By Jeanne Daugherty Jameson
Performance Elite Founder/ Master Trainer
There is no time like the present to start a training program, and that definitely holds true even with summer quickly fading. Don’t throw out those goals for 2023, as you still have time before the holidays to set your sights on switching gears in your fitness program, and having you feel accomplished before the year’s end!
At Performance Elite, we encourage you to Fall Into Fitness in a fresh new way. Autumn is looming, and winter fast approaching, ringing in the season to explore the benefits to our health and wellness gained by focusing our fitness training on power as opposed to endurance, and taking great advantage of this time for rest and recovery.
There are many different facets to the idea of strength when it comes to the body. One type of strength is being capable of running a marathon, or aerobic conditioning, while another is possessing the ability to bench press or deadlift your bodyweight, or anaerobic conditioning.
Shorter days and more holidays in the upcoming winter months provide favorable means for ample rest and recovery that are important for developing anaerobic strength. Thus, this is the perfect time to concentrate on developing a strong foundation – both in the sense of more powerful muscles and stable joints, and also in the sense of establishing a greater range of motion and strength throughout that range of motion.
Creating stronger muscles is one thing, but not if having stronger muscles makes you tighter and less mobile. So, while working tougher sets with higher weight and fewer repetitions, to establish that firm foundation, it is equally valuable to include a lot of stretching and body conditioning in your overall training plan, working the smaller stabilization muscles. Yoga is a great addition to a power max training program, and provides good emphasis on balance and posture too, which are critical to establishing fluid performance under pressure.
Without focusing on the smaller muscles that surround joints and provide stability, it is easy for the stronger muscles to take over a movement, unintentionally creating a worse imbalance than before. Training during the fall/winter season is an ideal time to reestablish good form regardless of your focus, whether for general fitness conditioning, sport, injury rehabilitation, age-related or chronic issues, or other high-performance aspirations.
This season is also a great time to give your bodies ample time to rest and recover, taking full advantage of the lack of daylight to establish good sleep hygiene, meditation/ mental training routines, and involve more self-care treatments such as massage and chiropractic. People are often amazed at the strength gains and weight loss that occur when they give their bodies the rest they need, but it really is a part of a well-rounded training program, and an area that many people, even athletes miss. I am constantly amazed at the number of coaches who don’t give their athletes 2-3 week breaks at the end of their season of play before getting back into hard training for the next season. These breaks are extremely important for heightened performance and longevity!
What does this look like in terms of the average person and overall health? A stronger and more stable body leads to better balance, fewer falls, less injuries, greater freedom from pain, and more. Heightened flexibility leads to lessened inflammation, enhanced energy, improved digestion, a more resilient immune system, and the list goes on. Essentially, your overall agility is greatly improved, your stress is reduced, and you can feel 10 years younger than you are!
If you would like to learn more about these training methods, and how to establish good conditioning practices to achieve your own particular goals, come join our trainers at Performance Elite for a free training seminar on Saturday, October 7 at 9 am at Spreckels Park in Coronado. Plus, for those of you who would like to challenge yourself to some great morning workouts, we are offering our ButtKickers and Power Hour classes at the reduced rate of $10 a class during the Preview Week, held all through the first week of October!
You will enjoy learning about your own abilities and how you can improve, no matter your age. Even better, we tailor the classes to each persons level of current performance, as safety is our priority, and then we progress you steadily from there.
Good health is everything, and giving people the chance to achieve their goals and enjoy the best quality of life obtainable is what we strive to accomplish at Performance Elite. For more information, please write us as [email protected], or call 619-437-1545. Take on the challenge either in person or find us on Instagram at pef_fitness, and be inspired to live your life to the fullest!
