Looking for a Coach

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Many of us know about personal trainers. If you want to get fit someone will tell you to get a personal trainer. What many people don’t know is if you’re into endurance sports (long distance running, cycling, triathlon etc.) you can hire a coach much like you would a personal trainer.

An endurance coach works much like a personal trainer except their area of expertise is endurance athletics. A coach can work one on one or with small groups to help you achieve personal bests in whatever sport you’re competing in. A coach can meet face to face or can do most of their coaching online through email and a variety of other different tools such as www.workoutlog.com.

Many people don’t feel the need for a coach and if you’re a recreational athlete who trains just to stay healthy this might be the case. I’ve had a number of athletes come to me stating that they were training six, eight sometimes twelve hours a week and not seeing the results they wanted. A look at their training log (and if you don’t keep one you’re making a huge mistake) often reveals why. The problem with self-training is that you don’t often look at that ‘why’ and address it. You keep doing the same thing you’ve always done.

If you want to truly be competitive having that outside observer who can look at your bulk of training, make assessments and pinpoint weaknesses and stregnth is something you may want to consider.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS, ACSM-HFI
USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Master Trainer
Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training.  He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor.  For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

Pilates Mat Works!

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What is Pilates? It is an exercise system that focuses primarily on your core muscles. Very simply put it targets, the glutes, low back and your abdominal muscles. Pilates helps to strengthen “core” abdominal muscles uniformly so that they support and balance your spine in order to maintain good posture. “Core” means inside or center. When the core of the body is not strong, the torso lacks the stability to move efficiently and with power.

Try these 4 exercises to see if you can benefit from Pilates’ exercises.

1. Can you hold a hip bridge for 1 minute with out getting a cramp in the back of your legs? Your bridge must look like a beautiful arc to pass the test with no cramping.

2. Can you curl up like a ball? Lie on your back, pull knees to chest and bring your forehead to your knees.

3. Can you hold a plank position and lift your heel towards the ceiling while keeping your hips level?

4. Can you do a “bicycle twist” placing your elbow on the inside of the knee for full torso rotation with shoulder 1 blade off the floor as you lift diagonally?

5. Can you hold 1 leg up at 90 degrees while on your back with no knee bend?

If you answered no to just 1 of these you really should try Pilates training to build your strength and flexibility!  Empower Personal Training believes strongly in the Pilates principles and has developed a class just for beginners. If you have never tried Pilates and have been intimidated to try you owe it to yourself to try our 4 week Intro Level Pilates Class with Connie Winstead. Connie is a compassionate instructor who gives excellent instruction to her students so they feel successful.

The class will meet beginning Wednesday March 31st at 5:30pm, and will run for 4 weeks. The cost is only $75. Call the studio at (919) 401-8024 or click here to reserve your spot today.

Kathleen Pace
Kathleen has over 10 years of experience in the health and wellness field. She has worked with a variety of different populations including athletes, former athletes, seniors and overweight and obese clients. For more information about Kathleen and Empower Personal Training visit www.becomepowerful.com.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

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Season is about to get warmer. Many people will hop on their bikes and ride in the sunny summer that we get here in good ‘ol NC.

Before you do, take a moment to think about how your bike fits you. There are a few key rules but basically all those rules boil down to two things: Comfort and Power. If you’re bike isn’t fit well, you may be suffering from a lack of both. For instance, if you ride to far back on the saddle, your shoulders are going to take the brunt of the support will you ride, you’ll find they get very stiff and sore and you’ll wonder how your shoulders hurt when you were using your legs to bike. If you’re too far forward on the saddle men will find this vastly uncomfortable and everyone will experience climbing hills to be a lot harder than they need to be. This is because you can’t get a full pull of the pedal stroke and your hamstrings can’t engage.

Whatever the reason a good bike fit is worth its weight in gold. So expect to pay for what you get. If it’s the free fit at the local cycling shop when you by your bike it may be okay for the short term but if you ride longer rides (90+ minutes) you’ll find that you won’t want to go much further as that comfort level just won’t dial in right.  Seek out someone who is certified in fittings. There are a few in the area and yes, you’ll pay a good price for it, but as already mentioned, it’s well worth it.

There’s a great article here about bike fits. It’s a good read, a bit technical, but nonetheless important info that any serious rider should know about.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, ask our resident cyclist Patty – she’s a pro.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS, ACSM-HFI
USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Master Trainer
Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training.  He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor.  For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

Orlando Bloom trains at Empower Personal Training

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While actor Orlando Bloom was in Durham filming the movie Main Street he trained here at Empower Personal Training.

Many of you were able to meet him or least pet his dog Sidi, who was often lounging around while Orlando was working out. We had fun getting to know Orlando (and Sidi) over the past month and he had a great experience training here. Orlando’s role as a small town police officer in the movie Main Street did not require any specific physique changes, but he embodies a lifestyle that we encourage all of our clients to embrace: complete with very regualar exercise and a well balanced diet. Orlando is used to training 4-5 times per week and he didn’t want his fitness regimen to be interrupted during his month-long stay in Durham.

Here’s what Orlando had to say about Empower!

I had such a great experience at EMPOWER. The trainers and staff balance kindness with professionalism. And I loved the functional style workouts.  They’re as physical as anything I’ve tried. This studio really lives up to its name.

- Orlando Bloom

Thanks Orlando for choosing Empower Personal Training.