strength training Archives - Smith Performance Center

The 4 Reasons Exercise is Hard to Start and Maintain

Craig Smith July 29, 2024

Starting an exercise program usually begins with a detailed look at your goals and a plan to achieve them. Showing up consistently is assumed. After decades in the health and wellness industry as a personal trainer, strength coach, exercise physiologist, and physical therapist, I’ve seen firsthand that the problem isn’t your goals, program structure, or knowledge of the importance of exercise. You already know regular exercise is crucial. Nor is the problem finding a place to work out, scheduling gym time, or getting the right equipment for home. The real issue is execution: showing up and doing the work. Exercise is hard to start. Exercise is hard to maintain. Why? There are four major reasons: Evolutionary Mismatch We did not evolve to exercise; we evolved to conserve calories Our ancestors developed in an environment with limited access to calories. The body’s ability to conserve energy allowed humans to survive periods

The Importance of Protein Consumption for Resistance Trained Individuals

Craig Smith April 22, 2024

Congratulations, you’ve embarked on the journey of resistance training. As you delve into the realm of exercise, one of the first topics you will hit is to up your protein intake. Unlike a few areas that may seem superfluous, it is an important area to get the right nutrients, with protein taking center stage. Here’s a brief overview to ensure you maximize the benefits of your training regimen through adequate protein consumption. Amount To optimize muscle growth and recovery, aim for a protein intake ranging between 1.6 to 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight daily. This can be confusing, since we do not use the metric system on a daily basis, so we will show both grams to pounds ratio and grams per kilogram of body weight. Metric Imperial Example kg to lbs 1 kg 2.2 lbs 180 lbs man weighs 81.6 kg g to oz 1 gram

How to use On Demand Supplement Workouts within your normal exercise routine

Craig Smith March 18, 2024

At SPC, we’re excited to announce that our supplemental workouts will be available on our On Demand platform. However, we understand that there may be a learning curve associated with incorporating these workouts into your routine. That’s why we want to ensure you have the resources to make the most of this valuable tool for future reference. If you’re unsure about what the supplemental programs entail, we encourage you to check out our blog post, ‘ The 4 Types of SPC Supplemental Workouts.‘ We will go into each aspect of the workout, why, and when to add the supplemental workouts. Understanding the Structure: Components of a Workout A single workout, at the most simple level, should include a prep component and a workout component. But this misses other aspects that often occur at SPC. Let’s define these components first: Prep: Getting your body ready for exercise. Skill Development: Learning or

The 4 Types of SPC Supplemental Workouts

Craig Smith March 11, 2024

The foundation of our programming is the strength workout. Building upon this foundation using a progressive overload approach is essential for long-term strength and fitness gains. Incorporating supplemental workouts can provide variety, target specific muscle groups and movement patterns, develop new skills, and enhance overall fitness and performance. Supplemental workouts can serve various purposes, such as addressing weaknesses, improving mobility, treating recurrent injuries, reducing risk for falls or simply adding diversity to training. They include exercises like mobility drills, corrective exercises, accessory movements, and conditioning work. By integrating supplemental workouts into your programming, you create a more well-rounded and balanced training regimen. This approach not only helps to prevent boredom and plateaus but also allows for continuous improvement and adaptation over time. We want to review the types of supplemental workouts in this article. The 4 types of supplemental workouts We have 4 types of supplemental workouts: We will explain

What is the difference between Phase 3: Activity Progression and Phase 4: Exercise, Maintenance, and Monitoring?

Craig Smith February 26, 2024

Welcome to the transition zone—phase 3 to phase 4—at Smith Performance Center. This shift marks an important move from rehabilitation to performance. We’re committed to ensuring that our community doesn’t get stuck in a permanent rehab mindset. The switch from rehab mode to peak performance mode can pose challenges, demanding careful consideration and expert guidance. Phase 3 is all about building up tissue capacity, gradually ramping up activity levels, and prioritizing overall well-being. It involves strengthening muscles, alleviating muscle inhibition, closely monitoring responses to increased activity, and addressing any lingering issues stemming from previous inactivity. Essentially, it’s about improving tissue capacity while laying down a solid foundation for what comes next. In contrast, phase 4 signifies a fresh chapter, with a focus on establishing a consistent exercise routine and raising the bar for performance standards. Our goal here isn’t just to ‘move’ but to instill a long-term commitment to fitness

