Fitness | Top Form Fitness

How to Fix your Feet – The Benefits of Barefoot

What if I told you that there is one neglected body part that you could strengthen which would lead to an increase in full body strength and mobility? It might not be what you expect. I’m talking about your FEET. If you suffer from foot, ankle, knee, low back pain, or related problems including shin splints, bunions, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, ‘fallen’ arches, or Achilles tendonitis, then this article should be of particular interest to you. Your feet may be holding you back from becoming stronger. The feet are the body’s base of support. During exercise, sport, and most daily activities, force enters the body through your hands and feet, with the feet supporting the bulk of this workload. However, whereas most people understand the importance of grip training and how strong hands contribute to a strong upper body, our feet are often neglected. Most people just shove their feet [...]

Josh Hewett2020-08-06T10:12:48-04:00

12 Days of Christmas Fitness

Here's my gift to you: The 12 Days of Fitness (Christmas Workout). I had several of my clients perform variations of this program yesterday... it's a fun way to get in a decent circuit training workout for the holidays. There's 12 rounds of this circuit, each round adding another exercise with one more repetition (up to 12 repetitions for the final exercise, of course). It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete, depending on your rep speed and rest intervals. Here's the video tutorial I created for it (you'll be impressed by my angelic singing voice!):

Josh Hewett2020-06-15T22:03:09-04:00

The Problem with the Fitness Industry

What the Hell is Wrong with the Weight Loss Industry? I recently watched an excellent video created by Mike Howard of Lean Minded, where he basically throws the entire fitness industry under the bus. The thing is, he makes some important observations, his critique is well-founded, and he provides some great suggestions about what to do about it. His opinion on this topic is very similar to my own, and his advice is right in line with what I’ve been saying for a while now (on my blog, YouTube, and other social media). I shared the video below in this article, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to check it out. He touches on several problems in the fitness industry at present: People seem to believe that everything causes weight gain… except excess calories. People are chasing a quick fix to get short term results for a [...]

Josh Hewett2020-06-14T19:53:47-04:00

Top 5 Priorities of Fat Loss Nutrition

One of the things I’ve frequently noticed in interviewing new clients, speaking to other trainers, and communicating with other fitness freaks online, is how many different opinions there are and how much confusion there is related to fat loss nutrition. Some people are just completely clueless, while others are so devoted to a particular way of eating that their diet becomes like their religion! People have some pretty strange ideas about their diet. With so many different fad diets and nutrition protocols out there, it’s no wonder people get confused. For example, you’ve probably heard about: Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low Fat, South Beach, The Zone Diet, Volumetrics, Raw Food Diet, Dr. Bernstein, No Carbs After 6:17PM, etc. That’s not even getting into tracking systems (calorie / portion control plans) like Weight Watchers or Nutri-System. Now, I’m not saying that all (or any) of the above nutritional strategies are necessarily [...]

Josh Hewett2020-06-15T22:04:43-04:00

Instructor Courses for Teaching Clients Effective Exercises for Fitness

Guest Post from Jenny Richards, Health & Fitness Journalist: If you are a fitness freak and aspire to help others achieve their fitness goals, you may pursue a career in health management, especially personal training. Go for scientific research based accredited personal trainer certifications. These certifications would help you become expert fitness and health professionals. You would be able to deliver personalized fitness programs for your clients so that they could adopt healthy lifestyle on a long-term basis. A certified personal instructor could help out people with fitness issues at any of the numerous facilities nationwide. Right at the outset, he should be able to make his clients understand the importance of exercises for promoting good health and fitness. To know more about Gym management courses, visit Keleven’s guide. Role of Exercises in Enhancing Your Health One cannot undermine the role of exercises in promoting fitness and good health. A [...]

Josh Hewett2020-08-06T14:38:04-04:00

8 Benefits of Strength Training For Women

I wish all the women who are afraid that lifting weights will “bulk them up” would show me their muscle-building secrets! I’ve been busting my ass for years to gain a few more pounds of muscle mass! Where does this fear come from? Certainly not from personal experience. Men and women need to approach their resistance training program with a similar intensity. Of course there will be small variations in each individual’s workout, but to get results both men and women need to participate in a challenging strength training program as part of their overall exercise plan. […]

Josh Hewett2020-06-14T19:48:00-04:00

Priorities of Function (Guest Post – Frank DiMeo)

For more than twenty years before I transitioned to the world of strength and conditioning; I was heavily involved with martial arts training. There was a very distinct progression of how we learned and trained. The priorities of function were adhered to and a very strong base of foundational techniques was established. For instance, the front kick was learned and practiced long before a back kick. A back kick would practiced long before a spinning back kick was learned. In strength and conditioning, the priorities of function are also extremely important. The main reasons for this are to invest your training hours wisely so the return on your investment is a solid base of strength and correct technique. If a person cannot do a full ROM bodyweight squat, he has no business trying to do a squat with a barbell. The human tendency is to be very impatient, and that can sabotage your progress [...]

Josh Hewett2014-11-29T00:01:57-05:00

Will Crossfit Bring You Gains or Pains?

We’ve all heard the expression ” No Pain No Gain.” Unfortunately I’ve seen far too many people have more pain than gain as a result of this philosophy. Part of the problem with an overly aggressive approach to getting in shape is that once you are injured you will have set yourself back significantly. As an example, let’s look at the popular yet somewhat controversial group fitness cult craze called Crossfit. Those who argue in favor of Crossfit insist it is a fun, effective, and intense approach to fitness that delivers fast results. Many believe it is also a terrific way to train for overall “athleticism”. => CHECK OUT MY ARTICLE IN THE TORONTO SUN ON THIS TOPIC! However, Crossfit has also gained a reputation for delivering more than it’s fair share of injuries as well. Part of the reason for this is the explosive nature of many of the exercises [...]

Josh Hewett2014-06-24T23:00:30-04:00

7 Quick Ways to Energize Your Workout

It can be challenging to stay motivated to exercise regularly. In my experience people come up with all kinds of excuses, including: not having enough time, not having the money, or not having enough energy. I’m going to address the “lack of energy” issue by introducing 6 Quick Ways to Energize Your Workout. => CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY ARTICLE IN THE TORONTO SUN ON THIS TOPIC. 1) Caffeine: Caffeine is one of the most common ways people use to boost their “energy”. Caffeine, a chemical present in coffee, tea, soda pop, “energy” drinks, and some sports supplements, is a stimulant that will increase your heart-rate and mental alertness. Athletes will often use caffeine before training to improve performance. Consuming 100 to 300 mg of caffeine before your workout is safe and effective for most people (a cup of coffee is about 100mg). Just practice moderation and if you drink [...]

Josh Hewett2014-06-24T13:01:49-04:00

Strengthen Your Neck, Reduce Pain, Increase Lifts

In general, there isn’t only one common cause of neck pain that applies to everyone, yet many people suffer from neck pain. If you have chronic neck pain, you may have received a diagnosis of disc herniation, whiplash, strain, sprain or something else. Frequently those who work at a desk all day experience neck pain related to postural issues, and even fitness fanatics get the occasion pain in the neck from intense training or heavy lifting. Regardless, most of these conditions have one thing in common: Certain muscles are affected, and these are the muscles we need to target before progressing to more challenging exercises or activities. There are certain muscles in the neck that are designed to help us maintain our normal and healthy curve of the spine. In addition, these muscles are designed to hold our head up all day. […]

Josh Hewett2013-10-27T18:49:38-04:00

Name:
Email: