Wednesday, August 1, 2012
All-Out Duathlon is Announced!
Join us for this first time Duathlon race. Proceeds will go to the American Heart Association. We will begin with a 1 mile loop from the All-Out Fitness parking lot towards Buckshollow Rd. We will enter the bike trail, follow to the other end of Buckshollow, then turn right onto Route 6 back towards AOF. Biking will then begin at the lot and will lead back to the bike path as did the run. The ride will last 7 miles towards Yorktown then return. Finally a 3 mile run will begin from the AOF parking lot.
It will head up Route 6 towards Croton Falls Rd and continue for 1.5 miles, then will turn around back to AOF. Registration is $30 before August 15th, $40 between then and race day, and $50 the day of race. Help raise Healthier Hearts in Putnam County!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New Saturday Boot Camp Time
Boot Camp has moved to 9am on Saturday following Kickboxing. Please adjust your schedules accordingly. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Stretching for Strength
All of us that train are always looking for the next new thing or "craze" to give us an edge in our training and in our bodies. However, following a trend or taking a "supplement" (legal or not) should not be the most immediate answer. In fact, we all have the easiest answer in our own bodies. It has to do with our posture. Just by living, our bodies are put through repetitive (and sometimes forceful) moment every day. Furthermore, we are one-side dominant creatures which means that we will do more work on one side of the body rather than the other side. Imbalance is inevitable but worry not, I have the answers on how to get stronger faster without looking far.
The first thing that I do when I meet a prospective client or any new client is to assess their movement patterns. There are many things that can be determined by doing this but I do it for one main reason, I want to know what I need to fix. In fact, anyone that trains for All-Out Fitness is required to do the exact same thing. Everyone needs some sort of corrective exercise and it is imperative that we determined what needs to be included into their program before moving forward.
There are a lot of people that are Personal Trainers or that just train on their own, that either are unfamiliar with corrective exercise, and/or have no concern for it. It is my goal to not only show that everyone needs corrective exercise but, also to explain how we all will get stronger from it. As personal trainers this should be the first thing that we do because it is the most important thing that we do. Just because you can "kick someone's ass" doesn't make you a great trainer. Exercise is purposeful and if you have not made any strides to correct someone's posture you have in my eyes failed to choose the correct exercises. Without correction all exercise will do is make those patterns worse.
I can guarantee that your client has neuro-muscular inhibitions because they have to. We all do. Athletes, as fine tuned as they are, will probably have the most due to the beatings that their bodies take. We spend either too much time sitting, too much time standing, and use one side of our body more than the other side. There is a very good chance that most people cannot correctly perform a squat correctly because of this. Most people will warm-up, get some weights, then pound out reps/sets of squats. The problem is that even if it feels right the chances are that its not. Once our body learns bad movement it adjusts to them and feels arguable comfortable in most situations.Once this happens it must be corrected in order to re-establish muscle synergy and efficiency.
You may be saying to yourself, "This all sounds fascinating but what does stretching have to do with all of this?" Well, any muscle that fires repeatedly begins to shorten. This is how muscles become tight. In fact, the tighter a muscle is, then the weaker it gets. Moreover, a shortened muscle will just pull on another and cause the body to misfire elsewhere. Each muscle has a line of pull. These are muscles that connect at bone joints and can effect the length/tension of each other.
The hips have many lines of pull in our body and are likely to be the most stressed because they many attachment point (lower back, hamstrings etc.). Our hip flexors are typically the tightest muscles in the body due to their constant usage from sitting and the many other things that influence their activation (running, weak abdominals). The chest (pec minor) and anterior deltoid (front shoulder) are the other likely suspects because we slouch in chairs, do everything in a forward motion, and our chest falls forward due to the forward tilt of our hips. You can almost guarantee that the weaker side will be even tighter because it tends to recruit pec minor in order to make it as strong as the dominant side. Hip imbalances also exist from doing one side dominant activities (eg. driving, running). Tight hips can dramatically reduce range of motion in our lower backs and in our stride. Uncorrected hips can lead to injuries such as herniated discs to even knee damage.
