One of the coolest, well-spoken, strongest pilots to every take to the skies was on the Steve Harvey Show a few weeks ago. Ben is his name and he trains with Ken here at Critical Mass. The game is about memory, and as you can see he does very well. Did Ben take his winnings and shower his fiance with dinner and gifts? Nope, Ben actually donated the money to a charity that was mentioned earlier on the show. This is the type of guy Ben is. In shape, mentally sharp and looking out for others. That’s a pilot I would feel comfortable with!
Critical Mass member Gabriel Chajnik is a Master Instructor and Director of Choreography at the Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater. This is the second member with deep interests in Ballet. The other is Connor Meadrow who is a student at Rumson Fairhaven High School and trains here also. Gabriel made his way to our gym following trainer Scott Clayton. Keeping focus on health and fitness after a career of dance is a priority for Gabriel. In speaking with him, I found out a whole new world of Arts are right in my backyard. There are tons of shows happening through the winter and spring months of 2019. The Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater is located at 100 Grant Ave, Deal Park, New Jersey. I plan on attending and maybe you should too! The Nutcracker is next on their list.
A holiday event for the whole family, The Nutcracker ROCKS is a mixture of high-power music and dance that will transport you to a land of brave toy soldiers and sweet sugar plum fairies. Based on Hoffman’s original story, choreographer Gabriel Chajnik translates the Victorian-era Nutcracker from the bustles and ruffles of the 1890s to contemporary times in this premiere from the Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater. Clara’s rocker Uncle Drosselmeier shakes things up when he shows up to a distinguished Manhattan holiday party with his electric guitar and his amazing toys, igniting the imagination of people young and old. The beloved Tchaikovsky score is reimagined in collaboration with renowned rocker Alex Levine, a member of The Gaslight Anthem. The Nutcracker ROCKS is destined to become a Jersey Shore staple for many holidays to come.
Earth Fed Muscle products are now $5.00 off from now until Monday December 3rd 8pm!
Earth Fed Muscle supplements were developed and continually monitored for cleanliness and consistent flavoring.
When you purchase EFM products you support a small business and athletes that are training for the 2020 Olympic Games. A percentage of each purchase helps with an amateur athlete’s training, travel and living expenses!
If you have any questions on what products we carry and why they will help you then contact us!
The gym is open on Thanksgiving Day! Thursday gym hours will be 7 am to 12 noon. We will only be holding one class at 8 am. Friends and family are welcome to join for free! There will be a raffle for some FREE stuff!!!!! So, come on in and burn some calories before you put them back on at dinner!
The Woman of the Year selection committee has announced the Top 30 honorees for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The Top 30 college woman include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. All have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. Kirsten Littlefield made the top 30! Kirsten studied biology with a minor in chemistry. Littlefield graduated with a 3.91 grade point average and was a lacrosse ALL – AMERICAN. Kirsten along with her brother Alden (currently at Widener University) have been with us for 5 years. They travel 45 minutes from Allentown to Tinton Falls New Jersey three to four times a week for training! Kirsten’s success is not only due to her unbelievable work ethic but by the relentless support from her parents. We can’t be more proud of this young lady!
Usually people who start up running after a hiatus will deal with injuries sooner than someone who stayed consistent with their training. We’ve been lucky enough to be blessed with runners as clients, so we know the trials and tribulations of a runners life. We have high school cross country and track, Masters runners and your weekend road warriors that get personal training here at Critical Mass. Here are a few tips that we use for our clients.
1-TRY NOT TO CASH A CHECK YOU CAN’T CASH
Set small realistic distance goals. Thinking you can start at 3 miles (um um ELISE!) when you haven’t ran since last summer is asking for trouble. There is nothing to be ashamed about if you run for a .25 or .50 miles on your first day or even your first week. YOU NEED TO BUILD A FOUNDATION! Make the foundation strong and from there you should increase the volume week to week. There are many online programs that give you a nice progression for your runs. Tailor it to your specific goals and see how it works out for you!
2-WARM UP
This is like beating a dead horse but it has to be said. WARMING UP specifically for your run not only allows you to get into a good running pace early, but it will reduce the chance of injury. You can go to any local university and see that the runners do a very specific warm up, a dynamic warm up to be exact. A dynamic warm up excites the nervous system more so than static stretches. Hip mobility, hamstrings, ankles stability exercises and even some arm swings are focused on. Here are a few runner warm ups:
3-PROPERLY FUEL & HYDRATE YOUR WORKOUT
Whether it be a carb loading the night before or sucking down some liquid fats, you need to be fueled before you hit the road! Like NASCAR, your body needs to be running on the best fuel. Pop Tarts are not a good fuel source, but you will see many high school aged kids snacking on these or other processed foods be fore a run. Realistically, athletes need energy from complex food sources that are from the Earth! That’s why its so important to stay on top of your nutrient intake. Not properly fueled can lead to poor performances and injury.
NO FUEL NO GAINS
The top runners in the world have a diet that will make your head spin! Here is some guidelines to a runners diet:
The recommended rule for carbohydrates to follow per body weight is:
Highly intense training (more than 4 hours a day): 4.5-6 grams per pound
Medium training (1 hour daily): 2.3 – 3.2 grams per pound
Low training (less than an hour): 1.3 – 2.3 grams per pound
Protein recommendations are:
If you run an hour a day, you require 0.6 grams per pound of weight. This increases the longer you run.
If you are training for a marathon, you can start with a protein intake of 1.2 grams and increase this to 1.5 grams per body weight on the days you do intense training.
Fat recommendations:
Don’t be afraid of fats. Fats are a great fuel source and help produce hormones. It’s been found that runners who intake 30% of their daily calories from fat have less injury occurrence.
Healthy fat increase has contributed to increased muscle mass and inhibiting muscle breakdown for fuel. Source.
Stimulant recommendations
Having a cup of joe (coffee) can help wake up the nervous system and get you geared for a hard run. Don’t over do it though. Caffeine is a diuretic. Too much can have adverse effects on performance. A safe dosage should be at least 40mg but no more than 100mg.
Water intake:
A Glass when you wake up
Only sips during a run
A Glass before you go to bed
A safe bet is .66 x body weight in ounces through out the day.
IF YOU’RE THIRSTY YOU’RE ALREADY DEHYDRATED!
4- WEIGHT TRAIN
Following a proper weight training program is essential in improving and sustaining a runners life. It has been shown that runners who strength train have a greater finishing kick than those who don’t weight train. Weight lifting will help maintain good running form when fatigued which will help prevent injuries as well. Strengthening exercises should be the goal, not endurance type training. Save the endurance work for the road. Movements you want to master are the squats, Olympic lifts, any single leg movements and core strengthening exercises! Do not be afraid of bulking. If you are following a plan then it should be geared for performance not muscle size.
If you are at a loss on what you should be specifically doing in the weight room then contact Critical Mass. We do evaluations on strength, mobility and flexibility. From this we design a program that can be tailored to your goals!
