Conway Sax, a has-been race driver cum auto-mechanic, curses as he wrestles a rotted 30-pound muffler from a Nissan Maxima. Just then a woman, a beautiful woman with whom he has a tumultuous past, saunters into his auto-repair shop causing him to drop the muffler on his foot. He curses some more, she takes his face in her hands, his girlfriend walks in–things unravel from there. So begins a meeting that sets in motion a snarly web of campaign secrets, illegitimate babies, blackmail and murder that make up Steve Ulfelder’s second of three novels, “The Whole Lie,” a tale the Richmond Times-Dispatch calls “a work of hardcore crime-fiction art.”
You may have noticed a preponderance of “30 Day Challenge” postings in your social media of late. It’s one of those trends that’s been slowly gathering steam over the past few years and suddenly seems to have exploded into the interweb zeitgeist. Some trends can be fleeting and silly, but the good ones stick when people find value in them.
“Thirty days is enough to get started in the right way, to begin to understand what makes change easier and most importantly, how to stay on the right track,” says Ariane de Bonvoisin, author of “The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Making Any Change Easier.”
For people thinking about fitness, the 30 Day Challenge concept has merit for beginners and experts alike. The idea is to pick an exercise or a small series of exercises and repeat them daily, gradually increasing reps throughout the 30 days with periodic rest days, building toward a goal on day 30 that is significantly greater than the starting point. It’s perfect for beginners because the starting number of reps and duration is very manageable and not terribly time consuming; most people can bang out fifty squats on a commercial break. Such a challenge is also worthwhile for those with more advanced fitness goals as a way to boost the benefits of an existing routine. The idea that you can make a gradual but significant change or achieve something in as short as 30 days is appealing in our world of instant gratification and often inspires greater challenges to follow.
Mike Eaton
Fitness Together trainer Mike Eaton has spent the last year rehabilitating a severe arm and shoulder injury and knows the value of baby steps; it takes patience and perseverance to claw your way through the tiny achievements of those painful post-surgery PT sessions. It takes still more discipline to fully reclaim your pre-injury fitness, flexibility and strength. As a Fitness Together trainer, Mike sees the value of accountability not just for himself but with his clients every day because they identify the accountability component of their appointments as the key to their fitness success. For Mike, building accountability into his own routine by adding a 30 Day Challenge gave him a “no excuses mentality” and kept him on task.
Toward that end, he designed a grueling 30 Day Challenge for himself. “I had to do at least 100 chest-to-floor burpees, 200 squats, and 200 double-unders (where) the jump-rope passes under you twice instead of once.” (See video box above). For added discipline, Mike decided that the workout had to be completed in one structured session, not in piecemeal throughout the day. He logged each workout with a running total of each day.
“There were plenty of nights after work that I just wanted to get home but I needed to push myself and get the challenge done for the day. After a week I kind of looked forward to getting it done and logging my numbers.”
Mike completed the challenge in early May and says it was definitely worth it. “During and after the challenge I definitely saw improvements in CrossFit as well as my long distance running. I highly recommend trying a challenge and structure it to what you need improvements on.”
Alicia Tansey & Karen O’Connor Ripley
Fitness Together Norwell trainer Alicia Tasney began the 30 Day Squat Challenge in April as a way to motivate a few friends who have been historically reluctant to begin exercising. She baited these friends into doing the challenge by promising them that she would to do twice the amount outlined on the challenge web site.
“The squat is a great exercise to focus on for it’s functional benefits,” says Tasney. “It translates to things we do regularly in our every day lives, like getting in and out of the car, walking up stairs, bending over to tie shoes or pick up an object.” When done properly, the benefits of the squat include building muscle; improving flexibility and balance; and gaining strength in the glutes, legs, knees, feet and lower back.
Form is important when doing any exercise, but especially where high reps are involved. Even more important if you’re adding weights. Tasney says that for such a simple exercise, there are many ways to go wrong, and that can lead to injuries of the knees and lower back. (See below for tips on proper form.)
