#1

It builds confidence.

Weight training is empowering.  You will experience your body doing things its never done before.   Where once the empty barbell felt hard now you’re throwing the 45’s on the bar.  The confidence you gain in the gym transfers over to life outside the gym.

#2

It builds Self Reliance.

Lifting weights has an amazing transfer over into everyday activities.  Moving furniture, picking up a bag of of food, wrestling/rough housing with your kids, carrying your groceries upstairs…… There’s a flood and you need to sandbag your house!

Lifting weights builds your independence in life and allows you live life now with no physical limitations

#3

You get Sexy.

You cant tone or flex cardio.  Want to firm, tone, and tighten your body?  Then you’ve gotta pump some iron.  Cardio is great for your heart health but lifting weights and nutrition is what changes your body.

#4

You’ll handle stress better.

Sometimes its not about burning calories, setting personal records or toning your body.  Sometimes its just therapeutic.  You can arrive to a workout stressed and irritated.  I promise after hitting the iron you will leave feeling so much better.  Endorphins man…..

http://www.livestrong.com/article/39012-working-weights-relieve-stress/

#5

Its Fun.

Lets be real here.  How exciting is running on a treadmill or reading a magazine on a recumbent bike?  Gyms are filled with people hammering the cardio machines ad-nauseam only to be disappointed with their results.  It gets old fast.  How exciting is getting your first body weight bench press or double body weight back squat?!  How about your first time picking 200lbs off the floor?  Its fun and badass ;)!  Not too mention how much more beneficial it is for body composition.

#6

Its increases your metabolism.

Many people’s metabolism slow as they age from a combination of two primary factors.  They become less active and they lose muscle.

Muscle burns more calories than fat.  Lifting weights will keep your metabolism youthful and burning strong!  Want a faster metabolism?  Gain muscle.  The best way to gain muscle is through lifting weights.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8175496

In conclusion I hope you decide to incorporate a a structured and progressive weight lifting program into your fitness routine.  Cardio is great and we do a lot at Amplified Fitness.  But we also lift weights to get the best results and changes in body composition.

Its tempting to always want to do the sexy leave you sweaty and gasping for breath workouts, thinking those are whats best to do. This is false logic, you also need to go heavy to illicit an optimal change in your body composition.(hypertrophy)

Combine the repetition effort, fast paced style training(Intervals, circuits, metcons, EMOMS, supersets) with a strength effort days(slower paced heavy training) and you have a recipe for success.

I want to give our Amplified Family member Kasey a quick spotlight!  I saw that her baby turned 1 a couple days ago and it made me reflect on her dedication to fitness, despite having a small child to take care of.  I am posting this because I think she’s a great example and inspiration to other moms and the soon to be moms out there.

I remember her texting me she won’t make it to the gym cause she’s in labor. And then as soon as she hit her 6 week recovery period getting a text message from her asking if it was ok to come back and train and she hasn’t slowed down since!

In that year she has gotten in the best shape of her life, consistently hit the gym, competed in two powerlifting competitions and a bike race.

*Kasey’s latest body composition results, 1 year after having her baby.  14% bodyfat ad increased muscle, wow!

So cute ???? #momstrong #girlsthatlift #amplifiedfitness

A video posted by Thomas Grove (@thomasthetrainer123) on Apr 21, 2016 at 9:20am PDT

*Kasey deadlifting at a powerlifitng competition.

 

I’ve been training with Kasey for 4 years now and its been really fun and rewarding to watch her fitness growth and seeing her baby grow up the past year.  She’s definitely a Strong mama!

*Kasey’s baby shower at Amplified Fitness!

*Here is a photo of Kasey and I after she won best lifter award at the Utah APF powerlifting Championships in Dec 2016. There’s no stopping this Strong Mama!

O ya almost forgot we did a team triathlon together this is where I saw her baby walking for the first time 🙂

How many times have you started a fitness routine only to be frustrated by the lack of results? Here are my 4 key tips on getting faster and sustainable results in the gym.

#1 Focus.

This is a big one that I will break up into several points.

• Whats the intent of the day?

Have a game plan.  It should be written out and ready to go before you even step foot into the gym.  Don’t just wing it.  Have a professional designed plan and execute!

• Are you working harder than you did last time?

If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.  You’ve gotta better yourself in some fashion.  Some examples:  More weight, more reps, more sets(volume) less rest, faster times, slower tempo(strength training), accomplishing new movements.  Always be improving in some fashion, not matter how small.  With beginners, after we condition their body for intense training we progress them fast!  That’s a really fun part of starting out you have so much room and capacity for improvement.

