FLO FITNESS

What Kind of Trainer Are You?    I was listening to an interview and one of the trainers made a great point in the interview. She commented on what kind of a trainer do you want to be. I never really gave that much thought but it is very key in our industry. There are many different types of trainers and depending on what you want to achieve will depend on what kind of trainer you want to become. It will also dictate where you want to locate yourself.    Here are some of the types of trainers that I see and think are out there. This is no scientific study, this is just my opinion. I’m sure I have left some out but here is my list. These are the areas people “specialize” in. Sports Performance  Movement Patterns Flexibility Speed and Agility Power Lifting  Weight Loss (10-60lbs) Weight Loss (60-up) Elderly  High School Athlete  Celebrity  Pro Athlete  Wellness Rehab This was just a quick list. The point is, there are so many people out there doing different things. We need to stop judgi

Do athletic trainers train athletes? Heck yes! Is that all they do? Heck no! Although my teachers would frown on this statement, here goes; basically we are a combo of an EMT, PT, and personal trainer in one.  To become an athletic trainer (ATC), you must have either four years of your bachelors in athletic training, or four years in a health science and then generally two years of your masters. You also need a certain amount of clinical hours (a lot); both with a team (on field) and in a rehabilitation setting.  Once that is complete you must take the board of certification exam to become a certified and licensed athletic trainer in your state. Our job description is: from the Bureau of Labor;  "Athletic trainers help prevent and treat injuries for people of all ages. Their patients and clients include everyone from professional athletes to industrial workers. Recognized by the American Medical Association as allied health professionals, athletic trainers specialize in the pr

So today we filmed our first DVD with Rich Mejias from Leverage Training. At the start of the day I had a mix of emotions, mostly being a little nervous but also feeling great that after 13 years of training and complaining about weak DVD's I finally was ready to put out some quality stuff. Once we got to leverage to film the feeling of knowing that something special was going to happen began to creep in. I can't explain it but something just felt right. OZ showed up pumped and ready to go. Then Allison came with Terrel and they were fired up. Alex came with his camera and started shooting photos. Kevin showed up looking like a scruffy director/camera man. Last but not least Mr. Energia (Marc) walked in and it was go time! At first we stumbled over words and had to get some jitters out. Once things got going it just flowed (no pun intended). It's like Jay-Z once said, "You put the right artist with the right track, and let God in the room". As I sat back

One big problem that I have noticed is that trainers seem to go from one extreme to the other. They either know nothing and do not cue during a session or they suffer from OCD (over cueing disease). I know people are happy when they learn new techniques or ways to train but keep the cueing to a minimum. No client wants to hear you yap for the whole session about how to do the exercise. They just want to do it. My theory is talk for no more then a minute on how to do the exercise and then cue a few points during it. You might not be able to fix everything in one session. The key is to fix what they are majorly doing wrong and fix the finer details later on. The next issue I want to address is along the same line of the OCD trainers; it is talking over the clients head. I believe every trainer should study anatomy and physiology but most clients do not know the name of every muscle, origin, insertion, nerve innervation, fascial line, ligament, tendon, aponurosis, process, foramen, et

"Most people are living a "Treadmill Life". They increase the speed/difficulties and inclines/challenges they face, but yet get nowhere fast". -FLO It appears that recently I have been viewed as a "Life Coach" by some people. I think they trust my judgement and feel comfortable telling me things. I have been blessed with this gift that people trust the advice I give them. It is something that runs in my family. I remember my grandfather always having people at his house asking for advice and also my father always being the go to guy for help and guidance. I truly do love helping others, but I have come across one big problem, and that is the "Treadmill Life" The "Treadmill Life" is the lifestyle that so many people are living now and days. People are busy doing a million things, yet nothing they do is actually helping them achieve their goals in life. Clients say they are too busy to do this or that, and they are honestly busy b

