Dynamic movements play a crucial role in any resistance training program. As we age, these exercises become increasingly essential for maintaining key aspects of everyday life like power, endurance, and coordination. With the Keiser Functional Trainer, we can safely incorporate these movements into our clients' routines. One of our top picks is the Dynamic Push Pull.

This is a great movement that targets the muscles of the back, chest, shoulders and challenges core strength and stability. The ability to efficiently transfer force is key in preventing injuries related to training and activites outside the gym such as running, carrying, swinging a golf club or even moving up and down the stairs.

Why is it conventional exercise becomes less and less effective as we age. The answer is simple; it does not provide sufficient stimulus to your muscles. It only burns calories while you are working out and then...its done. So, to make it effective, one must do more and more of it. This leads to a few things that occur. The first is you start to metabolize the lean muscle to provide the energy needs of the body, and the other is that you will experience more joint wear and tear. This in turn leads to premature joint problems and replacements. If you don’t think it’s a problem now, just bear in mind the joint replacement estimates are projected to increase between 2- 10x, depending on joint, in the next 10 years. Lastly, burnout and overuse injuries trying to maintain it simply do not last. A better way to look at exercise, and why resistance training is very effective, is called the Area Under the Curve. This area under the curve is the amount of
expenditure from the body. The greater t...

Congratulations on this month's Client of the Month Terry Erickson!

Terry has been a lifelong Teacher, Coach, and Leader in the community.   He has been involved in many leadership positions, refereeing, coaching, and teaching through numerous organizations.   He also keeps the community up to date with his broadcasting of numerous local games throughout the season at 7 Rivers Sports.  The La Crosse Boy's and Girl's Club has named their building, the Terry Erickson Center in recognition of what he has done for the youth of our community.  

Just over a year ago, Terry suffered a life-changing stroke.  For someone who has been fit and athletic his whole life, this came as a big setback to him and his family.  Not one to give up, Terry set out on a quest to regain his former strength, motor, and speaking abilities. 

That's when Terry discovered Northstar.  

One of the huge benefits of Resistance Training - for any age - is the development and redevelopment of neurocognitive pathways. ...

Do you sit at a desk all day and experience lower back tightness? If so, you may benefit from these 3 stretches to relieve the tightness while strengthening your core musculature. 

These stretches should be performed at least once a day after you were by the computer all day. The Quadratus Lumborum is a lower back muscle and the deepest abdominal muscle that plays an important role with core strength. This muscle can get tight when you have poor posture, weak abdominal muscles or when sitting for long periods of time. 

Struggling with chronic stiffness or tightness in your neck and shoulders? Constantly stretching but only finding temporary relief? It's time to focus on mobilizing and strengthening the muscles of the upper back and shoulders. The Y-T-W drill is an excellent series we use to help our clients mobilize and strengthen their upper back and shoulders in multiple positions. For more great information on how mobility and strength can reduce tightness.

It may seem counterintuitive to not just stretch when something feels stiff or tight, however that feeling of tighntess is often caused by either weakness or instability of a muscle or group of muscles. So while stretching can sometimes be the right protocol, if you are findng that the relief is only short lived then it might be time to check on your strength and mobility.

Chronic neck and shoulder stiffness is often caused by weakness or instability of the muscles in the upper back and shoulders. This Y-T-W drill is a great way to address th...

Do you find yourself discouraged when you're not where you expected to be in your fitness journey?
It's easy to think of fitness goals as successes or failures, but that can lead down a slippery slope of feeling like you're "losing" and falling away from positive habits.
Instead, think of all the small victories you're stacking by getting workouts in, moving consistently, eating in balance, and incorporating other healthy habits into your daily life. The score might not change like you want it to, but by focusing on the process instead of the end result you'll be far more successful at long-term sustainable health.

Have you been wanting or attempting to add more running into your routine, but struggle to go as far as you'd like and worry about the safety/effectiveness of your form?
Practice these 3 simple exercises and incorporate their principles during your runs. Focus on form with a slow, easy pace. From there, you can start increasing your effort with a solid foundation. You'll find you feel much better and have an easier time with quicker paces/longer distances by trusting the process!

Are shoulder presses part of your workout routine? If so, here are a few tips to performing them safely and correctly. 

1. Make sure elbows are at about a 45 degree angle instead of flared out at a 90 degree angle. 

2. Keep weights in line with your ears to properly work the deltoid (shoulder muscles). If weights are too far forward and not in line with your ears, this exercise is not working just the shoulders, but more so the pec muscles in your chest. 

Rotation and our ability to rotate effectively and efficiently are key components in maintaining a strong and healthy body. Present in a wide variety of movements, rotation needs to be trained and maintained in order to decrease the risk of back and joint pain as well as decreasing the risk of injury. Here are a few great rotational exercises to help improve your rotational strength. 

Rotation is an important aspect of most human movements. From walking to swinging a golf club and even reaching in the back seat to grab a snack on a road trip! These three exercises are some of our favorites to incorporate into our client's programs utilizing our Keiser Functional Training machines to ensure we are moving in multiple planes of motion.

1. Row with Rotation

2. Chest Press with Rotation

3. Wood Chopper