Smarter Training for Longevity

When will this be the "IN" thing?

With Crossfit, Spartan Races and Tough Mudders all the rage;
what total body crushing, leave you breathless phenomenon will come next?

I have nothing against any of these I just need those of you partaking in them to understand the importance of RECOVERY.

I GUARANTEE that RECOVERY is the MOST UNDERUSED TOOL in YOUR fitness toolbox.
We all have ONE body in this life and we don't want to damage it to the point of no return!
Here are TWO easy ways to train smarter starting NOW.

1. Whether it be yoga, foam rolling and self myofascial release, regular massage, or meditation.

These tools all enable your body restore. 

This is not being lazy. It’s called being SMART.

If you don't already have one get yourself a FOAM ROLLER, and get started with this

Position yourself with front of thighs on the roller. Make sure you keep your  core and glutes tight, as to protect the lower back. You may be on hands or forearms. Roll down and up the entirety of the thigh, stopping along points that seem especially tight.

Roll from pelvic bone to knee, emphasizing the lateral aspect of the thigh. When you find a point that is especially tight ( could be the whole thing) hang out there and breathe.

2. In order to stay progressive with your strength be sure to program a de-load week into your routine. 

Again this is not being lazy it's called being SMART. 

Use this to get stronger each block, not plateau or get injured!

Take PLANNED time off and get stronger OR train hard all the time, get sick and be FORCED to take time off and steps backwards. 

Hmm sounds like a no brainer to me.

Whether or not you choose to think of it this way 

EXERCISE IS INTENTIONAL STRESS ON THE BODY. 

When you have work stress, financial stress, kid stress…. 

Ever think you might need some restoration to balance out your body?!?!

This goes for both males and females but I want to strongly emphasize this for my LADIES.

FORGET GETTING LEAN in a constant state of stress.

Those daily killer workouts with no end in sight will eventually cause adrenal fatigue. 

YOUR BODY WILL ACTUALLY HOLD ON TO EXCESS BODY FAT.

Which means no matter how "clean you eat" or how"hard you train"  you will not see the results you are working so hard/suffering for.

YOU NEED MORE RECOVERY!

For almost a decade I have deemed kettlebells and yoga the ultimate compliment to each other.  Any sort of intense strength training needs to be balanced out.

Something as simple as 2-4 days of strength and 1-2 days of yoga. 

Throughout the years my style of training has evolved but ONE thing has remained the same.

The body needs BALANCE in order to THRIVE on this LONG HAUL called life.

Not sure how to get started with yoga? Still not thoroughly convinced?

MORE ON THAT NEXT!

End of Summer Training

Quick video of my recent training :)))


    

My Biweekly Update...PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION ;)

I strength train three days a week and yet I continue to gain strength and skill. 

Yes and you can too :) 

I have gotten to a point in my life that I don't want to spend more time in the gym then I need to. 

I need time to run a successful business, keep up with life, as well as spend with family and friends, and its SUMMERTIME :) 

In the past I have been guilty of losing sight of all that is important to me in order to pursue my goals. 

I have said this before and I will say it again...you can have it all.

Most of you now as a trainer myself, with a specialty in strength training with kettlebells, suspension trainers,body weight exercises, along with a focus on corrective exercise.  I run my business within the largest yoga studio in Boston.  I don't train athletes, I work with everyday folks looking to gain stability, get stronger and stay pain free. 

I do however continue to have my own strength goals to keep me learning and motivated rather than stagnant  because in this industry your job is never done :)  I don't believe in "talking the talk" if you yourself don't "walk the walk".  Therefore when I post videos of myself, this is not a direct reflection of what I would do with my clients.

As promised here's my biweekly update on training ;)

As usual my workout begins with 10-15 minutes of SMFR; focusing my attention on areas that I know will need to be open on that given training day. I then move into mobility and stability exercises that target my weaknesses ie ankle, hip and thoracic mobility as well as glute and scapular stability. I prepare for traditional deadlifts with medball slam and box jump variations.

