Stronger, Healthier, and More Mobile: A Holistic Fitness Approach (Fitness Training)

(Illustrative Only)
A guy and gal working 
out at a northern gym.

Fitness plays an important role in many people’s lives, including my own. Over the years, I’ve played a wide range of sports and taken part in different activities—not long enough to become a professional in any of them, but enough to develop a broad set of interests. Whether you’re active in sports or simply focused on general fitness, incorporating complex movements under resistance can be extremely beneficial. Varying your training and participating in different activities helps build functional strength, flexibility, and overall well-rounded fitness.

Many people, especially younger lifters, push heavy weights and consume large amounts of protein to gain size. While that can increase muscle mass, it may also reduce flexibility or lead to preventable injuries over time. I’ve known more than one person who faced serious setbacks—such as heart issues or repeated knee injuries—because their training lacked balance.

Using slightly lighter weights while emphasizing complex, compound movements—working at 70–80% of your max until fatigue—can help strike a healthy balance between building strength and maintaining mobility. Sports naturally demand different kinds of coordination and muscle activation. For example, if I box, kickbox, dance, snowshoe, yoga, downhill and cross-country ski, fence, polo, row, and more then each activity challenges the body differently, so my workouts reflect that variety.

Even if you’re not a sports enthusiast and simply enjoy going to the gym, focusing on stabilizer muscles and functional motions can improve recovery and reduce the need for supplementation. Lighter loads with higher complexity often lead to less severe micro-tears and faster recovery while still promoting broad, sustainable strength gains.

I’m a licensed fitness trainer—this is a hobby I’m passionate about—and I’m available to help at a local gym if you’re in Escanaba or San Diego. Outside of that area, I’m happy to work with you remotely. My general rates are:

• $60 for a one-hour gym session where I teach you how to use equipment or set up a basic routine

• $100 for a more personalized program, including a defined routine and a simple nutrition guideline plan.

If you’re interested, feel free to send me a message.

Editorial: Adaptations to Advanced Resistance Training Strategies in Youth and Adult Athletes