The concept of speed strength has developed alongside competitive functional fitness. Speed strength is the ability to absorb and transmit forces rapidly. The daily application of speed strength is very limited because of the sport-specific nature.

He signed up for a personal training course in Belgium, where he lives, but was disappointed. It didn’t seem to offer much in terms of pointing him in the right direction on how to become a professional coach. The course was so disjointed, he explained, “almost like they just pulled these pieces from different places and put it together without a strategy,” he said.

Often times when we hear the word ‘community’, we instantly associate it with ‘unity’, ‘togetherness.’ Within gyms, ‘the community’ is most often the #1 response of every day folks who report on what keeps them coming back to their training, day in and day out. Clearly, a strong community is the most important aspect to a gyms long term success.

What’s more, while air squats, push-ups, lunges, and burpees performed in a circuit may make for a sweaty workout, bodyweight workouts will only create long-term progress if they follow foundational program design principles.

Why else would you wake up at 5 am to go to the gym or spend two hours on Sunday preparing your meals for the week?

While both methodologies share a full-body split, the exercise composition within the split and the intent vary significantly between the two.

Programming weight loss workouts for clients is more straightforward than you might think. However, the fitness industry makes it complicated. Search any website or go to any social media post and you’ll find the latest trends for losing weight and gaining muscle. These trends range from high-intensity training to drinking apple cider vinegar first thing when you wake up. 

Over the last five years, the fitness industry has been growing steadily. Some sources say at a rate of around 8%, while others estimate 2%. Data like this suggests that personal trainers and fitness trainers and coaches should be making a hefty salary and have plenty of clients on their books.

Whether it was only for a couple of months or for good, our workouts migrated their way into our bedrooms, living rooms, garages, and back yards.

Clients want to improve theirs, coaches have their trade secrets for building it, and bodybuilders hate it.

While OPEX gyms are all based on individual program design, many non-OPEX gyms began introducing individual design to their clients during the pandemic as a way to continue to service them through shutdowns and various other COVID-restrictions. 

This blog was written by OPEX Ambassador and CCP Coach, Andy Ewington, from Dublin, Ireland. Andy helps his online and onsite clients at Adroit Fitness bridge the gap between injury and optimal health and performance as a remote coach and Neuromuscular Physical Therapist.

When this diet first became mainstream in the early 2010s, it was all the rage. While its popularity has died down a bit, this diet is still extremely popular amongst health and fitness enthusiasts.

With 30 years in the industry—including working with OPEX Founder James FitzGerald 15 years ago—you might not think a man like this might not get much out of another certification, but he took the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) in the fall of 2020 and explained that, even with three decades of experience, it was a game changer.

Energy System Training refers to training the multiple forms of energy metabolisms in the body to produce improvements in the body’s overall efficiency. This training methodology is comprised of three main energy systems: the aerobic system (OPEX Sustain), the lactic system (OPEX Pain), and the alactic system (OPEX Gain). The reason why Energy System Training is so effective rests in its ability to improve multiple energy systems at once — with one program. Learn how to create energy system-specific progression in this course.

Coaches must move past looking at avatars of clients on paper and begin to recognize those avatars are real people. If you can’t establish a relationship with your client, you will live an endless cycle of turnover — constantly bringing in new clients and saying adios to the old.

Every year as Ramadan approaches, fitness coaches, clients, and enthusiasts alike prepare for a month of daily fasting.

After years of owning gyms, coaching functional fitness athletes, and creating coaching education, Hardwick now understands how to create an effective weight training program while keeping your athletes fresh for their games.

If you take a quick scroll through Instagram, chances are you’ll find a shirtless fitness coach doing a kettlebell exercise reminiscent of a dance.

Competitive functional fitness athletes are always on the hunt for the best fitness program to boost their athletic progression. This is especially the case during the offseason. The instinct for many offseason athletes is to jump straight back into training with the hopes of getting the jump on their competitors. However, in our decades of experience in coaching competitive functional fitness athletes, we’ve discovered that the best training plan to pursue in the offseason for longevity and guaranteed athletic development is the exact polar opposite of traditional functional fitness methodology. It’s Functional Bodybuilding.