CASS Fitness would like to give a warm welcome to Adrian Nicotra. He is our newest certified personal trainer. Adrian is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and he is currently working on his NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist certification. Adrian lives in Alexandria, VA. He trains in Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Tysons, McLean, and Vienna. He specializes in strength training, corrective exercise, fat loss, weight loss, and bodybuilding. Adrian is an excellent motivator to his clients inside and outside of the sessions. He inspires them to be their very best and…

We are proud to announce our new one hour nutritional consultation option. In this one hour consultation, you will get a full breakdown of how to count calories and track macro nutrients. You will learn how to calculate your resting metabolism rate (RMR) and your lean body weight (LBW). Another thing you will learn is why carbs and proteins are represented it by the number 4 and why fats are represented by the number nine. You will see how that plays into your daily nutritional intake. We also will answer…

If you are not familiar with Muay Thai, it is the national sport of Thailand, and one of the most effective stand up fighting systems in the world. Practitioners of Muay Thai are incredibly fit and develop strong, athletic bodies. This system of martial arts uses powerful strikes with the hands, elbows, knees and feet. This is why Muay Thai is known as “The Art of 8 Limbs.” In the past, martial arts based fitness programs were either too “dance oriented” or they limited the instructor by only offering a…

Here is a quick five minute CASS Fitness ab routine that will challenge you. Now, I am not going to say some nonsense like this will get you ripped. Remember, proper nutrition and exercise will get you there. However, core strength is built through ab routines like this. Core strength is something all CASS Fitness personal trainers preach and implement heavily in our workouts. Your core is the most important part of your body. Do not ignore and skip your core workouts! You will do each of the ab exercises…

Over the past two years there have been quite a few new protein bars which have less sugar, high amounts of fiber, and low calories released. A big reason is the higher demand of healthy bars without tons of added sugars, artificial flavors, sweeteners, and GMO soy. Quest bars exploded in the marketplace, now pretty much available almost anywhere. Many of the flavors taste great, and I do consume Quest bars. However, they are not a vegan product and some of them contain sucralose. I still do not understand why some contain stevia…

Over the past year, one type of protein I have consumed quite regularly is MRM Veggie Protein.  I absolutely love the taste of both the vanilla and the chocolate flavors.  I like the chocolate flavor a little better.   In my quest to find non-soy, non-GMO vegan powders without artificial sweeteners, I stumbled upon MRM last year while browsing.  The price was reasonable and I figured I would give it a try. I always try to find new products for our clients to enjoy, making it easier in their health…

Well for everybody out here on the east coast, you may not need us to remind you are snowed in today! However, that does not mean you cannot get a great workout in. This workout can be done with just a mat or thick carpet. All you need is some motivation, good music, and your bodyweight! However, weights are optional if you have them. We strongly encourage you to use them! This is our SNOWED IN WORKOUT! Start off with the warm-up as pictured below: Do each exercise back to…

Wide Grip Pull-Ups are one of the best exercises to help you build width and strength to your back. Below are the instructions on how to do them, along with a demo video. 1.) Step onto a block, a stack of plates, or anything you can find that will help you reach the bar. Jumping is not recommended for the Wide Grip Pull-Up since it can put a lot of strain on your shoulders. 2.) Use an overhand grip, wider than your shoulders to make it a "wide grip". 3.)…

What will you do to reach your goals? How badly do you want to reach them? I ask my clients these questions quite often. I ask myself these questions as well. As far as clients, I provide a training plan on how we will go about reaching those goals. Every person is unique. What works for one person may not work for somebody else. Every person has a various set of obstacles they have to work around. Some obstacles can be stressful and time consuming such as unexpected overtime at…

Protein has a wide range of benefits from improving your muscle recovery, which is important for all fitness goals to keeping you full for a longer period of time, which is beneficial for weight loss goals. According to the USDA, the recommended amount of protein consumed daily 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight. That number is acceptable for somebody who does not participate in strenuous activity. This means somebody who weights 150 lbs should consume 120 grams of protein per day. However, in an athletic program, whether you are losing…