Most of our blog posts, newsletters and info we send out via those mediums is geared towards fat loss, adult training, fitness or nutrition. Most of active readers are looking for that information, but what about the kids?
This time of year and a few conversations that I have had in the past week have lead me to think I need to write something for the kids, or at least about the kids!
I would hope that most of you that read this know that we have a very active youth training program, Athletic Revolution, at Force Fitness. This program focuses on training our youth from the ground up, using developmental training programs that teach them how to move, empower them to have success and breeds confidence in each kid, athlete or not.
Often times we get asked what age a kid can start training. There are a lot of different answers that can be applied here, but our answer is as soon as they are ready!
We love to start working with kids at the age of 9 or 10. At this point we can actively work to make the youth more athletic, develop fundamental movement patterns that will eventually allow them to develop as an athlete or in movement. We don’t load the kids up with weight, we don’t push them to their limits. The key to making this a not only a productive training session for the kids and making this something they will see as a lifelong habit is making it fun and enjoyable.
For our early youth development programs we focus on doing a ton of different bodyweight movements, medicine ball throwing, teaching them how to run, change direction and perform a lot of the basic movements you would use later correctly in a fun atmosphere.
Once we have established the basic movement patterns we can move on to using some weight as they get into the 12 and 13 year old age range.
Fact of the matter is kids don’t get to play as much and spend more time than ever sitting on the couch playing video games and watching TV. They don’t get as much recess at school and PE time is being cut all of the time.
Our kids simply aren’t getting the chance to develop on their own anymore! They specialize in sports too early, they specialize in training too early, and they are too inactive or burnt out to do any real play.
We train all of our youth to be more athletic. Regardless of the sport they play, even if they don’t play a sport, being more athletic will benefit them not only in the immediate future but over their lifetime.
Don’t hold your kids back by not letting them be as active as they really want to be! Most kids truly love playing if given the chance and they need the personal interaction of their peers to develop socially and emotionally. Chatting over the internet, texting or gaming isn’t going to benefit their development!
I truly believe that we not only have the best athletic training and developmental program in the area, state and maybe country, but I also am adamant that we have the programs in place to develop character, morals, development and create amazing human beings with our early youth development programs.
If you have read thus far in the post you obviously have some skin in the game so to speak and have an interest in your child or children in general being the best athlete and person that they can be. Shoot me an email so that we can get you set up with a free 14 day trial to see just how much your kid love the program. If they don’t love the training, have a blast and get the chance to develop as a person you are out nothing but a few weeks of great training. If your kids love it we would love to invite them to be apart of some of the most amazing kids in Bloomington, and the country, working with us! We have programs that meet everyone’s needs, times, and budget. Just let us know how we can help.
Email either myself (rtketchum@gmail.com) or Wil (wtflemin@gmail.com) with questions or to get your little athlete set up for success. Mention the blog post to us before Monday 12/7 and get your first month for just $1!
Do you hear that? It is the clocking ticking away at anytime you have wasted to get a jump start on your goals and New Year’s Resolution!
Thanksgiving is over and we now have about 4 weeks before Christmas is here, I have already pounded it into your heads that the average American gains 7-10lbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas. How much did you gain over the Thanksgiving holiday alone? 1, 3, 5 lbs??
Don’t let this stuff side track your results. Don’t let it get you down.
If you were strong and did the holiday workouts, ate well except during your Thanksgiving dinner and didn’t gain a pound or actually made progress over the weekend, I am very proud of you.
If you fell off the wagon and made a few eating errors, let it go! Get back on track today and make sure this week is the best fitness week you have ever had! Don’t miss a workout, eat right 90% of the time and make up a little lost time.
The more time you let go between now and January 1, 2012 the more weight you will gain, the more out of shape you will get, and the worse you will feel.There is one resource that we can’t get back…. TIME…. so don’t waste anymore and make sure you reach out for a little help if needed.
To give you the bests results possible over the course of the week I am going to set up a Google Group online that will lend as a support group for recipes, motivation and questions.
I am going to take the first 20 people that want in this group and put you in it for FREE! Just email me and I will get it set up. You can reply to this email. You have unlimited email access to me for the holiday season.
Ah, you know what? I am feeling generous on this Cyber Monday and I am extending that to 30 people. I have to know by Tuesday morning to get you set up. I want action takers and serious people in this group.
Email me to let me know.
Also, if you want to get even more support let’s use the Force Fitness Facebook page! Go ask questions, post goals, and really use it as a message board to sound off on your holiday fitness goals and troubles. We will check it daily to answer questions.
