July in Review
July is a quieter time for sporting events, competitions, and races. But it is also a time that we see dozens of high school and middle school athletes training in preparation for Fall seasons; and runners battling the heat to start training for Fall races. They are long but rewarding days, filled with a lot of coaching hours.
July 2nd – Anna Weinberger Video
In the fourth installment of this educational series, we highlight Anna’s training. Anna is a young adult with Cerebral Palsy who has made incredible progress over the last 12+ months. She was a part of our Cerebral Palsy research project this Fall and had incredibly impressive body composition changes; increasing lean muscle mass and decreasing total body fat.
July 3rd – Finish at the 50
On July 3rd, Jacob and I raced in the Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 10k. It was a late start (7:30p.m.) and a hot and humid night. At the time we were a few weeks into the current marathon training cycle and hadn’t done much speed work besides the BAA 10k. Between the weather, the start time coming at the tail end of a 14 hour day, and the current state of my training, my legs felt like led but the memories from the race and the pictures that captured it were definitely worth it.
July 5th – Three Years in Business anniversary
July 5th marked three years since the gym opened. We’ve experienced steady growth and in my (unbiased) opinion, have the best members in the world. Year 4 is going to be the best one yet.
July 10th - Strategies to Train Around Knee Pain Blog
While many of the blog posts revolve around adaptive fitness, I try to address questions that I get from our adult clients every few weeks. It is inevitable that aches and pains will pop up during training but remaining consistent is important for staying on track and getting the results that you desire. I will be working on a three part series covering how to train around knee, shoulder, and lower back pain. This is the first installment.
July 16th – Started Two Brain Business Mentorship Course
While the gym is successful and growing steadily, in order to continue to improve, I need better systems in place. I have spent the last few years meticulously working “in” the business and dedicating less time to working “on” the business. Coaching is what I love to do and I have no intention of changing that; but as I hire employees and delegate responsibilites I need to learn a new skill set as a boss. Chris Cooper is the founder of Two-Brain Business and an author of several books that I’ve read on improving the functioning on smaller-scale gyms. Over the next few months I’ll complete their incubator program, hopefully armed with knowledge and strategies to improve the gym’s operations and the client experience.
July 29th – Analyzing CP study data with Dr. Jason Talanian
On July 29th, Dr. Jason Talanian and I met to analyze the data from the Fall and Spring sessions of the CP and body composition research study. Over the next month we’ll put together a proposal for our paper to see if it can be presented at the New England ACSM conference. I really enjoyed being a part of this project with Fitchburg State and InBody and look forward to being involved in more research in the coming years.
July 31st - Andrew Lynch wins the White Fang 5k
Our running club coach, Andrew won the White Fang 5k Wednesday night in Marlborough; setting a course record in the process. Andrew has an Exercise physiology degree and internships at large running organizations such as Saucony to go along with his individual running accomplishments. Him and I will be working on putting together a comprehensive running program for the Fall that includes weekly runs, mobility classes and strength training.