 High school sports can be very demanding for young athletes. Practice is often 5-6 days a week for 2-3 hours a day in the preseason. During competition season, athletes will have games (or meets) and tournaments 1-3 days a week. For many kids this is their first exposure to a full sports season and intense competition. Even at the JV high school level, athletes will encounter tough competition that is taken more seriously than in middle school or lower-level club sports. The high school varsity level is competitive in nearly in every sport. Depending on popularity, making the varsity team can be tough. This is why in-coming high school athletes need to be well prepared for long practices and high-level competitions BEFORE they even start their preseason practices.
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 We have cheat days to give us a break from being on a caloric deficit when doing a weight loss program. They are necessary for most people, but they might need to be moderated if results are not happening. Sometimes we have them too often or we consume too much on a scheduled cheat day. These explanations will better help you understand how to utilize the cheat day and avoid its pitfalls.
 I absolutely love running, but I didn’t always feel this way. It took years of on and off running to adapt to it and become proficient enough to enjoy it. One thing that helped me and many other runners improve their performance was to have a consistent weight and resistance training program. More importantly, this will help prevent injuries that are certain to occur to runners without a proper weight training plan.
 Starting a new fitness program can be a daunting task. It takes courage and a willingness to change for someone new to walk through our doors looking for a personal trainer. When it comes to starting a training program for beginners, I try to empathize with my clients here in Palo Alto, CA by thinking about how it is for me to start a new training program where I am a beginner. When I first started training for Track & Field I would get very self-conscious when learning a new event. Since I only had considerable experience in 2 events, I was a beginner or a straight up novice in all the others I attempted. Part of starting a new program is the technical portion. Knowing what exercises to do, how often, how many reps, etc. The other side is finding inspiration and motivation so you stick to your new fitness program and have fun doing it.
A home gym may be easier to set up than you think. This may look more like a mini workout area than a full room dedicated to a gym. All you really need is a small space and a few pieces of versatile equipment.
It’s now day 5 (at the time of this posting) of our “Shelter in Place” order in the Bay Area which includes our Palo Alto personal training and massage studio. Luckily we live in a time where we can connect live online and through social media. So here is a great warmup routine that I use ALL the time for my personal training clients, group classes, and my own personal workouts. This version is adapted to small spaces since we are typically working in a small space at home. We are online both for classes and one on one personal training! All you need is a small space, a mat, and a pair of dumbbells. Additional equipment can be help, but not a must. Here are my 5 favorite shoulder exercises when going through shoulder rehab after shoulder injuries. These exercises can not only help you get out of shoulder pain, but also help you prevent shoulder injuries. Keep in mind these are great exercises when dealing with common shoulder pain, but may be too advanced if there was a more extensive injury.  Having been in the personal training business for almost 20 years I would often get the question, “how many pullups should I be able to do?” Here in our Palo Alto, CA studio I don’t get it as often as previous big gyms I worked at, but it still comes up. There are many answers to this question depending on what standards you are looking at. You can easily find these by searching for pullups for military service, presidential fitness standards for kids, or just everyday standards. I’m not trying to dodge this question, but it really depends. The short answer for the amount to be considered “good” is: for men 5-10, for women: 3-5. This is a very general number and for certain fit or athletic groups this number would be much higher.
I took a look back at a blog I wrote 9 years ago, “Getting Through the Holiday Season” and even with many years past, this guide still holds true. I picked up some ideas since then to keep your motivation up and to make this January easier on you.
Exercise is a must for getting rid of low back pain. We use what we call “corrective exercises” that are specifically aimed at improving low back function. These exercises range in difficulty from those done in physical therapy to a beginner muscle building program. We take pride in frequently helping people bridge the gap between physical therapy and their fitness workouts. Exercises can help alleviate low back pain by:
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