A1:Deadlifts 205X 8 with 60 sec rest

A2:I usually do some sort of hip mobility drill to ensure I rest for the given time period.

B1: Pullups 4x6,

 B2: GHR 4x10 (banded and UGLY)

C1: Bent over rows 5 x8 @ 105lbs

C2: Single leg hip thrusts with chains 4x6,

 D1:GHR sit up3x 10 @ 45lbs,

D2: Prone Trap Raises 3x10@ 5lbs

Goals... Who needs em anyway?!?!

Apparently, I do.

If in not getting ready for a certification, training for a competition, or prepping for a photo shoot, I've got limited motivation.

Sure I get in and train but I feel my drive lacking.

 Do I need a lifting partner? Do I need camaraderie?

What is going to keeping me pushing, hold me accountable and most of all get me FIRED UP?!?!

Since I am no longer working with my trainer in person, I send him videos of my progress.  This in itself keeps me accountable :) This week I decided to record most of my workouts...here is a sample day!

Training Day

Each day I start by foam rolling for at least 10 minutes. If it's an upper body day I have specific areas that I focus on, same goes with lower body. I then go into my mobility and stability warmup. On deadlift day this block I would perform overhead heavy medball slams and box jumps.
The session went a little bit like this.
Deadlift from Blocks: Singles at 135, 155, 175, 225 and 245. In between each single I would perform wall marches to keep my hip flexors open.

Split squat from deficit-3x10 @ 65lbs
T-pushups- 3x 10 with 15lb DB

Single leg slide board leg curls- 3x 10 with 20lbs
3-point DB Row- 3x10 @ 55lbs

Reverse Crunch- 4 sets of 10 with 12kg
Half kneeling face pull-3 sets of 12 @ 65lbs

Since this was week 4 in my block my sets were lower and my reps higher on accessory work. I also didn't perform my usual 7-10 minutes of interval work at the end.

Thanks for keeping me focused :D

Training the Trainer Part 1

It's funny how when you are trainer you sometimes end up training everyone but yourself.

When you get busy enough as we all do, it sometimes takes all the motivation we have to get our own training in.

I watched it happen to myself. When I was competing I would work a 10 hour day that started by waking up at 4:45am, then drag my ass to the gym.  Luckily I had a great coach who wrote my programs. We would talk over the phone to discuss goals, I'd send photos of my physical progress. I didn't have to worry about my programming, just getting myself to the gym to train.

Once I was done competing and healthy again, I had different goals. I wanted to work on getting strong again. Or perhaps strong for the first time as I am coming to learn :)

Most facilities in the area are big box gyms that don't exactly encourage anything I want to do.  Since I spend most of my time in the city and have strange off hours I did some research and discovered TPS... Total Performance Sports in Everett.  

I FUCKING LOVE THIS PLACE :) 

It has everything I could ever want. Kettlebells, more than 1 make that 4 squat racks, turf with prowlers, suspension trainers, safety bars, dead-lifting platforms, plyo boxes over 12 inches, heavy medballs, free weights, bands, tons of foam rollers, a huge group exercise studio with battling ropes.... even boxing and yoga!

I am one of those people who makes a concerted effort to get what I want. I wanted to earn a living doing what I love. I also want to be able to spend my off hours doing online programming, cooking my own meals and spending the money I earn on things that make my life worth while.
To some people that means buying expensive jewelry or a new pair of stilettos every other week; going out for thrice weekly dinner and drinks with friends.
For me it was hiring a personal trainer of my own.

It's been so exciting for me I can't even explain it. 

The Best Damn Cardio Article - Period

LADIES LADIES LADIES!!!!
You are the ones I see filling the countless elliptical machines each time I am at the gym!
GUYS you are getting to be a close second!

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?!

;)

Can we make sure we throw in some ABS today?!?!

On a daily basis I hear this question. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Clients that I have trained for years know better, but newbies are still hanging on to this idea.

After having had this request for years I started to pay attention to when the clients were asking for ABS. 

