American Council on Exercise

New ACE Board member brings expertise and experience in executive leadership and physical activity advocacy

As the American Council on Exercise points out, jogging is an efficient way to burn calories, which can help promote weight loss. If you’re looking to shed several pounds, jogging gets your heart rate up, your muscles moving, and calories burning. You’ll also continue torching those calories after you stop plogging.

As you paddle, you work your cardiovascular health and endurance, while balancing and controlling the board simultaneously strengthens your arms, legs, back and core. It requires mobility as you stretch and twist to catch the waves, too, and according to the American Council on Exercise, a 150lb (or 68kg) person can burn up to 400 calories per hour while bodyboarding.

The trend has had a ripple effect on organizations that administer certification programs for fitness trainers. The National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise are now offering GLP-1 education. The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Assn. debuted a “GLP-1 Exercise Specialist Certificate” in January that it touts as a “passport to success” for trainers.

"Zone 2 training is effective for improving mitochondria function as well as increasing the number of mitochondria in the cells. This is why zone 2 training has become so popular, especially when discussing longevity. The health of the mitochondria will have a direct impact on the effects of aging on the body," says Mike Deibler, an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise.

Researchers investigated whether there are sex differences in exercise benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. They found that the physical activity benefits for women are greater than those for men and are hopeful that this evidence helps close the gender gap in physical activity.

"Functional movement becomes critical as we age. The best advice I can give men over 50 years of age is to stay mobile and continue strength training multiple times a week. Like a car, we want to warm up the body thoroughly the older it gets," says Nico Gonzalez, Balanced Body Educator and Global Movement Trainer & Educator, certified through ACE (the American Council on Exercise).

Many fitness executives talk a good game about the importance of physical activity and healthy living. Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM, lives it. Named president and CEO of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) last year, Bryant has held various leadership positions within the fitness education and certification provider since joining ACE in 2001.

If you find it hard to eat right after exercising, the American Council on Exercise suggests trying liquid foods instead of solids. Chocolate milk is a particularly great choice, thanks to its tasty mix of carbs, protein and water. (Just go easy on the sugar.)

ACE aims to empower health and fitness professionals through this strategic collaboration.

"If your goal is to improve muscular fitness, then strength training equipment can be essential," says ACE-certified personal trainer Chris Gagliardi. He shared six fresh, effective medicine ball exercise recommendations. I tried all of these workouts, and yes, some are much more challenging than others (glaring at you, medicine ball push-ups), but there are modifications you can take to ease in.

Erin Nitschke, a certified personal trainer and scientific adviser for the American Council on Exercise, explains that home workout videos—which typically rely solely on bodyweight exercises or else light dumbbells and resistance bands—may not be the best option for someone looking to build significant muscle.

Think you need only 21 days to form a new habit? Think again, according to new research that systematically reviewed the time required to develop health habits and identified key factors that influence habit formation. Read on to learn how you and your clients can use evidence-based practices to develop and maintain healthy habits.

It is. Since this method of Pilates was first developed by Moira and her husband, Lindsay Merrithew, in the 80s in Canada, STOTT Pilates has become an internationally respected program. So much so, it’s recognized by industry accreditation bodies like The Register of Exercise Professionals and the American Council on Exercise.

Exercise can actually increase your energy, even if a session leaves you sweaty and out of breath. "When you exercise, you release hormones like adrenaline," Sabrena Jo, a senior director of science and research at the American Council on Exercise (ACE), told Health. "This hormone actually tells our bodies to ignore feelings of pain and fatigue while enhancing blood flow to large muscles."

February is American Heart Month and Black History Month—the perfect time to discuss health disparities in the Black community. These practical self-care strategies may help improve your heart health.

The study provides scientific evidence supporting the physiological and health benefits of the viral workout.

So, make sure you're intaking enough both before and after your workouts. The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17- to 20 ounces of water two- to three hours before exercise, then another eight ounces of water 20- to 30 minutes before the workout.

The American Council of Exercise recommends performing three sets for each using a reverse pyramid rep/set scheme. Start with a higher number of repetitions for the first set, then decrease by 2 to 6 reps, then decrease by another 2 to 4 reps on the last set. So you might start with 8-6-4 reps and work your way up to 12-10-8 reps as you get stronger and build endurance. Hold each exercise for no more than 8 to 10 seconds.

