By KERIDON MCMAHON NAVIGATING A NEW NORMAL In 2020, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, people worldwide had to instantaneously pivot from known daily routines and best practices to protect themselves and others. Exercise for the benefit of physical and mental…
By DeWayne Smith, MS, NASM-CES, PES, CNC 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…
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY The first initial consultation that I conducted was nerve-racking. As a brand new trainer, I stressed over making sure that I covered all of my bases in gathering the right amount of information during this initial session…
By Ken Miller Lower crossed syndrome is one of the most common compensatory patterns. It is characterized by an anterior tilt to the pelvis (arched lower back). In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about the ill effects of prolonged…
By Dana Bender As trainers and fitness professionals, it is essential to remember that every client and member we work with starts their strength training journey with a different baseline and understanding of strength training principles and best practices. Many…
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.”…
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…
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)…
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…
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 emotionally and…
By Nicole Golden Genetic factors play a role in response to exercise and body composition, as in most physiologic functions in the body. High levels of physical activity have been known to provide benefits beyond just weight loss, such as…
By Fabio Comana 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…
By Andrew mills In a previous article, Prehabilitation Through Corrective Exercise: A Guide for Trainers, we explored how Certified Personal Trainers (CPTs) could help prepare individuals for a procedure like total knee replacement surgery. This article will focus on rehabilitation…
By AMY ASHMORE, PHD Many exercisers and athletes prefer to train at the same time every day. They may suggest a variety of reasons for this: That’s when they feel most awake, least hungry, most focused or least stressed. They…
By Andrew Mills NASM Corrective Exercise Specialists (CES) can provide targeted help to improve their client’s baseline physical health before surgical intervention. The purpose of prehabilitation is to put the client into the best position possible for post-procedure recovery. Let’s…
![REHAB EXERCISES FOR MASONRY WORKERS [RESEARCH ARTICLE REVIEW]](https://opstudiohk.inetasiapreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/masonry-worker.jpg)
By Nicole Golden RESEARCH REVIEW Effects of Selected Rehabilitative Exercises on External Rotator Muscles and Trapezius Muscles of Masonry Workers STUDY AUTHOR Singh, G. K., Srivastava, S., Kumar, M., & Ratnakar, S. ORIGINAL CITATION Singh, G. K., Srivastava, S., Kumar,…
By CHRISTOPHER MOHR, PHD, RD How often do you hear questions like: “How much protein should I have?” “What do you think about intermittent fasting?” “Should I follow the [insert name of current popular diet] to lose weight?” It’s not surprising…
By Katrina Pilkinton We can teeter on using the term “fit” to refer to a family’s health and wellbeing, but that can all-too-often encompass a notion that a family’s goals are performative. Being WELL is the goal. What does that…
By Brad Dieter Gaining muscle is not quite as easy as going to the gym and lifting weights. That is just one part of the equation. In reality, gaining muscle requires two main things: a stimulus for growth and the…
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…
By CHERILYN MCLESTER, PHD Exercise is often associated with physical exertion and adaptations such as weight loss, improved athletic performance, and increased strength. However, one thing that these variables all have in common is that they are not mindless. In other…
By KATRINA PILKINGTON As a personal trainer, forming your own fitness business can come with its fair share of challenges. Ensuring your marketing is on par with the vision you have for your business is an important facet of a…
Don’t freak out, but your body is not symmetrical…and that’s totally normal! There are tiny differences between the left and right sides of your face, one of your legs is probably a little bit longer than the other, and maybe…
By Nicole Golden A skilled fitness professional should have the capacity to handle a variety of special populations. The needs and training goals of older adults and children differ greatly from those of teens or young and middle adults. Generally,…
By ANDREA CIRIGNANO Maria wants to lose weight. The 46-year-old mother of two never lost the “baby weight” she gained after having her second child 5 years ago, and the extra 40 pounds is compounding other challenges in her life. She’s…
By SARAH SNYDER Youth exercise professionals are in a powerful position to positively influence eating behaviors. This is when independence begins to be established with regard to food and beverage choices and meal preparation. Coaches and trainers – even Youth…
