For 20 years, the fitness industry has been slow to recognize the opportunities associated with weight management. This is astonishing considering the following facts:

• The # 1 reason men and women join a health club or hire a personal trainer is to "lose weight."

• The fitness industry offers the only viable set of protocols for successful, long-term weight management (proper nutrition, productive exercise, and positive motivation). The industry is in general consensus regarding physiological protocol.

• All other quick-fix, restricted calorie programs, pills and other "magic theories" offered by commercial weight loss centers are not based on human physiology and are, therefore, faulty in design and inevitably fail.

• The FITNESS PROS are, by far, the most qualified to help consumers attain long-term, weight management goals and subsequent lifestyle through proper nutrition, productive exercise and positive motivation.

Click on the programs below for more detail information.

What is the one thing that every athlete wants immediately? The answer is "Results!"

Sport Specific Training is exactly as the name implies - it is "specific" and "straight to the point." A sprinter will work on techniques and drills to improve his/her speed. Golfers can expect to improve their golf swing. Tennis players will learn to improve their quickness, agility, reaction, lateral movement, and overall game. The FITNESS PROS create personalized Sport Specific programs and develop customized nutritional menus to achieve quick and outstanding results.

The FITNESS PROS use a 4 Step Approach in the development of their athletes. Performance Nutrition, Strength & Conditioning, Speed/Power development, and Sport Specific skill improvement. It is not uncommon for any of our athletes, even the "hardest gainer" to put on 20 lbs of muscle in 8-12 weeks. It is also not unusual to see any of the de-conditioned athletes that enter our program to lose 15 -20 lbs of fat during that same time.

The FITNESS PROS Speed/Power Development program alone is World Class and has seen numerous athletes run a sub 4.3 second 40 yard dash, including a 4.19 effort. Our sprinters are always the strongest and fastest and because of our innovative regeneration methods, they are also the busiest because their bodies recover so much quicker than the other athletes that they can compete more often. Our racquet sport athletes (tennis, racquetball, paddle ball) win championships. Our combat sport athletes (boxing, martial arts, mixed martial arts) have won regional, state, national, international and world titles.

FITNESS PROS Athletes are dedicated, confident, extremely strong, fast, and definitely "furious." If you are a Professional Athlete, an aspiring Professional Athlete, or just someone who wants to improve their sport of choice and have a heck of a lot of fun doing so, then look no further, The FITNESS PROS are your answer. Its never too late to start!

The FITNESS PROS team of coaches are not your ordinary trainers. They are highly qualified, certified, knowledgeable, and have produced enormous results for all their athletes and weekend warriors. Our coaches stay abreast of all the new cutting edge sport, strength and conditioning trends by attending seminars, clinics, and continuing education courses. Even our entry level coaches intern with us at least 60 hours in our facility before they start training any of the athletes. Furthermore, all coaches are required to research current trends for 5-10 hours per week on their own time and write comprehensive training programs for our clients. The FITNESS PROS pride themselves in their coaching staff, their athletes, and their successful program protocols. This is what makes training with The FITNESS PROS the right choice.

"When the gun go off, the race be over." -- Ben Johnson (World's Fastest Human)

The Fundamental Goals of any and all Athletic Programs require "Technical Precision" and "Speed of Execution." Make no mistake about it, they are both interrelated. Speed is the result of applying explosive force to a specific movement or technique. It is the ability to achieve high velocity. Speed = Distance / Time. The best example of a Sport requiring "Straight Up Speed," is Track - Sprinting and Running.

Agility is the ability to explosively brake, change direction, and accelerate again. In most sports, agility is more important than achieving or maintaining high velocity. Such agility requires rapid force development and high power output, as well as the ability to efficiently couple eccentric and concentric actions in ballistic movements. The best example of sports requiring high levels of agility are: Football, Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse, Tennis(racquet sports), Baseball, Combat Sports, and Skiing.

Quickness is defined as a skillful performance or ability without difficulty. It is synonymous with speed, acuteness, velocity, rapidity, and of course, agility.

