Planning and Programming

Workout Frameworks

In Cardio, Planning and Programming, Strength Training • by Melissa, January 2, 2019 •

Happy New Year! If you are new to this little corner of the interwebs, welcome! If you are old hat, welcome back. I hope everybody had a safe and festive holiday season. And since it’s the New Year and I know you have resolutions, I’m...

Exercise Recommendations for Long Term Health

In General Fitness, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, October 17, 2018 •

It should come as no surprise that one of the questions I field most has to do with how much exercise one should be getting. Truth be told, it’s actually a fairly complicated question to answer. It involves figuring out what the individual’s goal is,...

2-2-2 Format for Planning and Flexibility

In Planning and Programming • by Melissa, September 19, 2018 •

As anyone who has been around here will tell you, I like to take a whole life/whole person approach to exercise. While this approach allows for a lot of flexibility, it also breeds a heck of a lot of confusion. I use what I call...

Benefits of Strength Training

In Planning and Programming, Strength Training • by Melissa, September 12, 2018 •

I gotta be real, I am actually a little surprised to need to be talking about why strength training is awesome, for everyone, in 2018. Seriously. When I started working as a personal trainer (possibly before some of you were born), this was a conversation...

Staying the Course

In General Fitness, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, July 18, 2018 •

Today’s post is going to be a shorter one. Hopefully leaving you more time to go and practice what I’m about to preach. I pay a lot of lip service to training goals, but anyone who knows me knows that no matter who I am...

Rest and Recovery

In Planning and Programming, Safety • by Melissa, June 21, 2018 •

I have previously written about getting the most out of both cardio and strength workouts. That’s a lot of work, pun intended. So, today, let’s switch gears and talk about rest.

Let’s Get Pumped!

In Planning and Programming, Strength Training • by Melissa, June 6, 2018 •

Most exercise and wellness goals require some type of strength training. People don’t like hearing this because, frankly, lacing up your sneakers and going for a walk or bike ride is just easier. It requires far less equipment (although body weight only workouts rock) and...

Making the Most of Treadmill Time

In Cardio, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, May 24, 2018 •

Let’s call a spade a spade… Cardiovascular training can be a huge time suck. Both in terms of the actual amount of time spent and in the tediousness of it. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t mind spending some QT with a treadmill....

Using Dimensions of Wellness to Set Goals

In Dimensions of Wellness, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, May 16, 2018 •

I have previously posted about Dimensions of Wellness and that I believe it is an important concept regarding whole person and whole life health. I want to talk a bit about using these Dimensions in goal setting. I pay a lot of lip service around...

Heart Rate Zone Training: A Moving Target

In Cardio, Planning and Programming • by Melissa, May 2, 2018 •

Heart rate, quite simply put, is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. This number is both a key indicator of cardiovascular health, and also an excellent tool for helping design your own exercise programs. Whether you choose to take your heart...