The Valley Athletic Club

Switching It Up

2012-02-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

We really need to find some sort of established routine for winter in Washington. All the craziness tends to go down right after New Year’s, and I can only imagine the damage wrought on resolutions and goals for the coming twelve months. So, picture this as a February check-in, your one month update. What worked and what didn’t as the great 365 day experiment got underway? I myself have ditched my original workout plan and replaced it with a cross-training program. With that in mind, I wanted to examine the whole cross-training concept to highlight the need for variety in all workout programs, and finally to guide you towards ways in which The Valley has already streamlined this process for you.

First, though, what exactly does cross-training mean? There have and always will be workout fads, and I’m in fact glad that these exist because they get people trying new, ambitious things. Cross-training programs can almost be said to have been built out of the better parts of all these fads, creating a highly-variable definition of fitness, a definition meant to forge bodies that specialize in not specializing. In the eyes of many cross-training systems, a novice of gymnastics, track and field, and weightlifting is far fitter than a master of any one of these, which sounds crazy, right? But perhaps this inverted view of the fitness world is just what we need.

Cross-training systems prove to be a perfect avenue to discuss variety in fitness, and there are two points in this discussion. First, when we begin to work out after a long time or maybe never working out at all, we often engage in strength training and conditioning programs that fail to recognize the body’s need for constant change. Your body needs consistent switch-ups to accommodate physical adaptations to certain exercises, i.e., mastering a certain movement like a bicep curl at a certain weight. This failure to adapt equals failure to progress, which in turn equals training ruts and plateaus, an inability to meet your goals like losing weight, toning up, or gaining flexibility. In more drastic cases, stagnant workouts can lead to overuse injuries from a repetition of certain exercises. Now, constant adaptation is one the underpinnings of all cross-training paradigms, and many programs offer Workouts of the Day on their website, otherwise known as WODs that are wildly varied, surprising menageries of various exercises. Based on this only, everybody should be logging on to the various cross-training websites to get their WOD, right? My answer of ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT!’ brings me to my second point, which is that often when we engage in strength training and conditioning programs, especially as a New Year’s Resolution, we fail to seek guidance to asses our current fitness level and develop a base of strength. Only after this initial assessment and development should we begin to increase the intensity of our workouts, still remaining under the watchful eye of a fitness professional.

Now, in choosing a program there are, naturally, a million different training philosophies out there, and like most things of this well-studied, well-rehearsed nature, all are perfect on the drawing-room table. However, neither you nor I react as predicted. We need direction, but with options aplenty. And now we’re talking about The Valley. Our well rounded personal training department is dedicated to your goals. This means creating an ever progressive path to a fitter you, ignoring neither variety and adaptation or that very basic assessment of current fitness level. I’ve talked about personal trainers in past articles, and can’t stress enough the importance of a coach during whatever stage of development your fitness and athleticism is in. Again, personal trainers aren’t just there to work you out; they’re there to assess and push you towards your goals and beyond, and provide you with resources outside of your time with them to keep you moving higher! So, don’t be surprised when one of our trainers sends you to an Indoor Cycling class just to ‘switch it up!’

If personal training isn’t your bag, we also have a well-established group fitness program that accounts for this need of variety and adaptation. Take a look at our Group Fitness Schedule. We’ll use the 9:15/30AM class time as an example: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday consist of BodyStep, BodyCombat, BodyAttack, and BodyCombat respectively. That’s a great cardio schedule, but endurance without strength doesn’t fit the paradigm of multifaceted fitness. So, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday we give you BodyPump at the same time to build that base of strength. But endurance and strength cannot be transmitted through a body that’s immobile and tight, so Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday you’ll find good recovery in our Yoga, Mind and Body department with classes at that same 9:15/30AM start time. All of these classes offer levels of difficulty; instructors are trained to adjust class-participants according to their skill and strength levels. We’ve put a lot of thought into this schedule, and want to make sure it’s as accessible to your schedule as possible.

Finally, if you need help programming your week, contact our Membership Department. They’re trained to help pinpoint your specific goals, and to make the process of navigating The Valley’s many activities a walk in the park. Call and ask for ‘Membership’ to set up an appointment, or just stop by the front desk. We’ll take care of you! Here are our Membership Advisors:

Fitness is a lifetime pursuit, and here at The Valley, we’ll see you through this endless journey. Don’t be afraid to switch it up, and certainly don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’re always ready for your goals!

In Good Health,

Colin

Fitness and the New Year

2012-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the New Year, and for many of you welcome to the first steps on a journey towards a new you. Since I work at a health club – and, come on, I’m human – I’m no stranger to this trying time of grand ambitions and lifestyle revisions. These first couple of months with your goal, may it be to simply make it in to the gym daily or to lose 20, 30, 40 lbs, will be tough. At many moments, you will catch yourself admitting that, ‘What I’ve planned is ridiculous and impossible.’ You will examine easier routes of improvement, and you will undoubtedly postpone the certain discomfort that accompanies the realization of your goal. I am here to say that all of this is normal, and you will achieve your New Year’s Resolution, because our job at The Valley is to make that difference in your life.

