Training starts for most of us in mid-November with the FBD Rowing Challenge.  After the Rowing Challenge ends we continue with team practice and  our individual practice until the championships.   Steve Smith is the Coach for this event.  Each of us set personal 2000 meter time goals, and with Steve’s coaching plus the added adrenaline on the day of the event, we all managed to meet or exceed them.

Here is a list of our Events | Goals | and Actual Times:

Michelle Hayes  rowed in the Ladies Masters Regular Division.  This was her first time racing in this event, and she did a wonderful job winning her division!  Masters refers to the age group (30 – 50 yrs. old).  Her goal was to hold a 500 split time of 1:58 or less.  She held her goal time at 1:57.6 and finished with an overall time of  7:50.3, the WINNER of the Ladies Master Division.

AJ Smith joined us this year in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  His goal was to hold a 500 split time under 1:50.  AJ flew under his goal with a 1:45.8 average and fininshed in just over 7 minutes (7:03.2).  This was a great finish.  Congratulations AJ!

Steve Smith was entering his 4th annual race.  He was also in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  Steve’s goal was to better his record in the previous year.  He went in to the race trying to hold a low 1:40′s average 500 meter  pace.  He beat his overall race time by 4 seconds, finishing 2nd in his division with a time of  6:43.9  making his average exactly 1:41.  Nicely done!

Matt Hudson entered his first race this year, also in the Men’s Masters Division.  He, AJ, and Steve all competed at the same time.  His 500 meter split time goal was to hold it under 1:48.  Matt managed to come in just under his goal time  of 1:45 .3 and finished with an overall time of  7:01.2.  Like AJ, this was a great first year effort!

Lisa Hudson entered her third annual race.  Also in the Ladies Masters Regular Division, she went unapposed in the lightweight (< 135 lbs.) catagory.   Her goal was to maintain a 500 meter split time of 2:06 for the race.   She came in right on target with a 2:05.9 average, and a total time of 8:23.6

Finally, we had a surprise entry when Laura Smith (Steve’s wife) entered the Women’s Open race on the day of the competition.  Laura raced an impressive 2:02  pace and finished with an 8:11.2 time.  Her heat was comprised of collegiate athletes and Laura finished in the middle of the mix.  Very impressive indeed!

In the Team Event comprised of Michelle Hayes, Lisa Hudson, Matt Hudson, and Steve Smith rowing anchor, we rowed our best time shaving off 8 seconds.  We finished in fourth place with a combined time of 6:45.5.  We were among some fierce competitors.  Please put this race on your calendar for next year.  It is always held the last Saturday in January.  To all of you who rowed meters in the FBD Rowing Challenge, consider participating next year.  It is a blast!

AJ in the popular post-race position!

Michelle, Lisa, Steve, Matt

Drew Conley was our lead off rider blasting out 19.5 miles in 55 minutes.  The transition included removing Drew’s bike and fitting Andrew Sroka’s into the trainer.  It went flawlessly and Andrew kept up a 19.4 mph pace for 30 minutes. All afternoon spinning instructors were leading the group with out of the saddle jumps, sprints, hill climbs – even offering ear plugs to those challenged by the inspiring music.  Matt Hudson built on Andrew’s efforts and held the line with a 9 mile 30 minute pull.  Gatorade and water were being chugged to keep dehydration at bay.  Right around the 30 minute mark Matt’s glutes were screaming for relief and Andrew stepped up and put in his final push covering another 9.7 miles.  “I’m ready to get off!” were familiar words spoken by each of us at the end of our pulls.  With a little bit of rest Matt was able to put in another  8 miles for the team.  During the transition from Matt to Steve we encountered a stuck “lock” bolt.  Eventually a pedal wrench acting as a crow bar corrected the situation and Team Fitness by Design was back in business. Steve then cruised in the last 21.5 miles.

Fitness by Design also had some clients spinning their hearts out including Joe and Kelly Todd as well as Alex Tegart.  Thanks to Vince and Cindy Todd for coordinating such a great event.

Alex,Kelly,Cindy

With 100 participants we raised a total of $17,000 for the Heroes Foundation –helping patients and their families with cancer.  Thank you for all your support as we (trainers) “suffered” for a good cause.

