Moving Conversations

Injuries to the tendons are very common and understanding what they are and how best to work with them make up invaluable to your clients. Brian and Nora define tendinitis and tendinosis and discuss techniques for working with tendon issues from the acute phase through to returning to full activity.

When an overweight or obese client comes into your facility, are you comfortable working with them? With a majority of the US population overweight or obese, you will work with larger clients and knowing how to make their sessions safe, successful and fulfilling is critical to your success.

With drugs such as Ozempic and others becoming popular tools for weight loss, we wanted to review what the drugs are, what they do and give you information to help you and your clients navigate this new and challenging world. We are not medical professionals, but personal trainers and Pilates teachers are often the people clients will turn to for advice and we wanted you to be prepared for these c...

Building on the previous two podcasts, we’ll review the current thinking about important principles in training the myofascial system to improve movement patterns, minimize injury and optimize performance. Take your thinking beyond one movement/one muscle to fully embracing the body as a whole.

Today we’ll take a deep dive into the thoracolumbar fascia and how it connects, integrates and moves the body. The importance of myofascial connections in creating fluid and efficient movement patterns will be discussed along with how scars interfere with the smooth transfer of force from one area to the next.

Fascia Basics Fascia is a buzz word in fitness for good reason. Fascia science is full of game changing concepts that take fitness training to a whole new level. Join us for an introduction to the topic including what fascia is, how it connects and coordinates the body and why warming up is an important element of physical training. For additional resources, check out Anatomy Trains, 2nd edition b...

Happy New Year! Winter can be a tough time to keep your workout routine fresh. If you enjoy the outdoors it may be too cold to run or cycle and the temptation to take it easy when its dark and cold can lead to being more of a couch potato than you want to be. Winter is a great time to try something new, address issues you haven’t had time for and set your goals to be in great shape when spring app...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season to all. Nora and Brian are taking a break this week and have decided to take a look back at our first episode...warts and all. It was our first foray into doing a podcast and it shows, but was a lot of fun. We hope you enjoy and we will see you next week.

One of the most important aspects of successful aging is staying active. There are as many ways to keep moving as there are active elders. Join Brian and Nora for a wide-ranging discussion on strategies, tactics and inspiration to stay strong and keep moving.

Spinal stenosis in either the cervical or the lumbar spine is fairly common with over 200,000 cases per year in the US. Brian and Nora discuss what it is and give you practical advice on ways to manage it to decrease pain and disability. Postural changes and core support can substantially reduce the pain and discomfort from this condition.

In part 2 of this two-part episode, we discuss the physiological mechanisms of both acute and chronic muscle spasms which all of these muscles are prone to along with the anatomy of the piriformis and its role in hip and low back stability. Rounding out the series is a discussion of techniques for training balanced, integrated movement patterns starting with the core and moving throughout the body...

The psoas major, quadratus lumborum and piriformis are common sources of pain when a client has low back, hip or sacroiliac joint conditions. In this episode, we discuss the anatomy of the psoas major and quadratus lumborum and dive into strategies for releasing and progressively strengthening these muscles to minimize pain and improve a person’s ability to move with ease.

Building on the anatomy and movement patterns of the shoulder we explored in part 1, Nora and Brian discuss common musculoskeletal imbalances and injuries in the shoulder and strategies for working with them.

We begin our exploration of the shoulder with an introduction to the basic anatomy of the joints, how they work together and how to coordinate the muscles to improve movement quality. This is the foundation of the work needed to improve outcomes for shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tears and shoulder impingement.

Osteoporosis is a true public health emergency with 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 living with the condition. Taking traditional advice, “do weight bearing exercise” as a starting point, we’ll dive deeper into what exactly that means, how to think about training a client with osteoporosis to manage functional activities and some thought provoking observations from our personal prac...

The concept of open and closed chain exercises was first introduced in the 1950’s. Movement training has come a long way since then. Taking open and closed chain concepts as a starting point, Brian and Nora explore stability, complexity, function and strength!

Pilates and Personal Training are both powerful, complimentary movement practices. Nora and Brian discuss the strengths of each and ways to bring them together to improve the health and performance of our clients most effectively.

Pain in the neck is so common it is used as a metaphor for a person we find annoying. The neck is so much more than just bones, joints and muscles, it is the interface between our head, our senses, our emotions and the rest of our body. Let’s discuss ways to work with it to minimize pain and optimize freedom.

As an instructor your cues are vitally important to shaping how you want your client's movement to look and feel. In today's episode we talk about the importance of cueing, the various methods and how a single cue can make all the difference in the execution of an exercise. Join the conversation.

Using client stories as a jumping off point, we will discuss the power of connection, the value of listening and how to get the most out of your time with a client.

Flexibility and Mobility...Are they the same thing? Let's focus on defining and refining our understanding of the body through an exploration of range of motion, flexibility, mobility and how they work together to optimize performance.

The pandemic turned the fitness world upside down with gyms and studios closing, classes going on line and Peloton changing, at least temporarily, how we do fitness. Join Brian and Nora for a look at how the fitness world has changed and some thoughts about what the future holds.

Nora's been teaching movement and training instructors for over 30 years. In this episode she discusses how she got here and what she's learned along the way.

Your thoracic spine and rib cage move with every breath you take and respond to anything the arms or the head are doing. Let's talk about this essential but often neglected area to help you breathe better, move better and expand your understanding of the torso.

Lumbar disc injuries are often accompanied by sciatica. We'll discuss what sciatica is and ways to train the back and hip to minimize symptoms in this in-depth episode. Join the conversation.