For more suggestions, check out Do You Find Strength Workouts Boring?
The state of strength training in North America is outdated. We seem to be many years behind the Europeans in this field. Most of the curriculum in our schools today deals with aerobic training spurred by the Dr. Kenneth Cooper movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. To make matters worse, the value of…
In my small home gym, I have three dedicated machines for calf training: a standing calf raise unit that goes up to 600 pounds, a seated calf raise machine, and a step platform equipped with a handle for one-leg calf raises. These are the sort of machines that you see in large commercial gyms, but…
For more tips, check out The Business of Personal Training: 20 Principles to Success.
Some guys seek size at any expense. They don’t care if their joints take a beating in the process. To them it’s “carpe diem,” seize the day and screw tomorrow! Others are more along the lines of “been there, done that,” and joint health takes a bit more priority then getting huge. A day without…
In Part 2 of this series, we take a look at how aesthetics affects the exercises you select for your clients. Check it out!
Exercise selection is based on two main factors: health and aesthetics. Listen in as I break down the important components of each factor that you must consider when creating a training program for your clients.
Much like my dietary advice, this article will go against the grain, so to speak. Every personal trainer is taught that they must go through a thorough assessment with their clients. The more information they gather, the better. Well, after 20 years in this business, I do far less assessing and far more guessing –…
Here’s an excerpt from my new book The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional… Needs Analysis After a training goal is established, conduct a needs analysis of both the individual (i.e., current biomotor abilities, health status, past and present injuries, somatotype or body type, availability for training) and the sport/activity (i.e., optimal biomotor…
Eccentric training will catapult strength and athletic performance to a new level if used appropriately. In order to lift a weight, muscular force must exceed the downward force of a load. The opposite occurs when you lower a weight – motor units are turned off until the downward force of the load is greater than…