by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Sep 19, 2019 | Conditioning, Exercise advice, Injury Prevention, lifts, Personal training, Running, squats, strength training, Uncategorized
By Jenny Gusella
These days there are endless workout options, from spinning to barre to HIIT to personal training, bootcamps, home DVDs and more. There’s also tons of information and scientific research floating around about the benefits of one workout versus the next. With your head spinning from information overload, you finally decide to seek an expert opinion, so you ask a trainer like me, “OK. Tell me the truth. What is the best workout?”
The best workout is the one that you will actually do. Whether it’s because it’s the quickest, or you love the instructor, or your friends go to that gym, or your favorite coffee shop is next door, or because you genuinely love the workout, there is no reason too small if that reason is enough to get you to complete the workout.
The human body is much more simple than we think. Eat food, move around, sleep, repeat tomorrow. Of course, in between those things is an entire life – a career, familial responsibilities, not to mention social pressures, self-doubt, etc. All of those things complicate the basics, but you have the power to uncomplicate fitness. Are you stressed that you don’t have an hour to spare to workout? Simple solution: do a 45 minute workout. Are you dreading doing that 3 mile run you promised yourself you’d do? Simple solution: Don’t do the run. Do some squats, lunges and pushups, or go for a bike ride, or walk your dog.
Yes. I just said, “don’t do the run.” Running in particular is a topic that comes up so often in this line of work. So many of us dread running, and yet force ourselves to do it anyways, as if it’s some sort of requirement. I am here to tell you: YOU DO NOT NEED TO RUN IF YOU DON’T WANT TO. Ever. (Unless you’re being chased.) I am also here to tell you that you do not need to be “a runner” to go on some runs. If you like it, do it, if you don’t, do something else. It truly is that simple. Think about Forrest Gump. Why did he start? “I just felt like running.” Why did he stop? “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now.”
The next time you find yourself in a workout rut and are about to ditch the gym, ask yourself if there’s maybe another physical activity you’d rather do instead, and try to direct yourself down that route. Don’t worry if your workout doesn’t “scorch the most calories” or “target 90% of your muscles” – just move!
by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Sep 9, 2019 | Breathing, Conditioning, Injury, Injury Prevention, Recovery, Running, strength training, Stressrelief, Stretching, Uncategorized, working with injury
The definition of adversity via Webster’s Dictionary:
“Difficulties, misfortune, ill luck, back luck, trouble, difficulty, hardship, distress, disaster, misadvantage, suffering, affliction, sorrow, misery, heartbreak, heartache, wretchedness, tribulation, woe, pain, trauma, torment, torture.” The list goes on.
Adversity can be defined as any of the above. Everyone goes through some sort of adversity. It’s not about what type you deal with, but about how you respond to it.
Do you ever feel alone when you’re dealing with something like this? I am sure of it, we all do. But guess what, you aren’t alone. The feeling of being alone EASILY gets more believable in a world where social media is constantly in our faces. Old friends, co-workers, gym buddies, cousins, acquaintances, celebrities… they all look SO happy on the screen of your phone. But guess what, they probably have shit going on. Don’t forget that.
So… How do you overcome adversity? You can’t just make it go away, you can’t just run and hide and let someone else deal with it, you can’t just forget about it because it absolutely will resurface at some point.
Adversity can be overcome by the way you react to it.
This can be applied to matters BIG and SMALL.
Small example…
Someone is going 40 MPH in the passing lane and you are LATE for work?
Option A: Tailgate them like a MASShole, honk and give them the finger?
OR
Option B: Remain calm and let them realize they are being slow where they will eventually speed up or switch lanes.
Big example…
Someone does something extremely unjust, unreasonable and unfair?
Option A: scream and yell, accuse and verbally abuse?
OR
Option B: Remain calm with them. Do you best to not let your emotions drive your words. Take your feelings to a conversation with a friend where you can say what you want and get some advice.
