Stop Running

Athletes and Coaches: STOP MAKING RUNNING 100% OF YOUR TRAINING! A few years ago I was running at Camp at a local University and met a Distance Runner from California who signed up for the Fitness program to get better at running. Typically, this would make a lot of sense and be very beneficial except she was just getting done 3 straight seasons of Running (Cross Country, Winter Track, Spring Track) and was so torn up that almost every lift was out of the question. To make things worse, she came with a list of routines (all running) her coach gave her with the instructions that this is completely mandatory and she must complete X amount of miles a week. The kid couldnt squat, lunge, jump, or walk without pain but her coach expected her to run?

This common but insane style of training needs to end. Very few sports get away with holding onto an athlete for 10-12 months like Track does. There is zero rest time for most athletes and exhuasted body parts get destroyed while neglected areas stay neglected creating a sore, injured, SLOW, mentally destroyed, and under balanced athlete. Results: They either quit, learn to hate the sport but continue due to commitment or friends, NEVER run or exercise post High School (causing healthy adulthood habits) try drastic measures to get better (unsafe weight loss methods) and 9 out of 10 times the athlete see zero results or such little improvement that they begin to feel like failures.

Solution? Pick up a barbell, you stupid dumbbass kid! Athletes who are all around fit perform better in every aspect of sports. I'm not saying a 5k runner should train like a defensive linemen but yeah, I am saying they should do the exact same exercises just differently. Train the big movements then add in some sports specific routines or routines designed for the individual. Deadlifts, squats, cleans, bench, and other compound lifts should be used across all sports in order to develop every inch of the body. Runners need CORE - guess what builds a better core than crunches? Deadlifts, squats, front squats, cleans, farmers, ect... Very few other sports operate like this. Football doesn't tell their linemen to only hit eachother for 3hrs a practice, basketball doesn't just shoot, baseball doesnt just swing a bat, but for some crazy reason, Runners typically just Run and then do some "Recovery" program that a coach either found in a magazine or they use a program that helps them with their personal injury even though the 14yr old running 6 days a week probably doesn't have the same injuries as the 40-60yr old coach. Honestly, sometimes the best recovery is actually taking a step back from the sport and focusing on some impact free training. I know a lot of coaches think I'm a bit crazy and push the kids too hard too often in the weight room but when a kid tells me their shoulder hasn't been feeling right after 6 weeks of heavy poundage in the weight room mixed with their sport I never tell them to bench more, I tell them to take a week of benching and use this time to fix any weak areas that will make their bench or shotput or blocking better. Injuries can be amazing opportunities to grow and get better.

I wanna say it was 2018 when a freshmen from a private school in our area signed up to get ready for Cross Country. Her mom and coach insisted she only run and do bodyweight exercises all summer long, 2x a week with me and then a few times by herself. This 14 year old girl couldn't run a straight line. She was so unathletic and uncoordinated that expecting her to compete in cross country was highly questionable. It took 1 day on the track to figure out that Running wasn't going to help. We shifted gears and set the whole summer around training 2x a week in my air conditioned club where she worked on balance, body movements, mechanics, and basic weight training. Result: She crushed every single one of her Middle School times and never came in last place again. Not coming in last place might not be a massive victory for some but it was the only goal she had and she achieved it. Due to covid we lost touch during her final 2 years of HS but her Freshman and Sophmore year was a massive success in her eyes. Had I just made her run (wonky legs and arms flapping) she would have lasted maybe 1 season before quitting or getting injured. While some of her achievements could be connected to her growing into her body as she aged I would put money on it that the weight room time did the most for her. The more you push and pull a barbell around the more your body will make nerve connections and learn exactly how the human body is supposed to move.

So again, STOP MAKING RUNNING 100% OF YOUR TRAINING 

 

And check out some Farmers Walk Handles if you're looking to add a nice BOOST to your training

Summer Training Week 2

 Week 2 of our Summer Series

 

Welcome to Week 2 of our Summer Series!  Hopefully by this point you finished at least 3 workouts and have decided which of the 3 programs fits you best.  Just remember to add 1-2 workouts from the other programs to your routine so you can really start to lock in some results.  

UPDATE:  

We are now offering 2 free weeks of Group Training at our Harleysville Location.  For our student athletes, please have a parent reach out to me to discuss this.  For the adults, just reply to this email and I will send you the schedule and details.  If you like the two weeks and want to sign up that’s great, if it isn’t for you all I ask is that you tell a friend and help us build.

Weekly Favor: 

Each week I am going to ask 1 simple favor to help boost the company.  Last week it was to Subscribe to our YouTube page which a few of you have done so Thank You.  If you haven’t yet, it just takes a second and will really help us build the channel.  

This week’s favor:  Please send at least one friend the following link and ask them to join our email list.  The more people we have on this mailer the bigger/better the program will become.  Just copy and paste the link into a text and ask as many people as you want to join.  

https://forms.wix.com/931afaf9-4215-4c83-af97-23017e69a81f:5c5afd60-836b-48b6-bcfa-27ced4c0e44b

 

The Workout

Conditioning

Day 1

Video 1

THEN

1: Squat 3x12

2: Front Squat or Goblet Squat 3x12

3: Bench 3x12

4: Dumbbell Incline Bench 3x12

5: Bench Jumps 3x20

6: Ab Video

 

Day 2

Video 2

THEN

1: Deadlift 3x12

2: Seated Rows 3x20

3: Lat Pulldown 3x20

4: Bicep Curls 3x20

5: Hammer Curls 3x20

6: Box Jumps 3x10

7: Hanging Abs 3xMAX

8: Lots of Planks and Side Planks

 

Day 3

1: Power Clean 10-8-6-3-3-3-

2: Push Press 3x15

3: Forward Raise 3x15

4: Lateral Raise 2x20

5: Superset

A: Reverse Fly

B: Push Up

C: Jump Squat

5x15

6: 100 of each

Sit Up

Leg Raise

Russian Twist

Flutter Kicks

 

Weight Loss

Day 1

Video 1

THEN

1: Squat 3x12

2: Front Squat or Goblet Squat 3x12

3: Bench 3x12

4: Dumbbell Incline Bench 3x12

5: Bench Jumps 3x20

6: Ab Video

 

Day 2

Video 2

THEN

1: Deadlift 3x12

2: Seated Rows 3x20

3: Lat Pulldown 3x20

4: Bicep Curls 3x20

5: Hammer Curls 3x20

6: Box Jumps 3x10

7: Hanging Abs 3xMAX

8: Lots of Planks and Side Planks

 

Day 3

1: Power Clean 10-8-6-3-3-3-

2: Push Press 3x15

3: Forward Raise 3x15

4: Lateral Raise 2x20

5: Superset

A: Reverse Fly

B: Push Up

C: Jump Squat

5x15

6: 100 of each

Sit Up

Leg Raise

Russian Twist

Flutter Kicks

 

Strength

Day 1

1: Squat 3x5

2: Front squat with hold at bottom 2x15

3: Bench 3x5

4: Incline wide grip 2x15

5: DB lunges 3x10

6: 100 weighted sit-ups

7: 60 hanging leg raises

8: 100 calf raises toes pointed put

 

Day 2

1: Deadlift 3x5

2: deficit deadlift 2x15

3: T Bar rows 3x20

4: max pull ups x 5

5: reverse fly 2x10

6: Dumbbell cleans for speed 3x15

7: 10 minutes of weighted abs

 

Day 3

1: Bench 3x10

2: slight incline bench 3x10

3:  increased incline bench 3x10

4: high incline bench 3x10

5: seated military press 3x10

6: standing strict military press 3x10

7: 150 Tricep reps (as many exercises as needed)

8: 70 hanging abs

9: 10 minutes of floor abs

 

 

Fit Tip of the Week:

Very simple tip for the week.  Add no less than $10 worth of fruit to your shopping list each week, ideally fruit that can sit out on the counter in your kitchen so you will have no choice but to see it Every Day!  This simple hack will increase your healthy food intake and decrease your junk food intake.

