Empower Personal Training
Posts Tagged ‘training’
Spotlight (Dennis Wallace)
Thursday, September 10, 2009Dennis is a warrior.
I’ve been training him for close to a year and a half now. Not once has he ever questioned what we do, he does it. He works hard. He puts himself, and all of himself, in every workout that we do. Some succeed, some don’t. Sometimes he’s got more than enough, sometimes he doesn’t. But through it all, Dennis never stops moving forward.
In June of 08 Dennis was doing modified deadlifts. Today he can pull 240# for a 1RM. In Aug 08 Dennis was doing modified pushups on the squat rack (at #3 for those who know what that means.) Today Dennis can bust out sets of 20 or 25 full pushups, depending on the call of the workout. In March of 09 Dennis rowed 1k in 4:39 seconds. On 7/20/09 Dennis rowed 1k in 4:10. 0:29 second improvement, but the real testament to how good that time is comes from the workout after the warmup row.
Dennis’s body composition has dropped approximately 5% in this year. He’s leaner, he’s more toned and folks who knew him a year ago see it.
Dennis is someone I love to train. He’s all heart. He knows that the only way to achieve is through hard work. There are no shortcuts. There are no workarounds. Bust your butt, rest and then do it again.
Dennis Wallace is a warrior.
Posted by:
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
At Your Own Risk
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Torched
Paul and I, though we have differences, in general subscribe to similar fitness philosophies. our differences allow us to test each other and stretch our view points and therefore make us better.
Today’s workout was one of those times.
This workout, with a little modification, came from the folks over at gymjones.com. I like their idea of fitness being an ever changing adapting aspect of training from general conditioning down to the sports specific. I also like the science that they put into their exploration. You can read more at their site if you’re interested but for now, we’re going to focus on today and the results.
The workout was deceptively simple.
6 TGU (Turkish Get Ups) @ 3 on each side (25# KB) followed by 60 sec of FLR (or Front leaning Rest Position – the start of a pushup). 5 rounds total. Then 2 rounds of 1 min All-Out on the AirDyne and rest 1 minute while you’re partner works.
Paul thought this might be too easy. I was cautious as I felt we were both in for a surprise.
Here’s the result.
I can't feel my legs
As you can see from the obliteration both of us felt it was humbling, a good sign of a strong conditioning workout as it demonstrates and reveals weaknesses while at the same time pushing you forward to the next ‘level’. Our legs were dead at the end. They were on fire. We talked about why and believe that the fatigue that the TGU’s and the FLR induced in our arms prevented our arms from being remotely a factor during the AirDyne. The fatigue in the legs from the TGUs was then accelerated by the torching they received during the AirDyne All-Outs. Couple that with the fact that there was only 1 minute rest in the whole training session, our energy systems never had a chance to recover. Lactate far exceeded its ability to be reconverted into fuel and by that very last minute of all-out we were both looking to pass out.
The end result was, unanimously, that this was one of the hardest workouts we’ve ever done.
This is not a prescription. It’s not for the faint of heart. That doesn’t mean that you can’t attempt it, but do so with a clear understanding of your fitness level. Talk to your trainer, have them help you tailor the workout to your current fitness level. That also doesn’t mean it should be part of your current fitness level. This is a step up workout. Something to take you to the next step. Something that can help revel those ever present weaknesses and understand the power and beauty of the human body (both mentally and physically) under high-level stress.
Push it.
Running, Next Step and Coaching
Thursday, March 19, 2009Branching out is always a difficult thing whether it be a new hobby, a new face to say hello to, or, as in this case, bringing endurance athletics to Empower’s already phenomenal personal training and one-stop wellness package. Empower want you to help us take the Next Step as well as taking it yourselves.
In the next few weeks we’re launching Empower’s Next Step Endurance program. Master Trainer Mike Babbitt will be coaching the program and hopefully inspiring a few folks to take that leap. The program is for anyone who wants to run, can run, or is already running. The beauty of the program is that it’s as individual and personalized as Empower’s Personal Training. It’s one on one with your coach.
So what does “one on one with your coach” mean?
It means you’ll work with Mike to fine tune and hone a program to help you reach your running goals, whatever they may be. If you’re already an age-group runner, we’ll work to help make you a stronger and faster runner. Just starting for the first time? We’ll progress you from walking, to a combination of the two and finally to running your selected goal distance.
It also leads to one of the most important things about this program that makes it unique. The relationship you develop with your coach. You need to know what your getting; what to look for, what to ask for, and what to expect from a coach. Here is a provided link to an article that sums up quite eloquently just how to get these things. It was written several years ago by a coach named Gordo Byrn. Byrn spent ten years transitioning from an self-professed over-weight coach potato to a professional ironman triathlete. Byrn knows the ropes from the beginner to the elite and this article is terrific.
Coach Gordo Byrn and Getting the Most from Your Coach
If you’ve got any questions on the program or the article, drop Mike a line here at the Empower Blog.
Why Train With a Running Club & Professional Coach?
Friday, March 6, 2009Motivation: Often one of our biggest road blocks ñ but the continuous motivation the club relationship offers is second to none. As a club you can share the trials and tribulations, you can give support and will receive twice as much in return. Furthermore, a good coach can provide the necessary jump-start beginners need and can provide continuous pushing for experienced athletes who are trying to improve their times.
Program and Planning: Your coach, who is an experienced endurance athlete himself, can provide you with the workouts necessary to achieve your goals. Each plan is individualized to your specific running level and will be adjusted as you improve. This takes the guess work out of training. All you have to do is follow the program and communicate with your coach.
Advice and feedback: Your coach as well as experienced fellow teammates can provide you with advice based upon experience and reassurance that your training is on-track. If problems occur, the group can provide you with troubleshooting.
Injury Prevention: Many beginning and even some experienced runners do not know about proper running form and your coach will be able to evaluate your stride and form to help prevent overuse injuries common in runners. Your coach will also monitor your progress with an eye on preventing over training and fatigue.
FUN: This is one of the most important reasons to train with a team. The energy created by running in a group is hard to describe. Many friendships are formed from running groups. With this group you will have the opportunity to meet individuals of varying ages, lifestyles and backgrounds, but we will all share the common interest of running for enjoyment.
The start date of Empower Personal Training’s running club has been moved to Tues. March 24. Join us as we take a personalized approach to running. This program is available for all levels of fitness from beginner to advanced.
We will be training for the “Running of the Bulls” 8K race in downtown Durham on May 30. However as a member of the Empower Running Club you will receive a personalized running plan so you can choose your race distance and your coach will help you achieve your training goals. Stay posted for more details.
