May 29, 2017
Make Your Runs Shorter For Better Results
The weather is getting warmer and more than likely you and countless runners are going from the treadmill to the streets for cardio.
Now instead of going on that 40-minute to an hour jog/run, it might be better to cut that time by 2/3 and focus on your intensity. Forcing your body to go through a jogging gait motion with low intensity does not prepare the body to absorb the impact of foot strikes and does not position muscles like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes to fire off properly.
Lower back and hip injuries can be included on the list of lower extremity injuries if you do not fire off and activate your muscles properly during your run.
There are many benefits to prevent those scenarios from happening when you shift from those elongated jogs to short burst sprints. The effect of a few rounds of short burst sprints can lead to a higher heart rate, improved performance, & higher VO2 max intake levels. A 2009 15-week study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that participants who performed ten sets of ten seconds of all out spinning performed a lot better on endurance and power tests compared to the continuous aerobic group. Now to those who might think that you might injure yourself further performing sprints, think about this: you perform less strides which lowers the impact from your training session. That means if you have a muscular imbalance, you are less likely to enter that injury cycle from your running.
As you progress with your cardiovascular levels make sure you perform self-checks every few weeks to gauge your progress. Try to scale your runs based on difficulty, distance covered, and recovery time between sprints just to name a few. Add in a few body weight movements and dynamic stretching and you have an outdoor program that can accommodates your overall blueprint to a better, faster, stronger self.
Better your running results and strengthen your legs. Contact James today!
FITNESS TIP
Every time I want to amp up my leg workout I add in a low or medium tension mini loop band. That extra activation to my glutes and quads really makes my legs burn and feel muscles that I need to activate better.
HealthSmart Advantage
If you were in great shape, would you… spend more time hanging out with friends? Go dancing more often? Start wearing your favorite clothes again? Have the confidence to interview for a new job? Do more cool stuff with your kids? Think through this carefully and share your list with your trainer and/or a friend.
The Importance of Body Awareness
Speaking of which, I believe, body awareness is the single most important factor that a person needs to have, at the beginning of embarking on their fitness journey. Yes, as much as this may seem odd at first, it is essential that one learns, not just the exercise movements but how to move their body and understand the concept of basic movement first. And, here, I refer to body awareness in the sense that one is able to feel and visually put in perspective the physical position of their body, throughout all the stages in performing a single exercise movement.
the Romanian Deadlift in order to emphasise hamstrings and glutes. They can easily feel the difference of whether their back is straight vs. hunched in their starting deadlift position. So here comes the distinguishing difference between someone who has strong body awareness and one who doesn’t. If you are not so present in sensing of your physical state, you will often start thinking, mentally analyzing, whether you are in the proper physical form or think if you need to breath in or breath out, while doing an exercise. In contrast, if you are someone with sound physical presence, then you intuitively feel and sense the reality of the position of your body and it feels natural whether your body needs to breath in or out while moving. So the main difference is thinking vs. feeling.
BK Fitness Center is located on the ground floor of an office building, so the entrance was at the back of the lobby. However, it was easy to spot with the extra-large logo painted on the outside of the garage gate. The gym was the vision of trainer, Jreh Hurst. After years of honing his skills at the big box gyms and then as an independent trainer, Jreh sought to create an atmosphere that independent trainers, like him, would feel welcome and their clients would enjoy their experience, too. In my opinion, he made that happen.
After an exhaustive search in which he almost called for an intermission, Jreh was prodded by the real estate agent he was working with to look at one last space. That space became BK Fitness Center. Jreh moved his vision into a 3,000-square foot, open, u-shaped, ground floor spot. There is ample space to hold class, as well as have plenty of one-on-one training going on simultaneously. If you have ever been concerned about encroaching on another trainer-client training session, that will not be a problem here.
Jreh seems to have made some great decisions with regards to outfitting BKFC. He managed to create ample space for a push sled and ropes, plus other fun pieces on one side of the gym. A climbing wall is on the way, too. As you turn the corner, you will run into more of the heavy equipment. The racks, benches, cable machines and cardio machines well positioned to maintain ample space to move. You’ll also discover that Jreh is a super hero fan, as some of the barbell plates are emblazoned with the Captain America symbol –a personal touch he had to have. The area is also complete with a complement of dumbbells, TRX and a boxing area.
BK Fitness Center welcomes independent personal trainers looking to train clients one-on-one or small group training. As I said before, BKFC is built for trainers. All the creature comforts are there to create a pleasant experience for both trainers and clients. A trainer could easily plant business roots at BKFC and feel at home. There is space for your belongings, towels, bottled water and snacks for both and a place for trainers to sit in between training sessions.
Then it was off to Global Strongman Gym to say hello to owner Hans Pirman. Hans is very well known in the strongman community around the globe. I hadn’t seen him since he moved out of the former Global Strongman Gym space in Manhattan. After a brief hiatus between spaces, Hans has been in this new space for about a year now. And it didn’t take long for his strongman followers to find him. Given the additional square footage and his customer loyalty, I’d say it has been a positive move. After leaving, I wondered how the movers moved all those cement balls, kegs, tires, and other various pieces. I would have loved to see the looks on their faces. I didn’t get to ask him, but next time I will inquire. I am sure it is a fun story.
From there, it was about a 15-minute drive to the newest addition to the Brooklyn personal training community, BK Fitness Center. Started by personal trainer Jreh Hurst, BKFS was built for trainers. I was looking forward to meeting Jreh and hearing how he’d gotten to the point of opening his own gym. Going from being a personal trainer who uses other gyms to train clients to being the gym owner who welcomes others is always an interesting story. Jreh’s transition was certainly inspiring and he put that inspiration into the facility he built. BK Fitness Center is filled with the equipment trainers want and plenty of open space for when they don’t want any equipment at all.
My final stop for the day, Triomph Fitness, was about a seven-minute drive away. For the most part, parking had been pretty easy that day. Arriving at Triomph was the topper, though. The spot was open just left of the gym entrance, which was wide open to let the day’s sunshine in. I was quickly greeted by Jack Gordon, one of the owners at Triomph. Jack took me on a tour of the facility where I met his co-owner Lateef Oseni, who was working with a client. This is their second home, as they moved from across the street a short time ago. Space abounds at Triomph. Tastefully done, Jack and Lateef have filled it with the tools personal trainers needs for one-on-one training, as well as several TRX stations for some small group training. My favorite feature, personally, was the cushy flooring. Perfect for so many reasons.
