How much does our personal training clients’ posture truly affect back pain? And what do activities of daily life (ADLs) have to do with it? Achieving Alignment Posture refers to the delicate balance of bones, muscles, and connective tissues as we stand, sit, and move. Proper posture allows the body to remain in alignment and prevents muscle strain on delicate joints. Research has discovered that the discomfort and pain one feels from poor posture more directly reflects a lack of movement throughout our daily lives. The muscle tightness experienced from prolonged sitting at a desk job may in f ..read more

“Proper form first.” This core concept should be the driving force of our training methods with our personal training clients regardless of fitness level or program design. Proper form is crucial not only to ensure we are activating and strengthening the intended muscle groups optimally but also in preventing injuries in our clients. There are several factors to consider when it comes to teaching proper form and having your clients whether online or in person–follow your techniques to achieve proper form and thus, their desired physique goals.  Proper Form to Prevent Injury This may seem ..read more

Is athleticism genetic? We often use the phrase “natural-born athlete” to describe one who excels in sports. While genetics does play a role, let’s discuss what else creates a distinction between a person with athletic prowess and a client who goes through the motions, but doesn’t seem to acquire observable skills. Biology Can Hamper a Hopeful Athlete Exercise intolerance refers to the reduced ability of the heart to perform activities that involve strenuous physical movement. We see this in terms of responses to exercise not aligning with age- and/or gender-appropriate levels. For many indiv ..read more

Wind sprints have secured a prominent place among today’s vast array of training options. Consisting of a series of top-speed running spurts, followed by “recovery” walking, wind sprints offer a multitude of benefits. Changing particular variables of the exercise can help tailor it to any athletic discipline. Learn how and when to incorporate wind sprints into your clients’ workout sessions. Putting the Wind Sprints to Work Ideally, trainers compose workouts with a purpose or goal in mind. If the design of the specific conditioning aligns with the client’s sport-specific needs, the traine ..read more

Wind sprints have secured a prominent place among today’s vast array of training options. Consisting of a series of top-speed running spurts, followed by “recovery” walking, wind sprints offer a multitude of benefits. Changing particular variables of the exercise can help tailor it to any athletic discipline. Learn how and when to incorporate wind sprints into your clients’ workout sessions. Putting the Wind Sprints to Work Ideally, trainers compose workouts with a purpose or goal in mind. If the design of the specific conditioning aligns with the client’s sport-specific needs, the traine ..read more

The plank is one of our most trusted tools in personal training for conditioning the muscles of the core. You can find multiple articles about its effectiveness within the NFPT blog. NFPT recommends using a variety of core exercises including “dynamic moves, (balance) and isometric exercises” in any well-rounded exercise program. But, like any effective and safe exercise program, a constant examination of new concepts and personalized adjustments must be applied. New Concepts in Core Strength The purpose of practicing exercises like the plank is, arguably, to help improve intervertebral stabil ..read more

Understanding lifting tempo is complicated enough for trainers, and most likely completely escaping your clients’ attention. Science reveals different outcomes for how we apply such cadences in our lifting, specifically with regard to hypertrophy and strength gains. Comparing and Contrasting Contractions Bodybuilders and other resistance-training enthusiasts often extoll the virtues of slowly executed eccentric actions. They base such reasoning on the hypothesis that slower eccentric tempos induce a greater magnitude of muscle-damage and endocrine responses, and thus a greater consequent hyper ..read more

The psoas muscle is one that is talked about often– whether an athlete is blaming it for "tight" hips or when a yoga instructor claims that a stretch is going to release it. You may have even heard that it is also considered the “fight-or-flight” muscle. But what does this mean? What is the psoas? [...] The post Psoas: The Fight or Flight Muscle appeared first on National Federation of Professional Trainers ..read more

You may have to realize that your clients, or even yourself, have some significant ankle joint mobility limitations. Hopefully, you've also come to realize how truly signifcant ankle mobility is to move properly up the kinetic chain: Squats, running, even walking can be severely hindered by lack of optimal motion at the ankle. Here, we're [...] The post The Three Best Exercises For Ankle Joint Mobility appeared first on National Federation of Professional Trainers ..read more

Training a runner? Here is why hip stability should be a primary focus of your training! Did you know it is estimated that the average person who runs a marathon takes anywhere from between 55,000 and 65,000 steps? That is 55,000 to 65,000 frontal plane bipedal locomotive opportunities for not just stability, but for fatigue [...] The post The Importance of Hip Stability in Runners appeared first on National Federation of Professional Trainers ..read more