If you have never heard of or seen the event for yourself, here is a small video clip.  Toward the end of the clip you can just see Alex and Kelly to the right of the screen.   Spin4Heroes 2012

~Steve Smith, Personal Trainer

This challenge is organized to inspire you to keep your cardio going and try something new in the gym.    In March, you have the option to test your fitness level by entering a 3 mile Airdyne Race at FBD. 

If you participated in the Rowing Challenge, you will remember that we had a drawing each week for a fun prize.  We will be doing the same for this challenge.  Each time that you ride, please place your name on a ticket and place it in the “Bowl” at reception.  We will draw out one lucky winner each Friday.  Each time you ride, you may place a ticket in the bowl, so the more often you ride, the better your chances.

In order to do the challenge you need to figure out the number of miles to ride.  We have 4 categories for you:  25 miles, 50 miles, 75 miles, and 100 miles. 

Riding at a very comfortable BEGINNER PACE it should take you 5 minutes to complete 1 mile.  In 15 minutes you can do 3 miles.  If you ride 15 minutes for 9 days, over the course of the month you will achieve your 25 mile goal (actually 27 miles).

At the other end of the spectrum, a very fast or ADVANCED PACE for women would be 3 miles in 10 minutes.  An advanced  or fast pace for men is 3 miles in 8 minutes.    There will be a chart in the hallway near the stairs where you can plot your progress.  You will get to see the names of the other participants and offer words of encouragment or talk “smack”, whichever you prefer!

Have fun with it!  The airdyne is a tool that most gyms relegate to the corner, but we actually use it at FBD.  It is a great cardio tool.  If you have any problems figuring out the monitor, don’t hesitate to ask one of us.  The sign-up sheet is already at reception.  Ride, Ride, Ride!

This chart may help you determine your goal.  Sets refers to the number of times you would need to ride for 15, 12, 10, or 8 minute segments.  You may sit down and ride for 30 minutes at a 15 minute pace thus meeting 6 miles toward your goal or 2 sets out of the 8.

The article is titled, “Ready, Set, Row” and looked promising as it was promoting the Concept II Rowing Erg.  Unfortunately the focus was not geared toward helping you learn how to use the machine and get the most out of it, but just hype on how to burn a large amount of calories in an hour.   Now those of you who have just finished the FBD Rowing Challenge, I ask you, “How easy is it to sit on an ERG for an hour?”  That is exactly what this article is recommending.  Furthermore, it sets the beginner up for failure by telling you to row at a 2:10 500/m split pace.   The workout plan suggested is a good one, but only for someone who knows how to use the machine properly and has worked on their technique with a trainer who is knowledgeable.  The tips listed in the article do not replace good instruction, they don’t even scratch the surface.

The article could  have been productive if they had simply directed you to the Concept II rowing site or to the plethora of YouTube instructional videos.  But then again, I don’t think they are in the business to educate, just to sell magazines.  The sad fact is that many people who read this trash will give the Concept II a try using SHAPE’S tips and workout plan and then get frustrated, which is such a disservice to this great cardio tool. 

At Fitness by Design, we use the Concept II ERG all the time and have a team entered into the Indianapolis Indoor Championships on January 28th!  For instruction on this great tool, ask any trainer at FBD or sign up for Steve Smith’s Rowing Class!

~ Lisa Hudson

64 participants rowed 2,685,750 meters equaling 1,666 miles.  This is about the driving distance from Indianapolis to Yellowstone National Park.  Approximately 134,500 calories were burned and it would take 1,345 bananas or 249 cups of Vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice-cream or 38.5 lbs of body fat to fill that tank!

Congratulations to all participants!  Hats off to the Members of the 100K Club:  Ted Bailey, Barb Stewart, Sam Stewart, Lisa Hudson and Matt Hudson.  We had 23 overachievers exceed their meter goal by a combined total of 370,000 meters.  Twenty brave participants met their meter goal, and valiant efforts of the 21 that didn’t reach their goal still added a very respectable 529,000 meters to the overall team total.  We couldn’t have done it without them.

Just so you know, rowing doesn’t have to stop with the end of the challenge.  Rowing Classes begin again every Monday and Wednesday evenings on January 4th.  We meet upstairs on the mezannine from 5:30-6:30pm.  Beginners are especially welcome.

Contact Steve Smith ssmith@fbdindy.com or by cell: 490-7231 to sign up!   ROW ON!!

~Steve Smith and Lisa Hudson

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.

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

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