Today’s post comes from Balance Gym Physical Therapist, Lauren Polivka.
Working with members of Balance Gym through training and physical therapy has allowed me to see common movement mistakes that can create injury.
I would like to provide you with key exercises monthly that, from a physical therapist perspective, are imperative to the demands of our workplace and commuting but at the same time make our performance training more efficient and injury-free.
→ No CommentsTags: Fitness · Physical Therapy · Strength Training · Tip · Workouts
Check out the newest dance fitness craze hitting the country — Dance Trance now at Balance Gym Thomas Circle!
“Dance Trance was created by Jay Handline to give students a hard-core fitness workout while dancing and having a good time. This is street dance at its best!”
Beginning Tuesday, May 15 Balance Gym Thomas Circle will offer five classes a week. Dance experience is not required to attend, because ultimately, it’s a fitness class! No matter your ability, background, age, or gender, you’ll love this class!
Schedule:
For more information or for a free pass, please e-mail Sarah.Spear@balancegym.com
→ No CommentsTags: Balance Thomas Circle · Classes · Gym News
Today’s post comes from Balance Gym Personal Trainer and CrossFit Dupont Coach, Jim Bathurst.
I’ve competed in a couple Olympic Lifting competitions in the past, but none have gotten me so excited as competing at Balance Gym in the Capital City Open. This was my gym! I train myself and clients here day in and day out! I had missed the Capital City Open last year because I was out of town for a seminar, so I made it a point to clear my schedule this year to attend.
→ No CommentsTags: Competition · CrossFit Balance · CrossFit Dupont · Gym News · Strength Training
Balance Gym is proud to announce three new CrossFit Dupont Coaches!
My love for fitness and all things strength started at an early age when I did my first pull-up hanging from my dad’s forearm. From that point on I was hooked.
Over the years I developed a real passion for lifting. My enthusiasm for strength training only increased as I saw how it improved my athletic performance in lacrosse, cheerleading, gymnastics, and women’s football (not to mention general awesomeness). As a music education major at George Mason, a scuba diving instructor in Annapolis, and an avid powerlifter, my interests were certainly varied but lifting remained the constant in my life.
→ No CommentsTags: CrossFit · CrossFit Dupont · Gym News
Balance Gym is proud to announce two new coaches at CrossFit Balance!
Jared was first introduced to CrossFit while training for U.S. Army Ranger
School in 2005. Spending years since then as an Army officer and civilian
navigating war zones, political standoffs, and food poisoning in the Middle
East, he is a true believer in the physical and mental discipline honed by
CrossFit.
Excited to share his passion with the Balance community, Jared
promotes nutrition as the foundation of fitness, and is quick to point out
that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.
I hail from New York City. I grew up playing basketball and soccer through high school. During my sophomore year at Yale I signed up with the Marine Corps and began officer training. After graduation I served as an infantry officer with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines for five years, deploying three times throughout Asia, the Pacific, the Persian Gulf, and the Horn of Africa.
I was in charge of training anywhere from 45 to 180 Marines. In 2008 I left the Marines to attend grad school at Harvard, and moved to DC afterwards to work at the State Department. I’m currently a foreign service officer scheduled to move to Beijing in August.
I’ve been feeling CrossFit’s pain since 2005. In my free time I enjoy grilling, paleo potlucks, Ozio, and Quint-Fischering.
→ No CommentsTags: CrossFit Balance · Gym News
Looking to increase strength? Perhaps you should start changing up your weight-lifting routine from time to time, says a new study.
In a study published in a recent issue of in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, researchers divided 30 men into three groups: non-lifting, lifting with nonlinear periodization (frequent changes in routine), and lifting with linear periodization (changes at set intervals.) The researchers measured each of the participants’ muscle thickness of their right biceps and triceps, and their 1-Rep Max for the bench press, lat-pull down, triceps extension and bicep curl both before and after a 12-week training program.
During the 12 weeks, the nonlinear group varied their training biweekly during weeks 1-6 and on a daily basis during weeks 7-12. The linear group followed a pattern of intensity and volume changes every 4 weeks. The control group did not do any resistance training.
