Here in Florida, golf is a year-round activity. People travel from all over the world to play on the fine courses we have here.
When designing effective golf workouts, there’s a few key points to consider. First, what kind of training program will give you the greatest benefit for the time and effort you are going to invest? Next, decreasing the likelihood and severity of injuries, so you can really enjoy the game you love for a long time to come. And finally, incorporating exercises to maximize performance for a great score.
So as we design this golf workout, there’s a few criteria we want to make sure we fulfill:
Full Body Workouts
This is not a problem at Rock Solid Fitness, since we have all of our clients train perform full body workouts twice a week, each one taking only 30 minutes.
Injury Prevention
We want to include exercises in your golf workouts to strengthen areas of the body that are especially vulnerable to common golf injuries. These include the muscles surrounding the spine in the low back, and rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders.
For the shoulders, we’ll strengthen the rotator cuff muscles, using manual resistance.
Maximize Performance
We would love to select golf exercises that will maximize your performance on the course. That could mean being able to grip the club more securely, hit your longest golf drive, or get out of sand traps or roughs.
This will mean:
You’ll be doing overhead pulling movements for your back, arms and grip. We’ll also include lateral hip movements for driving power, and our special torso rotation machine to maximize club head speed.
So make sure your golf workouts are full-body affairs, focusing on injury prevention and max performance. Keep the intensity high, don’t over-train, and you will be hitting your longest golf drive and wowing your golf buddies in no time!
To learn more about Rock Solid Fitness Golf Workouts, schedule a Free Fitness Consultation and Workout Experience HERE
There are a lot of “myths” we hear from clients at our Dunedin gym when it comes to exercise and strength training.
These myths can quickly turn into excuses, and before you know it, people talk themselves out of training at all. If you know you need to start at a Clearwater, Palm Harbor, or Dunedin gym, I don’t want these myths to create any fear in you. Remember, f.e.a.r. stands for False Evidence Appearing Real!
And sometimes, those myths trap people in unproductive exercise programs, or worse yet, prevent them from starting a program in the first place.
Here are a couple of the best one I’ve heard at our Dunedin Gym:
Myth #1. Working out with weights (strength training) makes women bulky and manly-looking.
A lot of women still believe that they need to do tons of cardio-running, group classes, treadmill, bike, stairmaster, aerobics class, spin class,-the more miles, the better to stay “thin and “toned”.
Sharon was one of those people. But after a while, she started to experience joint pain, chronic fatigue, and spending that much time at the gym was getting harder and harder.
So she decided to try strength training a try-and found that not only did she not “bulk up”, her endurance actually increased, and her aches and pains went away.
So don’t get caught up in all the exercise myths out there about strength training. You can look better, feel better, and function better, all in only 30 minutes, twice a week, on the Rock Solid Fitness program.
AND WE’LL PROVE IT TO YOU.
Rock Solid Fitness is currently seeking 20 people to participate in a strength training study. Our goal is to prove once and for all that brief, intense strength training works, to bust all the myths out there that are prevalent among Dunedin gym members.
Participants will receive FREE one-on-one training for one month.
Certain criteria apply – click the link below to see if you qualify, and learn how to sign up.
Millions of people around the world workout with weights in order to get bigger, stronger muscles. And it is true that the workout has to come first; it is the stimulus, that flips the switch and sets muscular change into motion. However, lifting weights, a.k.a. progressive resistance training, will NOT create the bigger, stronger muscles the trainee desires.
It is during the recovery process, in the hours and days following the workout, that the desired changes are actually produced. Your body doesn’t actually change during the workout; the workout merely stimulates the change. Then you need that recovery period to give your body enough time to complete the chemical processes necessary to produce those changes.
In this post, we discuss how to recover muscled faster after workout.
The Difference Between Stimulation and Production
When you perform a highly intense workout with weights, your brain perceives that as a threat to your survival. And in order to protect you from such threats in the future, it will set into motion a series of events within your body which will culminate in the production of additional muscle tissue. The result, of course, is that you will be bigger and stronger the next time, and the same exact workout will be slightly easier.
But that series of events within your body doesn’t happen during the workout – the workout merely stimulates these changes. The workout flips the switch which sets the muscle growth process into motion. So the workout itself is only responsible for the stimulation of muscular growth.
That new muscle tissue is produced by the body itself, after the workout is over – the recovery period.
So the workout is for stimulation, and the recovery period is for production of new muscle tissue. This is a 50-50 proposition; you can’t have one without the other, and they are of equal importance.
The Recovery Process: Depletion>Compensation>Over-compensation
When you get done with a workout, you don’t feel the same as you did before you started. You feel tired, maybe a little bit drained. Why? Because during the workout something was used up. You have depleted the materials within your body that were needed to complete the workout. In effect, by working out you have dug an energy hole.
The first thing that has to happen after a workout is that hole has to get filled in-you have to recover the energy that you used up. Once that energy has been replaced – i.e. the hole has been filled in – then, and only then, will your body pile some extra muscle on top of where that hole used to be.