• Are you giving an honest effort?

Are you going into the gym with authority and intent or are you playing on your phone, wandering around, taking excessive water fountain breaks etc…  Some of my best workouts take 20-30 minutes.  During those 30 minutes I am staying focused on the task at hand(bettering my fitness).  You’ve gotta have laser focus.  A half hour of focused intense training will do a lot more for you than 3 hours of mindless training.  I recommend having a gym buddy or buddies that are willing to work just as hard or harder than you to give it your best.

#2 Compound movements.

A compound movement can be defined as: Any exercise that engages two or more different joints to fully stimulate entire muscle groups and, indeed, multiple muscles.  Think: Pullups, Squats, Deadlifts, Kettlbell swings, cleans, jumping, Bench press, shoulder press, push ups.  Isolation movements(single joint movements) are fine, however, think of compound movements as the dollars and the isolation movement as the pennies.  Train for dollars. Please don’t start stripping 😉

Michele knocking out the 40s for 12 reps.

A video posted by Thomas Grove (@thomasthetrainer123) on Oct 9, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

#3 Variety

Change it up.  The more experienced you become the more important this becomes.  Do not mistake this for random.  Routine is not the enemy.  You do need to repeatedly do a movement to get good at it. However, you should be changing up your reps, sets, exercise order, weight, accessory movements and rest times.  How many times have you done the same workout every Monday?  No wonder you’re not getting results.  Switch things up!

It’s always fun watching someone chaos bench for the first time.

A video posted by Thomas Grove (@thomasthetrainer123) on Mar 16, 2016 at 3:10pm PDT

#4 Nutrition

The part we all don’t want to talk about.  You can’t out train a bad diet.  “I’ll just do more cardio tomorrow” does not work.  It breaks my heart every time I see someone try and do this.  It never has worked and it never will.  There are many ways to go about nutrition.  However, what is congruent among all successful diets is they are correct in the amount of Calories, protein, carbs and fats.  Whats most important above any factor is following something you can adhere to long term and create a lifestyle.

www.amplifiedfitness.net/nutrition

www.amplifiedfitness.net/contact

May’s Member of the Month is Tawni Holm!  Congratulations Tawni!  Being chosen as member of the month means a coach has spotlighted you because they’ve notice your incredible work ethic and value to you bring to our community.

 A brief history at Amplified Fitness.

Tell us how you got started and your experience.

• It had been a rough year. I felt like my life was mess and I needed to get it

  together. I was afraid of pretty much everything! A good mutual friend of mine and

  Thomas tagged me in post on Facebook that Thomas had created. He was looking for a

  Massage Therapist on trade for Personal Fitness training. To be honest, I was scared

  shitless! But I knew it was time to get over myself. I had become my own worst enemy,

  and it was time to get up and conquer. I reached out to Thomas, and here I am loving

  every minute!

  The success and struggles you have been through at

  Amplified Fitness?

  In the beginning, it was a real struggle for me. I had so much anxiety over

  working out and being around everyone that I feel like I would wear myself out before

  the work out even started! I got a good look at myself. And although it was depressing at

  times, it was also very motivating. I knew that if I could overcome my own thoughts of

  defeat, I could do anything. And I’ll tell you what -when everything goes wrong, go lift!!

  My successes have been welcome rewards. Before, 200 meters felt like it might as well

  have been 100 miles. Now, it’s nothing! I love running. I used to have a lot of back pain

  and seemed to always have a headache no matter what I did. Now, I rarely have these

  pains. One of the biggest successes though, is my mental dialogue. I find myself

  enjoying my thoughts and find that it’s much easier to let the small stuff go.

  *Tawni and her coach Thomas

  

  How often do you attend sessions at Amplified Fitness?

  I attend anywhere between 3 and 6 classes a week. My average is 4.5.

• Favorite movement(s)?

  A favorite moment comes often here. It’s hard to pick just one. I love it whenever

  I see someone else succeed. The culture is amazing at Amplified, and the people and

  trainers here definitely make it that way. It is a place to over-come what limits you. So,

  yes, you can see where that would make it hard to pick just one favorite moment.

  Least favorite movement? Least favorite workout?

  I couldn’t say. I find that it very much depends on my energy levels coming in to

  the gym. I have discovered though, that if I am having a rough day, it helps to not look at

  the work out before I get there. Once I’m there, I’m committed, and its too late to back

  out. Besides, even if I hate it, once its over and I’m pumped with endorphins, I’ll love it

  again anyway, right?

