Fitness & Wellness

UpFit Training Academy - Squat Progression

UpFit Training Academy – Squat Progression

Building a Strong Foundation for Fundamental Movement

UpFit Training Academy – Squat Progression

Jacob O’Connor

      Unfortunately, the word basic is commonly interpreted as easy or unchallenging. Too often we are influenced by snippets of physical feats performed for social media. Impressive as they are, most of this content is made for views rather than results and is not a model for how we reach our fitness goals. Any structure built upon a poor foundation is doomed to break down, our bodies are no exception to this. Building a strong foundation is the key to success, safety, and results when it comes to any movement. This is a concept that should always be taken into account in personal training and small group fitness programs. 

       At UpFit Training Academy we emphasize the importance of mastering the basics before progressing to more complex movement. Keep in mind, although some movements may be less complex, by no means does this put a limit on the results and progress one can yield. By manipulating variables such as frequency, intensity, and volume impressive gains can be seen before moving to more complex variations. One example of perfecting your foundation can be seen in our progression of the squat. Our progression of the squat from least to most complex can be seen below. Note that each variation is nuanced, for example, using a box is a great way to establish depth and can be used in most squat variations. 

Medicine Ball Squat Press Out

     The med ball squat press out is a great introduction to the fundamental movement of the squat, fantastic for people who may be new to personal training or small group training. This variation utilizes a medicine ball as a counterweight, encouraging an upright posture and improving squatting mechanics. This movement is done by extending the ball forward as you descend into your squat. Returning the ball to its original position as you return to the starting position. 

Kettlebell Goblet Squat

     The goblet squat is a common variation suitable for most people. The movement is performed with a kettlebell or dumbbell held near the chest. The goblet squat puts an increased demand on your upper body and the core as it is more difficult to maintain an upright posture. 

Double Kettlebell Front Rack Squat

     The double kettlebell front squat is a progression of the goblet squat. As you can tell by the name this variation includes squatting with two kettlebells, thus requiring the load to be carried in the front rack supported by the trunk This variation allows for more weight to be used and adds significant demands on core stability. 

Barbell Front Squat

     The front squat is performed with a barbell in the front rack which displaces the load further from the body. This variation  has a high demand of mobility, specifically thoracic extension and external rotation of the shoulders. There are a number of front rack variations that can be used for those that find it difficult to achieve the classic front rack position. Using the barbell allows for essentially unlimited load to be used during the squat. It’s very important to develop a stable front rack to facilitate sound squatting mechanics. 

     At UpFit Training Academy we believe in mastering the basics in our personal training and small group fitness programs. Building a strong foundation in movements such as the squat is essential to achieving longevity and health in your pursuit of fitness. Simple movements, proper execution, increase in demands, further adaptation … RESULTS. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, although more complex movements can be aesthetically pleasing to the social media viewee,  it’s a mistake to rush into them by sacrificing the most important step; the basics. 


Do you need protein to lose weight?

Do you need protein to lose weight?

What does protein have to do with it?

At first apprehensive about showing her picture, Jill decided that her story was worth sharing!

 

Jill and Wes

This is Jill with Wes, and this is what she said to me when I asked her how she dropped 40 lbs since training with us…

“Well coming here to workout, but
.
.
.

a Sh%T load of chicken,
.
.
.
and not eating junk 70% of the time.”

Words from one of our most successful female clients down 40 lbs since training with us from 205 lbs.

As simple as it can get from someone who had about 150 questions before starting her fitness journey.

“You think lifting weights is better or cardio?”
“What about HIIT? I heard that works great.”
“What about going vegan, I just saw the game changers movie.”
“Won’t lifting weights get me bigger?”

And all questions you can expect from a beginning, inquisitive fitness hopeful overwhelmed with the black hole of internet information. And then realizing as she went on that consistency with the basics would carry her forward.

Protein, less crap, move more.

Might be important for weight loss

“Higher-protein energy-restriction diets lead to greater weight loss, fat mass loss, and preservation of lean mass along with greater improvements in select cardiometabolic health outcomes, over the shorter term, compared with lower-protein diets” (Leidy et al. 2015).

Simple but not easy.

“Although greater satiety, weight loss, fat mass loss, and/or the preservation of lean mass are often observed with increased protein consumption in controlled feeding studies, the lack of dietary compliance with prescribed diets in free-living adults makes it challenging to confirm a sustained protein effect over the long term” (Leidy et al 2015).

Not easy, but probably better than the Vegan and ab blaster program from your favorite Instagram fitness influencer.

Protein!


Do you need protein to lose weight?

Do you need protein to lose weight?

What does protein have to do with it?

At first apprehensive about showing her picture, Jill decided that her story was worth sharing!
 

Jill and Wes


This is Jill with Wes, and this is what she said to me when I asked her how she dropped 40 lbs since training with us…
“Well coming here to workout, but
.
.
.
a Sh%T load of chicken,
.
.
.
and not eating junk 70% of the time.”

Words from one of our most successful female clients down 40 lbs since training with us from 205 lbs.
As simple as it can get from someone who had about 150 questions before starting her fitness journey.
“You think lifting weights is better or cardio?”
“What about HIIT? I heard that works great.”
“What about going vegan, I just saw the game changers movie.”
“Won’t lifting weights get me bigger?”
And all questions you can expect from a beginning, inquisitive fitness hopeful overwhelmed with the black hole of internet information. And then realizing as she went on that consistency with the basics would carry her forward.
Protein, less crap, move more.

Might be important for weight loss

“Higher-protein energy-restriction diets lead to greater weight loss, fat mass loss, and preservation of lean mass along with greater improvements in select cardiometabolic health outcomes, over the shorter term, compared with lower-protein diets” (Leidy et al. 2015).
Simple but not easy.
“Although greater satiety, weight loss, fat mass loss, and/or the preservation of lean mass are often observed with increased protein consumption in controlled feeding studies, the lack of dietary compliance with prescribed diets in free-living adults makes it challenging to confirm a sustained protein effect over the long term” (Leidy et al 2015).
Not easy, but probably better than the Vegan and ab blaster program from your favorite Instagram fitness influencer.
Protein!


Fit shaming, ever heard of it?

Fit shaming, ever heard of it?

Obesity is killing us! Stop the fat shaming!

How about Fit Shaming?

You ever heard of it?

“Jeez you’re so skinny, you have to eat more. ”

“Just have a cookie man.”

Yeah these are things that have been said to me, as I sit at a normal (albeit a lower than average body fat percentage #shredlife), a normal BMI (body mass index or height to weight ratio), and probably taking in more calories than said shamer.

 

Shred Life

 

“That girl looks so silly.”
As an overweight girl tries to figure out how to follow along with a youtube dance video.

“What the hell is that guy doin?”
As the baby boomer gentlemen who has never exercised is attempting to do kettlebell swings for the first time.

Things I’ve heard in commercial gym settings.

Cut

it

out.

The biggest reason we might die as per the newest research is not that we’re fat, its that we don’t MOVE.

“Findings from a recent meta-analysis suggest that poor cardiorespiratory fitness is an independent and a better predictor of mortality than obesity, and that the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is higher in individuals with normal body mass index (BMI) and poor physical fitness, compared with individuals with high BMI and good physical fitness (Silverman and Duester, 2014).”

Fit shaming, ever heard of it?

– Your Fitness Liason

Paul W. Park Co-founder/Owner

UpFit Training Academy


group training upfit

Small Group Personal Training – The Perfect Middle Ground

group personal training upfit

Semi Private Personal Training – Is it for me?

Yes! Seems like we’re jumping the gun? Well… Upfit’s small group training program is for everyone.

Personal trainers are incredibly effective for achieving your fitness goals. They help you with form, programming and keep you motivated throughout. But what if we told you that with group training you get the focus of a personal trainer and the fortified support of a community working right alongside you. You know how they say there’s power in numbers well group training might be just what you need to unleash your own.

The cost of semi-private training is the perfect middle ground.

We’d be remiss if we ignored the cost aspect. After all it’s a major factor in almost every life decision. Group personal training is the equivalent of a ride share with your friends. You’re all headed in the same direction and in either situation you’re going to get there, but with a group you’re going to split the bill and have some laughs along the way. Not only that but you’ll be able to take a cab more often due to the savings from that last ride. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

But I’m used to training one on one. Won’t I lose some of that attention?

