I was recently reading through a textbook on stretching (and yes, your trainers at the HIT Center do take time to educate themselves. We aren’t just making this up.) and realized that I need to make more time to stretch after my daily workouts. Stretching has numerous benefits, and the one that most people are interested in: reduced soreness after workouts. By engaging in a simple 5 minutes of stretching after your workout, you can reduce post-workout soreness by a large amount. Think about it: 5 minutes of stretching to make the next 3 days less painful and more enjoyable. It’s an excellent value as far as time to feel good ratio (and yes, that is a technical term). And by taking the time to stretch, you’ll increase your range of motion in your joints, which leads to better and more effective workouts. So before you run out the door (or crawl), be sure to take 5 to stretch it out!
Not an optimist?
For those of you who aren’t optimists, perhaps we can integrate something a bit more pessimistic into your workouts. I’m not talking about adding Drowning Pool music to your routine, but rather, using negatives on some of your core lifts to add some additional variety to what you usually do. Instead of having a short non-work phase (the down part of the bench press for example), try to make it last 5 seconds. Slowing down the eccentric (non-work) phase of the exercise will significantly alter how your workout feels. A study that was recently published showed that an eccentric only bench press program increased strength levels by nearly 15% in seasoned lifters. Those are some serious gains by just slowing down the bar! So if you are in need of some additional variety, think like a pessimist and be negative!
Variety
I recently introduced some new variety into my personal workouts. Instead of doing 3 sets of 8 for my core lifts, I’ve switched to 8 sets of 3 at a much higher intensity. While this may not be something that everyone is interested in doing, it could be a good change of pace for some of you out there.
My current emphasis is on increasing my overall strength levels, so lifting more weight for fewer reps will help me achieve that goal. Surprisingly, I’ve enjoyed the change of pace. I find that it lets me be very intense during my workouts without having to fight off fatigue. This allows me to put my full effort into increasing my strength, instead of focusing on increasing endurance. And surprisingly, I also tend to feel more tired and sweat more during these workouts.
There are other ways to add additional variety to your workouts. I hear it from many of you that you love the variety we offer at the HIT Center. We strive to keep things fresh, to add new challenges, and to make your workouts effective and enjoyable. While we aren’t trying to leave you feeling confused, we do want you to experience growth during your workouts. So, keep training hard, but don’t forget that variety is the spice of life!
NBC Channel 12 samples the Hit Center Personal Training Program
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.
Workout Playlist
When I’m starting to drag a little bit and have to get ready for a tough workout, I like to get myself in the mindset using a little bit of music. Here’s my playlist that gets me ready to absolutely kill a workout.
1. I Will Possess Your Heart – Death Cab for Cutie – The bass line in this gets you into a zone to get ready for some action.
2. Roll Away Your Stone – Mumford and Sons – If you can’t get into this song, you may want to flip over your left wrist, put two fingers on where your pulse should be, and check it.
3. Your Love Is My Drug – Ke$ha – Guilty pleasure, yes. Great beat, yes. Starting to really wake up now.
4. Shake Ya Tailfeather – Nelly – Now we’re almost in game mode. After the beats from this song, your body should be fully awake and nearly ready for the hardest workout you’ve ever done.
5. The Edge of Glory – Lady Gaga – Now that you’re on the Edge of Glory, do something about it. Make this workout happen.
Music can be a powerful motivator. Use this playlist carefully. And let me know if you have any suggestions, or give me your playlist!
Common Mistakes – Part 3
“I just don’t feel like eating after a workout.” I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve heard this out of athletes who are trying to increase strength and performance. One of the most crucial things you can do immediately after working out is to consume a recovery meal or drink. Anything that is high in protein with some carbs will do. Whether you decide that Muscle Milk or chocolate milk is your beverage of choice, be sure to ingest some sort of recovery drink or food in order to maximize strength and performance gains. If you choose not to, you’ll recover more slowly and be able to do less work down the road. In order to be the best you can be, make sure you know what is going into your body, and when.
Common Mistakes – Part 1
I’ve decided to come up with a bit of a theme based on different things that I’ve heard over the years and just wanted to make you aware of as one of your friendly staffers! So without anymore introduction, the first common mistake is….not setting or sticking with goals. Remind yourself of why you started working out here. You’ve noticed changes, no doubt, and perhaps with those changes your goals have changed. Did you communicate that to your trainer? Don’t forget that mind reading was not a part of our education. So let us know when your goals have changed, or give us a little refresher on what exactly you want to accomplish. It only helps us be more effective in programming your workouts, as well as increasing your likelihood for success! Be open, be honest, and most importantly, be ready to work!
It’s about that time…
Here’s your biggest guilt trip of the day. Think back with me about 100 days ago. New Year’s Day. Oh yeah. THAT resolution. Oops. Well, I got busy with Spring Break, and before that there were a bunch of sports games, but I really worked out hard in February.
Ok, we’ll forgive you, but it’s time to get refocused and remember why you are doing all of these workouts. It’s time to re-evaluate where you are at with that New Year’s Resolution and let it know that you still mean business. Talk to your trainer and remind him (or her) about how important that goal is to you and how committed to it you are.
It’s ok to fall off this wagon, but it’s time to get back on, and we’ll make sure you get back up there and get refocused!
Pat’s Run
As many of you have heard, we do have a big event coming up in Tempe. Pat’s Run is expected to attract over 30,000 runners this year, and the HIT Center is going to be joining the parade of people. Whether you want to shoot for a PR (Jon), or are looking to have an enjoyable cruise in the back of the pack (me), there is all sorts of pacing for this race. 4.2 miles might seem like a ways to run, but with all the people around you, you’ll hardly notice how quickly everything flies by. We’ll be looking forward to seeing you run side by side with us in this wonderful event on April 16th. Hope to see you there, and have those running shoes ready to go!
VO2 Max
We’ve recently put up some signs around the gym promoting the VO2 max testing that we’re beginning to integrate, so I thought I would take a little more time to explain what it is, and how that might benefit you. Essentially, doing a VO2 max test tells us how efficiently your body is using oxygen. The higher the number is, the better. For example, if you are thinking about running Pat’s Run (ahem, ahem), then you might want to consider VO2 testing as a way of assessing your readiness for the run, as well as getting a good idea of your optimal training zones. All you have to do is run (or walk) on a treadmill for 6-15 minutes, and we’ll have a great record of your breath output. Then we can train you like mad to increase that number to get a new PR come the big race. It’s easy, takes only a few minutes, and gives you good feedback on what you’ve been doing.
