Strength and Stamina Gymnasium
METHODOLOGY
Mission and Values
Our primary goal is to build strength and stamina in a progressive, sustainable and engaging manner. Our approach is to develop core stability and joint mobility before advancing to functional, full body challenges. And our hope is to provide exceptional value by educating, rather than simply exercising, our clients.
We place a high priority on focus and control, valuing quality of movement over quantity of repetitions or resistance. We take great care to demonstrate and describe proper alignment and form, in order to improve posture and decrease risk of injury. We also present exercises in terms of the kinetic chains they involve, rather than individual muscles, so as to maximize their functionality and relevance to daily life.
Our guiding principle when assessing and correcting clients in motion is balance. Essentially, this means striving for equal engagement and development from anterior to posterior, upper body to lower body, core to extremities and most importantly, symmetry between the right and left sides.
Tools and Techniques
With almost 60 years of combined teaching experience, our team of instructors has accumulated a wide range of skills and techniques. Ultimately, we strive to employ the most effective combination of tools and techniques for each client.
Our proprietary progression begins with the Redcord suspension system. We think of this as weight negative exercise, since the slings and angles involved allow for the graded reduction of gravitational resistance. Clients then advance to Pilates and/or Yoga movements, which are both concerned with the coordination and control of one’s own body in space. These modalities can aptly be described as weight neutral exercise. Once clients have developed proficiency with bodyweight exercises, they are then introduced to various types of additional resistance, such as springs, kettlebells, dumbbells, hammers, etc.. Exercises involving the extending, swinging and lifting of these tools would then be considered weight positive.
Every session, whether Solo or Shared, is structured so as to activate essential core muscles first and then integrate them into functional movement patterns. The core section of our programs are always followed by a strength sequence or circuit, following the proprietary progression of applied resistance described above. Sessions usually then shift into a more intense stamina section, which challenges clients to sustain muscular and/or cardiovascular effort. Lastly, all programs conclude with what we refer to as a grip finisher, since hand strength is an essential and oft overlooked aspect of a balanced, functional training program.
