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.”

Guest Blog by Mary Catanzaro In my never-ending quest to prepare healthy and tasty dinners, I decided to try the zucchini noodle dish I’ve been reading about on several Paleo sites and blogs. You can also make this meal using spaghetti squash roasted in the oven for 45 minutes. Zoodles Ingredients: Directions: Bolognese (Meat) Sauce…

These days, my two girls practically live at the dance studio preparing for their upcoming competitions. Often, they’re not around for dinner, so it’s just me, my wife, and our five-year-old son. Usually, after we finish our meal, I’ll make an espresso for my wife and me, and we’ll sit and chat for a while….

If you think the anti-ice movement is gaining steam, you’re right! Here’s a recent study on the topic: Does Regular Post-exercise Cold Application Attenuate Trained Muscle Adaptation?Yamane M, Ohnishi N, Matsumoto T. Int J Sports Med. 2015 Mar 11. This study examined the effects of regular post-exercise cold application on muscular and vascular adaptations induced…

Here are two common questions in the strength world: You’ll find experts on both sides of the debate, but the truth is that any stimulus works for a period of time until you adapt. However, there’s a way to combine these methods within a single workout for a powerful response. Here’s how to do it……

My eldest client is 87 years young, and I’ve had the privilege of training her twice a week since 1998. When we first met, she was showing early signs of osteopenia, and her doctor recommended weight-bearing exercise. I got the call, and since then, bone health has never been an issue for her. She’s thriving…

Recent research has shown that strength, rather than endurance, is the key to maintaining functional capacity in aging adults. One of the biggest concerns for seniors, especially women, is osteoporosis. We often hear about seniors falling and breaking bones, but the reality is that their bones often break first, causing them to fall. Weight-bearing exercise…

Dutch exercise physiologist Dr. Jan Voss was one of the early researchers of muscle fiber types. As part of his research, Voss performed numerous muscle biopsies on himself and observed that the color of his gastrocnemius muscle tissue would change from week to week. Sometimes, there was a predominance of red (slow-twitch) fibers; other times,…

I remember as a kid playing street hockey almost every night after school until it was so dark outside, you couldn’t see the ball anymore. If the weather allowed, we were outside playing. You don’t see that kind of thing nowadays. I think most parents would love to see their children being more active, but…

We have a real problem on our hands. More and more children are becoming obese, and the numbers keep rising. Something needs to be done to reverse this trend. Two critical areas of concern are proper eating habits and adequate physical activity. There are other contributing factors, of course, but we’ll focus on the “big…

An offset grip, sometimes referred to as an “off-center” grip, is often used during arm curls to increase activation of the short (medial) head of the biceps. The same concept can be applied to lateral raises. By using an offset grip—where the thumb and index finger are positioned against the front plate of the dumbbell—you…