By GEOFF LECOVIN It’s been said that Americans have more food than any other country in the world and more diets to keep them from it. Diet and fitness trends come and go. Currently we are in a low-carb/high-fat craze, yet for many years it was high-carb/low-fat.As a...
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 NASM Boost your clients’ workout and fitness motivation with smart play- as simple as the roll of the dice. Playful exercise can be something as simple as a game of tag. While that’s fun, it probably won’t target all of the areas a client needs to work on. To do...
By Jared Meacham Personal trainers must look at the concept of physical fitness results through many different lenses. What amounts to optimal fitness for one client may not necessarily be the bee’s knees of fitness achievement for another. This blog post is a basic...
By John Polley Blanket statements like this usually annoy me, but I really mean this one. I mean it because variety makes variety better and variety makes uniformity better too. Variety enhances mental, emotional, and physical outcomes and experiences, for all humans....
By Josh Elsesser Metabolic conditioning is more than just cardiorespiratory exercise. As a fitness professional, you need to be able to design a conditioning program for your clients that effectively addresses their unique physiology, as well as providing them the...
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...
by Sean Greely The dream of every entrepreneur is to create a profitable business that gives them the freedom to live the kind of life they want. But if your pricing and packaging aren’t right, you’ll never achieve that dream. There are two common mistakes that...
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 Josh Elsesser Stress is one of the major contributing factors to over 60% of all human illness and disease1. So it’s not surprising that stress is also preventing your personal training clients from achieving the results that they are working so hard for. In fact,...
By BRIAN SUTTON Today’s typical golfer faces many challenges. Not only are golf courses becoming longer and more difficult, but today’s golfer is actually less prepared to play the game. In today’s automated society of long commutes, computers and television, many...
By Shannon Fable Keeping your sales funnel primed with new prospects is important for long-term success in the fitness industry. But, we have a problem. We’ve only been taught a few ways to get in front of new prospects and how we’ve been taught to ‘pick up’ clients...
By STACEY PENNEY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS How are those goals coming along? Setting a goal is about making changes, looking at what is — in the here and now — and what we want it to be. Creating and committing to the path to get there is what makes for the...
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 Kyle Still Learn how and when to make proper exercise progressions. If you’re using the calendar to progress clients, it’s time to think about digging deeper into the how and why of progressions. Understanding the phases of learning and the neural continuum can...
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...
Mike Fitch, creator of the Animal Flow® Workout, shares how his innovative programming can bring out the primal grace in your clients. BY LUCIA VITI Mike Fitch is a fitness phenomenon. Sporting an 18-year fitness resumé, this strength coach, personal trainer,...
By NASM For fitness professionals who work with athletes, understanding the specific developmental needs of a given athlete is crucial to enhancing their overall athletic capabilities. One of the major components for improving this is the development of speed,...
By NASM The NASM Performance Enhancement Specialization (PES) has provided the pathway to career success for personal trainers working with clients at every level of athletic performance. PES gives you the knowledge and tools to build individualised, sport-specific...
By SEAN CRISTEA A powerful vertical jump is often considered the epitome of athleticism. Many sports, such as basketball, volleyball, and some track and field events, require the athlete to perform at high levels in this movement [1]. However, many athletes find...
By The National Academy of Sports Medicine The NASM Performance Enhancement Specialization (NASM-PES) was developed to teach fitness professionals how to elevate an athlete’s training to achieve noticeable results while also decreasing the chance for injury. When...
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...
By TRX Believe it or not, ski season is right around the corner. We know, we know – your beach towel is still in the hamper, your swimsuit has barely dried, and although you might not actually click/strap in for another 30-40 days, it’s important to begin...
By National Acadamy of Sports Medicine As a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), it’s important to realise that just about every client you work with could be susceptible to common injuries and ailments, ranging from low-back pain to ACL tears to shoulder pain. The...
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 AMANDA VOGEL, MA It’s possible to build a strong client base via social media, but like any type of fitness marketing, it requires time and a little strategizing. Here are five ways to get more clients to meet you on social while also attracting new prospects...
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 NASM Fatigue might feel as if it begins in the body, but the mind plays a key role. Though we tend to blame our bodies for fatigue, the brain actually sets the pace of energy use and holds a little energy in reserve. Here are a few ways to help clients tap that...
By STACEY PENNEY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS Falling can be a serious and life changing event, especially for older adults. There are some simple interventions that can help reduce the risk of falling, and exercise is one of them. The statistics on falling are...