Weekly HIGHLIGHT

We were gifted some HUGE mirrors for the new club.  While I completely read the description wrong and thought they were 70" high, everything worked out after a bit of a transportation fiasco and our new 7feet mirrors are officially hung up and ready our next client.

 

FINALLY

I'm thinking about getting this.  Let me know your thoughts?

 

 

Summer Training Week 1

Alright, SUMMER is here and our Summer Training Series will focus on Weight Loss, Conditioning, and Strength Gains. 

The concept of this is to first pick which area you want to focus on and complete those workouts each week THEN grab 1-2 routines from another program and add those in. 

This style of training will deliver fast results and prevent your body from hitting a plateau while also avoiding injuries that can be caused by only training one style. To break it down, Strength Athletes need Conditioning to increase strength and be more powerful, Condition based athletes need a lot of Strength to be able to power through their workouts/sports and really cut back on injury and finally Weight Loss Clients need more than just high rep sets and endless cardio. You have a full summer to completely turn your fitness levels around. Workouts will get harder and harder each week so make sure you aren’t skipping any or it’ll be harder to catch up. Conditioning: Week 1 This Week we have 2 running based routines mixed with bodyweight exercises then 1 weight lifting day. Again, feel free to grab a weight loss or strength gain workout to add to your program. Day 1 and 2 just follow the videos 

DAY 1

 

DAY 2 

Day 3 1: Barbell or Machine Squats 4x15 2: Dumbbell 1 arm overhead Lunges 3x10 3: Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift 3x12 4: Dumbbell Shoulder Strict Press 3x15 5: Dumbbell Forward Raises 3x12 6: Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3x12 7: 15 Straight Minutes of Weighted Abs 

Weight Loss: Week 1 Day 1 and 2 follow the videos 

DAY 1

 

DAY 2

 

Day 3 

1: 20 burpees – 30 squats – 40 jumping jacks x3 

2: Dumbbell or kettlebell High Pulls – 3x15 

3: Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift 3x15 

4: Dumbbell Shoulder Strict Press 3x12 

5: Dumbbell Forward Raises 3x15 

6: Dumbbell Lateral Raises 3x15 

7: 10 Straight Minutes of Weighted Abs 

Strength Gain: 

Week 1 

Day 1 

1: Deadlift 5x3 

2: Heavy Rows 10-8-6-3-3-3 

3: High Pulls 5x3 

4: DB Push Press 3x10 

5: Superset 3x15 A: Forward Raise B: Lateral Raise 

6: Superset 3x10 A: Shrug B: Reverse Fly 

7: 5 Rounds of HEAVY farmers holds – 30 seconds on 30 seconds off 

Day 2 

1: Squat 5x3 

2: Front Squat 10-8-6-3-3-3- 

3: Bench 5x3 

4: Incline Bench 10-8-6-3-3-3- 

5: Superset 3x15 A: DB Lunge B: DB Fly 

6: Superset 3x10 A: Push-up B: DB SLDL 

7: 5 Rounds of Light DB punches (Medium Pace) 30 seconds on 30 off 

 

Day 3 1: Sumo Deadlift 5x3 

2: DB Speed Rows 3x20 

3: Hang Pull 5x3 

4: Reverse Fly 3x20 

5: Max Rep Pull Ups – 5 sets 

6: Strip Set Farmers Hold – 3 different weights per set – 3 sets 

7: 100 weighted sit-ups 

8: 100 Push-Ups 9: 200 DB Calf Raises

Lose Weight by Summer EP 2 of 5

 Week 2 keeps things moving as you start to get addicted to The Program and ready for SUMMER!  Go over all 3 workouts and our featured video that will address 5 NEW TIPS to help you reach your goals then make sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more FREE WORKOUTS and more.  At the bottom of this post we will feature a few Amazon Finds to help you speed up the results.  Please check them out and let us know if there is any equipment you are interested in.

