Plantar Fasciopathy: Tips to Relieve Heel Pain
Whether you’ve experienced it yourself or have clients who have complained of it, you’ve likely heard of plantar fasciopathy, or more likely, plantar fasciitis. It is a common injury and the most common cause of heel pain, affecting 1 in 10 people in their lifetime. So, what is it exactly and how can we reduce […]
Training Through Heel Pain: Plantar Fasciopathy
It is not uncommon for clients to come to us with pre-existing injuries, or to experience pain or discomfort at some point. Generally speaking, injuries will require time to rest and recover, but this doesn’t always mean taking a break from training entirely. In the case of plantar fasciopathy, a common injury affecting 1 in […]
Understanding Quadratus Lumborum: What Personal Trainers Need to Know
The Quadratus Lumborum (QL) muscles, a common source of lower back pain, are located on either side of the lumbar spine. While they are situated at the lower back between the pelvis and the lowest ribs, and thus commonly referred to as a low back muscle, these muscles are considered to be the deepest abdominal […]
The Boxer’s Muscle: Serratus Anterior
Serratus anterior is often referred to as “the boxer’s muscle” because it is largely responsible for protraction of the scapula – the forward movement of the shoulder blade that takes place, like when someone throws a punch. But even if our clients never step in the boxing ring, this muscle is important for personal trainers […]
Psoas: The Fight or Flight Muscle
The psoas muscle is one that is talked about often– whether an athlete is blaming it for “tight” hips or when a yoga instructor claims that a stretch is going to release it. You may have even heard that it is also considered the “fight-or-flight” muscle. But what does this mean? What is the psoas? […]
Re-establishing Boundaries and Setting New Policies
Having policies in place as a fitness professional is vital to establishing boundaries early on when working with a client. But oftentimes, we learn as we go and don’t realize the need for a specific policy or boundary until something happens. In other cases, enforcement of these policies is loosened over time and longtime clients […]
5 Rules For Shooting “Gym Videos”
Working in the fitness industry, it is not uncommon for our news feeds on social media to be full of various gym videos. We may see folks videoing themselves hitting a PR, trainers sharing videos of their clients, or posting ideas for workouts their followers can do at home. We may have also seen videos […]
Understanding the Vastus Muscles
The quadriceps femoris muscles (quads) are the most voluminous muscles in the body— the quad muscles together contain more mass than any other muscle group— the general population knows where their quads are: on the front of the thigh between the hip and knee joints. What may not be as familiar are the names and functions […]
Understanding and Training the Quadriceps
Given that the quadriceps muscles are the largest muscle complex in the body, they are important to understand in depth and to focus on in training with clients. Training the quads can help to create or restore balance in the lower limbs, reduce knee pain and support daily function. Quadriceps Muscles The quads are often […]
How Personal Trainers Can Handle Injured Clients Return to Exercise
As trainers, a lot of our work involves doing all we can to prevent injuries from occurring. Unfortunately, injuries still happen both under our watch and in our clients personal lives, so we are also tasked with supporting our clients when they are returning to exercise after injury. Whether our clients are excited and enthusiastic […]