Monthly Archives: October 2017

Cross Training: Better Results, Fewer Injuries

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Perhaps you’ve found yourself dedicated to a certain sport, class or treadmill. That dedication is reflected in the fact that bike number 33 is yours, that second treadmill in the upper cardiovascular area facing out has your name on it or that floor space in Jade or Studio 1 is clearly your real estate. That kind of dedication can bring great success, forge strong friendships and open doors of opportunity. But if that dedication hasn’t addressed cross training, it may have left you struggling with overuse injuries or looking to try something new. Fall is the perfect time to give your fitness regimen a tune up and consider the benefits of cross training.

By incorporating a nice variety of cardio, strength and flexibility, you can balance your workouts in a way that will increase your performance and overall fitness without repeatedly stressing the same muscles and putting yourself at risk for injury. This variety will also help you to be more functionally fit and able to complete daily tasks with greater ease.

To get the most out of any activity, and to do it safely, it’s important to consider all of the muscles involved, not just the ones directly related to that activity. That’s where cross training comes in.

For a single-sport athlete, cross training can mean anything outside the athlete’s primary sport, while for the fitness enthusiast, it means using many different activities to ensure total fitness. For some, it simply means living a varied and physically active life.

So where’s the best place to start?

1. Consider your favorite activities, what components are necessary to do them and which ones might be missing from your current fitness regimen.

2. Consider challenges you may have planned in the next three months and what changes in your workouts might help you better achieve them.

3. Look at ways to re-energize your workouts by trying something new.

4. Review the 130+ classes offered each week on our complimentary Group Fitness schedule and find the classes that address what you’re missing.

  • For strength, try BODYPUMP, CXWORX or Power Hour
  • For intense cardio blocks with some strength, consider HIIT, INSANITY, BODYSTEP, BODYCOMBAT or Breakfast Club
  • For other cardio options, try one of our indoor cycling classes, ZUMBA, CVI or Hi NRG Cardio
  • For flexibility with some strength, consider one of our Vinyasa classes or willPower and grade
  • For more flexibility with balance, try Thermal, Vin/Yin, Restorative or Kundalini Yoga.

5. Decide which classes will best complement your overall fitness objectives.

6. Make an appointment with yourself to attend those classes.

7. Share your goals, successes and struggles with your instructor. They can help you navigate through this process and provide accountability.

By adding variety and balance to your training you will set yourself up for better results and fewer injuries. And, not to worry, that studio space or bike you claimed can remain yours throughout your happy, healthy life!

Andrea Morris, Director of Group Fitness at Greenwood Athletic Club

 

Greenwood has Now Adopted MYZONE®!

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You may have seen an exciting new addition around the club this year, MYZONE®! We used it in the 2017 Fitness Challenge, in PWRFIT classes, Combat Zone and other miscellaneous programs. Without doing a big promotion or launch, we are already seeing a positive impact with members so we have decided to go ALL IN!

 

One of the first things we will be doing is incorporating MYZONE® into our CVI classes. Simply stated, you will be using colors for your zones to help you reach your goals during class. Using your smartphone (which you already use for Audio Fetch) you will be able to see your colors as the instructor guides you through class, taking you from grey to blue, green, yellow and red.

Here’s a useful guide to using MYZONE® and how it will help your workout experience:

  1. Using a chest strap (belt) with monitor you are able to track your heart rate. Your heart rate is determined using a formula that will adjust with your workouts as necessary. Tracking your heart rate during a workout is a proven way to efficiently achieve your goals and with the MYZONE® belt, your effort is measured with 99.4% EKG-accuracy.
  2. You are able to view your workout using your smartphone via bluetooth in addition to on screen in PWRFIT and other areas of the club, when added.
  3. Your belt will connect to the MYZONE® app along with your other favorite fitness apps and you can upload your data to the cloud wherever you are. You can even upload data without being in the club. Your belt will store data for 16 hours if you are not able to connect to the internet.
  4. You will be able to track your workouts, set goals and analyze your data. You can even make friend connections and see other peoples workouts to keep you accountable.
  5. Lastly, we can have all kinds of fun with challenges; individual, team and we can even challenge other clubs across the country.

As you many of know, wearable technology has become one of the hottest fitness trends in the past three years. MYZONE® is a way for Greenwood to stay on the cutting edge, for you to set goals and see results and ultimately to make fitness FUN!

Look for more information around the club, ask a staff member about purchasing your MYZONE® belt and begin your fitness journey.

Meet our New Trainer Rife Hilgartner

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Rife grew up in Baltimore but has lived in Colorado for the last 20 years, primarily in the mountains. He is actively involved in racing in the off road triathlon XTERRA, which is composed of a 1.5 km swim, 30km of mountain biking, and 10 km of running. Rife is very involved with coaching triathlon and teaching Pilates, helping people balance themselves out and move better.

An important part of programming for Rife is strength training, which he believes “is an important component to your total body health. Most people just want to move really well. If you are playing with your kids, you want to be able to play and pick them up properly.”

As Rife points out, everyone is an athlete to some degree, it is important to be involved. While Rife specializes in helping clients train for marathons and cycling, his interest is in helping others train indoors to better prepare for their outside adventures.

Training Indoors for Outside

Being strong indoors can carry over for life. This can be as arduous as skiing, bike riding, running trails, or even just playing in the back yard with your children.

Denver is an active city and the members here at Greenwood Athletic Club want to continue to be active for a long time. “I’m one of those people who believes that age is just a number. With the proper programs and training, you can keep strength, health, fitness and athleticism for your entire life.”

One major area to focus on is the Posterior chain, which is from the back of your head to the bottom of your feet. It’s important to keep this area strong because it’s a major support system. The powerhouse muscles and your core are just as important as that chain, they tie right into that.

Those two systems within the body are important to make strong and to help with posture. A lot of this strengthening is part of the foundation for “Pilates for Dudes,” which demonstrates how Pilates is good for everyone.  Joseph Pilates originally created the work, creating flexibility with length, strength and control. Pilates helps strengthen in muscles you might not have even known existed. What you learn here will translate into other areas.

It’s also important to incorporate in different areas of training and movements, such as weights, yoga, Pilates, cardio, etc. This helps to create different movement patterns and allows you to train different energy systems of the body. If you are spending one day on the treadmill, spend the next on the stair master and a third in the weight room. This means you are channeling different areas to make changes in your body, day-to-day attitude and feelings about life.

Rife is available for one-on-one appointments here at Greenwood Athletic Club. Please feel free to message him HERE or check out his personal website howfittraining.com.

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