People always ask what separates us from most other fitness places. It seems to be a long list of things that makes our training center unique. Today I will talking about out 5 minutes of Fun in each workout! At FLO we train many High School Athletes and they always seem to be stressed about school, sports and life in general. The pressure of today's Athletics is 10 fold of what it use to be, not only is it pressure from their coaches but there is also an expectation from the family and community. Most have forgotten how Fun sports are suppose to be. It has become a full time job to play a sport. This blog is not meant to give you an adolescent psychology lesson. We want to tell you how personal trainers can help ease the stress rather then add to it. So we introduced the Five minutes of Fun to our workouts. Basically what we have done is added a Fun and off the wall exercise to every workout. This helps to relax the Athlete and make them smile. You can literally see the

    I was in Hoboken last night by the water and was happy to see how many people were outside exercising and enjoying the nice summer weather. I love to sit and people watch. It is just habit for me at this point to analyze peoples gait patterns as they walk past me. Some of the things I was were surprising to me.  I was amazed to see all the different types of running form people had. Some people looked like they had never ran in their life while others looked like seasoned marathon runners.   I thought it would be a great idea for young fitness professional to use a park were people run as a practice tool. As the people ran by I tried to guess what pain issue they would have by the way they ran. I also looked at what pain issue they most likely currently have. In my head I began to develop a program for each person that ran by. Some people looked like they needed more core stability training while others needed basic strength training to correct form. The key is to go out and pract

To piggy back on Chris' post on balance, I want to highlight the importance of accountability. Accountability is the acknowledgement and assumption of responsibility toward an outcome. This is a huge concept to grasp and apply to your everyday living. In the realm of fitness, you must hold yourself accountable for creating the proper framework for your client to reach their fitness goals, (because SURPRISE your client probably holds you more accountable for their improvement than they do themselves). I think most personal trainers do this to a point, but have you ever not written down the exercises you did with your client? The sets, duration, reps, or work load? The modifications you had to make for them to complete the exercise? I know I have...and I've see the result of this action.  You start guessing what you did your previous session, and from that point you cannot properly progress your client. Instead of building a multi-story house; it stays on the ground level. Writ

Balance Your Workouts      This blog was inspired by Martin Rooney’s newest youtube video. If you have not seen it check out the link below and then finish reading our blog: http://youtu.be/H6P7U176yhI      The video is great for many reasons, but I feel the deeper issue behind it is lack of education. The problem is that most trainers get a cert and learn one way  of training and that’s all they ever do. I love the TRX but it is not the end all be all of fitness. It is a tool like everything else. I tell trainers that you can not build a house with just a hammer. I approach each client as a new house and find out what tools I need to make it a great house.      This blog is titled, Balance your workouts, because so many people have one sided ways of training. As you see in the video there are guys doing balance training with one leg and foam on their heads. Can that be used in a workout? Yes, but not the whole darn workout. Can a shoulder press be used in a workout? Yes, but not 20 se

Ever hear an apple a day will keep the doctor away? Truth of the matter is, it can help great amounts. Evidence suggests that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. They have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol.  In the United States, as well as in most industrialized countries, cardiovascular disease and cancer are ranked as the top two leading causes of death. The causes of both diseases have been linked to lifestyle choices, and one of the most important is diet. The problem with that is most diets are "S.A.D". The  S tandard A merican  D iet. Which is poor in nutrition, lacks minerals, vitamins, and necessary proteins vital for human growth.  Apples contain a wide variety of phytochemicals, many of which have been found to have strong antioxidant activity and anticancer activity. In general,

So I finally went to Tiki Bar for the first time ever, after my buddy Terrell has been begging me to go for like two years. We got thru the crowd and found a spot to chill and relax. While there I was speaking with my friend Tracy and she pointed out that every guy had the same exact body shape. It was insane! Big chest, arms, shoulders and some traps. It was mirror muscle central. Now I must make one thing clear, dudes looked jacked and I am not hating on them. I just fear that they are not being taught how to train the body as a whole. Doing sooooooo much anterior chain exercise is bound to cause injuries in the future. I wondered how many people had some form of impingment in their shoulders. The second thing that was said and the reason I am writing this blog was from Jannel. She said, "When did being in shape become a fad?". I thought that was so powerful. People got jacked, not for power or for sport, but to look good at the shore. I think it's sad that people