Private Training Facility Sends Female Powerlifters to Compete at USAPL Ohio State Powerlifting Championships

From Left: Chelsea Neeley, Ella Diller, Tina Torbati,
and Savannah Steamer celebrating victory.

November 12, 2014 - Columbus, OH - The USA Powerlifting Ohio State Meet Powerlifting Championships which took place all day Saturday attracted lifters from all over the state of Ohio to lift big weights and attempt to qualify to compete at the 2015 Arnold Sports Festival. Among this group of determined lifters was a group of four young women who were headed to Springboro, Ohio, where the competition was located. All four of them train at an elite private training facility located here in the Grandview neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio called The Spot Athletics.

Cassie Prenger is a current Exercise Science major at Capital University who will intern with the Strength and Conditioning program at The Ohio State University for Spring 2015. Tina Torbati is a current Nutrition in Industry major at The Ohio State University and works in the Nutrition Department at Bethesda North Hospital. Chelsea Neeley is an Early Childhood Education graduate of The Ohio State University and Coach at The Spot Athletics. Ella Diller is the Graduate Assistant at the OSU Adventure Recreations Center working on a Masters in Sports Management. This powerlifting meet was each of these ladies’ first sanctioned competition, and all had been preparing for it over the last few months. In addition to training together in a team environment, all four went head-to-head for the aforementioned 2015 Arnold Sports Festival Invitation, since they all competed in the 148-lb class. Cassie Prenger placed 2nd in the Women’s Open 148 division, while Ella Diller took 2nd and Tina Torbati took 3rd overall in the Women’s Junior Division.

Nicholas Bronkall, Director of Strength and Conditioning at The Spot Athletics, states, “I’ve seen these ladies grow during team training and I was proud to see them unveil their hard work on the platform.” 

Casssandra Prenger, Strength and Conditioning intern at
The Spot Athletics, hitting a solid deadlift in her first meet.

To see original headline, click here.

Getting Back to the Basics: The Bench Press

How many times have you heard someone ask “How much do you bench?”. The bench press is commonly used as a marker of strength and is one of the most popular exercises out there because it looks cool and seems relatively easy to do. However, it is one of the most misunderstood exercises out there. “I’ll just lie down and push this bar up with my arms, how hard can that be?” is probably what you’re thinking. For most people, this is exactly what they do. However, the bench press is just as technical as the squat or the deadlift. Learning how to bench press properly can mean the difference between doing one of the most beneficial upper body exercises for size and strength or benching the same weight forever and tearing something in your shoulder. 

We’re going to go over some of the basic technique principles of the bench press so you can move more weight and stay injury free. The most important thing to note about the bench press is that it is not just a chest/ shoulder/arm exercise. If you bench properly, you should actually be using your whole body.

Coach Bryan spots an athlete on floor pressing. Though floor pressing is a variation of bench press, some of the same rules apply.

Let’s start at the top. Your back and shoulders should be squeezed together like you’re doing a lat pull-down. You should actually use your back to stabilize the bar as you lower it and keep your chest up  to meet the bar. Do not drop the bar on your chest and assume you’ll be able to push it back up from there.  Make sure you touch your chest with the bar. This seems obvious but many people seem to think they only need to bring the bar halfway down for it to constitute as a bench press.  There should be a natural curve in your back. That means you’re not pushing your back down into the bench and also not trying to create a huge arch. That is a more advanced move. One of the most important parts of the bench press actually involves your legs. You want to plant your feet in the ground and push the ground away from you to create leg drive. Using your legs will produce more force through your arms to push the bar away. So, we’ve covered some of the basics on how to make the bench press safer and more effective. 

What if you have a pre-existing shoulder injury? Do you need to bench to get the benefit? Of course not. There are plenty of alternatives for those who can not comfortably bench press. Try a swiss bar or dumbbells with a neutral grip. The swiss bar has bars running parallel to each other with allows you to maintain a neutral grip (palms facing each other) which many people find to be more comfortable for their shoulders while still getting the benefit of a bench press. 

Getting back to basics in the weight room means doing things correctly within the context of the weight room itself, such as performing lifts correctly and in a fashion that is both beneficial, safe, and will keep you racing towards your goals. This article reviews the basic technique points of the bench press to help you get the most bang for your buck with this difficult exercise. 

Columbus Resident, Vitor Oliveira Dominates at IBJJF Pro League Tournament

November 6, 2014 - Columbus, Ohio -  The Spot Athletics is proud to announce the recent victory of Vitor Oliveira at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation Pro League Tournament on October 19th, 2014. This prestigious tournament was an invite-only event and only the top four competitors in each class were invited to compete.

Vitor Oliveira and The Spot Athletics Owner,  JL Holdsworth, celebrate victory

GF Team member Oliveira reflects on the growth of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: “Everything is really blowing up in the US; there are tournaments every couple of weeks. We don’t have that in Brazil.” Just a few weeks prior, Vitor dominated at the IBJJF Pan Am No Gi Tournament on September 27th, 2014, but this most recent victory was a milestone for Oliveira’s career.


This was the third Pro League Tournament and winners received prize money, illustrating the growth of the sport. More exciting was the announcement of two more future tournaments, which Vitor will be preparing for. 

Oliveira’s next competition is scheduled for Decemeber 14th, 2014 in Long Beach, California and he currently trains at The Ronin Training Center and The Spot Athletics in Columbus, Ohio. The Spot Athletics Owner and Head Trainer JL Holdsworth had this to say about Vitor’s performance: “Vitor’s improvement and dominating style never ceases to amaze myself or my staff. He brings that same intensity to his strength and conditioning sessions and we are thrilled to be able to work with such an outstanding athlete.”

With many eyes tracking his progress, Vitor has stayed humble throughout his career. He thanks Ronin Training Center, JL Holdsworth and the staff at the Spot Athletics, Kill Cliff Recovery Drinks and Protein Bars, and Bull Terrier Fight Gear.

To see original headline, click here.

Zach Gallmann of The Spot Athletics Places at North American Strongman National Championships

November 5, 2014 - Columbus, Ohio - Local Strength and Conditioning Coach and Strongman competitor Zachary Gallmann recently traveled to Reno, Nevada to go head-to-head with some of the top amateur Strongman competitors in the country. This event was the biggest Strongman competition to-date and had over 250 competitors. 

Gallmann, who has recently undergone a weight loss transformation of about seventy pounds over the last year, has many years of competition experience in the sport. Of his competition preparation and performance, Zach states, “I was interested to see where my strength was. When I chose to lower my bodyweight by seventy pounds I knew that my strength would decrease, but it’s made me a better overall athlete. Even though, I didn’t do as well as I thought I would, it’s made me hungry for more.”

Zach placed fifth in the 231-265 pound weight class and is looking to compete again in the upcoming year while focusing on regaining strength. He competes with Team BOSS and trains at The Spot Athletics in Columbus, Ohio.

To see original headline, click here.

How Does Your Coach Stack Up?

Maybe you’re looking for your first strength and conditioning coach, shopping around for a new one, or trying to figure out if yours is any good. But how do you know what to look for? Here’s a checklist of some things to look for to see if your coach is top notch or just another person spewing nonsense.

1) What have they done? Do they currently compete in a sport or have they in the past? Or are they out of shape and can’t actually demonstrate anything they tell you to do? Do they practice what they preach or do they just point and yell? Find a coach that can walk the walk and talk the talk. Find one that trains, competes, and utilizes what they teach.

2) What does your coach do in their spare time? Do they attend conferences, read journals, write articles? Or are they using the same outdated information because they “always know best?” Find someone that is always trying to learn and make themselves better. Better yet, find a coach who writes articles, presents at conferences, and is someone that others in the industry look up to.

3) Does your coach say there is only one way to do things? A good coach knows that training is not a one size fits all approach. Everyone is different. Everyone has different goals, injuries, limitations, and is training for different reasons. Your coach shouldn’t have a cookie cutter approach to training but should know how to individualize everything.

4) Where has your coach learned their stuff? Did they open up a gym after getting an online certification? Or have they had internships and learned from some of the best in the industry? You can’t learn how to coach without getting hands on experience and learning from more experienced individuals. Take a look at your coach’s resume. If they don’t have any real world experience, get out of there. 

5) Does your coach put you through a thorough assessment? If you start a training program before being put through an assessment, RUN. Everyone has different bodies, problems, and injuries. A program should be made to fit your goals based on your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you have tight hips, a weak left hamstring, or trouble breathing properly. All of those issues should be known before your coach writes your program.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when you try to see how your coach stacks up. If your coach doesn’t fit the criteria above- go and find yourself someone who is knowledgeable, thorough, and experienced. You probably wouldn’t trust a doctor who didn’t have real world experience, so why would you trust a coach who doesn’t have the same? Hopefully this checklist will help you find a knowledgable, trustworthy, and fitting coach.

Why Is Mobility Important?

First time gym goers will often learn new movements and experiment with others that they see the people around them doing. When implementing new activities into a routine, whether its lifting weights or doing cardio on the stair stepper, it’s important to have decent mobility not only to decrease the risk of injury, but to function properly during everyday activities. Mobility, not to be confused with flexibility, is the ability of the two bones that connect at a joint to move uninhibited by surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, this side of physical fitness usually goes unaddressed because people do not take the time to do a meaningful warm-up. This article will help you differentiate mobility from flexibility, and review why it is important to recognize mobility as a unique facet of overall fitness.

Most people will get to the gym, do a quick warm-up that consists of talking to friends and checking their phones (maybe a little flexing in the mirror), and then jump right into sets of heavy compound movements. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a recipe to get hurt, but you’d be surprised to find out how many people do just that. Stretching and mobility work isn’t glamorous. Putting up big weights will get the heads in the gym to turn, so you often see kids throw plates upon plates on the bar without doing even one set with the unloaded bar. If they don’t even do a proper warm up, you can almost guarantee they aren’t doing any mobility work to make sure their joints are healthy. Not doing this will put you in a vulnerable position for an injury that could set your progress back months, if not years. 

We all know the guys that show off to their friends saying: “My chest is so big I can’t touch my elbows together!” or “My arms are too big to touch my shoulders with my fingertips!” Many of us have been that guy at some point. Everyone “oohs” and “ahhs” at your parlor trick, but unless you’re 250+ pounds, you should not have these issues. That is a result of poor mobility, not massive, gloat-worthy muscles.

The important thing to remember about mobility is that it differs from flexibility (a subset of mobility), which is the ability to stretch a muscle in a static environment. Mobility means being able to move a joint through a full range of motion in a dynamic environment. This means that your ligaments, muscles, and nervous system capabilities are all factored in to determine whether or not a particular joint is immobile. For example, someone who is flexible might be able to do a full split on the ground and stretch from side to side, touching their nose to the ground. But mobility determines whether they can summon these skills to do a split jump in the air. A martial artist who can kick his opponent’s head would be considered mobile because he is strong in that split position and can bring force down on his opponent. Someone might be flexible enough to get in that position on the ground, but in a dynamic environment, their nervous system will not allow it if they are immobile.

Having poor mobility WILL eventually lead to injuries. Just because you haven’t had any serious problems yet doesn’t mean it won’t come back to bite you in the future. Most of the time, mobility problems lead to more muscle tears and strains than lifting with poor technique will. So take at least 15 minutes before every workout to foam roll muscles to break up scar tissue and then STRETCH! Don’t mess around and BS it. Really make the stretch uncomfortable, and it will pay off in the long run. As you slowly improve, you will find it easier to fix form, get stronger, and feel less tension overall in your joints. Implementing mobility work in your routine will not only reap performance benefit, it will improve overall wellness and flexibility.

Savannah Steamer

Strength and Conditioning for Combat Athletes

There are a lot of individuals involved in combat sports who think that in order to get better at it, they just need to do more of the sport. In essence, this is correct. Working on sport specific technique is the best way to improve, but having a solid strength and conditioning program is equally important and should not be ignored. This aspect of training for competition is oftentimes what separates the good athletes from the great.

Two Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Athletes perform partner planks

Why is strength training so important for combat sports? Being technically skilled is great but if you don’t have a solid basis of strength, you will never reach your potential. If two guys weigh the same and have the same skill level who do you think will win- the stronger or weaker guy?Strength training makes you more powerful. Ask anyone in a combat sport if being explosive and powerful is an asset and no one will say “no”. 

Strength training decreases the risk of injury and combat sport athletes are prone to some of the worst injuries. The more durable you are as an athlete, the better you will be and the more likely you are to improve longevity and compete for a longer period of time. It will help build up areas that, if left untrained, would become plagued with injury: knees, necks, etc.

Conditioning should be based on the sport. For example, five minutes of rolling in Jiu Jitsu is comprised of quick bursts of action interspersed with periods of lower intensity. Your body must be able to handle five minutes of non-stop moving including bouts of high intensity action. Therefore, conditioning should mimic that. That’s why implements like prowlers and sandbags are great for combat athletes- they mimic conditioning against a heavy load (your opponent).

Strength training should mimic the sport as well. For our Jiu Jitsu athletes, we do a lot of grip work to enhance their grip on the gi, neck work to prevent injuries, and we work on hip strength since it’s crucial to a number of positions you could find yourself in. Training revolves around heavy squats, pulling, and pushing to get our athletes ready for the mats. 

Strength and conditioning training is not only crucial for stronger, more powerful, and healthier athletes but it’s also important that your strength and conditioning training is specific to your sport. If you are a combat athlete, your strength and conditioning program would look drastically different than that of a soccer or basketball player, but the most important thing is that you understand the importance of having one in the first place.

The Most Important Thing

The Most Important Thing

…is family. 

Sometimes we get so caught up in our goals that we forget about the people who are propping us up. The people who are there to break the bad news and stick around for our reaction. Family doesn’t always mean blood relation, so I suppose the proper word for what I am trying to convey is COMMUNITY. 

This past weekend, I competed at the Lexen Extreme Fall Classic and I got a reminder of what it meant to personally be a part of a community. The profound sense of acceptance and support that I received over the weekend is something I will never forget. This article will serve two purposes: to recap the meet and show you why building a community is so important.

I competed in the 132-pound class and finished the day with a  215-pound squat, 135-pound bench press, and 260-pound deadlift. Though I didn’t achieve a couple of my goals, I was happy to get a feel for the 132-pound weight class and set a PR total of 610-pounds with the support of many great lifters, coaches, and friends. Some of these people I’d never personally met before but corresponded with on social media, and some of them I’ve known for quite some time.  Regardless, when I stepped onto the brightly-lit platform, it made all the difference that someone was there to support me when I really needed it.

When I say I needed it, I really did. After my missing my first deadlift attempt, I thought I was going to have to cut it there and bomb out. My hip-popped during the lift and my entire left leg was throbbing as I swallowed tears. I was told to pull conventional instead of sumo and the thought of that made me extremely nervous. My sumo pull has always been much stronger than conventional AND I’d maxed my conventional pull just a few weeks earlier and it was super slow. Not only that, but the weight I opened with was five pounds heavier than that super slow conventional pull. There was no way I’d be able to pull it off with an injury. Surprisingly, I PR’d my conventional deadliest by 25 pounds.

In all honesty, I started lifting weights because I just liked how it felt. But now it goes much deeper than that. Now I’m little more competitive, I’ve got training partners, and it kind of just feels like training and competing is something productive to do with my pals. We set our own goals, but we also know that we need each other in order to achieve those goals. This is why building a community is the key to achievement.

It was almost exactly a year ago that I started training at The Spot Athletics and at first l felt like the odd-man-out. Constantly getting picked on, making dumb mistakes, and always asking “Will I get yelled at if I do such-and-such?” Now, I feel a part of a family. Going further, I’ve expanded my network of friends and it was this small group that pushed me at the Fall Classic. It was these guys who offered verbal support, shared their ammonia to get me pumped, rubbed baby powder on my thighs before each deadlift attempt, and inspired me to believe in myself.

Our very own Nic Bronkall, or Coach B, took the time out of a beautiful Saturday to be cooped up at a powerlifting meet to handle me, because here at The Spot Athletics, we have something that not a lot of gyms have: a family. We want everybody to achieve their goals and be motivated to be the best person they can be. 

Savannah Steamer

Are You Hard"core"?

People throw the word “core” around because it is the latest catch all buzz word.  But do you even know what the “core” is?  When most people are asked this question they usually make a gesture towards their belly in a circular motion.  Basically indicating that they are using a word to which they have no comprehension on the definition.  Doctors, Physical Therapists and sport coaches love to use the word “core” as their catch all explanation as to why there is a lack in performance or an injury.

Here at The Spot Athletics, we pride ourselves on not using buzz words and catch all phrases but rather educating ourselves on how to solve real problems and create better athletes.  What most people are talking about when they refer to core is actually called trunk stability.  So get away from using nonsensical terms like “core” that people who have no clue what they are talking about use and talk about the muscles that create trunk stability, which many people aren’t fully aware of.

Contrary to popular belief, your trunk includes more than just your abdominal muscles. It consists mainly of your transverse and rectus abdominus, obliques (side), lats (back), glutes, lower back, and hip flexor complex. All of these muscles play a role in trunk stability which is literally at the center of most movements including daily life, weightlifting, and cardiovascular exercise.

Some great exercises to strengthen this muscle group are the plank, bird dog, and hanging leg raises. If you’ve trained at The Spot Athletics you’ve probably performed these movements or at least seen them performed at one point or another. For plank, start in a push up position on your elbows, keeping your back straight (avoid arching or hunching your back) and your butt down so that everything is in line. For bird dog start on your hands and knees with your hands directly below your shoulders and knees directly below your hips. Keeping your hips squared and your back straight, raise the opposite arm and leg (ex. Right arm, left leg). Lastly, for hanging leg raises, hang from a bar either by your hands or using straps. Bend your legs and lift your knees up to your elbows, keeping the motion under control. Control the movement down and avoid using momentum to swing your legs back up for the next rep.

So now that we’ve educated you on the word “core” and what the trunk is as well as getting you started with a few easy exercises to help you improve your trunk stability in and out of the gym, keep training and the progress will come.

Former Ohio Dominican baseball player, Bryan Rudolph, hired as strength & conditioning coach at The Spot Athletics.

Bryan with a 60'' box jump & 515lb deadlift during last Friday's training session

Bryan comes to The Spot Athletics with a great background in strength & conditioning and athletics.  As  a graduate of Pickerington Central High School, Bryan lettered in both football and baseball.  He went on to play collegiate baseball at Ohio Dominican University where he started all 48 games last spring. 

Bryan has his NASM Personal Trainer certification and upon graduation (Exercise Science) from ODU, he enrolled in graduate school for exercise physiology.  He is currently employed as the strength and conditioning coach for ODU’s baseball team as well as having trained at several facilities around Columbus before finding his new home at The Spot Athletics.

We are proud to add Bryan to our already great team of coaches.  Bryan not only talks the talk but walks the walk, as all of the coaches at The Spot Athletics do.  He embodies our values of education, hard work and honesty and will help build our already great baseball strength and conditioning program.  

To contact Bryan about strength and conditioning for your baseball player or for personal training, you can email him at Bryan@TheSpotAthletics.com.

Fat and Cardio

                  Lately I’ve been hearing and seeing way too many diet and exercise fads that are ineffective, a waste of time, and in some cases, dangerous. I think it’s important to address some of these so that people can move on from these fads and actually make some real progress towards their goals. The top two I’ve noticed is the ever popular “No Fat” Diet and the obsession with 3 hour long bouts on the cardio machine to lose weight.

While I understand that the word “fat” would make people thing that eating it will make you fat, it’s a little more complicated than that. First of all, your body NEEDS fat in order to function, especially in women. Your body systems won’t run properly or efficiently without certain fats. Without fat, your body is less able to absorb vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. In addition, fat is a source of energy for your body at 9 calories per gram (calories = energy measure), whereas carbohydrates and protein only have 4 calories per gram. Lastly, having fat in your body is necessary for proper insulation.  Fat in your body helps to keep a normal, safe temperature. You may have heard about good fats and bad fats. Generally this is referring to unsaturated fats. Saturated fats, and trans fats. It’s a good idea to get most of your fat calories from unsaturated fat (mainly plant based), some from saturated fat (mainly animal and dairy based) and only a small amount, if any at all from trans fat (mainly fried and processed foods). So rather than trying to cut out fat all together from your diet, treat it as the essential nutrient it is and include the right types of fat. Some of the many good sources are avocado, almond butter, vegetable oils, and fatty fish.

I see so many girls at the gym spend hours upon hours using cardio machines like the elliptical and treadmill. Many people think that the best physical activity to lose weight is spending as long as possible doing cardio. Yes, you are burning calories during that time but if you really want to make progress, there are better ways to spend your time (and less of it). What a lot of people don’t know is that your muscle burns more calories than your fat does. Because of this, it’s important to incorporate strength training into your weight loss plan. Adding more muscle to your body will increase your metabolic rate and therefore help you to burn more calories. On top of that, strength training improves your bone health, increase your stamina, up energy levels, and has plenty of other great benefits. So rather than spend your whole gym time doing cardio, split it up and focus on strength training as well. You’ll see more progress faster and feel better at the same time, just make sure you’re using correct technique so as to avoid injury. If you’re unsure on how to lift weights and strength train properly or effectively, the coaches and trainers at The Spot Athletics are more than qualified to help you out and put you on the right path with classes and sessions for everyone from beginner to expert.

                  Hopefully I cleared up some misconceptions for you today and you can work more efficiently towards your fitness and weight loss goals. Good luck and happy lifting!

                  

Top 5 things incompetent strength coaches do

I see videos from other facilities all the time and they are ridiculous.  They post them because they think they look cool for parents when in fact they have no clue what they are doing.  I wish they would just stop posting videos because although most parents have no idea what they are posting is awful (nor should they as this is not what they do), all the coaches at The Spot Athletics do & it drives us crazy.

It drives us crazy to see athletes at other facilities using poor form, senseless drills, and just plain wasting their time.  We value education and see it as our privilege to help young athletes excel at their sports and yet parents send kids to these other facilities and they are wasting their young athletes potential and the parents hard earned money.

Here are the top 5 things we have seen that drive the coaches here absolutely crazy. 

1.  Anything standing on a bosu ball.  

For the love of god, no sport is played on a bosu ball.  Unless you are 90yrs old and have trouble falling you should not be standing on a bosu ball for any of your training, unless of coarse your goal is to suck, then keep it up.

2. Endless ladder drills.  

I will only say this once.  Just because they are called
speed ladders doesn't mean they make you faster.  Speed ladders unequivocally DO NOT MAKE AN ATHLETE FASTER! If you are past 12yrs old then ladders are only good as a warm up, under 12 and they help with learning body control but at no age do they make you faster.  Think about it, no sport is player with those short steps and in a controlled pattern.  Sport is the ability to solve ever changing spacial awareness problems, not take tiny steps in a predetermined pattern.

3. Light weight exercises standing on one leg

Unless you are Daniel-son and Johnny's teammate swept your leg before the finals match, you will never, ever, do this in athletic competition.  It's called training specificity.  You must train for the demands of your sport to become better at it.  Light weight, high rep work is useless for building strength, but can be used for conditioning.  Standing on one leg while doing light weight is a flat out waste of time and is the result of making stuff up to keep kids entertained.  If you want to entertain your kids, take them to a movie, if you want them to be better at their sport, bring them to The Spot Athletics.

4. Not utilizing any significant external resistance

In order for an athlete to be stronger, jump higher and faster, they must impose a load that challenge their current threshold.  Ie: if you only use med balls, kettle bells and other light implements you will never get stronger.  The number one exercise that correlates to a higher vertical jump is the good old fashioned squat.  This has been proven time and time again in studies.  So why this new trend to move away from the barbell has started I don't know.  I do hope it continues so that our athletes can continue to kick the crap out of people who think lightly weight hip thrusts with their feet on a swiss ball will do anything for them when they get on the field of play.

5. Doing the basic lifts incorrectly

I think that the reason these other places don't squat, deadlift or do the olympic lifts is because they flat out have no clue how to properly teach them.  So instead of potentially hurting a kid with some real weight that would actually help them be a better athlete, they just throw down some med balls and say "all that heavy lifting stuff isn't good for athletes."  Well here at The Spot Athletics we take pride in being some of the top technicians in the big lifts.  We do consulting for as far away as Australia on correcting people's form in the big lifts.  So when these other places finally post a video of someone doing a lift with some actual weight, what you see is so awful, we kind of wish they wouldn't have done it and leave the actual training to the experts at The Spot Athletics.

Managing Expectations and Setting Attainable Goals

This can be a sensitive and somewhat confusing topic for the majority or people, me included. What is a good goal? How can making goals, both short and long term, help me progress? What is considered a "bad" or unrealistic goal?

The other day, I was having a conversation with a client when she asked me how often should we measure her bodyfat. I told her every 12 to 16 weeks should be sufficient to see any progress that has been made and allow the body to correct for any irregularities that may arise during the period. I explained that if you were to measure every two weeks, for example, that the numbers may not indicate progress even though it is being made.

