Exercise/Class Formats
Lessons From Kenyan Runners
To get faster and chase their dreams, Kenyan runners have specific training habits which can benefit your fitness business and career.
HIIT Cycling With a Side of Strength
A well-rounded program includes cardio and resistance training, so how do you bridge the gap? Try HIIT cycling with strength.
A New Meeting of Mind, Body and Soul
Here’s a peek into that world where the mind can explore new ways of approaching classic formats; where your imagination can stretch along with your body; and where your spirit can soar through pure and powerful inspiration that nourishes the soul.
Fitness Genetics Impact Exercise Outcomes
If your clients train together but have different outcomes, part of the reason for this may be fitness genetics.
Indoor Cycling by Science
There you sit, spinning your mental wheels, trying to create a successful indoor cycling workout . . . again. What if you had an easy-to-follow template that would empower you to design effective, fun classes and get results week after week, ride after ride? These programming formulas can easily be adapted to cardio indoor cycling classes, using the four-step system described here.
Boost Intensity With a Body-Weight Ladder Workout
If you’re looking for a way to improve endurance and fitness without equipment, this body-weight ladder workout is a perfect option.
A Time of Renewal
Many of us in the industry have been feeling lost in the weeds after 2 years of constant turmoil. In this time of renewal, as you work to dig yourself out and sow new seeds of success, it’s important to use all the tools at your disposal so you can grow and flourish.
Billy Blanks: A Celebration of Creativity and Character
Billy Blanks was born with an anomaly in his hip joints that left him clumsy and subject to taunts. He found strength—both physically and of character—in karate, and he went on to a successful career as a martial arts champion, bodyguard and movie star. That in itself is a pretty amazing story. But in Blanks’ case, that’s just the preface . . .
5 Most Popular Articles in 2021
What piqued reader interest this past year? Here we recap our top 5 popular articles that received the most reads in 2021!
Overpronation in Fitness Classes
Overpronation is a fairly common problem among many fitness enthusiasts, including the ones who take your classes.
Mobility Workout
Adding a mobility workout to the cooldown may kickstart the parasympathetic nervous system. Try the following sequence.
Sample Class: Song-Mapping for Kickboxing
To keep this kickboxing workout with song-mapping simple to instruct, each song has different patterns for the verse, chorus and bridge.
Fitness Classes for Everyone
Fitness classes abound and it has never been easier for movement-hungry people to find a workout experience that appeals to them.
Small Group Training Remains #1 Income Earner
The landscape of the fitness industry looks different these days. Fitness enthusiasts and newcomers alike are approaching the gym with a different perspective. Large gyms with big groups are not as appealing, nor is the price tag of a personal trainer. Small group training (SGT) via boutique studios, private trainers, or online platforms is the preferred activity of fitness participants, especially for personalized instruction. SGT also remains the number one profit center in clubs. If you are stuck in a rut of instructing one-on-one training or group classes (online or in-person), now is the time to enter the “Sweet Spot” of SGT, increase your offerings, and begin earning your worth.
Meditation Basics
What Is Meditation? Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way fitness is an approach to training the body. Someone with no knowledge of fitness tools and methods may think her…
Sample Class: Cardio, Core and Balance
If your students enjoy a challenging workout but you sense they may be growing bored with your traditional HIIT class, try adding unique bonus exercises to keep people interested, engaged and motivated! This cardio, core and balance class incorporates lower-intensity (but not easy!) unilateral balance and core moves in between cardio intervals.
Upgraded Movement Preparation
The warmup is an obvious time to prepare muscles and educate people about their bodies. Why not use this time for movement preparation?
Exercise Boosts Neuroplasticity, Helping Depression
In studying physical activity’s effect on depression, researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany found that exercise simultaneously lifts mood and boosts neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change. It is neuroplasticity that lets us adapt to challenges…
How To Create a Workout Community
As we return to the group exercise studio, it’s good to remember how a workout community not only brings us together, but helps us thrive.
Tai Chi Is Good for Older Adults
Why tai chi? These Chinese movement patterns have been around for centuries. In recent years, study after study has proven their benefits—particularly for older exercisers—yet most fitness professionals seem to know little about the practice….