Roman Training

I’ve been giving conditioning classes to this competitive cheer team since last summer and I’ve got to see them win championship awards in remember and at Jamz Nationals this weekend. ☝🏽 First in their division and third highest scoring overall! Great work team!

I’ve enjoyed creating workouts that center around explosive lifts like push presses, cleans, and overhead lifts. They’re the types of movements needed to lift a flyer cheerleader overhead, hold her there, and catch her softly on the way down.

I also sprinkle in some motivational tips like positive self talk (“We are champs. We got this.”) and silencing doubts.

Champion team or not, working on strength and mindset are keys to victory!

What I tell myself when I must run farther and faster:

1. I remind myself my goals are big. Running a Spartan beast and placing high in my age group requires me to push myself.

2. I remind myself that the training is manageable by continuously showing up one run at a time. I’ve done many runs, sometimes tired and hungry, and felt great after accomplishing it.

3. A random turn of events can make my race even harder than expected like rain or high temperatures. Training myself now to seek out challenges will prepare my mind and body for the unexpected. Bring it on!

Give this post a like if these words are helpful. 👍

This is my client Miki. She just completed her first 5k at age 50 without being a runner before.

She needed something else to focus on other than caretaking for her elderly mother and signing up for a race was the ticket. 🎟

We had to work a long while on her running form. We were able to smooth it out and have less impactful runs by practicing a forward lean and forefoot striking. I also had her build up her aerobic base so she would have the endurance for the longest run she has attempted.

And it worked out! One race is in the books and we’re finding the next to keep her momentum going. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.

Life can be stressful, but I feel that fitness can give us control challenges that we can knock down step-by-step, giving us self development skills we can learn from.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This weekend, Roman Training bootcamp members went for a morning hike with burpees and live music at night. I’m making a community out of people who want to be fit and want to make friends in the process!
Come hang out with us!

Hey, everyone. Helpful training note here: Don’t lift weights in running shoes.

A fellow trainer told me one of his toes felt like it was pushing into the one next to it and it was becoming uncomfortable. He said this started recently. I know he’s been training more for a competition. Toes don’t cram together naturally. They are pushed together by shoes.

I looked at his shoes and asked him if they were running shoes. He said yes. I recommended he wear trainer shoes or weightlifting shoes while working because the soles of running shoes are shaped like a wedge. If he was using a leg press or doing squats while standing on a wedge in his shoes, the extra weight would cause his feet to slide into the toebox and get crammed together. They can also shift your bodyweight forward during squats making you use your quads a lot more and put more pressure into your knees. My knees have popped during squats for this reason before.

Trainer shoes are have a flatter sole and weightlifting shoes are flattest. I always test out trainers in the store before buying to see if I’d be comfortable lifting in them.

I also recommended he try working out barefoot and I recommend it to you to make sure your feet are involved in your lifts and not inactive.
Stay strong, everyone. 🦶