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JOHN, SEAN, & CHRISTINE, OH MY! New staff members come on board – and Karien comes back! PrimeTime has experienced a few changes lately and there are a few new faces in the gym. Karien’s back on the instructor bike for PrimeTime Pedal, and on the gym floor for training. And have you met our newest staff members? New trainers Sean and John are ready to put you through the paces, and believe me, they’ll make you have so much fun you don’t even realize how hard you’re working! Speaking of fun, check out Christine’s Zumba class – moving this month to Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. This is one dance party you won’t want to miss!
Christine is shakin’ things up in ZUMBA! John puts Meredith through a grueling warm-up! Sean – the King of the Kettlebell |
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Congratulations to the following PrimeTimers, celebrating another year with us in the gym:
ONE YEAR:
Sally Rock (after a hiatus of a few years)
THREE YEARS
Chuck Jacobson
FOUR YEARS:
Tim Ahmuty
Mary English
Cheryl Keats
EIGHT YEARS:
Hal Currey
Laurie Ulmer
NINE YEARS:
Buddy Inabinet
TEN YEARS (come get your 10-year t-shirt!)
Shannon Cagle
Paul Kohlheim
Aspen Nestler
ELEVEN YEARS:
Eleanor Ross
THANK YOU to everyone for continuing to workout with us at PrimeTimeFitness!
NATIONAL DANCE DAY CELEBRATION
ZUMBA! Fundraiser
Saturday, July 30, 9:00 a.m.
Speaking of ZUMBA, we’re celebrating NATIONAL DANCE DAY with a special ZUMBA class on Saturday, July 30, at 9:00 a.m.!
This workout will be donation only, with all proceeds going to help our stairclimb team raise money for the American Lung Association! No donation is too small or too large. Be sure to sign up online, and bring cash or a check made out to the American Lung Association on July 30.
NATIONAL DANCE DAY CELEBRATION
ZUMBA
Saturday, July 30; 9:00 a.m.
Donations taken at the door
Click here to sign up!
Launched in 2010 by “So You Think You Can Dance” co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, National Dance Day is an annual celebration that takes place on the last Saturday in July. This grassroots campaign encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and fight obesity. NDD achieved national recognition when Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a long-time proponent of healthy lifestyles, announced at a press conference on July 31, 2010, in Washington, D.C., that she was introducing a congressional resolution declaring the last Saturday in July to be the country’s official NDD.
Taken from the Dizzy Feet Foundation website
Heavy or Light – How Much Should I Lift?
Headlines from the July 20 issue of the New York Times “Well” section stated “in a study, participants’ muscles got bigger and stronger whether they lifted heavy or light weights — as long as they lifted until they were tired.”
For years, exercisers and gym-goers have adhered to the practice of lifting heavy weights with fewer repetitions to build muscle, or lifting lighter weights for more reps to tone.
Note: This column is purely anecdotal, based on personal experience. What you are about to read is NOT based on scientific research, but simply my own life history – which includes losing 30 pounds, working out daily, becoming a somewhat competitive athlete, and maintaining a healthy body composition of fat to muscle.
In my 20+ years as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I have heard many truths and many common misconceptions. Probably more of the latter. Here are a few of both:
Common misconception: Lifting heavy weights makes you “bulky.”
Fact: Have you seen me? I’m not what most people consider “bulky.”
Another fact: I lift heavy weights. Sometimes the weight is so heavy that I cannot perform more than 8 – 10 repetitions.
Takeaway: Lifting heavy weights does not make one “bulky.”
To make you think: What makes people bulky when they lift heavy weights is the layers of fat on top of all that beautiful, strong muscle. Too many people forget, don’t know, or choose to ignore that diet is 80% or more of being fit. You can work harder than a workhorse to build muscle, but if you don’t do the aerobic fat-burning activity to lose the layers of fat on top of it, and neglect to monitor your caloric intake, that muscle remains covered by fat, giving the appearance of being bulky.
Common misconception: Lifting light weights “tones” muscle.
Fact: One doesn’t “tone.” “Toned” simply describes the appearance of lean, solid muscle as opposed to a “soft” appearance. You can strengthen a muscle, but “toning” just doesn’t happen. “Toning” means you can see muscle definition – usually those who say “I want to have muscle tone and not bulk up” are in search of definition as opposed to large muscle mass.
Fact: the average person will not put on huge amounts of muscle mass. That happens with hours (HOURS) in the gym daily, mega-doses of protein (in real food form or supplements), and lifting really really really heavy weights. We’re talking Olympic power lifts, people. NOT what the average gym-goer will be doing.
Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights.
To make you think: Lifting heavy weights builds muscle. You need muscle. Lifting heavy weights burns fat. You don’t need fat (not too much of it).
So – what about this “New York Times” column advocating lifting light weights?
Well, personal note: after having back surgery in 2012, I was told not to lift more than five pounds for several weeks. For those of you who know me, this was a death sentence. But I chose to obey doctor’s orders AND keep my fitness intact. So I lifted. Light weights. Over. And over. And over. I took 2-3 pound dumbbells and pushed them up over my head hundreds of times. I did countertop pushups (as opposed to full-fledged push-ups on the floor) for minutes at a time. I did bicep curls with small weights so many times I lost count. I set my stopwatch for five minutes and did body weights squats.
And I got SORE!