Stretching isn't just about reach for your toes to stretch your back or put your toe against the wall to stretch your calf. Stretching is about lengthening and is most effective when it is done by someone else. Most people also stretch in a direction that is consistent with the longer part of a muscle because its more comfortable. That wont correct anything. If we want to correct the body we need to activate sleeping muscle, stretch everywhere from the feet up, and we need to get the hips back into neutral alignment. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So, now that we all are better educated on how to identify this postural distortion how do we fix it?
There are many methods that will stretch muscle and relax muscle tissue. The most appropriate should be selected for any given situation. I'm going to tell you how we can correct postural distortion within the scope of a personal trainer's practice. Most trainers have their clients use foam rollers for self myo-fascial release (SMR) but there are other tools that can replace foam rollers. A tennis ball, a lacrosse ball, or even a massage ball can be used to jostle up muscle fibers so that they loosen up before stretching. The key is to work on big areas of dense tissue (knots) and near the joint, always moving towards the joint. Once we do this, then the tight muscles and tendons will release more and increase their length at the joint angle. Sometimes a little bit of active release is needed to assist in stretching and is very easy to do. Again locate the tight area and apply pressure on it while putting the corresponding joint through its fullest range of motion. This should break up and tissue that is tight or jumbled up from overuse.
Lastly, we have our hips and shoulders. The hips will not move on their own unless we manipulate it. There are a couple of easy ways to do this but the one that works the best is to use a Trigger Point Performance Roller or Grid to loosen up all of the connection points of the hip. Then a stretch of the lower back will get some length where people usually need it the most. After that have them lay on their stomach and pull on one leg at a time until the hip drops down, usually starting with the dominant leg. You should see their glute fire and even their shirt move. Those are the signals that length has been re-established. Go to the other side and do the same thing. You may have to jostle the hips with a massage ball if they don't open up easy before retrying. Give each side a second pull just to see if opening the other gave the first side more room for movement. The pecs have a similar procedure. Use a ball to massage the entire pec (again always moving toward the joint) then assist with stretching the pecs open by pulling back the arms. Sometimes a little bit of active release helps too. Have them lift their arms over their head while you press on points of tight fibers. This should also help establish length in the pec and make them more malleable for lengthening.
Now that your client is much straighter all of your muscles will be firing at or close to their optimal levels. You will see the immediate improvements in strength and range of motion. Now, the client should be given exercises that reinforce the new movement patterns in the body (eg. squat, push/pull, hip stability). Once these are re-established then adding resistance, difficulty, and frequency are 100% acceptable. You basically have the closest clean slate of a musculoskelatal system as you can get. Results will vary depending on each client. In the event of pain or other difficulties the client should be referred out to the correct Corrective Specialist (ex. Massage therapist).
CAUTION: Assisted stretching should be done carefully. People should have the right training before conducting these procedures. When performing assisted stretching it is always important be cautious in order to prevent serious injury. This blog is a summary of Neil's method and is not intended to teach or certify anyone of any qualification. This is a general overview and is not intended to direct anyone.
For more information or to learn from Neil Denaut please email him at alloutfitness1@gmail.com
The first thing that I do when I meet a prospective client or any new client is to assess their movement patterns. There are many things that can be determined by doing this but I do it for one main reason, I want to know what I need to fix. In fact, anyone that trains for All-Out Fitness is required to do the exact same thing. Everyone needs some sort of corrective exercise and it is imperative that we determined what needs to be included into their program before moving forward.
There are a lot of people that are Personal Trainers or that just train on their own, that either are unfamiliar with corrective exercise, and/or have no concern for it. It is my goal to not only show that everyone needs corrective exercise but, also to explain how we all will get stronger from it. As personal trainers this should be the first thing that we do because it is the most important thing that we do. Just because you can "kick someone's ass" doesn't make you a great trainer. Exercise is purposeful and if you have not made any strides to correct someone's posture you have in my eyes failed to choose the correct exercises. Without correction all exercise will do is make those patterns worse.
