7-8am Morning Workout (Lower A)

Move, Play, Connect – Morning Workout

Katie Thacker & Brandon Sherbrook

Get your body moving and energized for the day ahead through a curated session focused on playful programming and partner exercises for all levels. Through bodyweight exercises, games, mobility and more, you will learn how we can use movement and connection to regulate the nervous system, boost motivation, and create meaningful bonds. Expect to move, laugh, and leave with fun ways to help your clients feel more connected, to themselves and each other.

Session 1

Keynote: The Resilient Revolution: Building Bodies That Last

8:30-10am (upper pavilion) Sam Spinelli

We’re long overdue for a shift in how we think about fitness, rehab, and health. In this keynote, Dr. Sam Spinelli will lay out a new framework, one that sees pain, injury, and performance not as separate domains, but as points along an adaptive continuum. You’ll learn how to apply smarter training principles, track more meaningful metrics, and use strength as the most powerful form of medicine we have. This talk weaves together science, storytelling, and strategy to help you and your clients build bodies that truly last.

Session 2

Athletic Essentials: Plyos, Sprints, and Power That Transfers

10:30am-12pm (upper pavilion) Sam Spinelli & Nathan Obrigewitsch

Want to coach speed, power, and athletic movement…even with clients who aren’t “athletes”? This session breaks down the fundamentals of jumping, landing, acceleration, and high-velocity running. You’ll learn how to build plyometric progressions, cue sprint technique, and bridge the gap between the gym and the field (or everyday life). Walk away with practical drills, coaching cues, and scalable programming options.

Unlock The Power of Fascia: Innovative Strategies for Tendon Health, Injury Prevention & Athletic Performance

10:30am-12pm Chad Benson

Bridge the gap between theory and practice! This seminar provides personal trainers and group exercise instructors with real-time problem-solving strategies for Achilles and patella tendons. Learn to identify injury risks, build resilience in vulnerable movement patterns, and optimize fascial and tendon function through eccentrics, isometrics, and end-range

Integrated Bodyweight Training

10:30am -12pm (Lower B) Helen Vanderburg

A common goal among clients is to move with strength, power, and efficiency. Bodyweight training is one of the most functional ways to train clients to gain proficiency in all movement patterns. Bodyweight training develops strength in isolated exercises and the transition from one movement to another. Learn bodyweight movement complexes that move people from the ground to standing with optimal stability, strength, and mobility.

Aging Gracefully

10:30am – 12pm (Board Room) Christina Truscott

This new workshop covers the following: What is aging, how does it occur, cellular damage and the importance of telomeres and chromosomes. Changes to the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular system and bones (and how to prevent osteoporosis). Ageism still exists and you’ll learn what it is, how to recognize it, the effect on an older adult and how to deal with it. There is a section on the importance of positive thinking, how to stop negative thinking and having a good attitude – and the effect on aging and your body. This workshop also covers how stress, hydration, diet, social support, exercise, strength training and cardiovascular training all have an effect on aging – along with information on what to do and how to do it. And finally, we cover how to understand what is happening to your aging body and learning to love yourself.

Session 3

Broken to Built: Unlock Your Back

1-2:30pm (upper pavilion) Sam Spinelli & Nathan Obrigewitsch

Still telling clients to avoid bending, twisting, or lifting heavy? Time to break the fear cycle. This session rewrites the narrative around the spine, showing you how to build a strong, mobile, and resilient back through real-world movement. We’ll cover mobility, flexion, rotation, capacity, tolerance, and how to return to the activities people love, with less pain and more confidence. Your spine isn’t fragile, let’s prove it.

Move Better, Teach Better: Unlock Mobility for Group Fitness Programming

1pm – 2:30pm Chad Benson

Concerned about the movement quality of your group fitness participants? In this seminar, we’ll explore how you can integrate the value of mobility training into your in-person, online & group fitness schedule. Discover how to conduct a “movement inventory & assessment” for the purpose of tailoring engaged mobility sessions, reduce injury risk, and enhance overall performance. Add variety and value to your group fitness offerings!

Circuit Training for Active Agers

1pm – 2:30pm (Lower B) Helen Vanderburg

In 2022, the world’s population of people aged 65 and older was 771 million, which is almost 10% of the world’s population. This segment of the population has been growing at an increasing rate and is projected to more than double by 2050, reaching 1.6 billion people. Designing exercise programs to help older adults increase strength, gain better mobility and flexibility, improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of falls, improve balance, gain independence, and ward off the negative physical effects of aging, is going to continue to become a super important skill for fitness pros to learn. In this workshop, learn simple ways to create fun and effective circuit workouts that align with your active agers’ goals and beyond.

STOTT PILATES® Sliding Mobility Disks for Dynamic Stabilization

1pm-2:30pm (Lower A) Shelly McCaffrey

Mobilizing the joints, from the spine to the appendages, is necessary to maintain a supple resilient body. However, flexibility and range of motion alone are not enough. In order to have a fully functional physique, creating stability in all movements is equally as important. Created by the programming team at Merrithew^®, this workout incorporates the simple Sliding Mobility Disks^™ in Matwork-based sequences that move and challenge the musculature of the whole body. The three-dimensional patterns include floor work for the arms, legs and core, and progress to a standing series that targets upright balance and control. Find exercise options for all levels of clients with this all-in-one workout.

Session 4

Knee Resilience: Rebuild Confidence in Squats, Stairs, and Life

3-4:30pm (upper pavilion) Sam Spinelli & Nathan Obrigewitsch

From “stairs wreck me” to “I can’t squat because of my knees,” this session will help you flip the narrative for your clients (and maybe yourself). We’ll teach you how to rebuild tolerance, strength, and mobility in the knee through progressive, scalable exercises. Whether your clients want to get back to gardening, or hit a new squat PR, you’ll live with strategies to make it happen.

STOTT PILATES® Matwork Flow: Conditioning Sequence Workout

3pm-4:30pm (Lower A) Shelly McCaffrey

Bring a sense of flow and energy to any Matwork routine with this enlightening workout, developed by the Merrithew^® team. Using breath to promote focus and the quality of movement, learn innovative movement transitions and discover sequences designed to increase overall body conditioning and control. Exercises are selected to improve strength and stability along with flexibility and suppleness.

Training the Backside

3pm – 4:30pm (Lower B) Helen Vanderburg

Most clients train what they can see in the mirror, often forgetting what is behind them! The backside of the body sustains us in good posture and is the powerhouse in activities of daily living, recreation, and sport. In this workshop, we will discuss the myo-fascial connection of the back line and how to effectively train the posterior kinetic chain of the body to improve function, movement efficiency, and performance.

Fabulous Fat Burning

3pm – 4:30pm (Board Room) Christina Truscott

There are many misconceptions about fat burning and since there is no such thing as a magic pill yet, we still have to burn fat the old-fashioned way, with exercise. In this workshop you will learn how fat is utilized on your body and how to easily teach your clients the best ways to burn fat. This fun and interesting workshop is a must for all fitness instructors and Personal Trainers.