Fitness fads come and go. We all know that, whether it’s a diet, clothing (leg warmers anyone?), or piece of equipment (thigh master in the closet?). We’ve been both victims and perpetrators of some of that craziness. Fads, by definition, are short-lived (Thank God), but trends are those behaviors that stick around for a number of years. The Amercian College of Sports Medicine has released their survey results and published The Top Ten Fitness Trends of 2012.  Right now FBD offers 9 of the 10 “trends”. We like being trend setters.

Fitness Trends for 2012

1. Educated, Certified and Experienced Fitness Professionals.  (We’ve got plenty of those!)

2. Strength Training. (We’ve been doing it since 1989….I guess everyone else is finally catching up.)

3. Fitness programs for older adults. (Our oldest client is 90)

4. Exercise and Weight Loss. (See our related blog post about Rob and Lisa’s Clean-up in November.)

5. Children and Obesity. (A trend that is simple to reverse. Our Youth Conditioning Class begins again in January.  Our coach is Andrew Sroka. Sign your child up today!)

6. Personal Training. (Again…been doing it for 23 years.)

7. Core Training. (I consider this a fad.  Strength training is core training.  If you are lifting weight over your head, you are using your core.  Doing a chin-up?  Core.  Push-up?  I call them moving planks.)

8. Group Personal Training. (Rob, Cheryl, and Travis have been providing group training since 2009, Jeremy since 2011.)

9. Zumba and other “dance” workouts.  (We are just UN-trendy when it comes to this stuff.  What’s that rule?…if you can’t say anything nice…sorry, we consider it a fun activity.)

10. Functional Fitness. (Our group fitness class focus on functional movement. It started out as bootcamp class, but has progressed to Functional Interval Training Classes or Strength & Conditioning Classes at FBD.  We dedicated an entire room to it in 2009. To date we have 6 coaches teaching classes here.)

Of course, I have a couple of my favorites: Strength Training (of course!) and Functional Fitness Training.  FBD has been trending toward Functional Fitness for all our clients over the last 2 years.  We have opened up floor space on the main exercise floor getting rid of duplicate equipment and other strength pieces that were seldom utilized.  I truly believe that it is important, especially as we age, to be able to move and lift and carry with the same ease that we have always done these things.  Working out on a machine has the benefit of safe and controlled lifting, however, moving and balancing your own body weight is just as important.

You might be wondering why I chose the picture that I did of the Airdyne…let’s just say there is a reason why the Schwinn Airdyne bike never made it as a fitness trend…it is just too hard when used properly, that is why we use it here at FBD!

~ Rob Hudson

Rowing and rowing and rowing, and loving it. We’re 23 days in to our 31 day holiday rowing challenge.  So far we have accumulated 1.2 million meters! Yeah, that’s a lot.

If you’re participating , make sure you have picked up your participation key chain (just something fun we hope you enjoy).  Also, every time you row, put your name on a ticket and drop it in the “fish bowl”.  We draw a name every Friday to award a small prize.

Here’s a video with some good rowing tips.  This gal, Angela Hart, really knows her stuff, and can get you to maximize your stroke.  Since you are doing so much rowing, you might as well try to get better at it.

Also, a reminder about the upcoming Indoor Rowing Championships on January 28th at the International School of Indianapolis. We would love for you to join the FBD Rowing Team for these Championships. Contact Steve Smith for more info.

On November 1st, 2011  we began IMG’s second “Biggest Loser” wellness campaign with 38 people.  We started with weigh-in and some tests to provide benchmarks for the participants. The tests consisted of a 500 meter row, 1-minute squat, and 1-minute of pushups.  At the end of the campaign we’ll do these same tests, and weigh-in. We’re looking forward to some great results.

WARNING:  RANT ABOUT TO COMMENCE

You have probably seen this billboard around town or something similar.  This big box gym’s intent (I think) was to infer that you don’t need a long term financial obligation .   However, the first time I saw this billboard it struck me that ”NO COMMITMENT” is the problem with the high level of  fatness  and lack of fitness in the USA.  No commitment to working out at a high enough level to make a difference and no commitment to being accountable to what you put in your mouth.

Making a COMMITTMENT is essential to your health success.  At FBD we make it a little easier for you to keep your commitment by working your butt off when you are here and if you blow us off, your trainer or coach is going to be riding your tail to find out why.

Fitness by Design is committed to you and your success, and we want you to be committed too.

image source – reachocalal.com

Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut with your personal training routine? Boredom is a training killer. If you want to try something new, consider kicking things up a notch. Kickboxing is an excellent addition to your workout!

Kickboxing is a high-intensity, full body workout with several benefits. Here are 8 of those great benefits:

Reduce Stress

Endorphins are the chemicals in the body that reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Kickboxing, like other high-intensity workouts, increases production of endorphins. This increase in endorphin production replaces endorphins that are lost due to stress.

Increase Confidence Levels

Not only do endorphins counteract stress, they can improve your confidence by improving your mood. Being successful in learning and executing the kickboxing movements can also improve confidence levels. This is a very helpful positive feedback loop.

Improve Balance and Coordination

Most exercises require both feet being planted on the floor or a machine. With kickboxing you’re in motion at the same time you execute power movements. Roundhouse kicks are a good example. They require you to shift your weight from two feet to one foot as you execute the power move (ie the kick). This helps improve balance. Improved eye-hand coordination will come from the punching and kicking speed work.

Burn Calories/ Lose Fat/ Tone Muscle

Because kickboxing is a full body cardiovascular and strength workout you burn a lot of calories. Combined with a well balanced, controlled diet you burn excess calories and body fat. Getting rid of body fat will uncover those lean muscles! (Yes! There are lean muscles under there!)

Boost Energy

Did I mention endorphins? By increasing your heart rate you’ll be breathing hard and sweating out toxins along with increasing those good endorphins and all of this can improve your energy level.

Better Posture

No more hunching over your desk or slouching when you stand. By strengthening your core and challenging muscles groups that otherwise go unused throughout your daily routine you will  improve your posture.

Improve Flexibility

When you are punching and kicking you are constantly stretching your joints. This helps to improve your range of motion and flexibility. With improved range of motion you are less prone to joint stiffness and injury.

Muscle Endurance

Kickboxing is almost constant movement. It’s a great cardio workout, but it’s also a strength workout. You’ll be surprised how heavy your hands and feet start to feel during a workout. You will build lean muscle tissue.

Muscular endurance is the ability to sustain repeated movements over an extended period of time.  Kickboxing involves a lot of sustained, repeated movements ie) kicking and punching. Your improved endurance will translate into every day life, things like walking stairs, doing laundry, shoveling snow, etc., are all repetitive movements that require muscular endurance. They will get easier over time by increasing your muscular endurance.

I told you there were great benefits to kickboxing. I started kickboxing to spice up my workouts, reduce stress and get out of my fitness slump. Incorporate kickboxing into your fitness routine and you will move better, feel better and look better too. And did I tell you, you get to kick and hit stuff?

Let me know, if you want to get started or learn more about kickboxing, just use the contact form.

Andria Shoemaker, Personal Trainer