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Fitness Blogs and Articles
Learnings, teachings and tips & tricks for anyone to reference during difficult times, stressful workdays and moments when manifesting your true self.
The Crucial Role of Strength Training for Endurance Athletes at AIM Athletic
While cardiovascular fitness is undeniably crucial, the synergy between strength training and aerobic activities is a game-changer that should not be underestimated.
How AIM Athletic's Training Unleashes Longevity Through Cardiovascular Adaptations
The cardiovascular system is at the forefront of our body's ability to not just live, but also live well. Engaging in regular cardiovascular training triggers a cascade of adaptations that go beyond increasing stamina, directly impacting overall health and longevity.
Kinesiology: Your Fastest Path to Recovery After a Motor Vehicle Accident
Your recovery isn't a one-size-fits-all journey, and we don't treat it as such. Our dedicated kinesiologists will adjust your workout plans to suit the specific stage of your recovery and your unique abilities. We believe in gradual progress, ensuring you never feel overwhelmed, and your recovery remains effective.
The Myth of Specific Rep Ranges in Resistance Training
Many believe that performing 8-12 reps per set is the golden range for hypertrophy. While this rep range can indeed stimulate muscle growth, it's not the only way. Muscle growth primarily depends on creating tension and fatigue within the muscle, and this can be achieved through various rep ranges.
Romanian Deadlifts: A Smarter Choice for Strength and Safety
When it comes to deadlift variations, the Romanian deadlift (RDL) often stands in the shadow of its more famous cousins, the traditional barbell deadlift and the trap bar deadlift. However, don't underestimate the incredible benefits that this exercise brings to the table. In many ways, the Romanian deadlift outshines its counterparts, offering unique advantages compared to traditional deadlifts and is why they're regularly featured in our workouts at AIM.
Forward Lunges vs. Backward Lunges
Lunges are a versatile and effective unilateral exercise that targets the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Within the realm of lunges, two popular variations stand out: forward lunges and backward lunges. While both exercises provide numerous benefits, they differ in terms of movement mechanics, muscle activation, joint stress, and balance and stability requirements.
AIM In The Media
AIM In The Media
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6 Possible Reasons Why Your Shoulders Won’t Grow
In order to complete any shoulder-to-overhead movement (jerk, press, push-press), you need solid spinal and shoulder mobility, according to Harcoff. If you don’t have adequate mobility, you won’t be able to press the weight directly overhead.
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Functional fitness is the best training routine for avid weight lifters to novices — here's why, according to strength coaches
Movements that work just one muscle group at a time can also qualify as functional movements," Harcoff says. "So long as an exercise takes a joint through its full range of motion.
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Which Type of Squat Machine Is Best for You? Here Are the Most Common and How to Use Them
A functional movement pattern that involves flexing and extending at your hips, knees and ankles, the squat exercise replicates the shapes your body shifts into each time you sit down or stand up.
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8 best push-up variations for improving strength in your chest and arms, according to a strength coachem
DescriptiPush-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do. Not only are they highly accessible to most folks but they're capable of being done anytime, anywhere.
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Top 20 Best Multivitamins for Bodybuilders.
“My recommendation for a multivitamin specifically directed to bodybuilders would be Thorne’s AM/PM complex. I like this brand because firstly they come in capsule form, allowing it to break down faster in the stomach for increased absorption…“
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Sleep: Jake Harcoff of AIM Athletic On Why You Should Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life.
“The importance of sleep didn’t just end there, what I found was that sleep was also linked to almost all aspects of health and fitness…”
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4 Glute Stretches That Help Ease Tightness and Prevent Pain
“…any time you’re using one muscle group to perform the actions that are intended to be performed by a different muscle group, you’re setting yourself up for problems.”
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20 High Protein Snacks For Bodybuilding.
“My favorite high protein snack is low fat cottage cheese, mostly because of its macronutrient breakdown. In just one cup, low fat cottage cheese has 28 grams of protein (nearly as much as a whole chicken breast), 6 grams of carbohydrates, and just 2 grams of fat..”
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Set Yourself Up For Success With This Post-Workout Routine.
When it comes to recovery, your post-workout routine is key. From properly warming down and stretching to replenishing, refueling, and rehydrating, what you do after your workout is crucial to crushing your athletic goals.
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The Lunge Variation Trainers Want You to Avoid
If you want to sculpt your glutes, you've likely tried curtsy lunges before. We're guessing, with mixed results. While some tout it as one of the top lunge variations for your glutes, more and more trainers are saying it's actually a move you should never do.
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Best Strength Exercises For Runners (According To The Experts)
We all know that regular training and a healthy diet are important factors when it comes to your running, but one area which is sometimes neglected by runners is the incorporation of strength-building exercises into their workout routines.