Week 2 Video:

The Workouts

<br>

Lose Weight By Summer: EP 1 of 5

Welcome to our "Lose Weight By Summer" series.  5 weeks of weight loss tips and workouts where we help get your ready for SUMMER!  Each week you will get access to our workouts videos and 5 tips to speed up the process.  All we ask is you "SUBSCRIBE" to our Youtube Page or join our email.  As an added bonus we will also be leaving some Amazon products that we recommend to help you get the results you want by SUMMER.

Week 1:

Watch the video above to get the rundown on all 5 tips but here is a quick guide to this weeks episode.

5: EAT FRUIT

4: Build a Team

3: Find a Program

2: Claim Your Space

1: Get Hooked

AMAZON SUGGESTIONS:

1 FREE MONTH OF ONLINE TRAINING - Why we are doing it and why you should join us

 Do you need to drop some weight for an upcoming event?  Need to get healthy, in shape, or just active for your kids?  We are now making our Online Program 100% FREE for your first month!  All you gotta do is head over to our website and drop your email in the signup form and we will get you moving ASAP.

Getting to the gym is tough, taking time away from your family is hard, join us and let us guide you through these tough but effective AT HOME WORKOUTS designed to get you into amazing shape.  ADDED BONUS:  Your whole family can join in at no additional cost.  After your free month if you want to continue, we will email you instructions on how to sign up and you can get the whole family moving together each week right from your living room.  My daughter, Bettie, actually did one of these workouts in our backyard last week.  She's 5 years old and loved every second of it.  After the 2 years we just got smacked with NOW is the perfect time to get the whole family working together to get healthy and ACTIVE.

WHAT IS OUR "LIFT IT FOWARD" Program?

This monthly workout program is a way to help others get in shape while honoring my best friend/workout partner who passed away last year from Colon Cancer.  Each membership goes 100% towards fighting Colon Cancer.  The way it works is a minimum 50% of your $30 membership goes towards Colon Cancer Research while the remaining revenue goes towards expanding this program so we can reach more people and spread more awareness while helping others.  Every $$$ you spend will go towards the cause with hopes of making a pretty significant impact each year.

BELOW

What our quick 6minute video going over some reasons why you should try this out FOR FREE for 1 MONTH then check out some of our suggested Amazon products to help your home workouts move better.

2 times OLYMPIAN Kim Conley

Today we speak with New Balance Pro Athlete and 2x OLYMPIAN, Kim Conley.  As a 5000m runner with the success record as Kim you’ll read in her answers how important Training, nutrition, and an athletes mindset is in Track and Field.  Question 2 features some great advice that our athletes should review.  Things will always pop up, bad weather, injury, sickness, ect… just keep moving forward and don’t let anything hold you back.

Good luck this season Kim, thanks for speaking with us!

1: How did you get started in your sport?

I joined the Santa Rosa Express track team, in my hometown of Santa Rosa, CA, when I was in 6th grade. Growing up, I played soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball but once I was in high school I narrowed my focus down to cross country and track.

2: How do you overcome obstacles in your training/career?

I keep my big goals in mind but ultimately try to focus on what I can control and do well on a given day to keep me moving forward. There are always going to be setbacks, and sometimes progress isn’t going to come as quickly as we hope. Maintaining a growth mindset at all times helps keep me focused on finding ways to keep taking steps forward.

3: What is your favorite and/or most important exercise for your sport?

Track workouts! I love doing repeats on the track at race pace. The feeling of physically and mentally rehearsing for a race offers challenging and necessary preparation for competition.

4:  What advice would you give a young athlete?

Do what you love. To be great at any sport it takes years of dedication to the training and the process of mastery. If the foundation of what you do is rooted in love then you enjoy the entire process and you don’t feel as though you’re forcing yourself to work hard.


5:  How big of a role is nutrition when it comes to your training?

I try to eat a healthy, well balanced diet. I don’t deny myself any foods I want, but I moderate foods that aren’t going to help effectively fuel my training. When I’m at home or at a training camp I cook rather than eat out, and when I’m traveling for competition I try to make healthy choices when it comes to where and what I eat.