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…
You don’t get better when you work out; you get better by recovering from a workout. Recovery is greatly enhanced by following a repeating pattern of challenge or stimulus, followed by hydration and recovery or rebuilding. When it comes to recovery, it is the hydration step in which foam rolling (also called self-myofascial release or…
Equipment-less indoor and outdoor boot camps continue to appear on many club schedules. Among the reasons they attract so many participants are their ease of set-up, ability to accommodate various fitness levels and constantly changing exercises, which increase the fun and reduce the likelihood of boredom. If you’re thinking about starting a boot camp class,…
The glutes are one of the largest muscle groups in the body and are vital for both life and sport. Unfortunately, dysfunctions elsewhere in the body can create problems in the glutes and hips. For example, dysfunction in the foot can translate into hip and glute dysfunction. The following exercises are designed to help offset…
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. —Bruce Lee Mastery is something that often falls by the wayside in favor of variety. Take our role as educators, teachers, and coaches for our fitness clients. Each day, we help them…
Warming up the spine before getting out of bed can help clients go about their activities of daily living in a more productive, less painful way. The following routine, which is appropriate for clients who have no contraindications or special issues like osteoporosis, provides a sound biomechanical start to the day. The ACE Pointers Course…
If you teach boot-camp classes, you have a great opportunity to facilitate a sense of camaraderie among your participants though team-building activities. These activities can be conducted through partner drills, small teams or as a single, large team. Whether you take a break from the exercises to conduct these activities or incorporate team-building skills into…