. As a beginner, it’s great to start with basic stretches that don’t require any crazy contortions or weird positions to...
By Brad Dieter Low carbohydrate diets have become a very popular tool for weight loss over the last several decades. While much of the scientific rationale behind why they are utilized for weight loss, such as the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis, have largely been...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY I have vivid memories of joining my dad as he laid on the ground with his legs elevated after a long run or intense biking session. “What are you doing, dad?” I asked as I wiggled in next to him to copy what he was doing. “Gotta get the lactic acid...
By TRX Recovery—aka what you do to help the body and mind manage the strain of physical activity and stress—isn’t a new concept. Those flimsy white foam rollers have been floating around physical therapy offices for decades. Believe it or not, massage has roots as far...
By NICHOLAS A. DINUBILE It’s been said, that if all the benefits of exercise could be placed in a single pill, it would be the most widely prescribed medication in the world. Scientific evidence continues to mount supporting the numerous medicinal benefits of...
DR. SCOTT CHEATHAM Your client has just recovered from COVID-19 and is cleared by the medical professional to return to exercise. The client contacts you to schedule a training session. After scheduling the client, you begin to think of the comprehensive nature of...
By Julie King 10 Tips for Managing Stress in Difficult Seasons If there was ever a question about whether a universal difficult season existed, 2020 has proven that it does. Given the significant challenges of COVID-19 and the fallout that seems to have affected...
By Kevin Williamson There has been an increasing shift from unstructured play to more specialized forms of training for kid athletes. Whether they should participate in strength training, what age they should begin, and what the best training methods are has been an...
By Dana Bender With the multitude of workouts available on the internet, it can feel overwhelming to get started. Also, beginner exercisers, or those just getting back into it after a break, might not know the best place to start. During the first stages, it is...
By Lauren Doss Congratulations! You’ve begun your journey to motherhood (or perhaps adding to the family!) and are looking to make the most of the next nine months. While prepping for the nursery, you may be wondering what you can do to take care of yourself during...
By COLLEEN BRIDGES Determined, consistent, and tenacious are just a few words I like to use to describe my Parkinson’s Disease “fighters.” I call them “fighters” because instead of lying down and giving up, they have chosen to take charge...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Have you ever worn a hat during your workout and later noticed white stains all over it? Well, those aren’t necessarily stains, but the dried electrolytes from your sweat! Electrolytes (and hydration) is an important subject for fitness...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Intermittent Fasting… something that everyone wants to try when it comes to losing weight. But does it work? Are there any real health benefits to doing it? If so, what’s the best way to navigate it? WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING? First, what is...
By Nicole Golden Exercise during pregnancy can be quite beneficial though there are many myths and concerns surrounding safe exercise practices during this time. A well-planned training program can provide benefits such as reduction in the risk of gestational...
DR. SCOTT CHEATHAM The COVID-19 virus can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and ability to exercise. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has noted 11 main COVID-19 symptoms: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,...
By Christine M Conti Offer up these simple tips to aid arthritic clients reduce flare-ups, decrease symptoms, and experience more pain-free days!In 2020, COVID-19 changed the world. Businesses closed, social gatherings ceased, isolation grew, and the fear of catching...
By Bojana Galic Competitive athletes know every slight edge over a rival can make a big difference on the field, court, or track. That edge makes it worth the extra time running through drills, strength training, or zeroing in on nutrition. But understanding sports...
By Angie Miller MS If you’re an NASM-CPT, fitness instructor, or other health professionals, you know that one of our biggest challenges is getting prospective and current clients to listen to what we have to say. No matter how educated or passionate we are, if...
By Dana Bender Feelings of stress can manifest in different ways for different people. In some cases, internal tension emerges because situations in our lives do not match our internal expectations, or because things do not go as per our plan. Over the years, I have...
By Brad Dieter Collagen supplements have become a significant contender in the protein supplement market and are quickly rising to the top of the list regarding what supplements people are buying. Despite the rise in popularity, there are many questions around...
By Portia Page Since mid-March, most of the country has been dealing with social distancing rules, stay-at-home orders, business closures, overcrowded hospitals and limited health services. Consequently, many people are feeling isolated and lonely and may be hurting...
