Sheryl and I just completed 2 grueling days at Mid America Nazarene College particpating in a USA Weightlifting Certification Course. Im blown away. We learned the intricacies of the Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Assistance exercises for the Snatch and C&J and other exercises that will translate well in our gym. We had a chance to discuss training options/opinions with a number of people from all over the country. It was great.

We will begin integrating new ways to do things. We will teach each person a warmup that they will be able to do upon entering the gym. This warmup is designed to prepare your body for the upcoming workouts as it raises your core temperature, engages the muscles you will be using, and brings shoulder flexibility to the unflexible - GUILTY!

We are very excited to be able to provide this new learning which ultimately will produce higher poundages , greater ROM, and faster times.

Sheryl and I have a continuing education seminar that we are attending Friday Feb 5 and Saturday Feb 6. It runs all day long.

I will open the gym at 5:30am Friday morning for those who want to work out. We will make up the session sometime when its warmer and we can go outside.

We will NOT be open for the evening session.

I conduct a Speed Agility and Quickness camp for 6-12 year olds on Monday, Wed and Friday beginning at 7:30pm-8:30pm. We work on strength , speed , agility and quickness. If any of you have children of this age, please think about allowing me to help them obtain the same benefits that you do. The costs are the same for the kids.

I have also set aside Monday, and Friday from 4-430 for the young guys as well

The Agenda:

Warmup and Flexibilty

WOD

Form Running, agility drills, starts, change of direction.

Let me know if you, kids on you soccer team, kids from the office, etc would like to come so they can enjoy the benefits of what I have to offer.

Coach,

Got my blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu last night.  This was a long journey for me.  The training at the FitPit has been a great asset in helping to reach that goal.  Thanks again.

————

J. Morris

What an incredible accomplishment Jason. We are all very proud of you.

Effective Friday January 8 - my wifes birthday - we will have some new things and procedures in the gym.

To kick start the new year, Sally and I painted the inside of the gym. You can tell where I painted if you look at the floor.

There will be cubby holes and coat racks built. All of your gear should go into these cubbies or onto the coat racks including purses, winter shoes, gear bags, water bottles etc. I want to clean up the look of the gym and help keep your possessions clean as well as keeping all your things together. You can leave your gym shoes in the cubby hole if you wish. There will also be racks built on the back wall for equipment. We have a plan to try to maximize all the space in the gym.

There will be single envelopes and a special lockbox in the cubbies. Anytime you pay us for anything, from walkin to water to membership fees, that money should be placed inside the provided envelope , with your name on it, and stuck into the lock box. Sheryl and I can assist you if needed.

There will be a sign in procedure for everyone. Upon entering the gym, please sign your name on the sheet that is provided on a clipboard on the side of the cubbies. This is absolutely mandatory. We want to know who has been at the gym each day so we can better serve you.

I apologize for the dust on the gym floor but with our granite neighbor, its a pretty hopeless task  trying to keep the floor clean.

Chalk should remain in the chalk bucket. Please clap your hands together after chalking inside the bucket which will capture the chalk dust that is generated. Chalk is very difficult to get off the floor.

Proper gym etiquette dictates that everyone clean their weights upon finishing their workout. This means breaking down and putting away the bar, your weights, db and kb neatly stacked according to weight, plyo boxes, slam and dynamax balls, collars ,sandbags, etc. We are rapidly gaining new members and need all the space necessary. Now, if you are working with a partner, or someone is going to use your weights immediately after you then the responsibility falls on them.

Sheryl and I are trying to provide a safe and clean environment for everyone. Please look forward to addtional changes as the year and years progress. As always, if you have a suggestion you can talk with either of us. We appreciate you choosing to come to our gym where the training is second to none.

We will be closed on Christmas Day Friday Dec. 25 and Sunday Dec 27. This will allow Sheryl and I to spend a long weekend with our families.

The Fit Pit wants to wish greetings and hearteous felicitations to your and yours on this the most joyous of occassions.

Its been a fantastic year. Just look around and see your and everyone elses progress. I love it. All are stronger and fitter, and set new Personal Records(PR) every time we train. This is what makes it worthwhile.

Everyone knows the amount of push ups, pull ups, squats,etc. that they can do, but do you really know how your body is working and how you can adjust your fitness. See Below:

BIA: Painless, quick and very effective test that provides valuable feedback regarding your body’s composition. 

In one test we learn your lean mass, fat mass, hydration both inside and outside the cells, 

total body water and your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or how many calories you need per day).   

WIth this information in hand, I can help ‘tune up’ your nutrition and fitness to meet your body composition goals. 

While fitness is very important, some (people way smarter than me) suggest that your body’s composition 

is 80% determined by your nutrition!!! 

So the idea that if you train like a maniac, you can eat whatever you want–simply is not true. 

