Some of you may know that in place of a New Year’s Resolution my husband and I entered 2015 with a 3 month fitness challenge. My challenge was to do 1 pull-up while my husband’s challenge was to double his consecutive (single set) pull-up count (with professional massages on the line if we met our goals!). The ability to do a pull-up is in my opinion one of the most empowering displays of one’s physical strength and mental will; the task being to lift one’s body weight off the ground high enough to get your head over the bar. So what exactly is a pull-up and how is it different from a chin-up? Good question!A pull-up involves using an overhand grip on a bar high enough to reach with arms completely straight and pull oneself up so that one’s chin is higher than the bar. A chin-up is different in that it requires an underhand grip on the bar. Due to the differences in grips on the bar each of these exercises actually uses very different muscle groups! A pull-up relies primarily on your back muscles as well as shoulders, chest, and arms, whereas a chin-up primarily recruits your biceps and chest muscles as well as back and shoulders. So these exercises differ by much more than just the grip alone. It is for these reasons of primary muscle recruitment that women tend to have a high amount of difficulty with the pull-up. Women tend to have weak back muscles, which contribute to their inability to perform a pull-up, however, many women (and men for that matter) find the chin-up much easier to perform because they are able to engage their biceps and chest muscles which are usually more developed.
When I began this challenge I was unable to pull myself even halfway up when attempting a pull-up. At about 2 months into our challenge when I tested myself to see my current progress I was surprised that it just happened and suddenly my chin was above the bar (pictured above, my first pull-up!). It was a daunting goal because I was not sure that the workout plan I had made would work or the frequency of workouts would be enough and I was afraid of putting in all of the hard work to end up failing at the end of it all. After all, how does one prepare to do a movement they cannot do? I have worked with Adriana through Fuerte Fitness for a number of years. With Adriana's coaching and support I went from having little clue about how to lift weights, proper form, and conditioning to being a strong, athletic woman with muscle. In the last four years, I've worked to take control of my health and fitness despite years of struggling with an autoimmune thyroid issue. With Adriana's support I was able to focus on consistency in training and gain muscle which improved my energy and allowed me to support a more active lifestyle. The positive feedback loop means that my thyroid issues no longer dictate my health or my fitness goals. I was able to shift towards this healthy lifestyle while maintaining a high pressure campaign job with incredibly long hours. When it felt like too much, Adriana was there along the way to encourage me and help me stay focused. As a result, I have dropped a significant amount of body fat while gaining muscle mass. Last year I signed up for my first athletic event as a runner with Adriana on a Ragnar Relay team. Earlier in 2014, I transitioned off of training regularly with Adriana and it's been especially gratifying to be able to take everything I've learned from her on strength training and conditioning, combine it with a consistent approach to nutrition and continue to see results. With Adriana I got the training foundation I need to be able to maintain this lifestyle for the long term. Now, I'm prepping for my first NPC bikini fitness competition and I'm excited to be part of the Fuerte Team as I take my fitness to a whole new level on the stage. Thanks Adriana and Fuerte Fitness for all you do to support healthy lifestyles and communities!
You can follow me and my fitness journey! -Client Celebrating her new body! Fall 2014 ness for all you do to support healthy lifestyles and communities!
I went to the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, WA and got my custom made IDEO. I started by rocking in place, then walking, then shuffling side to side, and then it happened: at 7 minutes of having it on I was running full speed. In the 2 1/2 hours I spent at my first training session I was doing things I haven’t done in years. I also quickly realized how out of shape I was… but I wouldn’t ask for anything more than being a sweaty, tired mess because it meant I was finally active again.
I spent the weekend shoe shopping, walking around the mall, going to a Mariners game and standing the entire time at a restaurant patio, and wandering around on the town with friends. A weekend like that would have had me popping pain meds and icing my foot for hours in the past. I felt nothing other than some sore muscles that I haven’t used in a while. It’s incredible! I’ve had a few breakdowns since getting my IDEO. I will be fine and then all of a sudden it will hit me: my life has officially changed gears. I’ve been dreaming about this for so long and it’s finally happened… and I just want to go go go! I wouldn’t be at this moment without all of the love and support I have received from my family, friends, and even complete strangers. I want to say “Thank You” with everything in my heart for what you have done for me. Someday I may be able to put into words the gratitude I feel, but for now I can only cry and say “Thank You” with all of my love and gratitude. Visit www.thechroniclesoftinkerton.wordpress.com to follow along on Lisa's journey! One of our lovely clients, Shanti, shared with us her experiences with the Winter 8 week semi-private program she recently finished. If you have been considering trying out semi-private personal training, take a moment to read the feedback that Shanti shares.