As of tomorrow, Alicia will be on day 21 of the challenge, which means 180 squats for her friends and 360 for her. By the time all is said and done, she’ll have completed 6,590 squats! She says she’s already feeling the benefits from the challenge. When running, her legs feel stronger and take much longer to fatigue. Another benefit? Friends have offered compliments, which we’ll refrain from repeating, but suffice it to say we could rename this challenge the “30 Day ‘Damn, Gurl!’ Awesome Booty Squat Challenge.”
Fitness Together client Karen O’Connor Ripley, a client at FT for several years, is always looking for ways to push herself further. A busy mom who also runs a cleaning business as well as a facebook page, “Ecomomics,” Ripley is a busy person. But when she overheard her trainers, Mike and Alicia, talking about their challenges she decided to incorporate one into her own routine as a way to boost her fitness level without eating up a lot of time. To focus on the area she most wants to improve, Ripley chose an abdominal challenge. “It consist of sit-ups, crunches, planks and push-ups with the reps increasing everyday. This also got me to do plank and push-ups which are two exercises I don’t usually do unless I’m at FT. It’s going good, I like it, it’s gets me going.”
As inhabitants of a planet whose circadian rhythms are tied to the 30-day cycle of the moon, you might say we are hard wired to operate within the parameters of this increment of time. When thinking about making a change or an improvement that involves discipline, a month isn’t really a daunting amount of time, but you may be surprised at what you can accomplish.
If you take up a 30-Day Challenge of any kind, keep these tips in mind:
Choose a challenge that is doable, but challenges you as it progresses. You’re in this to make progress, not waste time or injure yourself.
Make sure you’re using proper form. Check with your trainer if you have questions.
Journal your progress. This will keep you on task and give you a real sense of accomplishment at the end.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up: If you miss a day, pick up where you left off if possible. If you miss more than a few days, back up or start again. Just don’t give up!
Here are the challenges happening at Fitness Together in Norwell. If you try one, let us know how it goes, or share your challenge here. We’d love to know how you’re doing!
Mike Eaton’s 30 Day Beatin’
To be completed in one session each day for 30 Days
100 chest-to-floor burpees
200 squats
200 double-unders
30 Day Squat Challenge
(Again, Tasney’s doubling this.)
To do a proper squat, keep this slightly bizarre visual in mind: you’re testing a metal chair with your butt to see if it’s hot, discover it is and stand up again. You can even place a chair about a foot behind you to lightly touch down on before standing up. Keep these other tips in mind for proper form*:
Begin in an athletic stance, feet shoulder width apart, feet slightly turned out, spine in neutral position, abs engaged.
Keeping your weight in your heels, your head up and your eyes looking ahead (not at the floor) bend your knees until your upper leg is parallel or deeper to the ground. Your butt should be moving backwards as well as downward as your knees hinge, preventing your knees from going forward beyond your toes.
Throughout the squat, your head is still up, eyes forward, shoulders back and chest out. Don’t collapse your spine and hunch downward.
To return to the standing position, engage your legs, glutes and abs and squeeze as you “explode” back to your starting position.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
*Have your trainer check your form or help you modify if you have any physical constraints, or if you wish to add weights to increase difficulty.
Day 1 – 50 squats
Day 2 – 55 squats
Day 3- 60 squats
Day 4 – Rest
Day 5 – 70 squats
Day 6 – 75 squats
Day 7 – 80 squats
Day 8 – Rest
Day 9- 100 squats
Day 10 – 105 squats
Day 11 – 110 squats
Day 12 – Rest
Day 13 – 130 squats
Day 14 – 135 squats
Day 15 – 140 squats
Day 16 – Rest
Day 17 – 150 squats
Day 18 – 155 squats
Day 19 – 160 squats
Day 20 – Rest
Day 21 – 180 squats
Day 22 – 185 squats
Day 23 – 190 squats
Day 24 – Rest
Day 25 – 220 squats
Day 26 – 225 squats
Day 27 – 230 squats
Day 28 – Rest
Day 29 – 240 squats
Day 30 – 250 squats
The Mean Ab Challenge
(It says “June” but Karen O’Connor Ripley couldn’t wait. “Thirty days is 30 days!” she says.)
