The Station
by Robert J. Hastings
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering – waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 18.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”
Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Palm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Thursday 21 April 2011
Fierce Fitcamp and Remote Training
With summer well on it's way, now is definitely the time to be making a commitment to your fitness if you are serious about getting in shape and feeling great in your skin this summer.
If fat loss and significantly improved fitness are your main goals, your conditioning program will need to incorporate the following elements:
Flexibility and mobility work
Movement preparation
Energy system development (including acceleration, speed, and speed endurance components)
Strength & power development
Fitting these components into a realistic weekly schedule can be challenging, but fear not! I have two solutions for you.
If you are in the Surrey area, then our next Fierce Fitcamp starts on May 2nd for 4 weeks and runs throughout May at 6.30pm on Monday's, Tuesdays and Thursdays in Stoke Park, Guildford. I will be coaching fitcampers through some of the same protocols I'll be using to get the England Lacrosse team ready to win the World Cup! Fierce Fitcamp is £99/person and places can be booked by calling
01483 801150 or by emailing info@phoenixprofitness.com
If you want great camaraderie, first class fitness programming, and most importantly RESULTS, then book your place TODAY!
If you're not in the Surrey area, can't make Fierce Fitcamp or need a more individual program , then our popular remote training membership is for you. Please contact us at info@phoenixprofitness.com for more details.
The Phoenix Pro Fitness team and I look forward to helping you feel FANTASTIC this summer!
Char
If fat loss and significantly improved fitness are your main goals, your conditioning program will need to incorporate the following elements:
Flexibility and mobility work
Movement preparation
Energy system development (including acceleration, speed, and speed endurance components)
Strength & power development
Fitting these components into a realistic weekly schedule can be challenging, but fear not! I have two solutions for you.
If you are in the Surrey area, then our next Fierce Fitcamp starts on May 2nd for 4 weeks and runs throughout May at 6.30pm on Monday's, Tuesdays and Thursdays in Stoke Park, Guildford. I will be coaching fitcampers through some of the same protocols I'll be using to get the England Lacrosse team ready to win the World Cup! Fierce Fitcamp is £99/person and places can be booked by calling
01483 801150 or by emailing info@phoenixprofitness.com
If you want great camaraderie, first class fitness programming, and most importantly RESULTS, then book your place TODAY!
If you're not in the Surrey area, can't make Fierce Fitcamp or need a more individual program , then our popular remote training membership is for you. Please contact us at info@phoenixprofitness.com for more details.
The Phoenix Pro Fitness team and I look forward to helping you feel FANTASTIC this summer!
Char
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Fierce Fitcamp, Guildford, is back!
Due to popular demand, our 4 week Fierce Fitcamp is back with a
vengeance on May 2nd.
Fierce Fitcamp takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at
Stoke Park, Guildford, and is suitable for all ages and fitness
levels. The program, which combines a fun and progressive
combination of resistance exercise with energy system training, is
led by Personal Trainer of the Year 2010 Charlotte Ord, and is
guaranteed to whip you into summer shape and leave you feeling
fitter, stronger and more mobile!
If you are looking to...
- shift belly fat
- tone up
- reveal your six pack
- turbo charge your fitness
- improve your flexibility
- boost your energy
- reduce stress
- have a bloody good laugh
...then Fitcamp is for you!
Fierce Fitcamp runs for 4 weeks throughout May and takes place at
6.30pm. As well as top class fitness coaching and programs, every
Fitcamper receives comprehensive nutrition guidance, mobility and
flexibility programs, and Phoenix Pro Fitness goodies!
Fierce Fitcamp is £99/person and places can be booked by calling
01483 801150 or by emailing info@phoenixprofitness.com
If you want great camaraderie, first class fitness programming, and
most importantly RESULTS, then book your place TODAY!
Access to Fierce Fitcamp is FREE to all Phoenix Pro Fitness members.
Monday 11 April 2011
Cramp! And how to avoid it
We all know the horrible feeling of cramp.. it's that unbearable tightening pain that can occur in pretty much any part of your body and can often mean an end to immediate competitive efforts. By looking at the mechanics of cramp and why it occurs, we can tailor our training and nutrition to successfully deter its occurance in the majority of instances.
In order to understand cramp, it is first necessary to understand the mechanics of muscle contraction. The sliding filament, or ratchet theory, of muscle contraction refers to the binding of myosin cross bridges within the muscle filaments, to nearby active sites on actin filaments.
This reaction, which is stimulated by motor neurons carrying electrical signals stimulating the release of calcium ions, results in each myosin cross bridge flexing backwards at its hinges, pulling the actin filament with it (known as the power stroke). Immediately following this stroke the myosin cross bridge detaches its head from the actin site, tilts forward to its original position and reattaches to another actin site further down the filament. This process continues, pulling the actin filaments towards the centre of the myosin filaments and thus culminating in muscle contraction, or shortening. The energy for this process is supplied by ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is supplied by mitochondria in the muscle cells.
