Why Personal Training Might Be Best For You

Personal training and group classes both have their merits. Choosing which is best for you depends on your preferences, goals, and circumstances. Here’s why personal training might be a preferred option:

Tailored Attention: Personal training offers one-on-one attention from a certified fitness professional. This means the workout plan is entirely customized to your goals, fitness level, and any specific needs or limitations you may have. In contrast, group classes typically follow a standardized format designed to accommodate a range of participants, which may not address your unique requirements.

Individualized Progression: With personal training, your trainer can closely monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. Whether it’s increasing the intensity, modifying exercises, or refining techniques, the program evolves with you to ensure continuous improvement. In a group class setting, progression may be more generalized.

Focused Support and Feedback: Personal trainers provide focused support and feedback throughout the entire session. They can correct form, offer encouragement, and provide immediate guidance to maximize the effectiveness of each exercise. While you still receive excellent coaching in group classes, the instructor’s focus is divided among multiple participants.

Flexibility in Scheduling: Personal training sessions can be scheduled at times that are convenient for you, allowing for greater flexibility and adherence to a consistent workout routine. Group classes, on the other hand, typically adhere to fixed schedules, which may not always align with your availability or preferences.

Accountability and Motivation: The accountability factor in personal training is significant. Knowing that you have a dedicated appointment with a trainer can be a powerful motivator to show up and give it your all. Additionally, the personalized relationship you have with your trainer often fosters a stronger sense of commitment and accountability compared to group settings.

Customized Attention to Goals: Personal trainers work closely with clients to set realistic and achievable goals, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, improved flexibility, specific skill development or enhanced overall fitness. They then develop a tailored plan to help you reach these goals efficiently and effectively. While group classes may offer a general workout structure, personal training allows for more targeted goal-setting and programming.

Personal training provides a level of individualized attention, customization, and support while group classes take a more generalized approach. Either option can help you achieve your goals, and increase your overall health and fitness. We can help you decide which is the best option for you! Schedule a no-sweat-intro or a sit down with one of our coaches! This is our opportunity to assess your goals and design a plan that will be the most effective for achieving your goals. Group classes might be the perfect fit, or you may be better suited to a more tailored approach through personal training.

The Crucial Role of Bracing: A Guide to Safer and More Effective Workouts

“BRACE!”

 

I’m sure you’ve heard your coach yell that a time or two. Or maybe the coach asked if you were bracing when you lifted a weight that didn’t feel so great. 

 

Bracing is immensely important in CrossFit. When lifting heavy weights or moving moderate weights quickly, bracing is essential to keeping you safe and moving efficiently. Bracing is not just a technicality; it’s the foundation of safe and effective movement. Here we delve into the importance of bracing and how mastering this technique can elevate your workouts to new heights.

 

Understanding Bracing:

Bracing refers to the process of tightening and stabilizing the core muscles to provide support and protect the spine during movements in CrossFit, especially weightlifting. While it may seem like a simple concept, proper bracing involves activating multiple muscle groups, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back, to create a solid foundation for lifting.

The Importance of Bracing:

  • Injury Prevention: One of the primary reasons bracing is essential in weightlifting is injury prevention. When lifting heavy weights, the spine is vulnerable to injury if not adequately supported. By engaging the core muscles and maintaining proper alignment, bracing helps distribute the load evenly, reducing the risk of strains, sprains, and other injuries.
  • Enhanced Performance: Bracing isn’t just about protecting against injury; it also plays a vital role in enhancing performance. A stable core allows for greater force production and transfer, enabling you to lift heavier weights with improved technique. By bracing effectively, you can maximize the efficiency of your movements and achieve better results in your workouts.
  • Improved Technique: Proper bracing goes hand in hand with good lifting technique. When you brace correctly, you create a solid base of support that allows you to maintain proper alignment throughout the lift. This, in turn, helps you execute each movement with precision and control, reducing the risk of compensatory movements or poor form.
  • Core Strength Development: Consistently incorporating bracing into your workouts can also lead to significant improvements in core strength. As you engage the muscles to stabilize your spine, you’re effectively strengthening the entire core, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back. Over time, this can translate to better posture, balance, and overall functional strength.

