All posts by Mike Shannon

You may have heard about TRX (total body resistance exercise) lately, or seen the strappy apparatus and wondered how it works. TRX suspension training straps look rather ordinary upon first glance, but the power of their potential to help you create strength is great. Developed by a Navy Seal, TRX suspension training routines leverage gravity, and the mass of your own body weight to sculpt and build your muscles – all within a minimum amount of space and small amount of time, as necessitated by a Navy Seal’s life. Although designed to meet the training demands of a Navy Seal, you need not be intimidated, TRX training is fun and suitable for all fitness levels, and getting started is easy. The apparatus works your body across multiple movement planes, utilizing a wide variety of muscles and joints. A simple routine, followed on a regular basis, will yield significant results.

In fact, a study published in the December of 2013 Journal of Fitness Research by researchers from the University of Wisconsin concluded that “TRX training improves muscular fitness in both younger and middle-aged adults [and is useful to] gain both core endurance and muscular strength simultaneously.” The study showed greater relative strength improvements in the TRX participants in the young adult group (aged 19 – 25) and middle-aged adult group (aged 44-64) for abdominal muscle endurance, and back muscle endurance (versus traditional resistance training.)  Significant improvements in flexibility and balance were also gained. You can read the full study here. The study compared TRX training to regular resistance training using weight machines. While the biggest gains in improvement were in the core, participants also expressed their preference to TRX training over traditional methods because of its fun nature, and change from their regular routine.

I have trained a wide range of clients using TRX; male and female; beginners and advanced athletes; and all age groups. The response has been uniformly positive. Some were a little hesitant at first, thinking they couldn’t do it, but these same people were doing some very challenging balance and strength moves in no time. TRX can be an integral part of a personalized fitness program, or taken in a group setting. I offer group classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they are a fun way to try out this new fitness advancement. All classes are $10 through the end of January. Click here to sign up for a class or to schedule an appointment for a personalized fitness session.

Nutrition and Fitness Go Together

Congratulations!  You’ve just decided to get started on a fitness regime.  You’ve taken an important step toward improving your health and quality of life. But there is another step that is equally important – proper nutrition! 

Like an automobile, you must take care of the ‘whole package’ for maximum performance and functioning.  Even if a car’s motor is tuned up, it’s not going anywhere without the right gas in the tank.  Can you imagine putting dirty water from your dishes in your car’s gas tank?  Of course not!  It’s not the right fuel, and in fact would be destructive.  It’s the same with our bodies. We can do sit ups all day, but a steady diet of cheeseburgers won’t get you very far. Proper fuel promotes peak performance.

When I begin to work with a new client, they are often afraid of the ‘diet’ portion of the program. They fear what they will have to give up, or must live without – ‘forever’ (in their mind.) It’s just not that way. Proper nutrition is not a ‘diet’ in the way most Americans think about it; i.e. low carb diets, no-sugar diets, South Beach diet, etc. Proper nutrition is feeding our bodies the essential elements it needs for proper functioning. Good nutrition is like a health insurance policy, and guess what – it tastes really good!

Once you enter the fun and challenge of a personal fitness regime, you begin to invest time and energy into one of your greatest gifts and assets – your body. It’s uniquely yours, and it’s yours forever, so it only makes sense to take the absolute best care of it possible. A customized fitness program demands expending a lot of energy, which will naturally put your focus on the best way to ‘get’ energy. The answer lies in good food with the proper vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Foods high in sugar, fat and sodium provide a short-term fix of immediate gratification, but often leave us wanting more, which is a difficult cycle to break. In the words of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a physician specializing in nutrition-based treatments for obesity and chronic disease, “most Americans don’t even know what true hunger feels like.” Instead of living to eat, the focus should be on eating to live a fun, happy and pleasurable life. Foods with proper nutrition give us the energy we need, and feed us fuel to accomplish the tasks of life, and best of all to feel good!

At Full Spectrum Fitness, I can help you develop a specific plan tailored for your goals.  My plans focus on making sure you have the energy you need in the form of complex carbs prior to exercise to maintain stamina during a challenging workout, and protein afterward to help rebuild strained muscle tissue. Once you start, you will be surprised at how easy and naturally the rest will follow.

Please schedule time with me to develop your nutrition plan today!

My advice to anyone inquiring about a New Year’s fitness resolution, is the same guidance I give to anyone 365 days a year – just get started. I believe it’s never too late to become what you might have been. The biggest road block to taking that first step is the very same thing that keeps you going, focused and motivated once you do get started: mental attitude.

Many people have a ‘thought roll’ playing in their brains that they aren’t even aware of. It’s like a continuous loop video that actually controls many of our thoughts and actions on a daily basis. We tell ourselves “I can’t,” or “Maybe tomorrow.” The most common reasons I’ve heard from people about starting a fitness routine over the last 20 years might sound familiar:

• “It’s too hard”

• “I don’t have time”

• “It’s overwhelming to get started”

• “I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it/stick with it”

• “I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked”

• “I’m afraid I won’t succeed”

• “I could never do it”

And, guess what? These statements all came from clients with whom I have successfully worked and coached to their goals. In the words of Henry Ford, “If you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” If these thoughts, or others like them are holding you back, I invite you change them and “just get started,” and the rest will follow. To jump start your positive thought process, if you book now through January 11, I am offering an initial fitness consultation at 50% off the regular rate to help you create those positive thoughts and outcomes. Use coupon code JustGetStarted when you book your appointment. And, if you need a little inspiration for your jump start, check out the testimonials page.