Take home… We all deal with shit on any given day. The sun still rises in the morning no matter what was dealt the day before. Get up, shake the dust off and keep moving. Use adversity to learn, grow and become stronger. Get your reps in, practice makes perfect so keep working on overcoming those small hardships because when the big ones roll around, you will be ready.
by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Aug 22, 2019 | Conditioning, Exercise advice, Personal training, Uncategorized
By Jenny Gusella
As we age, one of the best things we can do for our health and happiness is to ensure that we are able to continue to perform the daily activities we want and need to do, whether climbing the stairs, picking up children or grandchildren, gardening, or whatever else you may encounter along your daily travels. The benefits of strength training for adults has been well documented in recent years, with findings that resistance training programs can help combat loss of muscle mass and the frailty that loss can bring. As this research continues, studies are beginning to delve specifically into the benefits of power training for adults, and are finding even stronger correlations between power and functionality (the ability to be able to do every day tasks with ease) than strength and functionality.
Power training is easy to incorporate into your workouts and can be scaled for all levels of ability. When you think about power training, you may think of sprinting or jumping. That’s certainly one way to practice exerting power, but not the only way. Some other options for power training include:
Speed Ladder: Short bursts of quick feet improves both coordination and power output. You don’t need to look like the star on a high school football team to reap the benefits of the speed ladder. Start by walking through the steps slowly, and then aim to progressively get quicker.
Kettlebell Swings: KB swings help you generate power through your lower body with low impact on your joints. Work with a trainer or coach to ensure proper form when beginning KB swings.
Medicine Ball Passes: Chest passes with a medicine ball either to a partner or against a wall is another great way to generate power that involves your upper body.
There are several other great exercises to try if you are looking to incorporate power into your fitness routine. Talk to a trainer or coach about the best way to get started.
by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Aug 12, 2019 | Conditioning, Exercise advice, Injury Prevention, Personal training, Recovery, strength training, Uncategorized
Pippa Teague
NASM CPT
Infinite Potential Personal Trainer
What is recovery?
Basically the ability to shorten the time needed in between workouts so you can see more improvement faster!
Sore muscles are good! Something that doesn’t seem right? Not good. Sore muscles actually mean you have done your job during your workout and the muscles are growing / becoming stronger. If your muscles are painful to touch you probably overdid it a little and might want to wait until it’s more along the sore muscle range before working out again.
Here are a few things that will aid in recovery after your workout.
- Active recovery – get moving. Light weights or bodyweight, bike, minimal raised heart rate
- Stretching– if it makes you feel better and/or you have lost some range of movement
- Nutrition– this one is a very important part of recovery. Replacing carbs after a workout and making sure you are taking in enough protein is key
- Hydration – consuming enough water post workout to speed up muscle repair and prepare you for your next workout
- Sleep– also very important. Less than 7 hours hurts recovery, more than 7 is good but more than 9 hours sleep helps the most in recovery
- Massage and meditation – helps to decrease stress which delays recovery
The two biggest pieces to recovery I believe are nutrition, hydration and sleep.
Nutrition
–Protein
Protein is very important. It helps repair and rebuild muscle after activity. Consuming the right amount provides building blocks to get that underway. It is recommended that you should consume 0.15-0.25 g of protein /lb of body weight.
-Carbs
Consuming carbs post workout replenishes your glycogen stores. 0.5-0.7g/lb of body weight is recommended up to 30 minutes post workout.
–Fat
Fat should be limited right after your workout as it slows down the absorption of the other nutrients you may be taking in but consuming it won’t reduce the benefits.
Here is a list of some examples of some good post workout food
Protein
- Protein shake
- chicken
- egg whites
- Greek yogurt
- salmon
- tuna
Carbs
- potatoes
- green veggies
- Oatmeal
- pasta
- rice
- Chocolate milk
- fruits
Fats
Hydration
Hydration is also very important for recovery. Not just before the workout and during but after is almost more important!
Hydrating after working out provides the following benefits for ultimate recovery
- muscle repair
when we work out muscles actually get broken down and repaired (which is what builds the strength ). For this repair water is vital in speeding this process up as our muscles are made up of 75% water!
