Flexibility Training on the TRX

Flexibility can and should be
trained as part of your routine, just like training for strength, speed, or
power. The American College of Sports Medicine just released new guidelines for
flexibility exercise.
            “Flexibility
Exercise
Adults should do flexibility
exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion.
Each stretch should be held for
10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort.
Repeat each stretch two to four
times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.
Static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF
stretches are all effective.
Flexibility exercise is most
effective when the muscle is warm. Try light aerobic activity or a hot bath to
warm the muscles before stretching.”
But why stretch with the TRX
straps? Because there is nothing this simple piece of equipment can’t do! That
is why!
•    The TRX will act as a “partner” allowing you to try out the PNF style of
stretching. There is where you contact and relax your muscle to allow for a greater stretch.
•   
It
will help assist you into greater ranges of motion, deepening your stretch.
•   
You
can stretch multiple areas with one exercise. Who does’t love to
multitask! 
Stretching on the TRX as part of a
flexibility program can help to diminish many of the aches and pains you
experience after a tough workout or sitting at a desk (or on the couch) all
day. Building greater flexibility also:
•   
Improves circulation
•   
Improves
range of motion
•   
Improves posture
•   
Decreases
joint stiffness
•   
Decreases
muscle tension
•   
Promotes
awareness of body in space
•   
Facilitates
relaxation
Don’t just leave the gym after your
workout.  Grab the TRX straps and do a quick stretching routine while your muscle are
warm. Or even plan an active recovery day to do a 20-30 minute stretching
routine!
Here are 5 stretches you can do
with the TRX. There are a ton more, so ask a trainer if you need help
stretching in a particular area!
  

Hamstrings

Lower the straps all the ways
down and covert to single arm mode. Sitting on the ground, place one heel into
the straps. Keeping your back and legs straight slowing walk yourself forward
away from the anchor until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg.


Hip Flexors

Raise the straps so they hang
around knee height. With your back to the straps, place one foot into the loop.
Your knee should comfortably rest on the ground. Lunge out to 90 with the free
foot and press forward through the hips to hold the stretch.

Calves

Don’t forget your calf is made
up of two muscles and both need to stretched! With the straps still in single
arm mode, stand up and place one heel into the loop and straighten out your
leg. Pull back on the strap until you feel a stretch through the upper part of
your calf. To target the lower portion of you calf, bend your knee while still
pulling back on the strap.

Chest

Revert straps back to double arm
mode. Grab a hold of each strap and walk away from the anchor. As you get
further away, let you arms stretch out to the side until the are in line with
your shoulders. Step out with one foot and lunge your body forward while
keeping your chest up.

Back

Holding onto the straps, slightly lean
back with arms extended and shoulder blades engaged (think like you
are trying to squeeze them down and together). This is the starting position.
Slowly let your shoulder blades relax. As a result your arms will be pulled forward by the
straps. Keeping your body in a straight line, round your upper and
hold the stretch. To target your lats, hinge at the hip letting your back
flatten out and rotate to one side then the other. 

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Make Cardiovascular Training Fun with Intervals

I will preface this blog by saying I am NOT a runner…in fact I dislike all things cardio. At least cardio in the traditional sense. Cardio is boring. Run for more then 12 minutes and I am done.
Okay, with that being said, cardiovascular training is very important and should be incorporated into your exercise routines. If you can go for a long run or hit the elliptical for 30+ minutes, good for you! But for those of us with shorter attention spans, how do we keep it interesting?
And the answer to that is….INTERVAL TRAINING!
So what is Interval Training?
Interval training is a type of training that incorporates high-intensity bouts of work followed by lower intensity bouts of work, or rest, that is repeated for a specific number of repetitions depending on the fitness level of the individual.
How do I incorporate it?
Interval training can be performed on multiple pieces of cardiovascular equipment or outside on the track; the possibilities are endless. Once you can complete 20-30 min of continuous exercise, start by incorporating 1-2 min of more intense exercise, followed by 1-4 min of recovery time.
Hop on a treadmill warm up with 5 minutes of walking or light jogging; do the same for a cool down. Try 5 sets of 3 minutes running followed by 3 minutes of walking or jogging.
You can do the same on a stationary bike. Make sure you warm up then try 8 sets of 1 minute intense sprints followed by 1 minute of light cycling.
Feel like running outside? Not a problem. Head to the high school track, do a quick dynamic warm up followed by 10 sets of 50 yard sprints then walk 50 yards to recover. When running outside, I find that using telephone poles is a good way to monitor intervals. Jog to a telephone pole sprint to the next and before I know it, I just ran 2 miles!
Repetitions and work-to-rest ratios should be modified to meet your fitness level and needs. If you are just starting out, instead of using a 1:1 work:rest ratio, a 1:3 or 1:4 may be better, until you have achieved a higher level of fitness. Or on the flip side if you really want a challenge try a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.