Cramp is perhaps best explained by looking at the occurance of rigor mortis, or muscle rigidity, a few hours after death. Because a dead body is unable to resynthesise the energy molecule ATP, the calcium ions remain in the muscle cells and thus the cross-bridge bonding of actin and myosin remains (cross-bridge detachment depends on the synthesis of ATP). Cramp can be explained in a similar way. In the absence of sufficient ATP in the muscle or if there is inadequate re-absorbtion of calcium ions after contraction to promote detachment of the myosin cross bridges, the rigor complex will remain. If enough muscle fibres are affected, an entire muscle group, such as the quads or hamstrings, might experience 'cramp'. Not good!
So how can we avoid it?
- Warm up properly. Diving into maximum effort exercise without adequate mobility, movement preparation and muscle activation work will not only increase your susceptibility to injury, but it'll also leave you more prone to cramp. Don't think of your warm up as something you do before training. Utilise every minute - it will optimise everything else you do during your session!
- Stretch, but not too hard! Overstretching your muscles will activate the handy little golgi tendon organs (GTOs) in your muscles which detect overstretch and causes your fibres to contract - sometimes too much.
- Foam roll - rolling will increase blood flow to your muscle tissue, release adhesions and break down scar tissue which will compromise your muscles' functional capacity.
- Stay hydrated. Lack of water will affect every single one of your body's cellular functions, including muscle activity.
- if you are prone to gastroc (calf) cramping at night, ensure your bed covers arn't too tight; forcing your toes into plantarflexion (or pointing) will increase the risk of spasm.
- Eat a well balanced diet. If you don't know what this is or how to integrate it into your lifestyle, this will help!
- train your energy systems to cope with the intensity of your sport or activity, so that your body doesn't run out of ATP and go into spasm, or cramp. If you need help devising a program for your sport, why not book a 30 day trial with us at Phoenix Pro Fitness?
In order to understand cramp, it is first necessary to understand the mechanics of muscle contraction. The sliding filament, or ratchet theory, of muscle contraction refers to the binding of myosin cross bridges within the muscle filaments, to nearby active sites on actin filaments.
This reaction, which is stimulated by motor neurons carrying electrical signals stimulating the release of calcium ions, results in each myosin cross bridge flexing backwards at its hinges, pulling the actin filament with it (known as the power stroke). Immediately following this stroke the myosin cross bridge detaches its head from the actin site, tilts forward to its original position and reattaches to another actin site further down the filament. This process continues, pulling the actin filaments towards the centre of the myosin filaments and thus culminating in muscle contraction, or shortening. The energy for this process is supplied by ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is supplied by mitochondria in the muscle cells.
Cramp is perhaps best explained by looking at the occurance of rigor mortis, or muscle rigidity, a few hours after death. Because a dead body is unable to resynthesise the energy molecule ATP, the calcium ions remain in the muscle cells and thus the cross-bridge bonding of actin and myosin remains (cross-bridge detachment depends on the synthesis of ATP). Cramp can be explained in a similar way. In the absence of sufficient ATP in the muscle or if there is inadequate re-absorbtion of calcium ions after contraction to promote detachment of the myosin cross bridges, the rigor complex will remain. If enough muscle fibres are affected, an entire muscle group, such as the quads or hamstrings, might experience 'cramp'. Not good!
So how can we avoid it?
- Warm up properly. Diving into maximum effort exercise without adequate mobility, movement preparation and muscle activation work will not only increase your susceptibility to injury, but it'll also leave you more prone to cramp. Don't think of your warm up as something you do before training. Utilise every minute - it will optimise everything else you do during your session!
- Stretch, but not too hard! Overstretching your muscles will activate the handy little golgi tendon organs (GTOs) in your muscles which detect overstretch and causes your fibres to contract - sometimes too much.
- Foam roll - rolling will increase blood flow to your muscle tissue, release adhesions and break down scar tissue which will compromise your muscles' functional capacity.
- Stay hydrated. Lack of water will affect every single one of your body's cellular functions, including muscle activity.
- if you are prone to gastroc (calf) cramping at night, ensure your bed covers arn't too tight; forcing your toes into plantarflexion (or pointing) will increase the risk of spasm.
- Eat a well balanced diet. If you don't know what this is or how to integrate it into your lifestyle, this will help!
- train your energy systems to cope with the intensity of your sport or activity, so that your body doesn't run out of ATP and go into spasm, or cramp. If you need help devising a program for your sport, why not book a 30 day trial with us at Phoenix Pro Fitness?
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