Go and “Like” the Force Fitness page, check it often and friend me as well!
Have a great day and take advantage of these resources, unless you just don’t like to get results.Thank you for being such great clients and newsletter readers! All of the Force Fitness Team is very thankful for each and every one of you!
I am sitting here and have been held up writing this post for 30 minutes talking about a few changes we want to make to Force with Amber, and the growth that we have had over the past 3 years. I have been reflecting for three days on what I was going to write this morning and how I would convey my emotions, thanks and thoughts into a blog post.
To be honest I am not sure what to even write and I am going to admit that this post may take 100 different turns and go a million directions before I am done. I am writing off the cuff and will publish this uneditted, uncut and as it came to mind.
For those of you that don’t know what the heck I am talking about today is Force Fitness’ 3 year Anniversary. On this day in 2008 I can still remember sitting at the front desk, Wil and I crammed up front together because we didn’t have an office yet and hoping people would show up that we invited or told about our opening. I had some very dedicated clients that were supposed to follow me from the gym I previously ran my business out of, but there is no guarantee. Luckily everyone followed.
Many of those 35 or so clients that came over with me are still here today and have a special place in my heart. Thank you to all of you! I would list everyone by name but I would probably forget a few of you and offend someone.
Over the past three years many of our clients have become close friends and some I would call family. We develop those kinds of relationships at Force Fitness and I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like at this point without those people in it.
We truly do appreciate each and everyone that chooses us to help them reach their fitness, fat loss and performance related goals. It is an honor to be able to help each one of you.
We have some amazing people that train at Force and we have an even more amazing group of coaches that Wil and I are lucky enough to call our team. Without them we wouldn’t be able to handle the client load that we ahve at the gym today and each one of them has had their part in our growth and development as one of the best fitness facilities in the country.
The gym alone in the past several years has received many awards and recognition. It is all due to the amazing clients that we have and the team that supports it.
Heck, I had a package on my desk this morning from The Independent, a newspaper similar to the USA Today in London, and there was an article in it for the World’s Elite Trainers. I somehow made the list and I had no idea that this was even taking place. I thank each client that I have ever been able to work with for helping me get there. I was also featured in USA Today and the Boston Globe. These things are surreal for me!
Wil was named the International Youth Conditioning Association’s Member of the Year for his contribution to the world of sports performance and youth conditioning. What an incredible honor for him and Force!
Force and myself were named the Boot Camp of the Year in 2011! This was voted on my the best in industry and an amazing honor. Thanks to those of you that make our Boot Camp program what it is today.
Wil and our athletic development team have helped over 30 kids reach their dreams of playing a sport at the next level and changed hundreds of lives of our youth for the better by showing them the hard work, character and dedication it takes to be great at not only sports, but in life.
Wil and I have spoke across the nation this year at various events and many doors have been opened thanks to all of you that have helped us along the way. Without clients that worked hard and trusted in us, without a team that allowed us to do these speaking engagements, and without the support of our families we would be nowhere close to where we are today.
I can remember sitting in our business mentoring meetings with a group of the best in the industry 18-24 months ago and listing out our goals and what we wanted to accomplish. Thanks to their support, help and friendship we have accomplished every single one of those goals and more. I remember that we wanted to simply speak at a small event for other fitness pros and now we are asked to speak at international events and honored as some of the best in the industry.
Alot has changed over the past three years and more great changes are coming in the years to come.
I almost don’t believe that it has been three years since we opened the doors and it almost feels like another day to me. I am sure that as the day goes on and things settle in I will have a lot of emotions hit me, but right now I am simply thankful for the things that we have accomplished and humbled by the thought that we can do the amazing things we do and work with the amazing people we do on a daily basis.
I feel like 90% of the words in this post are thank yous. And that is exactly how it should be!
I could go on and on thanking the people in my life that have helped us build this business and change the lives of thousands of people.
Thanks to my very, and I mean VERY, understanding wife and best friend for supporting me through thick and thin and allowing me to work hard and sometimes long hours, sacrificing our time together, to help me reach my goals. Without Kim in my life I would be lost. She is my rock and cornerstone. She is my best friend and partner in everything that we do and I can only hope that I bring her as much happiness as she brings me every single day. Thank you!
