Matt Lucas UFC Debut

November 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Most of you know that I’ve been helping Matt Lucas prepare for the UFC on Fox fight that was held on 11/12/11. Prior to our training I thought I was familiar with MMA and believed I could help Matt prepare for this huge opportunity.

Saturday I arrived at the Honda Center ready to watch Matt in his UFC debut. What I saw gave me a completely new perspective of what it takes to be a successful MMA athlete on the UFC stage. Sure, we trained hard and he was physically prepared for just about anything. What is difficult to prepare for is just how massive this event is. UFC put on a fantastic show that rivals just about any sporting event you can imagine.

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s one thing to prepare physically for this type of competition – make no mistake, very few people in the world can do what Matt Lucas does. It another thing, however, to be able to perform in that type of venue and not let the hype, lights and pressure get to you.

Matt Lucas lost his fight against Aaron Rosa – a fighter with UFC experience and a monster who cut nearly 60 pounds to make weight for this fight. While disappointed, as I know Matt is, I’m proud of Matt for his performance. He trained hard, competed well against a vert tough opponent and handled all that makes UFC a great event. Good Job Matt!

Hit Center Personal Training Staff – A Cut Above The Rest!

October 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ok, it’s 9:42pm, I’ve literally just stepped in the door but I wanted to sit down to tell you all how excited I am about our trip to the Club Industry Show. You see each day we want to do much more than just write a workout, plan a cardiovascular session or help out with a diet. We want to provide each and every client with the absolute best service we possibly can and this week is a perfect example of how far we will go to do just that.

Monday, I flew out to West Virginia to meet with an NFL Agent who wanted to send more players to us because of the wonder job we have done with former Arizona Cardinal, Keilan Dykes. Tuesday I was back on a plane to Chicago to meet Kristen Cole for the 2011 Club Industry Show – one of the largest fitness trade show/conference in the US. Now this blog isn’t about how fantastic the show was or what we learned in the over 20, yes we attended over 20 seminars…and they were great! This blog is about those amazing staff members at the Hit Center who were not able to make the trip.

When I mentioned that I was taking Kristen to Chicago for the Club Industry Show, Brandon, Chris and Bri all volunteered to cover shifts before I even had a chance to mention we might need help. The thought of working a 14-hour shift never entered their minds, of if it did I couldn’t tell. It’s this type of commitment that separates the Hit Centers Fitness Professionals from the rest of the industry’s personal trainers, no selfish “in it just for themselves” type trainer here – they don’t last. These staff members are all dedicated to making the Hit Center the best personal training service in the Valley and I proud to say that they’re part of our family. I want to thank them all for all their hard work and I look forward to the great plans we all have for your future.

Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful journey.

Tim O’Neil

NBC Channel 12 samples the Hit Center Personal Training Program

August 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Hit Center in Mesa, Arizona had a visitor the other day – the news crew from NBC Channel 12. They had heard about our facility and that we were doing some pretty cool things with our personal training programs. So they decided to pack up their cameras and come on out to get first hand experience of just what separates us from the rest of the fitness world.

Our degreed fitness professionals use the latest scientific advancements to develop a fitness program that will ensure optimal results… but we also know how to make fitness fun :)

You see, our 12,000+ sf facility offers several great features such as a huge sports turf infield, deep sand pit, state-of-the-art equipment and a human performance lab that allows us to measure body fat, Vo2 and even an individual’s resting metabolic rate. The Hit Center personal training programs utilize all of these resources and more to keep our training programs new and exciting. So what better way to give them a taste of our training programs than to set up one of our famous obstacle courses.

The fitness professionals at the Hit Center in Mesa have not only helped 100′s of clients lose weight and get in shape but take great pride in making each exercise session as enjoyable as possible.

Click on the video below see just a sampling of what some of our personal training clients experience in their workout programs.

Give us a call today and mention you saw us on Channel 12 to receive a FREE fitness consultation, nutritional evaluation, boot camp class or personal training session.

My Summer Vacation

July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s almost that time of year again and this year I find myself a little mixed about the upcoming school year. But first let me say “where the heck did the summer go”? I remember when I was young (I say that a lot now :) school didn’t start until September. Here it is mid July and I haven’t even taken a vacation yet… oh well. Back to mixed feelings.

This year feels a little different, seems like we have more and more athletes coming back for summer workout programs and then heading off to college. In years past it was nice to still see our guys and gals throughout the school year. Hear about how the season is going, maybe get a chance to catch a game our tournament. Now it’s “I’ll see you on Christmas break”. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when our athletes come back – working with this great kids we become very close and it really makes us happy when they want to come back and train or just drop in to say hi. It’s just a little sad when they head out… I know it’s weird :)

So just a quick shout out to all Former Hit Center athletes, “It was great to see you all again and I look forward to hearing about the next school year. We’ll see you over the Holidays!

One of A Kind

June 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So the other day I was on a plane heading to the World Youth Trails with an athlete I coach. This is a very special kid, yes he is incredibly talented, yes he is one of the best hurdlers in the United States but that’s not what makes him special…

Monday 6/27 we were heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete in the World Youth Trials. This meet serves as a qualifying meet for the World Youth Games and my hurdler, Devon Allen, was ranked #2 in the US and had a very good chance to go to France for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

So off we went, US Air Phx to Charlotte, and Charlotte to Myrtle Beach. We boarded the plane in excitement and… nothing. We were asked to leave the plane after a long delay, taxi to the end of the runway and return. Panic started to set in – Devon had prelims starting in a little over 14 hours and we were still in Phx. a 4 hour flight, 4,5 hour car trip had us arriving in Myrtle Beach at 4:35 AM and this gave Devon about 2 hours to get a quick nap in to make his dream come true – make his first USA Track Team.

