Hey Guys!
I recently came across an awesome new product that is a kickstarted project. It was invented by a man named Eric and it is a massage track with balls. I think it's pretty cool and I could definitely use it for my clients and my athletes.
www.massagetrack.com
Or
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ericjeffrey/massage-track-how-2-tennis-balls-can-change-your-l
What is it?
Massage Track offers patent pending tools for doing deep tissue massage, either guided by a therapist or for self-care after instruction. The Body Track and Neck Track are both designed to position massage balls bilaterally, for example targeting the paraspinals. The tools accommodate ordinary tennis balls, lacrosse balls or baseballs but can also be purchased with a specially designed massage ball set of varying hardnesses.
How is it used?
The massage track tools are designed to function using gravity for comfort and power. The user rolls the tissue structure on top of the massage balls applying body weight, similar to the way you would use a foam roller. It’s very helpful to have a physical therapist guide the user initially to explain pressures, hold times and trigger point release.
What are the features?
Both the Body Track and Neck Track are soft polyurethane and pliable to avoid injury and designed to offer variable positioning. The Body Track has four tracks with two different spacings so that massage balls can be positioned very close to each other, a finger width apart or with one or two empty tracks in between them.
The variable spacing makes the body track especially useful for working the back, gluteus and hips, but can be used for much more. The Neck Track has close tracks on the top and a wider position on the bottom (to allow for targeting of the side of the neck or the jaw). The Neck Track’s height allows the user to comfortably release the suboccipital muscles but also can be used to target the psoas, gluteus and upper hamstring area.
What makes these tools unique?
- ability to customize the pressure easily by changing massage balls
- great versatility created by a variety of ball spacing options
- dual angles of pressure created by the track wall support
- great simplicity
Do you think that this is a product that you would use? Let me know in the comments below.
http://www.gofundme.com/ap6ta4
Coaching is my passion. I want all of my athletes and clients to be the best that they can be. We are raising funds for a piece of equipment that would help my athletes reach their goals. Please donate to give these athletes an opportunity to train with equipment that the pro's use. Click HERE to donate.
The secret to a flat stomach is to strengthen your core muscles. You have probably heard trainers or other health professionals in the gym talking about how having a “strong core” is important, but if you’re like most people, you may not know exactly what that means, why it’s important or how to strengthen it.
WHAT IS YOUR CORE?
Most health care professionals use the word “core” to describe the different muscles that are is located in the middle section of your body as a whole. Many people think that the core is just the abdominal muscles. Although they are part of what makes up your core it actually includes your diaphragm (lower chest), abdomen (belly), obliques (sides), mid-lower back, and lower pelvic muscles. Add all of these muscles up and you get a total of 25 different muscles that make up your core.
WHY YOUR CORE IS IMPORTANT
Your core is where your body’s strength and stability comes originates. It is part of what is called a “kinetic chain” that allows the various parts of your body to function correctly. These muscles are critical for optimal athletic performance, daily activities (e.g., sitting, walking, running, reaching, bending, climbing stairs, to name a few). As our bodies age, it becomes increasingly important to do core strengthening exercises so that you can avoiding injuries and maintain an independent, healthy and active life.
STRENGTHENING YOUR CORE
To strengthen your core, it’s important to focus on keeping your belly button pulled in, a flat back and to remember not to hold your breath.
Try these exercises below For For endurance. Hold each one as long as you can. Repeat 2-3x.
Try these exercises below For For strength. Do each leg for 10-20 reps then switch. Repeat 2-3x.
Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer.
For more exercise tips follow Alicia Bell on Twitter.
My Experience At A Toronto Nike NTC Class
I love Nike. I love the NTC app and I see on twitter and Instagram all these great events that they have. It seems as though most of the NTC events are in the states. America has tons of amazing trainers that are Nike NTC trainers or affiliates but here in Canada. I only know of one Nike Trainer. I have no idea how they selected her or why. I've inquired to every outlet or anyone involved in Nike that I can get in contact with on how to apply, how to audition or how to become an influencer in Canada but no one can give me an answer. Or I get short turned with they're figuring out how to identify influencers. I just want to be part of a community of like minded trainers that genuinely care and do a good job at motivating people. I feel that having a Nike NTC trainer role is a great outlet to do just that. My passion is helping athletes and clients achieve goals and keeping them motivated.