By NASM The Paleolithic or “Paleo” diet derives from the superior cardiometabolic health and physical fitness of indigenous hunter-gatherer populations (Hills Jr & Erpenbeck, 2018). The Paleo diet is promoted across the world as a way of improving health of…
By RICH FAHMY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, MASTER INSTRUCTOR Training modifications and exercise programming for older adults are popular topics across health and fitness publications and conferences. There’s good reason for this: By 2050, the number of people 60 or…
By Alyssa Parten Learning how to coach an athlete is far more complicated than training general population clientele and, arguably, more fulfilling. There are many more factors, modalities, thinking, and planning strategies involved with coaching an athlete of any magnitude…
By Rick Richey As seen in our weight loss specialization course, you can effectively utilize the OPT™ model for weight loss clients. Within this article from the Spring 2020 Issue of American Fitness Magazine, you will learn how! Consider a…
By Nicole Golden Squat mechanics are very highly debated amongst fitness professionals and corrective exercise experts. Performing an internet search of “squat form” will turn up a plethora of results including focusing most on squat depth and lifting the most…
By Pete Mccall Why did you start your career in the fitness industry? Was it because you want to use your passion for fitness to improve others’ lives? Did you experience a significant weight loss and want to help others…
By NASM Even though your at-home life might seem a little bland right now, you can still count on some healthy, flavourful meals to provide a little spice. For a snack – Get a great protein shake recommendation. For breakfast…
By CHRISTOPHER & KARA MOHR It has often been said that nutrition is 90% of the game and training just 10%. The truth is, nutritionand training are equally important for various reasons, and it’s not just a 50/50 game because…
By RICK RICHEY, MS · I was sweating profusely before I trained my first client, and it wasn’t from a workout. I was a nervous wreck, continually second-guessing what I was supposed to do. Would I be worth the money?…
![HOW TO FIX FORWARD HEAD POSTURE [GUIDE]:](https://opstudiohk.inetasiapreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/forward-head-posture.jpg)
By DAVID A. TITCOMB · JUNE 4, 20200 Similar to other structures in the body, the cervical spine (CS) has a significant influence on body regions located above and below its location. Not only does CS musculature produce movement of…
By PETE MCCALL My career as a personal trainer began back when the years started with a one, 1998, to be exact. At that time, I never imagined that our cell phones would allow us to carry mini-computers in our…
By KATRINA PILKINGTON · MAY 15, 20200 Running is something that our bodies were built to do. An integral component of movement within the majority of most sports, running [efficiency], can dictate success for most athletes early on in their…
By Pete Mccall Starting a new habit can be challenging, especially when it comes to exercise. From joining a fitness facility to showing up for the first appointment, there are so many steps for beginning a fitness program that it…
By Brad Dieter There has been a rise in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets over the last decade, and they became one of the most popular diets of the previous five years. The increase in popularity was due to the…
By Nino Magaddino Fit or not, pay attention to the warning signs your heart is giving you. Your life depends on it. Even as “fit” fitness professionals, we are not immune to heart disease. Here’s how this NASM Master Trainer…
By Ken Miller MS, NASM MASTER INSTRUCTOR, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, GFS If you’re like the millions of people who use electronic tools such as a cell phone, tablet, laptop or desk computer, you’ve probably spent hours upon hours looking at…
By Nicole Nichols As a Pilates instructor, I’ve worked with many women who wanted to regain strength and muscle tone after pregnancy. Some of them complained about abdominal pressure, pain or weakness even years after giving birth. Others returned to…
By Brian Sutton Is red wine healthy for our bodies? Many speculate red wine can help prevent heart disease and other chronic diseases; is this true? Let’s take a closer look at the science. RED WINE BASICS Many health experts…
By Lara Quaglio With so much of life happening at the front of the body (driving a car, typing on a computer and even doing many exercises, such as pushup and bench press), a lot of people have developed upper…
By Sam Arnold WHY SHOULD ATHLETES TRUST THEIR PERSONAL TRAINER? Working with an athlete to achieve on-field success can be one of the most intimidating and complicated tasks for a young trainer to master. There are so many training methods…
By Angie Miller Personal trainers are individuals who inspire, motivate, and guide others to achieve their fitness goals. It is a rewarding, highly-ranked career with immense job satisfaction (CNN Money, 2012). If you are ready to become more involved in…
