THE KINETIC CHAIN AND HOW TO APPLY IT By NASM Dana Bender The human body is not made up of isolated segments of muscles, bones, connective tissue, and ligaments. Rather, the body is a series of interconnected parts that all impact each other. This impact can either...
Top Fitness Trends of 2024 by ELEIKO Education Team 2024 will be an exciting year for fitness enthusiasts and professionals. The health and fitness industry will continue to see robust underlying growth driven in part by megatrends, including an ageing and more active...
Alcohol and Sleep : The truth behind your Nightcap by Darlene Marshall ALCOHOL AND SLEEP Alcohol is the oldest and still one of the most widely used, mind-altering substances. It is so common and accepted in our culture that you may take it for granted. Yet, you might...
How 2024 is Shaping up to be the Year of Health Resolutions! WELCOME TO 2024: A FRESH SPIN ON HEALTH AND FITNESS RESOLUTIONS As the New Year’s Eve confetti settles and 2024 unfolds, we at NASM are excited to share the responses from a recently commissioned...
How Lifestyle and Technology can Accelerate Recovery from Exercise Authors: Therabody Scientists: Tim Roberts, MSc; Kyle Silvey, PhD; Michelle Darian, MS, MPH, RD, LDN Recovery is the body’s intentional pursuit of better health, wellness, and performance. The body is...
Unlocking Wellness: Navigating the 3 Pillars of the Health Triangle by Darlene Marshall Are you someone who struggles with balancing your well-being? With all the health and wellness information available it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, unsure how to spend your time,...
NASM Strength on a Plate : The Weightlifting Diet Guide by Andre Adams One of the biggest struggles for most people—whether they are just starting their weightlifting journey or are seasoned lifters—is understanding proper nutrition. This blog is great for anyone that...
Why the Achilles Complex is so Vulnerable by Gray Institute According to Greek mythology, Achilles was a dominant warrior who seemed invulnerable to his opponents. That is, until Paris fatally shot Achilles in his heel—the one and only place Paris knew that Achilles...
Kinsey Mahaffey Stay Updated with NASM! What better way to finish a workout than by doing some moves that will put the exclamation mark at the end of your session? You know, the kind of moves that get the heart rate up and the muscles burning. These kinds of finishing...
DR. ALLISON J. BRAGER Sleep and rest are crucial to our overall well-being. In fact, getting too little or even too much sleep can adversely affect our day-to-day physical health, energy levels, nutrition and mental well-being. In the recently published “The...
By Dana Bender Are you prioritizing mobility enhancement in your current fitness and performance goals? With summertime in full swing, it’s the ideal opportunity to conduct a mid-year evaluation of your physical tightness and mobility – especially in your hips....
Summer is finally here. The days a longer, the sun is warmer, and the activities available are exploding. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or neglect our wellness in the burst of activity, so here’s NASM’s summer back-to-basics wellness guide from a...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY Every year when the temperatures start heating up, we all think the same thing: “How is the summer here already?!” Ready or not, beach season has officially arrived, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve completely missed the boat on getting your body...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! Since its founding in the 1980s, the field of coaching has continued to evolve. As part of that evolution, many types of specialized coaching have emerged. These niches in coaching use similar foundations of coaching skillsets,...
JACQUELINE KAMINSKI | STAY UPDATED WITH NASM! Have you always wanted to gain more knowledge and coaching-specific skills when it comes to nutrition? Well, luckily for you, NASM offers three courses to help you get a very thorough education and certify you to use your...
Brad Dieter Stay Updated with NASM! Heart disease and diabetes are among the leading causes of death and decreased quality of life, and they account for most healthcare-related costs around the world. As such, it is reasonable to say that such diseases are arguably...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! The International Coaching Federation (ICF) estimates that in 2023 there will be 93,000 certified health and fitness coaches worldwide. Chances are you’ve encountered coaches with many niches including wellness, career,...
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) estimates that in 2023 there will be 93,000 certified health and fitness coaches worldwide. Chances are you’ve encountered coaches with many niches including wellness, career, relationship, and executive coaches. When...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! While most people know their lifestyle behaviors impact physical and mental health, many individuals and groups struggle to meet basic recommendations for movement, healthful nutrition, proper rest and sleep, and stress...
Nicole Golden Stay Updated with NASM! We live in a culture that glorifies overworking and under-recovering. This is true in all disciplines; whether you work in an office or hospital, or are an athlete. We are often taught from a young age with very full schedules,...
Kinsey Mahaffey Stay Updated with NASM! Rest is an aspect of recovery that focuses on improving daily sleep amount and quality, limiting stress, and increasing physical and psychological relaxation. Of course, your body needs to rest after a tough workout, but how can...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! Saturday, April 22nd is Earth Day and along with considering each of our impacts on the planet, you might think about how your relationship to our world impacts wellness and wellbeing. There’s growing evidence that time spent...