**Although, there are many benefits with interval training, caution should be used before incorporating it into a training program. Due to high intensity, near maximal training loads, individuals should have a solid foundation of cardiovascular fitness before adding it to their program.**


Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Take Your Workout to the Turf

With the past winter being so
terrible, I try to spend every second in the sun as I possibly can.
One way is by moving my lunch time workout (or at least part of
it) outside. Working out is just more fun when
you go outside, especially when you work inside all day. I like to think of it
as my adult recess!
Obviously you can’t take the
machines outside with you, but there are a ton of exercises that require just a
medicine ball, free weights, or your own body weight that are just as
challenging and beneficial as using a weight machine. Changing up the scenery during you work out will help to keep it interesting
and make sure you stay motivated to work hard!!
Here are some of my favorites to
do outside…

Walking Lunges with Rotation


Holding a med ball with arms out
in front, lunge forward with left leg, rotate torso to the left. Drive off the
left leg and immediately lunge forward with the right. Remember to keep your
core engaged and torso upright when lunging. These can be done going forwards
and backwards across the turf.

Wall Balls


Standing in front of the wall with
a med ball in your hand, squat down as low as you can go, drive through the
legs and stand up out of your squat while throwing the med ball up towards the
wall as high as you can. As you catch the med ball, squat back down and repeat.

Med Ball Burpees


Standing with a med ball, squat
down placing med all on the ground with hands placed on either side of the
ball. Jump feet back into a plank position. Perform a push up on the med ball.
Quickly jump feet back towards the ball. Explode through your legs jumping up
while lifting (or throwing) the med ball straight overhead.

Wall Sits with Rotation and Alt. Heel Raise


Sit with back against the wall and
knees at 90 degrees. Slightly lean your torso forward, so your back is free to
rotate from side to side. Holding the med ball out in
front, rotate torso side to side trying to touch the ball to the wall each
time. As you rotate to the left lift your right heel up off the ground. Repeat
on the right side, lifting your left heel.

Mountain Climbers on the Wall


Start in a plank position with hands under shoulders and feet in line with hips and pressed into wall. Pull
the right knee toward chest, and then return foot to wall. Repeat immediately
on left side. Continue, quickly alternating legs. 

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

The Importance of an Active Rest Day

Just because you are taking a day off from the gym, doesn’t
mean you should take a day off from being active!


Giving your body a break between intense workouts is
essential to help your muscles recover, avoid overtraining and reduce the risk
of injury but don’t make the mistake of thinking your days off can be spent
sitting on the couch all day watching trashy TV—which can be a very tempting
option.
Your rest day should be spent doing some sort of light physical
activity that will stimulate recovery without placing any undue stress on your
body. Summer is just around the corner and as the weather is starting to
warm up, make the most of your days off. Go outside, get moving, and have fun.
Take a bike ride along the canal, a walk on the beach, or
explore one of the many nature trails the Cape
has to offer. Organize a pick up game of softball going with friends and
family, just as long as the intensity stays relatively low and you don’t get
too competitive! Paddle boarding, kayaking, yoga, golf, hiking, swimming, doing
a light body weight workout or easy jog…the list is endless.

As long as you stay active, you will feel better and
maximize the progress you are making in the gym!

