Brian Schiff’s Blog

Halo Trainer

I recently received a Halo Trainer from Bryce Taylor, its inventor and program director.  I am fortunate enough to test and sample many new products related to fitness and rehab.  Many of them are one dimensional, full of fluff or new takes on an old product. This product really delivers for those in the rehab and fitness worlds.

Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for this product review or paid to endorse this product.  I simply love what it has to offer. The Halo Trainer offers countless training possibilities for so many people despite their backgrounds and abilities.

In fact, here is an excerpt from the Halo Trainer website:

Halo Training currently consists of 4 levels of difficulty for functional bodyweight training.   We all know that people have various levels of strength, flexibility, coordination, etc. so we at Halo Rehab & Fitness believe that individuals should not be performing the same exercises.  Although it is always to goal to increase the challenge, it is not always appropriate.  Sometimes an exercise can be advanced and other times an exercise needs to be made a little easier to meet the specific level of the individual.

For this reason, the Halo training development team has created four distinct levels of difficulty based on scientific principles. Our team has created levels of difficulty for over 300 exercises so that you can create a specific progressive individualized program to maximize bodyweight training.  Just pick a starting level and progress to the next level when you are able to complete the challenges of your current level.

Continue reading…

I hope you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Starting today and running all week you can save 30% on any and all of my DVDs. Take advantage of this offer on any of my Fit Knee series (osteoarthritis, running, or ACL) as well as my Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training one. The sale will end on Sunday Dec. 7.

Please share this offer with friends, colleagues and family who may benefit from any of these products.  Simply enter code DVD30 at the checkout and hit apply coupon to save 30% today.  Click here to order.

Using a stability ball for hamstring exercises is commonplace in fitness and rehab settings.  I feel the use of isometric exercise is often under rated and under utilized because it is viewed as boring or easy by clients.  I like to use some variations of hamstring bridging on a stability ball focusing on isometric holds with various static positions and dynamic upper extremity movement patterns.

Utilizing time under tension with isometrics is a an excellent way to challenge the CNS and increase muscle activation.  Once a client can master a stationary double leg bridge, this exercise sequence offers some fun and challenging progressions to an otherwise standard and perhaps otherwise boring isometric exercise.

I like to think of these types of exercises as a way to fine tune motor control and resist unwanted motion in a static position as well as with dynamic movement.  Not all clients will be able to progress to the dynamic portion, but use these variations to progress and regress the exercise accordingly.  Adjust the length of the isometric based on the ability of the client.  Beyond a great training tool for the hamstrings, you will realize greater hip, core and pelvic control too.

The video below demonstrates some progressions:

To see the full written description with progressions, visit www.fit-pro.com to read my column Functionally Fit.

Obviously I am a BIG fan of bodyweight training and incorporate it into many of my fitness and rehab programs.  to that end, I wanted to let you know about a great bodyweight training bundle being released today.  I was asked to contribute to this product bundle and have added my very own Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide ($39.95 value).

The bundle has something for everyone looking to:

• Burn more fat
• Build more muscle
• Increase overall fitness

It features all of the following:

• 8 Bodyweight Muscle Building ebooks
• 6 Bodyweight Fatloss ebooks
• 5 Bodyweight Play/Trick ebooks
• 10 Bodyweight Video/Workout Programs
• 5 Nutrition/Recipe ebooks
• 4 Bodyweight Flexibility/Rehab Programs

Click the image below for more information. Act now to get all these resources at a steep discount!

I wanted to send out warm wishes for a great Holiday to all my readers.  I am blessed to write, speak, rehab and train people in my daily work – all things I love to do.  Education and sharing information is the primary motivation behind my blogging as I want to help others achieve optimal health, performance and recovery.  To that end, my sincere hope is that this blog continues to be a quality source of information for you and your family/friends.

This is also a time of year when I like to offer discounts on my educational products as a way of giving thanks.  So, through midnight on Cyber Monday (12/2/13) I will be offering a discount on all my DVD’s, e-books, and books (Trigger Point products, online consulting and pulley not included). So, from now until Monday at midnight, you can save 25% on these products by entering coupon code BFIT25 at checkout.

I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends during this Holiday time and wish you continued health and prosperity moving forward.