BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SPORTS SCIENCE Use these tools to give firefighters a training edge. “Strength and endurance must go hand-in-hand on the fire ground,” says Kenneth Shuttleworth, a 24-year firefighter, and seven-year NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS. Here, his advice…
By PRENTISS RHODES If you or any of your clients have chosen martial arts training as your hobby- congratulations! This is a very rewarding path, both physically and mentally. It gives you all the components of fitness wrapped up into an…
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…
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 and world-class advice. Now, we’re…
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…
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…
By KEN MILLER, MS, NASM MASTER INSTRUCTOR, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, GFS Major League Baseball history was made in 1974. It wasn’t made by a World Series-deciding play at the plate or even a record-breaking event. History was made off the…
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 enhance the…
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…
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…
By Dr David Tiberio Category: Applied Functional Science Share As the gait cycle progresses, the lead leg becomes the trail leg. But there may be an advantage to consider what is happening to the trail leg at the same time…
By Brian St. Pierre Lots of people looking to improve their eating think meal plans are the answer. The only problem? Meal plans usually suck… and they rarely last. So, instead of prescribing yet another doomed eating regimen, check out…
By Krista Scott-Dixon New clients often come to us feeling guilty and weak after a holiday season, a vacation, or a long weekend of overeating. Our response often surprises them. Because we know that there are some surprising benefits of…
by Pete McCall When it comes to increasing muscle size or definition, you’ve probably been told that lifting weights breaks down a muscle, which then becomes stronger or bigger as a result of the repair process. But is this really…
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…
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…
By MICHAEL YAREMKO Minimize Injury Potential – Maximize Performance! When someone says that you have potential, they are really saying, “You could be great, but you aren’t right now.” Athletes typically don’t ever want to hear these words, especially goalies, but it…
Think you need a full weight rack for a serious arm day? Not so fast. There are lots of bicep exercises you can master using just your bodyweight and your TRX Suspension Trainer. Below, we’ve outlined five moves to help…
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…
By Kyle Stull You’ve probably heard the term biceps tendonitis as gym members highlight an ache or pain at the front of their shoulder. But what is biceps tendonitis and what can be done to avoid it? WHAT IS BICEPS…
February 06, 2018 by Dr. David Tiberio Category: Applied Functional Science Shoulder joint motion (glenohumeral articulation) occurs when there is relative movement between the head of the humerus and the glenoid fossa of the scapula. Like all joints, real motion…
By Fabio Comana The Nordic combined, a combination of cross-country skiing and jumping was one of the original five sports at the first-ever Winter Olympics held in France in 1924. To this day, endurance sports like the biathlon, cross-country skiing…
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…
By BRIAN SUTTON, MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CES, PES Hockey is arguably the quintessential competitive sport of the cold weather season. Here we’ll discuss the unique demands of ice hockey and how sports performance professionals can safely and effectively implement conditioning…
By Mind Body Green Weight loss and exercise get the most attention when it comes to getting healthy in the new year, but as we’re coming off a busy holiday season, it’s vital to focus on gut health as part…
By John Berardi, Ph.D. “I’ll resume healthy eating after my vacation… once the baby is born… after Dad gets out of the hospital… January 1… Monday.” While this kind of “pause-button mentality” seems reasonable, it could be ruining your health…
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…
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 Kyle Stull With weight loss being one of the common goals for clients, will recommending a daily visit to the scale improve their results? See what this study found. Journal Article: Steinberg, D.M., Bennett, G.G., Askew, S., & Tate,…
BY TONY AMBLER-WRIGHT January is a good time to check in with clients and find out if they identify more with Mr. Heat Miser or Mr. Snow Miser. Those who “never want to know a day that’s over 40 degrees”…
By FABIO COMANA Baking soda? Check out this kitchen cupboard staple’s role in exercise performance. Interestingly, December 30th is Bicarbonate of Soda Day – odd to think that we dedicate a day to commemorate a compound when so many exist. Historically,…
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…
By Kimberly SnyderNutritionist & Best-Selling Author We all want great skin because it’s one of the first things people see! And while we rely on skin care products and makeup to some degree, I’m a firm believer in building beauty from…
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…
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…
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…
By NASM We know that weight loss or body fat reduction is largely based on a numbers game. And “working out” is a way of controlling the numbers (less calories in, more calories out and weight loss change can be…
BY FABIO COMANA Once the realm of bodybuilders and athletes, protein supplements and powders have now become a regular part of the fitness enthusiast and health seekers diet. Protein powder was the supplement once dominated by core users in bodybuilding…
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)…
By Joshua Stone: Injuries in golf occur as they do during participation in any athletic orientated activity. Research indicates injuries in golf relate to functions of age, skill level, and frequency of play. According to Gosheger et al., over 80%…
By LAURA QUAGLIO The act of breathing seems incredibly simple, but doing it properly can be surprisingly complex–and of vital importance to your clients’ performance. HOW IT WORKS The average person’s lungs move about 0.5 liters of air with each…
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…
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…
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. About 5 percent…
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,…
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…
By Fabio Comana Despite growing popularity and adoption of programs incorporating heart rate (HR) zone methodology, the fitness industry in general appears to lack a solid understanding of the scientific facts and limitations to this programming concept. The goal therefore…