CoachMeFit Blog

TRX Suspension Training

By: Amber Tebeau, NASM CPT, Manager and Trainer CoachMeFit West Bloomfield

The TRX, Total Resistance Exercise, is the latest and greatest piece of fitness equipment on the market.  The TRX is a form of suspension training that utilizes body weight to increase total body strength, balance, flexibility, core stability, and performance, which will also increase calorie burn and weight loss.

The TRX was created by Randy Hetrick, the founder of Fitness Anywhere, the company behind the TRX.  Randy created the TRX while he was on the battle field serving as a Navy SEAL.  Randy recognized the importance of having a piece of exercise equipment that was light, easily portable, and functional.  The TRX is now used by all of the branches of the Armed Forces, the NCAA, Hollywood stars, and professional athletes.

The TRX is a valuable piece of fitness equipment because it is appropriate for all ages and all fitness levels.  Virtually any exercise can performed on the TRX and the best part is that any exercise can be made to be more difficult or easier just by simply taking a step or two. The TRX weighs less than 2 pounds and it can be set up anywhere, including a gym, a park, a hotel room or at home.

CoachMeFit  started working with the TRX in the spring of 2010, and I went to an official TRX training course in July of 2010.  Our studios are very excited about getting on board with TRX suspension training.   We have found the TRX to be very challenging and very practical for our clients to use.   Our clients were very excited when we started using the TRX and their excitement has continued the more they have worked with it.  I have several clients who regularly ask to use the TRX during their sessions.

The TRX is one of best and most versatile pieces of equipment that we have at CoachMeFit.  Every exercise on the TRX engages the entire core, for an incredible total body workout.  If you have goals that include toning muscle, core and totally body strength, increased athletic performance or increased flexibility, then the TRX should become an essential part of your workout routine.

By: Amber Tebeau, NASM CPT, Manager CoachMeFit West Bloomfield

Goals help us to define what we want to do, why we want to do it, and how we are going to accomplish it.  I find that I always work harder when I have a clear goal in mind.  Currently I am training for a 10k race at the end of August.  When I decided to run this race I decided that I needed to set a goal time.  Though I do not consider myself to be a very good runner, I decided that I wanted to push myself and set a goal of running 8 minute splits for my race.  This is a very high, but attainable goal for me.  In order to achieve this goal I decided that I needed to enact a plan.   Though I have run in races in the past, I have never followed a strict running plan; I just ran whenever I wanted for as long as I felt was needed. Recently, I did some research on the internet and found a plan that I liked.  I modified it slightly to fit my schedule and created a calendar of the 10 weeks that I would be training.  Everyday when it is time for my workout, I look at my calendar to see how I need to train that day.  It takes the guess work out of my workouts because I know exactly what I am supposed to do.  It also pushes me to complete my scheduled workout even when I do not feel like pushing myself.  Similar to most people, I have days when I do not want to run or work out.  However, by having a high goal that I want to attain along with a set running schedule I am motivated to stay the course and work towards my goal.

CoachMeFit uses the goal setting formula of SMART-R.  This stands for Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Reasonable, Timed and Reasons why.  Let’s look at all of these elements closely and how they shaped my race goal. 

S -Specific - Goals should be detailed and clearly defined.  I set a specific goal of running a 10k race in 8 minutes miles.

M-Measurable - Goals should be measurable in order to measure progress and to ensure there is a defined ending to the goal.  I have a training plan that lays out specific workouts to help me to reach my 8 mile split goal.  I will be able to measure my success on race day when I see my final time.

A - Action Oriented - Goals can only be attained if action is taken.  The training plan that I follow gives me daily actions to complete in order to reach my goal.

R - Reasonable - Goals must be reasonable in order to be obtained.  I ran a 5k in 2009 with less than 8 minute splits; this leads me to believe that if my body is capable of running 8 minute splits for 3.1 miles, then with proper training, my body will also be able to run the same pace for 6.2 miles.

T-Timed - Goals must have a deadline, because deadlines move us to action.  The race is August 21, 2010, which is ten weeks from when I started my training.

R - Reasons Why - This is probably the most important step in the goal setting process.  Your “reason why” is your motivation for achieving the goal.  The reason why I am running this race is to push myself to be a better runner and to run a race that I never thought I could run.  In the past I would tell myself that I was a poor runner and that I could not run a 10k or run it well.  I would like to prove myself wrong and accomplish my goal of running a 10k and running it well.

