During recovery, patients often ask the question “should I use heat or ice?” My response is usually that it will vary from person to person dependent upon their specific injury with a few general rules to determine which will be more beneficial. To make an educated decision, we need to first understand how the body heals after injury.

When the tissues in the body break down, from micro traumas or from substantial damage like fractures, sprains or strains, the immune system kicks into action activating the body’s natural defenses. We see these defensive measures in the form of inflammation, increase in temperature to the damaged area, and redness from an increase in blood circulation. These factors are an attempt by the body to protect the area from further damage followed by removing the damaged cells before rebuilding new tissue. The initial inflammation response phase of healing begins immediately and lasts between three to five days. Once the debris from injury is cleared, the body can repair and rebuild the damaged structures over the next six to eight weeks. While it would be nice to have a solid, continuous timeline during healing, it is rarely the case for us as active individuals since the objective of strength training is to create cycles of breaking down tissue and recovering to rebuild stronger muscle. The soreness and discomfort felt after an intense workout is the sign that cells in the muscle tissue broke down causing a cascade of chemicals to release.     

By now you may have seen Atlas Fitness is offering Athletic Training sessions. But what is an Athletic Trainer?

Athletic Trainers are Certified Allied healthcare providers, licensed by their state boards, to prevention, examine, diagnosis, treat and rehabilitate emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions. Athletic Trainers are certified by the Board of Certification (BOC) after completing an accredited program in Athletic Training. Historically these programs existed at the bachelor level, but in recent years the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and the BOC have shifted requirements that programs operate at the Masters level. Which means all Certified Athletic Trainers will be required to obtain a Masters degree in order to practice. This push has been made so that Athletic Trainers can be recognized by licensing agencies in the same rehabilitation category as a Physical Therapist or an Occupational Therapist. Athletic Trainers are often mistook for personal trainers but our practice is more in line with that of a physical therapist, to restore function and reduce pain through therapeutic exercise. The skills to do so are obtained through full coursework and over 1000 hours of clinical instruction and practice in various settings.

It can be easy to lose motivation to workout in the winter and sit inside by the fire instead, but getting in shape doesn’t happen over night and in order to have your summer body, you have to put in work during the winter. Here are some tips to stay motivated during the colder months.

Bootcamp is an intense, one-hour workout program designed to challenge your entire body. During Bootcamp, you work every muscle through a variety of strength and power circuit exercises. This helps strengthen muscles, burn calories and improve balance and core stability.

Bootcamp is the perfect choice for healthy individuals of all ages and abilities. The only requirement is the determination to finish what you’ve started. If you can accomplish that, you’ll be able to realize the dramatic results of this effective exercise program.

Many of us would like to lose weight. While other goals such as improving strength and growing muscle can be achieved by training just a few hours each week, weight loss requires an ongoing commitment to both nutrition and exercise.

When most people think about exercising, they picture working out in an indoor gym. While this is always an excellent option, there are a number of benefits to outdoor workouts including a change of scenery, the opportunity to meet more people in your community, and a boost for your immune system.

By Betsy Poos

The magnitude of change a woman’s body undergoes during pregnancy and the postpartum period is enormous – mind blowing stuff really!  It’s enough to qualify all mamas as super heroes, though truly feeling fit and healthy in mind and body to own your super hero status can be tricky.

A common question we trainers often get asked is what is the difference between hypertrophy and strength and why is it necessary to work on both? Hypertrophy simply put is the increase of muscle fiber size. Muscle hypertrophy should not be confused with muscle hyperplasia, which is an increase in the number of muscle fibers. Muscle hyperplasia is thought to cease at an early on during development. The increase in muscle tone one undergoes through resistance training comes primarily from hypertrophy, or the increase in muscle fiber size one already had. Strength is how much force that specific muscle or a muscle group can exert in a single effort.