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Aimee's Soapbox!
January 2006: Resolve to Improve
Groovy New Year!
It's 2006, and if you are like me, it's that time of year to put into effect all those changes you've been thinking about.
If you recall, the past few columns have been about reflection: Where are you in your training plan? What direction are you going,
and is this the direction you want? What are you doing well, and what can you do better?
Well, Groovy Kids, are you ready to go now? Alrighty, then, off your butt and get going!
The first place you are going is to your "gym room." This is the place where you keep all your workout gear and equipment. Remember
those things? Under the dust and the clothing are some pretty cool items that you can use to spice up your workouts and make yourself
fitter and stronger.
If you remember your definition of fitness (and I know you do), you will recall that "muscular strength" and "muscular endurance" are 2
of the 5 components of fitness. So while it is important to train for sport specificity (you are a runner; ergo, you run), it is also
important that you train ALL parts of you in order to stay balanced and injury-free. After all, who's gonna give a rat's patootie if you
are CAPABLE of running a 17-minute 5K but CAN'T because your poor quad-to-hamstring strength ratio resulted in a blown-out knee?
So, into the gym room you go. Now, if you are looking around, and you DON'T see a balance ball, Dyna Discs, medicine balls, and/or free
weights, leave the gym room, go to your computer, type in www.power-systems.com, and start ordering. I would highly recommend not only
this website, but also any and all of the sports toys mentioned above. I recently completed my own gym room collection, which now includes all
of the above, and I very confidently quit my gym membership last month. I have not missed it one bit, and I get to treat myself to a Grande coffee
at Starbucks with the money I now save every month.
OK, now you have your sports toys and your newly outfitted gym room. What to do, what to do?
First, if you are brand new to weight training, I would make an appointment with a personal trainer. Heck, even if you are an old hand at it,
I would get at least one appointment. I found myself pretty bored with my own routines, so for my birthday last year, I signed up for 2 sessions
with a personal trainer, just to get some new ideas and to re-inspire myself. Lemme tell ya, that was the grooviest present ever (thank you to
my way groovy boyfriend for that). I worked with Claudia and Rene Cammarata of Training, Inc., in Bryn Mawr. I highly recommend these two
trainers, for their professionalism, skill, knowledge, and enthusiasm. (Call 610-525-0225 for more information.)
Since most of you are focused more on running, you don't need to weight train like Lou Ferrigno (remember him?) or anything. I would suggest
simply adding some kind of strength training 2 or 3 times per week. And it doesn't have to mean a huge investment of time. If you pick, say,
5 exercises and do 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise, you should be done in about 30 minutes.
Before you start thinking that you are going to have to squeeze an extra hour or two into your week, let me quickly disavow you of that notion.
(And thanks for letting me work the word "disavow" into that sentence.)
Here's where the "work smarter, not harder" thing comes into play. You know how sometimes you get into that rut of doing a couple of lame-o runs
during the week? Where you go out for 40 or 45 minutes, on the same course you always run, at the same pace you always run? Well, try this for a
change of pace. Twice a week, cut that run to 30 minutes, and then immediately go to your gym room and do 30 minutes of strength training.
Hopefully, you have called the Cammaratas and gotten some good exercises that you can work into your routine. If not, you can certainly
do some squats and pushups and situps, at the very least.
Or, as another option (please pardon the blatant self-promotion), you might want to attend a free workshop that I will be
teaching at the Collegeville Runaway Success store on Monday, January 16th, at 7:30 pm. I will be showing fun exercises you can do with
the balance ball, dyna discs, and medicine ball. Plus, I will be talking about some other good stuff to incorporate into your New Year.
However you decide to spice up your workout this year, you will, I think, be pleasantly surprised at how nicely the strength training
translates into fewer injuries, improved fitness, and overall better sports performance. Now. . . drop and give me twenty.
Coming up. . .
Aimee's Favorites (just like Oprah!)
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