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 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...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA · AUGUST 23, 2016 Assessing this full body movement provides a foundation for designing a client’s exercise program. See how to use the results of a squat assessment to incorporate corrective exercise strategies and potentially lower...
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 ELLEN NORDBERG Running in deep water reduces impact, adds resistance, increases flexibility and improves circulation. With recent research demonstrating that the effect of training in water can equal the same level of effort on land, it’s no mystery why water...
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...
Andrew Props | 12 May 2016 I have seen it numerous times and will probably continue to see it as long as gyms are still open. New personal trainers come in and think that they are the best thing since sliced bread. They like to think they know everything and that what...
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...
Outside of athletic endeavors, people will work with a coach (or trainer, or whatever title you use) for any number of reasons, all of which boil down to one thing: you bring value to their lives, says Steve Rast. Not many things are more professionally satisfying...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA · APRIL 19, 2016 Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain, responsible for approximately 2 million orthopaedic office visits annually and reported to affect between 10 and 20% of injured athletes. (1, 2) It affects...
Updates from NASM’s research partners at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill If you see knee valgus collapse (hip adduction and internal rotation along with knee adduction and internal rotation) while assessing a client, you likely think of hip abductor,...
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...
We all know that our clients are doing good things for their bodies while we are with them, but probably not during the other hours of the week. Especially the prolonged time they potentially spend sitting, now considered detrimental to overall health. We see the...
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...
PAVIGYM™ 3.0 is an intelligent and interactive floor with integrated LED lights controlled by touch screen software, enabling trainers to design and track their training sessions. They can even control the lights and music at the touch of a button. PAVIGYM™ 3.0 is the...
Roughly two-thirds of your clients will experience neck pain at some point in their lifetime. Here’s how two NASM Corrective Exercise Specialists say you can help clients protect that vital segment of the spine. BY LAURA QUAGLIO Your neck is a complex structure that...
By DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA We all know that our clients are doing good things for their bodies while we are with them, but probably not during the other hours of the week. Especially the prolonged time they potentially spend sitting, now considered detrimental...
By Brian Sutton MS, MA, NASM-CPT, CES, PES It is estimated nearly 150,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur annually in the U.S. and approximately 70% of these are noncontact; oftentimes caused by the inability to decelerate, change direction, or land...
By NASM Here’s a quick 30-minute workout that will get clients on the road to fitness! The biggest excuse people give for not working out is, “I don’t have time!” Of course, as a fitness professional, you know that time is not a viable excuse. We have to make time to...
By Jessica Bento Dynamic Variable Resistance Training (DVRT™) provides us the outline to change sandbag workouts from a “shock to the system” form of training to something far more beneficial and comprehensive. In the previous article, Introduction and Principles of...
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...
DEWAYNE SMITH, MS, NASM-CES, PES, FNS Gains don’t happen overnight. It takes your muscles time to respond and adapt to stimuli. Discover the resistance training program variables that will develop the strength gains and growth you or your client may be looking for....
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...
Introduction When individuals think about sports-related injuries, many of the injuries are associated with football, baseball, and basketball and usually to the regions of the ankle, knee, back, or shoulder. However, due to their professional and recreational...
STACEY PENNEY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS In addition to improving your clients’ fitness, have you looked for ways to use your expertise and services to benefit a cause? With a little planning and creativity you can help make a positive impact. Share your social...
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...
Learning the finer points of self-myofascial release could help you train harder and look better while also reducing injury. by Brynne Elliott, MSc If you are still of a mind that foam rollers are for everyone else, then you are missing out on one of the most...
By Ben Greenfield As a successful fitness trainer — I get a lot of questions about how people can become healthier versions of themselves. Most of the time, they want to know the absolute fastest way to lose weight, tone up, build muscle or as I like to call it,...
Geoff Lecovin · May 15, 2015 By Geoff Lecovin, MS, DC, ND, LAc, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, WLS, FNS Corrective exercise uses a systematic process that involves identifying neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction, developing a plan of action and integrating a corrective...
By Stacey Penney, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS 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...
By Monica Nelson If you’re looking to switch up your workout routine or are short on time, this TRX sequence is the perfect workout for you. “TRX” is short for Total Body Resistance Exercise. It’s a type of training that uses your own body weight and...
By Fabio Comana, MA, MS, NASM-CPT, CES & PES; ACE CPT & HC, CSCS, HFS, CISSN Coaching has become the buzzword in the personal training industry. See how behavior coaching can enhance a client’s potential for success, while also enhancing the relevance and...