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Total Health: Jake Harcoff On How We Can Optimize Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing
A good place to start is by using the NESTS acronym to ensure you have all ticked the boxes needed for optimal mental wellness. NESTS stands for nutrition, exercise, sleep, time for self, and support.
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Surge in participation fuels Digital Marketing Bootcamp expansion
“Understanding how to use SEO has saved me money in external consultant fees and helped drive more traffic to my website, resulting in new clients. Taking the bootcamp was time well spent and has helped me grow my business.”
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How To Pick The Best Running Shoes For You (Expert Tips)
Running is a great form of exercise that can be performed pretty much anywhere without any specialist equipment. But the one thing you will need is a good pair of running shoes to support your goals.
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5 Ways to Shorten Your Workouts and Get Better Results
Most people don't have the time (or desire) to spend countless hours at the gym. And that's OK. Longer workouts don't necessarily equal better ones. In fact, with some smart planning, shorter sweat sessions can be just as effective — if not more.
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The Best 2-in-1 Upper-Body Exercises to Strengthen Your Arms, Chest and Shoulders
Working your upper body isn't all about looking good while flexing. Strong, stable, injury-free arms and shoulders are just as important. While isolation exercises like biceps curls target specific muscle groups, to build functional strength, you need compound exercises.
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7 Muscle Recovery Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Gains
If your muscles are unable to recover? Well, you might face a number of negative consequences, including decreased exercise performance, overtraining syndrome, lowered immunity, and increased injury risk, explains Harcoff.
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How to Relieve Post-Workout Muscle Soreness — and What Not to Do
Nothing impedes muscle recovery and therefore prolongs muscle soreness quite like eating too little. "The body needs adequate energy and nutrients to repair and rebuild the muscle tissue that was damaged during exercise," says Harcoff.
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The 8 Best Plyometric Boxes of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
[Plyometric exercises] require a great deal of power and strength to perform, so incorporating them into a routine can help individuals build both,” explains certified strength and conditioning coach Jake Harcoff, C.S.C.S. head coach and owner of AIM Athletic.
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How to Target Your Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads and Calves on the Leg Curl and Extension Machines
The most common form mistake people make when using the lying leg curl machine is using momentum, rather than their muscles, to move through each rep."
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6 Pre-Workout Nutrition Mistakes That Mess With Your Fitness Results
Yes, eating ahead of exercise is essential—but so is eating afterward. Fail to fuel after the gym and much of your hard work will be for naught as your muscles won’t have the tools they need to properly recover, says Harcoff.
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7 Exercises Trainers Say You Should Skip —and Why
Ahead, seven exercises many gym-goers do that fitness experts recommend skipping — plus the alternatives they recommend swapping into your workout routine instead.
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Calisthenics Is Having a Renaissance. Get to Know the Simple but Effective Training Style
Even if you don't quite know what calisthenics is, exactly, you've probably seen it in action. The training method has been around for a long time now, and sounds fancy, but is quite simple.
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Bulking vs. Cutting: 10 Tips on How to Cut and Bulk, From Fitness Professionals
Gymshark, Ghost, greens, and creatine. Among bodybuilders there are no shortage of companies, concepts, and products designed to help them meet their goals. But there is one bodybuilding methodology that…
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How to Get Rid of Man Boobs (Moobs)
o, your shirt isn’t sitting as smoothly against your sternum as you’d like. Or, you feel an uncomfortable jiggle when you jog. Maybe, your chest muscles are covered up by enlarged breasts that are tender to the touch (1)…
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7 Reasons To Reconsider Skipping A Rest Day
If you’re routine-oriented, craving a dose of post-exercise endorphins, or feeling super-motivated about your fitness goals, you might be inclined to skip your rest day in favor of getting another workout in. But, as beneficial as exercise can be for your overall health…
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7 Exercises Trainers Say You Can Skip —and Why
Ahead, seven exercises many gym-goers do that fitness experts recommend skipping — plus the alternatives they recommend swapping into your workout routine instead.
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6 Must-Follow Tips For Building Massive Shoulders
To the untrained eye, big shoulders may seem like nothing more than a tank top imperative—but building strong shoulders offers far more health benefits than just giving shirt strings something to grip onto (though that part is nice, too).
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Overhead Presses Deserve a Spot in Your Upper-Body Sessions. Here’s Which Muscles You’ll Work
Ahead you’ll find everything you need to know about the overhead press, including a step-by-step guide on how to do it safely, the muscle groups it works, safety tips, and more.
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8 Benefits of Stretching in the Morning, Plus 5 Moves to Get You Started
Trust us: The benefits of stretching in the a.m. — for as little as five minutes — outweigh any inconvenience. The following eight reasons — like better posture, more energy and fewer aches and injuries — will convince you to start your day with a morning stretch routine.