For more about Ariane de Bonvoisin’s inspirational books:. First30days.com
The snow has melted, the air’s a bit warmer, and the windows are starting to open. This is the time of year when most people renew their homes with a deep cleaning, a fresh coat of paint and de-cluttering the closets. How about taking that same approach with your body, mind and spirit? After a long winter of hiding under layers of clothing and eating comfort foods it’s time to refresh our workouts and clear our minds.
One of the best ways to relieve stress and clear the mind is to workout. You may have heard of “runner’s high”. This phenomenon is the result of your endorphins being pumped up; your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. You don’t have to run though to obtain these results. Any activity that increases the heart rate for an extended period of time will have the same effect. The key to success and consistency is finding an activity you enjoy. Along with spring’s promise of warmer weather comes a whole list of possible activities; biking, hiking, canoeing, rollerblading, swimming, and the list goes on. The repetitive movement and deep breathing necessary to perform these activities is like meditation in motion. Often after a walk or game of tennis people feel a sense of relief and calmness. The daily problems and stresses in life are easier to deal with.
If results are what you want, then you also need to change up your resistance-training program. Our muscles respond very quickly to the demands we put on them and will get “bored” rather quickly if we don’t refresh the routine. If you are mindlessly going through a weight training circuit performing 3 sets of 15 repetitions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then your body is in need of an exercise overhaul! What better time to try something new than Spring time! There a so many different ways to stress our muscles, but they won’t respond unless you have a plan. Consider hiring a trainer to not only to motivate you, but to educate you on how to put together an effective exercise routine. You will be reaping the benefits of this investment for years to come. Remember the “mind to muscle” rule when working out: When you concentrate on the muscle you are working, you increase the response of the each muscle fiber. Another bridge crossed in the mind/body connection!
Lastly you need to eat clean! Which means, forget the processed foods, sugar, white flour, and chips. Eating clean means whole foods, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. The further away from its natural state a food is, the more processing it has under gone. Not only is eating clean good for your waistline, nutrient-dense natural foods do wonders for your arteries, hair, skin, and yes, your mood.
So let’s renew our spirits and start or re-start a balanced exercise and stress reducing lifestyle. As you bring balance in to your life you will be better able to cope with the daily stresses of work and family.
If you found this helpful and you would like to suggest some topics for next month or you have some general questions, please feel free to call or email me at anytime: P (978) 623 8181 Email: lisa@swansonfitness.com. Visit our website at www.ftandover.com for more information on fitness and nutrition.
So now that I am in my second trimester I should be gaining about a pound a week and my trainers Maria and Kristine have told me that my body fat percentage should be be increasing slightly.
However, I lost inches everywhere!!! (my chest, arms, legs, and shoulders). I lost 6.5 inches from my total body and only gained 2.5 inches in my belly.. which is obviously needed being that I am pregnant.
My body fat went up .5% and I only gained 5 lbs! …but aside from my results (which even shocked me!!), when my trainer Kristine asked me what my fitness goals, nutrition goals and treats for myself would be she also asked if I was “Eating The Rainbow”
And I looked at her funny and said, “doing what?!” (haha)
‘Eating The Rainbow’ means eating all the foods with colors in the rainbow (since I can’t take Pre-Natal Vitamins because they make me sick). I thought this was the greatest line ever.
I will surely be Eating The Rainbow!!!
MY NUTRITION GOALS
To keep eating at least 6 meals (a variety of healthy foods)
MY FITNESS GOALS
To add in more cardio in between my training sessions, to keep up my endurance and heart rate
MY TREATS
I will plan a nice pedicure and maybe pre-natal massage for myself as a reward!
