Look who's back!

A birthday and some visitors!

Tisser stopped by this afternoon, clearly in the Christmas spirit!

The birthday girl!!



Justin and Allison, from Atlanta also joined us this afternoon!
Tomorrow is the much anticipated and/or dreaded 12 Days of Christmas workout! It is long and has many awkward movements, but it is always fun and you find yourself singing..."and a partri-idge in pear tree" when you are doing the rope jumps.

After the last workout tomorrow evening we are having a little cocktail hour, very informal, bring a snack and what you like to drink if it's not wine or beer (I always have those on hand).

If you can't make it for the workout tomorrow, Matt will have the gym open on Saturday from 8-11 AM, which is probably when I'm going to be doing it!

A reminder that gym hours are unaffected by the holidays this year. Normal gym hours all next week! Earn that eggnog!!!

Tuesday's random pictures and thoughts

This is for you, Toast. Foot awareness.
A couple of interesting food and dieting articles here and here , the latter has some foul language, so if you're not into that don't clicky. You have to request to download it but it's free. It has solid dietary advice in my opinion is on the humorous side!
I say it is time to give big Agriculture and their evil government buddies two middle fingers, decide to budget a bit more for food and support your local farmer as much as you can. You will feel better and your body will thank you.
About your back:
All of us need to strengthen our backs. Too many of us spend way to much time in the front. Too many pushes, too many hours hunched over a desk and computer screen. It is easy to focus on the front, that is what we see in the mirror. Strengthening the back will result in better posture, less back pain, and better performance in the squat, presses, and dead lift.
I've added a little back training to our daily routine. It will only take a few minutes and I'm positive you will be pleased with the results!

Just a few highlights

Zoe really tries to keep it fun around here.

10 push ups. Sue, you are just amazing!

Zoe, getting schooled.

Working to get those elbows up and back tight!

Casey just squats beautifully.

Nice PR Matt!

Unassisted ring dips. No joke Peter!

This may be more than you ever wanted to know about the bench press but I found it interesting!

I like kettlebell circuts for conditioning

There is something about the awkwardness of a kettlebell that seems to hit muscle groups in a way that other tools do not.

Throw in some pull ups, and a couple of squat thrusts and you have 15 minutes of win!

Some very nice lifting this week!



275! Yeah baby!

345! Yes!

They really help with recovery between sets!

Tim approves and is very proud of all of you.

Link love: pull ups for chicks, deadlift

2 weeks til Christmas! Sunday musings.

If you are on FB, "like" this page. Every day they post an interesting article on fitness.

If you like to cook, make sure this blog is on your favorites! The recipes are fantastic, the writing is clever, and the pictures are gorgeous!

I think that eating should be a pleasurable experience, a celebration, rather than a mindless shove food down your piehole. Consider the concept of regret:

When I look back on my almost 50 years, I do not regret any time I spent exercising, and I do not regret any time I spent preparing and consuming delicious and nutritious food. Cooking and baking is almost an artistic outlet for me. I turned on my oven at 9:45 this morning and I just turned it off. My family enjoyed the wonderful aromas all day. And all of my Holiday baking is done!
I do regret every ho-ho, frozen pizza and McMeal I've eaten. Those were a waste of my time. I regret all the mindless snacking on stuff that didn't even taste good.
We are all busy, but you will never regret the time you spent preparing and eating well balanced and artfully prepared meals. And going back to what I posted the other day, even if you consume a few too many calories, and you are a little overweight, if you eat nutritious food and move your body, you will be healthy.

These http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/11/dijon-braised-brussels-sprouts/ were awesome!

It is so simple. Another rant.

I started thinking about this subject this morning when Vicky was talking about her concern for the health of a friend who doesn't eat right or exercise. Later, I had a conversation with another friend along the same lines.

Think of all the people you know; fat, skinny, tall or short, any age. I'll bet you that the healthy ones, irregardless of size, are the ones who eat wholesome foods,  get a decent amount of physical activity, and sleep on a semi-regular schedule. Am I right?