Thank you to my business partner and best friend Wil. Without Wil this business would not be the same. The past three years have changed the dynamic of our friendship and we have evolved as men, but one thing never changes we are tied together for life through a bond of incredible friendship and a thriving business. There were times in the past three years that I have had to lean on Wil and his trust to get through rough times. I thank you for being a great business partner and friend. Here is to many more years to come!
Wil and I are fortunate enough to be able to work with the two best fitness business consultants in the world, Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry of the Fitness Consulting Group. Without these guys and the team that they now have working for them we would not be close to where we are today. I am very lucky to now call these guys great friends and even business partners. I now work with them on almost every project that they do and am looking forward to doing much, much more with them.
There are countless thank yous we could hand out in this post. There are hundreds of people that we can show our appreciation to for helping us get to where we are today. So thank you to each and everyone of you, even those of you reading this that I have never met or that live across the country and world.
We truly do have a family at Force Fitness and it is a great one!
I am the first to admit that I tend to give steady state cardio a bad rap when it comes to its effectiveness as a weightloss tool.
I still stand by the fact that it is not the most effective tool for fat loss and getting fast results. In fact, steady state cardio is at the bottom of my list in the fat loss hierarchy.
Here is my heirarchy of activity for fat loss:
1) Metabolic Strength Training (boot camp type workouts, strength intervals)
2) Strength Training
3) Interval Cardio Training
4) Steady State Cardio
On top of all these things you must have you nutrition in order to get great results. The hierarchy of nutrition could be an entire post on its own so we won’t get into it at the moment, but our Fit NOT Fat Meal plan listed in a early November post is perfect for quick fat loss.
The key to using steady state cardio for fat loss effectively is making sure that you have all the other aspects in place. You want to make sure that you are doing your metabolic strength training or intense strength training to get your metabolism revved up and maintain muscle mass.
The metabolic strength training tops my hierarchy because it encompasses both aspects of strength and metabolic conditioning (hence the name, duh). Right now I am doing this type of training with different interval focuses 6 days per week. This really keeps training enjoyable and fun for me at the moment.
Strength training alone can serve the same purpose of maintaining muscle mass, but it is tougher to get the same metabolic effect from this alone. The fact that you are using large muscle groups and forcing them to break down and recover will enhance your metabolism enough to see changes.
After these two types of workouts I would implement interval cardio exercise. This could be jogging, biking, sprinting, rowing or any other type of typical aerobic activity that can be done at intense intervals and rest intervals. It is even possible to structure your metabolic strength training to fit this type of workout. I often times do bodyweight intervals that serve as my cardio intervals due to the nature of the exercises.
The final piece of the puzzle that you may need to add is steady state cardio. The only time I will add steady state cardio is when I have dialed in my nutrition and made as many changes as possible, included at least 4-6 days of workouts of metabolic strength or strength work. Adding in a day or more of interval work is the next step in increasing your activity.
Once your diet is on point and you are training right, it might be necessary to burn a few extra calories. This is where steady state cardio comes in handy. Once my metabolism is revved up and I know I am not over eating the goal is to simply burn more calories. To do this the easiest way, without overworking your body, is steady state cardio.
I would start with adding in 2-3 days per week of 20-30 minutes just to get a little boost in calorie burning!
While this won’t take you to the promised land of fitness if that is all you use, I can promise that if you have dialed in everything else that burning a few extra hundred calories will help you reach your goals.
Congratulations to Anthony Pizzo the Force Fitness Athlete of the Month!
Force Fitness would like to congratulate Anthony Pizzo our athlete of the Month. Anthony was selected by the staff at Force Fitness for his outstanding progress and dedication to training.
Anthony’s goals when he began training were to get his total body stronger, as well as improving his speed for competition in track and field. Anthony competes and excels in multiple events for the Bloomington South track team. Anthony has been a top 5 finisher at the National championships the last 2 years as a decathlete (10 grueling events!). The decathlon requires both strength and speed more than any other sporting event.
Anthony has trained almost year round with Force Fitness to make sure that he can accomplish his sporting goals. This dedication will ensure his success on the track.
Anthony is motivated by the constant pursuit of new barriers, setting new personal records in track and being successful overall. Anthony’s interests don’t stop at the finish line in track though, he is a very talented musician, and an aspiring screenwriter. With his incredible work ethic and dedication Anthony will most definitely be a state qualifier in track and field this year.
Congratulations Anthony!
Congratulations to Mehgan Truesdel the Force Fitness Client of the Month!
Mehgan Truesdel came to Force Fitness about four months ago. She has lost all of the body fat that she set out to lose, and gained a lot of muscle. She has also gained an interest in exercise, which she used to dread.