  Current goals?

  My current goal is to loose 10lbs of fat, while keeping the muscle I’ve gained. I

  love food! So, that can be a little challenging. But as every successful person has told

  me, see nothing but your target. I also am starting a new way of eating that severely

  limits my processed foods, and refined sugar intake. This starts May 8

  th

  . Wish me luck!

  Anything else you want to share about yourself: what you do

  for fun, what you do for work?

  I really enjoying hiking and camping. I love to be outside. I also really enjoy

  learning about the human body. I am continually fascinated by how unique it is. I enjoy

  spending time with my dog. She makes my world spin and I can’t imagine life without

  her. I enjoy helping people get out of aches and pains too. I’m like that chronic-helper. I

  love it!
• I work in a trucking office full time (gotta keep that health insurance!) and spend a

  lot of time through the week massaging clients and learning new things about the

  human body.

  -What keeps you keep coming back for more?

  The people. The friends Ive made, and the trainers here. I cant express my

  gratitude enough for you guys! Having someone believe in you when you don’t believe

  in yourself is a rare gift. I love the challenge. I love challenging what I think I can do,

  because all around me there are people here that are doing just that, and that makes it

  easier to believe its possible for me.

  What do you like most about Amplified Fitness?

  I love that it’s a place to conquer resistance and beat your demons. The

  successes I experience in the gym are contagious and they follow me out the door. I

  love that!

  Would you rather drag a 200lb sled up a 10 mile hill or have to stop and immediately do 5 burpees every time someone said your name for the next month?

  Am I being punked?! No, kidding. I’d take the sled drag. Can you imagine the

  bragging rights?!

  What Would You Tell Someone That Was Considering Joining

  Amplified Fitness?

  I would congratulate them on being a cut above the rest, because that is truly

  what I have seen happen here. If you walk in those doors, and commit yourself, you

  cannot help but succeed. You will always have someone that believes in you, you’ll

  never be alone, and the friends you’ll make are royalty. Living the Amplified Life is a

  good life. Also, there’s a gym dog. I mean, come on! How could it get any better?

If you’re hoping I tell you to stop having fun on the weekends I’ve got some disappointing news for you.

I love my weekends. I work hard and I play hard. I go to parties, concerts, festivals, spend time with family, occasionally Imbibe, enjoy my hobbies and go out to eat. What I do not do is lose my self discipline over the weekend and undo all my hard work.  Below I will be cover 6 key points to a successful weekend.

#1 Who you surround yourself with.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”-Jim Rohn

You become who you surround yourself with. Sometimes we outgrow friends in life, or our lifestyles are no longer congruent with those who we spend our time with. Make friends and surround yourself with those who have a similar vision and goals on life as you do.

Ask yourself.

*What kind of person do I want to be?

*Are the people with who you spend the most time with congruent with who you want to be?

#2 Prepare.

“If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail.”

Have a game plan for your weekends. Just as you do for you weekdays, except the weekend has more freedom! Its up to you how you use this freedom.

Reprogram your subconscious mind for success. Every Thursday night(or every night) before going to bed visualize what you want your weekend to look like.  Be specific and your subconscious will help you get there faster.

You’ve sold yourself on showing up to work Mon-Fri, now you’ve gotta sell yourself on eating healthy and being active. You’ve lost the accountability and schedule of a work day, so this has to be your idea, and you have to mean it! You will find your weekends a lot more enjoyable and full-filling when you have a game plan and you will have a lot more energy if you eat healthy and plan your meals as well.

Check out www.amplifiedfitness.net/recipes for lots of great and easy recipe ideas!

*Do you struggle with meal prep or would you simply like to buy your time and have someone do it for you? Great, Amplified fitness has got your back. www.amplifiedfitness.net/nutrition

 #3 Alcohol

This could be an entire blog post on its own. Good thing I’ve already written one.

http://amplifiedfitness.net/2015/07/getdrunknotfat/

www.getdrunknotfat.com

 #4 Social events

Here’s a little tip for you. Eat your healthy planned meal before leaving. (Remember you plan your weekends now.) Socializing doesn’t have to be about eating. This way you won’t be going to the party wanting to stuff your face, or you can order a very modest portion if you are going to a restaurant.  I often drink a protein shake before going to a restaurant to avoid arriving hungry, otherwise, game over.  Bring on the unlimited basket chips and butter rolls!

