The repercussions of COVID-19 on our lives have been overwhelming for most, but there is a unique stress to being the owner of a business forced to close its doors, and most especially, new business owners like myself. In the summer of 2019, I took the next big step...
David Rodriguez
David Rodriguez is a graduate of the Personal Trainer Certificate Program at San Diego Mesa College, an NFPT and ACE Certified Personal Trainer, and Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist. David was inspired to become a personal trainer after losing more than 100 pounds. Having kept the weight off for over a decade, he uses his story to motivate his clients and demonstrate to them that big changes are possible and sustainable. His training focuses on pain-free movement, helping clients find an individualized nutrition plan, and creating a positive mindset. His favorite pastimes are soccer, weightlifting, hiking, cooking, and his dogs. David lives in San Diego.
Deprivation Versus Discipline and Sustained Weight Loss
Successful and sustainable weight loss is a long-term process. A personal training client must choose every day to engage in the behaviors that will lead them to their goals, and they must continue to make those choices in order to maintain their progress. Oftentimes...
Four Crucial Tips for Sustainable Weight Loss
It is a difficult endeavor to lose weight, and even more difficult to maintain progress after the goal has been met. Clients are often outcome-focused rather than behavior-focused. The health and movement behaviors in which they consistently engage will ultimately...
What Comes After Weight Loss? Yo-Yo Dieting and Weight Maintenance Considerations
Many clients are caught in a cycle of losing and gaining weight, also called yo-yo dieting, making weight maintenance a major hurdle. Yo-yo dieting can be defined as cycles of short term weight loss due to decreased calorie intake and increased activity levels, which...
Mindset Shifts for Weight Loss Success
Putting in an hour at the gym two to three times per week is arguably the easiest part of trying to get fit. This is not to discount the difficulties of finding the time nor the effort put forth during the workouts, but prioritizing training in a weekly schedule is...
The Reality and Daily Struggles of Successful Weight Loss
As the rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise in the United States, an increasing number of people are in need of effective, long-term weight loss strategies. No matter how efficient, sustainable, and well-structured these strategies might be, there are...
The Most Nutrient-Dense Foods and Why You Should Be Eating Them
One of the most common questions personal trainers receive from clients is, “What should I eat?” With several competing dietary philosophies all claiming superiority when it comes to health outcomes, there is a common theme they all share: replacing empty calories...
Why Most Dieting Advice Fails
As professional fitness trainers, we’ve either heard the same dieting advice or have been guilty of repeating these maxims over and over again. “Eat less and move more.” “Everything in moderation.” “Calories in, calories out.” They are not working. Not because they...
“Dieting” vs “Normal Eating”: Why Clients Make a Distinction
With summer approaching, it’s common to hear clients talk about “getting back” on a diet in an effort to achieve their “beach body”. This mentality of either being “on” or “off” a diet usually indicates that the client has yet to find a way to balance their goals...
Persistent Paleo Diet Myths
The Paleo Diet remains a popular weight loss diet for clients despite persistent misconceptions about this approach to nutrition. “Paleo” is short for “Paleolithic”, which is the era between 3.3 million years ago and approximately 11 thousand BC. This diet asserts...
The Dangerous Difference Between Ketosis and Ketoacidosis
With the ketogenic diet being among popular "weight loss" diets today, learning how the fat-fueled process of ketosis is different from the potentially deadly ketoacidosis may help put certain misunderstandings to rest. There are health and nutrition professionals who...
How Kinstretch Strength Training Can Change Mobility Overnight
Kinstretch is a highly-specialized strength training and mobility practice that can help anyone improve quality of movement and achieve functional fitness goals. Recently, the importance of mobility as a component of functional fitness has been getting more limelight....
Offset the Effects of Sitting With Assessment and Exercise
You can identify and offset the deleterious effects of sitting by understanding the muscles and mechanics involved with upper and lower crossed syndrome. It’s no surprise that most Americans spend the majority of their day sitting and looking at a screen. If your...
Total Body Training for New Clients
Maximizing the immediate results of eager new clients increases the likelihood of retention for both them and you throughout the year. Many clients who invest in training as part of their New Year’s resolution will be either new to exercise or deconditioned from a...
Holiday Tough Love for Clients
Help clients reframe and rethink the holidays instead of just get through them. Have a conversation and find out what your clients are thinking about regarding the holidays. They might be anxious, feeling guilty about food, feeling family pressure, etc. Utilize a...
Teach Movement as a Form of Hygiene
Do you struggle to get your clients to perform exercise on their own or complete their movement “homework”? Reframing the way we have our clients think about performing exercises on their own can improve adherence to our recommendations. Our bodies require constant...
The Dark Side of Extreme Fat Loss
Extreme fat loss causes an emotional hangover that lingers--a quality certified personal trainers would do well to readily recognize. I used to weigh nearly 300 pounds and I still think about it quite often. When I share this fact with a new client, unfailingly they...
The Gravity of Concussions
Concussion awareness and education are crucial for saving the life of clients who may not even be aware they have suffered one. A concussion can happen to anyone at any stage of their life who takes a fall. The populations most at risk are youth, athletes, and...