LENAWEE CROSSFIT

As many of you have probably already heard, Warrior Performance Gym is now the CrossFit Affiliate, Lenawee CrossFit.  That brings all kinds of questions.  What does that mean for Warrior?  What does that mean for members and potential members?  Why CrossFit?

So hopefully this post will explain all of these questions and more!

Let’s start with the first question: What does this mean for Warrior?  The gym’s primary name is still Warrior Performance Gym, LLC.  Lenawee CrossFit is now an entity within Warrior Performance Gym.  The two names will have separate uses.   The athletic performance side of the gym (middle school, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes) will be considered Warrior Performance Gym.  On the fitness side of things we will use Lenawee CrossFit.  No worries though, we will all still be considered WARRIORS!

What does being a CrossFit gym mean for members and potential members?  It simply means that you are going to be provided with proven methods that will allow you to reach your goals, whatever they may be.  We are the ONLY CrossFit gym in Lenawee County.  Nobody else provides the necessary equipment, atmosphere, and intensity that we do.  Lenawee CrossFit is more than a gym, it is a fitness community.

Why CrossFit?  Well let’s start with a better question: What is CrossFit?  The definition of CrossFit (courtesy of CrossFit, Inc.) is:  Constantly varied, functional movements, performed at high intensities.  So let’s break these three parts down a little more.

Constantly varied means that you are going to do a wide variety of movements put together in a wide variety of ways.  You aren’t going to follow a routine where you work individual muscle groups on the same day of every week.  That is not functional nor does it serve you well in the real world.  ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY.  In life you have to be prepared for the unknown and the unknowable, so you should train in a way that will best prepares you for that.

Functional movements are natural movements that are an important aspect of everyday life.  Examples of functional movements include: squats (variety of different forms), presses, deadlifts, cleans, lunges, pull ups, etc.  All of these movements require the entire body to work in conjunction be efficient.  This means we do not isolate muscles and we do not program on a body part basis.  Doing single joint movements and using machines serves no purpose in everyday life. 

Doing these movements at high intensities is a vital part of the program.  Intensity is what gets results.  Long, slow movement does not translate into results, so therefore we eliminate them.  It has been proven that doing movements with high power outputs will get better results. 

By doing this style of training you will improve the ten general physical skills of fitness: cardio respiratory endurance, strength, stamina, flexibility, coordination, accuracy, agility, balance, power, and speed.  You will achieve a balance amongst these skills that sets you up for success in both fitness and life.  This will allow you to partake in lifelong activities. 

So now that you are aware of CrossFit, the choice is yours on how good you want to become.  Do you want to sit on machines that waste your time due to having no benefit in the real world, or do you want to become physically fit in a way that will help you improve your lifestyle?  Choose wisely as it will have a HUGE impact on the rest of your life.

HUMAN PERFORMANCE: WHY WARRIOR PERFORMANCE GYM IS YOUR BEST OPTION

WARRIOR PERFORMANCE GYM IS A GYM DESIGNED TO IMPROVE ONE THING: HUMAN PERFORMANCE.

We are NOT a bodybuilding gym or a gym claiming to improve human performance by using BOSU Balls and bands.

The following is a quick overview or what our program all entails.

STRENGTH & POWER DEVELOPMENT- Yes Warriors lift weights.  We do not give ourselves false confidence by using leg presses, smith machines, or any other machine.  We do movement's like cleans, jerks, snatches, front squats, overhead squats, back squats, deadlifts, presses, pull ups, lunges, etc.  All of our strength movements are functional, meaning you won't be sitting on a machine.  Leg pressing 1,000 lbs does not make you strong in the REAL world.  At the same time we are not going to be doing these on a BOSU ball, physioball, or any other type of ball.  We are here to make you better and help prevent injuries, not provide you with therapy.

CONDITIONING- Warriors don't do their "Cardio" on a treadmill or eliptical.  Our CONDITIONING is done with sleds, jump rope, running, body weight movements, etc.  This has been proven to be more effective and more efficient.  We push your limits for one reason: TO MAKE YOU BETTER.

SPEED & AGILITY- Warriors are going to get faster and quicker than they ever thought possible.  This happens through the linear speed and change of direction drills that we do in correlation with the strength work.  You don’t just get faster from the speed work, you also get faster from doing movements like cleans, jerks, snatches, squats, and deadlifts.