Our bodies were created/evolved to move. To hunt, gather, pick up heavy things, drag heavy things, walk long distances and run short distances really fast. Our bodies need food in it's whole state in order to get the nutrition needed to function properly and resist disease and decay. Food, in it's natural state has the macro nutrients, vitamins and minerals we need, in a form that our bodies can use.

I've never been a big fan of diets that eliminate entire food groups, so I'm not going to go all "paleo" on you, but I am a huge proponent of eating food that is as close to its natural state as possible. Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh unprocessed meat, eggs, dairy, whole grains. If you eat as much of this stuff as you should, you won't have room for the junk.

And since it's the holidays I have to add this. Eating some delicious holiday food at 2 or 3 parties is not going to make you unhealthy if you follow the 90% rule. Make healthy eating a habit (90% of the time) and you won't even need to worry about those 10% days.

Since our bodies were made to move, our muscles, bones and connective tissue will not stay strong and function properly if we don't exercise. Our hearts and lungs won't stay strong and healthy unless we get our heart rate up and breathe hard. The human body is amazing in its ability to adapt to the demands we ask of it. If it is only asked to sit in front of the TV that is all it will be capable of, but if you ask it to lift a 40# bag of dog food, it will build the necessary muscle fiber and neurological connections to do so.

I train people, and I have some really nice tools for building strength like the barbell, but if all you've got is a 40# bag of dog food, pick it up, set it down, pick it up again, carry it a few yards. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Every day, sweat a little, breathe hard, and pick up something heavy.

Gadzillions of money is spent every year trying to study and solve all kinds of health problems.

The answer is simple, staring us in the face, and doesn't cost anything.

Eat right. Move your body. Simply doing that would solve 90% of the health issues we have and make us better able to cope with those it doesn't solve.

Rant over.

Play

What a sweaty bunch!

We had a great time on Friday afternoon with some very nice out of town visitors!  Workouts don't have to always be serious!

My intention

When I set out on this journey to open a gym it was never my intention to grow a big business or make loads of money. I had discovered that life was better when I was stronger and I wanted to share it, and I wanted, and continue to want to learn more. I've been doing this for 5 years now and I have had the pleasure of sharing with a lot of people, and learning a lot.

I've made mistakes, I'm still learning, and I've also coached quite a few people to a healthier, stronger lifestyle.
I've learned to start people slowly, to fix one thing at a time, and to constantly and consistently work on strength and correct movement patterns.
I've seen over and over again that consistency is king in terms of progress. It reigns over raw strength, programming, coordination, coachability, talent, fate and the sun and the moon and the stars. Consistency isn't "sexy" or exciting, it is day to day drudgery, doing the same thing, developing a habit, and it takes grit and determination. It is also very simple, and it is absolutely key to success.

When a member leaves us to move, or because life circumstances change, but still continues to train, my intentions are realized and it makes me joyful.

Speaking of circumstances, I must change the arrangements for the "Holiday workout". I have a learning opportunity in Philadelphia that weekend as well as wanting to spend some more time with my parents before they head south for the winter. So instead of the 18th, we will be doing the Holiday workout on Friday Dec. 23rd and Saturday Dec. 24 during regular gym hours. We will be having cocktails after the last workout on Friday! There is also a rumor that Andrew Tisser might be around that weekend!

Because Christmas and New Years are on Sundays this year, gym hours will be normal throughout the holiday weeks. Matt is going to be staffing the gym on Saturdays, although I might be seen around, maybe lifting some heavy things and putting them down.

Edit

Matt will be here 5 PM-8 PM on Friday, not 4-7. He has to work.

Welcome back Dory! And yoga!

So nice to have Karen S. back! The circumstances of her life kept her away from the gym for awhile, but she's back on track, and didn't seem to have too much trouble with this 40# stone!

