NFPT Blog

A free health and fitness resource for personal trainers
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

Seasonal Affective Disorder: How Personal Trainers Can Help Clients See the Light

For those of us who are winter sports enthusiasts, the onset of colder weather signals the beginning of snow-related fun. Yet for others, the shorter days and colder temperatures trigger a cascade of symptoms that are anything but pleasant. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and moodiness are symptoms commonly associated with what scientists have termed Seasonal Affective Disorder, or quite aptly, SAD.

READ MORE
Calorie

What Is a Calorie? Personal Trainers Need to Know!

Weight loss to improve cardiovascular health is a high priority of the American Heart Association because approximately 34 percent of the population is overweight.
The most basic and fundamental law that governs whether you gain weight or lose weight is the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one type to another. For our purposes here, the most common unit of energy measure is the calorie.

READ MORE
Knee

Knee Anatomy Structure and Injuries

For decades the leg extension, squat, leg press and lunge have all been used by general fitness clients, rehab patients and elite athletes alike without much on the side of specific research to help the fitness coach in determining which exercise to use or recommend for a specific goal or need. To understand the concepts and summaries of this article let’s start by taking an in-depth look at the internal components of the knee.

READ MORE
barefeet and shoes

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It–or Don’t: Transitioning to Barefoot Running

Most avid runners will describe their chosen sport as liberating, challenging, a great way to commune with nature and, most of all, simplistic in its equipment requirements. One can just don a pair of high-quality running shoes and hit the open road. Or might it be even easier than that? In recent years, a debate has begun to surface regarding the most optimal choice of footwear when running.

READ MORE
Strength Training for Children and Adolescents

Strength Training for Children and Adolescents

 

Many parents focus on helping their child reach their full academic potential, with tutoring, homework, and structure.  Children have an athletic potential as well that is often overlooked, or taught that team sports alone will help them reach it.  While I don’t discount the importance of learning teamwork, team sports alone will not help a child reach that potential.  If they excel at a sport or sports, getting them involved early in strength and conditioning training can mean the difference between playing at the varsity level, possible college scholarship, or reaching the dream of professional sports.
OLYMPIC LIFTS

Olympic Weightlifting Methods

When trainers hear about Olympic weightlifting they immediately think of two things: either taking a loaded barbell and ripping it off the floor in one violent motion with minimal technique, or that the lifts are detrimental and deleterious to the health and well being of the person doing the lifts. These two assumptions highlight a vast miscomprehension of Olympic weightlifting.

 

READ MORE