Two things you could add to your workout are paused reps and eccentric reps. Both of these are typically done using free weights. Paused reps are done by pausing all momentum at the bottom of your exercise. Ex: bar touching your chest on a bench press or bottom of a squat before standing back up. […]

Consider changing your cardio equipment, style, or timing for a boost to your stagnant workout program. Changing Equipment Take advantage of all the cardio equipment in the Center and use a new or different piece every week. This includes the track, TPC, and the large area by the TVs. You may just find a new […]

Are you catching your Z’s? I think it is safe to say that everyone could use some better sleep at night, especially around the winter holidays. Experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Not only do we need sleep for enhanced cognitive functioning, but sleep is also critical for muscle growth and repair. The […]

Be sure to lock your elbows into your side when performing tricep extensions. This will allow you to isolate your triceps for maximal engagement. Common faults to avoid: -excessive elbow movement -elbows flaring out

Trainer Tip by: Leah Sanders Did you know that Vitamin D is essential for staying healthy and fighting infection? Vitamin D is also known as the “sunshine vitamin.” How do we get enough Vitamin D in the winter when we may not be able to enjoy the sun like we do during the summer months? […]

Trainer Tip by: Coach Michael Tracking your workouts is a great way to see your progress and continue to push yourself. Using the MYWellness app or MYWellness Key will track everything for you, so be sure to utilize this feature. Using a notebook, excel spreadsheet, or app on your phone (MYWellness) will make access to […]

Trainer Tip by: Coach Michael Supersetting is when you rotate between 2 or more exercises. For example, if my superset was with squats, jumping jacks, and pushups, I would do one set of each before moving on to set 2 of each. Here are a few types of supersets you could do: Push/Pull Upper/Lower Vertical/Horizontal […]

Trainer Tip by: Coach Michael Bracing the core is an extremely important part of any exercise. This ensures that your core is strong and not bending or moving in a direction or way that could result in injury. Some easy steps to think through in your mind are: Breathe big into your stomach. This will […]

Just because the temperature is dropping doesn’t mean we need to stop exercising outside. When participating in physical activity in the cold, avoid skin contact with the environment, wear the appropriate layers, and stay hydrated. Avoid Frostbite and Hypothermia For starters, it is not recommended to exercise at temperatures below 0° F or at temperatures […]

Cuban Press: Top of the line Shoulder Work This is a difficult exercise to strengthen your upper back, rotator cuff, and chest muscles. Starting with a chest-supported motion on the bench keeping your spine in a neutral and straight line. Less than 10 pounds of weight per arm is recommended for this exercise 1) Pull […]

Make sure you pull your elbows in tight towards the body when doing lat pull downs. This will help you work more muscles in your back when doing this exercise. Make sure you ask our trainers for more great back exercises!

Seated Piriformis Stretch The seated Piriformis stretch targets not only the piriformis, but also the glutes and hips. In order to perform this stretch, sit with a neutral spine on a chair or bench. Bring your right leg up and place your ankle on top of your left thigh, right above the knee. Once in […]

When you get on the Bosu ball make sure you are near a stable surface. When performing the heel-to-toe exercise you will shift your weight from the back of your foot to the front. When balancing left to right you will shift your weight from your left foot to your right foot. For a simpler […]

This exercise will help pull your shoulders back if you have a problem with rounded shoulders. Pull the handles back toward your forehead until your hands are in front of the shoulders. You’ll feel your shoulder blades retract or pinch together. Hold this position for a few seconds. When pulling back you should feel look […]

Here are 3 simple and easy band exercises to help with shoulder strength and stability.  Banded Press and Stretch: Grab the band at shoulder width while your elbows are tucked and hands at chin height. Press the band overhead keeping the elbows tucked and stretching wide overhead and slightly back. Track the elbows back in […]

Movement Purpose: These movements help to open up the chest muscles and shoulders. They activate and prime the body by increasing mobility and blood flow to the upper body. These movements help with posture, core work and strength, and recovery/activation. Movements: PVC Pass, PVC Around the World, PVC Rack Fixer PVC Pass: Take the PVC pipe and […]