What is the difference between Sprinting and Running?

"While you run on the ground, you sprint over it." -- Gerard Mach(Elite Speed Coach)

Sprinting is characterized with spending the least amount of time on the ground as possible. The ultimate goal in sprinting is achieving the highest amount of stride frequency possible. Sprinting is a series of ballistic strides in which the body is repeatedly launched forward like a projectile. Running speed is the interaction of stride frequency and stride length.

The FITNESS PROS Speed, Agility, and Quickness (S.A.Q.) Camps offer athletes individualized programs to help improve General and Sport-Specific Speed. Our 25 + years of experience will help take your S.A.Q. skills to the next level and beyond. Our methods have been proven by some of the best speed coaches on earth and have made it possible for impressive personal, national, international, and world record performances. Whether you are looking to improve your time in the 40 yard dash, Tennis game, reach higher speeds at Sprinting and Running events, earn a scholarship, enter professional sports, increase speed endurance for Soccer and or Lacrosse, or "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee in Boxing/Martial Arts, or maybe you are a weekend warrior who wants to improve his/her overall conditioning and also have lots of fun getting in shape. The FITNESS PROS can create a program that best suits your needs. We will take into consideration the level of demand for your sport, your flexibility, strength, speed, agility, nutrition, experience, gender, age, and skill in order to customize a S.A.Q. Program that will allow you to reach your fitness potential. Our staff of competent Coaches and Fitness Trainers can accommodate 1-on-1 sessions, semi-private, or groups as large as 60 or more. Train with the best, and never, ever, settle for less. Train with The FITNESS PROS and you will run faster, Guaranteed!

Get stronger, push harder, throw farther, breathe easier, live longer. Whether your goal is health maintenance or health improvement, The FITNESS PROS can create a Strength And Conditioning program that is right for you. Our programs are individually customized to help you achieve all your fitness goals. As Bruce Lee best puts it - "Knowing is not enough;we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." Put your trust in the ability, knowledge, and experience of our coaches and we shall show you the path to a new body.

Explosive Exercises and Training

1. Resistance exercises characterized by maximal or near maximal rates of force development or by high accelerations, usually referred to as "explosive exercises," are effective for enhancing physical performance.

2. Explosive exercises may be necessary for optimal physical conditioning in some sports, particularly those involving high accelerations.

3. In keeping with the principle of Specificity of Training, explosive exercises can be used to simulate movement patterns and velocity and acceleration patterns of many sports movements.

4. Explosive exercises should be taught by experienced and knowledgeable instructors.

5. When properly taught and supervised, explosive exercises do not involve excessive risk of injury.

6. Reduction of athletic injury risks associated with participation in sports involving high rates of force development or high accelerations, probably require some training with exercises involving high rates of force development or high accelerations

Youth Resistance Training

1. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program is safe for children.

2. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can increase the strength of children.

3. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can help to enhance the motor fitness skills and sports performance of children.

4. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can help to prevent injuries in youth sports and recreational activities.

5. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can help to improve the psychosocial well-being of children.

6. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can enhance the overall health of children

Strength Training for Female Athletes

1. Proper strength and conditioning exercise programs may increase athletic performance, improve physiological function and reduce the risk of injuries. These effects are as beneficial to female athletes as they are to males.

2. Due to similar physiological responses, it appears that males and females should train for strength in the same basic way, employing similar methodologies, programs and types of exercises.

3. In the lower body, the relative strength (strength to lean body mass) of untrained women appears to be approximately equal to men.

4. Females can hypertrophy their muscles through resistance training, relatively the same as men, but not absolutely the same.

5. Female athletes appear to have the same fiber-type distributi on as men, although the female fibers appear to be smaller in cross sectional area.

6. There is little research evidence to suggest the onset of a normal menstrual period affects athletic performance.

7. Female athletes that have gone through the cessation of their cycle have an increased likelihood of developing musculo-skeletal injuries. Athletes experiencing amenorrhea or other menstrual problems should consult their gynecologist.

