About


Michael R. McIsaac, MS, MS, CSCS


ExerciseProgressions.com, a division of McIsaac Health Systems Inc, was designed to safely and effectively train clients Virtually/Online.

Michael completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2004, a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology (concentrating in corrective exercise and orthopaedic rehabilitation) through A.T. Still University in 2016, and a Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition (concentrating in clinical nutrition) through the University of Bridgeport in 2021.

Michael continues to attend seminars and graduate courses in exercise science/nutrition, and holds the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) designation, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) certification, and the Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification; credentials nationally recognized and respected in the health and fitness industry. Michael’s academic background and commitment to continuing education has provided him the opportunity to work in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Such skill sets have allowed Michael to help individuals presenting with an array of diseases, functional limitations, and disabilities.

In addition to direct work with clients and attending to academic studies, Michael has guest-lectured at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Human Kinetics and Recreation department since 2012, and has been interviewed by NTV, CBC, The Telegram, and VOCM covering health/fitness/nutrition related topics. In Michael’s spare time, he enjoys reading (exercise science/nutrition), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (purple belt-3 stripes), snowboarding, and resistance training. You can also follow Michael and McIsaac Health Systems Inc on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube

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Video Categories

Self-Massage: also known as self-myofascial release (SMR). Often, muscles have tender regions known as trigger points that create pain, restrict range of motion, and inhibit force production. SMR tools can take the form of foam rollers, massage balls, and massage sticks, which all help mitigate the symptoms of trigger points.

Correctives: are used to help fix, or correct, faulty motor patterns/dysfunctional movements that can increase an individuals’ risk of injury. Corrective exercise helps individuals regain mobility in joints that exhibit restrictions, and stability along muscles that have poor timing and coordination. Such steps help individuals regain proper quality and control of their bodies.

Core Stability: are exercises that help stabilize muscles around the lumbar spine (low back). Unlike other exercises for the body, core stability exercises teach individuals to resist motion. Core stability exercise progressions are used to resist backward and forward bending (sagittal plane), side bending (frontal plane), and twisting (transverse plane) helping protect the lumbar spine while enhancing performance.

Agility: is the ability to change the direction of the body in a quick and effective manner (i.e., quickly resetting feet on slippery surfaces to avoid falling, or rapidly changing direction in an athletic event). Agility also requires the body to change position efficiently and demands the integration of isolated movement skills such as balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance.

Power: is force produced from muscles in a specific direction, over a certain distance, and period of time. Power is important to help individuals move explosively during activities of daily living (i.e., shoveling snow, climbing stairs quickly, crossing the street quickly). Power is also important for athletes to accelerate aggressively (i.e., sprinting, jumping, leaping, bounding, cutting, throwing) and is a major element of success in sport.

Strength: is the amount of force muscles can produce over a specific distance. Strength is essential to enhance activities of daily living (i.e., lifting, squatting, pushing, pulling, carrying) while helping minimize fatigue and risk of injury. Strength training also helps improve bone density and other biomarkers (i.e., helps control blood sugar). Finally, strength training is a central component to athletic development; strength enhances power and agility, as both of these qualities require force production (strength).

Metabolic Conditioning: refers to exercises that increase the storage and delivery of energy for physical activity. All training requires skeletal muscles and the cardiovascular system to produce energy; what distinguishes metabolic conditioning is how energy is created, how it is used, and how rapidly it is expended.

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