Fall in love with “The Grind”

January 5, 2009 • Uncategorized • by
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I had a good discussion with Chris, one of our early fat loss clients today about “The Grind.”

With the holidays firmly behind us, it’s normal to resent the fact that we now have to get back to reality!  Work, school, and other commitments all get in the way.  But is this really a bad thing?

The good thing about all this is routine.  Whether your goal is to get bigger, stronger, improve your sport-specific skills, etc., being in a routine is generally a good thing.  You’re more likely to follow your diet.  You’re more likely to get all your workouts in.

Quite simply, you’re more likely to do all the things that help you achieve your goal!

So even though we all resent the daily grind a bit, understand that the normalcy of routine will help you get to where you want to be!

Stay strong

MR

Sport-specific training

December 15, 2008 • Uncategorized • by
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I love the term “sport-specific.”  Not because it’s a hot buzz word, but because it’s so overused nowadays.  It seems as though if you aren’t talking about sport-specific programming, sport-specific exercises, etc., you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.

The key with sport-specificity, however, is the context within which you’re applying it.  Especially with younger athletes, the goal should be to have some sport-specificity to the programming (deceleration work for team sports, scap/rotator cuff stabilization for overhead athletes, etc.), but not a ridiculous amount.  After all, a 14 year-old athlete may be awesome at baseball, but his long-term potential is seriously compromised by letting him play the same sport year round.  Wouldn’t he learn more sports and motor skills by also playing basketball in the winter?  Or soccer in the fall?  The goal should be to develop a broad athletic base that can be built upon in the future.

Beyond the physical advantages to playing multiple sports, there are mental advantages as well.  Firstly, you learn to adapt to situations in which you are uncomfortable.  If you aren’t as great physically at soccer, you learn other ways to be competitive.  Maybe you get better technically or tactically in your sport.  The bottom line is you learn how to adapt.

Secondly, you don’t run the same risk of burnout.  How many great young athletes have you heard of that quit early because they were burned out?  I’m all for teaching our kids lessons like competition, teamwork, camraderie, etc., but we have to draw the line at some point and allow them to have fun.

Quite simply, sport-specificity is great, but it’s not the be-all, end-all of training.  At I-FAST, especially with our younger athletes, our goal is to build ATHLETES first and foremost.  The more athletic they are, the more potential they have to succeed in any sport in the future.

Stay strong

MR

I-FAST #2 – Fitness Coaching

November 12, 2008 • Uncategorized • by
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Let’s be honest – personal training and performance coaching isn’t cheap. Most people out there simply can’t afford to pay $80/hour (or more) multiple times per week to work with you.

So what’s an alternative that works as a win-win for everyone involved? Small group training. In fact, we’ll be offering almost all our training sessions in a small group format versus a one-on-one setting.

Small group training is superior in several regards:

- As mentioned above, not everyone can pay $80/session multiple times per week. However, a lot more people can pay $30-$40/session (Duh!). Quite simply, you open yourself up to a much larger market because you’re more affordable than the competition.

- A small group setting gives trainees a chance to work out with other clients who have similar goals. Whether you want to lose body fat, get stronger, or become more athletic, there’s nothing better than being surrounded by other motivated people.

- As a facility or trainer, it makes more sense because you can have more trainees working out at any given time. The one-on-one method leads to a lot of down time; chatting about last night’s TV shows or the latest gossip. Sure, as a trainer you’re going to work harder in a group model, but you’re much more efficient with your time in the gym. After all, who wants to work with a trainer at 7 pm when he’s been in the gym since 6 am?

The goal is to cater to two primary demographics: the everday Joe/Jane that’s interested in losing bodyfat or getting into better shape, and athletes who want to take their performance to the next level. When you think about it, the rules of training don’t change all that much between the two groups:

1 – Use compound, big bang exercises
2 – Eat a wholesome, nutritious diet
3 – Recover properly

Sure the programming will be different in certain areas, but most people need to train more “athletically” to get to their goals anyway!

The group training model is a defining difference between I-FAST and the competition. Remember our primary goal: To help YOU achieve your goals.

www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

Stay strong
MR

I-FAST #1 – Open Gym Memberships

November 10, 2008 • Uncategorized • by
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While this originally ran on my OTHER blog (RobertsonTrainingSystems.blogspot.com), I thought I’d transfer the material over here.  Let’s see if this works!

Over the course of the following days, I’m going to blog about the new gym that Bill Hartman and I are opening. I think it’s fair to say that opening a gym is a dream that both of us have had for quite some time, so in these blog posts I’m going to do my best to describe what will make Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (I-FAST) unique when compared to other fitness facilities.

In this blog we’ll discuss open gym memberships at the facility.

When you join your “typical” commerical facility, a few things will probably happen:

- You’ll sign some sort of contract
- You might get a brief tour of the facility
- You might get someone to “show you how to use the machines”
- If you’re really lucky, they may do some sort of fitness testing on you

Whether you think of it this way or not, you’re basically renting machines from your current gym. You will get little or no guidance. To boot, you’ll probably get little or not support.

You’re a cog in the wheel.

At I-FAST, our #1 goal is to ensure that our clients see results. After all, each and every person who trains at your gym is a walking billboard, whether you want to believe it or not. Our open gym membership will be vastly different from others in several regards.

First, EVERY PERSON who trains at our gym will be assessed to help determine their starting points and issues that need to be addressed. This could include body composition, joint specific mobility/stability testing, gross motor movements, etc. Obviously, it’s going to be very dependent upon your current level of training, your goals, etc. but everyone will be assessed.

Next, EVERY PERSON who trains at our gym will be on an individualized program to help them achieve their goals. You won’t see someone doing 30 sets of curls, bench presses, or front raises. After all, how many people in your current gym work hard enough to have success, but have terrible programming? Or programming that doesn’t fit their current goals? If you combine hard work with quality programming, good things happen.

Another common issue with most commercial facilities is a lack of the big bang equipment such as racks, platforms, plates, etc. Just to start out we’re going to have four platforms and three racks so you don’t have to deal with this madness. Beyond that, we’ll have tons of the other stuff you know you need – dumbbells, strongman equipment, etc.

Finally, our goal is to create a community within our members so that you’ll actually enjoy the people around you when you work out. A positive and supportive environment can taken even the most average trainee to amazing levels of strength and fitness, so we’ll include all kinds of events and outings to make sure that you “know thy neighbor.”

In the end, even our open gym memberships aren’t so much members as they are clients – people we’ve assessed, programmed for, and set on a path to success.

In Part II, we’ll discuss the various training programs that I-FAST has to offer.

Stay strong
MR

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