Low and behold it was frequently after a vacation or a long weekend.

...The vacation and long weekend where they didn't eat as clean as usual and maybe indulged a lot more than they should have.

Please tell me how feeling fat coincides with wanting to do this.

Clean up your diet first. This is the hard part. It takes time and effort and planning ahead but I assure you you can do it.

I got tons of questions on how I got "ripped abs" for my show.
Well I'll tell you one thing.
I didn't do a single crunch.
I did a whole lot of big lifts and used my core in all planes of motion.
Here is a MUST READ article courtesy of Mike Robertson.
Do me a favor and try some of these INSTEAD of those crunches I see you all doing ;)

Scapular tracking for shoulder health and symmetry

In the sport of Figure, symmetry is EVERYTHING! Being lean brings out imbalances EVEN MORE because there is no fat to cover em up come stage time!

When I first began posing practice for figure the winging in my right scapula was BLATANTLY OBVIOUS.  Posing coaches will tell me to lean to the side or contort myself into some crazy position that felt like SH*T, but hey its all about the symmetry they'd say... beauty takes pain ;)

I am lucky to work alongside one of the greatest corrective exercise guys in the biz :)  He lives, eats breathes this stuff. Alignment, activation and symmetry are his forte.

Here is an awesome exercise that forces your scapula to track properly!

Working out versus Training

Courtesy of Coach Nick:

There's working out and there's training. 

Training is when you have a progressive plan with measurable goals and continual challenges. 

Working out is anything that makes you sweaty and tired but not necessarily bigger or stronger because it lacks consistency, direction and specificity.

Long time no see guys :)

I have been struggling a little lately with time and feelings and have not blogged as much as I would like to.  I will have a new computer soon so you will see more of me :)


YES, I have prepared for a Figure Competition before.
NO, each time a girl prepares it is NOT THE SAME.  


Each time you go through the process, you have new experiences and encounter different obstacles. 

For instance I have been through the diet before so now I know the challenges that lie ahead, but that doesn't mean it will be easier ;)


Seeing as I ended up accepting my PRO CARD with the WNBF I will now be competing at the PRO level.  This is a completely different ballgame than Novice or Open Division. I will find myself amongst the elite, women who have worked for years to develop their physiques.


I have no expectations for my first PRO show I am just going to take it all in.


What I do have are goals.  
GOALS to go in HARDER and BIGGER overall, with specific focus on my legs and shoulders.


I have to admit its been tough to put on weight for this process. Even when you are doing it on purpose, its hard to stay positive when you see your body changing.
THERE I SAID IT.


I am definitely getting BIGGER and STRONGER. 
Therefore my TRAINING is working.


I have learned OH SO MANY VALUABLE lessons throughout this process.  When I first made the decision to compete I gave several reasons and one of them was to relate to my clients when they were on a strict nutrition plan. 
Now I can add to my resume the ability to empathize with them when their weight fluctuates and the emotions that go along with that.  This ability is VERY POWERFUL and something new to me.  And I believe it gives me another advantage when communicating with clientele.


I will continue to be positive and grateful and have faith in the process, REMINDERS are always welcome in case I forget ;)

WWW.BODYBUILDING.COM

:))))))))

Please check it out!

http://www.bodybuilders.com/stacy-schaedler.htm

It has definitely been a crazy few weeks and trying to reestablish life as I knew it before has proven difficult.  I have not been as dedicated to my yoga practice as I would like to be and it is showing in my moods.  My mind has been getting the best of me more often then usual and that as you know DOES NOT WORK IN YOUR FAVOR.
Right now I am in my hypertrophy phase of strength training and I am eating like a horse. What a mind f*ck!  I just keep telling myself that I need to eat to lift and lift for strength so that when I lean out again there is a nice surprise underneath :)
I went to my first yoga class in a long time last night, it was beyond amazing. Beyond healing, beyond exactly what I needed :)
It was interesting to observe the changes that were going on in my yoga practice as well...
 and observe is what I did.

I didn't judge...in fact I laughed about it.


Physically I felt stronger than ever, I could have held those 1/2 pushups all night ;0
My breath on the other hand was as shallow as it has ever been. My exhales were long but my inhales were stifled.  This is what I must be breathing like throughout the day....thus my wonderful moods and crazy brain.

The craziest discovery was yet to come. TWISTING. I couldn't twist for SHIT.  It was not my thoracic it was my stomach.  

YES this was me before my second show. NO this is not me now. But my stomach is definitely still feeling the effects of being so tight.

A lot of us want a 6 pack, but do we ever think that maybe its not so functional after all?

I ended up having an amazingly different experience in class because of my struggle with breath and inability to twist. I take it as a reminder of where I have been and the level I have gotten to.

For now I will keep breathing, ease into my twists and continue to backbend even though I feel like I'm being stretched on the RACK!  

My yoga practice lets me be me.  It allows me to be in my body, feel strong, and express myself and realize all that is important to me.

Perfect Quotation to explain my recent feelings:

We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives. The divine is unlimited in its sight. We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives, rooted as we are in the continuum of space and time. The divine, on the other hand, is not limited to the constructs of either space or time, and its wisdom and workings often elude us as we try to make sense of what is happening in our lives. This is why things are not always what they seem to be and even the best-laid plans are sometimes overturned. Even when we feel we have been guided by our intuition every step of the way, we may find ourselves facing unexpected loss and disappointment. At times like these, we can find some solace in trusting that no matter how bad or just plain inexplicable things look from our perspective, they are, in fact, in divine order. Even as we take our places in this earthly realm, a part of us remains completely free of the confines we face here. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, this part of us remains infused with joy and gratitude, connected to the unbroken source from which we come. Our small self, on the other hand, who is caught up in our false identity as a being limited in space and time, regards happiness as the result of things going the way it wants them to go. It is this part of us that suffers the greatest confusion and upset when the logic of events does not compute. And it is to this self that we must extendunconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. In order to do this, we tap into our inner divinity, holding the space of a tender authority, extendinglove and light to our ego as a mother extends her love to a troubled child. There are many ways to access our inner divinity—meditation, prayer, chanting, channeling, and conscious breathing, to name a few. It is helpful to develop a regular practice that provides us access to this all-powerful, healing presence, as it can be difficult to reach once we are in a stressful position, if we have not already established a connection. The more connected we are with this part of ourselves, the more we share its unlimited vision and the secure, knowing that all the things of our life, no matter how they appear, are in a state of divine and perfect order. 

Thanks Jeannie Parkus ;)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT...courtesy of Aaron Brooks

is Your Mirror Trying to Tell You Something?

How many of you have looked at yourself in the mirror and thought my goodness is this what I have become. Many of our clients will say something along the lines that they do not want to end up looking like their 80-year-old mother. Or have to worry about all the health concerns that their parents are going through. My coworker read this article and thought I was being too harsh. Maybe but it is the truth and it is what we hear on a weekly basis so I thought why not tell it the way it is.

AHHHH Nutrition

I studied Exercise Science in college, I have completed personal training certifications, kettlebell certifications, yoga certifications...yet notta one nutrition seminar :0

I have a lot of experience when it comes to food,
                                                                          such as eating it.
                                                                          and suddenly
                                                                          being allergic to it.

Going through my food allergy ISSUE was a life changing experience.  I was the type of person who loved to workout like CRAZY and then eat whatever I wanted.  I never looked horrible (well maybe senior year of college) but I never looked great either.

I recently read and stole an interview on Precision Nutrition (which I love by the way)
 I'd love to meet this girl!

7 Questions For… Georgie Fear

by Ryan Andrews, March 25th, 2010.

Georgie Fear is a trainer and dietitian, and currently studying nutritional science as a graduate student at Rutgers. She’s the Sports Dietitian for Rutgers University Athletics, and teaches a wide variety of fitness and nutrition classes for Rutgers Fitness and other facilities in central NJ.
She just came out with a recipe book called Dig In, available through her website AskGeorgie, which also offers a huge free recipe archive.
I’m impressed.
I caught up with Georgie and asked her 7 questions.

