Blog
There is a difference between Personal Training (PT) and group classes. I see too many gyms that do not separate the two. I think it’s pretty clear that PT should have a higher skill set level and attention to detail for the individual.
Here’s how we separate PT from group classes at Fast Twitch Training. 
At Fast Twitch Training we have dedicated ourselves to training young athletes. This is how our gym originally began. The industry for school-age athletes has changed, however, and the information on how they need to train has evolved too. The biggest change I’ve noticed is the decline in strength and ability for the general athletic population. The other big change is the busy schedule young athletes have today. We have kids who want to stay in the rotation here at Fast Twitch but can only come one day per week.
High intensity training (HIT) is a form of resistance training that uses high levels of effort or “intensity” with a variety of movements, to burn calories and build muscle in shorter, more intense periods of time. When HIT appeared in the 70s, it was described as “train harder, but briefer.”
The most basic principal of this exercise is simply OVERLOAD. In order to stimulate muscle growth, you have to overload the muscle with a greater force than it is used to. Therefore, the greater the load and more intense the exercise, the more effective. 
HIT training is best executed with all-out efforts—which means effort to the point of failure without for breakdown. High intensity training methods vary with regards to the specific style, speed, and number of repetitions performed, as well as the number of exercises and frequency of workouts. But all HIT workouts emphasize working as hard as possible.
I began training young athletes right out of college. I first was an athletic trainer and dealt with injuries and rehab mainly. As my career path changed, I went on to training athletes who were healthy and ready to get stronger and faster.
When I first began, a handful of kids showed up to our one- or two-hour speed camps. The level of athlete tended to be the kid who was dedicated to sports and had some level of college sport in mind while trying to stay on top of their game in high school so they could potentially earn a collegiate scholarship. At this point, young athletes weren’t seeking the strength part of working out and, to be honest, and there was not the kind of general knowledge for training athletes back then as there is today.
I have read tons of articles on meal prep. It is not that any of them are bad. Generally I feel like they give good advice. The one beef I have, though: Most articles list out every detail of the foods and ingredients, how to cook them, and even which tupperware to use. Do we really need to dumb it down this much? People go on and on about how easy this makes life, but is it really?
Meal prep is not easy, per se. But then again, it’s not hard work compared to building a house. I have found it is just something that you either works for you or does not work for you. However, if I see your diet is bad, and you cannot be held responsible to put that diet in check, then we are kind of left with one option–meal prep.
Watch the full video as we show you how easy Sunday Food Prep can be!
Your pre and post workout meal is all about the same thing. Increase muscle growth, don’t crash and burn, and protect your hard-earned muscle. That’s why you work out, whether you know it or not ( ma
ybe unless you are a runner, in that case I don’t know why you work out but bless the fact that you can run for days, I cannot).
I’ll keep this very simple at its most basic form. Before a workout you want carbs and a tiny bit of protein. Stay away from too many fats because they take the longest to digest. For your carbs, you want something that is low glycemic like oats or nuts. We want that to release slowly to help you power through a long, hard workout. For example I am a 185 lb. male so 500-600 calories of carbs and protein about 3 hours before a workout should be good for me. I find that I tend to need more food closer to my workouts, but that is just me. Everyone is different. So if you are like me, a pre workout snack may be what you need just before you hit the weights.
To sum up what could be a long story, I played sports like many other kids, was injured at one point and sent to rehab. This injury took me out of a season of basketball (which to this day is my favorite sport) and at that time it was a HUGE deal. My high school athletic trainer was there with me both at school and in the rehab center to help take care of my injury. He also helped me stay positive and keep a good frame of mind during my therapy which was key during my rehabilitation. I thought that was the best thing ever and from that point I wanted to be an Athletic Trainer.
My high school athletic trainer was there with me both at school and in the rehab center to help take care of my injury.
I ended up going to college for this and for those of you who don’t know it’s a pretty intensive work load. All classes are in the morning because by the afternoon when sports start you’re with a sports team either at your college or local high school. I traveled on the road when they traveled, I spent the night in hotels when they did and was at all the practices and games. This experience gave me hands on experience to so many injuries including broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, lacerations and many others. Depending on the injury we had to treat we would have clinic hours and manage rehab programs for athletes. 4 years of this plus an extra 2 years for my masters and I was off to work for NovaCare to do the very same thing with a larger population of athletes. I went on to serve as the Head Athletic Trainer of Upper Moreland H.S. and the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach/Assistant Athletic Trainer for Germantown Academy.
We started the idea of 360 Strength with a conversation, which led to a simple question: “What does it mean to us to be a real gym, and what are other gyms missing?” The answer for us was obvious. Other gyms sell fluff. We instead offer a holistic health package that has the potential to transform peoples’ lives. 
I get it. The real work is never easy. It’s hard to implement because you need a higher level of understanding, and the masses might not follow. You see it in almost every facet of this industry and many others. Gyms and trainers would rather hire a warm body, create a program that is accessible by many because it has a low skill set, kick up the music and tell everyone they are working hard. It’s what is trendy and what is approachable. But, if you ask any respected trainer in the industry, they would not be caught dead doing workouts like this on their own. That is because the basics only get you so far. You need to advance, and the client doesn’t know what that means. It is up to us to define that. When defining 360 Strength, we knew this is what has been missing most from the industry.
So, how do we approach what so many gyms do not? What do we risk, due to lack of education? How can we help people to see that this is better and more effective than what is trendy?
This is the conversation I will have with most runners.
Runner: “I started getting back into a focused mindset and am going to really get into my runs.”
(Runner starts out doing great, the runs are going well, and everything is progressing.)
*After a while of positive runs*
Runner: “I am seeing a dip in my runs this past week.”
Me: “Maybe you need to cut back and focus on some other things?”
Runner: “No, its just a bad week. I had a lot going on.” Continue reading
By Co-owner of FTT Dennis Angelina
This could be one of the biggest issues I have with the industry: The information moves quickly, and everyone markets something different every month. It’s all about the new best thing. This is partly because people like to try and be ahead of the curve and do things that other people are not doing. And partly because there are no guidelines or governing body on many of these products for quality and/or effectiveness, so companies are able to create and brand as quick as they can.
What tends to sell the best in our industry is the sexiness of the product.