But, while the year’s still fresh, let’s examine goals, goal setting, and how The Valley plans to thwart any chance of goal failure. In many ways, goals help us rational beings rationalize our existence; without the personalized constructs of ‘goals,’ those larger, less tangible, maybe impersonal concepts of society just don’t compute and are too much for us to swallow. Take, for example, my personal goal to write a book next year: This would give me ‘meaning in life’… and what, might I ask, is that? Can someone please encapsulate the concept of ‘meaning in life’ without using even more arbitrary terms? I think not, at least not without relating it to a personalized goal. So, in your case, we’re talking about a fitness goal, a goal to better your mind, body, and spirit. Maybe a recapitulation of my goal’s ‘meaning in life’ intention, but perhaps different: I think the desire for physical health falls into a category unto itself. So, there you have it: understand that you are answering something very primitive, but something that sets us apart as a species. Let us help to coax this out. Our Membership and Personal Training departments are trained to sit down and have those soul-mining conversations with you, to discover why you really joined The Valley, put it all down in writing, and set the process in motion. What is your goal, and why is it important to you?

But if that initial push was enough to see you through, there’d be no need for us as staff beyond there. We don’t live in a vacuum, though; barriers will still stand in your way. To examine goal setting, I think there needs to be some discussion of goal failure. How do I undermine my own authority? Running your mind can be like running your own business with all the intricacies of tiny, literally neurotic employees. Making the whole operation run smoothly takes training, takes the ability to dole out discipline when needed. I have this silly core workout book from the early nineties, The Complete Book of Abbs, and by complete they mean flattops, spandex, and all that good INXS and AOL.[1] In it, author Kurt Brungardt admits that it’s not abnormal for your mind and body to want to avoid the pains and rigors of working out, but the willingness to ignore this discomfort is where the real change comes from. Working out, sadly, is not always fun and doesn’t always feel so good either. That’s where it’s good to have someone outside, someone ready to step in and manage those synaptic employees before they start to manage you.

Really, so much rides on the meaning and manageability of your goal that once these two are accounted for, you could quite possibly sit back and let the change come to you. By definition, this is the job of a Personal Trainer, a fitness professional whose purpose is a. to keep an intense and specific focus on your goals, and b. to adopt a strict management protocol over your various negative emotions and irrational thoughts. A New Year’s Resolution is oftentimes not a journey to make on your own. No matter if this is you first or thirtieth run at a fitness goal, come see what personal training can do for you.

And there’s incentive! …you thought I’d leave you hanging. Weigh-ins for I Lost it at The Club start Monday, January 9^th. Whether you’re going the solo route, or are looking to join one of the many cost-effective teams forming now, this is a great way to knock out those first two crucial months of the New Year, and potentially put a $400 courtesy card in your pocket. Contact membership for all the details!

Regardless of what you decide, remember The Valley is always 100% behind you. Whether you’re feeling like you’ve just reached the summit, or you’re still stuck in the foothills, let us know and we’ll take you higher!

Happy, Healthy New Year,

Colin Pippin-Timco

[1] Actually, in all honesty, buy this book. It’s still in print for a reason. Best 15 minute abb program I’ve ever seen.

A Truly Personal Experience

2011-12-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

Running the Masters Swimming program here at The Valley, I’m always caught trying to convince members that it would be fun, exhilarating, and beneficial to their work day to get here at 5:30 AM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for an intense, exhilarating workout. The sales pitch always goes over so swimmingly. ‘I have to get the kids to school.’ ‘I have to be at work, and not smelling like chlorine.’ ‘I’m not going to bed at 9:00 PM just so you can get your coaching fix in the morning, Colin.’ All perfectly good excuses, and all perfect examples of how getting fit does not lend itself well to the turbulences of the modern American life. It’s no wonder that, in 2010, about half of all leisure time for those fifteen and older was spent planted on the couch. I tend to believe that Americans are relatively sedentary not because they like this lifestyle or because it’s comfortable, but because it seems to be the only option once everybody has been accommodated for at the end of the day, i.e., work is over, piano lessons are through, soccer is finished, and everyone’s been washed and fed. So who is this twenty-something telling me where to be at 5:30 AM the next day?

I think there’s also the complexity of transforming ‘leisure time’ into ‘workout time’ because of the unstructured, maybe even relaxing philosophy that ‘leisure time’ inherently follows. Perhaps, then, scheduling is the answer. Looking to the CDC for guidance, we can see that, to gain any form of healthful benefits from physical activity, you’ll need to be putting in two sessions a week of full-body, muscle strengthening activity, and at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. Now, breaking this down makes it more digestible, i.e., two sessions of yoga per week with a thirty minute walk every day, or two sessions of BodyPump per week with 15 minutes of hard swimming every day. And, there you have it, a schedule to stick to.

