October 2014 – Infinity Fitness AZ

We’ve all seen them: the guy who looks like the Incredible Hulk yet can’t lift a thing, or on the contrary, a guy that looks like a complete slob but can lift a house. Or what about the guy that looks great, but can’t walk up a flight of stairs without needing CPR at the top? No matter what your age or gender, I recommend training like an athlete.

How do you train like an athlete?

1. Join us at Infinity Fitness.

2. Increase your work capacity (work capacity= the ability to repeat high QUALITY effort).

The higher your work capacity then the more prepared for training you are; the more prepared you are the more work you can do; the more work you can do the more gains you can achieve. (Gains can mean very different things! For women look at it as *leans* ). To achieve this, shorten your rest times between sets, run stairs (hint,hint), throw cardio into the middle of a workout, do some ploy metrics. It’s not 1982 Golds Gym thinking is 2014 Infinity thinking to keep the heart rate up and continuously move throughout the workout. Maximize your time in the gym to maximize your feeling outside of it.

3. Create or find variety in your workouts.

Find a gym that is not typical. Switch things up daily, don’t get stuck in a rut and move your body in every direction with resistance daily. Your mind and body wants to be pushed and needs to be pushed to create a healthier lifestyle. As they say variety is the spice of life, so spice that thing up!!!

4. Enjoy and embrace the push this type of training gives you.

Have fun. Working out has the word “work” which most people despise. But…..and a big one, it’s not work if you love it. As crazy as this sounds, it really is fun to…

Leave a pool of sweat
Stumble out of the gym after leg day
Have to catch your breath during a workout
Want to quit but continue
REALLY want to quit but give it just that little bit you have left
Hi-five someone that just killed their workout
Be the one who got the hi-five
Feel better about yourself

Mike Sheahan, CPT, PES

We all learned in Elementary school the method of creating “S.M.A.R.T.” goals, but may have forgotten this method as an adult. This is a perfect way to create a really good fitness goal! Put your goal somewhere for you to see every day as a reminder, post your goal on Social Media, tell everyone about your goals and ask them to hold you accountable! You’ll have a much better chance at accomplishing your goal if you don’t hide it to yourself.

Specific– Instead of creating a general goal, such as “I want to be in the best shape of my life”, make it as specific as possible. Your goal should answer the following “W” questions:

Who: Who is involved?
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Where: Identify a location.
When: Establish a time frame.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Measurable– You should be able to measure progress toward your goal. Don’t just step on the scale and use that as your only criteria; take body measurements with a tape measure, and also have your body fat taken. Re-assess every 3-4 weeks with these more specific measurements so you can see your progress. This will help keep you on track, stay motivated, and also will give you a sense of accomplishment to keep pushing you toward the end result.

Attainable– Make your goal something that you’re passionate about. This is YOUR goal, not someone else’s, so it has to have significant meaning to you. Believe it or not, if you set your heart on a goal, you will become emotionally attached to it and find a way (no matter how hard it is!) to achieve your goal. If you try to attain a goal that someone else has given you, you’re less likely to stick to it. Your list of goals, endeavors and desires will shape your self-image; you will develop characteristics and personality that will allow you to achieve these goals if you’re passionate about them.

Realistic– Your goal must be something that you are willing and able to work toward. No goal is too high, but if it’s so far out of reach you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. However, on the flip side of things, if you set a goal too low you will more than likely have an apathetic attitude if you don’t achieve it. You need to set yourself a goal that you can measure your progress along the way and still see the end result.

Timely– Give your goal a time stamp. Create a sense of urgency, create “deadlines” just as you would at work! Your goal will be realistic if you don’t just say “someday I will be in the best shape of my life.” Create a plan to dedicate yourself to your goals. You can start with a short term goal, for example you want to lose 8 pounds this month, lose 30 pounds by the New Year, while your long term goal is to lose 100 pounds this year.

T can also mean Tangible. When your goal is tangible, your goal is more likely to be specific, measureable, and thus attainable!

Goal setting can be overwhelming when you have so many you want to achieve. Write everything down that you want to accomplish, break them down into smaller goals, create a game plan for each one and this will make the light at the end of the tunnel a lot closer. And when you start to think about giving up on your goals, always remember why you started!

Heather Weber, NASM CPT, CES

Recovery is one of the most important aspects of exercise. Everything from how much you sleep to what you eat needs to be taken into consideration. Consuming protein after your workout is among one of the most important. So many people participate in high intensity exercise and then don’t consume post workout protein.

After exercise, your muscles are fatigued and depleted of its natural energy stores. Your muscles are broken down and need to be built back up again. The soreness you feel the day or two after exercise is due to small tears in the muscles fibers. These tears come from extensively working that muscle during your workout. These tears are also what allow your muscles to grow larger and stronger for your next workout. Your muscles contain protein, so in order for your body to repair these tears, you need to ingest protein. This is why post workout protein is so important to consume.

The reason you want to consume your protein post workout is so that it gets into your system as fast as possible. Studies show that the best time to consume post workout protein is within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. The max time to wait is 2 hours post workout. This is because your body’s metabolism speeds up both during and post workout. Within 2 hours is when the metabolic rate is at its fastest. This increase in metabolic rate can remain for up to 24 hours depending on the type of exercise. You want to take advantage of your increased metabolic rate when it comes to ingesting protein. The reason you want to consume your post workout protein as soon as possible is because your body does not efficiently digest protein. A major portion of your protein intake never leaves your digestive system.

The recommendation for protein intake for someone who participates in high intensity exercise is the same recommendation for athletes. These groups should consume at least 1.5 times their weight in kilograms, in grams of protein. For example, there are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram, so a 200-pound man is 91 kg, so he should consume at least 137 grams of protein per day. That is the bare minimum protein requirement for that man, so a little more wouldn’t hurt.