8. Resistance training utilizing multi-joint and structural exercises is recommended to induce sufficient stresses on the skeletal system and to enhance calcium storage in the bone.

9. Little data exist regarding weight training and pregnancy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women may safely weight train during pregnancy, however common sense must be employed when selecting training intensities, and exercises.

10. Due to the influx of the hormone relaxin, that softens tendons and ligaments in preparation for delivery, caution is warranted in performing heavy multi-joint exercises (squats, deadlifts, snatches and cleans) after the first trimester. Also the potential for increased body temperature in pregnant women warrants the use of precautions in dress and environmental conditions during all types of exercise.

11. Resistance training has demonstrated favorable changes in body composition with minimal change in body weight.

12. Because females are, in general, weaker than males in their upper bodies, adult females should be urged to work especially hard on upper body strength training.

Basic Guidelines for the Resistance Training of Athletes

1. Progressive overload should be a fundamental characteristic of resistance-training programs directed at the development of neuromuscular capabilities and athletic performance.

2. Resistance-training programs for athletic performance must adhere to the principle of training specificity in order to match the demands of the sport to the training program developed for a specific athlete.

3. Resistance-training programs for athletic performance should be periodized in order to optimize the adaptations over long-term training. Periodized training also helps reduce the potential for over-training.

4. Multiple-set periodized resistance-training programs are superior to single-set, nonperiodized programs for physical development over long-term training programs.

5. Care must be taken when developing resistance-training programs for younger and older athletes because the volume of exercise and the intensity may have to be altered to meet the recovery demands of each individual.

Health Aspects of Resistance Exercise and Training

1. Resistance training may enhance cardiovascular health by mitigating several of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease by producing such changes as

  a. decreases in resting blood pressure, particularly in individuals with elevated pressures;

  b. decreases in exercise heart rate, blood pressure, and rate pressure product at a standard workload;

  c. modest improvements in the blood lipid profile and;

  d. improvements in glucose tolerance and decreases in hemoglobin Alc in patients with diabetes mellitus.

2. Resistance training may result in improvements in body composition by maintaining or increasing lean body mass and producing modest decreases in the relative percentage of body fat.

3. Resistance training can produce increases in bone mineral density and may help delay or prevent the development of osteoporosis by reducing the age-associated loss of bone mineral density.

4. Resistance training may reduce anxiety and depression and may result in improved self-efficacy and overall psychological well being.

5. Resistance training can reduce the risk of injury during participation.

The dedicated and knowledgeable staff at The FITNESS PROS studio offers excellent rehabilitation and corrective exercises for persons who are pre-operative and or post surgery. Our exercise protocols will ensure that pre-operative patients will enter surgery stronger and more flexible which can and will lead to a more successful post surgery rehabilitation program. We also employ a full-time Occupational Therapist, Registered and Licensed. OT's are responsible for functional rehabilitation of the upper extremities and trunk. They help improve a clients' activities of daily living (ADL).

When a patient has a surgery, the lumbar and or cervical muscles are weakened and lose size, strength, along with flexibility. As those important muscles atrophy, it is inevitable, that pain and more inflexibility will occur. The strength of those muscles must be rapidly addressed or a downward spiraling cycle of muscle guarding, pain, muscle weakness, and muscle atrophy will occur.

Allow The FITNESS PROS to create an individualized Pre/Post surgery rehabilitation protocol that is right for you. Our staff can work directly with your Doctor, Orthopedist, Surgeon, and or Physical Therapist. Remember, Exercise, Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness is our # 1 business, therefore, we are extremely good at it. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Your health status will remain confidential.

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The FITNESS PROS offers Mat and Machine Pilates. Our staff of fully certified Pilates instructors can show you to a better body. A sequence of specific movements which can be combined with today's cutting edge sports medicine exercises can and will leave your body feeling more balanced, supple, stronger, taller, leaner, energetic, and more coordinated. Your core musculature is the main focus in this mind-body exercise modality. Improve your posture, improve your overall health, and live longer, that is the goal.

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.