I can guarantee that your client has neuro-muscular inhibitions because they have to. We all do. Athletes, as fine tuned as they are, will probably have the most due to the beatings that their bodies take. We spend either too much time sitting, too much time standing, and use one side of our body more than the other side. There is a very good chance that most people cannot correctly perform a squat correctly because of this. Most people will warm-up, get some weights, then pound out reps/sets of squats. The problem is that even if it feels right the chances are that its not. Once our body learns bad movement it adjusts to them and feels arguable comfortable in most situations.Once this happens it must be corrected in order to re-establish muscle synergy and efficiency.
You may be saying to yourself, "This all sounds fascinating but what does stretching have to do with all of this?" Well, any muscle that fires repeatedly begins to shorten. This is how muscles become tight. In fact, the tighter a muscle is, then the weaker it gets. Moreover, a shortened muscle will just pull on another and cause the body to misfire elsewhere. Each muscle has a line of pull. These are muscles that connect at bone joints and can effect the length/tension of each other.
The hips have many lines of pull in our body and are likely to be the most stressed because they many attachment point (lower back, hamstrings etc.). Our hip flexors are typically the tightest muscles in the body due to their constant usage from sitting and the many other things that influence their activation (running, weak abdominals). The chest (pec minor) and anterior deltoid (front shoulder) are the other likely suspects because we slouch in chairs, do everything in a forward motion, and our chest falls forward due to the forward tilt of our hips. You can almost guarantee that the weaker side will be even tighter because it tends to recruit pec minor in order to make it as strong as the dominant side. Hip imbalances also exist from doing one side dominant activities (eg. driving, running). Tight hips can dramatically reduce range of motion in our lower backs and in our stride. Uncorrected hips can lead to injuries such as herniated discs to even knee damage.
Stretching isn't just about reach for your toes to stretch your back or put your toe against the wall to stretch your calf. Stretching is about lengthening and is most effective when it is done by someone else. Most people also stretch in a direction that is consistent with the longer part of a muscle because its more comfortable. That wont correct anything. If we want to correct the body we need to activate sleeping muscle, stretch everywhere from the feet up, and we need to get the hips back into neutral alignment. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So, now that we all are better educated on how to identify this postural distortion how do we fix it?
There are many methods that will stretch muscle and relax muscle tissue. The most appropriate should be selected for any given situation. I'm going to tell you how we can correct postural distortion within the scope of a personal trainer's practice. Most trainers have their clients use foam rollers for self myo-fascial release (SMR) but there are other tools that can replace foam rollers. A tennis ball, a lacrosse ball, or even a massage ball can be used to jostle up muscle fibers so that they loosen up before stretching. The key is to work on big areas of dense tissue (knots) and near the joint, always moving towards the joint. Once we do this, then the tight muscles and tendons will release more and increase their length at the joint angle. Sometimes a little bit of active release is needed to assist in stretching and is very easy to do. Again locate the tight area and apply pressure on it while putting the corresponding joint through its fullest range of motion. This should break up and tissue that is tight or jumbled up from overuse.
Lastly, we have our hips and shoulders. The hips will not move on their own unless we manipulate it. There are a couple of easy ways to do this but the one that works the best is to use a Trigger Point Performance Roller or Grid to loosen up all of the connection points of the hip. Then a stretch of the lower back will get some length where people usually need it the most. After that have them lay on their stomach and pull on one leg at a time until the hip drops down, usually starting with the dominant leg. You should see their glute fire and even their shirt move. Those are the signals that length has been re-established. Go to the other side and do the same thing. You may have to jostle the hips with a massage ball if they don't open up easy before retrying. Give each side a second pull just to see if opening the other gave the first side more room for movement. The pecs have a similar procedure. Use a ball to massage the entire pec (again always moving toward the joint) then assist with stretching the pecs open by pulling back the arms. Sometimes a little bit of active release helps too. Have them lift their arms over their head while you press on points of tight fibers. This should also help establish length in the pec and make them more malleable for lengthening.