2. Digestion
water helps with digestion by breaking down the food and absorbing the nutrients that our muscles need right after a workout- salts electrolytes (to name a few).
Sleep
Getting at least 8 hours of sleep is vital in your recovery after a workout. When you sleep growth hormones are released helping repair muscles, build bones and burn fat. Make sleep a priority in your training, go to bed at the same time every night and wake up the same time in the morning, take naps in the day if you miss out on sleep. Try to increase sleep on the run up to an event or competition.
Try to add some of these recovery suggestions to your next week of workouts and see how you feel !
by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Jul 15, 2019 | Conditioning, Exercise advice, Fasttwitch, fiber, Personal training, strength training, Uncategorized
Pippa Teague NASM CPT, WS
Infinite Potential Strength Coach
If you participate in a sport that requires quick fast movements such as jumping, quick change of directions, sprinting, leaping, throwing etc you will need to spend some of your training time focusing on the development of your fast twitch muscle fibers.
There are generally two types of muscle fiber – type I – slow twitch and type II-fast twitch. Fast twitch can further be broken down into type IIa and type IIb. Genetics play a role in which muscle fibers you have more of but training in a certain way can make these different types more efficient.
Slow twitch muscle fibers use oxygen and can go for a long time without tiring- think long distance runners. Fast twitch muscle fibers use anaerobic energy and are better at creating shorter bursts of strength or speed e.g sprints, high jump etc.
Type IIa are more of a hybrid fiber in that they have characteristics of both slow and fast twitch fibers. Type IIb produces the highest rate and quickest speed of contraction but it fatigues much faster, so doesn’t last as long as the other two.
It is impossible change the quantity of muscle fibers in your body but you can train to become a more fast twitch athlete.
Here are a list of exercises that work those fast twitch muscle fibers. Include these in your training regime if you want to work that explosive power.
- box jumps
- power cleans
- snatches
- bench press
- agility drills-ladder, hurdles
- squats
- kettlebell swings
- air dyne sprints
- battle ropes
As well as training quick movements with lighter weights, don’t forget to work on the strength of those large power muscles- quads, glutes, hamstrings. Larger muscles and strength will also help recruit those fast twitch fibers…….do your squats!
by Pippa Teague, Strength Coach | Jun 28, 2019 | Conditioning, Exercise advice, Personal training, strength training, Uncategorized
By Jenny Gusella
Certified Personal Trainer, @jennykgoose
There are tons of great ways to stay in shape, whether you go it alone creating your own workouts or watching online videos, take a group fitness class, or work one-on-one with a personal trainer. Personal training is among the more foolproof ways to reach your goals because of the individualized attention and accountability it provides, but is it the right choice for you? The following guidelines will help you decide if you’re on the fence.
- Is fitness a priority for you? We are all busy. Even the most dedicated fitness fanatic will have times where staying in shape slips on their priority list. Take a moment to weigh how important your fitness goals are to you, and if you think you’re willing to regularly fit workouts into your schedule (and budget!) then hiring a personal trainer could be something to consider.
- Do you have a semi-regular schedule? The advantage of group classes is that they take place with or without you, so it’s easy to pop in whenever you have a free hour. Personal training will be more structured. If you know your schedule will be somewhat regular, allowing you to meet at least weekly, then personal training may be a good option.
- Are you unsure of your form or have a history of injury? For those with little to no past gym experience it can be intimidating and overwhelming to join a group fitness class. It’s more difficult to get one-on-one attention in a larger group, and you may find that you feel like you can’t take full advantage of the workout because you’re feeling a little lost on how to perform the exercises. Personal training is a surefire way to brush up on your form, learn what weights you are capable of using, and also learn about ways to strengthen up any muscular weaknesses you have. This is perhaps the biggest advantage of personal training.
If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, maybe personal training is the way to go. No matter what your situation, if you are considering hiring a personal trainer the easiest thing to do would be to set up a meeting to talk about your goals, schedule and history, and see if you align well with that trainer. Just like any relationship, you’ll click better with some trainers than others and it may take a bit of searching to find someone right for you.
