Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

Mathue Johnson has been a certified personal trainer for nearly ten years, working closely with clients across the country to help them effectively reach their goals. He also vied for Jillian's heart in The Bachelorette season five.

Sign Up Now for November Marathons of 2026

November is here, and while most people think of the eleventh month as the beginning of holiday feasts and relaxation, it is also the perfect month for achieving our fitness goals. If you are a marathon veteran, or looking test the waters with a shorter distance, there is a race just for you. Act fast: if you haven’t signed up for one yet this year, now’s the time! Below is a list of the top marathons, half marathons, 10K, and 5K races around the country. Good luck and have fun!

Top Races Around The Country:

  • Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and Half Marathon: This amazing charity (breast cancer) race is held in San Antonio, Texas on November 14, 2026 and is going to be a crazy day. For more information on the race and for registration, visit: san-antonio.competitor.com.
  • Wine Vine Run: This half marathon and 5K run is held in Paso Robles, California on November 14, 2026. The race is scheduled to begin at 8:00 A.M. and should be good time along with beautiful California scenery; please visit: www.winevinerun.com for more information. (more…)
Posted on November 10, 2025 by Matt

Try Side Planks to Ramp Up Your Results

Similar to the isometric plank, the isometric side plank, or side bridge, is an amazing exercise that engages the entire core region. Although it does engage the entire core, it isolates, or targets, the internal and external obliques. The obliques are located on the lateral (side) and anterior (front) parts of the abdomen and are used to flex and rotate the vertebral column, as well as compress the abdominal cavity by pulling the chest downwards.

The side plank/side bridge has multiple variations to help isolate a little different part of your core, depending on which variation you choose to use. The shoulder, or deltoid, also plays an important role in this exercise because it holds up the brunt of your body weight, so if you do have a shoulder injury or experience pain during the exercise, please refrain from doing this movement and proceed to do other core exercises to help target the obliques. (more…)

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Matt

The ING New York City Marathon Health and Fitness Expo is Underway

The ING New York City Marathon Health And Fitness Expo is coming to town November 4th through 6th. The famous NYC Marathon is on Nov. 7th and every participant is required to pick up his or her registration materials at the expo. The marathon is scheduled to start at 8:30 A.M. for the wheelchair division and other start times are every thirty minutes after that due to the large number of runners– over 45,000.  (more…)

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Matt

Plank Variations to Shake Up Your Workout

The plank exercise is one of the most effective core exercises in today’s fitness world. ACE (American Council on Exercise) ranked the plank as one of the top ten exercises for the body, stating that it is a great tool to build core and low back endurance, while it also improves the ability of the stabilizer muscles.

The plank can be modified to accommodate all fitness levels or be modified if you are experiencing any pain.

The plank exercise  can also be used as a testing mechanism. You can assess your core strength and progress by maintaining the exercise for as long as you can and then retest on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis to keep you motivated and give you something to train for. (more…)

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Matt

Does Supportive Gear Do More Harm Than Good?

Are wrist straps or ankle braces necessary for your workouts? There has been a lot of controversy over the years about wearing supportive gear during exercise.

If you have an injury or are trying to prevent further injury, then it’s a “no brainer” to wear supportive gear. Supportive gear is designed to support and protect, but what is it doing to the muscles or other parts of your body?

When you wear wrist straps or ankle braces, the body learns to lean on the assistance and doesn’t have to work as hard. For instance, when you wear wrist straps, your grip strength is lessened by the straps, as the strap holds the majority of the weight, and therefore the gripping muscles and other normally recruited muscles are being used less. On the other hand, straps allow you to lift more weight and perform more repetitions, so whether or not you use them depends on what your goal is. (Plus, if you are worried about your grip strength, you should be doing grip strengthening exercises on a weekly basis anyway). (more…)

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Matt

Vibram FiveFingers Simulate Barefoot Running While Offering Protection

Vibram Five Fingers

There are twenty-six bones, twenty muscles and thirty-three joints in the human foot. The human foot is truly a work of art and we need to treat it with respect! By wearing proper foot wear, you provide your feet and your body with the advantages they need during exercise and normal daily activity.

