For some of us, a confrontation on the issue of how to use your abdominals when you lift weights creates similar levels of emotional response as religion or politics (enough said!).

This video shows the way I teach my clients to breathe – “French Press Breathing”.

Thanks to my friend, physiotherapist, Thomas Pilsborg, from whom I originally learned this exercise.

“Abs in”, “abs out” or “a flat wall”. What’s your take?

I honour the place in you where we are both one,
Karsten

PS: These cues can be effectively applied to “Combination Exercises”

If you had 3 minutes to teach a client ONE exercise, which exercise would you choose?

There is no easy answer to this question, but teaching your client to diaphragmatically breathe would be “up there” on the list of the MOST important exercises to teach.

It sounds crazy, but 9 out of 10 clients can’t breathe properly. Watch this exercise and learn a simple, but powerful way to teach this all important skill in 3 min. or less. It works!

Thanks to Pavel T. from whom I originally learned this exercise.

What is your experience with  teaching your clients to breathe?

I honour the place in you where we are both one,

Karsten
PS: These cues can be effectively applied to “Combination Exercises”

7. Bodyweight training and joint mobility training will become more popular to the mainstream

Going into the average fitness centre in the Greater Toronto area, I still see way too many clients wasting
their time on machines, when they could receive a much greater benefit from bodyweight training.

Many fitness clients are stressed. They want simplicity in their program and flexibility in were to perform it.

Body weight training and joint mobility delivers these factors.

How to take advantage of this trend: Read up on your bodyweight training - Combat Conditioning, by Matt Furey is a good place to start (mattfurey.com). Educate yourself on joint mobility exercises. I have yet to find better material than Scott Sonnon’s (rmaxinternational.com)

Share your ideas on these trends and you may help another reader of this blog to increase his/her buisness in 2011!!

To your success,
Karsten Jensen