INJURY REDUCTION-  We aren’t going to put you through a bunch of mini band, BOSU Ball, Stability Ball (insert any other kind of wasted time and money here) exercises in order to help you prevent injury.  What we are going to do is make sure that your body moves properly.  The injury reduction is built into our program.  When we do squats and various other movements, we are going to do them properly, which in turn will develop the correct movement patterns and help reduce your risk of injury both in and out of the gym.  Injuries in the gym will usually happen when there is a combination of too much weight paired with improper form, not because certain movements are bad for you.  We also recommend doing various kinds of foam rolling and stretching to improve your mobility so that your body is capable of doing these movements properly.

Side note: Females will NOT get "bigger" from our training.  They WILL build more lean muscle, drop body fat, and get stronger.  However, this will only happen if you put forth the effort outside of the gym as well.


TRAIN FOR LIFE

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THE BEST CORE MOVEMENT

I get the questions all the time: “What can I do to get a six pack?” or “Can you give me some extra ab work?”  So I’m going to let you in on one of the reasons that Warrior Performance Gym’s athletes (everybody that trains here is an athlete) have unrivaled core strength in Lenawee County.

To start, let’s get an understanding of what your core consists of.  Your core, or torso as some may call it, ranges from above the knees to below the shoulders.  That means your hips and lats are part of your core.  Now, not only are they part of your core, but they are extremely strong pillars of your core.  So get rid of that mindset that your abdomen makes up your core.  Yes, they are a part of it, but only one piece to the puzzle. 

Next, let’s also change the mindset from “how the core looks” to “how the core performs.”  So many people are worried about having a six pack.  The truth is that a six pack is attained through good genetics, good diet, and good metabolic conditioning. It is not attained through an overload of crunches.  So in essence, your six pack could arrive if you worry about the factors that influence body fat rather than doing more crunches.  Now back to “how the core performs.”  The primary purpose of your core is something called mid-line stabilization.  What this means is that the muscles in your core keep everything in line and acts as a solid base to transfer energy.  If you think of an electrical current, the electricity can’t flow properly if there is a short or break in the line.  This is why a strong core is so important.  Transferring energy or power is what both athletics and life are all about.  Joe DeFranco, an extremely well respected strength and conditioning coach, has said: “It doesn’t matter if you have a strong lower or upper body if you have a marshmallow in the middle.”  This is a great way of explaining the importance of your core.

So now that we know the function of your core: how do we train it to be efficient?  When we take into account the considerations that we just talked about above, you have to look for movements that either train stabilization or help transfer power.  The movements that can meet both of these criteria are the best for workout efficiency.  That being said, there are a lot of movements that can do both of these.  At Warrior Performance Gym we are firm believers that the best overall core movement is the Overhead Squat.  The reason is simple: in just this one movement you have to incorporate shoulder and mid-line stabilization while at the same time transferring force through your lower body to stand up.  You have to do all of these things while maintaining the stabilization (not to mention the great amount of mobility you will have when performing this movement properly).  If you take a look in the picture below (it is a much heavier weight than our typical athletes are going to do, but same concept) I am having to stabilize the weight overhead and keep my core tight in order to squat the weight down and drive it back up.  If at any time I relax, I am going to miss the rep.

If you look at athletics, when you run, jump, swing, skate, and throw, you are always producing force through the ground to create movement.  The good athletes lose very little of that force as it transfers from the ground through the core (hips) and on to the upper body to propel your movement.  These are the most efficient and explosive athletes, who then are going to have the most success in their sport.  What this does NOT mean is that you have to have a six pack to have a strong core.  Many people that have six packs have very weak core muscles and would struggle to perform an overhead squat. 

Now, before you go out and start performing overhead squats you should be able do the following movements properly in this order and use proper exercise progression:

• ·         Body Weight Squat
• ·         Goblet Squat
• ·         Overhead Squat with broomstick/PVC Pipe
• ·         Overhead Squat with light barbell
• ·         Overhead Squat with regular barbell
• ·         Overhead Squat with weight

Other great movements that you can do that help train midline stabilization while also transferring force are: the Olympic Lifts (Cleans, Jerks, Snatches and their many variations), Front Squat, Back Squats, Lunges, Push Up variations, Barbell Bent-Over Rows, Inverted Rows, Various Medicine Ball throws, etc.  Anything that requires you to have a tight core in order to perform the movement in an efficient manner is great for training your core.  (Again, proper movement progression should be used.  Sacrifice in form to increase weight or difficulty is not acceptable.)

So if you want to have a strong core and reduce your risk of injury, all while increasing your power and strength levels and making your body more efficient, come and check out our various programs that we offer at Warrior Performance Gym to help take you to the next level.

NOTE TO READER: We still do traditional core movements like sit ups, planks, leg raises, etc., we just put more of an emphasis on our main core movements and use these others as assistive movements.

TRAIN WITH PASSION,

TRAIN FOR LIFE!

