Join the Movement! Thank Dog! Bootcamp is Coming to Town!

For those of you that know me at all, you know that I am a dog guy.

My Buddy Tanq

Big. Small. Male. Female. Doesn’t really matter. Sure, I’ve got my preferences, just like anyone else, but if the choice is dog or no dog I’ll take dog and not really worry about the details.

So, back in November when a man approached my First Friday booth and asked if I liked dogs, of course I said yes. I assumed (and you know what happens when you assume) that this guy was perhaps interested in working with me, but that he had a dog or two and wanted to make sure I was comfortable being in the house with his dogs.

Boy, how wrong I was.

It turns out that the guy that approached me was Sean Hawkins, who happens to be the CEO of SPCA Florida here in Lakeland. Sean told me that the SPCA was considering bringing this workout/dog training program from California to Lakeland, and that they would need to have a personal trainer that would be able to help with the program.

Photo by Jill Bowers via SPCA Florida

Fast forward to today. I’m proud and privileged to be a part of the Thank Dog! Bootcamp team and a partner with the SPCA Florida on this venture, and we are excited to be rolling out bootcamp this week to not only the shelter dogs, which we’ve been doing for a few weeks now, but also to anyone in town that wants to bring their dogs for a workout unlike any other.

Here is Thank Dog! Bootcamp in a nutshell. It’s an hour long, bootcamp style workout program that seamlessly combines physical exercise for the human with physical, mental, and obedience work with the dog.

Each person that participates in a bootcamp session will be working with one dog, and the format of the class alternates between 10 minute cardio sessions and 10 minute strength training sessions. During the cardio training portions, the person is working with their dog on commands including heel, sit, down, and stay. And the cardio sessions are more than just a steady run. We mix things up with different sprints, exercises, commands, and rules to keep things lively and interesting. And if you’re not quite a runner, no problem. Class can be completed at any pace you are comfortable with, from a walk to a sprint and everything in between! After the 10 minutes of cardio, the dogs get a bit of a break as we head to an area where the dogs have water and can lie down while the person participates in a series of strength training exercises. The strength training consists of body weight exercises, exercises using weights, and exercises using resistance bands. Again, each participant is encouraged to push themselves, but breaks during the strength training portion are allowed if you need it. We don’t want you to over do it, but we want everyone to get a great workout so we push hard and let you put the brakes on if needed.

And sometimes, the dog puts the brakes on instead.

Tanq Was Spent 3/4 of the Way Through His First Bootcamp–Photo by Jill Bowers

If you’d like to take part in this awesome program, I’d encourage you to give it a shot! After completing multiple classes during our training period, I almost wish I wasn’t a part of the team so I could just come and bring my dog for the classes!

Almost.

But I’m really stoked to be instructing the class and having the chance to work with multiple people and dogs instead of just focusing on Tanq and myself.

If you’d like some more info, please leave a question in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. Or, even better, click on this link to the Thank Dog! Bootcamp page of SPCA Florida’s website for more details and information on signing up for classes.

If you like dogs, don’t mind getting a little sweaty, and are in the market for trying something different, I can’t encourage you enough to try our Thank Dog! Bootcamp program. I’m pretty confident that it is going to get pretty popular pretty quickly, so hop on the bandwagon now while there is still plenty of room!

Related articles

• Dogs become workout partner in bootcamp (abcactionnews.com)

Strength Training While Pregnant–A Good Idea?

Few people would argue that being healthy and strong before you get pregnant is a huge asset for any woman planning to start, or expand the size of, her family. But are there benefits of strength training for women (and the developing baby) during pregnancy?

In a word, yes.

There are many health benefits for women who lift weights regularly, so it only makes sense that many of those same benefits would apply to pregnant women that participate in regular resistance training.

• Increased Muscle Strength–Carrying and birthing a baby is no picnic, just ask anyone who has ever done it. However, regular strength training before and during pregnancy can help ease some of the symptoms that may be experienced during pregnancy–especially back pain and fatigue.
• Controlled Weight Gain–Too often women use being pregnant as an excuse to eat whatever they want and gain weight. Research shows that gaining too much weight during pregnancy is bad for both mom and baby.
• Improved Self-Esteem–There are few things in the world more beautiful than a healthy and fit pregnant woman. Yet some women tend to view themselves as less attractive when they are pregnant. Breaking a sweat while pregnant is a great way feel stronger and improve they way you view yourself.
  

  Image by dizznbonn via Flickr

There are, however, a few things that a pregnant woman MUST keep in mind if she plans to strength train safely during her pregnancy. And of course, please be sure to consult your physician before lifting weights or increasing your physical activity level during your pregnancy for both your safety and that of your baby.

• Stick With Familiar Exercises–Being pregnant is a time of change for your body. There are so many internal and external changes happening at once that a little bit of ‘normal’ might be welcomed.
• Be Flexible–While following your normal workout routine is the goal, there will be days that you will need to dial it back a little bit, which is perfectly normal! Stick to exercises you are familiar with, and decrease the intensity if you are feeling sore or tired.
• Listen to Your Body–You will know better than anyone what you can handle on any particular day, and just because you are scheduled for a resistance training session doesn’t mean it is set in stone. If your body is saying no weights, listen to it! Instead, try yoga or go for a bike ride. But if your body truly needs an off day, give it one.
• Maintain Proper Form–By focusing on maintaining proper form for each exercise, you are dramatically decrease your chance of being injured while working out. When in doubt, emphasize form over resistance level for maximal benefits.

