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Adult Training Camp Review

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GYM MOMENTUM- NOT JUST FOR KIDS ANYMORE!!!

Adult Gymnastics Training Camp Portsmouth–Review
by Gina Paulhus

July 17-19 the first ever all-adult gymnastics training camp took place in Portsmouth, NH. The camp was born out of the idea that it would nice for adult gymnasts to have a judgement free zone to learn drills and technique while also having the opportunity to socialize outside of the gym. Plus, it’s a great excuse to take a trip to the Seacoast in the summer!

Our slogan was ‘Proud to Hang Around Bars All Night.’ Which didn’t exactly happen–because most of the athletes turned in early to keep up with the rigorous schedule of the training camp. There was 14 hours of gymnastics planned over two and a half days. The athletes ranged in age from 23 to 61.

The camp attracted gymnasts from Across the USA in addition to a couple of athletes from Canada and the UK.

The camp was able to accommodate the needs of the beginner gymnast all the way up through USAG/AAU/NAIGC competitive level 9.  To keep a positive atmosphere we listened to a variety of 90s music (a huge request!). NEXT YEAR- WE MAY GET A DJ!

Friday night after warm-ups we split into groups (the athletes were divided by level into 3 separate groups). These groups were called ‘Stone Age,’ ‘Paleolithic Age’ and ‘Ice Age.’ Everyone was full of excitement and eager to get on the equipment. Friday night we focused on physical preparation for warm-up purposes, floor basics, bar basics, and beam. We met for a quick dinner at Chipotle’s and a few ambitious campers hit up downtown Portsmouth.

Saturday included two training sessions. In addition to the four women’s artistic events, we offered a dance warmup, a men’s event warmup, and individual and group sessions with Dave Burchuk from Lighthouse Physical Therapy. There was an option for choreography critique as well. Sandwiched between the two trainings we had Mental Training and Nutrition for Gymnastics clinics by the pool. Everyone enjoyed a dinner out together Saturday night, and some even snuck in a trip for ice cream.

Sunday started bright and early–8am. We had a morning training and then an afternoon training. Morning training included a conditioning option, which many of the adults were interested in. This impressed me since people were getting pretty sore by now! The presence of a TV camera filming for the NH Chronicle perked everyone up for the afternoon training. We also had an optional show in the afternoon where the groups presented what they had worked on at camp. We presented 12 awards, including an award for:
Good Samaritan–For always looking out for the safety of other campers–Abbie Green of Cambridge MA

Most Last Minute–for emailing me at 1am on Friday night asking if she could come to camp on Saturday morning–Jill Lacedonia of CT

Best Dancer–for her spontaneous outburst of dancing to ‘Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy’–Traci from PA
Gym Nerd—for his disturbing recount of fluff pieces shown in 1996—Stefane Tiki Victor from DC

After awards we hit up Wallis Sands Beach in Rye, and ended camp with a lovely seafood dinner up in Kittery.

Congratulations to all the friendly, hardworking athletes who came to our first camp. The athletes did a tremendous job pacing themselves and also listening and incorporating the corrections given by the staff. We used a white board to list the skills that were learned or improved at camp and it was an amazing accomplishment for this seasoned group of adult gymnasts. Camp was abuzz with discussions about ‘next year…’ which means that this camp will have to be an annual event!

The Adult Gymnastics Staff for 2015 were:
Lara Weed, Allison Brisson, Ryleigh Osborn, Alexis Nault, Eileen Palazzolo, Cori Cunningham, Andrea Pye, Gina Paulhus and Dave Burchuk (physical therapy).
Our Host:
Atlantic Gymnastics, Portsmouth NH
Our Mentor and Inspiration for camp:
Tony Retrosi
I am in the process of choosing video and photos to share. Look for a future post with more photos and video! And if you are interested in coming to next year’s camp, please contact me:

gina @ homeexercisecoach.com.

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Help Making it through the day!

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Another Great article from Gina Paulhus

As a trainer, I share some of the same struggles a coach has of spending long hours on my feet doing sometimes physical work. This type of work can really take a toll on your body. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you through those long days.

 

Problem: Aching feet

The first step is to be sure you have the proper footwear. Supportive shoes are a must, fashion be dammed. A good sneaker will work for some. Be sure to get fitted properly at a ‘real’ running store and not some chain place at the mall. If you have bigger issues you may need to be fitted for orthotics. It’s money well spent when you are on your feet ALL day.