My point? Doing light weights for lots of reps made a difference. It challenged me. My body is so used to lifting heavy weights (and that’s not bad . . . it’s just what I do) that lifting heavy weights made tiny microtears in my muscle, just like lifting heavier weights.
The takeaway: Do something that challenges you. Whether that’s lifting heavier than you thought possible, for just a few repetitions, or lifting light weights, for more reps than you can count. (BUT you have to do it until you fatigue and cannot perform one more repetition with good form.) I promise you, the difference will get your attention.
Downside of lifting heavy weights: There comes a point where form is sacrificed. You don’t want to go there (think “I’m injured!”). Stay within your limits of good technique.
Downside of lifting light weights to fatigue: It takes a long time. If you’re retired, with lots of time on your hands, or simply looking for ways to stay in the gym longer, lifting light weights for 20-30 reps is for you!
Another note: There is a perhaps scientific difference that occurs at the cellular and/or hormonal level when lifting heavy vs light weights. I don’t know exactly what that may be – perhaps testosterone increases, capillaries grow, and mitochondria are formed. All I know is that, for the average person interested in improving their fitness, the body adapts to stress. For stress to occur, we have to undergo external demands. Your body knows a stressor in any and all forms – whether it’s a big load for a short time or a small load for a long period…. Your body will react. In a good way. So get out there and challenge your body in one way or another!
After all, if it challenges you, it will change you.
So to answer the question “Heavy or Light” – the answer is YES!
To read the entire NYT article, go to http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/lifting-lighter-weights-can-be-just-as-effective-as-heavy-ones/?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
Meredith Nelson, M.Ed, is the owner of PrimeTime Fitness, Inc, in Mt. Pleasant. Certified through AFAA in Group Fitness, ACE as a Personal Trainer and Medical Exercise Specialist, and TPI as a golf fitness professional, Meredith has been bringing fitness to the East Cooper area for over twenty years. Since 2000, PrimeTime Fitness has catered to the mature exerciser and offers personal and small group training, indoor cycling, yoga, golf fitness training, monthly gym membership, and more. Meredith can be reached with your fitness questions at 843-883-0101, or Meredith@primetimefit.net.
THE PRIMETIME TEAM IS CLIMBING AGAIN – but we need your help!
Saturday, July 23; North Charleston Coliseum
The PrimeTime team is once again taking to the stairs at the North Charleston Coliseum as they compete in the 2016 Fight For Air StairClimb! The PrimeTime team has their sights set on a repeat victory in this year’s event on July 23.
We would love to win the title of not only the fastest team, but also the most money raised . . . and you can help!
For more information on how you can help the PrimeTime team bring home another trophy, contact meredith@primetimefit.net . . . your funds go a long way in helping overcome lung disease, manage the disease, or quit smoking!
Check out “Take the Stairs to Better Fitness” on our blog!
STAFF RECIPE FILE
Quick & Easy Chopped Chicken Salad w/ Arugula, Quinoa, and Broccoli
For each person, use:
½ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup sautéed or roasted chicken
1 cup combined chopped cherry tomatoes, roasted broccoli
2 cups arugula
2 Tbs. dressing
Chicken Salad
(See above for amounts)
Quinoa
Sautéed or roasted chicken
Roasted broccoli
Cherry tomatoes
Arugula
Serve with basil vinaigrette:
2 cups basil leaves
1 small clove garlic
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
¼ cup grated parmesan
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine ingredients in a blender.
Yields 10 Tbs.
For most intense flavor, mix salad with dressing just before serving.
Delicious served warm or cold.
Taken from NutritionAction.com
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FAREWELL, SARAH! After more than 8 years of training, cycling, running, Boot Camping, getting her “Om” on in yoga, and putting up with us all, Sarah is leaving us soon to pursue personal and professional opportunities in Destin, Florida. Sarah has been an enormous asset to our team and she will be greatly missed! We’ve seen her grow and mature as a person as well as a trainer, and we know that success will follow her wherever she goes.
Take care, and stay in touch, Sarah … we’re gonna miss you! |
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GYM ORIENTATION Saturday, July 9, 9:00 a.m. FREE – to help you navigate around the new PrimeTime and our toys! Click here to sign up now! Do you feel lost in the gym? Have you gazed in wonder at Jacob’s Ladder every time you come in? Can you still not find the water fountains (you know they have to be here, somewhere!)? Does the thought of being alone in the weight room send you into an anxiety attack?
Join a PrimeTime trainer on the second Saturday of each month for a free orientation session to unravel the mysteries in the gym! You’ll learn things like how to work the equipment, how to make seating adjustments, and where the Emergency Stop buttons, and Panic Buttons, are! (Note, this is designed to be an instructional hour, not a workout. Feel free to schedule a training session if you need assistance putting together a workout that works for YOU!) Saturday, July 9, 9:00 a.m. Click here to sign up now! |
IT’S TIME TO BUILD!
Habitat For Humanity
Thursday, July 7
8:30 – 12:30 (or whenever we run out of gas!)
The PrimeTime Build team is at is again – we’re building a house! We’ve been helping out our neighbors next door at Habitat For Humanity since for a few months and our house is nearing completion – come help us get the job done so Krista and her son can move into their new home.
Sign up at the front desk.
SCHEDULE/CLASS CHANGES!
Zumba, Combo Packs, and More, OH MY!
Register for all workouts at www.primetimefit.net!
