Fitness, Finance and Faith-InnerCity Weightlifting

Meet Dan. Father, fitness coach, Patriot’s fan, rap lover, reader, and ex-convict. He works at InnerCity Weightlifting, a non-profit organization which employs ex-convicts to help train clients at a gym.

Here’s a blurb from the InnerCity Weightlifting website:

InnerCity Weightlifting reduces youth violence by connecting proven-risk young people with new networks and opportunities, including meaningful career tracks in and beyond personal fitness. We use the gym to replace segregation and isolation with economic mobility and social inclusion, disrupting the system that leads to urban street violence.

In Boston, 1% of youth are responsible for 50% of gun violence and homicides. Within that 1% there are approximately 400 young people who have been identified as high impact players, young people most likely to shoot or get shot.

These are the young people we work with. Most of our students come from Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury. Most have been shot. All, except for a couple, have done significant jail time and come from family incomes of less than $10K per year. Our students are at the highest-risk; we screen out those who are not. By reaching a relatively small number of people, we can have incredible impact in reducing violence and homicides.

I found them out of sheer happenstance. I was reading a Whole Foods newsletter and one of the managers trains at the gym in Dorchester so there was a whole article on it. To give myself more of an incentive to get into weightlifting I gave it a try. It was AWESOME. They have such a cool atmosphere, the trainers are outstanding and are supported by certified coaches. The one I go to is in Kendall Square. Individual sessions cost $25 (You really can’t beat that for individualized attention) and you can buy packages that include a coaching tune up. They also do corporate visits.

They use very bare bones workouts (no fancy machines) which I like. I stopped going for a while to pay off my student debt and because I lived far away. Now I’m close by again and going once a week. That’s my other trainer, Angel, who I will be with while Dan stays around Dorchester.

I love making a lot of money so I can support causes like this. It’s great that I can manage my money and spend it on things that bring real value to myself and the community. I love being proactive about changing our society instead of being like a majority of people and complaining about it.

I started right when they opened their Kendall Square location and I am excited to see them expand and grow again (more centers are in the works).

Please consider donating/checking them out!

Fitness-Title Boxing

Time to get serious about my upper body/core strength. I’ve dabbled in boxing before, but have yet to attempt a Title Boxing workout. That is until yesterday.

They offer one free class, but you have to buy the $10 hand wraps.

It was an hour long. 15 minutes warm up, 8 rounds of 3 minutes of punching, 1 minute rest in between, 15 minutes abs.

They have a 45minute and 85 minute class. Of course I’m getting on that when I can.

Pros-

• Engaging, I didn’t feel like checking the clock for time endured but mostly for that “when is this round over I’m exhausted” check.
• Cute men.
• Early class times (5:30am M+F)
• Core, core and core
• Community seems ok
• I would definitely stick with it

Cons-

• Form not really emphasized or taught during class.
• Groupies-there are some people that seem all-in. I guess that’s not terrible, but sometimes I roll my eyes and say they have you hook, line and sinker
• E-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e. I think we’re talking $119 a month.
• I felt dizzy at one point 😦 I think I need to gauge my effort better
• Not sure if it’s enough to get me to a pull up.

I thought I’d walk out of there 100% sold but I wasn’t. I was ready to buy a membership, but when they didn’t really teach form and a lot of people I saw were there doing it haphazard I kinda lost faith.

I had a really good discussion with the assistant manager about this and we had real talk. I told her I was a personal trainer and spin instructor, she told me she became involved with boxing after her boyfriend died and she stopped powerlifting and gained weight (yeah, for some reason people confess this stuff to me often). She made me feel better and told me I get a complimentary 30 minute form training session with my membership.

After thinking about things more I emailed her asking about getting something to cover me now until Sept. 1st. I figure that’ll give me a month to get settled, get form, and really experience the gym before I commit. Then I go on vacation for two weeks, then I’ll come back and make a long term commitment in mid September if that’s what I decide is right.

I get $150 reimbursement from my health insurance and maybe I can ask my parents to give this to me as my Christmas gift this year.

