Exercise equipment might fall under three broad categories: • Constant resistance • Accommodating resistance • Variable resistance Most professionals consider free weight training as constant resistance, however, if you know anything about biomechanics, there is nothing constant about it, unless of course we don’t move the weight. As we push or pull, the muscles are changing length, the relationship of the resistance to the axis of motion is changing and of course acceleration, inertia, momentum and all of those other words of physics we love (or hate) come into play.

A warm up is an essential precursor to any workout. Most people use a treadmill, stair-climber or a stationary bicycle to get their body ready for whatever activity they’re about to perform. The problem with these activities is they’re all uniplanar. You’re only moving in one plane of motion. In firefighting however, activities such as advancing a hoseline, throwing a ladder or just getting in and out of the rig require multi-planar movement. When performing these activities, your joints must adjust through these different planes, while the body’s “active” system (muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia) help stabilize and navigate the body to prevent an injury.

(featured in the September 2009 edition of The Firemen's Grapevine)

First, let me say I'm a huge Vern Gambetta fan. However, I disagree with some of his points in the article "Perfect Posture" (Training & Conditioning, March 2006, Vol. XVI, No. 2). Discussing ideal posture for sports and ideal health can be challenging as he states "When posing for photos or giving a presentation, our posture is static. In sports, posture is dynamic, always moving." This is true. However, if you were to examine the static posture of most right-handed tennis players or right-handed pitchers you might see a hiked right hip, a lower right shoulder and a longer right arm. Compare that to a professional cyclist with a posterior pelvic tilt, reduced lumbar curve and exaggerated thoracic curve and you might come to the conclusion that structure follows function. Is this okay? Is this healthy? As Diane Sahrmann states in her book Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, "A useful criterion for assessing precise or balanced movement is observing the path of instantaneous center of rotation (PICR) during active motion. The PICR is not easily analyzed and radiologic methods are necessary to depict the precision of the motion. "Great. Who has access to that?"

As personal trainers, group exercise instructors and coaches, we are often placed in the position to diagnose aches and pains ranging from sciatica to plantar fasciitis to a crick in the neck. We have a professional responsibility to remind our clients that we are not doctors and do not hold a medical degree, although we are happy to discuss the symptoms of an ailment and help them think through some possible courses of action. 

There's no need to break a sweat at the grocery store checkout.  Adopting a healthy diet doesn't have to mean taking out a second mortgage, and you don't have to sacrifice good nutrition for a reasonable grocery bill, either.  I've collected a few smart strategies to help keep your receipt within reason.  Here's how to beat inflation, one aisle at a time.

Personal trainers and group fitness in.structors and optimal programs to maximize training adaptations in clients and students. Although muscular-strength researchers have not determined which type of strength training program is most advantageous, the present thought is that some form of periodization is central to the design (Bufford et al. 2007). Periodization refers to an organized plan of exercise where acute training variables—such as number of repetitions, number of sets, intensity, recovery between sets, type of exercise (fixed form and/or freeform), repetition tempo, type of contraction (concentric, eccentric, isometric) and training frequency— are systematically manipulated. 

Many people think of cardiovascular training as an afterthought to their weightlifting or tend to repeat the same 20-30 minutes of cardio at the same intensity. What they forget is, the heart is a muscle and like any other muscle, it adapts. What kind of results would you expect if you always performed a 20 pound curl at the same amount of sets and reps? Eventually your biceps would adapt and no change would occur. The heart is no different. No matter what your fitness goal is, you must change the time and intensity in your heart rate training in order to continue to progress.

How old is older? It seems it depends on the sport. A gymnast would be considered old at 20. The average age of a Mr. Olympia is 34 years of age. In contrast, a professional cyclist might be considering retirement at 34. In fact, Firmin Lambot is the oldest person to ever win the Tour de France in 1922 at the age of 36. This year, Lance Armstrong will be competing at 37. Dara Torres made Olympic history when she won three silver medals in swimming at age 41. More and more athletes are continuing to compete as they get older. Although different sports and organizations vary in their definition of a Masters athlete, in this article the term “older athlete” is someone over the age of 50.

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There are three primary types of lupus; systemic lupus erythematosus , discoid lupus erythematosus and drug-induced lupus.