Try a simple wall stretch where you face the wall, place the ball of your foot up against the wall, and lean your hips forward toward the wall. This stretches the calf as well as the arches of your feet. Perform the stretch with both a bent front leg and a straight front leg and hold for 30 seconds.

Elevating your legs after a long day of work will help some of the fluid that tends to build up to dissipate so that you are ready for work the next day.

 

Problem: Aching back

Make sure you use proper lifting form when lifting and moving mats. Use your legs as much as possible as they are your strongest body part. Stand with good posture and make sure you keep up with some core training even if it’s just a few minutes each day. This will really pay off to keep your back healthy.

If you can grab a few seconds to do a few simple back stretches while you work, it will help ward off some of the back pain that can build when standing for long periods of time. Twist from side to side and bent over a little then lean back a little. This is a quick version of ‘active flexibility.’ If you have a few more seconds, stand with your feet together, bend your knees a little, grab your own elbows and lean forward. Let your head just relax. This will help stretch out your back and hamstrings.

Throw a heating pad on your back in the evenings to help relax the muscles. If you can get a massage, all the better.

 

Problem: Headaches

Headaches are usually caused by dehydration, muscular tension, or fluorescent lights. All of these are part of life working in a gymnastics club.

Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Set a goal for yourself for how many ounces of pure water to take in each day (start with 64 oz.) and challenge yourself to finish it.

To deal with muscular tension, the first step is to be aware of your breathing. It’s common to hold one’s breath when we are concentrating or working hard, but this will zap your energy and increase your muscular tension very quickly. Try taking a yoga class if you need help with learning ‘how’ to breathe. It’s the easiest, but also hardest thing in the world sometimes when we are stressed.

To stretch your neck muscles, reach over your head with one hand and place the other hand on your waist. Very gently, pull your head to the side with your mouth slightly open. Hold for 10 seconds then do the other side. After that, gently grab behind your head with both hands and pull your chin toward your chest. Finally, clasp your hands behind your back and look up at the ceiling.

There isn’t much we can do about the fluorescent lights unfortunately! Your gymnasts probably don’t want to train in the dark. But if there is a way to minimize excessive lighting you should. It’s better for everyone’s health.

Fitness and Food Lies We Tell Ourselves

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Fitness and Food Lies We Tell Ourselves

It’s March, and that means spring is just around the corner. It’s a popular time to start thinking about spring cleaning our bodies just like we spring clean our homes and our gyms. It is so tempting to lie to ourselves when we are struggling to make healthier choices. This is a humorous look at how crazy our self rationalizations can get. You know you’ve thought at least half of these at one time or another!

 

 

1. If I eat it while standing up, it doesn’t count. If no one sees me eat it, it also doesn’t count.

2. If I go to the gym, I deserve a burger and fries because I ‘burned it off.’

3. If it’s a holiday it doesn’t count. If my mom made it, it doesn’t count.

4. Since vodka looks like water it must not have calories.

5. If my kids leave food on their plate I ‘have‘ to finish it so as not to ‘waste‘ it.

6. It’s important to finish the box of cookies if there are only one or two left.

7. If I lean on the handles of the machine at the gym, I can set it to the highest possible speed and the calories burned on the display must be right.

8. Most people need to stretch after every workout, but I’m not like most people.

9. If I go to the gym, even if my mouth gets more exercise than any other part of my body, I ‘worked out.’

10. And the all time favorite, a diet coke consumed along with any fattening food cancel each other out.

Gina Paulhus
President/CEO, Home Bodies
508-633-7749
www.homeexercisecoach.com

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Nutritional Tips for Coaches

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Nutritional Tips for Coaches

