Power of a Group!!!!!!

During March we hold a month long challenge that encompasses duration cardio and intervals, upper/lower body splits and a couple benchmark workouts.  One of the benchmark workouts is a “Spartan” workout and I put a small group of the participants through the workout.  Steve was a late entry to this group, and he was so excited after that he wanted to write a piece about his experience.   

Last week was an interesting day at the gym to say the least. I was just getting off the treadmill having completed a 10 minute warmup when I saw a group of people gearing up for a "Spartan Style" workout with Big Joe. I was intrigued by the eclectic group that was about to embark on an undoubtedly intense workout. As I was just walking away to the bench press to begin another uninspired workout, I was encourage by Joe to join the group and give it a try. Immediately my mind began to delve into its typical thought pattern of excuses. "Nahhh, the hip kinda hurts today." Or "Uh, thanks but I haven't been working out much so I wouldn't be able to keep up, blah blah blah."

But today was different. Something was pulling me right into the group and I wasn't quite sure what it was. I could feel a vibrant energy brewing within the group as a few members encouraged me to join them. This energy trumped the laziness of my mind and I joined up. After a quick rundown of the exercises by Joe it was go time. 3 minutes in I was breathing heavy and was looking longingly at the bench press and of the comfort of an easy workout. That self -defeating thought only lasted a moment as another member encouraged me to get back up on the pull up bar like Dan Henderson training for a Rampage Jackson fight . Bam! The endless chatter of my mind started to fall away as I entered a deeper state of flow. It seemed as if the other members were right there with me as I observed them doing the tough reps with more ease. Joe kept the pace high with encouragement and adjustments to technique. That, I feel, was the biggest benefit of the workout. Its one thing to be in a group and have some good energy to get you through a tough workout. Its of WAY more benefit to be accompanied by a personal trainer such as Joe who is there to to make sure no one gets injured. A case in point, when I was doing some difficult plyometric jumps Joe observed my knees collapsing in which I wasn't aware of. As some of us know, middle age can be a ripe time for injuries from bad technique that our younger bodies could get away with. Bad habits have a way of perpetuating without to oversight of a good trainer and I'm thankful Joe was there to catch my bad form. 

After about 40 minutes the workout was finished and it was now time for some high fives as the endorphins started kicking in. This is why we go to the gym, is it not? For that endorphin rush which is the body's way of giving thanks for a strong effort towards a healthier existence. I'm now friendly with two of the members of that group who I had previously never met. They ask me to ask Joe (they are a bit intimidated by him) if he can continue this Spartan Friday for months to come. I believe they intuitively understood something special happens when you have the right energy with the right trainer. Who knows? Maybe this will catch on sometime soon at our club. But until next time, Happy Trails in the name of Health!!

Are you consistent?

How is everyone doing with their workout goals (I wrote about goals in January)?  Do you find yourself still struggling to find a goal? If so, how about attempting to be more consistent with any exercise/activity.   I’m still talking about performance based activity.  Become consistent performing basic human movements; squats, push, pull, hinge and push/pull sled.  Are you able to squat? If you struggle, you need to do them more often.  It is said that ten thousand hours is required to become an expert at something.  We don’t need to be an expert.  But, we do need to be good.  Becoming “good” will take hundreds of hours (does not have to be done in a week).  This is where consistency comes in.  Doing small increments daily will add to the hours needed to become good at a movement.  When we were in school we didn’t just read and write once in awhile, we did it daily to become good.

And on a goals note, one of mine for this year is to write more on this blog.  A friend of mine recently “checked out” my blog and pointed out to me that I have made an average of one post per year.  Here is my second post, which is more than last year. 

Until next time, keep getting strong.          

New Year, New look at GOALS!
 Happy 2016 everyone!  As I write this we are two weeks into the New Year, and I have listened to many people say they have “fallen off the resolution bandwagon”.  Are you one of these people?  Do you already feel you are behind the eight ball trying to looses that extra 10, 20 pounds (or whatever your resolution)?   I feel goal setting is a large part of training and progressing.  So many people struggle to keep their weight loss goals.  If you feel this is you, maybe a different look at goals might help.  Performance goals may be right for you.  Performance based goals would be increasing push up reps (or doing one), squatting or dead lifting your body weight, doing a pull up for the first time or setting a 5K personal record.  Working towards your performance based goals may help you reach weight loss goals.    Do the work and results will come!    

One of my goals for this year is to write more on this blog!  This is the first step.

Is your child ready for their sport or life?

