Holistic Fitness: Tailoring Approaches for Different Bodies and Needs
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Holistic Fitness: Tailoring Approaches for Different Bodies and Needs

If you’ve ever been into any fitness facility, or gym, you quickly realize there’s no one-size-fits-all solution in fitness. I learned this lesson so many times throughout my career that I’ve lost count. https://www.rushwalter.com/top-15-functional-fitness-exercises-for-everyday-strength/ Every single body is different, and what works for one person can be a total disaster for another. It’s like trying…

The Connection between Breath Control and Movement Quality in Fitness
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The Connection between Breath Control and Movement Quality in Fitness

Just like you learn details about driving an automobile once you begin, here is something most people completely overlook when they’re working out – breathing. I mean, seriously, we breathe all day long, right? But when it comes to exercise, breath control is like the secret sauce nobody talks about. https://www.rushwalter.com/holistic-recovery-techniques-to-enhance-functional-fitness-results/ I learned this after…

Breathing Techniques to Enhance Your Functional Fitness Performance
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Breathing Techniques to Enhance Your Functional Fitness Performance

I like the saying; “once taught, twice learned”. I spent almost two decades selling state-of-the-art fitness equipment, obsessing over specifications and features, before I finally realized I was overlooking the most fundamental aspect of fitness: breathing. https://www.rushwalter.com/7-day-holistic-functional-fitness-program-for-beginners/ Yep, the thing we do roughly 20,000 times a day without thinking about it was actually the missing…

Primal Movement: Reconnecting with Natural Human Motion
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Primal Movement: Reconnecting with Natural Human Motion

Here is a cool observation about the day I realized everything I thought I knew about fitness was incomplete. It was during a trade show in Colorado about eleven years ago. While setting up our newest elliptical trainers (you know, those $3,000 machines with all the bells and whistles), I noticed this guy in the…

Fundamental Movement Patterns in Holistic Functional Fitness
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Fundamental Movement Patterns in Holistic Functional Fitness

I still remember the day I began changing how I approached fitness—both personally and in our equipment showroom. It was after injuring my back while demonstrating what I thought was perfect squat form on a new cable machine. https://www.rushwalter.com/7-day-holistic-functional-fitness-program-for-beginners/ Turns out, I’d been missing the forest for the trees all those years, focusing on isolated…

Injury-Proof Your Body with Functional Fitness Principles
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Injury-Proof Your Body with Functional Fitness Principles

Let me tell you something I wish someone had told me 25 years ago: functional fitness isn’t just another industry buzzword—it’s a complete game-changer for injury prevention. After injuring my back, and a bit of rehab, I overhauled my entire approach to fitness. https://www.rushwalter.com/7-day-holistic-functional-fitness-program-for-beginners/ I remember the moment clearly. It was 1999, and I was…

Tracking Progress: Key Metrics in Your Holistic Fitness Journey
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Tracking Progress: Key Metrics in Your Holistic Fitness Journey

I remember when I began realizing the definitions of health how disappointed I was when I joined a big Atlanta area fitness facility and the functional fitness assessment was a joke. It was a step up test for one minute, toe stretch, and BP monitoring. I was not told how to use the information they…

Functional Strength Training for Real-World Performance
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Functional Strength Training for Real-World Performance

I’ll never forget the day one of my “strongest” clients couldn’t help his wife move their couch. This guy could bench press 315 pounds but struggled with a basic functional movement that required total body coordination and real-world strength. He was a bit surprised and we discussed remedies. https://www.rushwalter.com/how-to-design-your-own-holistic-functional-fitness-routine/ After three decades in the fitness…

Holistic Strength Training: Beyond Sets and Reps
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Holistic Strength Training: Beyond Sets and Reps

When I walk into someone’s home gym and see a program scribbled down that’s nothing but sets, reps, and weights, I wonder if I’m in a beginners place. After 30 years in this business, I’ve learned that true strength development is so much more than just moving iron from point A to point B. https://www.rushwalter.com/5-mobility-routines-to-complement-your-functional-fitness-practice/…

The Psychology of Functional Movement: Mental Benefits Beyond Physical Gains
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The Psychology of Functional Movement: Mental Benefits Beyond Physical Gains

At the time I didn’t think about how installing a simple workout bench in my bedroom over 35 years ago would change more than just my physique. Even back then, I was focused on building upper and lower body strength, not realizing that functional movements were rewiring my brain in ways I couldn’t see. https://www.rushwalter.com/adapting-your-functional-fitness-routine-through-different-life-stages/…