Gina Paulhus, CPT and Owner, HOMEBODIES FITNESS TRAINING

As a coach, chances are you work during the hours the average person sits down for a meal–in many cases, it’s ‘dinner’ that you miss. Working through a major meal can throw off your eating habits and wreak havoc on your attempts at keeping a healthy lifestyle.
Eating the right foods consistently throughout the day is the best weapon we have to keep our energy levels and our health in order. Once nutrition starts to slide, it’s just a matter of time before it catches up with us. The following 10 tips will give you some ideas on how you might improve your eating habits which will carry over into you performing better and having more energy at work and in your personal life. You will also set a good example for your athletes.
#1   Eat breakfast. This one is an oldie but goody. We’ve all heard it, but tons of people STILL don’t eat something within an hour or waking up, and it’s a huge mistake. If you don’t have a huge appetite in the morning, have something small that contains protein such as a yogurt, a protein shake or a hard boiled egg. You can always have a snack later on, but you don’t want to wait until lunch to eat. Just don’t do it.
#2   Have healthy snacks on hand at home, in your car and in the office at work at all times. The biggest reason people choose the wrong foods is because they find themselves hungry and there is nothing else convenient to eat. 100-calorie packs of nuts, fruit such as bananas, apples and clementines, or whole food bars made with nuts and dried fruit are good choices. If you have a refrigerator, yogurt, string cheese, and veggies with hummus are good snacks.
#3   Have a plan for lunch. If you’re working during lunch, the best is to bring lunch from home. You can also bring a healthy microwave meal. If you are going to get take-out, have a few go-to meals you can order out that you know are healthy, and stick to that list. Don’t wait until you are ravenous to eat lunch—you will make poor choices. Make extra dinner the night before, and save a portion for lunch the next day. If you go to work after lunch, try to make lunch the biggest meal of the day to hold you over.
#4   Drink tons of water ALL day. This is another oldie but goody. Water is even more important than food for our health and energy levels. There is no getting around the need for, in general, 64 ounces of pure water each day. Count how many times you fill up your water bottle and make sure you’re getting enough. This will also help control your appetite.
#5   Managing the late dinner. Most coaches regularly deal with having to eat a late dinner. While not ideal from a digestion standpoint, eating late is not the end of the world as long as your total calorie intake for the day is not excessive. However, the main problem with a late dinner is that people get so hungry waiting for a late dinner that the end up overeating. Try to have a snack that contains fiber such as a piece of fruit or a whole food bar around 6pm when the average person would be eating dinner, and fill up at least 50% of your dinner plate with vegetables. Eat those first and you will not eat as much of the higher calorie items. You will also ensure you get adequate nutrients since vegetables are the most nutritious part of the diet.
#6   Use a day off or a lighter work day as a chance to get ahead with you food planning for the week. Make sure you get that grocery shopping in, and try to cook some meals ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. You will be so glad you did on one of those 12+ hour days when you barely have time to brush your teeth.
#7   Don’t let your caffeine habit get out of hand. We all rely on coffee from time to time to get us through. However, using caffeine habitually creates a vicious cycle of energy problems because it can interfere with our sleep, which makes us more tired in the end. Caffeine also tends to cause an energy surge followed by a crash, which can lead you toward more caffeine or snacks you really don’t need. It’s best to keep coffee to the morning. In the afternoon and evening, if you need a boost, tea contains a gentler source of caffeine that won’t tend to keep you up at night, and it also contains healthful antioxidants.
#8   Sugar is the enemy. If you do one thing, look out for added sugars in your diet. Sugar is the worst thing you can put into your body, and just keeping tabs on that will make a ton of difference. Many packaged foods contain a surprising amount of added sugar—read labels!
#9   Go organic whenever possible. Your food is only as good as your body can process and use it, and organic food is much more nutritious. You will eat less and get more out of organic food—it’s worth the extra money when you can get it.
#10  Don’t beat yourself up if you make a poor choice. We all do from time to time—the important thing is to get right back on the bandwagon at your next meal or snack.

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Top 8 Strength Training Moves for Coaches

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Top 8 Strength Training Moves for Coaches

Gina Paulhus
President/CEO, Home Bodies
www.homeexercisecoach.com
Coaches have HUGE muscle imbalance because 90% of the time spent in the gym is spent PUSHING so there is a lot of triceps work compared to relatively small biceps work. Over time, this can lead to injuries and pain, both chronic and acute. In the weight training gym with your own workout, you want to accomplish three things:

  1. Strengthen your large muscle groups so you can keep your metabolism up, and also so that you have the overall strength to coach and spot.
  2. Improve your core strength so that all of your muscles work together and your back stays protected
  3. Work to balance out muscle imbalances that come from spotting.

The following routine will accomplish all three points. The routine actually doesn’t require a gym at all, but rather can be performed at home with simply a spot on the floor, a chair and a set of dumbbells. Of course, if you have kids, pets or a spouse who won’t leave you alone, you might be better off heading to the gym to get it done anyway.
It’s best to perform them in the order listed because the initial exercises serve as a good warmup for the following exercises. It’s best to elevate your heart rate and body temperature with 5-10 minutes of brisk walking or jogging before beginning this routine. Stretching if performed should happen at the end of the workout.

