Missed the Power Rack Seminar?

As many of you know from our previous blog posts, Tweets, and Facebook posts, we have a new piece of equipment here at the club.  It's called a power rack and it is a universal machine for many different types of free-weight exercises.

Many people have confused the new power rack with our Smith machine.  While there are many similarities, the two pieces of equipment are quite different.  Both allow for the machine to be a "spotter" to catch the weight if you put too much on or fatigued too much to finish a set alone.  However, the Smith rack can cause problems while performing a squat if your feet are aligned in front of or behind the plane of the bar.  As Brian explains in the video, if your feet are aligned in front of the bar, it places undo stress on your lower back, causing it to curve (YIKES).  If your feet are aligned behind the bar, it places undo stress on your knees, as you will tend to lean forward more (you never want your knees tracking past your toes).  

There is little difference between the machines for performing the chest press and other arm exercises except that the bar weighs less on the Smith rack (15 pounds), and therefore you push against less resistance than you will on the power rack.

Keep in mind that you'll get a better core workout while using the power rack, as your stabilizer muscles will have to fire in order to help you maintain your balance and keep the bar balanced for the exercise you are performing.

If you're still confused after reading this post and watching the video, contact one of our personal trainers for a one-on-one session.  They'll be sure you get it right!

From Corporate: Stop In For Your Final Weigh In 4/26-4/30

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 8 WEEKS NOW??? 

I am AMAZED at how far our participants have come, and how motivated you have all been!  We have lost some serious pounds, and are competing with the top in the nation in the corporate challenge.  BRAVO!!!  Now, don't start celebrating too early - final weigh-ins HAVE to happen between the 26th and the 30th to count for corporate prizes and awards!!!  So be sure to stop in over the weekend and check-in with us.  This will help us get a more accurate final count for our GIFTS OF LOVE donation!!

"It's week 8! Can you believe the end of the Lose Weight Challenge is here? Stop by for your final weigh in between 4/26-4/30 to see if you're a winner.

No matter what your results are, you can still be a winner. Just for completing the Challenge, you'll be entered for a chance to win $250. So make sure to get to your club starting this Thursday to weigh in.
Congratulations and be well!"

Read Chad the Trainer's tips for week 8.

© 2012 Snap Fitness

This was sent by: Snap Fitness
2411 Galpin Court Suite 110 Chanhassen, MN, 55317, USA 

The New Power Rack is READY!

Busting it Open!

Okay, so if you follow our Facebook page, you know that we've slowly been assembling a new Power Rack!  Brian and I set to work on it this morning, and I have to tell you, after seeing it arrive in three small boxes, I was worried.  I've never been good at puzzles (nor paint by number..) or anything else involving the following of strict instructions.  I let Brian lead, and as you can see in some of the photos, we started off strong, moving the equipment around so it would fit in the club.  But we took a wrong turn when we began to assemble the rack itself.  We caught it, fixed it, and now we have a great power rack for your use here at the club.  Be sure to check in with us before you use it- it has a few features that you'll need to understand before you step under the bar and start going for it.

All the Bells & Whistles!

Oh JEEZ..

Here we have some photos of the rack as it arrived - in pieces, as well as some photos of Brian and I re-arranging the club.  It was quite the overwhelming sight once he got everything out of the boxes and spread onto the floor!  We've moved the calf-machine over by the Physioballs and hip ad/abduction, and now the dumbbell rack and preacher bench are in different spots along the mirrors.

Before!

New Space!

Moving the Dumbbells!

New Home For the Calf Machi

So Brian and I set to work, breaking into the boxes and getting all of the pieces out.  We soon discovered that we didn't have the right tools at ALL, so I sent Brian over to the Hardware store for a ratchet.  The one he bought was not very good (no offense, Brian), and it took forever to get the pieces together (notice I am not using very many tool-technical terms... you'll hear "pieces" instead of "bolts, washers, etc." because I don't know what things are), but we finally got the base and four pegs up.  We were psyched!!! Here's a photo:

Can You Spot the Problem?

It was pretty slow-going, but thankfully Mike Russo was working out while we were building, and he returned after his workout with the coolest ratchet that I have ever seen, and it multiplied the productivity by ten.  So Mike -- THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  Brian had to stop at that point because he had clients to train, and I decided it was probably best for all if I didn't "go it alone," and stopped as well.  At about 4:30 Ethan arrived to help out (THANK GOD), and discovered that we weren't as good at this as we thought we were (we had even high-fived a few times on our progress).  Apparently, we hadn't left the holes for the safety bars in the right place.  Check that photo above to see if you can see where we went awry. :)

Ethan fixed it in zero time, claiming that he is an, "IKEA pro," and that he is used to building things like this.  It literally took him half of the time it took us to get those four pegs up, to take apart our work, and complete the entire rack.  So, without further a due, here are some photos of the completed rack!

