Happy November
We’ve noticed you putting in that extra effort & we love to see it
Keep up the good work!

In This Newsletter

Thanksgiving Hours

New Membership Pricing
(effective Jan. 1 2023)

Overview of Charges

Why we’re doing this: With prices and expenses increasing everywhere, the decision to increase our prices was not an easy one nor was it made lightly. However, after nearly six years of business and the many challenges presented with COVID, and now inflation, our expenses have exponentially increased. In addition to our goals of providing a continued, high-quality service for you all, we’re also an employer of an absolutely incredible team and we don’t want them to go anywhere! With that, we took extremely great care to ensure our needs as a business and employer are met but also that the financial impact would be as minimal as possible on our members. The fact that we no longer need to collect/pay sales tax has greatly helped with that effort, in that payments will be slightly higher than what they are now, but we no longer have that expense. 

• Sales Tax Exempt. Over the last half of this year, we’ve done a thorough review of our services and how they are being executed. With this review, we’ve determined that our original service of Open Gym has changed from when we first opened with the many operational changes for COVID (since 2020), and we’ve made the decision to not revert that service back to what it was pre 2020. With this change, all services that we offer are considered a professional service and, legally, that makes our services sales tax exempt. Going forward, the time between classes will still be available as Coached Open Hours with the current accessibility and restrictions (i.e., no external programming, no isolated work-outs without a coach, etc.)

We are incredibly thankful for this community and your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns with the information provided above, we’d love to hear from you and ask that you please reach out to us via admin@slcstrength.com. 

Training Block XXI
Specificity

Throughout deload week we implemented a decrease in intensity and volume to allow the body to adapt and recover from the previous block while also preparing for the following phase. 

As we enter Block XII, the programming will be more selective to exercises that prepare our bodies for the demands of upcoming winter activities. The focus will include the frontal/transverse plane as well as strengthening the posterior chain, hip flexors and adductors. Expect intensity and load levels to remain high, but not increase, until we begin decreasing volume. The decrease in volume will lead into the week of December 5^th, when we will test our squat, bench, and deadlifts. All of this ensures that we are continuing to increase strength and rate of force production, peaking near the start of the season.
 
As always, rest and recovery are imperative. By taking time to recover between reps or sets, you are allowing your body to execute higher quality movements. By practicing this patience now, you will see improvements and be thanking us later! It’s also important to pay attention to bodily cues while lifting. If you notice you’re not completing every rep or your form is breaking down, it is best to decrease weight. Alternatively, if you complete every rep and feel you could easily do 2-3 more, increase your weight. Our goal is not to beat you down or tire you out but rather to train with a purpose and build you up.

REFERENCES:

Fradkin, A. J., Gabbe, B. J., & Cameron, P. A. (2006). Does warming up prevent injury in sport? The evidence from randomised controlled trials?. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 9(3), 214–220. 

Gadient, W., & Deutsch, J. (2020). A systematic approach to athletic development. Journal of Human Sciences, 17(4), 1014-1021.

Why Warming Up is Essential

We have said it before, and we will continue to stress that warming up is an integral part of your training. As we progress in the current training block, it is crucial for members to arrive on time and complete a proper warm up prior to the training session.
 
Think of your muscles like a rubber band. If you put a rubber band in the freezer, remove it, and attempt to stretch it, it will be less pliable and have decreased elasticity. This cold rubber band is now stretched out and less likely to apply the force, or hold, that it was able to prior to freezing.   Now, if you were to take a similar rubber band and warm it by rubbing it between your hands, it would exhibit an increase in elasticity. It would maintain its original shape and snap with extra force.
 
Studies have suggested there is a significant decrease in the risk of injury associated with a proper warm-up. Our focus is to build your strength and endurance while also minimizing your risk of injury.  This is why, when a member is late to class, they will be expected to spend time on the bikes. You will be given a time to work at 50+ RPMs, using both arms and legs, to ensure you are ready to train.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Show up on time!
• If you show up late, completing a warm-up is non-negotiable! 

REFERENCES:
Safran, M. R., Seaber, A. V., & Garrett, W. E., Jr (1989). Warm-up and muscular injury prevention. An update. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 8(4), 239–249. 

Sport Specific Training

We get asked about this A LOT so, if this is something you’re interested in (or not) read on for some really great info! 

Generally speaking, the goal of training is to develop your body so it can handle the stressors of life and the activities or sports you participate/compete with intent to increase strength and performance. More specifically, objectives in the weight room are to (1) strengthen and balance the muscles, ligaments, and tendons so they can adequately handle the stressors of acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction against varying external forces (i.e., ground, snow, water, air, bike pedals, mountain sides, etc.) without breaking down or tearing, and (2) build stamina and endurance to ensure our body can endure repeated stressors for a duration of time. 

Sounds great, right? Absolutely. 

But how is it executed? For starters, it starts with a high-quality strength and conditioning program. Unfortunately, there is some controversy in what exercises are included in that, so we’ll give it to you straight     with science!

There’s a notion that this should be accomplished through sport-specific training where weight training session(s) will incorporate movements that look like your sport, thinking that those movements will improve your overall sport performance when participating in the actual sport. For example, baseball coaches only wanting to incorporate movements that look like baseball in the weight room or skiers and cyclists only performing strength movements that look and feel like skiing and cycling (i.e., squatting with ski boots/cycling shoes). Same with conditioning for those sports (i.e., running, skier erg/jumps, or participating in cycling classes, etc.) So, basically what this translates to is when you go to cycle, ski, or play baseball, etc. all you have done are exercises that are fundamentally the same. In only doing exercises that look like the sport, we have over developed specific muscles and underdeveloped other muscles, leading to an increase in injury, especially overuse injury, and a decrease in performance with horsepower output and an athlete’s ability to apply maximal force in their sport or activity (5,6,9).

Continue reading to find out how we program for foundational strength instead of imbalance.

Nutrition Guidance at SLC S&C

Within the field of health and performance-based professionals, there are Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCS), Registered Dietitians (RD), Licensed Physical Therapists (PT), Licensed Athletic Trainers (LAT), and Mental Health/Cognitive Performance Practitioners. Among these professionals, there is some educational overlap that allows them to communicate or coordinate, but it is important to understand what is in or outside their specific scope of practice. With this in mind, all of these licensed professionals operate as a team to utilize a colleague’s expertise for an individual’s needs rather than operating outside of their scope.

All of our SLC S&C coaches are Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS); not RDs, PTs, LATs, or Mental Health/Congnitive Perfornance Practitioners. 

Continue reading to learn more about what is and is not in scope when it comes to guidance we’ll provide when it comes to nutrition!