Of course, all I naturally do is beat myself up for not making more money for this to not be an issue. Then I beat myself up for not wanting to spend money on my health. Sigh, what a catch-22. My rent is going up by $300 a month and my income is going down because I’m not working my side gigs as much (by choice). I’m really beating myself up about my finances. Need to start to get educated and organized again. My thoughts are all over the place. I could work more side gig to make up for it. But I don’t know if I want to.

I need to analyze my budget is what I need to do. I’m going to wait until August because of a cool reason which I will let you on about as soon as I hear officially. 😉

God, what do you think?

Finance and Fitness-Side hustle number 6, Spin teacher

My journey to teaching spin began when I started working at the front desk of the YMCA. My fitness game needed a boost and I was able to attend classes because they’re included in membership and all employees get memberships. I had heard great things about spin, so I tried it out.

I fell in LOVE. The instructor, Jenna, had a lot to do with it. She was really organized and motivational. I still use a lot of programs she used.

I asked the group exercise director if I was certified could we add more classes. She said she’d have to see about the budget, but get certified first. On that small hope I went and certified.

I was certified through Madd Dogg, which has been rebranded to Spinning.  The course is all day and there are four one hour rides scheduled. We only did three, thank goodness. It was intense! Especially for someone who had only been spinning for three months. I also learned a lot about technical skills like proper form and bike setup.

Jenna ended up leaving that fall and thus began my permanent class at the Y. I was terrible at first. Learning how is one thing, applying is totally different! I had some friends come and support me for my first couple classes which was really great of them, I’m sure I was terrible. Over time I grew my skills and this morning when I subbed there was a woman who attended simply because she saw my name on the schedule. If that doesn’t warm an instructor’s heart, I don’t know what will.

Getting certified in spin was a no-brainer. I almost doubled my hourly pay at the YMCA, going from $10/hr to $19. Then I was recruited to another gym, the JCC, by the wellness director. They pay $40/hr. That’s a more typical pay rate. I would sub as often as I could while I was paying off my debts. Sometimes I’d work 5 classes in a week, $200 extra that week for working out. I get a workout and get paid at the same time. It keeps me accountable to staying in shape. I highly recommend to anyone to get certified.

However, I will say that I put myself in a good position to get experience. Had I not started by working the front desk at the Y, I would not have built a relationship with the group exercise manager. She was thankfully willing to give me a chance to build my skills at the YMCA. Not all gyms would give newbies a shot. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to start somewhere fresh from getting certified if it weren’t for that.

This shows how valuable taking a low paying job can be. You never know where it can take you!

Fitness-Exploring Somerville

I didn’t feel like going out today, but I knew I had to. To incentivize myself I picked a place in Somerville that I had not seen yet but was listed as a place to see when I googled “things to do in Somerville”. It was 1.2 miles away, so I figured at the very least I could get a half hour ish run in (which is where my fitness journey started). I’d be stupid not to enjoy the beautiful weather. I knew I’d feel better. What else was I going to do anyway. I should be grateful God gave me two working legs (among many other things) to enable me to use. Get my point? For every lame excuse I could come up with I had to come up with at least one other to get me out the door. Usually it takes more than one reason. The destination is the most helpful, I’ve found.

This is because I’ve vowed not to become my parents. Come home from work, cook dinner, sit on the couch and watch T.V., and go to bed. Growing up I felt so sheltered and bored. I work really hard to not turn into that.

I was in a “I could give two Fs” attitude, which essentially means crossing a lot of crosswalks without the walking man sign. I only almost got hit once. Well that attitude works until you come across one of these:

Which in fact doesn’t care whether you give an F or not, because it does not care what you think. I was literally standing under it looking to see if I had time to beat the train as the bar came down. Wtf was I thinking? The people in the cars must’ve giggled as I dodged back to the road.

I made it to my first destination, the Somerville Round House

Thrilling, right? 1.2 miles down. Without really thinking about it, I continued onto the river. Running is one of those things that once I start I don’t want to stop (most of the time).

Made it! 2.5 miles. Check another place off my bucket list-some pedestrian bridge over the river. Then I ran the last 2.5 miles back.

I think tomorrow I’ll go visit The Micro Museum

Maybe I’ll grab a Union Square Donut while I’m there.