Now that your client is much straighter all of your muscles will be firing at or close to their optimal levels. You will see the immediate improvements in strength and range of motion. Now, the client should be given exercises that reinforce the new movement patterns in the body (eg. squat, push/pull, hip stability). Once these are re-established then adding resistance, difficulty, and frequency are 100% acceptable. You basically have the closest clean slate of a musculoskelatal system as you can get. Results will vary depending on each client. In the event of pain or other difficulties the client should be referred out to the correct Corrective Specialist (ex. Massage therapist).
CAUTION: Assisted stretching should be done carefully. People should have the right training before conducting these procedures. When performing assisted stretching it is always important be cautious in order to prevent serious injury. This blog is a summary of Neil's method and is not intended to teach or certify anyone of any qualification. This is a general overview and is not intended to direct anyone.
For more information or to learn from Neil Denaut please email him at alloutfitness1@gmail.com
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Move a Muscle, Change a Thought
How many of us have that nagging goal or dream that we never seem to get to? You know, the one that follows us into our sleep or daydreams. Well no matter what your goals are they wont just magically happen. Every end has a mean and every destination has a route. You are the only one behind the wheel. It is your responsibility.
So, you've decided today that now is the time to find what your are looking for only to realize that you have no idea where to begin. Hmmm. Well, it begins with a plan of action. One way that I have recently learned goal setting was to start at the end and work backwards in chronological increments. For example, if you know that you want to lose 30 lbs in 4 months then work back monthly. Where do you need to be a 3 months, 2 months, then set your short-term goals at the start.
What if you don't have the tools to execute your starting goals? Well, go get them. Find and expert or seek someone that will give you insight. That person may even be the step the helps you to find the best person to answer your question (filling in the gaps). A staircase has steps because we cannot climb a wall. Build a path that leads you to the finish.
Goals are good and a plan is even better. Now we have to provide ourselves with accountability. What can we do that makes up keep our planned commitments? Write it down! Try charting your progress via notebook or even a dry-erase board. We need to be aware of our daily actions because they are what will provide us consistency and without it, it will take us longer to reach our goals if at all.
As far as consequences go we are most likely living with them already. We can identify suffering with hard-work or reward due but, are we doing the right for work the right reward? I've spent my childhood suffering and "trying really hard" but it still never led me to successful weight loss. Finally instituting the right plan and following it consistently is what led me to success. Even now as a small business owner I've done more than my fair share of sacrifice and hard work. A lot of the time I was just spinning my wheels killing myself. Every time that I saw that I was not making progress, I stopped and re-evaluated my plan. More importantly, each time I sought out a mentor for guidance. I didnt have the answers and without them, I could not plan accordingly.
Success, or lack thereof, is no ones fault but your own. People who fail to set appropriate and realistic goals are living in a fantasy. We all at some point in our lives are guilty of this. This will bring us to failure. Be on top of your life. Put in the work and make sure that if you do make a spontaneous choice that it is instrumental in helping you to reach your goal. To want is human and to have is nurture. Go for what you want, do whatever it takes until you get it, and never give up trying. Plan, execute, and never look back. Be an unstoppable force, because you cannot stop the unstoppable.
So, you've decided today that now is the time to find what your are looking for only to realize that you have no idea where to begin. Hmmm. Well, it begins with a plan of action. One way that I have recently learned goal setting was to start at the end and work backwards in chronological increments. For example, if you know that you want to lose 30 lbs in 4 months then work back monthly. Where do you need to be a 3 months, 2 months, then set your short-term goals at the start.
