Episode #32 What Is Fascial Fitness And Why Is It Imperative To Your Performance?

Episode #32 Show Notes:

In this episode I interview PJ O’Clair, Owner of ClubXcel and of Northeast Pilates- In this episode I speak with PJ about the emerging field of Fascial Fitness, what it is, why its imperative that any serious athlete incorporate it into their program and the logistics of HOW athletes should incorporate this vital, 4^th pillar of sports science, into their training program for long term results.

NOTE: Resources are below PJ’s Bio

A brief bio:

PJ O’Clair is the owner of ClubXcel and of Northeast Pilates, an award winning STOTT PILATES® Licensed Training Centers.  PJ teaches a variety of group classes at the club and sees a full schedule of private clients.  She conducts numerous teacher-training courses in a variety of different movement modalities.  In addition to owning her training center PJ is an acclaimed leader in the fitness industry. 

She is a Merrithew Health & Fitness™ Master Instructor Trainer and an integral member of their internal programming and presenting team representing ZEN●GA™ Mindful movement, STOTT PILATES® and CORE™ Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training™ programs.  PJ has been presenting at conferences for fitness professionals since the late 1990’s.  She has presented on behalf of MH&F on an international level in more than 14 countries and throughout the USA, and has programmed and starred in over 60 of MH&F’s DVDs.   

PJ is a Senior Master course instructor for TRX® and teaches many of the Suspension and Rip Training courses.  She is the recipient of the prestigious IDEA “Program Director of the Year” award for 2008. PJ continues to be a sought-after speaker and consultant at fitness conferences and spas worldwide – and has written numerous articles for industry publications.

Experience and Excellence in Fitness and Wellness Training

Specializing in both post-rehabilitation and athletic performance, PJ O’Clair has been teaching group classes and training private clients for over 25 years. With a multifaceted background of fitness and movement, she has been named a STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer and is a featured instructor within the STOTT PILATES video library. Additionally, she holds certifications with ACE, Spinning® and Zumba® and is currently working on her Yoga Certification with Embody Yoga®.

Success Story

PJ’s dedication extends beyond her businesses and members to reach fitness professionals, students and consumers worldwide. She is a highly-requested presenter, teacher trainer and a program innovator who has been featured in numerous fitness DVDs and has partnered with such industry leaders as Reebok, Resist-a-Ball, STOTT PILATES®, Healthworks, Canyon Ranch, and Stoweflake Resort and Spa. She has authored numerous industry and consumer-based articles for publications such as IDEA’s Fitness Journal and Pilates Style Magazine.

 

PJ receiving the IDEA Program Director of the Year Award.

Outside of the studio, PJ is an avid cyclist belonging to the Essex County Velo (ECV) Cycling Club. For fun she races in the ECV Time Trials throughout the summer months and participates in the Pan Mass Challenge with her husband — the PMC is a 200 mile charity bike ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, MA. Her longest one day bike trip to date is a 158 miles which went from Boston to Vermont. The longest multi day event she’s done is 500 miles in 5 days in the mountains of New Mexico.

A woman of boundless energy, PJ is also involved in numerous community charitable initiatives and her personal fundraising efforts for the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund have raised more than one hundred thousand dollars to date.

Personally, she was a finalist in 2007 for the IDEA Program Director of the Year and won the Award in July of 2008 – one of the most prestigious awards in the fitness industry.

Resources:

PJ O’Clair’s website: http://www.pjoclair.com

PJ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pj.oclair?fref=ts

Fascial Fitness website: http://www.fascialfitness.com

Merrithew Health & Fitness’s ZEN-GA: http://www.merrithew.com/zenga/about

A few YouTube videos of Fascial Fitness:

Self Myofascial Release:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44jOOrIB1_0

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Rebound Arms from Fascial Fitness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjKQ46uzLbY

(embed code for the blog: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yjKQ46uzLbY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>)

TRX Hip Hinge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5RmKdLK1BE

 

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