August News

Congrats to everyone who ran the Chicago Half Marathon in July! Stephanie Dewald ran a terrific race representing Team PAWS Chicago.  Well done Dewald! We would also like to wish our MAT client, Croatian ATP player Ante Pavic, good luck with his upcoming hard court season.  If you're a tennis fan, watch for him to climb the rankings! Go Ante! The West Loop Fitcamp has one more month of classes in Mary Bartleme Park (corner of Peoria and Adams). Lars Petersen incorporates cardio, strength and agility into each class guaranteed to make you sweat! Fitness classes are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6am running through September. In addition, this year for yoga we have partnered up with Vessel Yoga. Margo Kellison and her instructors will be holding yoga classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7am, Fridays at 5:30pm and Sundays at 11am. Bring your own mat and water. Classes are 5 for $45. Sign up on www.trainingbysteph.com. If you'd like to try a complimentary class, contact me directly to reserve a spot. Yours in Health, Stephanie Turner 4 Must Do Leg Moves  It's the same old excuse, "I can do upper body, but I don't have time for legs." I frequently hear this from my runners and triathletes. But it's not really the truth, most runners simply don't want to be sore from a leg workout. I get it, I felt the same way when I trained for marathons. But making time to a few exercises can increase your speed and performance level. Don't you want to feel lighter on your feet with stronger legs? It's simple and easing into a routine can make all of the difference. Here are 4 of my favorite exercises to you you started:     1. TRX Single Leg Squats: Start standing with one leg off the ground and slowly lower yourself down to almost a 90 degree bend in your standing leg. Make sure you sit back and press through your heel as you return to a standing position. Do 3 sets 10-15 reps on each side.         2. Standing Cable Hamstring Curls:  One foot is on the ground or standing on a block. Attach the other leg to the ankle strap on the cables, bend the knee to about 90 degrees with the foot relaxed, then return to the extended leg position. Repeat 3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side.     3. Cable Hip Abduction:  Forget the outer thigh machines at the gym! Your hips and knees are bent in those machines, which takes away from the muscles that you should really be working. The cables are the best for hip abduction and isolating the gluteus medius. Make sure you keep your hips square to the wall in front of you, with your leg straight slightly abduct your leg without hiking up the hips. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps each side.        4. Lateral Lunge Touch: This is the perfect warm up exercise. You're working a little bit of flexibility through your adductors as well as getting your glutes fired with the lateral push off. Keeping the middle leg straight, alternate your right and left lunging with or without weights. Make sure you press through the heel to get more gluteal firing. Do 3 sets of 20-30 reps.     The New Improved Foam Roller    Picture courtesy Foammotionfitness.com How many times have you heard to roll out your IT band? And how many times have you not done it because it's too painful? Muscle Kneader to the rescue! Seriously. Made by a local company here in Chicago, the Muscle Kneader is the answer to your pain threshold issues. I've tried it myself and it is much less painful than using the original foam roller. With options for 3 different sizes, the extra cushioned roller makes a good travel companion and comes with a DVD full of exercises for every body part. If that's not enough, the company Foam Motion Fitness has announced that the Muscle Kneader will be in the official 2012 Emmy gift bags. Get it while it's hot! Cost $40.