However, when self-motivation walks onto the set, the plot only thickens. As I mentioned in my last article, having a tailored or group schedule can make or break a workout plan’s success. In fact, a recent study shows that participants given tailored workout materials were 10% more likely to increase physical activity than those with generic materials working on their own accord. But the real jump comes when we throw a personal trainer in the mix. In a similar study, 73% of participants utilizing personal trainers in place of tailored workout plans increased their physical activity, which nearly doubles any other style of intervention.

Now, personal training can take on any number of forms, and its success is often driven by the client to trainer bond. Here at The Valley, we tend to believe that this is the most important part of personal training. If there isn’t a relationship being built, then what keeps you coming back? An increase in physical activity? When I talk to members about any given program in the club, there’s some discussion regarding the amount of sweat left behind on the floor or the calories burned on their Body Bug. But this is usually prefaced by ‘What a great program ‘so-‘n-so’ put together.’ There’s always recognition of the human behind the program, that little personal je ne sais quoi that makes instructors different, compelling, and rockstars at what they do. When this is missing, things end up boring, scripted, and easy to set aside or just plain quit.

Here at The Valley, there aren’t any scripts. I mean, there’s certain protocol, but all employees are encouraged to let their personality shine through. This can be said doubly for trainers. Though all of our trainers are given The Valley paradigm of assessing and programming clients, each desires to make your personal training session a truly personal experience. So, the question is never whether you’ll increase your physical activity, it’s how much of a blast you’ll have doing it.

If you’ve hit a rut – or if you don’t even know what a rut feels like – let us help you, personally. Schedule a Free Fitness Consultation or just grab a personal trainer – they’re always ready for your challenge.

Happy & Healthy Holidays,

Colin Pippin-Timco

Making a Difference with Friends and Family

2011-11-01T09:38:00.001-07:00

Okay, how about a little test? Go to your favorite search-engine – mine happens to be Google – and type in “The Best Workout Program.” What I come up with is 71,400,000 results in .26 seconds, and I’m sure your search was equally as fruitful. It’s at this point, wallowing in the quagmire of crunches and curls, that I get this sort of hopelessly hilarious image of myself in the Olympic Weight Room doing something new and ridiculous every day, trying to blend together my millions of “Best Workout Programs” to achieve the ultimate “Best Workout Program.” People would come by and ask me, “Hey, what’s that you’re doing,” or, “Where’d you get that workout from.” Buried on the bench, my legs in the TRX, a couple of chains draped across my neck, all the while trying to figure out how I’d flip a tire in this position, I’d reply, “Check the Net.”

Really, though, that’s a bit of a reach… yet, still honest. It’s as if to even begin research into working out or getting into shape you have to have an intimate, almost innate knowledge if the various systems available, and for most of us that is so not the case. I’ve witnessed this uncertainty with many new members, the overwhelming realization that now that you’ve joined The Valley, you have no idea what to do with it. The gym becomes a beautiful grand piano that never gets played, that collects dust, flowers, and family photos. This is exactly what we try to prevent at The Valley, and I hope this article will illuminate some new options that you never thought existed.

I really appreciate The President’s Council on Fitness and Sports. I’m in the camp that believes that nations really do need to be driven in some part by athletics, that healthy and fit individuals – or at least individuals who try to be so – are happier with themselves and are more prone to help others to achieve this state of being, maybe even more prone to help others in general. If you haven’t visited this site, do so now. While you’re there, check out the Ten Tips. I’m jazzed about these, and really jazzed about 6, Get fit with friends and family:

Being active is much more fun with friends or family. Encourage others to join you and plan one special physical activity event, like a bike ride or hiking, with a group each week.

Now, like many of us, my friends and family aren’t on the same schedule as I am, much less the same athletic interest list. And that’s fine. A lot of our associations begin before we’re interested in fitness, and even after that, we don’t usually base who we hang out with on their average watts on a stationary bike or how many laps they can do in the pool. Up until recently, common interests among friends were revealed for the most part organically, so catering your friend choices to your athletic needs was hit and miss unless you lived at the gym. Enter Facebook, Miracle Grow for common interest friend building, and guess what, The Valley – and all the various Valley programs, from Indoor Cycling to Zumba – are now available on one main Facebook page right here. Whether you’re a Masters Swimmer or a Group Fitness freak or someone just getting started, you’ll find countless members with the same interests and goals as you. Think of this as your free-fitness-friend finder!

However, not all of us are Facebook fanatics. Some of us need a more tactile means of support, and this gets at the root of why The Valley exists, and why we staff The Valley with individuals whose mission has and will always be to make a positive change, a difference in your life every day. Aside from engaging you on the workout floor and uncovering new fitness options, our Membership Staff, Kari and Chelsea, are both trained in building and later evaluating workout and meal logs (see pictures below).

This service is and will always be free because our goal is first and foremost helping you discover and achieve your goals.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, if everything you’ve tried seems just another unplanned adventure into result-lacking chaos, let us help. Engage us on Facebook, Twitter, this blog, or even in person. I wouldn’t sign my name to something that I felt halfheartedly about, and I truly believe in The Valley’s effort to branch out and begin a network beyond its walls.

As always, in good health,
Colin Pippin-Timco