I highly recommend checking out the website Atlas Obscura. I heard about it from a Podcast I listened to featuring the author. It’s essentially an encyclopedia for not-your-average tourist attractions in different areas. It’s a cool way to learn about interesting places to check out!

Fitness-Osteoperosis workout 2

Set 1:

10-12 reps

1. Squat with Bosu ball and arm extension (Bring the arms out and in at the bottom of the squat)

*To increase intensity, add more weight

2. Bird Dog exercise

*Add pause at top to increase intensity

**Slow and controlled movement

3. One arm cable row

*Add hold in the down position

**She does it kneeling, but I think standing in a lunge position is better.

Set 2:

10-12 reps

1. One leg Romanian dead lift

*Use a weight for balance then eventually for strength and increasing difficulty

2. Chest press on Bosu Ball

*Started with 6lbs

**Slow and steady

***Keep shoulders high on ball to help discomfort in neck area

3. Plank on exercise ball

*20 sec hold

**Start to make circles with your elbows as you advance

Replacement exercise for dead bug in Workout 1:

Stability ball alternate leg raise

10-12 reps

She complained that dead bug gave her back problems so we switched it out.

I am the star of the video of chest press on Bosu ball!

Fitness-Workout Plan for a client with Osteoperosis

I have concluded that I will be video taping my own workouts at some point in my life. Good exercise videos are hard to find!

I created this workout for a client with Osteoporosis. After researching PTOntheNET I found that weight bearing exercises are the most effective (almost all exercises are weight bearing. Swimming, biking, and rowing are the few that aren’t effectively weight bearing).

An interesting note from their article “Osteoporosis Prevention through Fitness and Nutrition”:

A study by Tufts University physiologist Miriam Nelson, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that postmenopausal women who performed just two 40-minute strength training sessions a week for one year gained one percent in bone density, while women in the sedentary control group lost two percent. 

They also need to work on balance because falls prevention is critical to preventing injury of weak bones. She specifically requested lumbar spine exercises, so I printed this packet from Princeton University. I love the dead bug exercise because it helps with coordination. I also love the anti-rotations. Here’s the plan:

Set 1 10-12 reps of each 

1. Shoulder press on Bosu Ball  3lbs

**You should do one shoulder at a time to get more time on the ball

Progression- Higher weight or stand on one foot

2. Body weight squat to box 

**There’s a wooden bar in the fitness center for reference to keep your back straight, ask a trainer if you can’t find it! (wooden bars help clients maintain straight back)

***The box was ~22 inches high

***Slow reps, work toward tapping the box with your butt and not sitting

Progression-Hold a weight at your chest, shorten the box height, use one leg

3. Dead bug Exercise

**Slow and steady

***Hold everything tight

Progression-Build up your reps to 10-12 on each side

Set 2  

1. Bent over Row 8lbs 10-12 reps

**Chest high

Progression-Increase weight, hold at top of pull

2. Step downs 10-12 reps

**Slow and steady

***Heel not toe

Progression-Make the platform higher

3. Anti-Rotations hold 30 secs

**Stand tall

Progressions-Increase weight, squat position while holding

Bonus: Sandbag side to side (8-10 pounds, 10-12 each side)

Personal training games for children

My first ever personal training client was a sixth grader with a lot of energy. All morning before I arrived to the appointment I was searching for fun but challenging things to do with her and coming up empty! I found a few things here and there so I’ve rounded them up for you.

All fours tag- both of you get on hands and feet. Try tagging the other person’s hand

Bosu ball catch- each of you stand on a Bosu ball and you throw a medicine ball back and forth

Mirror leg hops- you both stand on one leg. One of you is the leader and hops in one direction, the other has to follow. Go in whatever direction you wish. Switch roles and switch legs

Bosu ball push- try to push the other over while you’re on the Bosu ball

Shuffle mirror- assign someone as the leader. In a power stance (partial squat), the leader shuffles in all different directions while the other follows. Switch

Rubber band stretch- you both step into a strong resistance band. You both face the same direction. One of you goes on all fours and the other stands. Try to oppose each other.

Dodge ball- monkey in the middle, two people roll a core ball between each other trying to hit the person in the middle. Outline a box with cones to contain the game.

Hope these help you!