6 things your doctor doesn't tell you about your workout - fitness tips

6 Things Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You About Your Workout

I frequently come across people who have come to the gym seeking a healthier lifestyle. A number of people have been told by their doctor they need to start exercising or simply need to be exercising more. As easy as it may be to prescribe exercise,…
Why you need a resistance training specialist - fitness tips

Train the Source, Don’t Focus on the Effect of Exercise: Why You Need a Resistance Training Specialist

“Exercise can be described as a ‘tug of war’ around a bone or joint.” –Tom Purvis, RPT Interestingly, this is not a metaphor exclusively for exercise. It also represents the most fundamental struggle we encounter throughout life…
Lunchtime workout for your next break - a 30-45 minute treadmill class

Lunchtime Workout: Try this Efficient Treadmill Class on Your Next Break

Running is an exercise that you either enjoy or really hate. Those who enjoy it post about their sunrise views and race times and those who hate running are tired of seeing them. I am one of those people who enjoy running but only for a short…
Bad weather workout tips for any time you want to get your fitness in

Bad Weather Workout: Fitness Tips For Any Time of Year

If you’re like me - from an area where it’s always sunny, never drops below 30 degrees and frost is the closest you’ll ever get to snow- then Chicago’s infinitely long winter and elusive spring has probably sucker punched you in the…
Workout of the month for May at FFC - check out this fitness plan!

Try This Monthly Fitness Plan & Skyrocket Your Results in the Gym

About 8 years ago I made a change to how I approached my training. Well, to be precise, I actually started training and stopped “working out”. It all started with a fitness plan. It’s made a huge difference in how I get results, my…
Woman stretching

Try This Quick Lower Body Workout

Pressed for time? Many of us struggle to fit exercise into our already busy days. Additionally, many of us think that a workout needs to be be at least 45 minutes to count. Throw that thought out the window and get your fitness in 30 minutes…
Man running on treadmill with headphones on listening to music

Get Better Fitness Results with Workout Music

A classically trained musician since age four, FFC member Kelly Richards can’t recall life without rhythm and melody. Throughout college and corporate life, music remained a focus as she kept close watch over the evolving scenes of favorite…
Benefits of exercise for aging populations

Invaluable Benefits of Exercise for Aging Populations

As we age, it becomes increasingly important to maintain a well-rounded diet and exercise program. Though a wellness-focused lifestyle has always been important, recent studies have shown the growing correlation between exercise and lower blood…
Benefits of adding weight in your fitness routine

8 Benefits of Using Weights In Your Fitness Routine

It’s Monday night (or Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday...) and you’re about to hit the hotel gym. What are your options? Well, you’ve got the treadmill or dumbbells. You don’t know what to do with dumbbells, so treadmill it is! Again.…
Try this 30-minute travel workout the next time you're on the go!

Try this Travel Workout: Travel-Sized Exercise for Your Next Trip

Whether you’re taking one last seasonal trip, planning for holiday travel or jet setting for business reasons, traveling provides excitement and a new perspective. However, all that time spent getting to and from the airport, exploring new…
Why you need to incorporate martial arts into your workout routine

Why You Need To Incorporate Martial Arts Into Your Workout Routine

You probably know of martial arts, but do you know why they are important? Or how they relate to fitness and wellness? Martial arts require an understanding of the properties of balance, stability, strength and mental discipline. When we exercise,…
How to train like Chicago professional soccer player Sam Johnson

How to Train Like Chicago Professional Soccer Player Samantha Johnson

One hour of torture or 35 minutes of effective work? When it comes to working out, slogging it out on the treadmill is not my idea of a great workout. As a professional soccer player, I do enough running as it is. I personally never recommend…
Try this kettlebell workout now - fitness workouts

Miracle Workouts Don’t Exist, But This Kettlebell Workout Comes Pretty Close

My name is Sam Gonzalez and I am an Elite Trainer with FFC. After 8 years of experience and hundreds of clients and students, I understand the challenges that most people face when they decide to start a new training program. For most, the question…
Man stretching his legs

Yoga For Guys 101: As Told By An Inflexible, Weight-Lifting Dude

Many of us dudes have been there. Peeking through those glass doors, observing the mysticism that is a yoga class as we finish our last set of curls. Yoga for guys? Not a chance. A class full of side bending, head standing, lotus-posing girls…
Image of personal trainer at FFc club

Common Misconceptions About Personal Trainers – There’s More Than Meets the Eye

When you enter the fitness area at the FFC West Loop club, you may get the instant impression that there are a lot of personal trainers. They seem to occupy much of the open space available and at times, can have their clients doing some…

5 Tips for Getting Your Pre-Baby Body Back

Well, my little baby girl recently turned five months old and I cannot stress enough that exercise and sleep are what will get you through those first few months. I know it sounds crazy… new moms, you’re probably thinking something like,…
Woman on treadmill doing cardio

Do You Know Which Piece of Cardio Equipment is Best for You?

Cardiovascular training, better known as “cardio”, is the process of working to improve your heart and lung health. It mostly relies upon the aerobic energy system – a system in which the body expends energy – to complete the exercises.…
Where should my gears be? The basic Spinning 101 guide - fitness tips

What is RPM? Where Should My Gears Be? The Basic Spinning 101 Guide

According to research from Duke University, exercise is as effective as antidepressants. That means you can consider spinning your way to a good mood! People who exercise perform better at work and have been shown to increase their memory and…
10 best types of pushups and how to master them FFC fitness tips

10 Best Types of Push-Ups and How to Master Them

The push-up is commonly associated with military conditioning, gym class, and some martial arts. For many, they can feel like an impossible or even gruesome exercise. If you feel similarly, we hope you will feel empowered to incorporate this…
Try this now: tips on foam rolling for fitness recovery

You Have to Try This Now: Foam Rolling

Perhaps you've seen some members at the gym rolling around on long black cylinders and wondered what they were doing. Or you have been foam rolling for a while now and wonder if you are doing it right or what the science is behind it all. I’m…