KINSEY MAHAFFEY STAY UPDATED WITH NASM! Over half of the working population works in a corporate setting (Barrows 2021). Corporate jobs are notorious for being sedentary in nature, high-stress, with long hours, and easy access to low-nutrition foods (hello, breakroom...
Andre Adams Stay Updated with NASM! With all of the information and supplements in the fitness and wellness industry, it can be very overwhelming trying to decide what the best pre-, intra-, and post-workout supplementation is based on your specific goals.In this blog...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! April is National Stress Awareness Month, and you might find that your feeds are full of posts on meditation, mindfulness, and other tools that we’ve all heard can help manage stress. But there’s often something important...
Jacqueline Kaminski Stay Updated with NASM! The gut is also known as the second brain. While our gut can’t solve math equations, it is responsible for helping us digest and disperse proper nutrients that play integral roles in our overall health, immunity,...
Jacqueline Kaminski Stay Updated with NASM! Should you eat before your workout? That is a rhetorical question… the answer is always of course.An entire area of research dedicated to pre-workout fueling wouldn’t exist if there weren’t documented benefits to its...
Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! Spring is about to be sprung. It’s a time to fling open our windows, clean out our closets, and for many people a time to revisit your wellness plan for 2023. Part of designing a wellness plan is scheduling periodic pulse...
Dana Bender Stay Updated with NASM! It is important to tailor personal exercise programs towards specific performance or health outcome goals. That said, if your goal for exercising is weight reduction, then it will be important to prioritize the metabolic impact of...
Jacqueline Kaminski Stay Updated with NASM! New year, new you, right? It’s been over a month of 2023 and it’s a good stopping point to see if you’ve stayed true to the health and fitness goals you set for yourself.Unfortunately, many, people tend to revert to old...
By Andre Adams Stay Updated with NASM! In the sport of bodybuilding, accountability is a staple of your success. The trait can help you in many other areas. The same principles that make you a successful competitive bodybuilding athlete mirror qualities that will help...
By DARLENE MARSHALL According to data published by Mintel in 2022, 78% of American exercisers responding to their survey said that mental and emotional well-being was their top reason for exercising. This marks the first time since Mintel began recording data on the...
By Ryan Fairall One of the most important things a certified personal trainer can do is build out their new clients’ unique workout and training programs before diving in. These assessments help the trainer seek out opportunities for growth while also understanding...
By Krystal Say Along with being a TRX Master Instructor, TRX Training Club Yoga Instructor, and owner of SWEAT Power Yoga, Krystal Say is one of the passionate creators of TRX for Yoga. She is here to explain how the Suspension Trainer can be the ultimate support tool...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Every New Year, many of us decide it is time to make a change to our lifestyle. Oftentimes, this inkling towards lifestyle change involves developing healthier habits, such as cleaner eating or beginning an exercise program.Each year, we begin this...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY You’ve worked hard, made changes in your diet and exercise routine, and you’ve reached your goal weight – congratulations! Losing weight is no easy feat, but the work doesn’t stop there. The next challenge in your health and fitness journey is...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Rest days: the bane of every fitness enthusiast’s existence, or perhaps the favourite day of the week! Either way, the biggest question everyone has is what the best foods are to consume to build muscle and stay on track. When it comes to...
By Nicole Golden We are approaching the end of another year and many of us are thinking about adopting a healthier lifestyle as we approach the new year. Are you in this group looking to improve your health as we approach 2023?Perhaps you feel somewhat intimidated and...
By Darlene Marshall Stay Updated with NASM! It’s nearly the New Year and for many people, this moment of transition inspires self-reflection and a look toward what’s next. Often the new calendar year means resolutions and intense goal setting; yet, for many, the last...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI The beginning of every new year always starts with a resolution to eat healthier, right? And the origin of said resolution derives from the back-to-back holidays that occur between October through December. If you aren’t tempted to snack on your...
Posted by Lynne Skilton-Hayes High-intensity interval training (HIIT) continues to be a staple in group fitness classes. A high-intensity bout of work followed by a short rest period, repeated several times, gets results—and everyone likes results! How can you take...
By ANDRE ADAMS Have you ever wondered how top bodybuilders manage to hit their macros and meal prep while travelling? Whether you’re a fitness professional or just trying to stay on track with your weight management goals, here are some helpful tips to keep you on...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Healthy eating is an important staple of wellness, yet with fads centred around “clean eating” and the number of diets claiming their way is the best way, it can be a challenge to know what is healthy. Is it possible to take clean eating too...
By NASM With the hot weather upon us in the northern hemisphere, this marks a time for many to get outdoors and enjoy the warm weather, but caution should always be exercised given the potential risks for dehydration. Fluid is perhaps the most important, but least...