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THE WARRIOR MINDSET

I once had a weightlifting coach tell me to be a robot.  “Be like the Terminator” he said.  At first I was confused and didn’t pay much attention to it.  Upon further explanation, I found that what he was conveying to me was that in the sport of weightlifting athletes often psyche themselves out of lifting a heavy weight before even approaching the bar.  In the original Terminator, the Terminator was programmed to kill and kept going after the target despite being shot and blown up.  It didn’t stop because it was programmed to do only that one thing.  Being a robot, like the Terminator, meant for me to approach the bar like I was programmed to lift it.  If I didn’t think about how much weight it was, or that it was more than I had ever done, I was more likely to succeed.  All I had to do was do the movement that I had done a thousand times before, and do it without worrying about how much weight was on the bar.  This seems simple in writing, but actually putting it to work in real life takes practice.  Just like anything else, the more you practice, the better you become.

Now why I am I telling you this story?  I am telling you because this is something you can use in your training as well as your life.  No, you aren’t supposed to act like a robot (the only exception might be dancing or when you follow the same old body building routine).  What you CAN do is approach challenges—both in training and life—with the mindset that you are going to be successful because you are programmed to do them.  I recently read a quote that said your mind will give up a thousand times before your body does.  That is spot on.  When we have a tough workout at the gym and it pushes you out of your comfort zone, your mind tells you to stop.  It tells you that you're hurting.  Also in life when things get tough and you feel like the world is against you, it's because your mind is saying that you should feel sorry for yourself.  Both of these situations are great opportunities to push through the mind trying to stop you from getting better.  Program yourself to push through tough times.  You are going to reach your goals, enjoying every step and challenge along the way.  So in your workout YOU WILL push through.  In life NOTHING can bring you down!  YOU WILL attain your goals, there is no other option!

TRAIN WITH PASSION,

LIVE WITH PASSION!

Our version of back and biceps.  We "build" STRONGER bodies!

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

People often ask questions like: “What is the best way to (insert goal here)?”  This may be an athlete wanting to know how to gain weight, get stronger, faster, or more explosive.  It may also be a general fitness client wanting to get in better shape, drop their body fat, or move and feel better.  Regardless of the goal, the answer is the same: BE CONSISTENT!  

What do I mean by being consistent?  You see it all the time, people joining the gym and quitting after 4 weeks because they haven’t somehow miraculously lost 10-20 pounds.  Or maybe they try a fad diet and again don’t lose 10-20 pounds in 4 weeks, so they stop.  Or even with athletes, they are extremely motivated after that season ending loss and show up to train that following week because the loss is fresh in their mind.   Yet 4 weeks down the road as the pain they felt from the loss has become dull, they are nowhere to be seen. 

Here is where the key component lies.  If you didn’t lose 10-20 pounds in 4 weeks or didn’t all of a sudden become an elite caliber athlete in 4 weeks should you stop?  The answer for those of you that actually pondered that is a resounding NO!  If you do stop you are guaranteed to not reach your goal.  SO DO NOT STOP! Be resilient and keep plugging away!  Train harder and BE CONSISTENT in your approach.  That doesn’t mean that every once in a while you can’t take a day or two off to recover from your training, but when you start to take weeks at a time and have to start all over, you are just wasting precious time.  (Vacations or other issues like busy schedules do happen, but as soon as they are over, get back at it!)  If you can consistently train 4-6 times per week then do it.  If your schedule only allows for 2 workouts per week, then do it!  If you need to find some friends to train with for accountability or more motivation, then do it!  Just be consistent, because as the title to this blog says: “Consistency is key!” 

***On a side note, all Warriors that have been working hard of the last months, weeks, and days… keep kicking ass!  Each day is a new opportunity to get better, take advantage and PUSH THE LIMIT!

Exercise Technique: Training Aggressively While Staying Healthy

I am a firm believer in the saying that there is no such thing as a bad lift or movement, just bad form. 

What does this mean exactly?  There is a lot of debate in the strength and conditioning world over many different exercises and whether or not they are good for your body.  Are certain movements worth doing, or do they put you at too high of an injury risk? 

This is where I have an issue.  In my opinion it’s usually not the movement itself that causes the injury.  It’s the fact that the form of the movement is horrible due to either bad coaching or using too much weight for proper movement (which is also a sign of bad coaching).  You will see it all the time, just watch YouTube or even certain gyms’ promotional videos.  They have people with horrible form and a coach watching them do it and not correcting them.  Now, everybody is always in need of working on their technique, so to say that form in any of these videos should be perfect is unrealistic.  However, if you are the coach and you are either filming or being filmed coaching, you shouldn’t be watching somebody do horrible push-ups or any other movement, and not helping correct them.  To me, that is a red flag. 