The 10 Strategy Mistakes of Repetitive Injury When Exercising

Craig Smith December 14, 2023

Do you want to get back to exercise but keep on getting hurt? The merry-go-round misery of a repeatedly injured exerciser is a common complaint at Smith Performance Center. When someone shows up, our physical therapists listen to a series of injuries that seem to occur every time they get into a workout routine. The exerciser finishes rehab and heads back to their respective sport. The first few days go well, but inevitably the same problem comes back. In our clients’ minds, their body has lost the ability to stay healthy. They believe age is driving the problem, or the joints are shot. They think the activity they choose to do is too vigorous and must be replaced. These are not the problem. The cycle of repetitive injury is a strategic mistake. Returning to activity with a strategy We believe in a process called the SPC Phases. A phase at

11 Reasons Personal Training With Our Strength Coaches Is The Right Choice For You

Craig Smith December 11, 2023

Maintaining an active lifestyle is complicated in modern society. Overall activity is declining with technological advances; we now opt for vehicles instead of walking, and jobs often entail prolonged sitting. Balancing work commitments often makes planned exercise challenging. Beyond these barriers, uncertainties about suitable exercises, a distaste for workouts, or recurring injuries like back problems or arthritic joints hinder consistent physical activity. The consequences become apparent over time. You wake up one morning feeling older; simple movements like squatting or getting up from the ground seem arduous. Attempts at workout routines result in significant soreness, leading to extended breaks. Returning to these routines becomes daunting, with barriers preventing a fresh start. But having someone to assist you with exercise isn’t silly; it’s crucial. Exercise ranks as the number one habit for improving your lifespan and overall health. However, consistency is key. Without regularity, the benefits diminish. To help overcome these

Optimizing Your Strength Training: Understanding the Importance of Deload Weeks At Smith Performance Center

Craig Smith November 17, 2023

In the realm of physical fitness, the drive to push our limits often overshadows the significance of rest and recovery. Enter the concept of “Deloading” — a strategic and essential practice that can be a game-changer in your strength training regimen. As we engage in rigorous workouts and demanding physical activities, our bodies undergo stress, breaking down muscles and tissues. Yet, it’s during periods of rest that our bodies repair, adapt, and ultimately grow stronger in response to these stresses. The Deload week, a planned phase of reduced training volume, intensity, or frequency, serves as a pivotal component of a well-structured training program. Its purpose is simple yet profound: to allow the body the necessary time and space to recover, prevent overtraining, and boost overall performance. Understanding when, why, and how to implement a Deload week can significantly impact your training outcomes, ensuring sustained progress, and minimizing the risk of

Optimizing Your Strength Training: The Role of Open Clinics at Smith Performance Center

Craig Smith November 17, 2023

At Smith Performance Center (SPC), our primary aim is to facilitate a healthy and active lifestyle for all our members. One of the tools we employ to overcome potential barriers to consistent exercise is the utilization of open clinics, which play a crucial role in addressing pain and injuries. An open clinic session lasts for 15 minutes and serves four primary purposes: The genesis of the open clinic concept dates back to January 2018 at Smith Performance Center. Initially conceived as a space for members to report new injuries, discomfort, or movement issues, these sessions soon became integral to our strength training approach. On the first weekend, our physical therapist triaged six people. Now after five thousand sessions, we recognize their significance in supporting a healthy lifestyle. Why do open clinics matter? Injury prevention, often a cornerstone in healthcare and fitness, presents challenges. Being active inherently involves a degree of

The 4 Primary Goals In Strength Training When Struggling With An Injury or Pain

Craig Smith November 7, 2023

Goal setting is one of the most important, yet tricky aspects of training. Our team believes that goals are secondary to developing habits and systems that you can do day in and day out. We call this an exercise habit and it is a critical aspect of becoming an exerciser. However, goals can help to shape your training, increase motivation, and improve decision-making during the course of workouts. When you are returning from an injury or dealing with a particularly irritating pain, we believe your goal is very specific. You need to exercise without your body feeling terrible. While this sounds obvious, one of the most common training mistakes our coaches see clients make is too much focus on performance while ignoring a recurring injury or pain. If you have pain during your running, biking, lifting, etc., you will not achieve performance goals. We strongly believe there are 4 goals

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SPC Archives

Tag: strength training

The 4 Reasons Exercise is Hard to Start and Maintain

The Importance of Protein Consumption for Resistance Trained Individuals

How to use On Demand Supplement Workouts within your normal exercise routine

The 4 Types of SPC Supplemental Workouts

What is the difference between Phase 3: Activity Progression and Phase 4: Exercise, Maintenance, and Monitoring?

The 10 Strategy Mistakes of Repetitive Injury When Exercising

11 Reasons Personal Training With Our Strength Coaches Is The Right Choice For You

Optimizing Your Strength Training: Understanding the Importance of Deload Weeks At Smith Performance Center

Optimizing Your Strength Training: The Role of Open Clinics at Smith Performance Center

The 4 Primary Goals In Strength Training When Struggling With An Injury or Pain

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