What if you don't have the tools to execute your starting goals? Well, go get them. Find and expert or seek someone that will give you insight. That person may even be the step the helps you to find the best person to answer your question (filling in the gaps). A staircase has steps because we cannot climb a wall. Build a path that leads you to the finish.
Goals are good and a plan is even better. Now we have to provide ourselves with accountability. What can we do that makes up keep our planned commitments? Write it down! Try charting your progress via notebook or even a dry-erase board. We need to be aware of our daily actions because they are what will provide us consistency and without it, it will take us longer to reach our goals if at all.
As far as consequences go we are most likely living with them already. We can identify suffering with hard-work or reward due but, are we doing the right for work the right reward? I've spent my childhood suffering and "trying really hard" but it still never led me to successful weight loss. Finally instituting the right plan and following it consistently is what led me to success. Even now as a small business owner I've done more than my fair share of sacrifice and hard work. A lot of the time I was just spinning my wheels killing myself. Every time that I saw that I was not making progress, I stopped and re-evaluated my plan. More importantly, each time I sought out a mentor for guidance. I didnt have the answers and without them, I could not plan accordingly.
Success, or lack thereof, is no ones fault but your own. People who fail to set appropriate and realistic goals are living in a fantasy. We all at some point in our lives are guilty of this. This will bring us to failure. Be on top of your life. Put in the work and make sure that if you do make a spontaneous choice that it is instrumental in helping you to reach your goal. To want is human and to have is nurture. Go for what you want, do whatever it takes until you get it, and never give up trying. Plan, execute, and never look back. Be an unstoppable force, because you cannot stop the unstoppable.
Monday, September 12, 2011
"Fall back" Into the Routine
The summertime will always be our favorite distraction. The three months of warm weather, parties, and vacations are always welcomed. Life during this time changes and so do our habits. This is the time that we enjoy ourselves for all of our hard work during the colder months.
Now that the kids are finaly back in school we can all breathe a sigh of relief and we can concentrate on our regular routines. You're probably beginning to notice that your pants may be a little snug or the scale hasnt been speaking your language lately. Traumatic? Maybe.. Fixable? Piece of cake (or should I say rice cake). Our bodies go in and out of season and there are optimal times to plan your eating and exercise habits,
Chosing to take charge of your body right away is the best way to stop the ship from sinking and to prep yourself from the food filled holiday months to come. Don't forget, as it gets colder our bodies store at in order to keep up warm. So if your creeping up on the big boy pants, rest assure that if you don't work on it now, then your Hoiday gifts may be from the next rack up.
Just like we plan our finances or our days we should also plan our eating habits and our exercise. This should be as much of a priority as paying next months rent because it's very easy to keep up the bad summer habits. First, get rid of any left over summer goodies like the hot dogs packs in the freezer, the extra beer in the basement fridge, and the ice cream treats for those hot summer days. Once you've gotten that out of the way not it's time to plan your day. It's easier than people make it out to be. Put exercise where exercise fits best like putting work where it fits best or dropping the kids off at school. Every goal has a means and the success of that goal is determined by ur efficacy to reach that goal. If you can only work out at 5am guess what? You better set the coffee before you go to bed. You cannot take I-95 to Caifornia. If you try to squeeze working out in as an extra then it will not work. Live your program like it's brushing your teeth or taking a shower (if you dont do these regularly then what are you waiting for? lol).
All-Out Fitness understands this and that's why we plan our weight loss challenges at the three most important times of the year (New Years, Spring, September). It is our job as Fitness Specialists and Health Coaches to make sure that we prepare ourselves to assist you at the most important times the year. Some of you may never have thought about you bodies this way or know that it is time to clean our act and are just lazy about it. Our weight loss challenges have not only 100% success rate but yield some of ourl best results in a 5week time period. The ony thing that you can ask for now is for someone else to do it for you. We make the time, we give you the plan, and your will to compete does the rest.
If you really want to keep your body in check, and/or want to see changes that you never though that you could be successful with, then join our September "Back to You" Weight loss Challenge. Get back to you by going All-Out!