By Jacqueline Kaminski Sodium intake seems to be somewhat of an issue here in America. Even national dietary guidelines for Americans urge dietary habits that would inevitably decrease total intakes such as minimizing intake of processed meats and dairy products (1)....
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI SUGAR IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL…right? Or is this school of thought somewhat outdated? Sugar… Let’s talk about it! Since it is a very sensitive subject.First, let’s discuss what sugar is. Sugar is a collection of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen units...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI What is the greatest superfood on earth? Does one even exist? Well, that question remains to be seen… Of all the foods we have available, there are always certain boxes we want to check off before we consider something a “superfood”. Does it...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Ask 100 different people to define “purpose” and you’ll likely get as many different answers as possible. The purpose is often elusive, both in its definition and our personal sense of purpose. Yet there’s a strong connection between purpose,...
By DANA BENDER The postpartum time period is most often associated with physical recovery from fatigue and the strain of labour and delivery. It is typically defined as the first six weeks after a vaginal delivery or eight weeks after a cesarean one. In addition to...
By Nicole Golden The 30s are the decade of life that has its pros. Likely, you are beginning to feel established in a career, are looking at purchasing a home, and enjoy a more comfortable life. However, you have likely noticed that you may feel a little stiffer in...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Muscles aren’t just for men! Women need muscle too… and ladies, while you may not want muscles as big as men (or maybe you do), I think most women can agree it seems like everything on the market is geared to helping men build muscle, not women!...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Are you ever in the middle of a workout and then BOOM… it hits you? Your muscle is locked up, the pain sets in, and you need to take a bit of a breather to handle the discomfort. I think all of us at one point in time have experienced this...
By MARIA DIGIUSEPPE As we get older, our shapes and sizes can change and no matter how long you’re working out or how fit you are, it may be difficult to accept the change or maintain a positive body image. A positive body image can impact your life in many ways,...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Why is it that some people, regardless of the industry they work in, the challenges they face, or their stage in life seem to remain optimistic and solution-focused? They take feedback well, roll with challenges, and make great teammates.If it...
By CHRIS FREDERICK In a previous blog that compared static vs dynamic stretching, the NASM OPT model delineates what type of stretching is used at specific levels of training clients. This is especially important to know if you’re a Stretching and Flexibility...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness can hamper performance in sports and training. Speeding up the rate of recovery can mean better performance and bigger gains in the long term. Good nutrition, rest, and optimal hydration are the staples...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were over 54 million adults aged 65 and older in the U.S. in 2021, and the number is projected to continue to rise over the next 30 years. Staying physically active is incredibly important for this...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Are you mentally tough? When life presents its inevitable challenges do you rise, seeing them as an opportunity to grow? Or do you find yourself ducking under the covers?One pandemic buzzword has been “resilience”, the ability to experience a...
by NICOLE GOLDEN As coaches and fitness enthusiasts, we often think of nutrition as a variable to manipulate to achieve weight loss, strength gain, a specific body composition, or to enhance performance in sports and recreational activities. However, the thought of...
By ANDRE ADAMS If you’re looking for an exercise program to help you effectively build mass, you may be looking for something to do with hypertrophy training. Similar to classic strength training, the goals of hypertrophy are different. One focuses on building...
By DARLENE MARSHALL When you think about employer-provided wellness programs what comes to mind? Many people think of tech companies in the 2010s with meditation rooms, napping pods, flexible workspaces, and kitchenettes full of snacks. Since then, meaningful wellness...
By DARLENE MARSHALL There is a wide array of human emotions and experiences. Each of us inevitably feels a mixture of pleasant, challenging, positive, and difficult emotions, and feeling the range of reactions is natural and healthy. When life gets challenging of...
By MARIA DIGIUSEPPE I take for granted that I get up daily and know I’m going to do exercise. It’s the way I think, but it’s NOT the way everyone thinks. It’s my routine because I’m a personal trainer. Most people think it’s easy...
By BRAD DIETER Low carbohydrate diets have become a very popular tool for weight loss over the last several decades. While much of the scientific rationale behind why they are utilized for weight loss, such as the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis, has largely been...
By LEE MURPHY Diet and exercise are the primary pillars of a healthy lifestyle plan. But can coordinating eating and workout schedules improve our fitness results? And if so, how should our eating patterns differ before, during, and after activities? Melding a...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Many of us (and our clients) have a fixation on the weight scale. We judge our fitness, progress, and unfortunately, at times, self-worth, based on that number that appears on the scale when we step on it first thing in the morning. While the bathroom...
By DANA BENDER “Why do I have no self-control with unhealthy foods?” is a common question a person might ask themselves after he or she makes the impulsive choice to eat junk food. This is especially true if there is an established goal related to eating healthier,...
