While there are plenty of new, reinvented, and even old fitness trends that are all competing to be the best, fastest, and most beneficial to get the fitness professional and their clients in shape, there’s one that holds truer than all of the others – Body-Weight Training!
So, why body-weight training?
Enclosed below are three points to further state why body weight training is so effective:
Back To The Basics – To start, body-weight training can be a great tool to help the fitness professional learn about their clients’ movement patterns. You could make the argument that if someone isn’t able to perform stabilization, strength, and power movements using their own body correctly, then they shouldn’t progress into using equipment.
For example, if your client cannot perform the lunge properly with just their own body weight, then the fitness professional shouldn’t have this client perform the lunge holding free-weights. Additionally, certain exercises can prove to be a great teacher to the fitness professional as they identify their clients’ limitations and capabilities, as in which muscles are overactive (tight) and under-active (weak). Lastly, whether it’s the push-up, lunge, or squat – all of these exercises are multi-joint and engage a multitude of muscle groups, while also engaging their clients’ core. Therefore, the fitness professional can give their clients an efficient total body workout with some of the most legendary movements of all-time.
The Possibilities Are Endless – It’s positively awe-inspiring for the fitness professional to create a personalized routine for their client based upon their specific fitness goals. The options are plentiful: strength training, cardiovascular training, balance training, plyometric training, and interval training. For example, a fitness professional could have their client perform a circuit of 20 seconds of high knees, 10 push-ups, 10 isometric squats, interval running in place for 30 seconds changing the speeds, and then end the circuit with a shoulder plank for 30 seconds. Moreover, the fitness professional could even change the tempos during the workouts for their clients for progression. The fitness professional could even break up the training programs for their clients into one day of strictly classic strength training exercises, and then the next session could be just based on cardiovascular movements such as bunny hops, low knees (fast feet), and jumping jacks, jump lunges, and cross jumping jacks. Therefore, the fitness professional can do so much to effectively train their client without picking up a free-weight or getting onto a machine!
Location, Location, Location – Removing the need for equipment, the fitness professional has more options available to them and their clients when implementing body-weight training.Who doesn’t love options? If you’re a fitness professional at a big-box gym, you and your client may often find yourselves in a crowded space, especially when waiting for that popular flat bench or machine to become available. Remember that personal training needs to be kept personal; one of the benefits of bodyweight training is that you have the option of working with your client in those sometimes neglected, quiet less-crowded spaces at the gym away from equipment and people. Not only can those spaces allow for more privacy – a perfect compliment to body-weight training sessions – but they can also empower you in developing a closer working relationship with your client, away from distraction and noise. Conversely, if you’re a fitness professional who runs their business privately, why not train outside on a gorgeous sunny day at the local park! Parks can provide the space ideal for creating a more private training environment compared to crowded gyms.
Additionally, they can provide uneven terrain and hills, which can be nice challenges for your client, especially with those Romanian Lunges. Also, the park can provide much more space for you and your client to perform exercises such as: walking lunges, bear crawls, and side shuffles. Yes, the fitness professional has the luxury of training his clients anywhere with body-weight exercises!
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For over ten years, Shaun has successfully run his own personal training business in the New York City Metro area. Able to relate and adapt to each individual, Shaun prides himself on developing exercise plans and nutritional menus to foster every client's fitness needs. His clientele ranges from the athlete, and senior citizen, to bodybuilder, and dancer. Shaun's specialties include: strength training, power techniques, corrective injury training, and core stability training.
In addition to the highly regarded Master Trainer status, Shaun is a certified personal trainer of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). With NASM Shaun also holds specialized certifications in: Pre- and Post-Natal, Corrective Exercise Practices, Cardiovascular Weight Loss, Youth Training, Senior Citizen Training, Balance Training, Core Stabilization, and Self Myofascial Release (SMR). Additionally, Shaun is certified by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Sports Performance Nutrition Specialist, with training in the Female Athlete, Knee & Shoulder Rehabilitation, and Marathon Training. Shaun earned his Bachelors degree in English Literature and Writing from the University of Delaware.
Shaun's first full-length book, "Push-up Progression Workout for a Stronger Core" is currently available worldwide both in paperback and e-book formats. It was featured as one of three top books in 2013 for healthy living as selected by Dr. John Whyte of The Discovery Channel. His latest book, "Push-up Progression (2nd Edition)" has already achieved great success and notoriety in the world of fitness. It is currently featured in bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom in paperback and available wherever e-books are sold. Shaun has had a multitude of articles, program designs, and tips published within a variety of books, magazines, and on websites in the world of fitness and beyond including: Price World Publishing, Demos Medical Publishing, Livestrong, Rodale Books, OnFitness Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Brides Magazine, and GO: AirTran Magazine. Additionally, Fitness Professional Online recognizes Shaun as an "expert," answering questions for other fitness and health professionals.
Shaun also has media experience in both television and radio, ranging from fitness modeling, to hosting his own weekly radio fitness show.
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