The Trainer gets some education...
One of the most important aspects of what I do is continuing education. Fitness changes, trends evolve, and science prevails once in a while. Sometimes, this is a matter of self study. Sometimes we learn from other professionals, watch countless hours of videos, spend a bit too much time looking at research, try out other gyms and formats, and take classes/CEUs. Sometimes, we simply have to implement things that we have been telling our clients to do for years. We know certain things are beneficial, but have some of the same excuses as regular folks. For me that is stretching and foam rolling and I have finally incorporated this almost daily. I have also spent a lot more time teaching this aspect than I ever have.
The science-based Sprint 8® cardio workout program has been proven to boost energy, reduce body fat, promote lean muscle mass and improve cholesterol in just eight weeks. Each 20-minute Sprint 8 workout contains only four minutes of high-intensity exercise per workout.
Recently, I was able to take two new certification classes. I took the first one a few months ago. It is called Sprint 8. This is a power and endurance treadmill workout that can be applied to many training principles. I use these principles in much of the functional training that I do with the AX Fitness program. I found the program very interesting and some of it refreshed my memory as we all need at times. Being a runner by nature, I immediately understood the benefits. I have been using this program for many of my clients at the YMCA and run a few classes that mirror the interval style training.
The second class I took just this past weekend. This is the USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach certification. I learned many things and was reminded of a few things as well. The snatch and clean & jerk and their associated movements are technical lifts that are full of benefits for any training program. These lifts have become very popular with the rise of CrossFit. With the increased interest in these lifts USA Weightlifting has exploded in the last five years. Weightlifting teams are popping up in high schools and colleges as well as your neighborhood gym. Women are more involved in weightlifting than ever before, and coaching children how to lift has become very popular.
My particular USAW class had 23 participants. Interestingly, more than half of them were women and 80 percent of those women were over the age of 40. I have limited mobility from both injury and chronic disease. I knew I would struggle a bit with the movements. Admittedly, I felt nervous and didn't want to look incompetent in a room full of fitness professionals. Trainers are an interesting breed. We are always teaching, coaching, directing, and giving advice, solicited or not. Put 23 of them in a room and everyone has extremely strong opinions and personalities!
It was a good experience and a wonderful source of information. I am much more willing to accept help and take advice than I was many years ago. I am glad I went through this for many reasons. I could clean and jerk much better than I could snatch. I believe it is because the clean and jerk is two movements. It is a more forgiving lift. Minor adjustments can be made. This is not so true of the snatch as it is a fluid motion and you either nail it or you don’t. I definitely didn’t nail it but I was able to instruct/coach it effectively.
Run day has been fun but as I move forward into my half marathon training, my mileage will increase. I invite you to meet and run on Sundays, especially those of you planning on running the Rugged Maniac and the Monster Dash. Help each other. Work together to accomplish your goals. Your are still welcome to meet at AX. We can all start together. You will need to work on some hills for that Rugged and there is a sweet one by Lake Hiawatha.
Friday time change. We have some folks that have requested that we push Friday’s to 6pm because of traffic. I had done an informal vote at class last week and most of you folks like the 5:30pm. However, I have had some folks who have not attended class lately ask about a later start time. In the interest of us having more participants, I would like to try to 6pm time for at least a few weeks. Unless, I get REALLY strong resistance let's begin this Friday, August 10. Thanks for your flexibility! Just remember this is a work in progress!
Here are some moments from last weeks classes:
