I am a runner.

I am not a cyclist.

I’ve taken one spinning class in my entire life.

I do not even own a bike, and the last one I did own had tassles on the handlebars.

So when Doug Rusho, the brains behind Midtown’s sold-out Psyclewerks program, asked me to take this past Sunday’s class so I could see what it’s like, I was hesitant.

“Hesitant” is code for Scared. Intimidated. And Looking for a Reason to Bail at the Last Minute.

Here’s what I envisioned:

• Hardcore, Lance-level cyclists with calves of steel
• A serious, solemn, “get-’er-done” type of atmosphere
• A bike so complex that I wouldn’t be able to figure out how to work the computer, much less mount and pedal.
• Me, passed out on the floor from exhaustion, mere minutes into the class.

Oh, and some awesome music, because freaked out as I was over taking this class, Doug’s reputation for picking some truly fantastic, timed-to-the-second tunes is widely known.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Psyclewerks was, in a word, incredible. The class is comprised of mainly an over-40 crowd, with a few younger members in the mix. They span the spectrum of athleticism. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and filled with laughter and camaraderie, before, during, and after class. And the Keiser bike? A cinch to figure out with a few pointers from Doug before class began.

One more thing: If Doug Rusho had his own fan club, there would be a serious war among class members over who gets to be the President.

It was evident after just a few minutes with this group that the Doug love runneth over.

Since I haven’t been a part of Psyclewerks from the beginning and did not take the Power Test on the first day to determine my own personal power zones, which the rest of the class had recorded on cards and placed on the stands in front of their bikes, I basically pedaled along while they cycled through their zones, which ranged from 1 to 6, with Zone 6 being the most difficult.

I did, however, try to match my intensity to theirs, so if Doug asked the class to begin a short, high-intensity effort, that’s what I did.

There's me at the back of the class. And I'm upright!

This class followed a pattern: short, challenging work followed by longer periods of recovery pedaling. During the challenging portions, Doug would encourage the riders:

“Power is not a number; it’s a sensation.”

and

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go,” a T.S. Eliot quote, and one of my all-time favorites.

He had obviously spent a considerable amount of time working on the music for the class. The songs were so precisely timed, that when the bursts of high-intensity cycling began, so too would the uptempo portions of the selected song. This allowed me (and most likely the other class members as well) to really give those short, difficult efforts my all.

After class, I asked some Psyclewerks riders what they liked about the program.

Remember when I mentioned the Doug love?

Here’s what they said:

“Doug brings out the athlete inside of me.”

“He elicits effort rather than enforces it.”

“Doug is encouraging and motivational without being aggressive.”

“I am working smarter, and not simply practicing for practicing’s sake.”

“Doug is, in a word, the man.”

So, am I tossing my Mizunos and buying a road bike? Probably not.

But I’ve learned that cycling, rather than being intimidating and only for the hardcore hardbodies, is actually something I can do as an excellent form of cross-training.

The Psyclewerks program is fascinating. The idea that every ride is catered to each class member’s fitness level and that every person is getting a near perfect workout for his/her body makes the program even more intriguing.

I heard a rumor as class was ending that Doug is running this program again early next year.

If you’re interested in taking your cycling to the next level, this is the program for you.

And if you’re lucky, Doug might even give you his autograph after class if you ask nicely.

One thing I’ve learned since joining Midtown in January is that the people who work there are genuinely interested in  high-quality service.

• The trainers are incredibly accommodating and helpful.
• The front desk associates are both friendly and speedy.
• The cafe associates have my usual post-workout order (an iced coffee) memorized.
• The Kidtown associates create an environment so warm and welcoming that my children don’t want to leave when it’s time to go home.

And now, to improve their member service even further, they want to know about how best to communicate with you about events, programs, classes, and activities.

By now, you should have received a member survey in your email inbox. This survey was designed to gather information as to how you would like to have Midtown communicate with you.

This survey asks how you would prefer to learn about club happenings. Would you like more information on the website, or on Facebook? Maybe you like reading the posters in the club, or grabbing the flyers from the rack on the way out the door. Make sure you take this survey. One lucky member will win an iPad, just for answering it.

Now, they’re offering another prize, just for answering one more question.

