02/26/2021
Almost everyone thinks of having a great core means you need to have shredded abs.
I'm here to tell you that's not true at all. (although it does look pretty good, huh?)
Your core, as defined by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as the center of the body, and the beginning point of movement. It is also the structures that make up the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, which is made up of the lumbar spine, the pelvic girdle, abdomen, and the hip joint.
So you see that the majority of the core is everything internal and unseen. But it's these muscles that are so important to everyday life.
They make up our local and general stabilization systems and assist with general movement. It is important that these systems are in shape because we use them everyday, even if we know it or not.
Your core is very important and something that you should always be focusing on.
For more detailed information about your core and what it does, click on the link in my Bio
02/24/2021
Sleep.
I wanted to touch on this as a personal note today. If you saw my story this morning, I mentioned that sleep and rest is extremely important.
There are two things that I want to touch on here. First, what sleep does for you when training, and second, why exercising helps us get better sleep!
So what is it that sleep will do for us?
While sleeping the body releases hormones, specifically the human growth hormone, that will interact with the tissues to heal, recover and grow.
To break this down a little better, as we exercise, especially during strength training, we create small tears in the muscle fibers. The recovery process while we sleep rebuilds these tears, creating larger, stronger muscles.
We also want our sleep because we just make better choices when fully rested. Choosing to do your daily workout, choosing to be the best person you can be everyday can start with waking up feeling rested and ready to go.
The other side of this is that exercise will also help us sleep better.
In a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine, it has been found that exercise will help reduce insomnia and help individuals fall asleep easier. The exercise allows us to enter deep sleep much easier, providing better rest while we are asleep.
While the studies have not found what time is best for an individual to exercise to receive the benefits for sleep, the consensus is that each person should listen to their body and understand what feels the best for them.
If you have any questions, or want to know more, DM me and I would love to chat!
02/20/2021
Creating weights from a backpack
Welcome to the Find some weights Friday Series Pt.1
If you saw my reels video on instagram, you watched as we made a homemade weight bag out of materials we had in the house. So let’s break that down and go step by step and look at the pieces needed to turn an ordinary backpack into a weighted bag.
Why would you need to create your own weights, you ask? In my case, my local gym is still closed because of the pandemic. For others, it might just be that you do not have the time to get to the gym, or just the fact that for whatever reason, we do not have traditional weights at home to use.
Never fear, there is always a way to get your workout in, and today we are starting with an equipment type that will allow you to perform various exercises, from double arm curls, to various presses, all the way to clean and sn**ch.
So let’s dive in to making our equipment.
Step 1: Find a bag.
Any type of will made, well sewn bag will work. As an Army Veteran, I have several bags from my time in the service that have external handles that make this really easy. But oddly enough the best bag I have to make a weighted bag is a previously used computer/travel bag. I love this bag due to the very sturdy construction, handles on all sides of the bag, and a very large internal cavity that can accommodate all sorts of different payloads.
Step 2: Find some water bottles.
Any type of sealable water bottles work here. I prefer to use water jugs, metal sided bottles, nalgene style bottles, and shaker bottles for this. The reason I use these is as you may have guessed, they seal completely, so I am not worried about leakage, and they have hard sides so I am not worried about breaking them.
Step 3: Fill the bottles.
This seems pretty self explanatory. Use a scale to help keep an accurate count of the weight being used.
Step 4: Load your bag.
Enough said!
Step 5:. Lift!
What ever type of workout you are wanting, you have just made it possible!
Now get out there, get moving, and most importantly, Get After It!
02/08/2021
It was a beautiful morning for some TABATA Training. Thanks for coming out and getting some work before work this morning!
I will continue to host a free class Monday-Thursday at 6 am, until the 25th of Feb. DM me for a location!