Why the "Middle-Aged Woman Workout" Still Matters For starters, it matters because it works. Christopher Gagliardi, ACE-certified personal trainer and health coach, shares that the American Council on Exercise has done research that supports some of these workouts as effective forms of exercise. Cardio drumming has been proved effective in terms of enjoyment, caloric expenditure, and producing an elevated heart rate for cardiorespiratory benefits.

This blog explores recent research into the connections between longevity and exercise and provides key takeaways and practical strategies. Gain a better understanding of the role of exercise in healthspan and quality of life.

Research shows performing more weekly sets results in more muscle hypertrophy, which refers to an increase in muscle size. You can increase your weekly sets over time as you get stronger and more experienced with strength training and weight lifting. Here are some general guidelines for specific fitness goals from the American Council on Exercise.

Knowing how to exercise safely when air quality is bad is important for your overall health. The strategies presented here will help you make informed decisions that will allow you to head outdoors and stay active, even when pollution or allergens are an issue.

“When we think of mobility, we think about movement,” said Cedric Bryant, the president of the American Council on Exercise. This means focusing on dynamic moves, like lunges, that work groups of muscles, rather than individual ones.

This blog provides an evidence-based approach to strength training the glutes. Based on ACE-sponsored research, the workout provided can be added to your clients’ routines or serve as a quick, on-the-go workout when time is limited.

ACE recieves national workplace recognition award.

As a health and exercise professional, you know the wide-reaching physical benefits of exercise and physical activity. Now, emerging research is illuminating how movement can also positively impact cognitive and sleep health, particularly in older adults. This article examines findings from two groundbreaking studies to provide actionable insights for enhancing your clients’ overall well-being.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), a global leader in health and fitness education and certification, has partnered with Coursera to present the “Intro to Personal Training: A Career Starter Certificate.” 

Because of the problems above, reputable organizations have mostly backed away from the idea of “calculating” your max heart rate. Runner’s World took down its target heart rate calculator. The American Council on Exercise, one of the major organizations that issues personal training certifications, instructs trainers not to use max heart rate calculations, but to do real-world tests to help clients match their own heart rates to appropriate intensities of exercise...

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Mental Wellbeing Association have announced the launch of the Mental Well-Being Certification. This first-of-its-kind program focuses on mental health and wellbeing through established self-care practices in exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, and social connection.

Because strength training is one of the best ways to preserve and prevent muscle loss, it tracks that a slew of workout and wellness companies (including Equinox and the workout streaming platform Obé) are launching exercise programs specifically marketed toward people on these medications. What’s more, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) just launched a new course around supporting clients who are using anti-obesity medication for trainers and health coaches.

You can also use a calorie counting tool, such as one from the American Council on Exercise. With it, you can select your weight, activity, and time spent doing the activity to figure out how many calories you burned.

Equipping health and fitness professionals to support both physical and mental health through practical, evidence-based coaching techniques. 

The American Council on Exercise advises that you be aware of overtraining syndrome (OTS). The signs to look out for include a decrease in performance, excessive fatigue, loss of appetite, chronic injuries and psychological stress.

If you've ever wanted a workout full of moves that target multiple muscles at once, look no further. Called compound exercises, these moves come with plenty of benefits. According to the American Council on Exercise, they improve how efficiently you move, boost your overall coordination, help with flexibility, and get your heart rate up more than exercises where you work one muscle at a time.

According to the American Council on Exercise’s fitness calculator, a 150-pound person will usually burn about 272 calories climbing stairs for 30 minutes, while that same person would burn about 170 calories walking at a “very brisk” pace of 4 miles per hour (that doesn’t factor in an incline, though, so with that, the level of calorie burning is definitely higher).

According to the American Council on Exercise, your resting metabolic rate, a.k.a. your body’s ability to burn calories while sitting on the sofa doing nothing, decreases by about 1 to 2% per decade due to muscle mass loss and increased fat mass. Our diets usually don't change enough to account for this metabolic adjustment, meaning weight can creep up slowly but surely with every birthday.

ACE recently unveiled its 2023-2024 Impact Report, which reflects our commitment to translating the evidence of the benefits of physical activity into tangible action to get people moving.

As people age, they often experience natural changes in their physical abilities—especially in strength, balance and gait, which can impact everything from daily movement to overall independence. New research suggests that training for balance can be one of the most important keys to maintaining health and independence as we age. These findings open up exciting opportunities for health and exercise professionals to prioritize balance in your programming.

Quick-hit workouts and travel workouts are great options when missing time from the gym. Use this resistance band workout to stay on track when lack of time becomes an obstacle.