Leave your answer in the Comments section, and you can win a Midtown “Prize Pack for Two.” Included are your choice of two of the tshirts shown below, two water bottles, and two hats. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you (an email address is fine) if you’re the winner. This giveaway will end on Monday, 11/15 at 5pm. I’ll choose a winner via random.org, and announce the winner on our Facebook page on Tuesday morning.

And the question is…

How do you currently learn about events, programs, and activities at Midtown? Do you reference Spirit frequently? Surf the Midtown website or the Facebook page? Read every email the club sends you? Check out the posters in the club? 

This contest is open to current Midtown members only.

Let’s hear it!

*Random.org has selected Tim as the winner of the prize pack! Thank you so much to everyone who answered the survey question. Your feedback is valuable, and the management team is reading through your suggestions as they determine how best to keep you up-to-date on everything that’s happening at the club. More giveaways are coming soon, so stay tuned to this blog and the Facebook page.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it for you, since if you were there, you already know.

This class was a 90-minute bruiser.

This was one of the toughest profiles I ever designed. Our power focus was on VO2 max and anaerobic capacity.

The profile consisted of three strength climbs, a VO2 max reference test, and a “Tabata” protocol. Everything was repeated twice.

VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption. In simple terms, it means running your aerobic system at full capacity. On full steam, VO2 max lasts from 3-to-8 minutes. I used a different approach called the “Tabata” protocol.

I asked my athletes if anyone who read last week’s blog could tell me the definition of the “Tabata” protocol. One very eager athlete waved both hands and proceeded to give me a two-minute dissertation on it.

She was spot-on, and when she finally came up for air, the room was filled with applause, cheers, and disbelief. Apparently, I looked of shocked and awed that she new much more about this than I did, because one athlete blurted out, “You just got served!”

True, but payback was imminent. (Cue the evil laugh.)

The Tabata protocol consists of short efforts (20-45s) at VO2 max power with very short recoveries (20-45s), repeated many times. This creates a cumulative fatigue effect, continually pounding the aerobic system, while allowing just enough rest to go at it again and again.

Very challenging stuff, which should only be attempted when the body has gradually adapted to handle this kind of repetitive intensity. Our Psyclewerks program has been building our athletes since Week 1, and they were ready for the challenge.

We also worked on our anaerobic capacity in a similar fashion. We trained on three back-to-back climbs with 1-minute recoveries between each. We “peaked” each climb with some very steep efforts in zone 5.

Music leaned to the aggressive side. These efforts hurt, and really “bully” the body. When you are getting beat down, naturally a little anger will ensue, so we listened to some anger-management songs, like “Guerrilla Radio” by Rage Against the Machine, and “More Human than Human” by Rob Zombie to really lay down the power under very fatiguing conditions.

The class fought back hard, and just killed the profile.

In 15 years of teaching group cycle, I have never seen any group work that hard for 90 minutes.

Very proud Coach!

The aftermath and post-ride banter.

 We finished out the training session with a celebration of sorts.

I also debuted  my new microphone in class this week.  After some research and referals, I purchased the Countryman Associates E6 Omni earset microphone.  In the music industry, this is known as the “Madonna mic.”  I did some pre-testing earlier in the week and it was like a religious experience!  What a difference.

"Strike a pose."

In the upcoming week, we will build the “supercharger.” More anaerobic capacity, and maximum power over durations of two minutes down to 0-60 seconds. 

Three more weeks until graduation! Remember, you can catch up on past Psyclewerks posts here.

What did you think of this week’s class?

Pre-dusk, Sunday, October 31st was “Fright Night,” my ode to Halloween.

I took a lot of Halloween-inspired songs and we embarked on descending threshold (zone 3) intervals. This was the first class to have rest intervals, in order to reach and maintain appropriate intensity.

We worked four threshold intervals at 11, 9, 8.5, and7.5 minutes with 3-4 minutes of recovery before each one. The team rode beautifully, maintaining appropriate cadence with resistance.

Here’s something that has become readily apparent. In the regular cycle classes I teach, regardless of my feedback and instruction, there are almost always some “outliers.” There are people who pedal too fast with too little resistance or people who pedal too slowly with too much resistance. This either affects their safety or effectiveness. But when we receive power feedback from our pedaling, these ineffective techniques almost vanish.