Consuming post workout protein will not only help cut down on that soreness after a workout, but it will also help you recover faster. Whether you have a protein bar or a protein shake of some kind, be sure to bring it with you so you can drink it on the way home from your workout!

Tony Milano, CPT

or the almost 20 years we’ve been married, Matt (you know him as “Waterbreak”) and I have always been physically active. But, for too many boring and tedious years, we were part of the big-box, gym population. You could find us walking around aimlessly, among the rusty, dirty metal machines. Picking up some weights, taking some group classes, but with no concrete fitness goals or intentions. Frankly, we just wanted to look good and feel good, but didn’t have one iota of how to get there!!

About 4 years ago, I discovered Chase & Heather through a close friend. Right away, I completed a Fitness Challenge, lost 14 pounds and was hooked! In the meantime, Waterbreak was still wandering the dreary, health club hallways. After convincing him that this wasn’t “Jazzercise,” he took the plunge and signed up! Shortly after, he said goodbye to a whopping 30 pounds!

Fast forward to the opening of Infinity Fitness, with the addition of Mike’s Youth Programs, our three daughters (ages 8, 11 & 13) are developing their strength, agility and coordination. This fall, our oldest and a Blackhawks soccer player, has started training with the uniquely designed Scottsdale Soccer programming. Even my Dad and Mom (aka ‘The Mayor and First Lady’) are now Infinity enthusiasts.

The value of Infinity doesn’t stop with the torture, the intensity or the drive to improve – we show up everyday because of the commitment to our Infinity family. It’s not simply a “place” – it’s where we have created enduring, lifelong friendships.

Are we addicted? Yeah. Obsessed? Absolutely. More than anything, we are BLESSED to have Infinity Fitness in our lives!

With Encouragement & Love from Team Wallace,

(April, Waterbreak, Ashlynn, Sophie & Hope)

Speed training has become one of the most important aspects of any athlete’s training program. Young athletes now have more opportunity then they once had and many are taking advantage of it. If you watch sports you know that speed on any playing surface can be the difference in wins and losses. Take Oregon football for example: They have, for the last decade, been quite possibly the fastest team in the country and have been a force in college football.

The younger an athlete starts the higher the ceiling becomes. The main reason I recommend starting athletes out young is all about form and technique. If you can teach them young how to position arms, strike the ground, start, etc. they will already be ahead of others that choose not to, or don’t have the resources.

Speed training is NOT throwing out a speed ladder, hurdles, bands etc. There is much more to speed training than that. If you have ever signed yourself, or your child, up for a speed program and they first thing you see is a speed ladder laid out, ask for your money back. This is the lazy or uneducated way to speed “train”. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is definite need for those resources but it doesn’t start there. It starts at the toes to the top of the head with good posture in between.

At Infinity we run a six week program starting Oct. 13th that consists of movement mechanics, explosive movement, agility, reaction, acceleration and core development. Our program has been very successful. It has been creating a visible difference in our athletes and it is being used on every type of field and court. If you are the parent of an athlete or an athlete yourself, I recommend finding a speed program that is near you. It will change the way you play the game.

Mike Sheahan, CPT, PES, CES, NASE

We all experience days where our energy levels are low. Days where you don’t feel like getting up from your bed. Days where you simply want to sit on the couch and watch your favorite movie. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting these things. We’re all human, and we all need to relax and spend time to decompress from our daily, hectic schedules.
Whether you’re at home or at work, it’s important to remember to fit in exercise to your daily routine. While it may seem as though 30 minutes is a lot, health professionals recommend that adults get at least 30 minutes of daily exercise in for health.

If you need a reminder about health benefits, take a look at this list and share it with your friends and loved ones for motivation!

1. Exercise to look and feel great. Not only does exercise keep you energized, it can also improve your posture, make your skin glow and tone your body. Exercise also acts to reduce the risk of different types of disease – everything ranging from heart disease to cancer and type 2 diabetes.

2. Exercise to lose weight. For many people, burning fat is a motivator especially as summer rolls around. Exercise burns fat and prevents fat storage as well.

3. Exercise to stay energized. Exercise can not only reduce your stress levels, but also ensures you feel less exhausted and ready to tackle any of your daily responsibilities. Start your day with a simple routine, or switch things up to get your 30 minutes in!

4. Exercise to sleep better and age slower. While it fuels your energy levels, exercise can also ensure that you get a good night’s rest. Be sure to catch at least 8 hours of sleep to get ready for the next day. Regular exercise has been linked to fighting aging and reducing inflammation as well.

5. Exercise to relieve different types of pain. By strengthening your muscles and focusing your energy on exercise, you can relieve all types of pain. Of course, it’s good to consult a physician and your Method Fitness personal trainer to get advice on what’s best for your body and health.

6. Exercise to stay happy and enjoy your lifestyle. As part of its many benefits, exercise has been proven to reduce depression, which can lead you to enjoy your lifestyle and fun activities with kids, family and friends.

7. Exercise to boost your confidence and to stay sharp. Staying on track with your fitness is a definite confidence booster as you notice visible results of your efforts. Be sure to monitor your routine, switch up exercises and keep with your goals for exercise. Exercise additionally helps cognitive functions – keeping you motivated and your mind sharp.

Jeff Cymbalski, CPT

TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE

CREATING A S.M.A.R.T. GOAL

POST WORKOUT PROTEIN

THIS MONTH’S FIT FAM: THE WALLACE FAMILY

SPEED TRAINING FOR YOUNG ATHLETES

7 MOTIVATION REMINDERS