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

TRX Training for Runners

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Everyone can
benefit from TRX suspension training. It is a great way to develop
core strength, as well as stability in joints and muscles. The TRX is easy
to use and can be set up almost anywhere, which makes it a great piece of
equipment to add to your workout routine. You chose how easy or how tough your
workout will be by simply changing your body angle or the length of the straps
making it a great tool for beginners as well as seasoned athletes.
TRX training for runners will allow you to focus on building up your running performance and get you
ready to take on longer runs and can actually help to improve your running
time. If it’s done right, a TRX workout can elevated your heart rate as much a
normal run would. This makes it a great tool to mix
up your workouts helping to decrease risk of injury and help with recovery.
Suspension
training can help to target key areas that benefit runners. It mobilizes the
thoracic spine, increases hip mobility, and engages the glutes, which are often
ignored by runners. A strong core is important for runners and TRX training is
a great way to build up strength and stability in that area.

Try a TRX workout and see what it can do for you.
Your workout should be designed with runner-specific exercises to improve your body’s strength, stability, and
flexibility. Here are some different exercises that engage the core and work on
building strength throughout the whole body. Aim to do 8-15 reps of each
exercise and make sure that you can maintain good form and posture throughout the
entire motion.

Sprinter
Start



Face away
from anchor point. Step forward with right leg. Lean into TRX at approximately a 45-degree angle. Drive off
front leg and bring rear knee forward. Return to start position. Repeat with
other leg.



Suspended
Lunge


Face away
from anchor point. Place one foot into both foot cradles at once, toes in.
Plant left foot approximately three feet in front of anchor point. Lower
hips into lunge position. Suspended leg will move back.  Pressing down on heel of grounded foot,
return to start position. Maintain balance and upright body posture.  Repeat with other leg.


Hamstring
Curl


Place
heels in foot cradles directly under anchor point. Lie on back with arms at sides and palms flat
on ground. Use core and glutes to lift hips into a bridge. Draw
heels toward hips while lifting hips and squeezing glutes. Return to start
position with control.



Squat Rows


Face
anchor point with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold handles with arms extended.
Lean back and walk feet forward to appropriate resistance angle. Lower into a
squat. Stand up
from the squat keeping shoulders pulled down and back. Pull body toward anchor
point using back and arms. Return to start position with slow, controlled
movement.


Did you know that it’s been 10 years since the TRX burst into the fitness world in 2004?  How do you incorporate the TRX into your training?

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Plan. Progress. Perform with the TRX!

Progression is
essential to keep seeing improvements from your workout. When your
body becomes used to a work load, you plateau, stop seeing results and can
even lose what you’ve been working so hard to gain.  Progressing exercises on the TRX is super
simple if you understand the three principles behind suspension training.  

Pendulum 

The pendulum
principle is based on the fact that the straps will always travel back to a
neutral position, hanging straight down from the anchor. Gravity will work with
you or against you based on where you position the straps when you are
performing an exercise; they can be positioned in front of, behind, or at
neutral. This principle applies to most ground based exercises where the straps
are being moved to perform the exercise. The TRX Crunch is a good example.
Progression
1:  Starting with your feet behind
neutral.  This will make it easier to draw your knees forward, since gravity will be
working with you to bring the straps back to their neutral position.

Progression 2:
Starting with feet at neutral. You have to work harder to pull the straps away
from neutral during the motion of the crunch but as you release, gravity will
assist you in brining your feet back to a neutral position.

Progression 3:
Starting with feet in front of neutral. You have to fight against gravity to
keep the straps from going back to neutral as hold your plank and try to draw
the straps even further from their neutral position as you perform the crunch.

Vector
Resistance

The principle
of vector resistance has to do with body weight vs. body angle when performing
exercises. Take the TRX row for example; as you increase the angle of your body,
the resistance (body weight) you need to work against is increased, making it
more difficult to perform the exercise. The progressions with this principle are
simple; starting close to a vertical position will be the easiest, then
increasing the angle of your body and difficulty more and more until you are nearly
parallel to the ground.           

Stability

The stability
principle focuses on your center of gravity and base of support. As your
base of support gets smaller and your center of gravity shifts outside its
normal position, your body will become more unstable, making it more difficulty
to perform the exercise. By simply changing your foot position you will
increase or decrease you base of support and difficulty of the exercise. There
are four basic foot positions to progress through.
Progression 1:
Staggered stance. Place one foot in front of the other and hip width apart.
Progression 2:
Wide stance. Feet set outside the hips.
Progression 3:
Narrow stance. Feet set hip width apart or less.
Progression 4:
Single leg stance. Body weight is placed solely on one leg.