"Speed done right!"

“Fright Night” was a blast, with one athlete claiming he saw a “bright, white light.” I suggested he would be better off heading toward it rather than the “other direction.”

Now, for some education. Over the next two weeks our intensity is going to increase as the time we apply this intensity decreases. For the general exercise enthusiasts, these higher power zones are rarely visited and therefore “untrained.”

This makes my job a little more complicated. Although our FTP test result is used to calculate our power zones, it can’t predict how often we can repeat intervals in each zone. This is dependant on each individual.

Some individuals may at first struggle to even reach the upper zones like 5 and 6. This is why we “train” and is how we will make your body that much stronger. Typically most people try to maximize their exercise time by going as hard as they can for the entire duration. In power-speak, this means they physiologically can only maintain high zone 2 and zone 3 threshold power.

The body will then become very good at zone 2 and zone 3 power production. This is known as the rule of specificity, or “you get what you train for.” This is a great way to go if you have limited time but within a few weeks your body will plateau, because it has “been there, and done that.”

Scary apparition for a scary ride.

In order to keep improving, we need to continuously challenge the body by training different areas in different ways. This is what Psyclewerks 2.0 is designed to do.

But be aware you will “fail” at some point, by not being able to maintain the prescribed power for intervals.

This is a good thing; it means you have thoroughly challenged you body in a new way. It will adapt with rest, and you will be stronger the next time!

High-Intensity Interval Rules (5 minutes or less)

If you can’t maintain Interval Power:

1.) When you can’t maintain prescribed interval power, shut it down, recover, and tack on the remaining time to the prescribed recovery time.
2.) Try again the next interval.
3.) If you fall short again, start the next interval, one zone lower for the first 1/3, and then attempt target power.
4.) If you fail again, call it a day and finish out in recovery or zone 1 NO HIGHER!

If you can’t reach Interval Power at all:

1.) Go as hard as you can for the duration of the first interval.
2.) Try to maintain that zone for the rest of the intervals
3.) When you can’t maintain that zone, go to above steps.

Do not hesitate to back off, and ride easy for the remainder of the training time if you know the “wheels have come off.” You will do more damage than good trying to gut it out. I can tell you that I “fail” to complete 70% of the power workouts I attempt.

No, that is not me.

Remember, failure in interval training is ultimately success! 

This Sunday, we will undertake the “Tabata Protocol.”  Extra credit to anyone who can tell me what that involves.

Okay, Psyclewerks team, what do you think about the program so far? Does anyone else have any questions?

As a runner, I’m always looking for ways to improve my performance.

I set new goals, such as a sub-2hour Flower City Half-Marathon on May 1st, after being unable to run the Rochester Half-Marathon this past September due to injury). I register for local races in pursuit of PRs, one of which I did not achieve in a disastrous (but fun) Pumpkins in the Park 5K this past weekend). And I experience gadget-and-gear-lust as new products hit the market with the promise to make me a stronger, faster, or more effecient runner.

So when Personal Trainer Bruce Hedlund told me about an upcoming seminar at the club called “Ramp Up Your Run,” I was immediately intrigued.

He and fellow trainer Laura Regna are teaming up in early December to present a two-session seminar called “Ramp Up Your Run.”

One class will run on a weekday, and the other will take place on a weekend day. Each day’s session is 90 minutes. The seminar will include:

• A dynamic warm-up
• Strength-training exercises
• Core training
• Injury prevention exercises (I’m bringing a pen and paper)
• A 30-minute stretch class focusing on three different styles of stretching that are most beneficial to runners

Bruce and Laura are the perfect trainers to host this seminar. Bruce has run 17 marathons, including 10 Bostons. He’s also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Rochester Amerks and for Penfield High School.

Laura teaches stretching classes at the club, and she specializes in flexibility. She’s also an accomplished dancer.

If you’re a runner and interested in this seminar (of course you are!), Bruce and Laura want to know which weekday time slot best fits your schedule. If you look in the right sidebar of the blog, you’ll see the Running Seminar Poll. Cast your vote for the weekday time slot of your choice. If none of these times fit your needs, please leave a comment and suggest an alternate time.

