Your Glutes Can Take a Shit Ton of Pounding: Are Your Glutes REALLY Strong?

Last week I was under the barbell doing glute bridges, taking a break after one of the 8 sets of 15 reps I was set  up to do that day of them. It got me thinking; How many reps was I doing? (120 to be exact) And how much total poundage (lbs) was I glute bridging? (around 24,750lbs combined, just on my glutes)

Now this may not be the norm for most people, but it really made me think that our glutes can handle some serious work (at least 12 tons in my case!).

Why am I bringing this up? Not every muscle can withstand a total beating like this. The glutes can. If you do too much quad work you can get an imbalance that might lead to back pain. If you do too much chest work you might get an imbalance that can lead to shoulder pain. The glutes (and the upper back) are muscles that can take a lot of work.

A big part of allowing your glutes to carry a heavy load without pain is proper stretching. Tightness in the lower body can often be attributed to hip flexors, and most of the tightness in lower body can be alleviated by stronger glutes. A very smart person once told me “Your hip flexors are stupid, just get your glutes stronger”.

Most people have tight hip flexors and constantly stretching them out is not the only answer. There might be a reason they are always tight (like your Glutes are WEAK). They are one of the major muscle groups that can, and probably should, get extra attention and extra work. They don’t need their own day (although some fitness competitors actually have a glute day) but definitely can take some extra hard work. And by work I mean heavy intense glute bridges, tons of lateral walks, and single leg glute bridges (among others).

Who doesn’t like a nice set of big strong glutes? The extra glute work you put in now will pay dividends in  the fall when it comes to filling out your jeans and leggings. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t want, or appreciate, and nice set of glutes. They make all the difference in your physique when you have a nice set.

So as we melt into the gym floor, let’s not forget that our glutes NEED and CAN HANDLE a shit ton of pounding and really get after them in the weight room. Add in some glute bridges, hip thrusts, and lateral band walks, and be sure to do high reps to make up for maximum toning. These three exercises in particular will work the glutes but not tax the hamstrings or quads as much. This means the glutes will get extra work from all the deadlifts, squats, lunges you are already doing… which I  know you are doing them already, right?

Your One-Stop Fitness and Nutrition Coach

Nowadays everyone like the one stop shop idea, cause everyone is super busy with life. Between the internet, social media, and binging Netflix our days are chock full. So a one stop shop for your fitness would be a great idea, right? Well if you go into your local favorite strength facility and work with a good strength coach, you get that…. Let me explain.

Strength coaches aren’t just useful when it comes to picking up heavy things. We’re also good at a few others:

1)    We make you strong(er)..  duhhh. That’s the obvious one so we will start here. Tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles, all connective tissues will become strong(er) using a simple progressive overload principle that most strength coaches employ.

2)    We help with Mobility/Yoga Flexibility. Would you believe me if I said stretching/moving through a range of motion under load is more beneficial than just stretching normally? It’s amazing when people say they are more mobile/looser after strength training. We also include some “traditional” stretches before you start or in between your heavy lifts to put the icing on the flexibility cake!

3)   We give you power. Why do we need power as we get older? We are not playing HS sports anymore, so it’s not important, right? Absolutely wrong and maybe more wrong than you think. Adults need MORE power work than HS athletes that have optimal power output due to their younger age. We lose power as we age, which is super important to try to maintain. Power output will help you go up stairs, help you catch yourself from falling down, and help you keep up with your Grandkids as best as you can. It also lets you create lots of “energy” or “force” with what you muscle you have. Power also helps with elasticity of your tendons and muscles. It helps your muscles bounce back and power forward when you have to go up multiple stairs or do multiples of the same movement.

4)    We teach you nutrition basics. There is tons of nutrition “info” out there but it can be really confusing. There are also many people that aren’t totally sure what a carb/protein/fat macronutrients are and why each one is important for proper health. That is where a Strength Coach comes in. How can you expect to eat “healthy” if you have no idea what to eat or what’s the best for your goals? We can go over the basics while lifting to get you a some great knowledge of how to fuel your body. If you want more info or a custom plan we can sit down together and map it out. Start with knowing the basics and it will lead to better nutritional health right away!

5)    We get you some great cardio work. Look no further than some finishers from your local strength coach AFTER you lift for your strength and hypertrophy work. Or you can include/count your hypertrophy work as your cardio if done correctly for more conditioning emphasis. Either way, a good Coach should be able to give you enough conditioning work for general fitness while still keeping it under your time constraints/needs. If you are training for a marathon or long race, it might need to be longer on some days keep in mind but for general “cardio” health it can and should be able to be completed within 15 minutes of your strength work.