When Kendra Petrone signed on to participate in Fitness Together’s Wedding Party Workout, she went in with the goal of getting herself photo-ready for the slew of weddings and baby showers she would be taking part in during the coming months.
Along with all the social commitments, Kendra’s job as producer and on-air personality for the morning show at Kiss 108 FM often puts her in front of the camera for promotional events and concerts. In addition, Kendra’s work shooting small weddings, birthdays and special events for her photography business “Let’s Take A Picture” leaves her keenly aware that photographs can be pretty unforgiving.
So when Fitness Together partnered with Kiss 108 to promote the Wedding Party Workout, Kendra was really excited to begin training with Maria Pasquale Marques and Kristine Barry, who were really excited to get the chance to work with a local celebrity.
At Fitness Together in Medford, Kendra would undergo a fitness assessment and then participate in the 8-week program of nutritional coaching as well as one-on-one and small group training. But, as someone wise once said, all human plans are subject to revision by Nature and when Kendra discovered that she was newly pregnant with her second child, her training plans had to be revised.
While this may have seemed like a curve ball to the Wedding Party Workout promoters, it wasn’t much of one for Advanced Certified Personal Trainers Maria Pasquale Marques and Kristine Barry.
“As a matter of course, we customize our programs for each of our clients, so we always vary workouts to give a well-rounded alternative to the typical workouts of other gyms,” says Maria. That includes tailoring workouts for pregnancy.
And so, without much fanfare, Kendra’s Wedding Party Workout became The Healthy Pregnancy Workout.
Maria says there are very important factors to consider when training during pregnancy, with the primary focus centering on the well-being of mother and child. After getting her doctor’s clearance and guidelines, Kendra received a fitness assessment from her trainers who then designed her personalized program.
“Kendra was near the end of her first trimester when we started training. She was already at a decent fitness level and her weight was well within the normal range, so the goals were to maintain her ideal pregnancy weight with proper nutrition, boost her cardio to give her the stamina for labor and incorporate exercises that improved flexibility, strength and functionality.”
Kendra found the workouts were challenging, but noticed the positive results almost immediately. “Working with trainers Maria and Kristine has really given me more energy and has taken away a little of my nausea. Plus, I am doing things now that I never thought I could do before I was pregnant!”
Along with the challenging and fun workouts, Kendra also really appreciates the fact that her trainers remind her frequently to listen to her body. During each workout they encourage her to drink plenty of water, rest and modify anything that feels uncomfortable. And while most women worry about gaining weight during pregnancy, Kendra’s trainers say that with pregnancy challenges like heartburn and nausea, women should be more concerned about getting enough of the right calories.
“When we sat down to do a nutrition assessment with Kendra, we discovered she actually wasn’t getting enough calories,” says Maria. “So, part of the nutrition plan we set for Kendra was for her to take in about 300 more calories than she did with her pre-pregnancy diet. In her second trimester we want Kendra to be gaining about a pound a week and we also want her body fat percentage to be increasing slightly,” says Maria.
She says that the best remedy for maintaining energy and proper calorie intake is to have more frequent and smaller meals throughout the day.
Kendra agrees. “I learned it’s all about portions and food choice. I eat 6 times a day. I try not to eat the same foods every day and I use the Fitness Together online nutrition journal to log in my daily intake of food. It’s not complicated and it’s not overwhelming. It makes a huge difference when you see what’s going into your body.”
Maria says her new client is definitely embracing the whole Fitness Together Experience. “Kendra had a great retest! She raved about how amazing she felt while pregnant! Kendra lost inches everywhere that she could (chest, arms, legs, and shoulders). She lost 6.5 inches from her total body and gained 2.5 inches in her belly. Her body fat went up .5% and her weight went up 5 lbs. Perfection!”