Tips for Effective Bracing:

  • Engage the entire core: Focus on activating not just the front abdominals but also the muscles along the sides and lower back.
  • Breathe properly: While bracing, remember to maintain diaphragmatic breathing by inhaling deeply into the belly and exhaling forcefully to create intra-abdominal pressure.
  • Practice regularly: Like any skill, mastering bracing requires practice. Incorporate bracing drills into your warm-up routine and focus on maintaining proper form during your workouts.
  • Seek guidance: If you’re unsure about your bracing technique, consider working with a certified personal trainer or strength coach who can provide guidance and feedback.

In the excitement of the gym, bracing can often be overlooked but is undeniably essential. By prioritizing proper bracing technique, you can not only reduce the risk of injury but also improve your performance, technique, and core strength. Whether you’re a seasoned CrossFitter or just starting out, taking the time to master bracing will undoubtedly pay off in the long run, helping you achieve your fitness goals safely and effectively. So, the next time you hit the gym, remember to brace yourself for success!

The Illusion of Diets: Why They Don’t Work and What to Do Instead

In a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant results, diets often emerge as the go-to solution for weight loss and improved health. However, despite their widespread popularity, diets are fundamentally flawed and often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes. In this post, we’ll delve into the reasons why diets don’t work and explore alternative approaches to achieving lasting health and well-being.

1. Unsustainability

Diets typically involve restrictive eating patterns that are difficult to maintain over the long term. Whether it’s cutting out entire food groups, severely limiting calorie intake, or adhering to rigid meal plans, the restrictive nature of diets set us up for failure. While initial weight loss may occur, the majority eventually revert to old eating habits, leading to weight regain and frustration.

2. Metabolic Adaptation

Our bodies are highly adaptive and respond to changes in calorie intake by slowing down metabolism—a survival mechanism designed to conserve energy during times of food scarcity. This metabolic adaptation makes it increasingly difficult to lose weight and maintain weight loss over time, as the body becomes more efficient at storing fat and burning fewer calories.

3. Psychological Impact

Diets often foster a negative relationship with food, promoting feelings of guilt, shame, and deprivation. The cycle of restriction and overindulgence can lead to disordered eating patterns and a distorted view of body image. Moreover, the constant focus on food rules and restrictions can detract from enjoying meals and social interactions, diminishing overall quality of life.

4. Lack of Individualization

One-size-fits-all diets fail to account for individual differences in metabolism, genetics, lifestyle, and preferences. What works for one person may not work for another, leading to frustration and disappointment. Personalized approaches that take into consideration an individual’s unique needs and circumstances are far more effective in achieving sustainable health outcomes. We recommend scheduling a nutrition consultation with one of our coaches to help you design a nutrition plan that will work best for you, your body, your schedule and your lifestyle!

5. Short-Term Focus

Diets often prioritize short-term weight loss goals over long-term health and well-being. We like to play to long game here at Sporthalle-New Braunfels CrossFit. While shedding pounds may be the initial objective, true health encompasses more than just a number on the scale. Sustainable health practices focus on nourishing the body with nutrient-dense foods, promoting physical activity, managing stress, and fostering a positive relationship with food and body. Focusing on long-term will ensure that we kick ass into our 90’s!

Embracing a Health-Centric Approach

Instead of succumbing to the allure of diets, we MUST shift our focus toward holistic health practices that prioritize nourishment, balance, and sustainability. This entails adopting a mindful approach to eating, emphasizing whole, nutrient-rich foods, and listening to our body’s hunger and satiety cues. Regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, and self-care are also essential components of a healthy lifestyle.

Rather than viewing health as a destination to be reached through strict dietary rules, let’s embrace it as a journey—a journey guided by self-compassion, curiosity, and self-discovery. By prioritizing holistic health practices and rejecting the diet mentality, we can cultivate a positive relationship with food, body, and self, leading to lasting well-being and vitality. 

Let us help you! Schedule a nutrition consultation with one of our coaches to ensure that you are on the path to success when it comes to nutrition!