So the sequence involved in muscle tissue PRODUCTION looks like this:
Energy used up after a workout=depletion
Energy used has been replaced=compensation
3. New muscle tissue has been built=over-compensation
This order is unalterable. First you stimulate muscle tissue production via your high intensity workout. And then, your body compensates for the exhaustive effects of that workout. Then, your body over-compensates with the addition of new muscle tissue to protect you against future similar stresses. Stimulation, then production.
Now, this doesn’t happen in 5 minutes. It takes at least 48 hours, and sometimes up to several days, for your body to run through the full cycle from stimulation to over-compensation.
The recovery process does, however, start immediately following the workout. And studies show that your muscles are most receptive to replenishment within the first 3 hours after the workout. That’s why we recommend that our clients consume a post-workout snack, containing about 20 grams of protein, right after their workout.
It’s also why lifting weights every day is a mistake, even if you are training different parts of your body. There is an overall drain on the energy resources within your body systemically when you perform high intensity weight workouts daily. In effect, you just keep digging a deeper and deeper hole. As John Little, co-author of the book Body By Science, often says, “every day is kidney day”.
Summary
To maximize how to recover muscles faster after workout, and get bigger and stronger muscles as quickly and efficiently as possible, we recommend:
Train your body as a unit, and rest your body as a unit. perform full-body strength training workouts, and then stay out of the gym for 2-4 days (or longer in some cases).
Make sure you are consuming a well balanced diet of sufficient calories to replenish the energy you used up in your workout, and also provide the nutritional building blocks needed for over-compensation.
Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
Consume a post-workout snack immediately (preferably within an hour) after your workout that contains about 20 grams of protein.
The Rock Solid Fitness program is designed to give your muscles the stimulus they need to change, while keeping the workouts brief and infrequent enough to allow those changes to occur.
Remember, the idea “more is better” only applies to love and money-it has nothing to do with exercise. Resolve to give your workout everything you’ve got for the short time you are in the gym, then get out and give your body a chance to change itself. If you do, you’ll see the results you’ve been dreaming of in no time!
Right now, somebody is saying to themselves “Help! I need a personal trainer” in Dunedin FL. And somebody else is saying, “I don’t need a personal trainer. I can workout just fine on my own”. So who’s right? Sure, people who have never exercised before can benefit from a good personal trainer, we can all agree on that. But what about somebody who already has a bunch of workout experience – is it worth it for them to hire a personal Fitness Coach?
Yes, it is. And here’s why:
Top 3 Reasons why you and I need a Personal Trainer: 1. Professional Accountability. If you have an appointment set with your personal trainer, and you have already paid for the session, you are far less likely to skip that workout. And once you do show up, you’re not going to be able to talk yourself out of anything. No more blowing off legs. No more skipping that last abdominal exercise. No more starting with bench press every single workout. Your trainer will hold you accouuntable and make sure you get the results you are seeking by doing what you need to do, not just what you feel like doing.
2. Supervision. Studies consistently show that just having someone near you watching you exercise causes you to work harder, even if they don’t say a word. And of course, any good Personal Trainer is going to say a lot of words to you, both coaching your exercise form and encouraging you to put in a maximum effort. Also, having a second set of eyes watching your technique is a great way to prevent cheating, and more importantly to maintain safety.
3. Variety. There are certain techniques that can add variety and increase the intensity of your workout that you simply cannot perform on your own (as seen in the video below). Adding variety prevents boredom, keeps your motivation up, and forces adaptation, which translates into better results. And since intensity is the critical factor determining the effectiveness of your workout program, utilizing trainer-assisted techniques will make your workouts infinitely more productive.
So no matter what your experience level, having a good Personal Trainer at your side is the way to go! Come in to Rock Solid Fitness today and let us help you!
In our previous blog post I promised to explain High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.), and help you to not confuse it with High Intensity Training (H.I.T.).
High-intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense sprinting with less intense active recovery periods. Though there is no universal H.I.I.T. session duration, these intense workouts typically last under 30 minutes, with times varying based on a participant’s current fitness level.
Most of the research on H.I.I.T. has been done using a cycling ergometer, but other exercises like running, stair climbing and uphill walking can also be used.
There is no specific formula to H.I.I.T.; A common formula involves a 2:1 ratio of work to recovery periods, for example, 30–40 seconds of hard sprinting alternated with 15–20 seconds of jogging or walking, repeated to failure.
Since H.I.I.T. is essentially cardio, not strength training, it is not as effective for treating obesity, or improving muscle and bone mass.
Please don’t confuse H.I.I.T. with High Intensity Training (H.I.T.)!
H.I.T. is strength training that also positively affects cardio-vascular conditioning and flexibility, in the shortest time possible. Since it it essentially a strength training program, it strengthens your muscles and builds your bones, unlike High Intensity Interval Training.
H.I.T. is also effective for treating obesity; by adding muscle mass, you increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), meaning your body requires more calories at rest every day. When your body needs more calories, and you don’t increase your food intake, you will burn stored body fat to make up the difference :). Cardio-vascular training alone, including H.I.I.T., does not offer this benefit.