1. What are the top 3 things you see people do to mess up their nutrition?

#1: People consume too much processed food, in particular processed carbohydrates like granola bars, bagels, frozen diet meals, and 100-calorie fake foods.
In some ways I can’t blame people for not knowing better; with all the advertising making Special K bars and “fruit drinks” look healthy, we’re up against a lot. Most PN eaters understand that fresh, whole foods are the way to build your diet.
A protein bar here and there, a canned something once in a while won’t “hurt” you, but the core foods you eat daily should be unprocessed.
#2: Consuming too little protein and vegetables.
I spend a lot of time educating people about how a higher protein, lower glycemic diet can help them lose weight, decrease cardiovascular disease risk factors, and is unlikely to cause any kidney damage.
For veggies, I do my best to point out the wide variety and dishes you can make with them. Most people just need practice to become a little more “veggie-centric.” With a few new recipes they like and a bit more time spent preparing them, people find out that eating more produce feels good, tastes good, and gets them results.
#3: Inconsistency.
People think in terms of black and white, going head-over-heels committed to their nutrition plan for a week, then throwing all caution to the wind.
This goes along with impatience. Often people don’t give a strategy enough time to see if it’s really working for them, so if they don’t have a six pack in a week, they give up and jump on another bandwagon.
Changing habits takes time, changing your body takes time. I believe strongly in the power of nutrition, but it’s not a quick and easy fix.

2. How has your perspective on nutrition and exercise changed over the years?

When I started nutrition and fitness counseling, I thought I would be educating people. I figured people must be eating the wrong things, or too much, because they don’t know better.
But it’s a very rudimentary dietitian who thinks telling someone which foods they should or shouldn’t eat will help their client change. It takes much more than that and I’ve learned my job is just as much psychology, motivation, and self-efficacy building as knowing nutrition and biochemistry.
I’ve learned that it’s not just okay to ask the hard questions, but that I have to probe people for their motivation, their fears, and their obstacles to really help them.
I’ve learned to not just give information, but to teach people why.
I try to be a cheerleader while they’re in my office, and also to teach them how to cheer themselves on, because I’m not always there! And the real motivation must come from within.
I’ve also realized that there is no one true path: different exercise regimes and nutrition plans work for different people.
Some people find optimal health through a vegetarian lifestyle, some people find it eating meat. Some people avoid soy, some people avoid milk, some people avoid artificial sweeteners or wheat or fish or beans… but you can build a healthy diet in many ways.
And with exercise you can build a fit body by lifting, swimming, running, rowing, or any mix of activities. I don’t feel the need any more to do exactly what someone else is doing, just because it’s working for them. I’m okay doing what’s working for me.

3. What is your favorite quote?

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle
I love this quote because it encourages consistency and doesn’t let me rest on my laurels from what I once did.
It also forces me to put failures and mistakes in perspective. My habits are good and I am consistently working to do my best, therefore one slip-up matters very little in the scheme of things.

4. What are the top 3 things you see people do to mess up their exercise?

#1: Lack of consistency.
People have trouble keeping up with things year after year.
#2: Over-thinking a program.
This can become a source of stress and kill the enjoyment. I know people who have spreadsheets of periodized training, reps and set schemes that look like calculus to me… and if it works for them, great.
But for me, I keep my options open and don’t set out a concrete plan that, to me, feels restrictive. I make sure I do some strength work, some speed work, some endurance work, but I don’t micromanage my workout routine.
I think keeping it fun and low-stress is why I have grown to love it.
#3: Paying bad trainers!
I see so much bad training going on. If you wonder how good your trainer is… they probably aren’t very good.

Now Georgie, finish the following sentences.

5. Fast food is…

…child abuse.