By Shirley Archer It’s likely that many of your clients spend the majority of their time sitting at a desk, staring at a screen. They then sit in their cars for a long commute. When they arrive at their final…
By Mogan Shapiro With the start of the New Year, many of us have made resolutions to improve our health and fitness. While having specific health and fitness goals in mind is excellent, people often go to extremes to accomplish…
By Kat Barfield I recently visited my optometrist for an annual exam. He has a pleasant bedside manner and happens to be among the 40% of the U.S. adult population who are obese. As I stepped into his office, I…
By Laura Quaglio As NASM Senior Fitness Specialists well know, older adults are a growing segment of the population—and a rewarding group to work with. Check out these amazing perks that your senior clients can enjoy, thanks to your work…
By STACEY PENNEY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS New clients, or even those that you’ve been working with for some time, can all benefit from focusing some of their training on stabilization work. Without a strong structural base to move…
By Lisa Quigley Many are aware of the touted benefits of meditation: increased awareness, decreased anxiety, enhanced peace of mind and an improved connection with the present moment. In The Artist’s Way(Penguin Random House 2016), Julia Cameron describes it like…
By Dana Bender Are you planning to renovate the flooring in your group fitness classroom? Or perhaps you need to complete a construction project at your yoga studio in the near future? If so, you may be worried about the…
By Alexandra Williams Differences in taste perception may explain, in part, why people diagnosed with obesity tend to eat more than their counterparts with a lower body mass index, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. Recently, a team…
By April Durrett After “James” earned his exercise physiology degree, he was eager to get certified as a personal trainer and begin his career. A college athlete, he had dreams of putting clients through rigorous programs that yielded results, and…
By Maria Luque Lack of physical activity and an increase in sedentary behaviors are leading an overall upward trend in obesity, but the effects on children and adolescents are especially alarming. Today, obesity-associated disorders previously found only in adults—high blood…
By Kyle Stull In the last decade, the use of foam rolling has become increasingly popular for athletes and average Joes alike. Foam rolling as a corrective exercise method makes sense – they feel “good,” seem to work well, have…
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.”…
By Justin Kompf Imagine that you had to think about which hand to pick a phone up with every time it rang, if you had to consciously deliberate on whether or not to brush your teeth in the morning, or put…
By Kyle Stull Corrective Exercises are a technique used by health & fitness professionals to address and fix movement compensations and imbalances. These exercises are commonly used by personal trainers, massage therapists and chiropractors, to help clients move and feel…
By Kyle Stull Effective and efficient rolling means identifying and targeting the muscles that need it – the muscles that are likely the root cause of less than optimal movement. In many cases, muscles become overactive and short, leading to…
By NASM Some personal trainers have an impressive list of credentials but a small client base, while others aren’t as educated but are always booked. What’s the difference between them? In this episode, Rick Richey discusses how to find the…
By Brad Dieter The holiday season can be a stressful time to adhere to a regular diet schedule. There are holiday parties, travel, an abundance of holiday goodies lying around the house, and there is more time spent indoors and…
By DR. Allison BRAGER The expression “training around the clock” has more scientific merit than many would expect. Typically, it’s used to refer to the daily grind of balancing training with work, meal preparation for training, and finding time to…
By Brad Dieter For many people, clients and coaches alike, the start of a new year means a fresh outlook and often, resolutions to change or improve certain areas of your life. Sadly, many New Year’s resolutions don’t end up…
By Justin Kompf Most personal trainers, at some point, will have a consultation with a client who has a weight loss goal. For a few weeks, I had one of my clients message me everything they ate along with their…
BY DR. ALLISON BRAGER As a result of advancing technologies in science and engineering, we can study the brain in real-time from many different angles. We can study the strength and intensity of connections between different brain areas as well…
By Trish Muse Chances are, at some point in your personal training career, you will work with clients who’ve had a knee replacement or are on track to get one. This can be a daunting prospect to consider, but it…