1: SQUATS
How to Start: Stand with feet turned out and slightly wider than shoulder width. Hold a dumbbell to your chest. The weight might be anything from 5 lb. to 50 lb. or more depending on your strength. You want to choose the heaviest weight you can handle keeping good form.
Action: Keeping your chest up, bend your legs until your hips get to approximately knee level. Think of sitting back in a chair. Knees should not drift beyond toes. To accomplish this–really stick your butt back. Sometimes I actually put a chair behind the squatter so there is a visual to aim for.
Do this many: 12-15 reps for 2 sets. Rest 30 seconds between sets.

2: BENT-OVER ROW
How to start: Place your hand on a chair and move your feet back until your back is approximately parallel to the ground or slightly angled upward. Keep a slight arch in your back. In your other hand, hold a weight. You might start with anything from a 10 lb. to a 30 lb. or more depending on your strength.
Action: Keeping your core tight so that your torso stays still, pull the weight to your side until it touches your body. Your hand should end up around your lower ribcage. Make sure your elbow stays close in to your body. Think of pinching your shoulder blades together and make sure your wrist stays straight.
Do this many: 15 reps on each side for 3 sets.  Do not rest between arms, but rest between sets about 30 seconds. Always start with your weaker side.

3.  OVERHEAD SHOULDER PRESS
How to start: Standing up with one hand on your waist, hold a dumbbell just above your other shoulder to the side of your head. Engage your core so that you are standing up straight to start. A 5 lb. to 25 lb. weight might be appropriate to start.
Action: Think of stretching to the ceiling as you push the weight overhead. You will feel your core engaging to keep your balance. This is good! Make sure the weight stays directly to the side of your head and not in front. If you experience shoulder pain you don’t have to bend the elbow down as low.
Do this many: 10-15 reps on each side for 1 set.  Always start with your weaker side. (Insert pictures)

4. SINGLE LEG CALF RAISE
How to start: Standing on one leg with the other foot wrapped around the first leg, allow your heel to hang off the side of an object such as a stair.
Action: Allow your heel to sink as long as it will go keeping your standing leg straight. Pause for 1 full second, then press your body up, concentrating on pressing through your big toe the most. Pause for 1 full second at the top. That is one rep.
Do this many: 20 repetitions for one set on each side.

5. HAMMER CURLS
How to start: Stand straight up with both shoulders even. Hold a dumbbell like you would a ‘hammer’ with palm facing in to your body. Start with between a 10 lb. and 25 lb. weight.
Action: Engage core so that your torso stays still and your shoulders stay even. Curl the arm with the weight so that the end of the weight touches your shoulder.
Do this many: 15 reps on each side for 2 sets. You do not need to rest between any of the sets (you might WANT to rest, but you do not NEED to rest—there is a difference!!!

6. ONE-LEG STIFF LEG DEADLIFT
How to start: Balancing on one leg, hold a weight in your hand on the same side as the leg you’re balancing on. Squeeze your butt and pick a spot on the floor 4 feet in front of you. Stare at that spot. It will help you balance. Your standing leg should remain slightly bent throughout this exercise. A 10 to 25 lb. weight is a good place to start.
Action: Lift your free leg behind you to counterbalance as you bend over. Keep the dumbbell close to your shin. Stop when the dumbbell is just above the floor. Dig your heel into the floor to help yourself stand back up again. Avoid touching your free leg to the floor. ***IF this is hard for you, have some sympathy when you train your gymnasts on the beam or pommel horse!!!***
Do this many: 12 on each leg for 2 sets. Do not rest between legs, but rest 1 full minute between sets. Always start on your weaker side.

7. DIPS
How to start: Place your hands on the edge of a chair with fingers off the edge. Scoot your butt forward so you are clearing the chair. This exercise can be performed with legs straight (more advanced) or legs bent (easier).
Action: Bend your arms to lower your butt toward the floor. Bend as far as your flexibility allows. Make sure your elbows are pointing straight back.
Do this many: 15 to 20 for 1 set.


8. ACROSS BICEP CURL
How to start: Stand holding a dumbbell in one hand. Be sure your core is engaged and shoulders are even. A 10 to 15 lb. weight is a good place to start for this exercise.
Action: Curl the weight toward the OPPOSITE shoulder. Then lower your arm back down to its place.
Do this many: 15 reps on each arm for 2 sets. Don’t rest between arms or between sets. Always start with your weaker side.