Ethan Telling Brian What's Up

Fixing the Problem & Finishing the Job!

Almost Done!

The Final Product!!! :)  We Hope You Love It!!

Brian's Video of the Week - April 12, 2012

So here we have Brian working with Arlene on a super killer core regimen.  I'm only giving you a little tid-bit right now, as I haven't had a chance to turn it into a brutal core compilation yet.  However, once I do, you know where to find it (YOUTUBE! www.youtube.com/SnapFitnessAvon)!

So in this clip, Brian is having Arlene complete a single-arm row on the TRX.  It's a difficult exercise, when you have to keep your core tight, back flat, elbow tucked close to your side, and try not to rotate your torso.  You can see (and probably hear) Brian giving Arlene encouragement and changing the angle that she's working at.  On the TRX, the further out that you walk your legs, the harder the exercise will be, as you're holding up more of your body weight.  So, I'd say Arlene is quite successful in this.  Watch that torso- she has very little twisting of the side opposite the working arm.  Go Arlene!

Behind the Scenes: Making the Video

So as you know if you're an avid follower of all things Snap Fitness Avon, we've been in the mood for movies and movie-making as of late.  We thought it would be fun to include a little bit about how we put our  video, "This Is Why You Should Train With Brian!" together in our blog this week.

Chatting in between sets about famous WWE professionals (What else?)

It's really fun following them around while they work.  I know I pick up tips and new ideas for my workouts just from standing there working the camera.  They also crack a lot of jokes and talk about things completely unrelated to working out (Don't get me wrong, the majority is about working out, and Brian's new favorite supplement, "CRAZE," which he shares with EVERYONE).

Ethan's very favorite activity.

Let me just say, the conversations had in between sets are quite candid.  They talk about basketball players, the NBA, Brian's basketball league, Ethan's life, and this week was centered around professional wrestlers and competing with other clubs in the area.  Don't worry, Ethan doesn't get away with trying to delay his sets.  Brian will literally interrupt him mid-sentence to say, "Okay, time for 10 more.  Let's go."  And Ethan doesn't hesitate (unless it's the final set, sometimes he moves a bit slowly toward the end).

This is his "are you serious?" face.

Brian somehow manages to find things to discuss with all of his clients, while educating them on proper workout form, nutrition, and other important things relating to health and fitness.  He becomes a tough-love kind of best-friend who listens to you talk about your day, and forces you to finish all of the repetitions of your least-favorite exercise.  The kind of best friend you'd love to run into while you're eating a healthy snack, attending a sporting event, or purchasing new running shoes.  Maybe not so much while you're indulging in something he would consider to be scandalous, like say, a cheeseburger. :)

Brian and the dummy get up close and personal.

Show Ethan proper form for jumping OVER the 30" platform.

Ethan looks like he's getting tired!

Sports Team Training: The Simsbury Lightning

We have been given the unique and fun opportunity to train some local youth sport teams.  One such team is the "Simsbury Lightning" youth soccer team.  These are ladies ages 13-14, and they travel to compete against other teams in the Farmington Valley.  Every Monday and Thursday, they will be training with Mike and/or Brian (I got to sub in once this week and LOVED it, they're so cute) for a full 45-minutes.

Mike's first day with them was a lot body weight stuff, and they were lucky enough to have that AMAZING 60-70 degree weather, so they trained outside on the grass.  The photos below are from Brian's first session with them - also outside, on that dreadful 80 degree day last week!!  They were outside to do some hill sprint relays, and some 40-yard relays, before going back inside to finish some strength training circuits in the air conditioning!!

Check out the photos below, and a little compilation video at the bottom!

Time for some hill-sprint relays!

 

Instructions before they get "racing"!!

Splitting up into two teams!

And they're off and running!!

Make sure you touch the cone!!!

Smiling while they work, how great!!

Brian's Workout of the Week - April 5, 2012

It's so hard to post these once per week.  I want to post one every day!!!  I have so much fun filming these and editing the videos... it's silly, really.  I cannot believe that people ACTUALLY get PAID to do these (though I am sure that theirs are of a much higher quality)!

So anyways, this video is a circuit that Brian put together for Zach to complete in under 45 minutes.  It includes the Deadlift bar with two 45-pound plates on it, the small plyometric platform, walking lunges, an INSANE setting on one of the stationary bikes, and body weight squats.  Based on the look on Zach's face, it wasn't a fun time for him.  This circuit was set-up to test Zach's overall fitness and endurance.  I apologize that the photo of Brian's list and the phone is blurry, but at least I've spelled it out for you here!  Let's hope for Zach's sake that he finished under the 45-minute marker that Brian gave him!