Now this may not be what some people want to hear. Most people expect to go home after each training session and see a little bit more ab definition, but that is unrealistic for a multitude of reasons. One of the most important duties of a trainer is to have your clients set short term goals that can be reached within a few weeks and have them monitor progress off of cycles of short term successes that will eventually lead to long term goals being attained.

When you reach a goal of any kind, no matter how small, it builds confidence. The confidence to work harder, eat better, and most importantly, keep exercising. For example, I would not allow a client to set a goal of gaining 10 pounds of muscle in 2 weeks because I know that this goal cannot be attained no matter how hard they work. A failure to reach a goal can be extremely counter-productive and even cause some people to give up on exercising all together. Obviously, this is not what we want. If a trainer allows unrealistic goal setting to persist, he/she has failed their client, not the other way around.

Although everyone wants to see progress fast and we live in a "give me now!" society, body composition and physiology can be the ultimate humblers as they are a test of patience and will power like nothing else. Those that can monitor their expectations and and work off of short-term successes will be the ones who have long-term positive changes. Remember, every 500 pound bench press started with a 200 pound PR, and every 5% bodyfat fitness model once dieted their ass off just to get under 10%. Fitness lifestyles do not discriminate by body type or genetic makeup. Those that have sustained successes from the beginning will be the ones who stick around for the long haul.

-Coach Bryce

Something is Not Better Than Nothing – Female Athletes in the Weight Room

Did you know that females are at a much greater risk of a sports related injury than males? If so, do you know why, and most importantly, do you know how to reduce that risk?

Research and statistics show an overwhelming number of female injuries compared to their male counterparts, particularly in knee injuries. In fact, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are three to six times higher in females.  When girls hit puberty, obviously a number of changes occur.  Differing hormones, alignment, form, physical performance, and human physiology all play a part in why females are so much more injury prone than males (1).  Let me elaborate.

Ladies – our shoulders are smaller, hips are bigger, we are squishier, and we DEFINITELY have different hormones than men.  I’m speaking the obvious here.  It’s not because we are lazy or work any less hard than men, it just happens to be this thing called human physiology – it’s the way our bodies are.  Through puberty we also develop muscle imbalances, poor movement patterns, and unfortunately without organized strength training to correct the less obvious, we develop injuries as well.

Before I go on, let me clear one thing up.  “I don’t want to get big and bulky…” A comment I get too often when I mention strength training, particularly weight training with anything more than fifteen-pound dumbbells.  Physiologically, women have different hormone levels, particularly estrogen, which is why we have more body fat and less musculature than men.  This is absolutely normal and we actually need more body fat to function optimally and normally.  Differing hormones is also the reason we cannot become “big and bulky” like men can.  Go ahead, try to argue “but what about those women that get up on stage, flex, and you can see all of their muscles?!”  You cannot get this way without a LOT of nutritional strategy, time, dedication, time, goals to get this way, time, and sometimes there are other hormonal replacements involved, oh and did I mention a lot of TIME? Just trust me when I tell you that you will never be big, bulky, or ever this lean with sport-specific strength training alone.

Weight training not only increases muscle strength, it strengthens the bones too– something quite critical in the adolescent phase.  In female athletes it’s especially important because it makes the body robust, and able to endure more of the stressors of physical activity and sports. It is important to strengthen the hips and legs, as to reduce the high risk of knee injury.  With athletes involved in upper body intensive sports (softball, volleyball, and tennis to name a few,) it is important to strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder girdle specifically, since females physiologically tend to have less upper body strength.

So, if anyone would have talked to me about all of this while I were in high school, I would have responded with “Cool! I lift weights and we do strength and conditioning in the off season for soccer, so I must be preventing injury!” yeah… WRONG. Wait.. Why?

Any time I was ever in the weight room at my high school or at the local gym, I never had structure or a program to follow. In fact, the girls soccer team didn't even train in the weight room my junior year, so the "strength" aspect was somewhat lost there. On my own though, sure, I did “leg day” and “upper body,” but what exactly was I doing? Leg extensions and bicep curls are two that I remember.  I can also say that I didn’t know how to properly squat or deadlift until I was in college.  

As an adolescent, I was doing all my favorite exercises, and they were my favorite because I was good at them.  The bicep curls were useless because they are an accessory exercise meant to supplement a larger lift, which was absent.  The quad extensions were strengthening my already strong quadriceps (front part of the thigh) and increasing the imbalance between the front and back of my legs. I didn’t do hamstring curls because I hated them…because I sucked at them… because my hamstrings were weak. In retrospect, it was a blessing in disguise that I never made it past JV soccer and the most extensive injuries I had were strained hip flexors and guaranteed shin splints.  Where did the strained hip flexors come from? A speed treadmill set to a speed that was faster than I could sprint, causing me to push myself as hard as I could to attempt to keep up.  Ultimately, some of my imbalances and weaknesses came through, resulting in an injury.  This is typically how most injuries occur. In reality, I needed to be doing more hamstring work to lessen my imbalance, weighted sprints to make me faster, and more multi-jointed exercises (such as weighted squats, deadlifts, 90 degree jumps, etc.) that were relevant to my sport. Lets be honest though, how was I supposed to know better and what kid wants to do something they are not good at?  None, whom I’ve ever met. 