For more info please visit www.all-out fitness.com. You'll be glad that you did.
Now that the kids are finaly back in school we can all breathe a sigh of relief and we can concentrate on our regular routines. You're probably beginning to notice that your pants may be a little snug or the scale hasnt been speaking your language lately. Traumatic? Maybe.. Fixable? Piece of cake (or should I say rice cake). Our bodies go in and out of season and there are optimal times to plan your eating and exercise habits,
Chosing to take charge of your body right away is the best way to stop the ship from sinking and to prep yourself from the food filled holiday months to come. Don't forget, as it gets colder our bodies store at in order to keep up warm. So if your creeping up on the big boy pants, rest assure that if you don't work on it now, then your Hoiday gifts may be from the next rack up.
Just like we plan our finances or our days we should also plan our eating habits and our exercise. This should be as much of a priority as paying next months rent because it's very easy to keep up the bad summer habits. First, get rid of any left over summer goodies like the hot dogs packs in the freezer, the extra beer in the basement fridge, and the ice cream treats for those hot summer days. Once you've gotten that out of the way not it's time to plan your day. It's easier than people make it out to be. Put exercise where exercise fits best like putting work where it fits best or dropping the kids off at school. Every goal has a means and the success of that goal is determined by ur efficacy to reach that goal. If you can only work out at 5am guess what? You better set the coffee before you go to bed. You cannot take I-95 to Caifornia. If you try to squeeze working out in as an extra then it will not work. Live your program like it's brushing your teeth or taking a shower (if you dont do these regularly then what are you waiting for? lol).
All-Out Fitness understands this and that's why we plan our weight loss challenges at the three most important times of the year (New Years, Spring, September). It is our job as Fitness Specialists and Health Coaches to make sure that we prepare ourselves to assist you at the most important times the year. Some of you may never have thought about you bodies this way or know that it is time to clean our act and are just lazy about it. Our weight loss challenges have not only 100% success rate but yield some of ourl best results in a 5week time period. The ony thing that you can ask for now is for someone else to do it for you. We make the time, we give you the plan, and your will to compete does the rest.
If you really want to keep your body in check, and/or want to see changes that you never though that you could be successful with, then join our September "Back to You" Weight loss Challenge. Get back to you by going All-Out!
For more info please visit www.all-out fitness.com. You'll be glad that you did.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Truth on Fat Burning
We all have heard plenty of different opinions on optimizing fat loss. I will set the record straight with empirical evidence that will summarize the facts. Here are some findings of a study that was done at the University of New Mexico in regards to weight loss, weight management, and the amounts of exercises required for both.
-We need to have more than 150 minutes of exercise per week in order to maintain a strong and healthy body.
- We must exercise 225-420 minutes per week in order to see significant weight loss.
- After we lose weight, 275 mins of exercise per week is needed in order to keep the lost weight off.
- Resistance training increases muscle mass and will increase the amount of calories that our body burns at rest (resting metabolic rate/rmr) by 7-9%.
- Most people are sedentary for 70% of their days.
- There is a strong association between sitting and mortality. Even if you get your 1 hour of exercise per day, there still is an increased risk (not as high but still)of early death. Sitting results in dramatic drops in ldl cholesterol (bad cholesterol), however, it has been shown to elevate blood fat (triglycerides). Furthermore, it will inhibits hdl cholesterol levels (good cholesterol)which help to keep our arteries unclogged.
Exercise is not just about weight-loss, its about survival. Someone who is sedentary regardless of diet is at risk. Thankfully, we have scientific evidence that pinpoints exactly what we need in order to increase our chances of living longer and healthier lives. Our bodies will not get any better on their own. It is up to us to lead ourselves down the road of success. If you don't know the way, then contact a fitness professional like myself. I will help you to not only find the road, but also teach you how to walk on it forever. We cannot make excuses, only efforts. Begin by making the decision to improve your life.
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