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.”

Various opinions will always exist on any form of training. Balance, agility, and plyometric training are no exceptions. Let’s take a look at what some of the experts have to say about them. The Role of Balance in Sport According to a former professor of mine, Dr. Tudor Bompa, balance has never been perceived as…

About 10 years ago, I had a conversation with a well-respected orthopedic surgeon known as “the knee guy” in the Greater Toronto Area. He was about to see a patient who had undergone 10 knee surgeries and was seeking yet another one. In the surgeon’s words: The buck stops here. Each surgery performed complicates the…

Should athletes train strength and power on the same day or alternate days? The best approach depends on the goal. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that alternating strength and power training on separate days led to greater improvements in lower-limb and whole-body power, while training them on the…

I came across this unique abdominal exercise about a decade ago in The Bodybuilding Truth by Nelson Montana. According to Montana, abdominal development is largely genetic, and traditional movements like sit-ups and leg raises are more effective for the psoas (hip flexors) than for the abs. He argues that the abdominals respond best to contraction…

During high-intensity training phases, a lower training volume means less energy expended. It’s important to adjust your calorie intake accordingly—otherwise, you risk storing excess calories as body fat. One way to manage this is by reducing carbohydrate intake, particularly post-workout. In fact, if body composition is a concern, you can skip post-workout carbs entirely and…

A great way to structure strength training is by pairing antagonist (opposing) body parts or movement patterns. This method helps increase range of motion, promote muscle balance around a joint, enhance recovery between sets, and ultimately improve performance—all of which lead to better results. Some common antagonist pairings include: Now, here’s a question for you:…

Q: After a workout last Wednesday I came home and immediately fell asleep. Upon awakening I found myself unable to breathe. For the next three days I was very ill with quite severe respiratory distress and was pretty much bedridden. Sunday I woke up feeling much better so I decided to do my Saturday workout…

“There’s nothing sexy whatsoever with good old-fashioned weight training!” – Charles Staley Strength coach and athlete Charles Staley made this point during an interview on the Super Strength Show. He believes that, to an outsider, weight training seems boring. “That’s why you can’t make a reality show out of it,” he says. “If you try…

In this article, we’ll explore how strength training can improve posture. I won’t bore you with why so-called “ideal” posture is important—you can read my article Woman’s Posture from a Man’s Perspective for that—but I will offer practical tips to correct poor posture. Addressing Muscle Imbalances for Better Posture Effective corrective exercise should focus on:✅…

The bench press is one of the most popular exercises in the gym, but how many people train the opposite movement? Think about what happens to your shoulders and posture after weeks, months, or even years of pressing without balancing it with pulling exercises. Over time, this imbalance can lead to poor posture and shoulder…