By ANGIE MILLER, MS Communication is the largest single factor that determines the quality of our relationships. As trainers, instructors, and other health professionals, our ability to communicate effectively will drive our careers’ success. Sometimes...
By Fabio Comana Stress stimulates appetite, it increases abdominal fat, it increases risks for disease and it can even play a role in our intimate relationships. The list could keep going, but what exactly is stress and how is it connected to all these consequences?...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY After hours of sitting at your desk, sitting behind the wheel, and sitting on the couch, the glutes can become underactive. Over time, our bodies adapt to long hours of sitting, resulting in unwanted back pain and tightness, along with some faulty...
By Dana Bender I have often heard clients, fitness center members, and friends share their weight loss journey through improved nutritional habits over my fifteen years as a fitness and behavioral change professional. Most of these examples and stories are positive...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI When it comes to embarking on a weight loss journey, or even if you’re looking to make some minor changes in your diet and create more stability and consistency, planning ahead is always going to be helpful! Remember, what will work best for you...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY As a behavior change specialist, many of our clients like to set new goals for the New Year. By this time of the year, however, it’s estimated that a large majority of people who set New Year’s Resolutions have already given up. If you work in a...
By Nicole Golden Weight-lifting was historically an exercise modality that women shied away from for fear of being “too masculine” or “getting too big.” Female strength sports did not become fully recognized until the 1970s and 1980s with the...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Ideal protein (PRO) intake is a topic of much debate in the fitness community as the benefits and recommended intakes can vary greatly depending on the source. Likewise, PRO needs can be considerably different depending on an individual’s baseline...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY Most clients have a goal in mind when they start working with a personal trainer. As trainers, our main objective is to help our clients reach their goals safely and efficiently. We’ll do everything we can to help our clients, but what if...
By Dana Bender As we navigate work and personal life, there will be moments when thoughts of an unknown situation and its related outcomes will weigh heavily on one’s mind resulting in feelings of stress and rumination. This blog will talk about 7 ways you can...
By PATRICIA VANGALEN Like a leaky roof, do we patch the hole and hope for the best? Or do we replace and restore it and do the maintenance to optimize it, despite extreme weather conditions? In ski-speak, we joke about variable conditions, which are never predictable....
Posted by Aaron Laurence Why You Should Start Using the YBell App Today Making the commitment to start a training routine isn’t the hardest part of your fitness journey. Yes, it certainly is a crucial part. But it’s just the beginning of a series of decisions...
By Geoff Lecovin Recovery is the return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. Optimal recovery is best attained through an integrative approach, focusing on nutrition, sleep, and stress management. You can find more information on nutrition as it relates to...
By Andrew Mills Anyone having experienced pain in their elbow while bench pressing knows it can be a frustrating ordeal. For those who have not, imagine entering the gym ready to put in the work, and after loading the appropriate weight onto the bar, laying back on...
By Nicole Golden Influenced by popular media and body image expectations; female strength athletes often engage in nutrition practices that may be counterproductive to a goal of skeletal muscle growth (hypertrophy). Many female strength athletes will pursue a goal of...
By Fabio Comana Apart from the more obvious gender differences like pregnancy and some aging-related conditions (e.g., osteoporosis, menopausal changes), how much thought is generally given to the anatomical and physiological differences between men and women when...
By Sam Arnold Throughout the pandemic, you have likely spent more time at home by yourself than you ever expected or wanted to. You almost certainly have needed a lift at one time or another. Given all the discussion of precautions, illness, and death, you may have...
With Rick Richey MS Host and NASM Master Instructor Rick Richey talks about eating disorders and non-triggering with expert Abbey Griffith. She is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, and Eating Disorder Recoveree who has devoted her life to helping...
By Crystal Reeves Body-weight workouts are getting big buzz right now as people discover that the only equipment you really need to get fit is with you all the time. Want to give your clients a taste of a body-weight workout that incorporates core, balance, and...
By Stacey Penny Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) stretching technique that has been embraced throughout the fitness industry. This effective and simple to do technique delivers positive, feel good results. Foam rollers have become easily accessible,...