That’s where coaches that know the science of strength and conditioning come into play.  At The Spot Athletics, we help kids strengthen their weaknesses so they become stronger and better equipped for their sport, and life overall.   We expose them to jumping, sprinting, throwing, lifting, and everything in between in a controlled environment. Then, they can safely apply their improved athleticism in the uncontrolled environment of their sporting events.  We train athletes in all planes of motion because life happens in all dimensions of movement.  We identify imbalances to help fix them and we correct poor movement patterns.  Athletes at The Spot learn to strength train with weights correctly, they learn proper form for every movement, how to spot each other during heavy lifts, how to coach each other, and how to work together as a team.  

Most importantly, coaches at The Spot know and believe in the importance of having a structured program.  With this, I mean more than just designated days for certain exercises.  I’m talking a program that builds on strength, power, speed, joint stability, recovery, injury prevention, and athleticism as a whole. Strength training is not about lifting heavy things until we can’t move, and conditioning is not about running until we feel like death.  It’s about having a program built of exercises with a specific reason for each exercise, a reason for each rep and set range, and a purpose for each workout to effectively achieve the overall goal. Now, that’s definitely something that I never had any idea of when I was in high school and would have completely blown my mind.  

Ladies (and gents too), strength training is obviously the answer.  So, why don’t we see many females in the weight room pumping out heavy squats with the guys? Why don’t we have many structured high school strength programs required for female athletes?  Research and statistics have proven that females need it even more than males to reduce injury, and it definitely increases athleticism and sport performance, so what’s the hold-up? The coaches at The Spot Athletics know the differences, tendencies, are able to quickly recognize weaknesses, and most importantly provide progressive, structured strength and conditioning programming to decrease injury risk and increase athletic performance.  If you and/or your athlete are serious about your training and sport(s), I encourage you to experience elite level strength and conditioning at The Spot Athletics for yourself.

-Coach Chelsea



Work Cited:
1. Lasalandra, M. (2011, March 1). Women and Sports Injuries: Why It's a Different Game | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Retrieved September 27, 2014.

Why Strength and Conditioning

             Going into exercise science as a major opened up many doors for my future.  I had the option to be a physical therapist, personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, or going clinical and getting into cardiac rehab, or becoming a medical physician. After researching numerous website and careers, I planned to become a physical therapist. I felt that it would be extremely rewarding to be to help athletes come back bigger, faster and stronger from an injury.
              Freshman year at Capital University, during preseason basketball, I tore my ACL and MCL.  I wasn't devastated as some would be to have an injury. I never got injured in high school, and college basketball had more powerful girls for me to face. Setbacks are apart of any athletic career. Well apart of life for that matter. But, prior to surgery, I had to do 'pre-hab' (exercises before surgery to bounce back from surgery quicker). Talking to my physical therapist, Kristin, I asked why girls are more likely for ACL tears, and did some research on ACL tears and athletes. (I was also in anatomy so doing rehab and learning about the body was a huge factor in my grade.)
               I learned how my body moved, where my body was weak and what my body compensated for. By also learned how much prevention should have taken place before I got injured. I wondered why a coach wouldn't incorporate strengthen exercises for our teams weak points. I then wondered why coaches wouldn't do everything in their power to keep their players healthy and injury free to succeed in the sport. I mean, our coaches left right after practice and half our team didn't even lift, nor proper was proper form ever shown to most girls. I was soon the 'go-to' girl on how to do things and I was just a little freshman.
                 After thinking about physical therapy, I then looked into strength and conditioning. Why not be that person that cares to keep kids injury free and show them how to do proper movements to help them succeed prior to getting hurt? Even more satisfying than helping them come back from an injury is to inhibit injury in the first place.
              The Spot Athletics has put me in an advantageous position to help athletes compete in an elite way.  Instead of helping athletes bounce back from an injury, I'd like to prevent injury from happening and not only help with injury prevention but implement better habits for a healthier life style.  I am a big advocate on not wasting a day. It is one of the best feelings in the world waking up and kicking todays ass early in the morning and that momentum keeps going. Having young athletes sit and play video games and stay in watching TV is not taking on the day strong. Going outside and jumping, running, throwing and all the dynamic work Nic talked about in his last blog can not only help the child's strength but also athleticism. Young kids carry habits into their adult years.
           My family had a routine of taking a walk or running and when we got older, we went to the gym.  I have carried that habit into my college years and I have never left it. Starting athletes young and implementing good habits will also lead to less injury as they grow older. They know how to squat correctly as a child, and in high school, they will not only have good squat form then, they will also be more powerful. I would love to watch a kid grow into a potential college athlete, starting while they were in middle school/jr. high. Learning to become a strength and conditioning coach has become one of my passions, that I would love to share with athletes not only to help them with their sports, but with life as a whole.


Coach Cassie

Life as an Intern

Being an Intern at The Spot Athletics: 

Some of What I’ve Learned So Far

     I start my days waking up by 5 am, so it’s pretty important to be a morning person for this job (although some of the coaches are already working by that time). When 5:45 rolls around, you better be sure that you’re fully awake and functional so you’re ready to follow the coaches and help train clients. I suggest 2 cups of coffee minimum and some loud energetic music, maybe ABBA, for the drive to work. You can’t expect to be able to teach a front squat or critique deadlift form or run a warm up if your eyes are only half open and you’re struggling to not lay down and nap on the weight room floor.  If on the off chance you are able to do those things half asleep, your clients are probably seriously bored with you and unmotivated so you still suck.