The weekend session will most likely run from 8-9:30am on either a Saturday or a Sunday.

I hope to see you in class!

Personal Trainer Susan Doyle’s father passed away from cancer two years ago. He battled the disease with courage for 19 years.

What began as prostate cancer in 1991 eventually spread throughout his body. Three years ago he started chemotherapy, which made him so ill that he soon stopped the treatment.

Eight weeks after stopping chemo, cancer claimed his life.

He was 77 years young.

I also know the heartbreak involved with losing someone to this horrible disease. My grandfather passed away from lung cancer in 1995. We were incredibly close. He was vibrant and active and far too young, at 69, to have cancer steal his life.

Cancer does not discriminate. 

It affects both the young and the old. The rich and the poor. The once healthy and the strong and the chronically ill and the weak.

Odds are it affects someone you love too.

On Saturday, November 6th, from 8:45-9:45am, Midtown is sponsoring the Second Annual Bootcamp Against Cancer, which honors the memory of Susan’s dad and all those who have lost their lives to this disease.

A $20 donation to the Rochester American Cancer Society gets you a great workout, fun prizes, and refreshments following the camp. 100% of the proceeds raised will go toward finding a cure for cancer.

The Bootcamp Against Cancer will feature:

• Three rounds of 8-to-10 trainer-staffed stations, each featuring a different exercise, including cardio, weight benches, a Pilates station, boxing bags, sprinting, and core work.
• Raffles for prizes including gift cards to The Spa at Midtown and Macaroni Grill, and gift certificates for free smoothies at the Bon Marche Cafe.

Guests are welcome, so grab a friend and sign up at the front desk with your $20 donation. Over $800 was raised at this bootcamp last year, and Susan would love to raise even more this year.  

How has cancer affected your life?

At noon on Sunday, I was lining up for a cyclo-cross race. Since I don’t own a cyclo-cross bike, I built a “franken-bike.” Mountain bikes are allowed, so with my addiction to riding with power, I rigged up my rear powertap road wheel with a cyclo-cross tire.

Cross is very similar to mountain bike racing, so I could get some really good power data to study and design my winter training around it. However this setup does not allow the use of rear brakes.

Shouldn’t be a problem, right?

1.5 laps and 9 minutes into an hour-long race, my front wheel washed out on a steep, loose, sharp corner and the right side of my ribcage and chest was pile-driven into the ground from about five feet up. There was a large audience to observe and groan a collective “oough.” I was rolling around trying to find some semblance of air, which had been knocked clear out of me, as people then attempted to get me off course so that I wouldn’t be run over.

A few minutes later I was on my feet only to find my protective eyewear in pieces and my seat was broken off one rail.

This illustrates yet another advantage of Psyclewerks 2.0: You Cannot Crash!

Something is askew.

As class time approached, the pain in my ribs intensified, but as long as I didn’t breathe or move it was fine. I brought lots of spare parts, but of course all bikes were a-go. From a distance I could hear some of my athletes “discussing” their homework.

It sounded something like, “This homework is a product of a sick and twisted mind.”

Hmm… now why would they think that?

Sick and Twisted?

This Primary Endurance class was tough. We had three long climbs, lots of repetitive drill work, some longer Z3 threshold and Z4 VO2max efforts, and an introduction to Z5. All of this wrapped into a 90-minute continuous, no rest breaks, training ride.

After some surges, cadence jumps, and pedal stroke drills on the flat roads, we hit the first 11m climb. After more drill work, we hit the final four minutes, and I got into their heads. “If you were watching yourself from the hill across the way, would you like what you see?” If you want to be different, you have to do something different.”

At about the 60-minute mark, we were embarking on the hardest section. We started with Z3 threshold intensity for five straight minutes with some “wave” accelerations. We brought down the intensity with a fun mountain bike drill to The Heavy’s “How Do You Like me Now.”

We embarked on the second, 11-minute climb, which was steep and challenging. We used some “release breathing” to psychologically lighten the legs in the middle steep sections, and then focused on the word “Time” and became empowered by the song of the same name from the movie Inception. This song builds with incredible intensity, and I implemented more motivational phrasing to get into their heads.

