It’s important to make clients feel comfortable. Especially beginner-level clients; their commitment levels can be tenuous at best. Static Postural Assessments are great opportunities to gather info, and perception is everything. There are people who report ZERO movement history during a Goal Session (zero sports or less than a year of gym experience). Their joints [...]
The Upright Plank One of the foundational concepts of Kettlebell Strength Training (and Strength Training in general) is the “Upright Plank.” The Upright Plank is the difference between controlling the Kettlebell and overswinging it. The “overswing” can be caused by overextending the hips, hyper-extending the spine, or relaxing the knees. The Upright Plank is the [...]
Welcome to the Bulgarian Bag Warmup - we will be using the doweling rod exclusively for this warmup sequence. The Bulgarian bag is a highly complex tool. At its baseline level, the Bulgarian bag develops tri-planar movement, improves rhythmic coordination, and challenges multi-joint flexibility. At this point, anyone who exercises should understand the benefits of [...]
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the mad dash to demonstrate our gratefulness for the special people in our lives. A gift card goes out to loved ones, teachers, dentists; how about some love for that exceptional Personal Trainer in your life? Personal Trainers work tirelessly to deliver great workouts and [...]
Rationale for Balance Exercises Balance training is one of the most underrated modalities of a training program. Balance exercises are often used as a reactionary measure (to someone who has experienced an injury from a fall) rather than for the host of benefits they provide. I tend to work with clients over the age of [...]
The fitness industry is infamous for its notoriously quick pace of innovation. Jazzercise took the industry by storm in the '80s; Richard Simmons caught the attention of daytime television in the '90s. In the 2000's Yoga, spin classes, circuit workouts, and kettlebell training earned their places in regularly scheduled fitness classes, while the 2010s saw [...]
The main objective of stretching within a Corrective Exercise Continuum is to restore or improve "length-tension relationships" (the net resting tension at a joint; too many biceps curls results in "bodybuilder's elbows" - perma-flexed elbows). Now that the length-tension relationships are improved, [...]
The BCPTI Practicum - a Review by Jamie Bagoly and Eve Chan Picking your Personal Training Certification can be tough. There are so many options, and when you are shopping online, you are only given so much information about each certification. There are few schools around that teach these complex certifications, and as a [...]
Welcome to a 4-part mini-series on the Corrective Exercise protocol for Overhead Mobility. In this series, I will break down the 4-stage Corrective Exercise Continuum (CEC) for the "arms fall forward" movement-compensation observed in an Overhead Squat Assessment (OHSA). Using this CEC will help participants improve overhead mobility, kyphotic posture, and upper body strength [...]
Who doesn't love a good morning run through the forest? Or perhaps a beautiful summer hike with family and friends. On rare occasions, fewer things are more cathartic than floating on a lake or through a river in a kayak, soaking up the sun and inhaling the freshest of fresh air. While used mostly [...]