ART has been developed, refined, and patented by P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. Dr. Leahy noticed that his patients’ symptoms seemed to be related to changes in their soft tissue that could be felt by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy was able to consistently resolve over 90% of his patients’ problems. He now teaches and certifies health care providers all over the world to use ART.

A nutrition assessment and meal planning software program that enables the strength and conditioning expert to analyze food consumption and determine the best possible meal plan to help clients achieve their fitness goals. Whether your goal is to lose weight, lose fat, gain lean muscle, increase stamina and energy levels, the Fitness Pros can help guide you on your way. Attractive menus that are simple and convenient to make facilitate that you will reach your fitness goals quickly. Choose between 4, 8 or 12 week menu plans. Full body composition will be taken before and after starting our nutrition program to ensure that you are on the right path to reaching your fitness potential. Menu plans can be created in combination with your favorite sport supplements to further maximize your athletic and fitness potential.

The Kinesio Taping Method, a name which stems from the science of Kinesiology, was developed approximately 20 years ago by Kenzo Kase, D.C. as a therapeutic device to give assistance to weak muscles and provide rehabilitation benefits including enhanced circulation of lymph and blood.

Kinesio Taping is fundamentally different than traditional sports taping. Traditional sports taping is applied with multiple layers of tape that stabilize and support, but this procedure does not allow the muscles and joints to move freely.

Learn Olympic Style Weightlifting to build strength, speed, power, explosiveness, an impressive muscular cross section, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, confidence, and total body makeover. The Olympic lifts are a great addition to any resistance training program or can be used as a sole group of lifts to train the entire body. The lifts encourage rapid firing of multiple muscles in an explosive effort to move weight to a position above the head. Develop explosiveness, attain balance, coordination, herculean strength, burn fat, stack on pounds of muscle, and build spinal erectors like bridge cables. The lifts create a phenomenon termed "Triple Extension," which means extension from the : hips, knees, and ankle, simultaneously.

The Olympic lifts consist of two exercises;
1. The Clean and Jerk
2. The Snatch

The FITNESS PROS are USA Weightlifting Certified Coaches. You will learn the lifts using progression techniques with bars, dumbbells, logs, chains, balls, balance pads/boards, and other functional equipment. You will learn the 5 Power Assistive Exercises and its 5 variations as well. The Olympic lifts are also great for physical rehabilitation. When learning the Olympic Lifts, it is of extreme importance to have a knowledgeable, experienced, and avid Olympic Style Weightlifting Coach in order to progress correctly. Bad habits are hard to break once a motor plan has been formed. Muscle re-education and kinesthetic learning becomes essential in order to change poor form and postural control. Learn to do the Olympic Lifts correctly the first time. Learn with The FITNESS PROS.

Combat sports are one of the hottest and fastest growing sports in the world. Boxing, Martial Arts, and Mixed Martial Arts Contests have taken the world by storm. Just turn to any combat related pay-per-view event and notice all the stars and celebrities present. It is Incredible! Combat related reality shows have let us into the lives of fighters and their families. These shows give us insight to their training programs, mental preparation techniques, nutrition, recreation, and rest strategies. Although there have been numerous articles describing mental preparation drills to increase athletic performance (none of which have any scientific backing), it is not surprising to see that the most physically prepared individuals are the ones who win on reality shows like - "The Contender," and "The Ultimate Fighter," shows where athletes are forced to compete and win with only a few days rest in between bouts or go home. Physical preparedness is always a # 1 priority. Psychology comes into play later and should be no more than a # 4 or # 5 priority.

The FITNESS PROS combine Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, Sport-Specific Training, and Regeneration techniques to maximize the potential of Combat Sport Athletes. Our training programs improve speed/power, strength, confidence, speed-endurance, stamina, decrease fatigue, agility, quickness, improve hand-eye coordination, increase lean muscle mass, lose fat, lose inches, tighten and tone your entire body. These individualized programs are not the watered down programs that are popular in most chain-owned gyms, but are simply the nuts and bolts of programs used by the World Class FITNESS PROS COMBAT SPORT TEAM ATHLETES. The same athletes who hold National, International, and World Titles respectively in their sport.