Vector
resistance and stability can be manipulated separately or together. Increasing
the resistance (body weight) and creating an unstable environment will generate
a greater challenge for you when performing your TRX exercise.
Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Are you ready to take on the Battle Ropes?

Have you ever wondered about the ropes coiled under the
LifeFitness Synrgy360?  Here is your
chance to learn all about them…
First off don’t be intimidated!  They may look threatening or difficult to use
but that’s only because they are new to you. 
The ropes are actually a relatively simple piece of equipment to use if
you know what to do. They come with a variety of different exercises and are a
great tool to shake up your current program. Not to mention all the benefits
you will by adding a few simple exercises to your routine.
The ropes give you a total body workout building muscular
strength, power, and endurance. It is a great way to develop grip and forearm
strength while working on core stabilization. And to top it off, it can be a
great cardiovascular and fat burning workout!
The intensity of these exercises can
easily be manipulated in a couple different ways.  First would be by your choice of rope. Most
gyms feature different sized ropes of different weights. You can also increase
or decrease the speed and size of the movements.
Slams and Waves are two basic exercises performed with the
ropes and the best place to start for beginners.

Rope slams

Begin in a squat position with both hands together. As you
come out of the squat position, lift the ropes as high as you can and move back
into your squat as you slam the ropes down to the ground as hard as you can.
Remember to keep you back straight and heels on the ground.
                                   

Rope waves

Start by standing straight with a slight bend in your
knees. Move both arms up and down together (or alternate left and right arms)
in small, fast, controlled movements. The ropes should create a smooth wave
pattern as you do this exercise. 
                                   
Incorporate these exercises in a circuit or interval
training session.  Start small and
gradually build up your endurance and strength. 
Once they become easy you can start to challenge yourself more by
incorporating different movements (li.e squats, lunges, or jumps) or pieces of
equipment (i.e physioball, or the BOSU) to these two exercises.

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Nutrient Timing for Resistance Training

Nutrient
timing is consuming the right amount of nutrients (carbohydrates and protein)
before, during, and after a training session. Knowing what to eat as well as
when to eat it is a great tool to supplement your resistance training program.
Proper timing will help restore glycogen (carbohydrates stored in the muscle),
repair damaged tissue, and speed up recovery between workouts.

When thinking
about nutrient timing, there are three phases to keep in mind.

Phase 1

The first is the energy phase. This phase of nutrient
timing occurs before your workout even begins. Getting the proper mix of
nutrients before you start will help decrease damage to your muscles, and give
you enough energy to make it through your session.
The proper mix
of carbs (20-25 grams) and protein (~5 grams) should be consumed about 20
minutes prior to exercise. 
            Sample meals for the energy phase of
nutrient timing (20 minutes prior to exercise):
                        English muffin + 1 tsp
peanut butter
           
                        1 oz raisins + 1 oz
cashews
           
                        3/4 cup cereal + 6 oz 1%
milk
                        8 oz OJ + 1 oz string
cheese

Phase 2

The 45 minutes
immediately following your workout is known as the anabolic phase.  This is
probably the most important phase in terms of nutrient timing.  The longer you wait after your exercise bout,
the less effective this phase becomes. 
After an intense workout your body is removing waste, repairing muscle
tissue, and storing glycogen at a higher than normal rate so it is important to
take advantage of this time by consuming the right mix of nutrients; 40-50
grams of carbohydrates along with 15 grams of protein.
            Sample meals for the anabolic phase
(up to 45 minutes post exercise):
                        16 oz chocolate milk
           
                        PB&J (2 slices of
bread; 2 tbsp peanut butter; 2 tbsp grape jelly)
                        2 granola bars + 10 oz
1% milk
                       
                        Fruit smoothie (1/2 cup
low fat milk; 1/2 cup fresh fruit; 1 scoop whey protein)

Phase 3

The final
phase (the growth phase) occurs
during the 18-24 hours between your workouts. During this time you should focus
on consuming well-balanced and colorful meals that contain a good mix of
carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats.
You should not
wait longer then 4 hours after the end of your workout to consume a meal.

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Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.