 

Building Unbreakable Immunity

Building a strong immune system can start now. Like, literally, right this second. We’re in the midst of a pandemic and the information that we’re being fed is incredibly conflicted. From numbers of infected to mortality rates. All of the charts seem to be different and all of the experts have an opinion. All of the politicians at the top have varying opinions and seem to be prioritizing politics over health. The media is fighting back and forth and pointing fingers at everyone. You’re being swamped with information that is, literally, impossible to dissect.

Like anything in life, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But even still, what would we do with the truth if we had it? Your knowledge of how serious or mild this situation is doesn’t change the situation. Now is the time to drown the noise out with silence and focus on what you can control. Take note of what you can do right now for you, your family, your friends, your fellow humans. Start with physically distancing yourself because we do know that this thing is highly contagious. Notice, I didn’t use the phrase “socially distance.” Yeeaaahh, so, that would be the worst thing you could do during a time like this. Stay social with the people you care about. Otherwise, we’ll all lose our minds.

As far as your health, I can tell you that in your personal space there are a handful of things you can use and that are at your disposal to ensure your immune system has a fighting chance. I’d say this to someone immunocompromised, I’d say this to the elderly, I’d say this to the healthy middle aged person.

#1 Breath work. There are many methodologies that could be used. In the video below, you’ll see my wife and I working through Wim Hof breathing that includes breath holds. The idea is to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system. Wim Hof has shown the world that is it possible to control one’s autonomic nervous system through breath work and cold water therapies. This means YOU get to decide if you want to be sick or not. This isn’t woo woo talk. This has been discussed, studied, and proven in University/Medical settings. It is a thing.

Also, find yourself consciously breathing more throughout the day. Let your breath create your movement. An example of that can be seen in the video below where I inhale to move myself up into space and exhale to move myself back to Earth. Think about that when you’re reaching into a cabinet for a bowl, when you’re sitting down on the couch, and with every movement of your next training session.

#2 Cold water therapy. You’ll see at the end of the breath video posted above an example of a cold water therapy called “cold water dousing.” This idea has been used by the Russians forever and those who practice seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to good health. Walk outside first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening and slowly pour cold water over yourself. The health benefits are incredible. I cover that HERE in a blog I wrote about dousing. Other methods would include ice baths, cold river/lake baths, and to a lesser extent, cold showers.

#3 Mushrooms. There is an incredible fear surrounding these sacred beings because of two things: #1 psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and #2 there is still so much uncharted territory when it comes to the study of fungi. Good thing, there has been extensive research in areas concerning certain mushrooms that should calm some of those fears. There are a handful of incredibly powerful mushrooms that positively affect our immune systems.

Agarikon Mushrooms, Reishi Mushrooms (The Mushroom of Immortality), and Turkey Tail Mushrooms are three mushrooms that pack a powerful punch when it comes to our health and immunity.

Agarikon has shown to have strong antibacterial properties that fight tuberculosis. It also has strong antiviral properties that have shown to fight off cowpox, swine and bird flu, and herpes.

Reishi has immune boosting properties, has shown to have anti cancer properties, is said to fight off fatigue and depression, and may have heart and blood sugar benefits.

Turkey Tail has many of the same benefits as Reishi with its antioxidants, immune system support, and cancer fighting properties. 

#4 Exercise. I’d be careful how intense you work simply because the immune system takes a bit of a hit from the stress of intense work. I’m not saying to not get after it, but maybe dial it back a little. Remember, when you work hard enough to create soreness, the soreness is because you’ve broken tissue down. Your immune system steps in to help you recover from that. Just like you being at work, if your immune system is spread too thin, there can be a price to pay. You should also have a great recovery protocol to lean on in between training sessions.

#5 Cardiorespiratory training should be at the forefront of your training. You don’t have to do anything crazy, but get those lungs working. Part of your morning routine should be a nice brisk walk. Move with purpose. Get a slow swim in, maybe a light jog, bike ride, or a hike through a nature trail.

#6 Nutrition. Keep it clean. An alkaline protocol would be best, but do what you can. Stay away from the inflammatory stuff and dig into the anti inflammatories. Stay hydrated with water, not sports drinks, alcohol, sodas, etc. Water. It’s what you’re made of and what you should replenish everyday.

The benefits of each of these ideas take hold almost immediately. Virus or not, this is a way to not only live, but to thrive.

Treat your mind, body, and spirit well and they will treat you well.

– Jason