Take a moment to think of something you would like to accomplish in the next couple months.  Once you have a goal that you would like to accomplish, walk through the steps of SMART-R to come up with a well defined plan of how you will accomplish this goal.  With a little hard work and a specific plan your goals will soon become a reality.

Travis Kneale, NASM CPT

Few clients come to CoachMeFit looking to gain weight and build hypertrophy (large muscles).  However, I have noticed that as my clients ‘progress and reach their weight loss goals they start to create new goals, such as building more muscle.  When looking to gain lean body mass, your workouts are going to be slightly different then if you are going for maximum weight loss.  Some of the key factors that will change are the types of exercises, the number of repetitions, the intensity and the amount of rest time.

With clients looking for weight loss, trainers will generally do exercises that increase their heart rate.  Combination exercises are a great way to do this.  You may do a stability ball squat combined with a bicep curl to shoulder press.  Since multiple body parts are exerting force at the same time, your heart has to pump harder to get blood to all of the working muscles.  For my clients who are looking for maximal strength and mass gains, we focus more on muscle specific exercises.  The combination exercise of the stability ball squat + bicep curl to shoulder press could now be split into 3 different exercises; stability ball squat, bicep curls, and shoulder presses.  Doing these exercises individually allows you to focus on one muscle group at a time and allows you to lift heavier weights than if you were doing a combination exercise.

The number of repetitions is another factor that is going to change when going from a weight loss plan to a maximal strength routine.  When doing exercises for fat loss repetitions will usually be in a range from 12-20.  For maximal strength and muscle building repetitions will range from 6-12. 

Training intensity can be defined as an individual’s level of effort compared with their maximum effort. With that being said, you are going to train at a higher intensity level when you are training for strength and lean mass gains as compared to when you are training for weight loss.  Weight loss intensity is normally around 60-75% of your maximal effort, where as intensity levels for lean mass gain and maximal strength will be around 75-85%.

 A common misconception is that rest is for the weak.  When training at a higher intensity, rest becomes very important.  As I mentioned earlier, for fat loss you want to get your heart rate up.  Rest times are shorter when training for weight loss because you do not want to let your heart rate decrease; weight loss training rest times can be anywhere from 0-60 seconds.  However, rest times for hypertrophy are longer, usually 1-3minutes.  This is because the longer rest periods allow your adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate (which is your energy supply for your muscles) levels to have more time to replenish.  Inadequate rest intervals can decrease performance and could lead to excessive muscle compensation and even injury.

Hypertrophy is a great fitness goal; however the training process is specific and intense. The tips listed above are very important and beneficial in reaching this goal.  If you follow the guidelines of muscle specific exercises, increased training intensity, lower repetitions and adequate rest periods, you will quickly begin to see changes in your body and an increase in lean muscle mass.

Paul and Renae are clients of ours here at CoachMeFit in East Grand Rapids, and as often as possible, they train together. They also run and bike several times a week, together. Paul and Renae view this recreation together as an important aspect of what makes their marriage and relationship work.

Paul and Renae are also a terrific example of what it means for your health to have an accountability partner. When thier workouts are hard and exhausting, they are yelling and encouraging one another. When they complete difficult exercises, they give each other high fives. I truly believe that together, they are are achieving greater success than they would individually.

Can you relate to Paul and Renae? Have you found that on your own there are way to many excuses to not work out or to not really push yourself? When you have no one to hold you accountable to workout times and to push you to a new level of intensity, are you more likely to not show up or to slack off?

I would encourage everyone to set up your own system of accountability. Do you need a personal trainer to guide you, encourage you, and push you? Call a CoachMeFit trainer! Do you have friends that workout? Plan ahead and set up a schedule and hold each other to it. Maybe you and your spouse need to completely change your lifestyle and start working out and eating better. Set goals, encourage each other, and make it happen.

Whatever accountability means to you, I encourage you to set your goals, and find someone who will challenge you to meet them. You will find greater motivation and drive, and you will undoubtedly have a greater chance at success.

Have a healthy and successful day!

I don’t want to seem like I am ripping on my own profession here, but why do most people only experience benefits from working out when they work with a personal trainer? Why do I personally get better results when I work out with a partner? Why is it that when we are responsible for challenging ourselves, we usually will stop when things get really hard?