6. The key to my fitness and health success is…

…absolute passion and a love for what I do. This erases the border between work and play.
I shop the produce section like some women browse jewelry. I don’t eat my dinner like a prisoner eats a cold bowl of gruel, wishing I had a bacon cheeseburger.
I dine, I relish, and I revel. That’s why I called my cookbook Dig In, because I think nutritious eating is juicy and flavourful and shouldn’t be thought of as second-class living.
Same with being active., I love the feeling of running, of swinging a kettlebell, of pushing myself. And when you love it, it’s not work, and it’s not something you’d ever stop doing.
Once you know you’re in this for the long haul, you worry less about little setbacks and enjoy the ride.

Bonus: Georgie, what is your favorite supplement?

I don’t take any supplements other than whey protein (Optimum Whey) and vitamin D. Never have.
I’d have to say the whey protein is my favorite, because you can’t make chocolate cookies out of vitamin D softgels.

Check out her website!
http://askgeorgie.com/

The deadlift

Make that the single leg dead lift.



Single leg exercises increase balance as well as coordination. The single leg dead lift is used to promote functional hip strength AND stability.

I use the single leg dead lift throughout the year AND in my Figure Competition Prep to get BIG TIME glute and hamstring recruitment. Incorporating this exercise into your routine is critical!

We all know how much I stress on form and proper alignment :) If you don't have these 2 things NO EXERCISE will suffice, but if you possess both THE BASICS WILL DO WONDERS!

If you don't believe me, take it from..

my man Gray Cook! He published this AWESOME ARTICLE entitled Deadlifting (Balanced Body Series) 3 years ago and its ALL about THE SINGLE LEG DEAD LIFT.

Training Update :0

Just wanted to give you a quick update on training!

Monday's are a long day consisting of5x5 chin ups
5x5 wide-grip dead lifts
drop sets of wide grip lat pull downs super set with incline dumbbell press -4 sets.
And I finish it up with bent over rows super set with barbell hip thrusters- 3 sets

After that Coach Nick suggested I try boxing for some upper body specific cardio.
4-8 sets of 3 min rounds that is

Poor Greg ... I DON'T BOX.

http://youtu.be/3KRB8msq41c

HAHAHAHAH

Leg Days

As you all know I am in the middle of training for my first figure competition. I am still in the "BULKING" stage of my training. Due to the fact that I have a restricted diet because of my food allergies, it's been harder for me to put on mass.

Currently I am on a 3 day on, one day off split.
And it goes a little something like this...Legs, Upper Body Push, Upper Body Pull, followed by a rest day and then back to legs!
As you may have heard, training for your first show is full of trial and error.
You try something and if it doesn't work, you try something else.
When doing uni-lateral leg training I was definitely making huge strength gains, I just wasn't getting the muscle density that I needed. Coach Nick Tumminello changed my programming to bi lateral leg exercises so that I could get the size I needed before I lean out! He knows what he's doing.....it's working.

Thanks to some serious hard work, I have a newly found ASS; which I appreciate greatly :)
My quads, hamstrings and calves have definitely developed as well.

I am lifting HEAVY and sticking to the basics. Bottom line---The basics work. You just have to do them with CORRECT FORM! Here are a few tips for some of my lower body favorites.

When I am Front and Back Squatting I make sure to sit back with my butt rather than thinking that the squat initiates with a knee bend. From my days as a HARDSTYLE kettlebeller I think about driving my heels straight through the floor and envision spreading my heels apart as I lower and lift the weight.

When I am Romanian style Dead lifting, I make sure to keep the bar as close to my legs as possible on the way up and down and I keep a nice flat back.

As I discussed in my previous post...YOUR WARM-UP is the MOST IMPORTANT part of your workout!

I also wanted to share with you a great warm-up for a lower body workout :)



I begin with a kneeling hip flexor stretch for :30 and then I twist into it for another :30. Totaling 1 min on each side. With this I begin to open my hip flexors and engage my stabilizing glute.

I then move to lunges with arms extended overhead. With this exercise I continue to open my hips and activate my glutes but I also get some nice thoracic extension.