Mehgan first joined Force Fitness to get in shape for the Colts cheerleading tryouts that are in January, and hopes the judges will be pleased with the outcome. She has decided that if she does not make the team, that she will continue with Force because she has experienced amazing results physically and mentally.
Mehgan started at Force after her brother started attending the sports performance program. She knew that if her brother, who dreaded exercise more than her, really liked the training, that she would probably enjoy it also; and she really enjoys it.
Mehgan was nervous when she started, but she is so pleased with her results. She never thought she would make it this far in her training. She trains three times a week with Force, and then jogs for 30 minutes twice a week. She also has changed her diet from fast food to healthy choices for five small meals/snacks a day. She says that the nutrition was the hardest part, but feels much better.
Mehgan has received many compliments from her friends and family, and her parents have started the same nutrition plan that she has implemented. We encourage Mehgan to keep working toward her goals and helping her family with the nutrition changes.
Congratulations to Michelle Hamric the Force Fitness Co-Boot Camper of the Month!
Michelle started at Force Fitness with our 28 Day Challenge that started in September and she has lost 15 pounds and several inches! She is happy that her clothes fit better and that she is able to fit in clothes she has not been able to wear for awhile.
Michelle would like to continue with her workout plan and nutrition to progress with her workout goals. She is setting an example for her family and patients and wants to encourage other people to make simple choices that have profound positive effects.
Michelle enjoys that the trainers have all been very encouraging even when she is not feeling her best. She also enjoys that the other members are very positive and encouraging. She is happy to work out in a place that does not question you about previous bad choices, instead the focus is on encouraging and that you have made the choice to make these life changes.
Michelle was nervous when she started because she has rheumatoid arthritis and often has issues with joint pain, and even though her doctor encouraged her to exercise, it was hard to think about exercising when your joints hurt. Now, she really enjoys getting up and working out, and found that her joints hurt much less.
Michelle attends boot camp twice a week, sometimes three times, and follows the nutrition plan to achieve her goals. She plans to continue following the nutrition plan, and meeting with the nutritionist. Her family and friends are very encouraging, and she tracks her progress on facebook and receives support from all over. We encourage her to keep working hard!
Congratulations to Ted Berry the Force Fitness Co-Boot Camper of the Month!
Ted Berry came to Force Fitness in September for our 28 Day Challenge and signed up for a year membership after two weeks. He has lost 23 lbs and is two notches down on his belt! Ted would like to lose about 20 more pounds before his 2012 Spring Break Trip to the Bahamas.
Ted says he loves coming to Force Fitness for his boot camp sessions. He enjoys how the staff is always polite and helpful. He really enjoys all the campers that in his boot camp time. He says that several of them arrive early to stretch and share stories with each other. That is the community that is needed to have success.
Ted first cam to Force Fitness because he saw the results that a co-worker had after working at Force Fitness for several months. He decided why not, and came to the boot camp orientation. He was a nervous wreck when he attended orientation and his first class, because he thought that it was going to be really hard and no fun at all! After two months he says he cannot imagine missing a session, and that he looks forward to attending.
Ted attends boot camp two days a week, and then tries to attend the Saturday drop in class as well. He immediately made changes to his nutrition after orientation. He started eating protein at every meal and limited himself to one cheat meal per week. He also takes Prograde Metabolism, a multi vitamin, fish oil and has a protein shake every morning.
Ted has been encouraged by his family and friends to keep working hard has referred other people to Force Fitness. We also encourage Ted to keep working hard and are happy with his results.
This has been a crazy week, at least for me. I have been on the road a lot this week, trying to complete several projects and things at the gym are as busy as ever so I am trying to stay on top of that as well.
No excuses for missing workouts and eating bad however. This week I got up a bit earlier than usual to hit a 5am workout on Tuesday (I am not a morning workout person), hit one up late Wednesday night at home as I didn’t get home until almost 8pm. Today is another 5am day for workouts because I am off filming a video for the International Youth Conditioning Association.
In the midst of the busy schedule for everyone I wanted to ask you a few questions….
Did you know that Force Fitness is a part of Athletic Revolution, actually we were the first operational AR, which is the fastest growing youth fitness/sports performance franchise in the world?
Did you know that Wil co-authored a certification for High School Strength Coaches with two other coaches (they also happen to be two of the best in the industry)?
Did you know that we frequently consult for strength coaches and other sports performance coaches on how to best train their athletes?