By NICOLE GOLDEN Chronic pain is defined as any pain from an injury or condition lasting more than 12 weeks. Many potential clients seeking a certified personal trainer, yoga class, or corrective exercise specialist do so in hopes of using exercise to mitigate chronic...
by DANA BENDER Adaptation was a key theme while navigating the impacts of the pandemic. This adaptation was a necessity related to various aspects of daily life such as how we grocery shopped, spent time with family and friends, and even worked out to stay fit and...
By DANA BENDER There is a multitude of reasons why individuals commit to a regular exercise routine. Engaging in a regular exercise routine is not only a tool used to improve the physical dimension of wellness but also its emotional one. Often the choice to engage in...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI If you go to the gym regularly, you want every workout to count right? You don’t spend all that time exercising to just waste your time and energy! So, to get the most out of your workouts and maximize your muscle growth, we’ve compiled a list...
By Dana Bender Self-care is a word that keeps emerging in news articles and company-wide employee emails during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the unprecedented stress many individuals face, some companies are re-establishing their Employee Assistance Program (EAP)...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI If you’re an avid gym user, friends with a bodybuilder, or sat in on a novice nutrition course I’m sure you’ve heard of the term “macros” or “counting macros.” But what is the significance? Do you need to count macros to be healthy? Have no...
By DR. ALLISON BRAGER According to the Center for Disease Control, the National Sleep Foundation, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, our nation’s sleep debt is an increasingly pervasive problem. The industry of sleep medications, supplements, mattresses, and...
Written by Nick English Labelled as “The Birthplace of Intermittent Fasting,” we know that such titles are often exaggerated on the internet, but Lean gains have a claim to the throne. This is where the popular 16/8 fasting method started for strength athletes....
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI When you’re on the way to the gym, what’s the best snack to grab? A granola bar? An apple? What about a sandwich? So many possibilities to choose from, but what’s the best option? Well, much of that will largely depend on the...
By Dana Bender Consistently exercising over time has an array of health benefits. It’s easy for individuals to emphasize the physical benefits of exercise more, but there are a variety of mental health benefits that are just as important to note. According to the...
By DARLENE MARSHALL Most people know what they “should” do to foster a life of wellness. Eat a balanced diet and avoid processed foods, get regular movement, prioritize sleep, reduce stress, and cultivate a positive outlook on life that includes purpose, meaning, and...
By Nicole Golden Many adults, especially those between the ages of 20 and 50, report high levels of psychological stress. Many of us are constantly over-scheduled, over-committed, overworked, and fail to spend adequate time on self-care. Stone et al. (2017) found...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI So, you want to make gains? Well, when we are strolling the aisles of any supplement shop, the whole point is to find a magic powder or pill that will give us an extra leg up on our performance right? Let me introduce you to L-arginine! What is...
By Dr Alison Brager Remember those days of staying up well past midnight in college? Weekend or weekdays, hanging with friends or no friends, we all may think in our thirties and forties, how did we do that? The answer lies in tiny molecular clocks present in every...
By Brad Dieter There is a phenomenon most of us experience in life. We maintain very similar body weight and body shape for years on end and then suddenly it feels like our body’s changed overnight and then we have a new body that we were not expecting. Then we find...
By KINSEY MAHAFFEY If you’ve ever suffered from lower back pain, you know that it can be, well, a pain! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a National Health Interview survey of 31,997 adults in 2019. Their reports showed that 39% of respondents...
By Nicole Golden Metabolic syndrome, hair loss, insomnia, frequent colds and flu, missed menstrual periods, ulcers, and orthopaedic pain are just some of the health problems blamed on excessive stress. Yet, stress is an elusive term. Is it a mental sequela related to...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI Ever wonder about the various fields you could work in if you were to pursue a nutrition degree or certification? The extent of your options is much larger than you imagined. You could apply to work in hospitals or home care settings, work...
By Dana Bender Whether you are a NASM Nutrition Certified Coach or a nutrition professional looking to expand your coaching business, it is important to know how to attract more clients and build a successful coaching business. Regardless of your nutritional niche, it...
By JACQUELINE KAMINSKI As you prepare yourself a nice dinner, you may think to pair the meal with a nice wine. Or perhaps the weekend rolls around and you plan social outings with friends or relatives, in which you think to indulge in a few drinks. However, if...
By KAT BAREFIELD MS, RDN, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, ACSM-HFS In this post, we’re going to explore the health effects of getting insufficient micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). This article will also cover: The critical functions of various micronutrients The most...
By Brad Dieter Over the last several decades, we have seen a rise in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. These diets have ranged from just low-carb diets to ketogenic diets to even zero carb diets (e.g., The Carnivore Diet). These dietary approaches have become...
By Nicole Golden “The gym is mostly for grandma; she belongs there more than the rest of us do. We are doing this for recreation, she is doing this to sustain her independent way of life.” (Isratel, 2021) Regular exercise and strength training is critical...