Ready to dive in? Shoot Coach Joey an email at jtabtraining@gmail.com to schedule a time to come in!

Benefits of Strength Training Part 1

Yes, strength training can help you to look like a jacked superhero. I’m going to talk about some of the lesser known or even more important reasons we all SHOULD be strength training. Time to dive right in.

1)    Body awareness- We learn much about our bodies while exercising, and weight training might be teaching us the most. Learning to move well, with a good range of motion under load, teaches us coordination and movement patterns that will keep us limber.

As an example: We pick up objects up off the ground all day long, and probably use our lower backs every time. When you strength train, you learn through dead lifting how to move through your hips and pick things up with your legs, instead of your back. By bracing for external loads, strength training teaches body awareness better than any other type of exercise.

2)   Calories in/calories out, right? Not so fast Batman. Intense strength training also helps burn more calories in EPOC than most other forms of exercise. After a heavy strength training session, your body now has to repair muscle fibers which is metabolically demanding on your body. This in turn means your body continues to burn calories long after your workout has finished. It also helps you keep your muscle during a “cut” or “fat loss” period. As my friend Tony Gentilcore says, “What makes muscle, keeps muscle”. Strength training does both pretty well!

3)    Weight lifting helps your body use and burn off extra blood sugars and gives your body a better response to insulin. Blood sugars are the main sugars in your body from the foods you eat. Your body uses these sugars for most of its energy production. Weight lifting helps your body normalize blood sugars better than someone who is not strength training. Insulin is the hormone that controls how your body uses your glucose (blood sugars). Strength training improves your body’s sensitivity to insulin, thus creating a properly functioning system. When these things get out of whack, you increase bodyfat. (I am not getting into Type 1 Diabetes here).

4)     Self confidence. Like I said above, strength/weight training obviously helps you look more like a jacked superhero. But, even if this isn’t your aesthetic goal, you will notice differences in the way you carry yourself. Either from the pure fact you will be strong(er) and lifting some good weight, or from the small changes in your body composition, you will hold your head a little higher overall. Trust me, start hitting PR’s in the gym and see how your confidence goes up. Start seeing some muscles pop where they didn’t before and see how your confidence goes up. And to all this I say, “It’s ok to want to look better!” Working out doesn’t just have to be for your health (although that is an important reason)! Looking better and increased self confidence are amazing side effects as well.

There you have it, part 1 of my blog on the benefits of strength training. Join me back here soon for part 2!

A Brand New Offering from Coach Joey!

Conjugate: combining two or more parts to form a single bigger piece.

When it comes to lifting, I’m always striving to find new ways to combine different techniques (or conjugate them) to make unique, fun and of course most effective workouts for my clients.

I am offering a variation of the conjugate method to my clients already doing 2+ days a week. The complete program is 4 days per week. For those unable to commit to that, I have a 3 day version condensed as well.

Spring is here, Summer is coming, and I want to offer a different approach in getting strong and lean with more days/week. It’s time to up the anti and fast track your results. For those wanting to try it, you have to be able to commit at least 3 days a week and optimally 4 - and the program runs mid April through Mid July, perfect for getting you summer ready.

What is the conjugate program exactly? It is a Strength and Hypertrophy Program with dedicated days for each “function”. There are 4 days, alternating upper and lower body (2 lower, 2 upper per week or 1 upper, 1 lower and 1 longer full body day). Each day has a specific focus, which makes the conjugate different than other programs. One lower body day is all about hitting a 5 or 3 rep max of the squat or deadlift for that day (max effort lower), one upper body day tries to find your 5 or 3 rep max for the bench press (max effort upper body), etc. The other day(s) are rep(hypertrophy) work or dynamic effort days. On the other 2 days there is a dedicated day for high rep lower body work and a day dedicated to high rep upper body work. In layman’s terms, you alternate between days where you max out heavy lifting, and days with lighter way and higher reps.

Not only is this aimed towards getting you summer ready quickly, but I am offering this at a MASSIVE discount. Please reach out to me for more information on pricing, but let’s just say you’ll be getting even more workouts, for less money. It’s a win/win for all!

A couple of disclaimers: This is not for beginner (and tif that is you and you’re not ready yet for a more advanced program and that is totally fine). You also have to have an idea of basic movements in order to switch out different exercises weekly or monthly. Remember this is a huge discount for more days so there will be some more autonomy on your part if you (chose) to do it.

For the right people it will create a great growth and strength stimulus and also added bonus of burning lots of calories from added lifting days (and intensity).

Who’s ready to start cranking up the intensity at Jtab? Whoever wants to give it a go and can COMMIT to at least 3 days(better with 4), then let me know!  Stop by and see me at the gym, send me a DM on Facebook, or email jtabtraining@gmail.com for more information, pricing and to sign up!