→ No CommentsTags: Fitness · Strength Training
Today’s post comes from Balance Gym Physical Therapist Lauren Polivka.
For the past several years, I have been focusing much of my attention on posture and how that relates to prevention and care of injuries. For one, I have wanted to know how the benefits of proper posture in the workplace, car, etc can relate to improvements in fitness and athletic performance. Thus, reducing the risk for injury, improving mechanics of the sport, and when this does occur, results are seen quicker.
I have thought about this from a workplace standpoint, and how we can reduce costs for employers due to time lost due to neck pain, back pain, wrist pain…but also how to keep our population active and in fitness centers, sports, and not in my physical therapy clinic!
Recently, I attended the Andrews Institute of Sports Medicine, annual conference on injuries in baseball. I was fortunate to meet Dr. Tim Brown, the physician and mind behind Intelliskin™ performance apparel. The goal of these posture shirts is to change the way our nerves respond to stresses of sports, fitness, and sitting at a computer in order to minimize pain, enhance the proper alignment, and overall reduce the risk for injury. These come in a variety of sizes and most recently, the PostureCue™ shirt has been developed to wear under dress shirts to work!
→ No CommentsTags: Cool Stuff · Physical Therapy · Tip
Today’s post comes from CrossFit Balance Coach Quint Fischer.
Come out to Balance Gym Kalorama (CrossFit Dupont) to support and cheer on your fellow members and coaches as they compete in the 2nd annual Capital City Open, an Olympic weightlifting meet where athletes will snatch and clean & jerk. Each lifter gets three attempts at each lift. The combined total of their two best/successful lifts determines their place. Balance will be represented by both members and trainers. Of the 52 total participants, Balance alone accounts for 16 total lifters! That’s 30%. It is — I used a calculator.
Let’s be honest, you and I both know you don’t have anything better to do this Saturday. Swing by Kalorama and watch some weight get thrown around. You may even catch a few of your favorite (or least favorite) trainers rocking some singlets. How can you resist now?
What: 2012 Capital City Open
Where: Balance Gym Kalorama
When: Saturday, April 21st from 10AM to ~6PM
Who: 12 Balance gym members and 4 Balance gym trainers
Why: To support your fellow members and coaches as they lift heavy-ass weight over their heads.
Plus: If you want to register, there’s a few spots left. Enter the promo code “balance” for $10 off REGISTRATION.
Schedule:
Session 1 – Novice Female (all weight classes)
Sarah Shyr
Morgan Reynolds
Emily Baskin
Ilda Bajraktari
Session 2 – Senior Female (all weight classes)
Leah Cochran
Cali Hinzman
Session 3 – All Men (69kg – 77kg)
Ross Paolino
Sergio Schwimmer
Jeff Jenkins
JP Goshco
Session 4 – All Men (85kg-105+kg)
Aaron Bolton (Bolt)
Eric Peterson
Ken Greenfield
Robin Habberly
Jim Bathurst
Chris “Tex” McQuilkin
→ No CommentsTags: Balance Gym Kalorama · Competition · Upcoming Events
PUSH Therapy is now offered at SomaSpa at Balance Gym Glover Park. Appointments can me made for Mondays or Fridays. Please call 202.965.2121 for more information and schedule your appointment.
Developed by a physical therapist and professional athlete, the PUSH system targets Chronic Passive Tension. This is a condition common to chronic pain in which muscles remain tight and contracted even in a passive or resting state. PUSH therapy utilizes a Soft Pressure Stimulation technique to release tension and increase range of motion, and subsequently reduce pain. To sustain that change, clients are instructed in self-treatment techniques and posture exercises that can be quickly and easily incorporated into the daily routine.
→ No CommentsTags: Gym News · Massage · SomaSpa
On any typical day, you might overhear a Balance Gym member mention their latest vacation to Italy, or maybe discuss their upcoming business meeting in Japan. It’s no secret that many of us Washingtonians find ourselves traveling… a lot. So you’ll be happy to hear that exercise may actually help you deal with jet lag.
→ No CommentsTags: health news · Tip