To train hard and smart–the eat poorly nets very little — especially when compared to your fitness potential if you just fueled better!

The test takes less than 3 minutes and is done in exercise clothing.

Four requirements:

                1. No exercise (of any kind) for 12 hours. (not even yoga)

                2. No food or caffeine for 4 hours

                3. No alcohol for 24 hours

                4. DO DRINK roughly 20 oz of water within 4 hours of the test. 

                     (You are certainly allowed to ‘void’ this water–you do not need to ‘hold it’ for the test)

The cost of this test is $40.

See Sheryl for the times and dates that she will be able to do this BIA analysis on you. It is WELL worth it.

Has anyone ever wondered what distinguishes a good coach from a mediocre or bad one? Have any of you had a coach that was any of these things. I certainly have. I started playing football when I was 6 yrs old and played all the way through college. I been praised and Ive been cussed at. Ive had my facemask grabbed and twisted by a coach, which was one of the most humiliating things I have ever experienced. I had one coach who proclaimed that he loved his malamute more than he loved people, like I said all kinds. Ive also experienced coaches that had a plan for success, and would stick to their principles even when it flew in the face of modern convention. These coaches displayed tons of enthusiasm and positive reinforcement. They werent afraid to try something new and experiment with different things to see whether or not these new things would enhance their coaching ability and principles. They would examine their principles often and if they determined that they had come on to something better, they would incorporate the new principle or modify it in order to make the experience better.

Coaches need a vision in order to make their program go in the correct direction. At the Fit Pit, we examine and reexamine our core beliefs to ensure that you are getting a positive experience. Over the last 6 months or so, we have incorporated Olympic Lifting, elements of Power Lifting and assistance exercises for both. A coach needs the ability to understand and coach the lift, so it is done properly and safely. Its very rewarding to see the improvements that everyone has made, safely and with good form.

Coaches need to develop a sense of community. This is not a dog eat dog gym. We have competitive people but THEIR emphasis should be placed on how THEY do, not how SOMEONE ELSE did. Shortcuts to improve your speed like failure to work in a full range of motion, cutting reps , or doing any other number of time saving cheating is still that, cheating. You only cheat yourself when you fail to do the exercise as instructed. Im not talking about people with an injury or a new person, but rather a person who is a seasoned pro. You owe it to yourself to make the exercise harder. If you can do 50 squats in a row, take a 45 lb. barbell plate and use it to make your squats harder. Also if you can do 100 pushups in a row, make it harder by using a weight vest, pushup handles, power pushup straps, strap, decline pushups on the swiss ball, etc. If your pull ups are out of sight, use the weight vest, db or kb between your feet anything to make it harder. If you are finishing 3-4 minutes ahead of everyone else, try evening the playing field, you will be much fitter and stronger because of it.

I want to welcome Gulledge Chiropractic as the official doctors of the Fit Pit. I have know Dave and Kyle Gulledge since they were teenagers. They were national class powerlifters, and knowledge of sports and human body performance makes them the natural choice for being our official doctors. They combine a number of disciplines that make for the best possible treatment. Ive been to chiropractors for over 30 years and have never felt so good so fast .

Everyone knows about my shoulders. Well after 3 treatments, I have to say that I have relief from the constant pain that Ive had for 6 or 7 years.

I cant wait until my course of treatment is over. Im feeling better and I have them to thank. Chiropractic has come lightyears from when I first started going. There is no manual manipulation, its pain free and the accupunture is done without needles.

Their information is on the right side of the “People we Like” . Give them a call and start your road to maximal health today.

Several months ago, we started including Olympic type , explosive lifting into our workouts. This dynamic was first presented to me about 3 or 4 years ago by my best friend Coach Mike Rutherford who wanted more out of his training. Needless to say, the incorporation of the lifting we do has produced some significant results:

Many people are WAY stronger than they were

Many people are WAY faster than they were on the WOD

Many people have noticed the transfer to their other sports as they can run farther and faster, Jump higher, ramp up their cycling and swimming, hit the golf ball farther, whack that old tennis ball with venom, etc.

Here are just some of the results from our 1 RM day yesterday

Brett - previous best 215 - new pr 240 gain of 25#

Jeff - previous best  175 - new pr 205 net gain 30#

Keith - previous best 165 - new pr 195 net gain 30#

Mike H - previous best 135 - new pr 165 net gain 30#

Sheryl - previous best 110 - new pr 130 net gain 20#

Lynn - previous best 35 - new pr 45 net gain 10#

Richard - previous best 165 - new pr 185 net gain 20#

This is impressive. Im sorry if I left others out of this mix, but EVERYONE did better on the 1RM than they had previously done. We are building explosive power, which translates into increased lifts, better box jumps, longer standing broad jump, more power on the runs, dragging or pushing the sled, all sorts of benefits.