In this day and age when we take every possible measure to ensure the safety of our children, too often we forget that the choices we make affect them before they are even born. But by living a healthy, active lifestyle before and during her pregnancy, a woman is able to do everything that she can to increase the likelihood of delivering a healthy and happy baby.

And that’s what really matters.

Ladies, did you maintain a consistent workout schedule while you were pregnant? Do you wish you had? What do you think about moms-to-be lifting weights? Let me know!

New to the Gym? Your Strength Training Questions Answered

Photo by Maximus_W via Flickr

 

When people walk into a gym for the first time, they often have a bit of a deer in the headlights kind of look.

Think about it, if you don’t really know what to do in the gym, you walk in and see all manner of equipment being used by people of a variety of shapes and sizes. There are probably a number of folks lifting free weights in one area, people sweating it out on the treadmill/elliptical/stair-master in the cardio area, and still more working with the machines.

And all of them look like they know exactly what they are doing.

So what is the fitness center newbie supposed to do?

For many, they just head to the treadmill and walk for an hour. Since many new exercisers are there because they want to loose weight, they figure they need to focus on cardio to drop the pounds. This bit of “conventional wisdom” isn’t as sound as it once was.

As it turns out, strength training has many benefits besides just building muscle, and loosing weight is one of them.

Below, find some common questions that people new to working out may have when told that they need to do some strength training on a regular basis.

• Why is Strength Training Important?

Strength training isn’t just important, it’s imperative! It can easily be argued that strength training is the most important kind of exercise for any and all individuals to participate it. Building muscle through resistance training helps to burn fat, regulate blood sugar, and control cholesterol levels. Muscle also helps to improve your posture and strengthen bones. And if you do any type of physical activity, from running 5ks to playing with your grandkids to climbing Mt. Everest, improved muscular strength will improve your ability to complete those tasks.

• What Kind of Exercises Should I Be Doing?

It depends on your goals. Are you training for anything specific? General health? Increased muscle mass? Weight loss? Coming up with an exercise plan for anyone requires the health professional and his or her client to spend time talking in order to establish goals and a game plan. In general, though, the kinds of exercises that are best for most individuals are multi-joint, multi-muscle exercises like squats, lunges, push ups, and pull ups. And depending on your goals, many other exercises can be incorporated as well.

• How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting for Maximal Benefit?

This is another question that the answer will very depending on your goals. For those who are new to strength training, however, it is probably best to err on the side of caution. I recommend most first timers to do exercises with little to no weight, and focus on learning and perfecting their form for each particular exercise. Since proper form is about the best way to maximize strength gains while minimizing injury risk, it needs to be made a priority for all lifters, novices and long term lifters alike. (Too often I see big strong guys lifting a lot of weight but sacrificing form. It makes me wonder how much stronger they would actually be if they used a lighter weight and proper form.) Once proper technique has been mastered, begin increasing the weight a little bit at a time, as long as good form is maintained.

• How Many Sets and Reps Should I Be Doing?

This may be the single most divisive question among exercisers and fitness professionals alike. In reality, there is no magic, absolute right combination. The old standard answer is that 3 sets of 10 reps is a great place to start. However, depending on your goals, experience, and preferences, you can do more or less of either or both and still see positive results. Personally, I think the biggest general key is not letting your muscles get used to one distinct pattern. By regularly switching up the amount of resistance you are using, as well as your set/rep combination you are confusing your muscles and encouraging them to grow.

• What Is Better, Free Weights or Machines?

Which do you like better? While there are benefits to both free weights and machines, for those just getting started I’d encourage you to do whichever you like better. The common stereotype is usually that machines are for women and free weights are for men, but feel free to disregard that. In general, machines are safer since you don’t have to worry about dropping the weight on yourself, but both forms of resistance training can give you a great workout. If you are more comfortable with one way, start there. But don’t be afraid to challenge yourself by incorporating some other types of exercise in a few weeks.

• What Should I Expect After Introducing Weight Lifting to My Routine?

You will start to notice some changes shortly after you begin lifting weights, both physically and mentally. Physically, you may notice some soreness in your muscles after workouts, especially a day or two later. This is an entirely normal phenomenon known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. It is the result of your body repairing the damage you have done to your muscles while working out, and the repairs result in your muscles getting stronger. Mentally, you may start to feel more determined to accomplish tasks to achieve your goals, since pushing through good strength training workouts requires determination and perseverance.

Photo by pasukaru76 via Flickr

 

Making the decision to start lifting weights is scary for some, but beneficial for all. I hope that those of you who are considering adding strength training to your routine will feel confident enough to commit to that decision, and not be afraid to ask for help from gym staff or other lifters.

If you have further questions about how or why you should start a resistance training program, feel free to leave me a comment or you can contact me directly.

And for those of you who are seasoned weight lifters, what other bits of advice can you offer those who are thinking about starting the practice? What were your concerns when you first started lifting weights? What benefits of strength training have you noticed in your life?

I’d love to hear some of your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Related articles

• Women Shouldn’t Lift Weights – Busting This Antiquated Notion (dkfitsolutions.wordpress.com)
• To Lose the Weight, You Have to Lift the Weight (dkfitsolutions.wordpress.com)
• Want a PR? Hit the Weights! (dkfitsolutions.wordpress.com)
• Resistance Training – Skip It and Regret It (dkfitsolutions.wordpress.com)