After a two hr nap we headed down to the track. Devon placed second in his heat with the 4th fastest qualifying time of 13.99. He actually had qualified for the finals of the World Youth Track and Field Championships with only 2 hrs sleep (not to forget the 3 hr time difference, so this 9:15 race time was actually 6:15 AZ time).

We got him back to the hotel for a good nights sleep and off to the finals the next day.

The gun went off and Devon was nearly last out of the block – a rare occasion for this kid. After 9 of the 10 hurdles, Devon had worked his way to 1st and looked like he was on his way to France. Then the unimaginable happened – he hit the next to last hurdle and went from 1st to 7th in a blink of an eye. The big dream was over, instead of heading to France he was packing his bags for a return trip to Phoenix.

I just want to say how proud of Devon Allen I am. Sure he competed very well and performed at an incredible level in a nearly impossible situation. But what impressed me the most was how he NEVER complained. I mean never! Not when the plane was delayed, not when we had to hire a car service to drive us from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach (4.5 hours), not when he arrived at the hotel a few short hours ways from his first race or after he hit the next to last hurdle and realized he was 25 yards away from his first US Team..

I’ve been coaching athletes for a long time and not once have I had an athlete experience so much adversity and never complain once… I MEAN NEVER1 Not even a ” my legs feel a little heavy”… What an amazing kid that has taught me so much.

Do You Know What’s In Your Vitamins?

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Below is a link to an article that I found interesting and recommend reading. Not only are there issues with the amounts of nutrients in the supplements you may be taking but interaction between supplements. Yes, that’s right too much of a good thing can not only be harmful but could also make some minerals and vitamins less effective. Did you know excess amounts of some vitamins and minerals can have an inhibitory effect on others such as the combination calcium and iron? Click here to read more.

If you or any of your friends have questions about diet, nutrition or just want to get some information on how you can get better results from your current exercise routine please give us a call – anytime :) Hit Center – 480-981-0600

Summer Activities For Kids

May 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yes, it’s that time of year again and as a parent I’m looking for quality activities for my daughter to participate in over the summer. One of the things she will be doing (or I should say continue to do) is the kids camp – really more of a kids fitness class.

Exercise classes for kids aren’t the most popular things in the world with a lot of kids. Traditionally, clubs and fitness professionals design these fitness programs as if they were training an adult or athlete. You know what I mean… cardio that consists of treadmills, steppers and bikes and lets not forget about some core and functional training.

The problem with traditional workout routines for kids is that the kids HATE it. It’s boring and the only thing they have to look forward to is pain and discomfort – gee why would anyone want to do that (more on that some other day).

The kids fitness program uses everything our facility has to offer – turf, sand, ropes, balls, jump ropes, water jugs, tires and much, much more. Each workout is scientifically designed to provide a total body workout but has an emphasis on FUN. That’s right, FUN!!!! I’ve told this story before, my daughter has never really worked out before starting this program and I can honestly say that she has had some great results and actually looks forward to every workout. She loves the game based theme of these workouts. Whether it is soccer on the turf, obstacle courses, volleyball or basketball in the sand, each day provides something new to look forward to.

Call us today to learn more about our kids fitness programming options, but HURRY, space is limited!

Hit Center – Mesa Arizona
480-981-0600

Everybody Falls Down

May 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I saw this video and it reminded me of a message I tell every single athlete I work with…

“Everybody falls down.  It’s what you do when you get up that separates you from everyone else”

 

 

Golf Instruction

April 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I would like to take a minute to tell you about our friends over at OB Sports Golf Academy.  Over the last couple of months we have worked with several of Jeff’s Players and I just wanted to say how impressed I am with Jeff and his program.  So much that I thought I would share some of his information with all of you.  Please take a minute to look over some of the info below.

The OB Sports Golf Academy is the place to take your game to the next level! Whether that level is a college scholarship, a professional career or a lower handicap our program will help you set a game plan to accomplish those goals. 

Director of Instruction Jeff Fisher and Director of Player Development Stacie Bryan have a combined 30+ years of experience at the highest levels of golf instruction. Having worked under such professionals as Hank Haney, Mike La Bauve, Jim McLean, Sandy La Bauve, Jim Flick and Mike Malaska they bring experience, expertise and enthusiasm to the OB Sports Golf Academy. Their roster of students include beginners, intermediates, elite juniors, college players and professionals. As a team they are committed to every part of a student’s game including full swing video analysis, short game, mental approach and course management.

Private Lessons 

Jeff Fisher, Director of Instruction

  • $150 / hour
  • Series of 5 $500
  • Series of 10 $900

Stacie Bryan, Director of Player Development

  • $70 / hour
  • Series of 5 $300
  • Series of 10 $550

For More information you can reach Jeff Fisher at (480) 414-9330 or jfisher@obsports.com.  If you would like to get in touch with Stacie Bryan she can be reached at (480)772-2767 or sbryan@obsports.com

 

 

Pat’s Run

April 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What a great job everyone did in this years Pat’s Run (except for Tim O’Neil, he woos’d out :) Over 20,000 competitors ran in this years Pat Tillman 4.2 mile run including several Hit Center family members.

Way to go Daria Defusto, Margaret Downie, Cari Filippone, Jon and Angela Fennell, Jenny O’Neil, Steve Penn and Diane Skousen :)

Special congrat’s to our very own Kristen Cole for running 29:48 and finishing 62nd out of over 11,000 female entries!!!!!

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