Are you an athlete? Elementary, Junior High, High School, College, Professional or a Weekend Warrior? Let our Expert panel of Coaches and Fitness Trainers instruct you with over 25+ years of experience and utilizing cutting-edge methods to show you the way to a new body. Learn self defense! Discover a new way to fitness! Get that six-pack you always wanted. Become socially and physically confident. Increase self-esteem. Learn a fun skill that will get you into the best shape of your life.

• Functional Training is the action of training "function", a general term that is synonymous with "role" or "duty". It is the term given to the science of training the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports. The phrase "Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands(S.A.I.D.), means that the body responds and adapts specifically to the type and amount of physical demands under which it is placed. Therefore, you will only improve what you have specifically trained. Since muscle form/shape/size/location/innervation dictates the role and function of each muscle, then, muscle needs to be trained the way it is designed to function. Functional training is also described as "training with a purpose" and "training that makes sense". Multi-joint movements which integrate muscle groups into movement patterns are considered functional. Functional training is not "Sport-Specific", but rather, it is "Sports-General" training, a school of thought that views most sports as far more similar than different. For example, speed is a determining factor in many if not all sports. Throwing is an activity that is specific to some sports. Other sports require lateral movement or jumping. Functional training looks at similarities in skill demand in sport/life and helps to reinforce them.

ORIGIN

Functional training is nothing new and it has its origin in the rehabilitation field. For decades, Physical therapists have been incorporating the use of special exercises to improve the function of their clients' movements. Experts in the field emphasize the training or retraining of movement, not muscles. Functional training will not cause sufficient muscle hypertrophy because most emphasis is primarily placed on developing a balance between pushing and pulling strength and between knee-dominant hip extension and hip-dominant hip extension.

TRADITIONAL STRENGTH TRAINING VS. FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

Traditional strength training emphasizes the isolation of individual muscles and is adequate in building muscle but it does not prepare the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports. Most traditional strength training exercises are done with the body unloaded, sitting stationary on a machine while moving one isolated body part through a controlled range of motion, usually in a strict, linear, straight ahead motion. Functional training on the other hand, trains the body to work as a unit, just like the Central Nervous System was programmed to make the body function.

STABILIZING THE BODY

To be functional, upper body exercises must activate shoulder joint stabilizers and neutralizers. Lower body exercises must activate the hip, knee, and ankle joint stabilizers. These exercises can challenge/improve: balance, stability, mobility, proprioception, muscular endurance, movement, agility, speed, power, strength, heart rate, life/sport skill.

THE EXERCISES

Functional training is best characterized by exercises done with the feet in contact with the ground(closed-chain exercises) or a platform and with the use of little if any machines. The exercises. The majority of the exercises should be done standing and should be multi-joint to create muscular and joint interdependency. Program design also needs to challenge the body with proprioceptively enriched exercises in an unstable environment that excite and develop the nervous system.

BENEFITS OF FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

-Improve athletic performance
-Enhance Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
-Improve posture
-Improve muscle balance
-Develop kinesthetic awareness and body control
-Enhance movement efficiency
-Improve dynamic and static balance
-Decrease injury
-Improve flexibility
-Improve spinal health
-Increase fitness level

CONCLUSION

Functional training has many benefits and should be part of any exercise program whether it is sport-specific, strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, or general fitness. Not only can functional training help you get into the best shape of your life, it can also be lots of fun and challenging at the same time. The exercises and routines can be endless and fitness never has to be boring again. If you want to add a whole new dimension to your workout, then, you must become familiar with: stability balls, medicine balls, balance pads, balance boards, foam rolls, agility ladders, step platforms, parachutes, cones, rubber bands, indian clubs, agility ladders, kettle bells, ropes, sleds, tires, etc. Remember, the world around us moves 360 degrees, and our movements should therefore be multiplanar. If you train in a multiplanar form, then, you are more than likely to be prepared for any physical situation in sport/life.