My Life as Liz’s Guinnea Pig Part 2: “The Rip”
THIRD SESSION: So this past week was my birthday, the opening weekend of college football, and I took a trip to New York City to see a bit of the U.S. Open to see my athletic hero , Serena Williams (don’t you judge me). Needless to say, exercise and eating healthy weren’t exactly priorities. I […]
Personalized Fitness Assessment and TRX Training
My Life as Liz’s Guinea Pig: The Alec Brinn Fitness Story Part 1: Why I decided to get a personal trainer: I have always struggled to be fit. I am the stereotypical yo-yo dieting, fitness DVD-buying, fast-food loving, red-blooded American (can I get a hell yeah?!?). I have been as heavy as 280 pounds and […]
Embrace the ViPR!
A couple Sundays ago, the Empower Team became certified ViPR instructors! You may have noticed them (whether by observing other clients, or working with them yourself!) being used in the studio a bit more recently now that all of the trainers have some new tricks in their bags. So what exactly is ViPR? ViPR: Vitality, […]
Keep your Temperature in Check!
With the hot North Carolina summer months coming upon us, it’s a good time to talk about how your body regulates heat – and how you can keep safe and cool doing yard work, working on the car, hiking or exercising outdoors. How does your body regulate heat? Your body regulates its temperature primarily through […]
Exercise(s) of the Week: Hip Flexors
In our earlier “lesser-known muscle groups” post HERE, we talked about what muscles comprise the hip flexors, what they do and why they need to be both stretched and strengthened. If you sit at a desk job all day or notice that you have anterior pelvic tilt (which you can read more about HERE), stretching […]
Warm-Weather Workouts
Now that the weather has finished being unpredictable on us and it’s consistently warm, it’s time to get outside! Here are a few ideas for some fun activities that get you moving and help you on the way to achieving your health goals. Frisbee (Disc) Golf Official Website It’s time to teach the world the […]
Loving this new active wear line
I love my Dolman Sleeve Boatneck Top from Ideology– Macy’s new active wear collection! This loose fitting shirt moves freely, restricting no movements, while I train. Whether I am warming up, strength training or doing a cool down stretch this shirt performs beautifully. My favorite workout currently is a functional strength training and cardio circuit […]
Know your Calves
The calf muscles are notorious for being hard to build. I often hear that they are something either you’re born with, or you’re not. Well, if you’ve been doing leg press and lunges to no avail, keep reading to learn a little bit about what your calves are made of, and how to best work […]
The Gluteus Minimus and Gluteus Medius for Stability
Part 4 of our “lesser-known muscle groups” will talk about the Glute Medius and Glute Minimus. Most of us are familiar with the gluteus maximus – it is one of the strongest muscles in the body when activated and an integral part of proper squat, deadlift, clean, jumping, etc. form. So where do the […]
Spinal Erectors for a Healthy Back (And a great deadlift!)
In Part 3 of our “lesser-known muscle groups” series, we’ll talk about the spinal erectors. What are the Spinal Erectors? These muscles run all the way from the bottom of your spine at the sacrum to the base of your skull. As with most muscles, they come in pairs, one for each side of your […]