I think it is an innate human trait that we have a perceived level of exertion or pain that we think we are capable of being able to handle. This leads me to ask, what is fatigue? Where does it come from? Is fatigue something that is actually physiologically happening making us unable to lift one more rep, or not run that little bit faster? Or is fatigue a psychological stopping point that most of us impose on ourselves?

As I wrestle with this question and it’s implications to not only my training, but my life, I have instituted a new philosophy with my weight training, that I am trying to find news ways in my everyday life to apply it to. When I do a set of 10 reps and my legs are shot and burned out, I try to flip the mental switch and do 11 reps. When I am mentally tired and think I need to relax on the couch and bills or mowing the yard can wait, I realize it, flip the switch, and go to work.

It’s been a long standing philosophy of mine that most people, myself included, have absolutely no idea what we are capable of. Physically, Mentally, Financially, Spiritually. What areas of your life can you do 1 more rep with? Are you placing self imposed limitations on what you are truly capable of? Try it in your training, often the mind will learn things through the body. Make it a habit next week to push one rep past what you thought you could do. And let me know if situations arise in your everyday life where you flipped the switch and decided to ignore the voice telling you to stop, and you did another rep.

A few posts ago we talked about how in our East Grand Rapids studio, we were doing lots of functional training with a client. We did treadmill hill climbs with his backpack on in order to get him ready for a hiking trip. Well, he is now on that hiking trip, and in his absence I thought I would offer a few ideas on how the rest of us can incorporate more functional training into our everyday workout routine.

When you isolate body parts, as you sometimes do with traditional strength training, you end up training your muscles but not your movements. One way to change that is to look for ways to make your strength exercises more functional:

• Incorporate free weights: Machines have a place in strength training, but they offer so much support that the body doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain balance and good form. In real life, we don’t have that kind of support. Using dumbbells, bands or cables forces your body to create it’s own support, which leads to a stronger body overall.
• Use a stability ball: Doing some exercises on a ball, such as chest presses or pushups involves more stabilizers, the muscles that work to protect joints and maintain alignment.
• Combine movements: We usually do a combination of motions throughout the day. We lunge forward to open a door and then rotate while stepping through. Combining strength exercises together, like lunging forward with a reach or squatting with an overhead press can mimic this dynamic way of moving.
• Try unilateral exercises: Doing one-legged squats or using one arm at a time for moves like flies or chest presses forces your core to engage as well as your stabilizers, making these moves more functional and challenging.

Just a few ideas on how you can make your training more effective and funtional for everyday life.

Greetings all of you runners. Congratulations on making it this far in your training. The hard and heavy miles are setting in and it’s now time to really take care of your body. Remember here, it’s not when you are running that your are getting stronger, it’s when you are recovering! What I mean is, make sure you are enjoying your cross-training and rest days. At this point we all need to take care of our bodies as the workload is reaching it’s high point and the rest from that is of utmost importance. Are you remembering to take in enough water? Are you spending an extra 10 minutes after every run to stretch? One more tip is to make sure that you are getting high quality nutrients back into your system within 45 minutes of finishing your runs. Your body will need them to recover from the past run and prepare and store energy for your upcoming run. Train hard, listen to what your body is telling you, and have fun. Let me repeat the key concept for this week. “It’s not when your running that your body is getting stronger, it’s when your recovering.”

Here is also a quick update from Mike our runner.

Week of 4/20 running summary – Mike Ritsema:
 
Monday               5 miles in 39 minutes
Tuesday               5 miles in 40 minutes @ 142 bpm & 500 calories
Wednesday        Rest
Thursday             9 miles in 79 minutes @ 136 bpm avg. & 868 calories
Friday                   Rest
Saturday              Rest
Sunday                 9 miles in 80 minutes @ 137 bpm avg. & 952 calories
 
Notes & thoughts:
It was a busy week with a wedding and graduation commitment as well as business travel.
                Therefore, the schedule changed a little.  I felt pretty good on the 9 mile runs.  I am concerned about a 15 mile run though.

Hello again everybody. It has been two weeks since we updated you on what our ginea pig Mike has been up to. So here is his latest. Mike seems to have followed the last blog entry and bought himself a new pair of shoes. Can you relate? Have you guys upped your water intake and stretching and core work? Keep at it, it will pay off. Stay focused on the prize, enjoy the nice spring weather, and continue becoming the runner, and person, you know you can be.

