Mobility Monday – Field Goal Angel on a Foam Roller Welcome back to Mobility Monday at Stowe Training Systems. Mobility Monday is where every Monday I take you through some super awesome exercises that are easy to do and offer a very high risk vs. reward ratio. With proper mobility can we help alleviate… [Read More]
Stuff You “Probably” Should Be Doing – Band Alphabet
Hi there! Welcome back to Stowe Training Systems and Mobility Monday. I hope you have been enjoying the content so far. Today I wanted to introduce you to an exercise that produces a whole lot of bang for your buck. This Exercise Will Allow us to Simultaneously Work On: *Anti-Rotation – especially useful if you… [Read More]
Why Would I Hire a Personal Trainer?
I recently hired a personal trainer as of December 2014. Most people find this extremely surprising….. They wonder why with all of my knowledge and experience of writing super effective programs I would want to spend my hard earned mula on someone else to train me. Well there are several reasons but I guess the… [Read More]
Stuff You “Probably” Should Be Doing – Hip Flexor Mobilization with Band Distraction
Hey there! Welcome back to “Mobility Monday” where I promise to continue bringing you the most cutting edge techniques that one can use to enhance their mobility. Last week I introduced you to the hip flexor mobilization with a resistance band. For those of you who missed it here is the video: [youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]… [Read More]
Why I Lift
I’ve been on a bit of a Bret Contreras kick lately. I love this post as it motivates me to want to go to the gym immediately. No matter who you are and no matter where you are starting from there are some compelling reasons to start LIFTING. – Nate Lifting weights is good for… [Read More]
Stuff You “Probably” Should Be Doing – Band Resisted Hip Flexor Mobilization
Today I thought it would be fun to start a “Mobility Monday”. Basically each Monday I will bring you a “Mobility” exercise of the week. Before we begin let’s 1st define exactly what mobility is. To me Mobility is a combination of Flexibility AND Stability. A lot of folks are very “flexible” and can touch… [Read More]
What Physical Therapists and Doctors Could Learn From BioMechanics
I ran across the article from Bret Contreras and it really resonated with me. I was thinking of one of my clients who was training with me after a major back surgery and how she was instructed to “not lift more than 50 lbs” and to “add 10lbs” to that total each month. Now; this seems like great… [Read More]
How Strong Do You Need to be for Life?
I get asked almost every single day “How strong do I NEED to get Nathan? I don’t want to play a sport, enter any competitions, or anything of the like. I just want to move, look, and feel good.” Well, as luck would have it today’s post from Dr. Scotty Butcher, PhD, PT does a… [Read More]
Is the Cost of Getting Lean Worth the Trade Off?
Well Precision Nutrition knocks the ball out of the proverbial park again…. This article is so awesome and easy to read that there are literally no “Notes from Nate” included. Hope you enjoy this post as much as I did! – Nate The cost of getting lean: Is it really worth the trade-off? By Ryan… [Read More]
Foam Rolling versus stretching
For any of you that have had the opportunity to train with me; you know that I am a huge proponent of “Foam Rolling”. I have personally witnessed a staggering amount of people get rid of chronic joint pain with this simple method over the years. However, it always begs the questions – why and… [Read More]
How Math can Help You Build Muscle
For those of you who want to know the “why” behind the “what” today’s post is for you. Don’t let the math part scare you; the lessons listed below really are quite simple. With that I’ll let author Greg Nuckols take over from here. Hope you enjoy! – Nate What you’re getting yourself into: ~3400… [Read More]
Brenda
Nathan is the best personal trainer that I have had. He came highly recommended when I lost my previous trainer. Nathan is extremely knowledgeable in personal training and weight loss. With Nathan’s direction, training and education I have gone on to lose 115 lbs, run two half marathons and am currently training for my first triathlon. His encouragement… [Read More]
Swati
I first decided to start strength training with a personal trainer after I had multiple minor injuries during triathlons, half marathons, and distance bicycle rides. I realized that part of the underlying problem lay in muscle imbalances related to a past broken leg. Until I met Nate, I had worked with personal trainers for several… [Read More]
DD
Strength, flexibility and balance are my goals. When I first met Nate, I had lost quite a bit of weight but needed to work on my core and firm up all over! He took the time to first understand my goals and then patiently, expertly guided me through my workout sessions. He is so knowledgeable… [Read More]
Lawrence
Let me first say that Nathan is not just a personal trainer, he is a life changer–like a Life Coach. I met Nathan at Smoothie King one morning. That particular morning had been one of several depressing days. Being the talkative person that I am, I asked “are you a trainer?” Without being cocky, he… [Read More]
6 Things About Exercise the Magazines aren’t Telling You
Everyone wants a “magic pill” these days to help burn body fat and build muscle. Unfortunately, these don’t actually exist. Don’t fear though. If you follow the 6 tips below from James Clear you will eventually reach your health and fitness goals; no magic pill needed. Enjoy the read! – Nate 6 Truths About Exercise… [Read More]
Living with Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is all too common and often very misunderstood. Today’s post from precisionnutrition.com does a great job of outlining the best strategies to cope with Fibromyalgia. Enjoy the read! -Nate How nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle strategies can help alleviate the pain. By Ryan Andrews Millions of people (including a staggering 3.4% of adult women) struggle with fibromyalgia,… [Read More]
Is it Safe to Exercise with Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is an all to common age-related issue that shouldn’t be. Our bone density can be increased with a progressive resistance training program. However, there are certain precautions that should be taken when starting your program. While today’s post from www.theptdc.com is geared towards personal trainers – I thought that it did an outstanding job… [Read More]
How do 80 Year Olds have 40-Year Old Muscle Mass
I found the following article to be very inspirational. I have 1st hand experience of helping clients in there mid 50’s – 60’s build more muscle and get into better shape than they had been at any point before in their life…. The important take away is that it is never too late to start…. [Read More]
Will Resistance Training help Increase Bone Density?
