TRX

For those that do not know or havent heard what the TRX is, it is a new piece of equipment that was developed by navy seals to stay in shape while they were out on missions.

What you need to know about it is that it a create tool to keep you in shape for your everday life. It is really ideal for functional training. How it works is you use your bodyweight to help you get stronger, lose weight, and tone up. Every exercise that can be performed on the TRX involves the core(abs, back, pelvis) leading to a firmer midsection that everyone in the world is striving to achieve in the gym. Every muscle in the body can be worked using the TRX and every exercise can be made harder or easier by changing your body angle.
The best part about the TRX is that it can be used anywhere and attatched to pretty much any anchor point, hence the company name Fitness Anywhere. It can be used by anyone, anywhere.

All my clients at one time or another have used this piece of equipment. There are mixed reactions to it, some love it, some hate it, some love to hate it. Most love how their abs feel after using it for the first time, or after performing a new exercise.

I believe so much in this product that I have it posted on the bottom of this blog. Feel free to take a look around, see what you think. There's a great forum for all sorts of tips and tricks.

Kettlebells

There's a new tool that's been seen in gyms these days and they're all the rage. Perhaps you've seen them. They're called kettlebells. These so called new tools have been around for a long time actually. A little history lesson: Kettlebells started in Russia as weights used in the markets and made their way to the training realm sometime after. They've been around.

If you've ever watched someone use a kettlebell, you might be waiting in anticipation of that person blowing out their back with the basic swing. However, done correctly, the KB swing is an effective exercise that targets the core, glutes, and hamstrings among other stabilizing muscles. Which brings me to my point. The swing needs to be done with proper form to be effective. Otherwise you're just doing a squat with a front raise(not that im knocking a great compound exercise). I can't even being to count how often I've seen gym members pick up a kettlebell and start throwing it around thinking they're doing it right based on some youtube video they saw an hour before they got to the gym.
What even gets me more annoyed is I've observed other trainers in various gyms that will employ the same learning tool. Observing other trainers teach improper techniques is just bad and irresponsible. This improper use of KB's is a main reason many gyms keep their KB's locked up and only qualified trainers have access to them, which I think is a great idea.

As a KBC Level 1 Instructor, I've spent time learning proper techniques because I believe it brings more professionalism to a field where just about anyone can become a trainer overnight(I'll save that for a later post).