Part 3 of 3: Why Semi-Private Training May Be Right For You

Social media is everything nowadays.  Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter. Being “social” has taken over everything from making online purchases, to hitching rides, to even processing payments for businesses.  It’s a crazy social world out there.  While “social” media is an integral part of our lives, the real social aspect of life is interacting with people in the same room still.  The definition of social media is to participate in social networking. Making friends and making real connections (not just a Facebook “friends” who you’ve never met before) is still the backbone of our society.  It’s something that people still value, and look for in their daily lives.

Semi-private training allows that to happen organically.  You are inevitably working out with a few people in the same room, sharing equipment and getting to know people more than in a normal gym situation. As opposed to the autonomy of a big box gym, or the isolation of totally private training, the small private studio atmosphere allows people to communicate with each other day in and day out.  With semi-private training, people to tend to lift at similar times with many of the same people.  As people get more comfortable with each other, people tend to open up and form bonds and they get strong(er) together.  I have seen this happen numerous times!

Lots of my clients over the years have even taken that gym friendship and created long lasting friendships outside the gym.  It is a real cool thing to witness, knowing it is all coming together under my “roof”.  As an example of this, some of the ladies even got one of my clients baby gifts after her first born a year ago.  That wouldn’t happen in a big box gym culture! 

In addition to that, the collaborative spirit of semi-private training lends itself to support inside the gym. You can often find members cheering others on as they go for a particularly heavy or difficult lift.  Goes to show how powerful this little semi-private model is for friendships.  Semi-private training makes real connections, real friendships, real social networks.      

Volleyball Team Training Program Now For Sale!

You know your High School Volleyball Team needs a strength training program. But do you know where to get one from someone you trust?  The owner of Jtab Training, Joey Taraborelli, is not only a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) (known as the Gold Standard Certification in Strength and Conditioning), but also was an All State High School Volleyball player, and 1st Team All Southeast and All Conference Collegiate Volleyball player, and High School Coach.  What's the benefits of choosing someone who not only can design proper training programs but knows your sport inside and out?  You get someone someone that was in the “trenches” in your sport,  and knows what it takes to get strong and stay safe during your season. 

I have a great and simple (simple doesn’t mean easy, it means simple to execute and straightforward) program designed specifically for High School Volleyball athletes.  I created it to run as a rotation 3 day program (with a 4th day optional for extra hypertrophy work) over the course of 3 months.  It is a program that can either be done in a strength gym (if your school offers one) or can be done in most commercial gyms.  It works on each individual player's strength and comfort level, as they are in charge of increase weight on the main lifts and assessor lifts throughout their season.  

Included in the package are  videos for all exercises and warm up drills (both male and female athletes demonstrating), so each player can see how to properly execute every drill. This 3 month program is designed specifically for off-season and pre-season.  For the season I will be creating another template so they can stay strong, yet not be too tired for their games.  

To come train with me in person for those 3 months would cost you an assessment fee of $60 (which I would be glad to assess any RI H.S. volleyball player first before they start) and $110/month for each player.  While nothing beats training with me in person (so I can monitor their form every set), I understand that some kids can not make it down to E.G./N.K. 3-4 times a week consistently.  That is why I am offering this as a 3 month package to take to your own gym.  

Prices are as follows: $150 ($50/month for 3 months) for the program per team.  I will be available to that athlete for questions regarding their training during the program.

What Kind of Exercise REALLY Changes the Body?

Sometimes you have to do things that are not in your wheelhouse to get the results you want. With summer right around the corner, results are something all of us are focused on. Well, maybe not all of us.  Don’t care about body composition results and looking good for the Summer?  Then stop reading now and carry on......                          

OK, if you’re still reading you want to change. The time has passed where you say you're going to do it and nothing happens. You REALLY WANT TO THIS TIME.  Well, you are at the right place.  Today I'm breaking down the best approach to get this done. Take note, this is not the list of what you “like” to do, but what actually works - there is probably a BIG difference.  This list would normally start off with the first 3 things being NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION. You can't change your body without changing your nutrition. However, today we are going to bypass that, as we dove deeper into that last week. So take a few minutes and check out that blog. Go ahead, I'll wait....

