Health and Fitness Articles

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Kettlebells, while not new, are quickly becoming the go-to training method for elevating functional workouts for a wide variety of clients. As long as both trainer and participant receive proper instruction, kettlebells can provide a safe, effective, time-efficient workout that engages multiple muscle groups, including the core. No muscle can escape a “swing” workout, so pick up a kettlebell when you have a chance! Kettlebell Safety

If you’re one of the 100 million people worldwide who belong to Facebook.com, you might consider it a guilty diversion. Perhaps you’ve logged on to the wildly popular social networking site just to update your status (e.g., “Amanda Vogel is writing an IDEA article”). Or maybe you find yourself uploading heartwarming photos of your kids or scenes from a recent vacation. Perhaps you’re a casual visitor, checking in every now and then to respond to messages or view the “news feed” of what your Facebook friends are up to.

Have you experienced back pain at one time or another? Have you been told to strengthen your abdominal muscles to fix a back problem? While traditional crunches strengthen the outer layers of the abdominal musculature, they bypass the deep support structures of your back. This can place the lumbar spine in too much flexion and may even worsen your back pain, depending on what your original physical problem was. By training the deep stabilizers of the lumbar spine, pain can be alleviated and you’ll be able to return to everyday activities sooner.

Instruct clients to perform this core warm-up program each morning for optimal results in—and out of—the gym. This program is especially beneficial for clients who are prone to back pain. Daily Practice When introducing a client to the morning core routine, urge him to perform it every day, just after rising from bed. Completing the program in the morning is ideal for two reasons.

As fitness businesses hire qualified staff to handle current customers and new exercisers, the good news is that 81% of fitness staff stay with the same business for 1 yea...

Rest-based training (RBT) is a system that makes rest, not work, the primary goal of the workout. It allows participants to take a rest for as long as necessary. Rest actually becomes a tool for increasing intensity, because exercisers can strategically use it to work harder than they could without rest. It also provides a buffer against overexertion, making even high-intensity workouts safe.