“What choices will you make?”

“Reveal what you are made of.”

“Every end is its own reward.”

In the final 30 seconds, with the most powerful, intoxicating musical arrangement, we introduced Z5: very, very steep.

Lots of groaning ensued at the top, as we dumped resistance and regrouped into Z1.

Some easy riding took us to the last 13-minute ascent. We started easy to the excellent cover of “Me and Bobby McGee” by Crystal Bowersox, and I then re-invigorated the class on the steep slopes with “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga.

We lowered the lights and unplugged from our computers for the final five minutes of this climb. It was time to celebrate, and reflect on our dedication and effort. We rode to an absolutely beautiful version of “Free Fallin” by John Mayer.

Job well done.

The classes will get shorter now as we ramp up intensity and start allowing breaks between efforts. We have built a solid foundation, but now we start bringing on the horsepower!

We are strong, we are happy, we are done!

By the way, about 20 minutes before I smashed into mother earth, apparently my daughter was “too aggressive” on a descent as well, falling down five stairs in our house.

She’s fine. There’s just a little road rash on the tip of her nose.

What are you looking at?

Check out other Psyclewerks posts here.

Although this is really our second class in the Psyclewerks 2.0 program, it is really the first “regular” class. With a new program you can always expect a few bumps in the road. After the energy and excitement from the test session a week ago, I was eagerly looking forward to administering the Psyclewerks experience.

I walked into the room 20 minutes early only to find that two bikes were down with blown pedal bearings.  This was not good. Mechanicals are part of cycling and they tend to happen at the most inopportune moments.

In true Tour de France fashion, I became our team’s “domestique” and gave up my bike. I scrambled to the fitness floor and grabbed another, which luckily, no one was riding. The team was intact.

Today’s class was focusing on basic endurance. It was 80 minutes of continuous low-intensity cycling. Seasoned runners know this as “LSD,” long, slow distance. Endurance classes are challenging to teach because you need to dial back the motivation factor and power zone transitions. We rode mostly in power zones 1 and 2 with some moderate- length (8m) climbs. I felt a little awkward as I was standing on stage in my skin-tight bike shorts, coaching with no bike, while everyone else sweated away.

I will be the first to tell you, I hate this type of training. It can get a little slow and tedious. But, it is a necessary evil. Basic endurance training is the foundation of your whole engine. Without it, your fitness structure will crumble later on with harder efforts.

This type of training also primarily uses fat stores as a primary source of fuel. This is a go-to tip for any coach trying to convince his athletes to keep the intensity down. We used some subtle cadence transitions and did some “team” riding. I split our group into 3 teams and we shared the workload across flat roads and climbs.

We (I should say “they”) finished 80 minutes later. A few athletes had trouble staying in their zones, while others were somewhat challenged with the length. This is to be expected with a group of diverse fitness levels. Someone mentioned, “You hardly broke a sweat!” Granted I did not get a workout, but I did avert near disaster.

Before next week’s class I will be competing in a Halloween Cyclocross Race. No costume this year.

Retro Psyclewerks Coach

But between the race and the 90-minute primary endurance class, I will have made up the missed ride. I plan on bringing my own bike, spare pedals, tools, extra iPods, and maybe a kitchen sink.

ABP.

Always Be Prepared.

For the next eight weeks, Doug Rusho, Personal Trainer and recently named winner of the “America’s Top Male Indoor Cycle Instructor” award, will be writing a weekly blog post about his Psyclewerks program, which is now in its second week. Want to read the ride report from his classes or learn more about this popular program so you can take it next time it’s offered? Read on!

Take it away, Doug.

Over the next two months, I will be guest posting on this exciting new program created for indoor group cycling.  Traditional indoor cycling classes often referred to as Spinning rely on how exercise feels by using a variety of perceived exertion, resistance, and cadence scales.  They also tend to lean towards high-energy music and entertainment.

Psyclewerks 2.0 utilizes the latest technology of power measurement to greatly enhance fitness gains.  Quite simply, power is exactly how hard one is working for every single second.  On the bike, power is derived from how hard you push the pedals (resistance) and how fast (cadence).  Although knowing how your body feels still plays an important role, knowing exactly what your body is doing is instrumental to the maximum execution of each workout. 