H.I.T. is a scientifically based, safe and efficient way to build muscle, burn fat and get in the best shape possible. High Intensity Training works for all ages and stages of life; the busy professional, someone planning to have surgery or recovering from an injury, the weekend warrior, the pro athlete, and those that just want to look and feel better and be STRONG and FIT for life.
If you have never tried it, come to Rock Solid Fitness for a FREE initial workout.
Every year (at a time when it’s really cold) the Resistance Exercise Conference is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Conference is hosted by our friends at Discover Strength, a top-notch personal training company in the Minneapolis area, and brings together the top researchers, coaches, and educators in the field. Even the attendees represent a “who’s-who” in the field of productive strength training exercise. Rock Solid Fitness makes it a point to attend this Conference every year to better ourselves and pass new information and techniques on to our clients – and this year we brought our largest group yet!
L to R Mike B, Dave, Melissa, Patty, Madison, Drew and Mike F. up front and ready to learn.
We flew into Minneapolis in waves, Thursday evening to Friday afternoon, for the first sessions beginning Friday evening.
Whoa – what’s all that white stuff?
We got organized at the hotel conference room to make sure we got seats right up front. It’s always great to see the Discover Strength staff, and they do a FANTASTIC job of organizing and hosting the conference.
Being welcomed into the Conference by our main man Bronson from Discover Strength, who we’ve known since 2013.
Our first speaker on Friday evening was Ted Dreisinger Ph.D. Ted’s topic was “Isolated Strengthening of the Low Back as a Strategy for the Prevention and Clinical Management of Chronic Low Back Pain”. The information Ted presented was right in line with our physical therapy perspective at Rock Solid, and he specifically spoke about the unique benefits of lumbar extension exercise utilizing pelvic restraint, just like we do on our Nautilus Low Back machine.
Mike B. supervising a set of low back extension utilizing pelvic restraint.
The next presentation was “A fireside chat with Jim Flanagan”, former General Manager at both Nautilus and Med-X Industries, and right-hand man of Nautilus exercise machines inventor Arthur Jones. Jim lives in the Orlando area, and we have been very fortunate to be able to befriend and learn from him over the years. He knows more about strength training than all of us put together 🙂
The staff soaking in knowledge from big Jim Flanagan privately.
Our next speaker was Discover Strength’s own Brandon Jonker, who presented the “Results and Application of the Repetition Duration Study; Comparing 30-30-30, 10-10, and 2-4 protocols”. These are all protocols that we utilize at Rock Solid Fitness, so the conclusions of the study were especially relevant for us. Brandon’s presentation was followed by a live training demonstration of these techniques in action.
Early the next morning, we took the light rail train to Discover Strength’s downtown Minneapolis location, where they were providing supervised workouts for all the conference attendees. It was a refreshing 19 degrees outside, but our staff quickly warmed up during their High Intensity workouts 🙂 . CLICK HERE to check out a video of the workouts
Would it kill you to have this conference in Florida once in a while?
After recovering from the workouts, we got back in to the Conference to hear Michelle Segar, Ph.D. present her lecture “Strike Gold: The Science Behind Cultivating Lasting Exercise Motivation in Clients and Members”. This was probably the most popular presentation of the weekend, and we all received a copy of Michelle’s book “No Sweat”, which goes even more in depth on the subject of exercise motivation. (You will be hearing much more on this topic from us in the future).
The next speaker was Mike Gittleson, who was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Michigan for 30 years, and now works with Rogers Pendulum Athletics, the makers of our 5-way neck machine. Mike schooled us on some brand new, cutting-edge research on effective stretching, as well as the importance proper neck strengthening.
Any Rock Solid clients recognize those neck machines?
After lunch, we heard from Rob Morton, PhD from McMasters University in Canada, on Protein Metabolism and Resistance Training. Rob explained how the latest research indicates our protein requirements when we workout are higher than previously believed, especially for older adults. Ask your Rock Solid Fitness Coach about this the next time you are in for a workout.
After a presentation on the business side of Personal Training by Discover Strength founder and CEO Luke Carlson, our favorite exercise researcher from England, Dr. James Fisher, presented on “Heterogeneity, Periodization and the Strength-Endurance Continuum”. This one was just for us strength training geeks and was full of 9-letter words, but we will make sure we break it down and include the important findings into your next workout routine 🙂
After the conference, we got away as a team for some dinner and reviewed every thing we had learned. Then it was time for some evening socializing with other trainers from literally all over the world. It was a one-of-a-kind opportunity to network with like-minded thinkers, sharing knowledge and forging lasting friendships.
Wow. Just wow.
Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing what we learned at the REC with all of our clients, whether verbally, in writing, or through experience. It was a great time, and we definitely got better as a company and as fitness professionals, which of course translates into a better experience for our clients. Can’t wait until next year!
3. New muscle tissue has been built=over-compensation
