No Need for Weights – Anymore!

Yes, I can throw heavy weights around quite easily.  I have, on occasion, loaded the leg press with 2X my body weight  and comfortably worked my legs.  But now, in my new personal training space, Pilates4Fitness Movement Space, there will be no need for weights anymore.
It’s not that I have ended my love affair or desire to use them, its just that over the years my use of functional training equipment, such as BOSU Balance Trainer, resistance bands, stability balls, Pilates equipment/apparatus and now the TRX Suspension system, has grown so much more that many of my clients actually prefer to work and move their bodies outside of the traditional gym environment.

For example, a 27 year old teacher that has lost over 25 pounds using purely functional training programs I have offered in the past year commented recently,

“When Gina first introduced the TRX Suspension straps to our Wednesday Boot Camp class I didn’t know what to feel about them. They appeared daunting, uncomfortable, and unmanageable. However, after using them for a couple of workouts, I have really begun to notice a difference in my body. The straps have added resistance to my excercises and I can feel the burn as I excercise with them. I feel that my core is stronger, I know I have more balance, and that my body is changing for the better. I absolutely love the results that the TRX Suspension straps are creating and I am happy that Gina incorporated them into her classes.”

All functional training  allows one to move easily with the equipment, maximizing the body and mind’s training and minimizing the injury to joints and overworked muscles.  Functional training involves (body)weight bearing activities targeted at the core muscles of the abdomen and back.  Rather than isolating a single muscle, which may not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements people make in their regular activities or sports;  functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform these activities of daily life more easily and without injuries.

I  believe that functional training can lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an individual’s performance in a sport.   This is due to the fact that the training emphasizes the body’s natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of motion.

While stationary equipment/machines can sometimes be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury.  When stationary equipment is essential however, students will be moved to the floor or the Pilates Reformer to begin safe movement exercises.  As strength and body connections are attained, additional planes of motion and movement are safely added into the exercise regimen and program.

“I am so thrilled to be using the TRX Suspension straps during my indoor general strength training sessions and outdoor Boot Camp sessions with Gina.  I have really noticed my core strength increasing. This system is more challenging and less boring to me than traditional free weights and, I am happy to be getting a break from the gym.”

Many people erroneously equate strength training with bodybuilding.  Additionally, many individuals involved in endurance or flexibility-based sports (tennis, golf, basketball, football, skiing) may not use traditional forms of strength training for fear of gaining too much bulk and losing flexibility.  This is why Pilates and pilates-based movements that utilize functional training equipment and tools, are my choice for creating  adaptive training workouts that build strength and flexibility and make returning to the sport of choice a joy.

An avid international globe-trotting golfer states from his experience with functional training:

“TRX Suspension straps are now an essential part of my strength and core workouts. They are key to improving my performance on the golf course as they have simultaneously increased my strength, balance, and flexibility so I can now make a full turn with power.”

Looking for a new spot to work your body?  Check out the stuff we are playing around with at the Pilates4Fitness Movement Space.  This stuff is not just for girls!

 
 
  Share this with a friend via email: eMail