Strength Training Articles

The term arthritis describes two distinctly separate medical conditions: rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). RA is an autoimmune disease that results in swollen, painful joints, which are a contraindication to exercise. If a client has this symptom, ask him or her to wait until it has diminished before exercising.

We have good exercise guidance for fit older adults, but the advice for seniors just starting a fitness program has been less clear.

Exercise for older adults is one of the hottest specialties in fitness today. How do you assess function levels and develop safe, challenging programs? We asked instructors to tell us about their strategies for senior clients.newsletter_teaser: Exercise for older adults is one of the hottest specialties in fitness today. How do you assess function levels and develop safe, challenging programs? We asked instructors to tell us about their strategies for senior clients.

newsletter_teaser: Check out this great article from the IDEA Online Library, for eight practical keys to understanding and training connective tissue.

In today’s society, people struggle to find enough time to complete work-related projects, enjoy their loved ones and also take good care of themselves. A personal fitness trainer (PFT) who can demonstrate to clients that they can spend quality time with their sweetie or friends while helping each other stay healthy and fit will be in high demand! Partner training is more economical f...

While the psoas major muscle affects many fitness activities, there is widespread confusion about its actual role in the body. What does this muscle do, and why is it shortened in so many people? Anatomy of the Psoasnewsletter_teaser: While the psoas major muscle affects many fitness activities, there is widespread confusion about its actual role in the body. What does this muscle do?

Here’s another great benefit to including strength training in your clients’ fitness programs. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3138) has reported that men who regularly lift weights may reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Remember when you were in high school and your physical education (PE) teachers made you do push-ups, chin-ups and sit-ups? What about those long-forgotten Presidential Physical Fitness Tests, which required you to run different distances for time? Whatever happened to thos...

Again and again, research has shown that women who maintain a regular, moderate strength training program enjoy a long list of health advantages. Some women still fear that weight training might bulk them up in unfeminine ways; however, as women of all ages realize the benefits of resistance training, negative attitudes about women in the weight room are rapidly fading, according to renowned stren...

Are you getting bored with your strength training program, or not getting the same results you did when you started? It’s easy to fall into a weight training rut, doing the same old routine of favorite exercises day in, day out. Unfortunately, too much “same old, same old” can be the enemy of effective physical conditioning. The key to successful training lies in varying the training stimuli, says...