Gravity Fx Fitness

Yesterday my morning group finished off their leg and hip workout by dragging a tire through the alley.  Why might I torture my clients this way?

Because its a great way to challenge their muscles AND it can be fun to do some new exercises.  By “fun” I mean really difficult, so they get good results from their workouts and its fun to train outdoors sometimes.

I’ve pushed a weighted sled before but the tire is a little easier to use for my studio’s particular setting.  I’ve got a normal sized tire and then I add sandbags for extra resistance.  This way, people of different sizes can all do these exercises.

In this video you will see a woman who competes in fitness pageants pulling a large tire.  Notice the nice leg development that she has.  Instead of a harness I have a rope with 10 foot handles attached to the tire.  She is getting really low to the ground, which really gives you a nice leg workout.

I had Deandra, Jenni, and Pete a little higher up and pushing through the heel to hit their glutes, which they all told me they were feeling!  A week ago, I pulled the tire for 20 minutes, working for 30 seconds, resting a minute and repeating.

I definitely felt it in my backside the next day, which was the idea.  The rest of my legs were feeling it, too.  I then finished with 10 minutes of tire rows for a short but highly efficient 30 minute workout.

Also wanted to congratulate Pete and Kim on getting married Saturday.  Pete will be headed to Afghanistan in the near future and I’ve enjoyed having such a hard worker in the studio.  Pete’s had some good results with this type of training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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from Coach Mike Boyle:

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The “band man” physical therapist Dave Schmitz just celebrated his 47th birthday and I thought I’d post one of his videos on flex band stretching.  Did I mention that he can do the front splits?  He’s also very agile and explosive – qualities most people in their forties have lost.

Before doing band training he had some injuries like many of us who do (did) traditional type exercises.  I think you will agree that Dave has pretty decent flexibility.

If you have a lot of stiffness in your hips or legs I would suggest some self massage with the Stick, foam roll and/or tennis ball.  A professional massage that includes some skilled deep tissue work might be even better.

Here’s some lower leg and ankle work that is great for runners.

I can definitely recommend the use of these bands for improved fitness, flexibility and agility.  To purchase bands go to Resistance Band Training or email me for more info.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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The glute bridge is a great way to add some protection for your low back and work your hips at the same time.  All you need for resistance is your own bodyweight – which can make this exercise more challenging, depending on your size.

The glutes are important both to sports performance, as well as providing stability to your pelvis and thus, your low back.  This simple progression can be used by most anyone.  Some people may make it to level three in a few weeks and others may take a few months or more, depending on your current strength.

My suggestion would be to add in single leg exercises like split squats, lunges, and step-ups if you are looking for increased fitness or sports performance, adding resistance as you get stronger.

If you are older and/or have had some back issues, take your time going through the progressions.  I have recently seen the basic two leg bridge done with a padded barbell across your hips for extra resistance.

If you have had back problems before I would suggest working through the three levels first, before considering adding weight to this exercise. Otherwise, holding a dumbbell or weight plate across your torso might work, too.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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