By Fabio Comana, MA, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, NASM Faculty Instructor Although agility drills should always emphasize good body alignment, movement mechanics and efficiency, don’t forget that a little creativity and fun can add an experiential element to your training...
By Stacey Penney, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS With Some Simple Planning You Can Be Ready for Success! It’s hard to believe that 2014 is quickly coming to a close as we focus on the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and the eerie quiet that has replaced the...
Everyone has encountered a rejection over the course of their lives. Yes, even some of the greatest sales people ever such as Jeffrey Gitomer, and even Donald Trump. But imagine if a “no” stopped them? The phrase “You’re fired!” might not have been coined, and...
Advice for personal trainers on setting training fees. Fees are a balancing act. “High fees might turn away prospective clients,” says Jeff Decker, NASM-CPT, CES, owner of Personal Training Solutions in Champaign, Ill. “But if your fees are too low, clients may not...
NASM If you are like most fitness professionals, reading about exercise technique can be confusing with so many opinions floating around as fact. It is hard to get a grasp on what is right, what is fallacy and what really matters when it comes to exercise...
Here’s a quick 30-minute workout that will get clients on the road to fitness! The biggest excuse people give for not working out is, “I don’t have time!” Of course, as a fitness professional, you know that time is not a viable excuse. We have to make time to keep our...
Love to bust a move in Zumba? Look forward to unwinding on your mat in yoga? Get pumped up just thinking about breaking a sweat in boot camp? If you’re an avid group fitness goer you’ve probably noticed that not only is there an ever-growing number of class formats to...
ViPR is used to drive movement, condition movement efficiency, and add integrated strength to movement through the variable load demands imposed on the body via authentic use of ground and gravity forces. Nick Luciano, Global ViPR Master Coach explains. To understand...
TRX 101 TRX Editor 10.15.14 Born in the Navy SEALs, Suspension Training bodyweight exercise develops strength, balance, flexibility and core stability simultaneously. It requires the use of the TRX Suspension Trainer, a highly portable performance training tool that...
TRX 101 TRX Editor 10.15.14 Originally created to meet the needs of combat sport athletes and physical therapists, Rip Training variable resistance exercise is a multi-faceted approach to strength and cardiovascular conditioning that challenges you in all three planes...
Sports Medicine TRX Editor 10.12.14 Since its inception, TRX has advocated that people stand up to train. Going to a gym to sit down in a machine to “workout” after a day spent seated—during a commute, at the office, at the dinner table and while watching TV—creates...
Foam Rolling For Recovery “This is how we roll” By Steve Novencido MA, CSCS, USATF II, PES, FMS While working as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at IMG Academy, one of the premier academic and athletic institutions in the world, I have become familiar with the...
TRX 101 TRX Editor 10.08.14 One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is: how often should I train using the TRX Suspension Trainer? Here, TRX Head of Human Performance Chris Frankel explains how regular TRX use can ensure your training program is varied,...
Brought to you by Trigger Point – By Kyle Stull, MS, LMT, NASM-CPT, PES, CES Senior Manager of Research and Program Design Myofascial Compression Technique (MCT) is defined as building compression in a targeted muscle and moving the distal limb through a range of...
Our shoulders are a part of virtually every movement we make during the course of a day from typing and driving to eating and opening doors. Add in regular workouts and our shoulders are always in motion. It’s no surprise then that shoulders are at a high-risk for...
Every client can benefit from improved agility and quickness, whether they are a grandmother chasing after her young grandchildren, an obstacle-course enthusiast, or an aspiring triathlete. “SAQ develops necessary adaptations for everyone,” says Ian Montel,...
By Kyle Stull, MS, LMT, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, NASM Master Instructor “Do you suffer from muscle imbalances?” “Is your back pain due to a muscle imbalance?” “Prevent ACL injuries by reducing your muscle imbalances!” What does all this mean? Are muscle imbalances just a...
By Fabio Comana MS, MA, NASM-CPT, CES, PES We all know a well-structured and consistent exercise program combined with a healthful diet can help all of us shed unwanted pounds and achieve our ideal body type. But do we need to push ourselves in the gym each day...
By nasm By Fabio Comana MS, MA, PES, CES, NASM-CPT Are you seeking a new cardio routine before the New Year approaches? Guidelines from various leading health and fitness organization tell us we need to participate in cardio activities five times a week for a total of...
