What comes to mind when you think of crawling? Crawling for strength and flexibility might not be your first thought.Babies crawl before they walk. They crawl on hands and knees or on hands with...
Crawling for Strength and Flexibility
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Exercise Science, Biology, and Research
Health and fitness articles for personal trainers rooted in exercise science, biology, anatomy, physiology, health psychology
Understanding the Achilles Tendon
In Greek mythology, the warrior Achilles was known to have one weak spot: his heel. Because of this, the idiom Achilles’ heel is often used to describe one’s weakness or vulnerability. It might be...
Encouraging Exercise with Chronic Kidney Disease
The association between physical exercise and the overall health of patients with chronic renal failure shows great promise. As a trainer, could you recognize whether a new client might suffer from...
Inflammation: Hero or Villain? (Or Both?)
Trainers must be aware of, and address both the hero and villain aspects of post-exercise inflammation, which we refer to as exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Among several points to be mindful...
How Nitric Oxide Improves Muscular Contractions
Though the exact method remains somewhat unclear, dietary nitrate (a source of nitric oxide or NO) appears to improve the contractile properties of human muscle. Find out how athletes utilize this...
Planks or Crunches: Which is Better?
A strong core is the foundation of proper movement patterns, injury prevention, and athletic prowess yet deciding which exercises to program for which client may pose a challenge. Per usual, I’m an...
6 Factors That Affect Health Separate from Body Size or Weight
When weight loss is the only goal for a personal training client, it’s natural for them to focus solely on the number on the scale. It's a common misconception that a person's weight is a direct...
The Air Pressure is On: Running Against the Barometer
For years, athletes both recreational and professional have accepted the fact that running at higher elevations poses a unique challenge. The air density diminishes at high elevations, rendering the...
How to Leverage NEAT to Help Fitness Clients Burn More Calories Throughout the Day
Teaching clients how to leverage NEAT may be the missing piece to the puzzle of weight loss they have been searching for. Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy we expend each day...
Oxidative Stress: Fighting the Free Radical Damage
Both scientific and anecdotal evidence consistently indicates that more active individuals tend to experience greater longevity and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and many forms...
