Aug 28
When was the last time you got down on the floor and back up again without reaching for a chair, a coffee table, or a nearby wall? For some of us, we might not think twice about this. A new grandchild might change that. Toddlers and boisterous seven-year-olds don’t do their business at table height. …
Aug 23
Who is more likely to develop lower back pain, the framer who hoists heavy lumber all day or the programmer who has spent twenty years at a desk? Most of us would bet on the framer. Heavy lifting looks dangerous, and desk work looks harmless. However, an underused, deconditioned back can cause as many problems …
Aug 15
Have you ever wondered what makes a personal trainer happy? It’s likely the first guesses would be watching a client lose ten pounds, add fifty pounds to their bench press, or cross the finish line of their first marathon. Those accomplishments are worth celebrating. However, the moments that warm a trainer’s heart the most are …
Jul 10
An engaging and fun activity after a day of labor is playing a recreational sport. Golf, tennis, pickleball, running, and biking are some of the most popular sports among our personal training clients. Engaging in sports requires physical capabilities and athleticism, including the ability to endure long periods of potentially strenuous activity, consistent practice to …
Jul 03
“Imagine if your arms and legs magically disappeared from the armpits and hips. All the muscles in the region between the armpits and hips are your core.” These were the words of the fitness director who supervised me at a gym I worked at many moons ago. I was selected to teach a small-group fitness …
Jun 13
Osteoporosis can be defined as a condition in which bones gradually lose density and become more porous and brittle over time. As the inner structure of the bone thins and hollows, the risk of a fracture increases. Ordinary daily moments that most of us never think twice about begin to carry more weight. This becomes …
Jun 05
“All I did was bend over to pick up a bag of dog food,” Wolfgang explained as he eased himself onto the bench at the beginning of his training session, clearly wincing in pain as he put his hand on his lower back. “I hear about people throwing their backs out moving couches or refrigerators. …
May 19
Somewhere between the ages of six and eighteen months, humans accomplish one of the most remarkable feats in our species’ physical development. We figure out how to crawl, and not long after, we push ourselves up onto two wobbly legs and begin walking. Becoming bipedal is one of the defining traits that make humans unique. …
May 08
It’s not unusual to hear that a person invests decades of their life giving their all to support their career and family. Whether logging years in a physically demanding trade or being active in high school, collegiate, or recreational sports, a common bodily signal tends to surface in one’s forties, fifties, and beyond. The knees …
May 02
Injuries, joint conditions, and pain-producing areas among our personal training clients commonly occur in the lower back, knees, and shoulders. In terms of which area of the body is most affected by pain, the lower back seems to be public enemy number one, followed by the knees as the second most compromised area, and in …
