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.”

Staying up to date with scientific research can give you a competitive edge as a personal trainer. Here are some recent findings that can enhance your knowledge and improve your clients’ results: A New RPE Scale for Resistance Training Ratings of perceived exertion are a valid method of estimating the intensity of a resistance training…

Did you know that simply shifting your grip on a dumbbell can change muscle activation? Using an offset grip—where you hold the dumbbell closer to one side—tips the balance and increases recruitment of specific muscle fibers. For example, in biceps curls, positioning your hand toward the outer edge of the dumbbell targets the short head…

Ever notice that women and endurance athletes can perform more reps at a given intensity than the average guy? That’s because they typically have a higher percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers, making them more resistant to fatigue at submaximal loads. Research backs this up: Endurance Capacity of Untrained Males and Females (Maughan et al., 1986)…

Want to lift heavier? Try tricking your nervous system with these three advanced warm-up strategies: 1. Postactivation Potentiation (PAP) for Strength Gains Gradually ramp up your low-rep warm-up sets beyond your working weight. This primes your nervous system, making your work sets feel lighter and allowing you to lift more. 2. Chain-Loaded Warm-Ups for Speed…

Every personal trainer has heard this line a thousand times: “I need to start working out. I’m going to come see you.” Most people never follow through. At a recent party, my wife and I ran into someone we hadn’t seen in a while. Sure enough, he uttered those famous words—but not before this exchange:…

Bright blue light is great during the day—but at night, it can disrupt your sleep. One solution is orange-tinted glasses (see Why I Wear My Sunglasses at Night) to block blue light exposure. Another is software like f.lux to filter blue light from your computer screen. And now, thanks to Apple’s iOS 9.3 update, your…

Grade 9 was quite an experience—a new school, new classmates, and new teachers. But one teacher stood out more than the others: Mr. Carter, our physical education teacher. Think of him as a military sergeant in sweats. By the end of the school year, he had whipped us into shape—and his secret weapon? Push-ups. Lots…

Sometimes the best learning moments happen after a presentation—during the Q&A session. Take, for example, a talk given by Dr. Christopher Gardner, titled “The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (at Losing)?” The presentation itself was informative, but some of the most valuable insights emerged after it ended, during the Q&A session. (Watch the…

I’m a stickler for sleep hygiene. When I say my room resembles a cave, I’m not joking! The temperature is cool, there’s no sound, and it’s pitch black—so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. These ideal conditions help me sleep well every night. I usually go to bed just after…

My 6-year-old son has become a wizard on digital devices. Hand him an iPhone, iPad, or iMac, and he’s right at home. Of course, I’m not a big fan of Wi-Fi, so I make sure he keeps any mobile device in airplane mode as much as possible. I’m also not a fan of the posture-destroying,…