About John Paul

John Paul Catanzaro, BSc Kin, CSEP-CEP, CSEP-HPS, is a CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist and a CSEP High Performance Specialist with a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science. He owns and operates a private training facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario. In 1996, John Paul opened a personal training studio at his home in Toronto, Ontario. With vision and passion, the business quickly grew and the word got out: “If you want to get in shape, go see this guy!” Now located in Richmond Hill, Ontario, the business boasts a state-of-the-art training facility and a waiting list of clients. John Paul founded The Catanzaro Group in 2004 with divisions in fitness, nutrition, supplements, lifestyle, seminars, and publishing. In 2010, Catanzaro Supplements was introduced, a new line of nutritional supplements with the objective of providing high quality supplements in a convenient form at an affordable rate. Over the years, John Paul has appeared on television and has written articles for several publications, including American Academy of Health and Fitness (AAHF) Gamut eJournal, Bodybuilding.com, Bodybuilding Italia, canfitpro Magazine, Coaching One-On-One, Dolfzine, FitCommerce, Fitness Business Canada, Fitness Professional Online, Fitness Trainer, Flare, grrlAthlete.com, Intense Fitness, Men’s Health, Mercola.com, MuscleMag International, Olympian’s News, Personal Trainer Development Center, Personal Training on the Net, Planet Muscle, Quest For Advanced Condition, SelfGrowth.com, SpotMeBro.com, Testosterone (aka T-Mag.com and T-Nation.com), TheGymLifestyle.com and Wannabebig.com. His newsletters are informative and entertaining, and he has provided reviews for numerous publications, including the inaugural edition of Sport First Aid in Canada. John Paul has authored six books, The Elite Trainer (2011), Mass Explosion (2013), The Business of Personal Training (2014), The Warm-Up (2016), Lean and Mean (2017), and Invincible (2022), and has released two DVDs, Stretching for Strengthening (2003) and Warm-Up to Strength Training (2005), which have sold copies worldwide, featured in several magazines, and been endorsed by industry-leading experts. John Paul has also released four webinars, Strength Training Parameters and Program Design (2013), Body Composition Strategies (2013), The Business of Personal Training (2014), and Injury Prevention Strategies for Aging Athletes (2016), providing the latest cutting-edge information to fitness professionals. Throughout his career, John Paul has consulted for various corporations. He’s worked with law enforcement personnel and has contributed to the Toronto Police Service health and wellness program. John Paul has worked with bodybuilders, fitness models, athletes, and coaches ranging from amateur ranks to national-level caliber. John Paul is one of the premier trainers in Canada. Building a reputation for getting his clients in top shape quickly, his expertise has not gone unnoticed by other health practitioners who attend his private studio regularly for instruction. John Paul has attracted the attention of various fitness-related organizations seeking lectures and workshops. The list includes canfitpro, Certified Professional Trainers Network, Granite Club, Masters Swimming Canada, Ontario Kinesiology Association, Ontario Society for Health and Fitness, Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, and more. Those who experience his presentations have dubbed him “the man with an encyclopedic mind.”

Getting 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and other health problems. Check out this helpful infographic from the National Institute on Aging for 6 practical tips to improve your sleep: Looking for more strategies? Don’t miss this article:🔗 3 Tips to Improve Your Sleep

Here’s a great calf-building exercise I picked up from Paul Sklar. It’ll leave your calves feeling Tenderness—and if you’re watching with the sound on, you’ll know exactly what I mean! Dip belt calf raises are easy to do at home or in the gym using a standard chin/dip belt and some weight plates. You don’t…

Unilateral (one-side-at-a-time) training helps restore left-right symmetry that may have gone off track with constant bilateral work. When training both sides together, it’s common for the stronger side to take over. That applies to any bilateral movement—including seated calf raises. You’ve likely done seated calf raises before, but how often have you done them one…

Here’s an important message from physiotherapist Geoff Ford: arthritis is NOT an excuse to avoid exercise… in fact, it’s the reason to start! Bottom Line: Stop suffering from arthritis. Start exercising—and start living again.

Yesterday, my Oura readiness score was 94. I should have had a good workout—but I didn’t! The first exercise was bent-knee deadlifts, and my goal was to work up from 305 to 335 pounds in a step-loading fashion for five sets of five. I went to do my first work set, and it felt like…

Many strength coaches like myself preach quality over quantity. It’s not how much you do—it’s how you do it! Squats are no exception. When it comes to squats, a full range of motion with less weight often trumps a partial range of motion with more weight. Remember: work equals force times distance. You can increase…

It’s a good idea to pair antagonist (opposite) body parts or movement patterns in strength training. When it comes to primary exercises for the upper body, a pull-up pairs nicely with an overhead press and a row with a flat bench press. What about an incline press? The lean-away pull-up is a great choice. Take…

Here’s a great experiment conducted by nutrition coach Sam Karoll to see how much his body weight would change over the course of 24 hours: As you can see, it ranged from 182.8 to 191.2 pounds. That’s almost a 10-pound swing in a single day! Bottom line: Body weight can fluctuate quite a bit over…

Here’s a rack deadlift sequence that starts with less weight lifted through a longer range of motion and ends with more weight through a shorter range of motion. It’s done in three stages: STAGE 1Set the bar right below the knees on the side supports of a power rack. Position a sturdy step or box…

“When do you exercise?” I get asked that a lot. This is what my regimen looks like these days: Monday – Strength Training (Upper Body – Vertical Push/Pull Emphasis)Tuesday – Strength Training (Lower Body – Squat Emphasis)Wednesday – Walk (40-60 Minutes – Brisk Pace)Thursday – Strength Training (Upper Body – Horizontal Push/Pull Emphasis)Friday – Strength…