fitness Archives - Kelly Athletics

Do you get Bored with Working out by yourself or at the Gym?

Look back for a moment. When you or a friend played school sports and had weight training in the off season, each day of the week was designated to specific muscle groups. For example, Monday was “leg day”, Tuesday was “arm day”, so on and so forth. When this happens, people might get into a routine, but it’s not a very fun one. You end up knowing what is coming and feeling turned off by the very idea that you have to do it all over again. Every Monday you do the same leg workouts on the machines – 3 sets of 10, and call it a day. Perhaps instead of falling into a routine with the same workouts all the time, adding variety would make things more interesting and keep people coming back to the gym. (Hint: Try an energetic plant based trainer like me who doesn’t let you get bored with working out!)

Do you get bored at the gym after short periods of time? Let’s explore how to make it interesting!

Variety is key to any program, to prevent getting bored with working out. Changing things up helps with 3 main things: endurance, continuity, and results!

1. Endurance – if you change up your routine, you will be able to work various muscles in your body . If you exhaust one muscle and that is the only muscle being trained for the day, you will run out of steam… fast.

2. Continuity – change things up to keep them interesting. The less bored you get, the less likely you will quit!

3. Results – Let’s put two and two together. If your workouts last longer while working multiple muscles in each workout AND you stick to a workout program because it is fun and exciting… you will absolutely reach your goals faster.

Truth be told, there is not one exercise program that is right for everyone. Take a look at your goals. Are you trying to lose weight? Do you want to get buff? Do you need to get stronger? Whatever body transformation you are working on, there are key parameters to your training that should be considered. If you allow a fitness professional to put together a proper program design that will work for you, variety could be a key component of your workouts.

Contact Me for More Info on Starting a Workout Program:

The Science Behind and Benefits of Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a common practice in the Personal Training world. You might have tried it before at the gym or at home, but if you’re not doing it before and after every workout you might not realize the added benefits of foam rolling. I’m about to tell you why you should work it in to your exercise routine.

Foam rolling with Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is a technique used to inhibit overactive muscles and relieve tension in tight or sore muscles. SMR enhances flexibility, improves muscle tissue response, and reduces muscle soreness. It is difficult to know which muscles are overactive if you aren’t familiar with typical Human Movement Impairments, such as Upper Crossed Syndrome where one’s neck protrudes forward during push-ups or Pronation Distortion Syndrom where ones knees cave in and toes point out during squats. If you want to find out if you have a movement dysfunction, talk to a Corrective Exercise Specialist and get assessed. Untreated human movement impairments can lead to sore muscles/tissue trauma, inflammation, muscle spasms and knots, altered neuromuscular control, muscle imbalance, and eventually – injury.

So how does SMR work? It stimulates the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO) receptors through sustained pressure. You roll along your overactive muscle until you feel that there is a knot or even a bit of pain. This is the poitn where you will hold the foam roller in place until you feel relief, for 30 seconds up to 2 minutes depending on the severity of your muscle tightness. There are varying levels of intensity you can choose based on the amount of pain you may feel when you foam roll. The more weight you put on the foam roller, the more intense it will feel. The first few times may hurt, but once you keep practicing and repeatedly work on the same muscles, it eventually feels good. My favorite benefits of foam rolling is that it can have similar effects to getting a massage. Not only do you save $65 on a massage but you can do it yourself and get all the knots out in a few short minutes.

foam-rolling-peroneal-muscles-side-plank — *Foam Rolling the Peroneal Muscles in a Side Plank Position*

When foam rolling in addition to stretching, you can significantly increase your range of motion and flexibility. I encourage you to get started today by getting assessed, learning your corrective exercises, and practice, practice, practice! It can take about 5 foam rolling sessions to start feeling relief and up to 4 weeks to start seeing improvements in your movement dysfunction. It is best to foam roll your overactive muscles with SMR as a preventative strategy before and after each workout, before injury becomes an issue. Once you complete an assessment with your Personal Trainer, you should be given a list of exercises that can help you reduce risk of injury and correct your muscle imbalances. You should start foam rolling at the beginning of your workout program.

Contact Kelly Gibson to learn exercises for Self-Myofascial Release.

Do you have a foam roller and want to start using it? Try my Stretching Plans with photos that include foam rolling techniques.

Contact Me for More Info on my Personal Training or Stretching Plans:

Tag: fitness

Bored with Working out?

Benefits of Foam Rolling

The Science Behind and Benefits of Foam Rolling