1. Stationary Bike
2. Step-Ups on Plyo Platforms
3. Platform Jumps
4. Dead Lifts
5. Walking Lunges

Brian's Workout of the Week - March 29, 2012

Plyometrics are an extremely important part of any training regimen.  Not only do they place emphasis on eccentric contractions, but they also help to improve Bone Mineral Density (BMD) due to their impact-heavy nature.  Using Plyometric boxes gives athletes in jumping sports (i.e., volleyball, basketball) a "leg-up" on the competition, as it helps to improve their vertical leap!  If you're looking to build both strength and power, our new plyo boxes are definitely for you!

This is how they should always look when put away! (hint, hint)

Brian was too impatient to wait for me to get them out!

Here is a video not only telling you to work out with Brian (he's awesome), but also showing you some uses for the plyometric platforms at the beginning of the video!!

And here's a little taste of what Brian can do on our club's biggest 30" plyometric platform (he's a little gun shy at the beginning, but he totally gets over it and kills the jump!):

(Sorry, I got a little excited about this movie making program and went sort of overboard with the title and credits... but the meat in the middle is great!) 


I really want to test Brian's vertical jump sometime... that ish is ridiculous!!  If you've heard of the stretch-shortening cycle, you know that preparing the muscles for the exercise by "triggering" before you jump helps improve your vertical leap and the force production on the jump.  This means that a stationary jump is not as effective as one in which you drop down (trigger) before you leap up.  Check out Brian's body movements in this video. 

Does he start stationary?  Or does he "trigger" first by rocking back (or in this case, downwards) before exploding up and over the platform?  Notice also that he doesn't stay in that "triggered" position for more than a few seconds.  Staying in that position for an extended period of time limits your body's ability to generate all of that much-needed power (there are a couple of different theories as to why this is), and makes your jump essentially crappy. 

The next time you are watching, say, the NCAA Basketball tournament (your choice, women's or men's), check to see how often the athletes "trigger" on a lay-up or the other shots they take on the court.  I think you'll notice the athletes who "trigger" get more "air" than those who don't!

SO, whether you are looking to improve your jump for a sport, or just looking to mix-up your routine with something new and challenging, please feel free to use our new plyometric platforms!!! :)

Personal Training Success Story: Ethan Brackett

Personal Trainer: Brian Szmigiel

 

For years I have contemplated working out but could never find the personal drive.  Family and friends were advocating the gym and physical fitness to me.  Constantly hearing my brother and his friends discussing weight training was what got me to seriously consider hitting the gym for the first time in a few years. 

Brian approached me after a workout to ask how the lifting felt, and he asked me about my goals.  Just from that brief conversation I knew Brian knew his stuff.  His physique helped to further convince me that I was in good hands.

Now two months in, I feel and look better than ever before.  People comment on how much my figure has changed.  With results and a new healthy lifestyle, my life has completely changed.  I owe it all to Brian.  He knows his stuff and above all else, he’s a real cool guy.  You’re the man!!.

Ethan at the Club, post-workout!

Brian's Workout of the Week - March 21, 2012

A power sled is a great addition to any athlete's training regimen, or for anyone looking to switch up their routine.  This will help you gain muscle while mostly working your core, hamstrings, quads, and glutes!  Another focus for this activity is that it will increase your speed, acceleration, and power.  Many football players utilize power sleds to improve game performance (as well as times for the 40), as it is primarily an anaerobic sport.

Here is a clip of Bryanna, a client of Brian's using the sled (On an unrelated note, check out Brian's hand gestures at the end of the clip.  Feel free to giggle out loud, we sure did when we watched it!!):

Brian loves to use his power sled twice a week, incorporating it into many of his workouts.  His clients seem to be in a love-hate relationship with it, though they are DEFINITELY seeing the positive results from it!  Stop in to try the power sled sometime this week!  I am going to start using it myself to train for a field hockey tournament I am playing in at the end of April!!

Here are a couple of clips of Brian's client, Ethan, who used to run track in high school, using the power sled for increased speed and power.  Notice his great start on the first one:

 And his struggles on the 4th one (check out the increased weight as well):

Now, imagine how much better he will be at sprinting without the sled or the plates!!  GO ETHAN!!

Brian's Workout of the Week!

Brian spent some time working out with Ethan this week, and we had the opportunity to film it.  The following is straight from Brian's mouth (to my notepad, and now finally to the blog):

Wednesday was back & biceps day, and they split them up.  They started out working the back, and completed 5 exercises; 2 compounds.  They each had a different rep range (Ethan's was lower as he is an ectomorph, and Brian's was higher as he is a mesomorph), and they did biceps to end the workout. 

They completed two exercises for biceps, and the last was the standing barbell curls.  They completed each set to failure, as you can see in the video.

I've been told that both were extremely sore the day after their workout (don't worry, they've recovered nicely)!  And Brian's final tip for this type of exercise is to remember how important it is to always keep your elbows tucked!