That bowl of chips and dip laid out on the counter won’t be teasing you all night and you won’t be having a mental tug-a-war if you leave not feeling hungry. “But what about all the people that offer me drinks and food?” The cool thing about nutrition is you are in control. If you want to accept, accept. If you don’t want to then don’t. You are not a people pleaser. You are a focused individual, that is relentless about their goals and dreams! If someone gets upset for you not accepting their food then they have their own issues to deal with.   Don’t live by other people’s values. Set your own values and expectations of your life and meet them.

 #5 Do you work out?

Working out, not just for the weekdays. If you struggle with bad habits on the weekends then you need to start working out on the weekends.  I know it helps me knowing I have a workout at 9:00A.M Saturday morning to help me stay focused and prevent me from drinking too much alcohol or eating too much crappy food. You will learn that the hard way if you show up to workout after a crappy night of eating and/or drinking.

#6 Don’t deprive/under-eat during the weekdays.

This one could an entire blog post itself so I won’t go into too much detail here.(new content idea!).

You should be training to fuel your body, not deprive it. Eat enough calories and small indulgences so by the time the weekend comes you are not mentally vulnerable and ready to ravage and entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s. If you’re finding yourself super disciplined during the weekdays then feeling very vulnerable during the weekends that is a sign you are under eating and depriving yourself.

*Our coaches can get you on a done for you meal plan specific to your body and goals.

www.amplifiedfitness.net/nutrition

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Good Timber

by Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

Wow another amazing month!  Its going to be hard to keep this short.

Chris doing her first workout with a barbell!

Manny’s 1 year anniversary at Amplified Fitness was at Amplified Fitness this montht!  He’s lost 64lbs and is an absolute beast in the gym. Its been amazing and a privilege to be apart of his journey. More importantly he’s created a lifestyle change. He has definitely worked for it and embraced the Amplified Philosophy.

One of our March reviews!

*Fit for spring 4 week challenge starts Monday April 11th.  Click the picture for more information

Amber hit her 6 month Gymniversary and has lost 53lbs! Even more important, more important than the lbs lost, the weights lifted and the personal records set is her commitment to making a fitness lifestyle and the habits she has developed.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Our member of the month for March was Katie Prawitt!  I could make an entire highlight real of just for her 😉  You can read her story here.

http://amplifiedfitness.net/2016/02/march-member-month/

Another March Review.

Jason got his double unders down!  There’s a video out there of it somewhere 😉

Susan was announced as member of the month for April.  We are all very proud of her and so is her family!

You can read her story here.

http://amplifiedfitness.net/2016/03/april-member-month/

Another March Review

Nicole, 4 months pregnant and lifting for two!  She’s stayed consistent through her pregnancy.  So inspirational!

I decided to add this to the highlight real because we are all at different stages in our fitness level. Maybe you just set a personal record on your 6th ultra ironman. Or maybe you have lost enough weight and gained enough energy to clean your entire house! Either one you should be incredible proud of yourself. Celebrate every amount of progress no matter how small or large. Embrace the journey and the hustle.

Another March review

Denise has been working really hard in our beginners program and this month she deadlifted with a barbell for the first time!

Michelle mother of 4 showing hard work does pay off!

Our fit for spring challenge starts April 11th click the picture to learn more.

Coach and owner Thomas Went out to the Fitness Business Summit in Irvine California and brought back a wealth of knowledge to keep Amplified Fitness on the cutting edge of the fitness industry.

We kicked the month off with a jump rope challenge!  Anyone that completed the challenge had their proceeds donated towards the humane society of Utah.  Here are a few of the challenge completions!

April’s member of the month is Susan McHenry!

Which charity have you chosen for Amplified Fitness to donate to and why? 

Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (my brother-in-law is suffering with this).   This affects the young and old and slowly kills those who have it.

A brief history at Amplified Fitness.

Tell us how you got started and your experience.

Over two years ago, I knew that I needed to do something to improve my quality of life then and for the future.  I had never exercised, play sports, etc. I looked and felt like a “little butter ball”.  When looking at KSL.com classified ads I  saw Amplified Fitness several times, but didn’t call.  One day I told myself if I saw the ad again I would call.  I did see the ad and called.  I started with Tom doing one-on-one training for six months.  I was uncoordinated, and had no strength or flexibility.  I know I frustrated Tom(no you didn’t!) because I was so uncoordinated, I was a mess.  However, slowly I made progress and tried a group class.  I only attend three times weekly.   However, in the last months I’ve tried to go at least of four or five times a week, workout in the early mornings and this is working for me.  I’ve raised myself to a newer level and feel great!