With an initial power profile test, we can also cater every ride to each individual’s fitness level.  This means that every person in a Psyclewerks class is getting a near perfect workout for his/her body.  Adding to this, we can still keep the “effort matched” music play lists, the entertainment, and the camaraderie of being a team of athletes, all training to improve.

The goals of this series of blog posts are three-fold. 

1. Each week there will be a “ride report.”  This will be an overview of the most recently completed class.  Outdoor cyclists love to relive their rides, through post-ride lattes, and emails.  It is a fun and social aspect of the sport. 
2. I will provide some basic education on power training, exercise physiology, and biomechanics.  After all “knowledge is POWER” (get it?). 

3. Finally, on occasion, there will be a fun story from the wacky world of cycling and or/ from your Psyclewerks Coach.  

Enjoy the ride!

“Test Day”  Week #1

I wasn’t quite sure to what to expect. This class is the first of a brand new program. Our first class was all about gathering personal information and “playing with power.” This would not be like the rest of the classes and I had a small fear of it being boring. I did pose a challenge to myself and to our “team” of athletes. I am looking for a 100% success rate. Everyone improves by the end of this program.

After a thorough explanation and a warm-up, it was time to test. I cued up 40 seconds of “Pirates Pete Remix” and when the bass kicked in it was go time. 20 straight minutes riding as hard as possible. Athletes were told to maintain as high of a power output as possible. The energy was peaked and a little frantic at first, but when “Break on Through” by the Doors came on everyone had settled into a groove.

Athletes began to adjust their resistance and cadence to find their optimal sweet spot for producing power. Through the halfway point, Moby’s “Go” kept everyone on track, although signs of fatigue were beginning to show as breathing rates started increasing. Athletes were coached for pace and patience, but when “Uprising” by Muse plowed into the speakers everyone seemed up for the challenge of going harder.

With 5 minutes left, someone said, “The next song better be good!” Everyone was at his/her breaking point.

I purposely drew back some energy with “Tikal” by E.S. Posthumous. It has a solid driving beat but a calming sense to it. Everyone was going to need that little extra energy to finish strong. “Tikal”  crescendos at the end to bridge into the finale, “The Sound” by Switchfoot. After a brief guttural bass guitar and drum riff, the first word of the song is a resounding “BOOM.”  This song just bleeds energy and power.  You could see and feel everyone just ground themselves into their machine for the final dig to the finish. Everyone livened up and drove it home to the 20 minute mark.

The Functional Threshold Power test was over and the averages were recorded. From the back of the room, someone said, ”That was the hardest I have ever worked for 20 minutes!”

Goal accomplished.

After 10 minutes of recovery and some instructions on power zones, I introduced some drill work to get our athletes used to reading and adjusting power effort. There was a huge “light bulb” moment when everyone discovered what happens to your power when you stand and pedal without making a certain adjustment.

The class winded down, but to my surprise the energy remained high. I have never seen so many people so excited about the next 7 classes and this program.

They were “jacked” on power training!

Despite having presented to over 100 students at the Indoor Cycle Instructor Pro conference in Boston the night before, this first Psyclewerks class was the high point of my weekend. I spent most of Monday calculating and creating  power zone cards and their weekly homework training session. Sure enough, Monday night, as I was posting the homework and power zone cards in the files, one of my athletes was asking where it was.

It is going to be a great eight weeks!

It’s Ask the Trainer time again, and answering your questions this month is Personal Trainer Justin Bradt.

Justin’s interest in fitness began when he was 12 years old. He wrestled in middle school and high school, and he studied Physical Education at MCC. He graduated from SUNY Brockport with a degree in Exercise Physiology, and he’s been at Midtown for one year.

Kristi: What do you like best about your job?

Justin: I get to change people’s lives. I love giving people confidence in themselves, and showing them that they are far more capable than they think they are.

Reader Question: I’ve recently discovered that I’m pregnant, and I don’t want to give up my regular workouts. I usually do yoga twice a week, free weights twice a week, and cardio machines once a week. Can I keep up my routine?

