Woman balancing on sand dune

Exercises For Improved Balance

Hunter Bennett As you would be aware, we (as an entire population) are getting older. To put it simply, we are getting the opportunity to live longer, which is obviously an extremely good thing – however, that isn’t to say that it doesn’t pose its own set of challenges. You see, as you get older,

Girl riding bike wearing virtual reality goggles

Virtual Reality Exercise

Jessica Gillespie-Friesen What if the secret to boosting your performance at the gym was simply wearing a headset? Recent research suggests that virtual reality exercise could reduce the perception of pain and the perceived level of effort and exertion. Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) first became popular as a method of gaming in the early

Weight Training Techniques: Benefits of Unilateral Training

Weight Training Techniques: The Benefits of Unilateral Training

Alyssa Bialowas Unilateral exercises are single-leg or single-arm movements. The primary benefit of including unilateral exercises in your training programs is that the exerciser is using both sides of the body equally. Unilateral training results in the following benefits – Helps to avoid overtraining or overusing the dominant side Helps to isolate and correct muscle

trampoline exercises and rebound workouts

A Fun Alternative: Trampoline Workouts

Sara Thompson – M.Sc. in Exercise Science In recent years, a new type of exercise has taken off in North America and around the world. “Rebound exercise”, or “Bouncercise”, comprises of balancing, jumping, and various exercises performed on a trampoline. Its increase in popularity is likely due to the fact that many people find exercise

Stand Up Paddle Boarding Physical And Mental Benefits

Sara Thompson – M.Sc. in Exercise Science With summer on its way, it’s time to put away the skis, snowshoes and toboggans and get ready for some summer activities. One summer sport that is rapidly increasing in popularity is stand up paddle boarding. Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) involves standing on a surface similar to

Muscle Cramps Cramping Your Style?

Ryan Cross It’s late in the fourth quarter of a college basketball game and the home team is at the foul line.  As the player makes his final free throw, the team’s leading scorer attempts to run back on defense when he falls to the floor in obvious pain.  As the trainer approaches the athlete,

The Power Plate – A Way To Power Your Workout

Julia Basso – PhD I am really excited to say that I joined a new gym – the Summit, NJ YMCA.  It is fully equipped with all of the best workout equipment and many machines that I have never seen before.  I was introduced to one called the power plate.  It is a rather sizable

Exercise in the Elderly: Balance and Running

Evan Stevens The first talk in this second session was about how balance training can be used to augment neural plasticity in older individuals. As we age, we lose muscle mass and balance ability. The loss of balance comes from a decrease in inhibitory control. We will have increased cortical excitability, which means we have