So finally A few weeks ago I saw a post on Facebook about the Toronto Nike NTC classes. They posted a link showing you when the next classes were and gave a link to sign up. I sent a bunch of my clients e-mails and asked if they wanted to go. YAY Nike NTC events! A few of my clients were available and said yes. So we all registered. Leading up to the event I did not receive a reminder e-mail or any other sort of notification. Fine. Not a big deal since I put everything in my agenda.
Even though I was in an accident on May 29th I am limited to the things that I can do with both my hand and my knee. I am great at knowing my limitations and being able to modify exercises so I decided I would still participate (this was my first time working out since the accident), so I decided to still go.
Upon arrival at the Academy of Lions (where the event was held) there were signs for Nike NTC. I walked into the store front area of the gym and no one greater me, told me to register or had me fill out a waiver (which needs to be done or I could sue for injury and liability). I then noticed some girls coming in and signing in at the front desk. I signed in. No one spoke to me with any direction or information on where to wait. So I sat and observed. Then we saw a small sign on the entrance of the changing rooms that said Nike NTC register at front desk. A little late but there it was. About 10 minutes later the front desk guy from the gym comes up and asks myself and my client if we were new to the NTC class. We said yes and he said ok I will need to get you to sign a waiver. He left and came back to the group again with no waivers for us.
At this point the instructor came and said "ok guys lets run to the park like we always do." NO INTRODUCTION, NO QUESTIONS, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE WAS NEW, DIDNT ASK IF ANYONE HAD ANY INJURIES, NOTHING! So we proceed to go to the park. Halfway through the warmup the instructor finally acknowledge that I had a knee injury and gave me one alternate to the exercise we were doing. OK THANKS! I proceeded to modify every other exercise given in the circuit training MYSELF. The workouts lasted approximately 35 minutes then a 10 minute stretch. Yes I worked up a sweat but it probably was because of the sun.
My experience with that particular NIKE NTC class at The Academy of Lions was sub par. The instructor was fit, but must be comfortable in her role. A simple welcome to NTC class would have been great and a bit of her background. A greeting at the club upon arrival would have been nice and a waiver presented to me would have been great. I wouldn't recommend this particular Saturday morning NTC class for very beginner exerciser. Very little exercise correction was offered, I don't think it was conducted safely and the instructors enthusiasm was less than stellar. Exercises were done on pavement (bad for joints, knees etc).
Overall I would rate the circuit style NTC bootcamp a 3/10. Now don't get me wrong. Im sure not all the classes are like this in Toronto or all the instructors are like this but I was very disappointed with my experience. Let me know if you have done a Nike NTC class and how your experience was in the comments below.
Did You See Train It Right in Impact Magazine's March/April Issue?
Alicia was asked to write an article about 5k and 10k training that included core speed. Did you pick up a copy?
Yesterday I attended a Telus event feautrign the Samsung Galaxy Galaxy S5 and new Gear Fit. We got the opportunity to workout with celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson (found of The Tracy Anderson Method). The experience was amazing. What a great event and I am so impressed with the Samsung technology that I am now a Samsung user with telus and I was lucky enough to receive my own Samsung Galaxy 5s and Gear Fit! But guess what?!??!??! You can get your very own Samsung 5s and Gear Fit too!
Im happy to announce that I am teaming up with TELUS to give away a TELUS Compatable Samsung Galaxy S5 and Gear Fit. Since Telus cares about their customers’ commitment to their health and we think mobile technology can play a key role in helping you have a healthier lifestyle, whether you’re just getting started or looking for new ways to stay on the right path. That’s why we’re always looking for ways to help our customers use technology to better manage their health and wellbeing.
Please spread the word as I will be announcing contest rules and entry information later this week!
Here are some of the things that make using the Samsung GALAXY S5 and Gear Fit from TELUS an effortless, beautiful experience:
- The GALAXY S5 and Gear Fit help support healthier lifestyles
- The GALAXY S5, with its enhanced S Health software and hardware, including a built-in heart rate sensor, is designed to be your personal fitness tracker, leading you through your fitness routines daily and consistently.
- Set your goals and achieve them with the help of GALAXY S5's pedometer and S Health’s constant tracking of your condition, walking distance, calories, speed, duration, and more.
- To complete the package, the new, wearable Gear Fit connects to your GALAXY S5, providing real-time updates on your condition, walking distance, calories, speed, duration and more.
- The GALAXY S5 is more than a health companion; some of its other notable features include:
- A great camera: The GS5 features a 16MP camera with the world’s fastest auto-focus (0.3 seconds), HDR and selective auto-focus to capture all those special moments.
