Daily Burn

We are doing something new at Cascade Peak Performance. Everyday there will be a conditioning workout on the board. The goal is to make it easier for CPP members to get workouts in on none lifting days. And of course non members are welcome to drop in for the Daily Burn.

Today's workout: 5 Sprints down and back, 10 medicine ball slams, 5 reps Lunge Matrix (forward lunge, side lunge, reverse lunge), 10 bodyweight rows, 10 Squat Thrusts..... This will be done for 5-10 rounds.

Exercising With Back Pain

Back pain is the worst. It’s the dead center of the body, truly un-escapable. Lying down, sitting, standing, usually all hurt. For any other body-part, there would still be a few comfortable positions. Even rolling over at night leaves it aching worse.

Because it hurts to do everything, most stop doing anything. Pain is demoralizing. Trading your favorite activities for struggling at simple tasks sucks. But if you don’t fight it’s only going to get worse.

What’s the Problem?

First get it checked out by a qualified medical professional. Understanding the problem is crucial for developing your path out of pain. Every injury is different.

Eat Better

Certainly there is the obvious fact that dropping weight takes pressure off the spine. There are other reasons to eat better.  Nutritious foods will help the body heal quicker. They also support a better energy level. Tired people are less motivated to get off the couch. Additionally, properly nourished tissues are better able to do what they are supposed to do (support your skeleton).

Avoid

Exercises that have jarring impacts, the body can’t absorb these very well. Running with heel strikes is a great example. When the heel hits the ground, the vibrations are sent into the skeleton. It has to end up somewhere. And if your back is already tight, this will only make it worse.

Bending and twisting the spine under load will often re-aggravate issues. Most classic sit-up variations fit this description. This puts uneven pressure on the disc (think squeezing one end of a ketchup packet).

Exercising too hard will restart the pain. Fatigue decreases quality of movement. The lower back will re-tighten. That exercise session now went from a positive to a negative.

What to Do

Maintain the natural curve of the spine while exercising. Whether standing or doing a push-up, this alignment will reduce the chance of irritation. Better yet, doing this regularly will make the muscles required to maintain this position stronger.

Get the hips and abs stronger. Any glute bridging or plank position can do this. Often times these areas are very weak in people with chronic back pain. The next step would do other exercises (pushing or pulling) in a half kneeling position. This will help the hips and abs work together, removing strain from the lower back.

A quality strength training program can help many people live with and possibly move past a back injury.

Memorial Day hours will be 8am to 5pm. The metabolic conditioning class will be moved fro 7pm to 4pm.

Heavy Bag is Up

New Squat Rack

Check it out HERE

Precision Nutrition Certification

I am always looking to get better at helping people achieve lasting results. This certification will add a great amount of depth to what we offer at Cascade Peak Performance. It will take me 2-3 months to finish the program, but there should be plenty that can be implemented at CPP right away.

From the Precision Nutrition's site:

The Certification Program: Nutrition Education for Elite Fitness Professionals.

The Precision Nutrition Certification Program trains you to change and improve the nutrition habits of any client with any goal — whether beginner or advanced. We've designed the certification's hands-on information, strategies, and tools for you to use immediately in your own personal training or strength coaching practice.

First, we teach you the essential science of sport and exercise nutrition: cellular biology, digestion, metabolism, macronutrients, micronutrients. If you need to know it as a coach, we teach it in the cert.

Then, we teach you exactly how to add nutrition coaching to your work in the gym to guide an exercising client to their optimal physique. You'll learn a system for influencing the nutrition habits of any client, with any goal, beginners and advanced alike.

Eugene Marathon 5K Program

Eugene Marathon 5K Program

               A six week program with weekly meetings designed to help runners and non-runners prepare for the 5k portion of the Eugene marathon.  Program starts Monday, March 18th at 5:30 pm. There will be a bonus meeting on the 11th for early enrollees.

When:  March 18^th- April 22^nd every Monday.

Cost: $30 signup by March 18^th

Time: 5:30 pm

Where: Meetings will be held at Cascade Peak Performance, 824 Q Street in Springfield.

What: 30 minute meetings discussing topics to and exercise (runs) with progressive intensities and durations to get you prepared for the 5k.

Who: Inexperienced and/or beginning runners who have or are thinking about signing up for the 5k. People who are unsure how to properly begin a training program and feel like a support program with proper coaching would help them. 

To reserve your spot call us at 541-636-5421 or send us an email to cascadepeakperformance@gmail.com

Special Offer: The first 5 people to share this blog post on Facebook will have their sign-up fee waived. (let us know that you shared it facebook privacy settings don't always show us who did)