Youth or adolescent strength and conditioning have been a hot topic over recent years. There hare many common misconceptions about this subject. Most misconceptions are associated with improper training technique, volume, exercise selection, resistance and movement progressions. The American College of Sports Medicine has published that no serious injuries have been sustained through strength training, and that it will help reduce the number of injuries sustained while participating in activities. The positives associated with strength and conditioning far outweigh the negatives that are derived from misconceptions. Wayne Wescott wrote in Specialized Strength Training published in 2001, that the most effective way to enhance musculoskeletal development in boys and girls is through progressive resistance training. Here are some of the positive benefits strength training can provide your child: enhanced sports performance, increased strength and power, increased bone mineral density, improved motor performance, lower injury rates, and more positive view on a lifetime of physical activity. In the past, the most active time in a person’s life was their childhood but more sedentary activities dominate today’s kids, which prevents development of a strong musculoskeletal system. Children that follow a sensible strength training routine look, feel and function better and they will develop a lifelong pattern of activity. If your child participates in athletics, strength training should be required for their development. And, training should be continued through their season. For example, if your child plays one sport and does not train during that season they will have lost one year of training during their high school career. The After School Strength and Conditioning Program through Bigjoefitness and Fit Camps are based on sound youth strength programming, allowing your child to develop correct movement patterns, gain strength, and confidence.

Summer Fitness

HI Everyone, with the weather finally becoming nice here in the northeast, I figured it would be a great time to begin writing again. And, it is also the time of year for outside workouts. This year I have teamed up with one of my associates to create an amazing workout program, FIT (fun intense training) Camp. We have come up with four locations with a variety of times. Some times do conflict and this will be fixed when one particular time slot fills up and will lock in. Below is the flyer for our Portland (Riverton) location.
Wholesome exercise in the fresh air is the best medicine for the body and spirit


OUTDOOR
FITNESS
CAMP

2012 Summer Session 1
• Begins Wednesday, May 2nd and will meet each Saturday and Wednesday until the last class on June 23rd . There will be a second Summer Session in July and August. Cost is $160. Sign up deadline is Monday, April 30th. Limited spots available.
Location
• Riverton School Athletic Fields. Outer Forest Ave, Portland Maine. Driveway is between Moran’s Market and Fire station.
Time
• Saturdays 8:15 am – 9:15 am
• Wednesdays 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
What to Wear & Bring
• Typical workout gear, weather appropriate.
• Bring a water bottle, a pair of dumbbells, and a mat or towel. We will provide other equipment.
Inclement Weather
• Sun, rain or snow, class will take place. It's all part of the outdoor fitness experience!


Contact bigjoefitness@gmail.com or j5lembo@yahoo.com to sign up. We are two local personal trainers who put on a fun workout!

All Levels Welcome!

Other FIT Camp locations and times:
Freeport: Saturday 7-8am
Wednesday 6-7am

Falmouth: Saturday 7-8am
Wednesday 6-7am

Cumberland: Sunday 7-8am

e-mail me for the entire flyer.

Getting healthier with goals

Continuing with my last discussion here are more figures on the deterioration of the health of Americans. These statistics were found in the TD Times Newsletter, and they were compiled from the CDC and IHRSA.

* Approximately 72.5 million adults in the United States are obese
* Obese adults are at increased risk for coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and premature death
* Childhood obesity more than tripled in the past 30 years
* Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008
* Obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1% in 2008
* 16% of the American population belongs to a health club
* Of that 16%, only 10% exercise 1 or more times per week
* Less than 2% of the overall population of the US exercises regularly (3 times per week or more)


These are alarming statistics; makes me shake my head in amazement. There are thousands of highly qualified trainers in this country and these experts have all the science in the world, while millions of dollars is spent on health products. Why are we (as a population) going the wrong way? I know some people think that their journey is far too great, others feel that they do not have the energy and some it is time, or money. Which are you?

It does not matter which you are, you can succeed. Whether you want to loose one or one-hundred pounds, you can do it. All you have to do is make a commitment to yourself. It is going to take some changes on your part, because what you (we) are currently doing is not working. Start simply by writing some goals: I tell some of my clients to start with a long term goal (may be a weight loss number), then break it down to what are you going to do this month to get closer to that goal, and then finally what are you going to do TODAY to get to your goal!
So, what are you going to do to reach your goal?

Get up and move!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend, we here in Maine finally got to enjoy some sun and the temperature has climbed out of the forties and fifties. This would be a great time to start a new fitness routine for those who have strayed, and try something new and exciting for the more consistent workout worriers. This kind of leads me to my point of how have we gotten so far out of shape. There are hundreds if not thousands of infomercial-DVD exercise programs, and self-help diet and exercise books that dominate the shelves; we should all be “in shape”. What is the problem?
I think we are all looking for the next best thing, and we (me included) procrastinate too much. We need to get up and move more; walk, run or jump. The question that I get asked the most is “what is the best cardio machine or type of cardio to do?” I have a very simple answer, whatever you are going to do! What if the best is something you hate doing, you are probably not going to do it. Some types of exercise are more difficult than others, but I would rather you sit on a recumbent bike and ride for thirty minutes than do nothing at all. I do not want to hear the time excuse either, we all have ten to fifteen minutes per day (not the ideal amount of time) to perform some sort of exercise routine. So, guess what, the Next Best thing is to do something, and to do that something now, and tomorrow and the next day.
If you do not know how to put a small (or more extensive) plan together, seek out the advice of fitness professional. They can help you map out a plan that works for you