Below you will find a video of what looks like me on repeat approaching my bar. This video is NOT on repeat. This is me, approaching my bar the exact same way each time. 

      Creating a barbell routine is actually quite simple. 

     1. Before I even approach my bar, I take a moment to close my eyes and visualize myself doing the lift. Feeling each movement as you imagine completing the lift. 
     2. Approach your bar with confidence. Find your footing first. This ensures that you are keeping the same stance no matter the exercise. 
     3. Where your hands and body go next are also crucial. In a deadlift I put my right hand on the bar, then my left as I am already squatted down. 
     4. You will notice just before my lift, I raise my eyes, not my entire head. Keeping a neutral spine and tight shoulders, from here we lift the bar. 

     This is the same for my squats on barbell or my hang cleans on barbell. Every movement with a barbell I have created a routine to ensure the lift is the exact same each time I perform it. 

    Hello and welcome new Warrior! We are so excited to have you in our tribe! While the gym can be a dirty place at times and we do sanitize, we try our best as Warriors to be mindful and healthful toward others. This means that we wash our hands before leaving the gym. 

Have a quick look at the video below! 

    A common phrase you will hear from me is "Find your hips". Many individuals do not know where their hips are. There is a very easy way to find this, several actually! We are going to focus on the most simple and effective way today. 

    Using your hands, make two fists. Now put them together. Hinge at your waist and place your fist between your feet. Your feet should slightly touch the edge of your hands. This is where your hips are. 

     You will need to know this for your gait (walk), any and pretty much all leg exercises, standing properly to form a stable base for upper body exercises that require standing. A great example of why this is important to know is lunges! If you perform a traveling lunge and you step inside of your hips, you will lose balance and fall over. The legs are not meant to come inside the hips when we walk. 

    Many clients I have worked with in the past and currently have had a trainer before, they will tell me stories of how they would do cookie-cutter routines, or their trainer wasn't really present. So here is what to expect in each session from me as we continue our fitness journey together! 

   1. Phone use! I am rarely on my phone unless I am taking pictures, videos or posting a short story to my IG. I want to be in the moment and the session with you. 

   2. Honesty and counseling. While I am not a certified counselor, I consider myself a "friendselor". This is in part due to clients becoming more comfortable as we continue our training together and divulging into life events, details, and other situations. I am also very honest, I do not filter anything. If you are offended, we need to talk it out. I believe that everything can be talked through, there is always a way to understand one another. 

  3. Sessions vary and are not only lifting. This is a big one. Many clients come aboard and think they will come in and only lift heavy or only do HiiT style training. Training consists of sessions that are fully recovery with foam rolling, stretching and breathing. Other sessions may be us sitting down to have a discussion about your goals, if you are struggling where and how we can better or ease the struggle. If you are in need of nutrition guidance or planning this can take an entire session. A good trainer does more than just teach you a movement. 

   4. Full guidance. While I may run to the rest room or help a coaching client for a moment, my attention is still on the session at hand. You will receive the guidance that you paid for and expect in each session. If you are a client that is not okay with me taking a second to assist a coaching client, please let me know. I understand that not everyone is okay with me walking away for a moment. 

   5. If I say 1 more, I mean it. Many trainers will hook you and tell you "Oh one more, come on one more!" but they continue and one more never ends right! You will hear me say one more followed with "Okay! Give it a rest!" 

   6. Sessions are a full hour, not 50 minutes. Working behind a front desk for years before becoming a trainer really gave me a lot of time to think about the type of training I wanted to offer my clients. The simple fact that corporate gyms will charge $700+ per month for training at a 50 minute session.... you are losing 1.5 sessions this way! Your workout on your own will most likely last a little over an hour in the beginning (on your own), with me they will always be an hour. You will never be cut short unless you become injured or sick during a session. 


   Now that you have a better understanding of how our sessions will proceed, I hope you find enjoyment in them! 

      Hello Warriors! Below you will find a list of terminology that I will use frequently throughout our training. You need to know these and what they mean as you will hear me refer to them during each session. This is a living document, therefore it will always be updated. 


AMRAP: As Many Rounds As Possible

TABATA: This style is a timer. Set with a certain number of cycles and exercises. Example 3/3 :40W :20R, this means 3 cycles with 3 movements to perform at forty seconds of work and twenty seconds of rest. 

Hypertrophy: ​This is where our sets, reps and weight all increase throughout the set. A hypertrophy phase workout consists of exercises utilizing low to intermediate repetition ranges with progressive overload. An example of this is 3-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions, performing the barbell chest press at 75-85% of the one repetition maximum (1RM) with a rest period of 1-2 minutes.

1RM: This is your 1 rep max. This refers to the maximum amount of weight that you can perform successfully with good form. 

HiiT: High Intensity Interval Training. This is very similar to TABATA. 

Length-tension relationship: You will hear me refer to this usually before foam rolling. **The length-tension property of a whole muscle (or muscle fiber or sarcomere) is the relationship between muscle length and the force the muscle can produce at that length.**

Super Set: A set of two exercises that are performed back to back, with little to no rest in between. For example, if you are instructed to complete a superset of 10 chest press and 10 push-ups, after completing your chest press you would immediately begin performing push-ups  without taking time to rest in between. After completing both exercises, then you would have a period of rest.

Deload Week: During this week we will work at a 50% weight ratio of your 1RM. 

DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This takes place generally 24-72 hours following a workout session. Intensity varies person to person. 

Compound Movement: These are movements that work multiple muscle groups within one repetition. An example of a compound exercise would be a dumbbell thruster. This movement combines the strength benefits of a squat and shoulder press, effectively working the glutes and shoulders.

Drop Set: This is a method of training that begins with strength exercises performed with heavy weight. When you become fatigued, you reduce, or drop, your weight and continue performing the exercise. Drop sets can be a beneficial way to build strength and endurance.

Dynamic Stretch: Dynamic stretches require active extension to move a joint through its available range of motion. Dynamic stretches are perfect for warming up your body before your workout, however we often use them after foam rolling and a core warm-up. 

Foam Rolling: This is the most common form of self-myofascial release. Helping to release adhesions within your muscles, improve flexibility, increase blood flow and circulation,  and help correct muscle imbalances. We use this to warm up prior to our core round. 

Functional Training: This refers to training methods that help build strength and endurance to support everyday movement and activity. Functional training often includes compound exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time (as this is how our body moves day to day), an emphasis on total core strength, and high-intensity cardiovascular conditioning.

Reps/Repetitions: A repetition (commonly referred to as a “rep”) refers to a complete movement of a single exercise. When you are given a number of reps to complete, that indicates the number of times you are to complete the exercise.

Plyometrics: These are exercises that are explosive in nature and generate quick, powerful movements. Examples of plyometric exercises include squat jump 180, burpees, jumping jacks, and box jumps.

Static Stretch: While performing a static stretch, you passively stretch your muscle to the point of tension and hold for a specific period of time (typically 30-60 seconds). Static stretches are best done as a cool down after your warm up, or on your rest days. Avoid performing static stretches before strength training workouts, as research suggests doing so could result in injury. The exception being those who are on blood pressure and heart medications as foam rolling is not available to them. 

Straight Set: A straight set consists of a group of consecutive repetitions. For example, if you were instructed to perform three straight sets of 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 lunges, you would perform each exercise for the indicated number of reps, followed by a period of rest repeated three times through.




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