Take a Deep Breath and Relax

Breathing technique is a very important yet commonly overlooked factor when it comes to stretching success. To understand why and how we breathe while stretching you first must learn what deep breathing does within the muscle itself. Remember how muscle spindles encourage muscle contraction as a means of protecting the tissue from harm that could occur during a stretch? Well, this contraction does serve an important protective function to the muscle, it also prevents the ROM gains a flexibility program aims to achieve.

Fun With Fitness Balls

One of the most popular pieces of equipment on the fitness scene in recent years is the balance ball. Balance balls require core stabilization and are used to perform a variety of exercises working different muscle groups by sitting on it, lying on it,or using it between your legs.It's very light weight and comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate different leg lengths.

Simply sitting on a balance ball while using dumbbells, bands, or tubes forces an individual to employ more muscles and offers clients a more challenging workout. Some personal fitness trainers even design whole workouts using a balance ball, allowing clients to exercise in the comfort of their own homes.

A second type of ball used during resistance training is the medicine ball. Medicine balls come in a variety of sizes and weights and can be Incorporated into a workout in countless ways.Clients can hole medicine balls also can be caught and thrown to boost upper body strength. Twists and jumps using a medicine ball are additional common and effective exercises.

Special Conditions and Diseases

People of all ages have health problems that can require certain adaptations.Typically as a beginning personal fitness trainer, you won't be working with clients who have these conditions, but you still should be aware of them. In each of the cases that follow, be sure to have a physician clear the patient for exercise. Here's a quick summary of special considerations for each of these conditions.

Initial Conditioning Stage

The first four to six weeks of an exercise program are the initial conditioning stage.It is best to have clients in this stage exercise at a relatively low intensity to help them avoid the muscle soreness, discomfort, and discouragement that may accompany intense physical exercise. As a client progresses through this stage, the frequency, intensity, and duration of workouts can be increased gradually.

Choose Your Food

And check with your airline in advance to see if food is being offered .If given enough time, the airline can prepare a special high carbohydrate, low fat meal that would fit into any athlete's training plan.However, it is still a good idea for athletes to have pre packed snack foods available just in case.

Creatine Supplement

Some young athletes now use creatine, a supplement that claims to improve athletic performance.Creatine use is not recommended in individuals younger than the age of 18. Likewise, young athletes should be cautioned against using amino acid supplements because the long term effects of these on growth and development are not known.Furthermore, these supplements increase an athlete's risk of dehydration. If 15 to 20 percent of a young athlete's diet is protein, he or she will have more than enough to aid in the repair and maintenance of bone and muscle tissue.Educating young athletes regarding supplement use and keeping them properly fueled and hydrated are the first steps to ensuring their safety in and enjoyment of an active lifestyle.

Activity Level

A second process that requires energy is physical activity.The energy a person requires to support his physical activity is calculated as a percentage of his resting metabolism needs.For example, an inactive person who sits most of the day and is on his feet or moving slowly less than a total of two hours will need approximately 30 percent of his resting metabolism expenditure to support his activity level.


People who walk or stand for two to four hours during an average day but do no strenuous activity need 50 percent of their resting metabolism for activity, while those who engage in four or more hours of physical activity each day require 75 percent.