"ONE WORD - AWESOME!" The 8-week session of semi-private training was just what I needed to kick myself into gear. The best part was setting up healthy new habits of regular exercise and smarter eating. The structure of the 3 early morning workouts a week helped create a new "normal" and making it through 24 sessions of waking up before dawn taught me that I really can do it regularly. I never thought I would be able to wake up and work out so early, but it really does work for my schedule (I'm a working mom with young kids, and it's been hard to find time during the day/week). I enjoyed the variety and toughness of the workouts, and I am amazed at how much muscle I gained in just 8 weeks! Tracking workouts and food in the journal was helpful, though it was sometimes hard to stay on top of it. Paying attention to food was a great piece for me; I knew what I should/shouldn't eat already, but the accountability of writing it down throughout the session helped me make better choices. Adriana also offered good snack ideas so I could spread my calories out across more meals. Doing this as part of a group made it really fun; I felt more motivated and committed, as well as inspired by the awesome things the other folks were accomplishing. It also set a faster pace than I would probably have done on my own, so I got more out of the hour-long workouts than I would have otherwise. I highly recommend these sessions and would do this again! Many of you may or may not know that I battle my share of chronic illnesses, including Endometriosis, PCOS, a neck injury, and a slew of ugly autoimmune diseases (clearly, I won the jack pot). As an outlet for my sanity and platform to share with others in similar shoes, I write a blog on topics related to my life and chronic illnesses; about a year and a half ago, I wrote a blog post that reflected a point in my life where I was merely surviving, struggling to get by in even the day-to-day. Originally, when I was diagnosed, I wanted to “treat” my ailments by whatever means were possible, accepting almost any medication or procedure that was recommended. As many of you have experienced, medications come with side effects, and before I knew it, I was taking medicine just for the side effects and had a regimented total of thirteen pills or injections to take regularly. And did I feel better? No. In fact, I felt worse. I was not the paradigm of health you imagine when you think of a personal trainer, and became ashamed to even tell anyone that I was a personal trainer because of the physical state of my body. Most difficult was the weight I gained during the trial and error of all of these medications; despite my clean diet and regular exercise, I packed on the pounds like a growing baby calf. It was both frustrating and embarrassing, but I knew that if I threw in the towel, I would only be worse off. My mom begged me for months to quit taking all of the medications; she watched my health slowly deteriorate, but I was too terrified to stop, until one day I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and dumped the meds. I was determined to take care of myself as naturally as possible from then on. What happened was astounding: after my body detoxified from all of the medications (which took roughly six months) I started shedding weight, and responding to the consistent diet and exercise program I followed, losing thirty-two pounds of fat. My patient endurance and consistency with my food and workouts had paid off, like I had faith they someday would. Since the proof is in the pudding, below are pictures of my transformation: To this day, I carefully watch my diet to be certain it is free of any foods that will upset my system, and fuel myself with the best nutrition that I can. There will be many days where thoughts creep in that it is unfair that I have to live this way when others can get by with eating nearly any assortment of food they want and be seemingly unaffected, but I remind myself of the picture on the left, and the blog post from a year ago, and just ask myself if being able to eat those things would be worth it, and every time, my health wins.
I know that everyone will meet some challenge to their health and fitness during their lifetime, and believe that the way to overcome it is to have patient endurance and be consistent in good habits. We must treat our bodies well: allow them to rest, nourish them with good foods, and give them regular exercise. Small changes in the right direction, over time, will make the world of a difference! Believe that your health is worth it, make it a priority, and don’t accept any less. If you’d like to know more, grab me at the gym or send me an email, I’d love to chat with you. Thanks, Morgan |
Brought to You by AdrianaLiving the good, fit life in Seattle, WA. Stay tuned for more bilingual fitness tips and nutritious recipes. Categories
All
|
|
|
Copyright © 2022, Fuerte Fitness. All rights reserved.
|
Website by Blockbeta Marketing
|