Reminder about Thanksgiving hours: The gym will be closed Thursday and Friday morning. Matt will have the gym open 4-7 PM on Friday and 8-11 AM on Saturday. He has some fun and exciting workouts planned, so please stop by! Back to the regular schedule on Monday!

Karen Ferner is offering a yoga class on Tuesday nights right here in the barn at 7 PM. I have taken this class and loved it! Yoga is the perfect compliment to what we do here. My back never felt better than when I was doing this once a week, and my performance on the lifts was better as well. $54 for 6 classes is a bargain!!

Consistency, It seems like magic, but it is really just hard work over time

Casey is here lifting and doing conditioning workouts 4-5 days a week. Since he got off the AT (Appalachin Trail) in August he has managed to pack on 10-15# of lean mass and gotten all of his lifts back up to pre-AT levels. Why? Because he gets here for workouts consistently, and he is mindful of what he eats. It is a little bit like magic. All you have to do is a few things every day, and over time great things happen. Casey doesn't log hours of running, he doesn't do 2 or 3 workouts a day, he lives the normal life of a 20-something year old guy. He has friends, he works and he goes to parties and such. But he lifts consistently and 80-90% of the time he eats right. He pulled 315# today and in 6 months he'll be pulling over 400# and added a few more pounds of lean mass. Consistency. Great days, good days, and bad days happen. It's what happens over time that matters. Success is not a straight line. It is a squiggly one, with lots of ups and downs, successes and failures. The magic is in the consistency.

Philosophicals

What bothers me way more than the wrinkles and thinning skin, the aches and pains, and all of the weird body ailments that accompanies this menopausal state is the decreased patience I seem to have. Things that 10 years ago just rolled off my back, irritate the crap out of me now.

My husband or my son, arriving unexpectedly when I'm cleaning the kitchen drives me crazy! Today I handled it better, at least that's what they said. I told them that the kitchen really wasn't in a state for them to prepare lunch and suggested they get lunch at Wegmans and do the shopping while they were there. I didn't have to do the shopping, more kitchen cleaning got done, and the boys had some bonding time at Wegmans. I think that is what they call win-win!

If only I could be that creative in every situation!

Since this week is the Thanksgiving holiday, I am going to try really hard to have a grateful heart. I am so blessed. I have 3 gorgeous and fascinating children. I have parents who are better than the Cleavers. I have an awesome sister and brother. I have a handsome husband who works hard and loves me. I have friends and family and aquaintences who enrich my life. I have the best gym on the planet (ok maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's pretty cool!). I am strong and healthy. My family is strong and healthy. I have a comfortable home. I can afford nutritious food. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Minor annoyances be damned! I'm going to have a grateful week!

Good luck to our hunters! Get some of those car destroying vermit off the road!

Schedule: Normal 8-10 AM and 4-7 PM Monday - Wednesday. Closed Thursday. Friday 4-7 and Saturday 8-11 with Matt!

Look at the size of Zoe's tongue! How does she even keep that in her mouth?? No wonder she is always kissing everybody! She does help for recovery between bench sets though!

3 DL PR's this afternoon! Was it the snow? And I didn't get a picture, but "legs" Linder did a 6 rep set at 280! Congratulations Karen! You get to rep out 285 next week!

“In Romania, I train on a bar that is bent. My gym has bad lighting and very little heat in the winters. Here in America, you have everything you need to train. It’s not in the bar or the gym or the platform… it’s in you.” ~Nicu Vlad

Sue again

Sue is one of the more "mature" members of our little club, although Dad still tops the "old guys" list.

Sue will try anything! She works hard and listens to her body when it tells her to stop. I am so pleased with what she is accomplishing!

You all know I got out-benched by a 75 year old woman (who was absolutely charming by the way, and didn't start training until she was 71) at my last meet, so I KNOW it is never to late to start training!

If you come here, and work as hard as Sue, you will get stronger.