OK, you're back! So, after a solid lower calorie/higher nutrient diet, the list looks like this:

1. Heavy resistance training.  High weight for lower reps (in the 1-5 range).  I can not express this ENOUGH.  When you cut calories to lose fat, your body will start losing muscle mass.  That is a critical error in most people’s approach to fat loss.  As we age, we are already losing muscle at an alarming rate, UNLESS you train to keep muscle.  My friend Tony Gentilcore says “what makes muscle, keeps muscle”.  He means that lifting to always try to “gain” muscle, especially while on a reduced calorie diet,  will help you keep the muscle you have and possibly even gain some new muscle.  That is a good thing for body composition (remember, this list is not what you “think” you should be doing, but what you SHOULD be doing for proper recomposition.)  Heavy resistance training also encourages bones to strengthen and possibly even add some bone mass over time.  
2. Hypertrophy training.  Lower weight for higher reps (in the 5-12 range).  OK, now that you got a heavy lift in to encourage bone health and muscle strength, now is the time to tap into that strength and use it for slightly higher reps and higher sets.  This will do two-fold. A) It will add some nice mass to the muscles that you just worked. This will, in turn, make you look leaner and thinner, yet have some muscle on your frame. B) Burn those calories by doing the reps in a circuit fashion.  Done correctly (Jtab training will show you how to) this leads to enough cardio conditioning while still building or keeping muscle that you will see fat loss changes even after only a few sessions.  
3. Sprint/ropes/sled/bike sprint work.  This could be timed work or rep work (do six 5-10 second sprints, etc).  1 or 2 days a week should be plenty, unless your nutrition is AWFUL (which it should be if you did the nutrition work we mentioned at the top of this blog first).  Rope work usually is timed for 10-40 seconds of work with a minute break and repeat.  Usually 5-30 minutes is all you need for this “all out” work. Or do what you can handle before you get sloppy and start working less intensely.  
4. General movement “work”.  Yes, just be more “active”.  Go walk around stores, light hikes, park further away from the entrance of stores/grocery stores, clean house, walk around the neighborhood.  Do light activities that you ENJOY!  As long as the other 3 (again the amount of time you should devote to each is dependent on diet and nutrition) are done intensely, you can just do what you enjoy doing. 

There you go, and easy recipe to follow that may hard to execute week in, week out.  Maybe people find that having accountability helps them keep to this schedule so they don't fall off the wagon and start seeing results before the warm weather hits. If this sounds like, reach out to Jtab Training today to set up your first appointment and see how we can help you change your body correctly!

Move of the Week: Plank Variations

Anyone that has ever exercised, or knows anyone that exercises, knows that planks are one of the best all over body workouts. They rock your core, arms and legs in one fell swoop. However, holding a plank for 60 seconds or more can get really boring, and instead of feeling like a good all over workout, they can start to feel like a chore.

Today we've got the cure for plank ADD. The multiple variations in this video will help you maximize your plank workout while combating the boredom that comes with holding a plank for a long time. So, get out there and get planking.

Old vs New

What a difference a year makes!

As JTab Training celebrated one year at our new location in East Greenwich, I have to look back at how far we’ve come and how much we’ve grown over the past year. Moving from a cramped 450 square feet to over 1,600 has completely transformed how our clients work out. For those who were with JTab at the old gym, you may remember strict work out schedules, less equipment and a much more crowded space. Now, at our new location we are able to fit over 10 clients at a time (with room to still move around), more equipment, and multiple trainers. Because of this, we can be much more flexible with the time people can show up to work out, as well as offer multiple options for trainers (although lets be honest, we all know who the best is….)

Another big change is that our clients all receive personalized sheets with a workout each visit. These sheets break down the days workout, as well as reminds everyone what they should be doing, how many reps they need to do and how much weight to add. This allows more people through while still getting my personalized attention. Some people like more direction during their workout, while others prefer just an intermittent check-in. With the sheets and the new space, I am able to effectively split my time between helping those that need it more and those who don’t need as much attention.

With more people in the gym at one time, the open layout still allows me to see everyone working out at once. Even with multiple people working out at once, I can watch everyone’s form, help set up exercises and make sure everyone is working out safely and effectively.

While I will always be grateful for the business’ roots and where it started, I must say (and I hope my client’s agree!) that our new location has allowed for some awesome changes. While we may be here for the next few years, keep an eye out for even more changes in the future. Like our clients strength training, we are a work in progress, and will continue to grow bigger and stronger.

Things I've Been Digging, Part 2 - Kneeling Dumbbell 1 Arm Renegade Rows

To quote a famous strength coach, "The cool thing about stealing is that most of the good coaches encourage it."  With that in mind, I was browsing through Men's Health Thrive video series and an exercise "tweak" caught my eye.  When I watched the video I really started digging it and began using it for many different client progressions.  

What it is? 1 Arm DB Row on all 4's (quadruped).

Why I like it?  It "corrects" many clients' rows and also teaches good contralateral "bracing".  Also can be used for hypertrophy or high rep due to it's safeness.

And now for a video, from yours truly, on how to properly perform one of my new favorites.