The Vibram FiveFingers are shoes that are exploding in popularity, as barefoot running is recieving more and more attention. FiveFingers provide you with all the benefits of going barefoot while protecting your foot from cuts or surface injuries. These shoes can be worn while exercising or during normal everyday activities. By wearing these shoes, you will not only improve your strength, but they will help improve your balance, agility, and proprioception. Proprioception is defined as one of the human senses that targets reception of stimuli produced and the awareness of the position of one’s body. Check below to see the benefits of exercising barefoot as well as with the FiveFingers! (more…)

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Matt

Use Isometric Core Exercises to Avoid Back and Neck Strain

What is the difference between isometric core exercises and crunches? First off, isometric (iso meaning same, and metric meaning distance) exercises are those in which the joint angle or muscle length do not change during the movement, or, in other words, the body is held in a non-moving or stable position to help isolate the targeted muscle group.  This type of movement is great for improving muscular strength and endurance without placing too much stress on the body.

Crunches are great for core strength and  endurance, as well, and isolates the abdominals extremely well, but places unnecessary stress on the neck and back. For most, this is no big deal, and the body can handle the stress, but for some with injuries or general weakness, those movement can cause pain, and even injury. (more…)

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Matt

Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo Spawns Cardio-Kickboxing Craze

Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks

Tae Bo is an aerobic exercise routine created by Billy Blanks in 1976, but didn’t really become popular until the 1990s. During the 1990s, it was the first successful “cardio-boxing” routine to take over commercially with over 1.5 million copies of Blanks’ DVDs sold.

The combination of dance and mixture of martial arts and boxing took the world by surprise. After the craze of Tae Bo; health and fitness clubs started offering cardio-kickboxing classes (similar to Tae Bo) to their members. Cardio kickboxing has been extremely popular ever since, because with its mix of intense cardio and fun moves, it’s hard not to see results.  An hour of Tae Bo or cardio-kickboxing will burn between 600 and 800 calories. Check below to see the benefits of these two aerobic programs.   (more…)

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Matt

The Mechanical Bull Riding Workout

PBR (Professional Bull Riding) is in full swing and the finals are happening right now in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bull riding is one of the most extreme sports in the world and it challenges every muscle in the body. Bull riding was first introduced in 1869 in Deer Trail, Colorado at the first ever rodeo. These rodeos were held as competitions between ranches back in the old western days.

Bull riding is considered a “dance” between a bull and cowboy and the winner is decided after 8 seconds. If the cowboy rides for eight seconds, it is considered a ride, or a win, and if he doesn’t, it is a no score and the bull gets the victory. The point scale is decided by a group of judges that judge the cowboy’s technique, as well as the bull’s bucking ability. The scale ranges from zero to a hundred and a ninety plus point ride is considered a great ride. (more…)

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Matt

The Hard Road to the Unassisted Pull-Up

The road to performing an unassited pull-up is short for some, but long for many. A pull-up is one of the toughest exercises for the body, but one of the best indicators of strength and endurance.

There are four main pull-up grips: wide, narrow, reverse, and neutral grips and depending on which grip you use, the pull-up works almost every muscle in the upper body. The wide grip isolates the latissimus dorsi and I strongly believe it is the toughest way to do a pull-up. The narrow grip isolates the rhomboids and is one of the most popular forms most people use. The reverse grip is by far my favorite and targets the biceps more than anything and lastly, the neutral grip targets both the biceps and latissimus dorsi and is similar in function to doing a bicep hammer curl. (more…)

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Matt

Use VO2 Max to Determine Your Fitness Level

VO2 max (V-volume per time, O2-oxygen, max-maximum) is typically defined as the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to process oxygen during exercise. This number is useful because it is the most reliable way to determine the fitness level of the individual. By knowing your VO2 max, you can not only compare your fitness level to “standards”, but you can also objectively assess your progress while improving your current overall level of endurance and fitness.

Knowing your VO2 max is also great for setting goals and motivation. Most recreational exercisers really don’t need to know their VO2 max; although I recommend knowing it along with your weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat, and BMI (Body Mass Index). By knowing these numbers, you are able to self- diagnose your current overall state of health and well-being (extremely important if you are over the age of 45). The more oxygen your muscles use, the more efficiently your body works, allowing you to do more work, with less stress on your body. VO2 max is one of those rare health numbers you want to go up, not down. (more…)

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Matt