There are almost too many benefits from a proper, progressive resistance training program to count. One of the most important benefits that often gets over looked is the positive effects on bone density. This is unbelievable important for both females over the age of 50 as well as anyone who enjoys cycling (as this has… [Read More]
How To Get Long, Lean Muslces
I ran across the following article on www.BretContreras.com. While Bret references lengthening the muscle via pilates and yoga I thought that it was great tie-in to the mobilization drills that I presented on KXAN the other day. Basically – we aren’t trying to “lengthen” muscles. We are simply re-training them to achieve their full range… [Read More]
The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Where Pain Comes From
The following article that I ran across at theptdc.com could totally change your life. With a better understanding of pain we will be able to better cope with those nagging joint issues that can crop up. Please feel free to share with anyone you know who have issues with chronic pain as this could be… [Read More]
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
The following post I ran across on EatMoretoWeighLess.com. I found it to very motivating and hope that it can motivate you as well. Enjoy! – Nate If you’re newer to lifting, or perhaps just newer to lifting heavy – at some point you’ll wanna know just how long it takes to see results from… [Read More]
Common Mistakes with Static Stretching
Today’s post comes from one of my heroes in the strength and conditioning world a one Mr. Eric Cressey. He outlines some of the common mistakes that folks make while stretching. I hope this helps y’all out. – Nate One of the most debated topics in the strength and conditioning world in recent years has… [Read More]
How Strength Can be Corrective
An article originally published on DeanSomerset.com but written by “the glute guy” Brett Contreras. I feel that this article illustrates my sentiments toward strength training and corrective exercise to a “T”. I hope y’all enjoy the read. – Nate Today I’ve got a guest post from Bret Contreras on how he’s used strength to recover… [Read More]
How Much Sugar Can You Have?
“We know that sugar can cause a laundry list of health problems; so does that mean we should never eat it or simply moderate the amount that we consume. I think Phil Kaplan does a great job of answering this age old question. Hope you enjoy” – Nate How Much Sugar is OK? Frequently, after… [Read More]
10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Beginner
The following is yet another amazing post from Brett Contreras. Amazing advice delivered in a concise manner. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. – Nate Every experienced lifter out there can remember the first time they moseyed into the weightroom, full of fear, confusion, and insecurity. Though most of us… [Read More]
A More Effective Way to Fix Forward Head Posture
Forward head posture is no joke. Besides being unsightly; forward head posture can lead to literally having a pain in your neck, mid, lower, and upper back as well as headaches. It is generally caused from sitting on ipads, laptops, or just reading a book for extended periods of time – hour after hour, day… [Read More]
Why Do You Still Have Back Pain?
This article was originally published on www.ThePTDC.com. It is geared towards personal trainers; however I felt that the information was written in a way that even average Joes and Janes should be able to follow along and learn. I hope you enjoy it! – Nate “Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is… [Read More]
Understanding Chronic Pain
The following article was originally published on www.BrettContreras.com. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did – Nate By: Anoop Balachandran of ExerciseBiology.com Just like many fitness professionals and lay people, I used to believe that pain comes from an injury or damage caused by misaligned joints, weak and tight muscles, ruptured disks,… [Read More]
Mr. Burn’s No More
Yo! Mr. Burns! If that made you look then you came to the right place. Not only are rounded shoulders an unattractive look but they can lead to a host of joint issues ranging from shoulder pain, neck pain, or even mid to lower back pain. If you currently look like Mr. Burns and are… [Read More]
A Smart Man Makes a Mistake and Learns from it – A Wise Man Just asks a Smart Man 1st and avoids the Mistake Altogether
Ok. Let’s address the elephant in the room. Can we do anything about poor posture? Is it possible to fix? If you want to skip the nerd section – short answer is yes. We will start with some facts. “It takes 500 hours to invoke a motor pattern before it becomes unconscious. It takes 25-30… [Read More]
The Easiest Way to GUARANTEE Results
Mistakes. They are a part of learning. If you tell me you never made a mistake then I would say that you probably never tried. You played it “safe” and therefore limited your potential. If we want to grow and develop then mistakes are necessary. The trick is to learn from those mistakes and try… [Read More]
Should You Balance on a Bosu Ball?
2009. I had just become a personal trainer. Weightlifting, running, and all that jazz had had a profound effect on my life. I had crushed Mark Wahlberg’s bicep workout, read a copy of Arnold’s encyclopedia of body building, and of course I went through the 300 workout. Obviously, I knew everything about losing fat and… [Read More]
Is Muscle Confusion a Good Thing?
Chest Day. Back Day. Shoulder Day. Leg Day if I didn’t skip it. Arm and Ab day because I would NEVER skip that! My o my, what a solid plan I was on.