I’ve lost almost 50 pounds, many, many inches and have gained more strength, flexibility and the most important part is that I feel so much better.  Also, a new wardrobe hasn’t been bad either!!!

Favorite movement(s)?  I would say bench press, because I just recently added chains and that seems cool to me!  Silly I know

Least favorite movement? Least favorite workout?  Wall Balls and the assault bike.

Current goals?

 Keep up my attendance to 4 or 5 times weekly and doing the best I can in every workout.  Working out is also a mental workout and keeping myself in the right mental frame of mind is always a priority.  My example, has an impact on my husband, children, grandchildren and friends and I want to always set the example.

Anything else you want to share about yourself: what you do for fun, what you do for work?  For fun I enjoy quilting.  I’ve made hundreds of quilts, to me I see beauty in fabric and what I can do with it.  I also love reading and road trips with my husband.  I currently work only to keep me in fabric at a Charter High School (AMES) and work with students in the Counseling Office while they apply to college, and scholarship applications.  I love working with the young people!

What keeps you keep coming back for more?

I never want to lose the ground I’ve gained in the last two years.  I’m going to be fit, and strong for myself and family for the rest of my life.

*Susan with head coach and owner Thomas after a tough workout!

What do you like most about Amplified Fitness?

 The feeling, that everyone can succeed and do their best.  I will never keep up with a much younger person, but I can succeed at my level.  The gym is clean.  The music has much to be desired, but that’s my age showing!!!  

If you had to, every morning before you were allowed to leave your house do 1000 calories on the assault bike or 500 wall balls?

 Are you kidding?  I guess I would do the wall balls, but I would never get to leave it would take me FOREVER to do 500 wall balls and all my strength and time.

What Would You Tell Someone That Was Considering Joining Amplified Fitness? 

I would tell people and have told people, join and take advantage of the trainers and equipment and do the best they can.  Don’t compare yourself to others.

Consideration for beginners.

#1 Take Action!

Nothing will ever be perfect.  Never will it be a perfect time to start.  Don’t be a gatherer of information only to think about it and do nothing.  The #1 tip for beginners is to get started.

#2 Mindset.

Success starts in your head.  You have to believe in yourself. The desire for change has to be greater than the want to stay the same. Ask yourself why change is important to you? Sure you may want to lose some fat and tone up, but why? To live longer? To age gracefully? To have more energy to put into your career? To see your grandkids grow-up? To attract the best partner in life? To be the best version of you? Find out what the deep motivating factor(s) is for you, believe in yourself and you are on the right path to achieving your fitness goals.

 

#3. Intensity levels.

Don’t be a wuss but you need to ease yourself into training especially the first 2-4/weeks, and especially if you’ve been sedentary for 5+ years. You may have a burst of motivation right now only to have it diminished by trying to do to much too soon. Don’t be a hero. I know this is hard, especially if we were in really good shape at one point. Jog before you sprint, maybe you need to do your pushups off your knees, maybe you need do bodyweight squats before you put a bar on your back. Save the heart bursting, lung burning, red line workouts once you’ve established a base.  On a scale of 1-10 via the rating of perceived exertion I recommend keeping yourself in the 5-7 range in your first two weeks of training and then 7-8 in weeks 3 and 4.

#4 Technique.

You’re a beginner, good! Which means you’ve developed very few bad habits in your technique. You’re a fresh ball of clay ready to be molded. I love when I have a fresh new trainee void of years of doing things incorrectly. Take this to your advantage as a beginner and learn to do things correctly.

#5 Think long term.

Fitness is a lifestyle not a short term endeavor. No one has developed a fitness lifestyle in a matter of weeks or months. The sooner that you can understand how to create a program for long term success and do the things that come along with that, such as proper nutrition, movement prep, and passive recovery, the more successful you will be.

To give you an example of proper programming here is one of many ways it can be setup. This way you see all the major muscles are being hit and allowed 48-72 hours of recovery. One workout does not significantly Hinder another.

Mon-Repetition effort Chest, triceps, deltoids

Tues-Strength lower body

Weds-Endurance/Cardio

Thurs-Strength-Horizontal and Vertical pulling Strength

Fri-Strength Horizontal and Vertical Pushing 

Sat-Endurance and/or mobility/Flexibility(We do Yin yoga at Amplified Fitness)

Sun-Rest.