Small groups will still have a private trainer giving you all the personal attention, the right pointers and ensure you’re using proper form. You will still have the utmost highest quality fitness training program tailored specifically to your needs. Often people worry that the transition to a group from one on one training will decrease the efficiency of the program but, in the hands of the right trainer, that couldn’t be further from the truth. What’s actually going to happen is you will still be guided thoroughly but also gain the energy and support from those who have joined you in your journey. It’s an extremely powerful tool in being able to push your body to new limits. This pack mentality will help you break through mental and physical barriers you never thought possible. Consistently training in a group setting has you motivating each other. It’s easy to skip leg day (and then another one, and then another one…) when you’re training alone. When training together, peer motivation will keep you going.

Large fitness classes get me motivated. Is this really right for me?

Group fitness classes are wonderful. You jump into a high intensity activity with a sea of people and burn burn burn for the next hour. This goes on for a while and then you hit a very common roadblock; injury. In massive group classes it can be very difficult for a single trainer to be able to keep tabs on the proper forms of all the attendees. A warm up for one person is a full workout for another. We can’t fault them because it would be nearly impossible for any fitness trainer to train 20+ people with any sort of focus or control. Sadly, injuries can set someone back and even stop them from ever returning to the activities they love. At UpFit our trainers are going to keep you excited about your workout and just as motivated as any large class but they’re going to do it in a safe manner that allows you to continue pain free.

 

Semi-Private training sessions are the perfect middle ground between the most popular training modalities. UpFit’s signature cost efficient small group training program combines individualization with the fun dynamic energy of a group setting. If you’re looking to take your fitness to the next level come try it out today. You’ll wonder how you trained any other way. Check out the results other members have had!



When Exercise Is NOT Good For You

When Exercise Is NOT Good For You

 

The ability to bounce back.

To learn from our mistakes.

Our bodies ability to build bone density with weight lifting.

Our immune system’s natural way of vaccinating us against diseases.

It’s what makes the human being so resilient.

More specifically anti-fragile.

As Nassim Taleb explains in his book “Antifragile”, antifragility is better than resiliency, because it allows for gain from stressful events.

We have the awesome ability to get better and stronger, physically and emotionally after recovering from stressful events.

Our hardships develop our character. As does exercise for our physical bodies. As does going outside playing and rolling around in the dirt as a kid fortifying our immune systems as adults.

We have that ability, but we’re not bulletproof, there’s a Goldilocks zone. Where the soup is not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Are we getting enough SLEEP? Are we eating nutrient dense foods? Hydrated? Are we over-stressed from our demanding bosses, bills, relationships? People forget that stress is not just a mood but a physiological response.

Stress is not a mental thing that can be wished away but a physical part of your being at any given moment.

That’s why we ask these questions to new clients during our initial UpFit Assessment. Because we might need to dial back the first week.

There’s been more times than I can count as a young ambitious coach when I put new clients through hard workouts their first day. No matter how much sleep they got, no matter their fitness level, never asking how they were feeling.

2 days later they would text me saying they’re sick, and can’t make the next workout.

80% of the time I would never see them again.

We forget exercise is inherently a stress as well. And to an unfit, over-stressed, and under-slept trainee it can put them into the too hot “goldilocks” zone where you end up burning your tongue.

Bring out those anti fragile capabilities of our body. As we become more fit, our physical anti fragile abilities will fortify. Just make sure you’re hydrating, prioritizing your sleep, and telling your boss to shove it.

-Coach Paul is a master trainer and co-owner of Upfit Academy – Small Group Fitness and Personal Training Specialists proximal to Midtown NYC.


