I’ll be honest with you – when I first heard the term “somatic strength training” about eleven years ago, I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly pulled something. https://www.rushwalter.com/what-is-holistic-strength-training-guide-to-mind-body-fitness-in-2025/ Here I was, thirty-plus years deep in the fitness game, and suddenly everyone’s talking about this fancy-sounding approach that seemed like just another wellness buzzword….
I invested the first twenty years of my training career often thinking that strength training was supposed to leave you completely drained. I’d walk out of the gym feeling like I’d been hit by a truck, and I thought that was the point. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ Of course those were the 2 plus hour days in the…
When I first started training people back in the early 80s, sometimes I had this ridiculously narrow view of what fitness looked like. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ Picture this: rows of intimidating machines, people grunting through heavy lifts, and everyone looking like they were preparing for some kind of military operation. Purposeful but is it fun? It wasn’t…
To be involved in the fitness industry as an exercise equipment provider and simultaneously a personal trainer is an immense blessing which is a joy to share with friends and family. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ This is another fitness blog to share what I’ve learned to help others grow stronger regarding holistic nutrition with strength training, For the…
I’ll won’t forget the day one gentleman walked into my training studio. This was maybe fifteen years ago, and he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Divorced, unemployed, and dealing with what he later told me was the darkest depression of his life. He didn’t come to me…
You know what really gets me wondering? When I see someone crushing it in the gym with their perfect bicep curls and leg extensions, then watch them struggle to lift a 50-pound bag of mulch into their truck. https://www.rushwalter.com/what-is-holistic-strength-training-guide-to-mind-body-fitness-in-2025/ I’ve known more than a few folks like this, trust me. Back in my early training…
I used to be the guy who followed every program to the letter. If the workout called for three sets of ten, I did three sets of ten even if I felt like garbage. https://www.rushwalter.com/how-to-design-your-own-holistic-functional-fitness-routine/ If it was squat day, I squatted regardless of how my lower back was feeling. That mindset nearly ended my…
I spent the first ten years of my training career completely obsessed with bodybuilding. Arnold and Lee Haney were my heroes, isolation exercises were my religion, and I could tell you exactly which angle to hit your biceps for maximum peak development. Then I watched one of my biggest, strongest clients struggle to move a…
The mind-muscle connection is an area we all can use a tune up and apply the techniques to all areas of our lives. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ Check out this dynamic of watching someone bench press 225 pounds with perfect form but getting zero chest development. Meanwhile, the guy next to him would be struggling with 135 and…
I’m blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to be a personal fitness trainer, and exercise equipment provider, helping folks grow stronger and maintain optimum health and wellness. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-strength-training-for-beginners/ There are several examples I’ll share to help you live a better life. It was about eleven years ago, and I was working with a 67-year-old…
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