(Go click around on http://iyca.org/ and see our presence at the international level)
You may or may not recognize Force Fitness as one of the premier fat loss and fitness training facilities in the country.
You may or may not recognize Force Fitness as one of the premier athletic development training facilities in the country.
But, you should! Right in your back yard you have access to the best coaching and training available to adults and youth alike. It would be a shame if you didn’t take advantage of that or if your friends kids didn’t take advantage of that, or if anyone in the surrounding area didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to train with us.
I don’t say this to be arrogant or conceited. I simply want everyone to have access to the best training possible.
One of the things that is keeping us so busy is preparing for…..
Our 3 Year Anniversary! Which can only mean one thing!
We need to have a party!
So next Saturday we will be holding a Re-Grand Opening and Open House for all of Bloomington and the surrounding areas! There is no cost for any of the activities, we simply ask you bring or tell as many people as possible!
All morning we will be here putting on the biggest show in fitness for the area to make sure that anyone that wants a chance can experience the best!
If you would please print off the flier (save the image below and print it off) to hang up, pass it out, heck even emailing it out to all of your friends as an invitation to come and check us out would be great.
The first 100 to show up get a grab bag of free gifts and prizes.
You can compete for prizes in our challenge workouts that take place all day long.
I hate to break it to all of you out there that might think you have to spend 60-90 minutes a day, 5 days a week in the gym to get great results.
The truth of the matter is if you plan your workouts the right way you can spend 20-30 minutes 3-5 days per week in the gym, or even at home, and get amazing results.
I am being 100% honest when I tell you this, because my personal workouts are between 25-40 minutes long. I do train 4-6 days per week, if I am being completely honest, but I make sure that 2 of those workouts are recovery based and not as intense. I simply feel better if I get in some activity every day.
The key to these short workouts is intensity. You must push hard, and push hard from the start. You don’t have time to half-a** a workout if you are only doing it 3 days a week and for 20-30 minutes.
You can push yourself with intensity in a few ways.
1) Reduced rest time, more work time. This comes in the form of intervals that are two times the work period as the rest period. 40-20s, 30-15s, 20-10s, etc. The downside is the challenge of maintaining your intensity during the workout with the shortened rest periods. Often times you need to take a period of 60s to rest and transition. To set these workouts up you will want to work opposite areas of the body when moving from one exercise to the next. Squat and push up paired together are great because one works the legs and then other the core and upper body. This allows each area to recover when the other is working.
2) Reduced work periods using total body, explosive or super high intensity movements. One of my favorites for this is 15-45s, 10-30s, and so on. This is a workout that you do tons of burpees, plyometric variations, jumps, slams and other stuff that will jack up your heart rate, use tons of muscle and blast your metabolism.
3) Short intense work periods with brief rest periods for longer sets. 10-5 x 20 alternating sets, 10-5 x 6 same movement sets and a few other combinations are great workouts for this type of program. I love pairing explosive work with core stability in the alternating sets (burpees and planks for 10s on -5s off alternating exercises for 20 sets). 10-5 x 6 straight sets followed by 30-60s rest is another great one! This allows you to put forth great effort and get a lot of volume in during each set without sacrificing form or intensity. Just try squats or push ups using this protocol and see what I mean!
Give some of these a try and let me know what you think!
On Saturday, November 12th at 10am I am challenging you to a fight, a fight against fat!
Master Branden Price from Lee’s Martial Arts and myself will be teaming up to put on the best martial arts and fitness fusion workout that Bloomington has ever seen! This is one of the most popular ways to get in a workout and we don’t want you to miss it.
Using a combination of metabolic conditioning movements and programming with martial arts skills we are going to give you a fun, exciting and effective workout to burn some fat and teach you some skills that might come in handy some day.
One of the things that draws me to martial arts is the discipline that is involved. This discipline can be used in life and in your fitness program. There are times that you must withstand temptation, deprive yourself of certain things and do things that may be uncomfortable.
How often could you use more of this virtue?
The fact that we are fortunate enough to learn with Bloomington’s best, Master Branden Price, is humbling. I am honored to be able to teach next to someone that is at the level Master Price has reached at a young age.
What can you expect to learn from this class?
Skills in punching and kicking
Combination strikes
Pairing the martial arts skills with metabolic conditioning for a fun and effective fat burning workout
Much more….
The class will take place on Saturday, November 12th at 10am. We only have 20 spots open and they will go fast! This 60 minute workout will give you the chance take out some aggressions, learn some new skills and jack up your metabolism!