How To Create Motivation

 
summer fitness motivation
 
Facebook.
Instagram.
Twitter.
Snapchat.
The digital boom is upon us.
Data is the new commodity.
If you look at the most valuable companies today, data hoarding companies like Facebook and Google top that list. Compare that to 20 years ago in the 2000’s, it was the big oil companies, Exxon-Mobil, BP, and Shell.
This cool video shows that transition over time.
I’m thinking there’s a couple reasons how “big data” became the new “big oil”.
One, companies like Facebook feed into our primal need for social validation.
For the majority of the 300,000 year old history of our species, if we didn’t care what our direct network thought of us, we were lone goners.
Two, social media services give us direct and immediate feedback whether we are getting better at using their apps.
That cool ”so adorable” post you put up of your growing dog family getting more likes than before.
Your friend count list going up, as you expand your social digital network.
With every well done and interesting instagram post, your follower count going up.
This sort of improvement drive is how the once in a generational mobile internet game like Fortnite made over 8 billion dollars.
With the more time you play, your characters level up, get stronger, gain more powerful skills, and obtain newer weapons.
This makes you want to KEEP playing.
WE like getting better at things.
We feel accomplished.
We feel in control.
We feel like success is in our hands.
And with success meters easily seen and available, we become more motivated to keep making that progress.
It relates to the pathways in our brain.
The act of doing something, and then receiving an anticipated reward (accomplishment) sends our brain a hormone hit, making us feel good.
How does this relate to getting and staying motivated to keep making those gains?
By keeping track of your workouts and training program!
Writing down the weights we lifted today as compared to last week.
Seeing our mile run times get faster.
Marking down the two extra reps we did on that weighted squat.
Compare this to the casual once in a while gym goer looking to  “maintain”, as they come in for a few sets of air squats, jogs on the treadmill for a little while, stretches a bit, and works up a light sweat.
Or even worse, that person consistently going through brutal workouts that have no structure and plan, but are frustrated because they don’t seem to be looking any better.
How long do you think these person will stick to their routines?
And usually they’ll blame it on a lack of motivation.
Well, there was no direct and readable meter of progress.
Logging and tracking your workouts is a truly simple way to CREATE motivation.
This is why at UpFit Training Academy we love our TrainHeroic software, and use it with all our clients;
We encourage them to get comfortable using the software app during classes, reading, comparing, and logging their sets, reps, weights, and conditioning times.
This has them see the extra set they did this week as compared to last.
And the way we coach and work, for 9 out of 10 people, the current week’s performance is better than last weeks.
Want to create motivation?
Start keeping track of your workouts!
Yours in good health,
Coach Paul


How To Create Motivation

How To Create Motivation

 

summer fitness motivation

 

Facebook.

Instagram.

Twitter.

Snapchat.

The digital boom is upon us.

Data is the new commodity.

If you look at the most valuable companies today, data hoarding companies like Facebook and Google top that list. Compare that to 20 years ago in the 2000’s, it was the big oil companies, Exxon-Mobil, BP, and Shell.

This cool video shows that transition over time.

I’m thinking there’s a couple reasons how “big data” became the new “big oil”.

One, companies like Facebook feed into our primal need for social validation.

For the majority of the 300,000 year old history of our species, if we didn’t care what our direct network thought of us, we were lone goners.

Two, social media services give us direct and immediate feedback whether we are getting better at using their apps.

That cool ”so adorable” post you put up of your growing dog family getting more likes than before.

Your friend count list going up, as you expand your social digital network.

With every well done and interesting instagram post, your follower count going up.

This sort of improvement drive is how the once in a generational mobile internet game like Fortnite made over 8 billion dollars.

With the more time you play, your characters level up, get stronger, gain more powerful skills, and obtain newer weapons.

This makes you want to KEEP playing.

WE like getting better at things.

We feel accomplished.

We feel in control.

We feel like success is in our hands.

And with success meters easily seen and available, we become more motivated to keep making that progress.

It relates to the pathways in our brain.

The act of doing something, and then receiving an anticipated reward (accomplishment) sends our brain a hormone hit, making us feel good.

How does this relate to getting and staying motivated to keep making those gains?

By keeping track of your workouts and training program!

Writing down the weights we lifted today as compared to last week.

Seeing our mile run times get faster.

Marking down the two extra reps we did on that weighted squat.

Compare this to the casual once in a while gym goer looking to  “maintain”, as they come in for a few sets of air squats, jogs on the treadmill for a little while, stretches a bit, and works up a light sweat.

Or even worse, that person consistently going through brutal workouts that have no structure and plan, but are frustrated because they don’t seem to be looking any better.

How long do you think these person will stick to their routines?

And usually they’ll blame it on a lack of motivation.

Well, there was no direct and readable meter of progress.

Logging and tracking your workouts is a truly simple way to CREATE motivation.

This is why at UpFit Training Academy we love our TrainHeroic software, and use it with all our clients;

We encourage them to get comfortable using the software app during classes, reading, comparing, and logging their sets, reps, weights, and conditioning times.

This has them see the extra set they did this week as compared to last.

And the way we coach and work, for 9 out of 10 people, the current week’s performance is better than last weeks.

Want to create motivation?

Start keeping track of your workouts!

Yours in good health,

Coach Paul