Sore in new places

Sue's favorite! Burpees!

For the last about a year I have pretty much been training the squat, deadlift and bench. Yes, I do some chin ups, some front or overhead squats, some presses, and the occasional KB, running jumping, dragging thing. I've even done some weighted carries, and certainly a lot of rowing, but my training has been pretty vanilla. I've had some hard workouts, but I rarely experience severe delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) because I haven't really varied my movements much.

I met a new friend this weekend and he invited me to carry one of his rocks about 40-50 ft. This rock was awkward, and he said it weighed 120#. I also did a few other weighted carries that day, such as 80# bags of concrete, and I spent what seemed like an eternity trying to lift and flip over a very big log. This rock bruised my forearms and sternum and I had to hold it so tight I could hardly breath. The last 15 ft. my legs were shaking.

About 24 hours later....

I am sore in places I didn't even know I had. Wow! Of course because I'm crazy like that, I immediately went looking for some big awkward rocks in the back yard (we have lots of them).

Be very afraid when you walk into the barn and see a bunch of rocks sitting on the bench next to the kettle bells ;)

Although I have never run across a clear, concise scientific explanation of DOMS, we all know it happens! It usually happens when you do either a max effort, or a lot of reps of a movement or you do a movement that you are not used to. If you haven't done a lunge in 6 months, 30 or 40 of those are going to give you a sore bottom! Stretching, adequate hydration, nutrition and sleep do seem to minimize it's effects. Unless it is severe, DOMS is not a reason to skip a workout. Often you will feel better after the workout. If it is severe, ie. you have trouble brushing your teeth, take a day or two off, stretch a lot, get extra sleep, get plenty of fluids and take some hot baths.

Stronger is better

Most of us here at the barn aren't too terribly worried about being beat up, but this is still a great motivational article!

There are definite benefits to being strong. I had a conversation with Mary Barber and Gina Nicolosi on Friday about whether or not we were strong or just lazy for picking up 15 bags of groceries out of our carts at Wegmans so we didn't have to walk the cart back. I prefer to think of it as efficiency with time management. Lazy or not, being strong gives you the choice! Most people can't walk 100# of groceries 150 ft. to their car.

I took a CPR class today. How much more helpful am I to someone in distress if I have the strength and energy to continue CPR longer than the average person because I have trained to keep my muscles strong and done sprints, and rows, and agonizing conditioning workouts to enhance my endurance.

Most of us train to look better, let us be honest, but a very nice side effect, is that we are ever so much more useful human beings to our family, friends and community. And that is just awesome.

It was a productive Thursday

You show up, you lift, you get stronger.

This and that

A great blog by Dan John. I know I have recommended his book, "Never Let Go" to some of you. He always has great training information and seems like a really solid guy.

Just a reminder that I will be out of town for Thanksgiving. Matt will have the gym open regular hours on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Mark your calendars for the "12 Days of Christmas workout and Potluck Supper" on Sunday, December 18! Bring family and friends! They don't have to do the workout!

JP and I are looking at late Jan/early Feb for our get together with Dansville Fitness club, which will of course involve some crazy fun and working out!

I have seen some true effort in the barn the last few weeks! You guys rock!

November 8

And look at the temperature! Loved, loved the weather today!

Now just some really cool pictures from this morning:

Fantastic weather

What a beautiful day, and several more in the forcast!

I was very pleased with the efforts today! Nice progress on cleans and some solid lifting!

I was feeling really good about my squat workout this morning until I watched some video of the European World's Weightlifting this afternoon and saw some very tiny women clean and jerk more weight than I can even dead lift! Very humbling, impressive and inspiring.

Then I thought:

I will probably not be a world champion. I'm ok with that. I lift consistently. I'm making progress. I'm better than I was before. I'm going to keep lifting. I'm going to encourage everyone I know to lift. It is very nice to be strong.

Celebrate every little PR. Don't let the bad days get you down. Keep lifting.