Las Vegas Boot Camp

As a part of the PFC program at Medix, students attend a week long boot camp in Vegas at the Professional Fitness Institute.  After this boot camp experience I have a whole new outlook on personal training.  Things as simple as adding direction or a reach can greatly increase the effectiveness as well as difficulty to a clients workout.  We covered material ranging from muscle structure to better understand how the body is supposed to move, to team building exercises and so much more.  This boot camp was much more than just a learning experience though, It was also a great networking opportunity.  I met a lot of fitness professionals, and a lot of new trainers.  Not to mention access to tons of up to date information on training ideas.  The amount of knowledge I have in this field seems almost insignificant compared to the infinite amount of information that's out there.  I look forward to learning and experiencing as much as I can in this field on the road ahead.

Client Trainer Relationship

I have started trianing a new client LI.  We have working together for for over a month now and improvments have already been noticed.  LI likes working out and isn't afraid to push himself pushing himself.  I have enjoyed working with him so far, and I look forward to seeing further progress.

I will post some results and progress after a couple more weeks of training and testing.

S.L.O.M.E.

Slome is a science convention aimed towards young students in the London area.  It encourages students to consider careers in the science, technology and trades using interactive exhibits.  In a great turn out, approximately 2500 students from grades 7 - 12 were in attendance.

The exhibit for the medix fitness program consisted of a bike endurance test and max push ups test.  The bike test measured their performance, and participants were then able to calculate their peak power and average power.  Lots of students seemed eager to step up to test themselves physically and mentally.
These are some of the recorded results:

Micheal- 55kg    Pp= 637watts     Ap= 445watts

Daniel- 39kg      Pp= 267watts     Ap= 175watts

Rob- 71kg         Pp= 959watts     Ap= 505watts

Alexandra-43kg Pp= 304watts     Ap= 207watts

Liz- 52kg           Pp= 299watts     Ap= 190watts

The Strength Training Advantage

Strength Training can be used for more than just bulking up and looking good.  It has countless health benifits from physical to mental, that will improve your overall health and quality of life.  This type of exercise promotes strength and durability to the musculoskelital system, as well as symmetry and function.  Strength training is a useful tool that can be used in any training program from young old, for any fitness level.  Though research and personal experience these are some of my findings:

Injury prevention- There are some muscle groups that are often under developed due to lack of stimulation in everyday life.  When opposing muscle groups are off balance, your body is more prone to injury.  Strenght training works to balance and strengthen muscles, ligaments and bones, greatly ruducing chance of injury.

Healthy Heart- Any exercise you do will get your heart rate up.  This is how you strengthen your heart muscle, through exercise.  This can help prevent heart disease, and other cardio problems.  Studies on cardiac patience have shown increased aerobic capicities by adding a strength routine, three days a week to their rehab program.

Strong Bones- Around the age of 30, bone mass starts to decrease at a rate of about 1% per year.  Strength training is the best way to improve bone density and help fight the aging proccess.  In some cases it has shown that osteoporosis and arthritis conditions have been impoved by some weight lifting and strength training

Posture- If you have bad posture it is possible that you have underdeveloped shoulder or back muscles.  With stronger muscles and ligaments your body will automaticly begin to straiten itself out and be able to hold your wieght properly.  The stonger you muscles the taller you"ll stand.

Feel Good- A havard study explains that bafter 10 weeks of strength training, symtoms of clinical depression were reduced more successfuly then standard therapy.  Other studies show that exercise releases natural endorphans into the body giving a scence of well being.  That combined with the saticfaction of knowing you are stronger and healthier can greatly improve your outlook on life.

In conclusion, strength training will help you to look better, feel better, and function better.  The hardest part is getting started.  Once you have, you will begin to notice all the benefits for yourself and you"ll want to keep with it.