Justin: Certainly! The best thing you can do is monitor everything you do. Take note of your intensity level during cardiovascular exercise, and especially your heart rate during these exercises. If you are new to working out, you should keep your heart rate at 140 beats (or under) per minute, and 160 beats per minute if you are advanced in terms of cardiovascular fitness.

With free weights or resistance training, 2-3 times a week is preferred, with a repetition rate of 12-15 (sorry no one-rep maxes or power-lifting!). However there are certain exercises to avoid after the 12^th week of pregnancy, including anything in the supine (on back) or prone (on stomach) position. In relation to yoga, you should consider avoiding inversion as well.

Reader Question: I’m interested in becoming a personal trainer. Do you have any advice? How do you get started?

Justin: Education, education, education. Knowing human mechanics and movement differentiates between a good trainer and a great trainer. A great trainer is a master of human movement, and can recognize not only when his/her client is performing a movement incorrectly, but also why it’s incorrect. Additionally, a great trainer should be able to include exercises or movements to help correct any imbalances.

The next step is picking the right certification. If you Google “personal training certification,” you will get roughly 7 million results. Most of the organizations will get you the certification, but offer very little education.

My advice is to go with a reputable organization such as ACE, ACSM, or NASM, all of which offer certification with a strong knowledge background, and are highly recognized. Do a little research and pick the one you think best fits your needs.

The last step is to figure out if you want to work independently or for a business. There are pros and cons for both: If you’re independent, your potential client base is larger because it isn’t limited by membership, but you’ll also need a facility and exercise equipment, which can are costly.

Working as a trainer within a business (and specifically at Midtown) has one of the greatest advantages, and that is: We are a team. Because of this, our ability to grow and develop as individuals is greatly enhanced. We are able to bounce ideas off each other, which allows our potentials to be much great than if we worked independently. I have learned a great deal from the other trainers here at the club, and I would be nowhere near where I am now if I didn’t have them as a team.

Reader Question: My 12-year-old son is a wrestler, and his coach is encouraging him to lift weights. I’m not sure this is safe. What’s your advice?

Justin: The best thing your son can do is incorporate some resistance training, and your concerns for safety are appropriate. Correct form and progression must be established or serious injury can occur. A trainer can help establish these things and teach proper technique and correct small mistakes before they become big ones.

Reader Question: I’ve seen other members working out with trainers, and it’s something I want to do to tone up. How do I pick the right trainer? Does each trainer specialize in something different?

Justin: Each of the trainers does specialize in certain areas, but any of the trainers can handle pretty much anything that is thrown at them. To help you pick the trainer for you, I will list some questions that may help narrow your decision.

1)      Gender. Would you like to train with a male or female trainer?

2)      Age. Would you want a trainer that is close to your age?

3)      Energy level. If you are a high-energy person, then a high-energy trainer would make the best fit.

Lastly, take a look at the back wall near the entrance to the weight room. Trainer photos and profiles appear there, along with the areas in which they specialize.  You can also contact Sam Owens, our Fitness Director, at sam.owens@midtown.com. He can help set you up with the right trainer.

Note from Kristi: You can also find trainer profiles here.

Reader Question: My upper-body strength is really poor. I am an avid cyclist, and take spinning, but I need to improve my core and arm strength. What do you recommend I do?

Justin: This question is difficult to answer because what might feel like poor arm and core strength might actually be improper posture during exercise. Without seeing how you are performing, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where your weakness lies.

 A couple core exercises that might help you are the plank hold (forearm bridge) and high-to-low plank march (going from forearm bridge to push-up position and back down). The last thing you can do is during a spinning class, position yourself next to a mirror so you can see your posture. Pay attention to your shoulders, and if they are elevated, try to keep your shoulders away from your ears.

Thanks, Justin!

The trainers at the club are incredibly approachable. I ask them questions all the time, and they go out of their way to help me. 

But if you prefer an anonymous forum to have your fitness-related questions answered, this is it! Post your question as a comment to this post, or email it to me at kristi@meetme-atmidtown.com. If you email the question, I will ask it anonymously on your behalf, and post the question and answer (but not your name) on the next “Ask the Trainer” post. You do not need to be a member to ask a question.

What would you like to know?

(You can find past “Ask the Trainer” posts here.)