Importance of a Deadlift: Deadlifts are movements that focus on strengthening the posterior chain. It also demonstrates one of the biggest general functioning movements a person does: hinge. Here we have two videos that demonstrate the correct way and incorrect way to deadlift.  Movement Set-up:  Correct way: With the trap bar in front of you, […]

Hamstring Stretch: When performing a hamstring stretch, this movement helps to improve your hamstring flexibility, increase leg mobility, and help strengthen the lower back and legs. Make sure while performing the stretch that you keep your back straight, as well as your leg straight when using support from the chair. Use the wall for support […]

The Bulgarian Split Squat is an exercise that will challenge you greatly but you will be proud you accomplished it once it’s over! To perform this correctly place your rear foot on the bench or platform behind you with your toes down. If you are using a weight, keep it nice and high in the […]

Most exercisers are familiar with forward and backward lunges but not diagonal, side, and curtsey lunges which can be great to throw into workouts for variety and an added challenge.  Lunges are a great exercise for those that do not have knee pain and also help improve mobility, agility, and single-leg strength. In the video […]

When performing the chest supported row make secure to keep your elbows tucked in, chest pad adjusted correctly, keep your chest on the pad the whole time, and make sure to only pull till the handles are right in front of your chest. 

The purpose of a banded or plate YTA is to increase flexibility of the biceps and triceps. This exercise helps better posture and increase thorough range of motion How to: Plate – Using two 2.5 lb plates in each hand leaning on a vertical bench at 45 degrees, raise both arms to make a Y […]

Purpose: to increase movement or range of motion in thoracic spine  Benefits: improved posture, increased range of motion during flexion, extension, and rotation of the thoracic spine, and decreased risk of shoulder and lower back impingement or pain due to mobility restrictions of the thoracic spine  Exercises: Sprinklers, Cat/cow  Sprinklers  Position your body face down […]

In this video, we show you how to take a regular exercise and make it into an eccentric movement. We wanted to highlight adding eccentric movements into workouts for its many benefits. Focusing on eccentric training, or making an exercise an eccentric movement, is a great way to really get a feel for a movement […]

This movement is intended to help fix poor posture, enhance rotator cuff strength, and improve overall shoulder health. Start with holding the band at waist level with an underhanded grip, grip width should be about even with the shoulders and arms at your sides. Squeeze your shoulder blades to start this movement and try to […]

As we find many of our clients to have knee issues (replacements, discomforts, etc.), these are some movements that help alleviate knee pressure and recruit muscles that are used in a general bodyweight squat. Two movements that you can substitute for the bodyweight squat: Lateral Lunge with a Slider/Frisbee/Paper Plate Key pointers in the Lateral […]

Coach Blake and Coach Annalise show the proper and improper techniques for tricep pushdowns.  Follow the steps below the videos for the proper technique. Setup: Position the cable machine at a height above your head and attach a bar or rope attachment. Stand facing the cable with your feet hip width apart firmly grasping the […]

These quick exercises will activate underutilized muscles needed for posture and proper lifting form when performing strength exercises. The banded walks will fire up the hip and glute muscles for any lower body exercise. The band pull-apart will make sure your upper back and lats are ready for any upper body exercise including pressing motions, […]

Our goal with this trainer tip is to help others gain hip strength and mobility. We suggest resistance hip bands for strength, but without bands for mobility and beginners. Coach Alex demonstrates in movements 1-3 that the yellow hip band should be slightly above the ankle. Knee Drive Standing Clamshells Hip Extension Hip Adduction

Benefits: improves unilateral (single-leg) strength and stability, improves core stability Target muscles: glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps Equipment: 1x 25-45 lb. bumper plate (depending on desired depth), dumbbells for added load if desired Set-up: 1. Place front foot on top of the plate 2. Take a large step backward 3. Adjust rear foot forward or backward […]