Moving on to activate my lateral stabilizers I perform 1 min of exercise on each leg (beginning with an isometric hold and then continuing on to dynamic lunges)

Up next I perform 1 minute of climbers in the upper push up position. I slowly bring my right knee into my chest keeping tension with my left leg and vice versa. All the while engaging the stabilizers of my shoulders, my entire core, glutes and hip flexors.

I flip myself on over and come into a static hip extension. I add in some abduction with alternating hip extensions getting some crazy glute min med activation!!!!

Next comes the tamed down version of a single leg burpee. Here I focus on driving through my heel and getting my whole posterior chain involved (a single leg dead lift of sorts)

I finish up my warm-up with some isometric squat holds(continuing on to dynamic squats) with big time thoracic extension. I want to make sure that the glutes and hips are active along with my erectors and paraspinals being lit up for my squats!

GO AHEAD GIVE IT A TRY :)))

WHY ROW?

A body row is essentially a push up turned upside down.
It can be done by virtually ANYONE, as it achieves a strong rowing action without any stress to the lower back.
You can set the handles high, and position the feet so you are more upright, so the row is easy. Or you could set up so your arms hang straight down from the handles, and elevate your feet on a plyo box, and the row is much more difficult.
Some crazy folks can even keep their feet in the air, so that their entire body weight is in their hands....I consider that to be one of the hardest pulling exercises!

Whether you have access to a Smith Machine, a Squat Rack, some Bandit Loops, a TRX or a VERSUS, you can easily incorporate this into your routine.

Don't worry about "out growing" this exercise, as you can imagine are PLENTY of ways to make it more difficult ;)

Seeing as your strength training workouts HOPEFULLY consist of a push, a pull, a squat or a lunge and a core exercise.... the body row can add variety to your pull choices!

Another important reason to incorporate the row is the fact that you probably sit at a desk or in a car for SEVERAL hours a day, 5 days a week, so strengthening the awareness in your upper back
while improving your posture might just be what you need :)

There are also different ways to grip the bar or the handles while you are performing your body row. Whether its underhand, overhand, mixed grip, internal or external rotational as you pull in...I promise new muscles will be worked.

You Walk Wrong

http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

FMS for Dummies

As trainers and physical therapists in the fitness industry we have all heard of and maybe even been certified in Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen. Kevin and I have been through the program and find it extremely useful. Clients must be screened so there are no surprises down the line. Gray Cook has teamed up with PAVEL and created the CK-FMS (Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist) I, myself have not been through the CK-FMS but know several instructors who have and LOVE the new dimension it has added to their training.

I think the industry is really taking a turn for the better :) People are realizing how important nutrition, exercise and overal wellness is for longevity! People are living longer and wanting to enjoy their time here comfortably.

This month in OUTSIDE Magazine there is a very exciting article...read through it!

http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200907/fitness-test-challenge-intro.html

Take the quiz! I know you will recognize ALL the exercises ;) if you come to our studio that is :0

Bodyweight Cardio Routine REVISED

Here in Massachusetts it's finally starting to feel like SUMMER! Lot's of clients are going away and need some guidance while they are away from the studio. Some are in Europe, others in South America, others camping right here in MA. Regardless of where you are going, your fitness routine doesn't have to disappear completely :)


ALWAYS perform a dynamic warmup:
could be as easy as...

Walking calf raise pulling knee into chest- 6/side
Walking butt kicks- 6/side
Reverse lunges- 6/side
Lateral lunges-6/side
Transverse lunges- 6/side
Inchworms- 6 total
Spidermans with twist and hamstring stretch-3/side
10 pushups


Body Weight Intervals

Bear Crawls ;) :30
Jumping Jacks :30
Mt. Climbers/T- Stand open up :30
Body weight speed squats/alt. reverse lunges :20
Rest :60
Repeat 3-5 times

Jumping Rope, lateral hops, plank holds, and bird dogs also work for those who do not feel comfortable with any of the above exercises.

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