Next Level Blogs

Author:

Joseph Aratari, CFSC, CPT

Coach @ericdoanpt killing It --- Kettlebell Swaps Preparing your feet should be one of the first things you do before any workout, especially if you're doing any lower body training. Jumping, running, squatting, or any other athletic movement requires the ankle and foot musculature to fire correctly. If the ankle is not stable, the rest of your body is not stable. --- Kettlebell Swaps challenge your feet to appropriately respond by creating instability. As the weight passes between hands, the ankle must fight to resist collapsing. Successfully completing a few repetitions will prime your... READ MORE

4 Tips To Maximize Performance & Prevent Injury

Author:

Nate VanKouwenberg, MA, CFSC, USAW

“Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy!” –Robert Half

Talent is only a small component of what it takes for an athlete to be successful! For every talented athlete, there are hundreds, if not thousands of others just like them. It’s what an athlete does beyond their regular practices and games that will make them stand out above the rest. If you’re not willing to put in the extra time and effort to gain an edge on your competition, someone else is and you’ll be left behind!

It takes a lot more... READ MORE

Stress?!?! What Stress?!?! Punching Stress In The Face: PART 1 of 3

Author:

Nate VanKouwenberg, MA, CFSC, USAW

My metaphorical plate is officially full! Between a full time teaching job, owning a small business, multiple coaching positions, two beautiful kids under 6, an amazing wife, insane yellow lab, house to care for and everything else that adults have to deal with on a daily basis, free time for me is about as rare as a Buffalo Bills playoff appearance. Although I love my life and everything that keeps me so busy, there are times I find myself... READ MORE

Programming for General Fitness Goals

Author:

Heather D’Errico, MA, CFSC, CSCS

How many of you fitness go-ers are still doing split day training? For a long time this has been the way a majority train at the gym, but for those that are still splitting their workouts into leg day, chest day, back, bi’s-and tri’s day, I would like to enlighten you on a new perspective.

Why have we created this concept that we can’t work the same muscles two consecutive days in a row? In the body building world multiple exercises are done to target one specific muscle group in order to create hypertrophy (muscle size). Due to that time under tension/high volume, longer... READ MORE

Youth Specialization: Pump the Breaks

Author:

Joseph Aratari, CFSC, CPT

During both my time as strength & conditioning coach & youth soccer coach, I’ve crossed paths with many parents and coaches who have their children involved in athletics. In my opinion (and science agrees) involvement in athletics at an early age is probably the most important and influential thing you can do for your child as a parent. Not to get off topic, but the social, cognitive and motor development that takes place in youth athletics provides enough discussion for a college course. To get back to the topic of this post, the problem with youth athletics is when parents and... READ MORE

Nutrition Tips for Travelers

Author:

Heather D’Errico, MA, CFSC, CSCS

As most of you know by now, bowling keeps me traveling around quite a bit. Yesterday on my flight I was thinking how difficult it becomes to really maintain my diet and exercise regimen on the road and thought I should share some of the things I’ve learned that have helped me thus far. I narrowed it down to 5 quick tips that specifically revolve around frequent flyers.

1. Eat a great meal BEFORE you go to the airport.

I don’t care how early your flight is, find a way to eat a meal before you get to the airport. Not only are food prices... READ MORE

Why and how to develop the phosphogen energy system for maximum performance

Author:

Mike Moon, CFSC, CSCS

Whether we’re talking about performance in the gym, athletic performance, or everyday activity, your physiological capacity will determine how long and how intense you can complete an event. Whenever I refer to an energy system of the body, I am talking about a series of chemical reactions between your muscles, heart, and lungs that provide you with energy to complete an activity and your ability to recover and recycle energy for repeated bouts of activity. Though all three energy systems of the body are always active, both intensity and duration of an activity dictate the extent to... READ MORE

The Process

Author:

Joseph Aratari, CFSC, CPT

Before I dive into writing, I have to give credit for the inspiration for this blog post. Tony Bonvechio originally wrote his article ... READ MORE

All of your FAQs…answered!

Author:

Kurtis Bednarcyk, CFSC

Cue the Kool & The Gang, y’all…this morning, I fielded the question about what to eat before a workout for the 1,000th time!!!

To my dear thousand inquirers: please pardon the sarcasm and find humor in the hyperbole. I promise I ain’t mad at ya; I am truly “celebrating good times” as you have flattered me with the insinuation that I am some sort of whiz kid, and have inspired me to address some commonly-asked quandaries once and for all, such as:

“Should I train in the morning or the evening?”

“Should I eat... READ MORE

A Rest Day is OK! (and recommended)

Author:

Heather D’Errico, MA, CFSC, CSCS

Ok so I am about to tell all the over-acheivers in the world something they don’t always want to hear. As a workaholic myself and someone who is 100% dedicated to reaching my goals every single day I completely understand the want to hit the gym hard as often as possible. It took me... READ MORE