- Speed: The GS5 features an innovative Wi-Fi technology for boosting data speed, Download Booster, which bonds Wi-Fi and TELUS’ 4G LTE Network simultaneously, allowing consumers to experience what’s trending now at blazing fast speeds. It also features fifth generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi MiMo.
- Protection: The IP67 dust and water resistant GS5 is protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water and dust. Additionally, Ultra-power Saving Mode gives users up to 24 hours of battery life on only 10% of a charge – making sure you are always connected when you need to be.
…but really, that’s only scratching the surface!
The Samsung GALAXY S5 is so feature-packed, TELUS offers Learning Centre sessions, where product specialists can teach you the ins and outs of each device in the best in-store experience around. Even advanced users can learn a thing or two!
TELUS’ Learning Centres are a unique TELUS experience found in over 200 stores across Canada, designed to provide personalized, one-on-one training to customers with specially trained Learning Specialists. Customers can also take advantage of the Online Learning Centre to learn about common features and troubleshoot issues if they can’t make it to the store.
Toss in TELUS’ exclusive offerings like Anytime Upgrades and SharePlus Plansto truly experience how TELUS is putting their customers first.
To upgrade to the latest and greatest devices, customers can simply pay off their Device Balance and upgrade to a new phone whenever they want with TELUS’ Anytime Upgrades.
TELUS’ SharePlus plans give customers peace of mind on their monthly bills with unlimited nationwide talk and text and the ability to share data with multiple subscribers on the same account or household.
The Samsung GALAXY S5 is available from TELUS for $229 on a two-year term or $730 month-to-month. For available general plans and pricing, please click here.
The Samsung Gear Fit is available at TELUS for $219 in select stores and online.
For some strange reason, range of motion in the fitness world seems to be completely misunderstood with trainers having their clients only do partial range movements saying its full range (partial does not mean full) and trainees performing these ranges. So with this in mind I will quickly explain what Range of Motion or ROM actually is in a human movement setting:
WHAT IT IS
Range of motion (ROM) is as its name suggest, the range to which a body part can move properly in space while attached to another. Typically what this means is how many degrees of flexion or extension a joint can go thru. Here are 3 prime examples of full ROM:
- Squats: While maintaining a flat/neutral back position, bending at the knees, hips and ankles one lowers their buttocks until the hamstring covers the calf while the feet remain flat on the ground.
- Bench Press (any barbell variation): Keeping the shoulders and glutes on the bench, one bends their elbows and shoulder joint lowering the bar until it is in contact with the chest
- Pull/Chin-up: Starting from a full hang (elbows are not flexed), pull the body up by bending the elbow and shoulder until the chin has passed the bar and until the forearm and bicep have made contact.
So what does this mean?
First take a look at any joint in the human body, the joint has a range of motion that it was designed to be able to go thru whether under additional external resistance or not. Many people will advocate that full ROM training will damage the joint and these people are what I like to call……..WRONG!
By training the joints thru their entire range of motion, this will actually make the joint healthier than continuous partial range training.............
To read the full article please visit: http://rislingperformance.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/what-is-range-of-motion/
http://www.recallcenter.com/hip-replacement
Did you know that May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention month? Because this very important month is often overlooked. I am spreading awareness. This is a graphic that outlines some facts & risk factors about the disease. For example, one out of every two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Staying active is one of the top ways to prevent this disease. Get active and get your family members active at any age! We can make a difference. For more information click HERE
Are you an athlete or fitness enthusiast? Are you having trouble fitting into jeans? The crafty fitness enthusiasts behind Barbell Apparel have designed jeans that fit. YEP I said it. Jeans that fit!!!!!!!!! They recently just launched their venture on Kickstarter.
According to the kickstarter site:
"Barbell Denim uses technologically superior denim designed to move in complete sync with your body. With our jeans it almost feels like you’re wearing nothing.
Designed for athletes, these jeans are made to fit comfortably over muscular legs by accommodating your quads and butt without forcing you to buy larger sizes for the small waist you work so hard for.
However, Barbell Denim will accommodate any body type. Even if your legs aren't particularly muscular, Barbell Denim will still look amazing on you and feel even more amazing as you move in them. Our hybrid denim stretches both ways so that it can compliment smaller legs, while still easily stretching to accommodate larger legs as well. "
I want a pair! I can never find jeans that fit! Who's with me?!
