β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, better known as HMB in the bodybuilding world, is touted as being a safe and effective way to improve body composition, aid in recovery and illicit strength gains. HMB is universally recognized as safe and is included under the list of permissible substances according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In other words, HMB…
Chronic pain is a condition that can have a negative impact on your overall health and quality of life. It is commonly defined as a constant or intermittent pain that lasts more than 12 weeks and can be caused by an injury, disease, or medical condition. Unfortunately, a study found that the burden…
Lateral hip pain is a fairly common ailment and more often than not, people are resorting to clamshells and glute stretches to deal with it. Sound familiar? But what if these common fixes for lateral hip pain can actually make it worse? Lateral hip pain is often associated with poor lateral stability of the pelvis…
Leucine has been called the “most important” amino acid because it promotes muscle growth and recovery. As an essential amino acid (EAA), leucine must be supplied through diet or supplements. Consuming a balanced ratio of EAA stimulates protein synthesis—adequate leucine intake maximizes this effect. Here are the science based best practices for integrating leucine into…
Training to “failure” has always been a hot topic in the fitness industry, with many diverging opinions and ideas that can make it hard to clarify how one should approach their training. For this reason, one of the goals of my PhD research is to help elucidate the influence of “proximity-to-failure” on muscle hypertrophy….
Claudia Micco, YogaFit Senior Mastertrainer Can an ancient mind-body and exercise practice that combines movement, meditation, and breathing help our clients with chronic pain? Yes! There is evidence that Yoga can be a helpful tool to cope with the day to day realities of chronic pain. Yoga, not unlike many exercise programs, places its emphasis…
Alexis Batrakoulis, PhD(c), MS, CSCS, CSPS, NSCA-CPT, RCPT*E; ACSM–EP, CPT, EIM II; ACE-CMES, CHC, CPT; NASM-CES, PES It is well known and evidence-based that epidemic of obesity has grown at an alarming rate among adults and children, both at Asian and worldwide level (1). If we realize the fact that this epidemic is highly associated with…
One of the most frequently asked questions in the fitness industry is: “How many repetitions should I perform for any given exercise?” If you are expecting a simple, straight-forward answer, forget it. Bodybuilding great Mike Mentzer was an advocate of performing one to two well-performed sets to failure for a given exercise, and kept his…
By Ranell Hobson, MS (Sp. Coach); BA (Db Mj: Sp. Sci & Coach.); Grad Dip (Edu -VET); CSCS (NSCA); ASCA L2; ATFCA L3 Also leading our Maximising Running Performance Course on 17th & 18th August 2018 If runners of all distances took strength training seriously then they would most likely see a dramatic decrease in…
Part 1 of 2 By Andrew Telfer International Educator for upcoming NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist Course Back when I was first starting off as a trainer I had a tendency to focus on the science of training at the cost of ignoring all those boring soft skills I memorized while earning my CPT…