By Kyle Stull When we think of corrective exercise, we often picture the process of trying to correct a less than optimal movement pattern with rolling, lengthening, activation, and integration techniques. Improving movement quality requires an individual to inhibit and…
By NASM Periodization and programming are not necessarily the same thing. Periodization is the cycles of training that take place. Often, we talk about macro, meso, and micro cycles. In sports, the periodization may include those concepts, but change based…
By Brad Dieter We often hear people say, “I have a slow metabolism” or “they just have a fast metabolism,” and we all nod our head in agreement. But do we understand what that means? What is your metabolism? Can…
By Adam Annaccone Knee pain is common in physically active males and females. According to a new clinical guideline in the Journal of Sports Physical Therapy examining patellofemoral pain, approximately 25% of individuals will suffer from idiopathic (no specific onset)…
By Alexandra Williams One hundred twenty adolescents in Saudi Arabia ages 15–18 were assessed by scientists who were curious to discover if a link exists between vitamin E intake, school performance and exercise. Told not to alter their eating or…
By Laura Quaglio As an early adopter of fitness technology, Ted Vickey, PhD, once conducted a survey of about 200 fitness professionals. “The thing that I found most shocking was that trainers use technology for themselves, but they don’t yet…
Periodization and programming are not necessarily the same thing. Periodization is the cycles of training that take place. Often, we talk about macro, meso, and micro cycles. In sports, the periodization may include those concepts, but change based on the…
By Kyle Stull Getting the most out of each workout requires more than just following a great training program. Consistent performance also requires an optimal balance between training and recovery. Mention the subject to most clients, though, and you’re likely…
By Alexandra Williams The news isn’t good regarding the influence of social media on the foods children prefer. In a study published in Pediatrics (2019; 143 [4]) of 176 children ages 9–11, doctoral candidate Anna Coates of the University of…
By Joy Keller It’s an hour before your session starts, and you get a text from your client Kelly, a 33-year-old mom of two who is 50 pounds overweight, has just been diagnosed as being prediabetic, and is trying to…
By Brad Dieter High-fat diets have surged in popularity over the last several years, and many nutrition coaches have utilized them with clients for weight loss. Despite their recent popularity, they are not new diets. They have been used over…
By Andrea Cirignana Your clients hire you to help them reach a goal, and you commit just as much time and effort as (if not more than) they do. However, sometimes even the most dedicated clients are completely clueless when…
By Cathie Ericson There are some things that most of your clients of any age can probably agree on. For example, burpees are unpleasant yet satisfying, and a playlist that includes Beyoncé can make just about any workout fly by…
By Brad Dieter Over the last 10-15 years, there has been a lot of discussion about the role that fructose plays in many of our chronic health issues, including obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and many others. However, most…
By Dana Bender Exercise adherence and commitment vary from individual to individual. Some people have an easy time making exercise a regular habit, while others struggle to stay consistent and need a behavioural change. Some struggle due to barriers in…
By Alexandra Williams As a fitness professional, you’re likely familiar with exercise-induced asthma (EIA) or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), which can cause symptoms like wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath or a tightness in the chest—particularly in cold, dry air. This type…
By Ryan Halvorson It’s a scene many personal trainers know well. You’re working with a client who feels defeated and wants to quit, and you have to show a little tough love. Chris Powell specializes in this. “Every time you…
By Laura Quaglio BUILD NECK STRENGTH TO LOWER CONCUSSION RISK In recent news published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, researchers who examined previous studies on concussion concluded that increasing neck strength “could substantially reduce risk or…
By Sohee Lee There has been a growing interest in personal fitness over the past few decades, and with high-speed access to information, images, and other people at our fingertips, this comes as no surprise. Since the dawn of the fitness industry…
By RICH FAHMY, MS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES Where do you even begin to look for a job as a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)? This is a common question when first starting out as a newly minted CPT. The good news…
By Brad Dieter One of the most important things regarding “healthy eating” is to understand that what we eat is tied into our habits. A habit is defined as: “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is…