For the past 3 months the BE trainers have meeting every Thursday for a "trainer technique swap". As a staff it's great to discuss the latest in fitness trends, programming, exercise technique and teaching. For myself its been great for many different reasons.

I forget how educated our trainers are! Half the time when we're discussing our topic I need to dust off my anatomy book to help interpret what they are saying!

During these sessions I'm usually the guinea pig. For example the last few meeting we've been designing our new 3 day assessment being released in the new year (shameless promo hahaha) and I went through the Functional Movement Screening (FMS) portion of the assessment. I thought I had good mobility . . . think again. I got picked apart. It reminded me of what originally drew me into this field, that is the fact that you can always improve in something.

For the most part I have decent mobility, but there were big discrepancies from side to side. That is a recipe for injury! You ideally want as little discrepancy as possible. Just think about it. What if you were as loose as Gumby on one side and tight as skinny jeans on the other?!?!

Through my own training I noticed these issues, but thought I fixed them or was on the right path. I partially was, but the added feedback I received from the trainers helped tremendously. So I then was hit with a brilliant idea. Why not actually use the product that you preach and make a living on? Set up a training session.

My training session (you can see on Instagram) was 30 minutes and was more mobility focused rather than fitness based. I have enough discipline to kill myself in the gym with a great fitness workout, but I wanted to take advantage of our training expertise on functional movement. I did a series of glute activation exercises, hip flexor stretches and rolling, mixed with core exercise. When I was done I felt energized, "evened out", smarter, and confident that I now have the knowledge to fix my issues and be my best.

I encourage any and everyone to try the BE Assessment starting in the new year. For someone like myself who seems to be healthy and fit to learn about and find so many issues it truly was great for me. I now can train smarter not harder. Sometimes that's the key!

Mark Radio

Body Elite GM and Personal Trainer, Mark Radio

Mark Radio is the General Manager of Body Elite. He graduated from Bloomsburg University in 2008 with a bachelors degree in Exercise Science. He is a certified nutritional counselor through AFPA. Mark enjoys working with all types of clients from any skill level. Mark tailors programs to your skill level and goals, putting an emphasis on strength training, high intensity cardio, and eating “real” food to get BE clients to where they want to be.

My First Session