This routine takes about 20 minutes to perform. It exercises all of the muscles in the entire body, with an emphasis on evening out muscle imbalances common to those who coach gymnastics. Because it is a full body weight training routine, it also blasts calories and fat, helping you control your body weight and build or maintain muscle mass. Your metabolism will be elevated for about 48 hours after completing this routine, and your odds of incurring a back or shoulder injury while spotting is dramatically reduced.
*Be sure to check with your doctor that you are physically cleared to begin an exercise program.

Shoulder PRE-HAB for Coaches

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Shoulder Pre-hab for Coaches

Gina Paulhus, President/CEO, Home Bodies

The shoulder is an unstable joint that is easily injured. No one wants to get hit in the face, and you want kids to have room to pirouette and twist so as coaches we tend to hold (or catch) a great deal of  weight away from our body.  Obviously a mechanical disadvantage but it is still better than getting punched in the face!
This six-exercise routine will help keep your shoulders healthy. Perform it three times a week and you’ll see your ability to withstand the forces during spotting and come out at the end of the day pain-free. If you already have shoulder problems please consult a doctor or a physical therapist before performing this routine.*

1: LYING ROTATOR CUFF


How to Start: Lie down on your side with your top elbow set at your lower ribcage. Hold a weight across your belly button.
Action: Keeping your elbow stationary, rotate your arm so that weight moves up above your body. Bring the weight as far back as possible keeping good form. You should feel the muscles behind your shoulder working. Think of pinching your shoulder blades together as you perform the exercise.
Do this many: 12-15 reps for 2 sets. A 2.5 lb. weight is a good place to start for most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2: I, T, Y on FLOOR


How to start: Lie facedown on a mat with arms down by hips, palms facing up. Arms remain completely straight for this entire exercise. Head remains touching the mat the entire exercise (is your mat clean??)
Action: For the ‘I’, raise your arms off the floor as far as possible by pinching the shoulder blades together. If you use your imagination your body looks like the capital letter ‘I.’ For the ‘T’, move your arms out to the sides like the capital letter ‘T’ and raise them as far off the floor as possible. For the ‘T’ your thumbs face up. For the ‘Y’ move your arms diagonally overhead and raise them as far as possible. Palms face down for the ‘Y.’
Do this many: 8 ‘I’, followed by 8 ‘T’, followed by 8 ‘Y’. Each rep is held for 2 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
3.  BAND SQUEEZE


How to start: Sit on a mat with your spine straight. Hold a band at your lower ribcage right up against your body. Thumbs should face in and be anywhere from 2 inches apart to 6 inches apart depending on your strength and the tension of your band. You need the be able to pull the band apart.
Action: Pinch your shoulder blades together aggressively and rotate your thumbs outward. As you pull the band apart draw your elbows back and even closer to your body.
Do this many: 25 repetitions, each one held for 1 second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. BAND ROW

How to start: Sit up on the mat with a straight spine and legs extended. Wrap a band around your feet.
Action: Draw the elbows back until they are at your sides. Think of pulling your band with your back by pinching the shoulder blades rather than just pulling with your biceps. Keep straight through the wrist.
Do this many: 25 repetitions, each one held for 1 second.

 
5. SHOULDER ROLL


How to start: Stand straight up with both shoulders even.
Action: Pick one shoulder to start with. Perform a shoulder roll, first pulling the shoulder forward, then up and around to to the back, and finally back to the starting position. Once you have completed the reps for the backward roll, reverse the motion and perform a forward roll. Then switch sides.
Do this many: 10 slow shoulder rolls back followed by 10 slow shoulder rolls forward, followed by the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. SHOULDER SHRUGS OFF A CHAIR


How to start: Position your hands off the edge of a chair that is about shoulder width or a little smaller. Knees are bent 90 degrees and your body should be able to just clear the chair.
Action: Keeping arms completely straight, allow your body to sink through the shoulder girdle. You might not have much range of motion, but this will improve over time. Once you have sunk as low as you can, press yourself up as high as you can to elongate your neck.
Do this many: 20 shrugs.

Perform this routine once though. It can be completed in ten minutes and your shoulders will be much more likely to stay healthy and strong no matter how many cast handstands you have to spot!
*Be sure to check with your doctor if you have back pain or pain in your abdominal muscles to ensure that it is safe for you to perform these exercises.

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