While listening to a presentation recently, an Olympic weightlifting coach made a very good statement: watch highlight videos of a lot of the college football teams and watch their Olympic lifts.  You will see guys doing 315 lbs or more on a hang clean that look like they are about to crumble due to horrific form.  Rather than have that guy take some weight off the bar, work on his technique, then progressively work him back to heavier weights, some coaches continue to allow poor technique.  This is when certain “lifts” get bad reputations. 

Having an athlete getting hurt because they are doing too much weight, with horrible technique is just carelessness.  Then coaches, parents, and even athletes begin to talk about whether that “lift” puts them in harm’s way. 

So forget about anybody saying that squats are bad, or overhead lifts might hurt our shoulders.  Follow proper exercise progression and technique and these movements will put you light-years ahead of those not doing them. 

At Warrior Performance Gym we aggressively “Push the Limit” to ensure that you get the most out of your training while still maintaining a healthy body.  

Side Note: If somebody has an injury history or current injury, that changes the game-plan, otherwise...TRAIN ON!

"PUSHING THE LIMIT"

www.warriorperformancegym.com

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-Jon

WHAT IS WARRIOR PERFORMANCE GYM? "Thanks guy from yesterday!"

This week’s blog is dedicated to the guy that walked into the gym yesterday, only proceeding to walk out just as quickly as he came in.  His words were, “Oh, I like to lift weights.”  I don’t know his name, nor is that a relevant part of the story.  The most ironic part is that the guy looked like he has never touched a weight in his life.  So, this blog is going to be about what Warrior Performance Gym is about and what we are designed to do. 

When you first walk into Warrior Performance Gym, you will undoubtedly recognize the obvious:  we aren’t like most gyms or what I refer to as a “Globo Gym.”

The reason behind our gym and its layout:

We want to train people in a functional manner.  This means we aren’t going to have cardio machines, weight machines, or any other piece of equipment that might require you to sit on your ass.  We also don’t have mirrors, a fancy juice bar that charges outrageous prices for shakes, or some guy in a banana hammock sitting in the front window.  \

Why?  

You are not coming to the gym to sit on your ass, you are coming here to get in better shape and reach your goals, whatever those may be.  

You are not coming here to stare in our mirrors and check yourself out.  Everybody has mirrors at home that they can intrigue themselves with.  

You aren’t going to get ripped off and pay money for a post workout blended shake that you don’t even know what is in it. (Note: workout nutrition is important, but shouldn’t break your budget).  

You also are not coming in here based on some guy being all jacked and tan wearing a loin cloth. 

You ARE, however, coming in here to get in better shape and be able to move better than you ever have in your life.  We have members with all DIFFERENT types of goals, and a coach that has helped numerous people REACH all different types of goals.  Despite the lack of cardio machines, you WILL get your conditioning in, and it will be better, more fun, and quicker than sitting on a treadmill or an elliptical.

So let’s get back to the guy that wants to “lift some weights.”  Whatever your goals are, we WILL help you meet them!  Oh, and guess what… we have weights, and we use them every day!  

So you want to look like a body builder?  We can set up a program for you to do so and… drum roll please… you don’t have to train on weight machines to get there!  

Not interested in looking like a body builder, and would rather compete in a strength sport like power lifting, weightlifting, or strongman?  My drummer is sick so I’ll save him the drum roll on this…but guess what…we can get you competing at a high level in any of those. (Note to powerlifter: leave the squat panties and bench shirt at home, we aren’t interested in how much your gear can lift, just how much YOU can lift.  However if you want to purchase 2 memberships (one for you and one for your gear) we might be able to see how much both of you can lift!)  

You want to become a better athlete and attain what all athletes want: MORE EXPLSIVENESS?  We will do that, and do it better than anybody in the area!  

Also, a big part of our membership base is general fitness just looking to get in better shape and maybe shed some body fat.  Again, we will design a program for you and make sure you do it the right way.

No matter what your goals are, we can get you there.  That’s the great thing about our individualized programs.  They are geared towards reaching your goals and strengthening your weaknesses.  We have both conventional and unconventional implements that will help increase all of the following:

• Power
• Strength
• Speed
• Agility
• Balance
• Conditioning
• Explosiveness
• Core Strength and Stability
• Flexibility
• General Sexiness

·         And many more!

So I encourage you to stop in and try out a free week to see why we are the experts in anything strength and conditioning related. 

So, next time you want to “lift some weights” feel free to come in and drag our sled around or flip our tire.  We’ll see how “strong” you really are.

“Pushing the Limit”

www.warriorperformancegym.com

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-Jon