Fearless Fitness Weekly Update 9/19: Plyo what?!

1.) Caroline Jordan Fitness Schedule and Special Events September 19-25:

Monday 9/20: 12:05pm Cycle Express San Francisco Bay Club, 5:30pm Competition Core and 6pm Chisel’d EQUINOX

Tuesday 9/21: 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX, 5pm Ball, 5:30pm BOSU, 6 pm Spin Circuit, and 7pm Yoga Flow Club One Citigroup

Wednesday 9/22: 12:05pm Cycle Express San Francisco Bay Club, 5:30pm Competition Core and 6pm Chisel’d EQUINOX

Thursday 9/23: 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX

*** Thursday SPECIAL EVENT: 6pm Run Club with lululemon athletica Grant Avenue. Meet at the store at  6pm for a fun (colorful!) run club. ALL levels of runners (or walkers) are welcome to enjoy a complimentary  3 or 6 mile group workout. I led the warm up last week and it was a BLAST. The group is warm, welcoming, and wonderful – trust me, this event is not to be missed!

Friday 9/24: 12pm Abs and 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX

Saturday 9/25: 10 am Chisel’d and 11am Cycling EQUINOX

SAVE THE DATE: My 25th Birthday is September 27th! Hope to see you in a class so we can celebrate 🙂

Find more information on specific club locations by clicking on the links included above.

Interested in individual, group, or corporate Personal Training Sessions? Contact Me for details and seasonal discounts.

For  other wonderful community events, check out the lululemon athletica Grant Avenue community online SCHEDULE.

2. Fearless Fitness Tip Of the Week: Plyo WHAT?

At least ONE person is really confused when I talk about “plyo’s”. Don’t blame them – plyometrics sound really intimidating,  something reserved for athletes at a high level. But plyometrics can be enjoyed by any fitness fanatic – as long as they learn how to properly train with it. Thanks to the American College of Sports Medicine, here’s some hot hopping info.

Plyometric exercises are specialized, high intensity training techniques used to develop athletic power, strength, and speed. Plyometric training involves high-intensity, explosive muscular contractions that invoke the stretch reflex (stretching the muscle before it contracts so that it contracts with greater force). The most common plyometric exercises include hops, jumps and bounding movements. I use  these exercises often in my classes and with clients to increase speed,  strength,  and build power. They teach the body agility and help to perform sports activities, jumps, etc. with full force. Plyometrics are NOT only for athletes and are making a comeback for the regular gym goer. If you have reached a plateau in your weight loss program or you want to shake up your exercise routine, it may be time to spice it up with some hopping!

The American College of Sports Medicine states that “that plyometric training is a safe, beneficial, and  fun activity provided that the program is properly designed and supervised.”  Yet Plyometrics (and any impact exercise) can increase the risk of injury if you don’t follow certain safety precautions.

Plyometrics Safety Tips

  • Warm up thoroughly before starting plyometrics
  • Start slowly with small jumps and gradually build up
  • Land softly to absorb shock
  • Allow plenty of rest between plyometric workouts
  • Stop immediately if you feel any pain in your joints
  • Pay attention to your body and BACK off if you notice pain or signs of injury.
  • Use good footwear.
  • Perform plyometrics on soft or cushioned surfaces only (group fitness floors are perfect 🙂

The most important aspect of a safe and effective plyometric program is developing a safe landing technique. This means the jumper lands softly on the toes and rolls to the heels (the toe ball heel technique that you  hear me preaching). By using the whole foot (and a larger surface area) for landing it helps dissipate the impact forces on the joints. Its also important to avoid any twisting or sideways motion at the knee.

Fearless Fitness Challenge of the week: Sample a SQUAT HOP!

This week’s challenge is to spice up your fitness with some plyometrics! If no current injury alis you, I’d like you to try a SQUAT hop or two. Here’s a set of squat jumps for you:

  • Start standing straight up.
  • Drop slowly to a low squat position, thighs at a right angle to the upper body and parallel to the floor. Squat and stand back up 5 times.
  • Drop quickly into the low squat position and stand up quickly. Repeat 5 times.
  • Drop into the squat position quickly and jump explosively upward into the air 5 times.

Feeling BRAVE? Try  my 10 min take anywhere Cardio Circuit and tell me what you think of it. I found it really hard…. can you tell I’m out of breath?! If you’d like to try plyometrics in a group setting, check out my group fitness SCHEDULE and come in for a class!

Thanks again for being an amazing fearless fitness family. As Always, if you have any questions or feedback feel free to email me. Share the love and pass this newsletter along to your friends and family – INSPIRE them to be “fearlessly fit” with you!

Cant wait to see you in class this week. Lets HOP to it!

Caroline

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