Week of 4/6 running summary – Mike Ritsema:
 
Monday               Rest
Tuesday               4 miles in 27 minutes @ 152 bpm
Wednesday        4.5 miles in 40 minutes at 135 bpm
Thursday             Rest
Friday                   7 miles in 56 minutes at 132 - 162 bpm & 565 cal.
Saturday              7 miles in 60 minutes at 141 – 143 bpm
Sunday                 Rest
 
Notes & thoughts:
I actually felt better on Saturday for the 7 miles than on Friday!
I do feel like I lack the energy at times.   Not so much the cardio, but just plain energy to burn.
I’m interested in better understanding this energy burn thing.
 
 
Week of 4/13 running summary – Mike Ritsema:
 
Monday               5 miles in 37 ½ minutes & 505 calories
Tuesday               Rest - busy
Wednesday        5 miles
Thursday             Rest
Friday                   8 miles in 67 minutes at 133 - 143 bpm & 828 cal.
Saturday              8 miles in 65 minutes at 143 – 143 bpm & 800 cal.
Sunday                 Rest
 
Notes & thoughts:
8 miles is a long haul alone.  My brother, Randy, helped me along for 5 miles on Saturday.  That helped.
These long runs are work, but building confidence.   I’m developing a nasty blister on the arch of my right foot.
I’m concerned.  I also am amazed by how my heart settle in at about 135 bpm in the middle of a long run. 
I also bought my annual - traditional new pair of shoes today.  That’ll help I’m sure.  I am paranoid about a pair of 9’s this weekend.
 
Michael Ritsema
i3 Business Solutions, llc
accelerating business results

The CoachMeFit Corporation has a plethora of University of Michigan alumni on its team including Birmingham studio owner Derek DiGiovanni, West Bloomfield owner Catherine Munaco, VP of Development Brad McFarlane, and CoachMeFit President Lindsay Bogdasarian.

The U of M Alumni Association recently interviewed Lindsay about how a Personal Trainer can change your life.  Click the link below to hear the interview.

University of Michigan Alumni Association Podcast - Lindsay Bogdasarian

Hello everyone. I trust this entry finds you enjoying your training and working hard towards your goals. The picture will make sense at the end of the entry, so read on. For this entry I would like to address everyone who would consider themselves a beginner when it comes to following a running routine, or just to running in general. Being three weeks into this program I am sure you have it figured out how to structure your life around the program and also how your body is reacting to the training. Stay motivated at this point as it is now that your body is really making changes and producing visible results when it comes to your training. This can be a tough point in anyones training program as the excitement of starting has worn down and the realization of what lies ahead is in sight.  Due to this mental “road block” I thought I would put out a few suggestions, tips, and things to consider, just to keep you on track and getting maximal results from you efforts.

#1-WATER= We have all heard that the human body is somewhere between 60-70% water, and it’s true, and thats very important for your health. Just a simple 5% reduction in your bodies hydration status will result in a 20% decrease in it’s performance. That includes your performance in running, walking, thinking, recovering. When it comes to to doing a running/walking program such as this, it is absolutely essential that you are drinking enough water. Water helps your body flush out the bad, and circulate the good. It helps your body perform better, recover better, and flush out fat better. I could go on and on here, but what I am saying people is…DRINK MORE WATER!

#2-Shoes= If you did not buy a new pair of shoes in order to undertake this program, or very recently before it, I would suggest visiting your local running store and getting properly fitted for a running shoe that is specific to your needs. All of this training can take a strain on the body, and all of that stress and pounding that happens in running, starts with your feet. It is actually well proven that worn out shoes cause all types of running injuries. Shin splints, knee pain, muscle pulls, tightness, hip pain, can all sometimes be traced back to improper and worn out shoes. It would be a small investment that can pay huge dividends. I would hate to have any of you work so hard in your training only to come up injured before the race.

#3-Core Work= When it comes to running and walking, there is no debating the importance of having a strong core. Yes people, there is no substitute here for consistency and “crunches”. Elite runners have been proven to improve their running performance by 5% just by adding in consistent core workouts. I would suggest adding in 5-10 minutes of core work 3-4 days a week following your scheduled run/walk/or workout.

Follow those three suggestions and it will help you perform better, avoid injury, and enjoy your training. Have a great weekend everyone. Here is a funny qoute to finish off, this is what the rest of the world thinks about us runners.

“If morning runners knew how inticing they looked to morning drivers, they would stay home and do crunches”