     Most of the day consists of following the coaches here and being quizzed on lifting form, how to conduct an assessment, the proper way to spot clients, etc. These are the best parts of the day mainly because the opportunities presented for learning are never ending. You will learn more here in one day than you’ll learn in a semester at school. Any time not spent on that stuff is spent cleaning floors, hanging stuff on the walls, and running to the store to get supplies for whatever project JL came up with for that particular day. Which doesn’t sound like you’re learning much aside from how to mop and drill holes in concrete but everything is a learning experience if you look for it. Projects like this teach you hard work, completing tasks thoroughly, and following instruction.

     Being able to interact and communicate with the coaches is another important aspect of the job. You can’t be afraid to ask questions. I would learn almost nothing if I stand there and just watch the whole time. Obviously you should watch and be observant but asking why a coach put a specific exercise in the program or what a client’s specific movement pattern means or whatever is a great way to learn in this environment as long as you’re not annoying with it. Building a solid relationship with the coaches helps also. While it’s important to stay professional when interacting with the coaches aka your bosses, it’s also important to create a comfortable relationship with them. At the beginning of this internship I was so cautious about how I talked to most of the trainers here. Once I started to lighten up and joke around with them, it made the job more fun for me and the coaches and I was more eager to come to work and learn from them.

     It’s not the end of the world if you mess up (unless it’s when you’re spotting someone, then it’s the end of the world. Or at least your internship). Today, I totally screwed up an assessment trying to find if an athlete’s lats were tight and instead of dwelling on the mistake like I would’ve when I first started my internship, I identified exactly what I did wrong and learned how to fix it so it would never happen again, then moved on. Mistakes happen, as long as it doesn’t happen twice and not constantly, I figure I’m at least not the worst intern in the world.

Interning at The Spot has taught me more than any other facility or school could in such a short time (and I still have a couple months left here) so hopefully I’ll be able to use that to come up with better articles than this one in the future and share all the knowledge I’ve gained). I strongly encourage anyone who’s interested in this business to look for an internship at a facility like this one (or interview here) if you really want to learn how to coach or train.

5 ways to help your trainer maximize your experience

  The client/trainer relationship should never be a difficult relationship.  Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.  Sometimes, trainers can be hard to deal with; other times, so can clients. Here is a list of things that will help you maximize the time you have with your trainer, so that you can get the results that you are paying for:

1. Communication - This is the most vital and important aspect of this, and any other relationships.  I’m not talking about calling each other to see how your day is going, but you rather, letting your trainer know how things are going.  Trainers are very good at identifying certain ailments and understanding problems, but we do not have x-ray vision, and we can’t always tell if you are struggling.  If something hurts, you’re not feeling well, or you just plain don’t understand, let your trainer know.  It’s better to be open and upfront with your trainer so that they can make the adjustments necessary to accommodate you.
2. Understanding expectations - One of the trainer’s main jobs when having an initial assessment appointment with a client is to manage expectations. This is where the trainer helps a client set realistic goals. Sometimes, however, the reality of a goal conflicts with the desired goal. A client should understand that a lot of small goals will add up to a large goal quickly. I think I’m a pretty good trainer, but I can’t give an untrained individual a 6 pack in 4 weeks. This is where that communication comes into play, so that all parties are aware of expected outcomes.
3. Understanding your trainer’s scope of practice - As a trainer, we have a pretty vast knowledge about the human body. We understand biomechanics, how muscles work, anatomy, imbalances, etc. However, most of us are not doctors. We can’t diagnose the stomach issues you have been having, and unfortunately, we don’t have x-ray vision. The biggest thing we can do is guess, based off of assessments, as to what is ailing you, and hopefully, use the tools we have access to to help you. And, if we can’t help you, a great trainer should be referring you to someone that can.
4. Stick with the plan - We do an assessment and write out a plan for a reason.  One of the biggest pet peeves I have personally is the client that does “extra” work that I have not given them. I am absolutely thrilled that they are so motivated, but that extra work can impede the process that your trainer has planned out for you. This also applies to any sort of diet your trainer may have you on.  We have a finite amount of time with our clients. We can only control so much. What you do on your own time will determine whether or not you get the results you want.
5. Be on time - When you train at an elite level training facility like The Spot Athletics, the trainers and coaches have very specific plans for how they are going to train you during your appointment. There are things that we plan that take time, but are very important for the development of our clients, and when the time we have is cut short, we have to start stripping things away to get the most out of the sessions as possible. Consistently showing up late only detracts from garnering the results that you desire. Also, we may have several clients booked, back to back, and it is not fair for us to take time away from their training sessions to make up for a late client.

Follow these 5 simple guidelines, and you will see the results that you’re paying for.  The coaches and trainers here at The Spot Athletics do this because helping people is our passion. We want to make sure all of our clients are happy, and that they walk away from each training session knowing that they got the very best training out there. These 5 steps will definitely help ensure that!