The calves make up the entire space of the posterior lower leg and are used for important everyday activities like walking, running and jumping. Effectively working the calves involves raising the heels against resistance, whether that’s your own body weight or an added load, such as dumbbells or elastic resistance. Also, allowing your ankle increased…
Kettlebells swing, are you lifting? In the gym the lights are flickering. A beautiful sight, We’re happy tonight, Sweating in a winter wonderland. One of the most difficult times to be active and stick to your goals is during the holidays. This year, plan your workouts ahead of time so you can prevent yourself from…
3 Exercises to do Instead of Burpees Tired of doing burpees all the time? There’s no question they are effective, but doing the same movement over and over can get monotonous. ACE pro Jonathan Ross presents three burpee alternatives that deliver similar full-body benefits. 5 Plank Variations That Will Challenge Your Core Planks are incredibly…
The TRX Suspension Trainer is well known for its ability to build strength through high-tension loads and challenging progressions. It is also a fantastic way to improve mobility because it allows the exerciser to unload certain joints through movements or apply a moderate load to assist with movements around a joint. And, as demonstrated in…
If building a lot of muscle mass is among your clients’ fitness goals, the deadlift should be one of your go-to exercises. This power move helps train numerous major muscles, including the hamstrings, glutes, lower-back and trapezius muscles. This exercise can be modified so seasoned body builders, beginning exercisers and everyone in between can perform…
Two of the most common reasons people give for not exercising is lack of time and not knowing what type of exercise they should be doing. This is what leads many people to hire a personal trainer—they want an expert tell them how to achieve their goals. Typically, they also want to know how to…
The BOSU is an effective tool for training both static and dynamic balance, as well as training motor skills, kinesthetic awareness and proprioception. When training on an unstable surface, the core automatically fires and contracts to keep the body upright. Thus, the BOSU challenges individuals to build strength and balance simultaneously. Beginning exercisers should have…
Strong, toned, powerful legs build a solid foundation for the body. While squats and deadlifts can be used to start a client’s foundation, lunges can add the perfect finishing touches to his or her quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Here are several lunge variations that can be used to add more dynamic and agility-based exercises…
If you had to choose just one exercise to help clients improve strength, power and core stability all in one move, you’d probably choose the squat. That’s why many consider the squat to be the king of all exercise moves. In addition to working the quadriceps, a proper squat recruits muscle fibers from the hamstrings…
When I was a kid, few things were more exciting than the day the Sears catalog arrived in the mailbox. I would spend hours flipping through endless pages filled with the newest toys. As an adult, I feel the same way about the annual IHRSAÂ (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association) tradeshow, where fitness companies…