We have all seen countless ads for exercise programs that promise a “flat belly.” Unfortunately, the promise of a flatter abdomen misses the mark when it comes to a fit mid-section, which functions to support your spine and promote good posture, among other things. In fact, upon further consideration, a flat belly isn’t really what…
“I wasn’t born with good balance.” I hear those words often while training clients. I usually respond with, “Were you born able to ride a bicycle with two wheels, or did you train yourself how to depend less on four wheels and balance yourself?” Balance, or the ability to engage muscles in communication to hold…
For many, the glutes are an important asset when it comes to beachside beauty or looking good in jeans, but these muscles actually serve a greater purpose when it comes to balance and remaining injury-free. When matched with a healthy diet, regular strength training and the right swim suit the gluteals will be primed for…
To have longevity in movement (being able to play and do what you love for a very long time), mobility has to be addressed in your fitness routine. Let’s first take a look at what mobility is so we can apply this principle to how we are training. Mitch Hauschildt, the Prevention, Rehab and Physical…
The term plyometrics is usually used to refer to explosive lower-body exercises such as skips, hops, jumps and bounds. However, plyometric training is also important for the upper body as well. According to the principle of specificity, muscles adapt to how they are trained. Therefore, doing jumps can improve lower-body power, but it will not…
The push-up has long been an exercise that many use to measure their fitness. Even the U.S. military uses this move as a part of the PT testing service members engage in during training. So why is this move so essential and how can you improve it? The push-up, like other pushing movements, is part…
“How many pull-ups can you do?” If you’re a health and fitness professional, you’ve probably been asked this a few times by a client, friend or a random person who notices your healthy lifestyle. But what does the ability to do an unassisted pull-up have to do with fitness? Because performing the pull-up involves moving…
Your back is riddled with muscles of many different lengths, moving in many different directions and coordinating many actions. But it also suffers from the “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” phenomenon. With so much variety in the back musculature, it can be hard to know exactly what part of the back is working when you are doing any…
For those who like to dress up and enjoy the revelry, Halloween can be one of the most fun holiday events of the year. The challenge is that Halloween is also the unofficial kick-off to the holiday season, which will run through January first. From Halloween treats to Thanksgiving pies to New Year’s drinks, the…
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…