It’s week four. Kendra had a great retest! She raved about how amazing she felt while pregnant! In her second trimester we want Kendra to be gaining about a pound a week and we also want her body fat percentage to be increasing slightly. Kendra lost inches everywhere that she could (chest, arms, legs, and shoulders). She lost 6.5 inches from her total body and gained 2.5 inches in her belly. Her body fat went up .5% and her weight went up 5 lbs! Perfection
Katie, the Kiss108fm sales rep, is also going through the workout with Kendra. She had a great retest. She was so focused on the fact that the number on the scale was not moving she lost sight of the she was still losing body fat and inches. In 4 weeks Katie lost 9 inches overall, 2 of those inches of her waist alone! Katie dropped 1.5 % body fat and maintained her current weight. She is very happy with her workouts and is working hard to see the number on the scale drop. She keeps getting compliments on how amazing she looks and her clothes are fitting much better
Maria Marques | Fitness Manager
Fitness Together Medford
365 Salem Street Medford, MA 02155
781-395-3600 | ftmedford.com
ftmgrmedford@fitnesstogether.com
To find other Fitness Together Studios near you go to FTGetsResults.com
To find out more about the KISS108 discount for the Wedding Party Workout check this out. (By the way, Wedding Party Members and any other group who wish to get healthier, fit, and lose weight can get the same discount.)
I woke up the last two mornings feeling like I’ve been through a war. Thanks to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness); this morning was worse than yesterday.
Like so many of us, I’m really sore after a very tough workout. It doesn’t happen to this trainer very often to have this level of soreness. But this was no simple run or strength workout in the gym. This is the result of climbing a massive mountain about 20 times. So my calves, hips, hamstrings, and my ass are killing me. In addition to my muscles aching, I have cuts and bruises on my elbows and knees. My ankles are very unstable from twisting them both; I rolled my left one once and my right one twice. My right knee is tender after jumping off of a 12 foot wall that I had to scale with no rope or things to hold on to. My back feels like I did a back flop into an empty pool. The soon-to-be scar on my shoulder is from crawling through mud while under barbed wire. And lastly, I have a massive gash on my left shin from when I fell running through electrical wires that zapped me with about 10,000 volts of electricity. The crazy part is I signed up for this!
This is the incredibly difficult event known as the Tough Mudder; a 10 mile obstacle course consisting of around 25 physically and mentally draining obstacles on Mt. Snow in Vermont.
These adventure obstacle courses (or mud runs) have grown in popularity over the last few years. Nothing against running, biking or triathlons, but these courses attract everyone from athletes to weekend warriors to those of us who just want to relive our youth and play in the mud. It’s a challenge but it is also different. I think that is what the appeal is. Many of the courses are around 5K (3.1 miles). Several of my friends and personal training clients have done the Warrior Dash in recent years. Last year, the bug bit me when I did one called the Spartan Race; which I will be doing again on August 11th in Amesbury, MA. Back in May, I did a unique twist on the obstacle craze called Run For Your Lives; the same idea as Warrior or Spartan, except you are being chased by “zombies”. But Tough Mudder was a different animal. As a personal trainer, it was the most physically demanding activity that I have ever done. My high school football coaches may not want to hear that. But it’s true.
You started by getting a massive pep talk from one of the TM staff members. He told us that the Tough Mudder is not a race, but a challenge. He wasn’t kidding, but on a competitive level I still cared about my time. For us all to put teamwork and camaraderie before our own individual course time. To help my fellow Mudders complete the course. And most of all, overcome all fears.
Then you run up the massive mountain. For one, Mt. Snow is very steep and I was running up that bad boy several times over. After the first climb, I saw many people dropping to a knee trying to catch their wind. It’s going to be a long day for them. After reaching the top, you start your first run back down. At the bottom lies your first obstacle aptly titled “The Arctic Enema”. Picture a 20 foot long dumpster filled with ice cold water and a plywood wall with barbed wire on top of it in the middle. Now this wouldn’t be so bad given the 85-90 degree heat. Dump trucks are unloading hundreds of pounds of ice into it, keeping the water at a brisk 35 degrees. You then must jump in, submerge yourself completely underwater and swim through a hole in a wall, then pulling yourself up. I jumped in and it wasn’t too bad, given that I was the temperature of a super cold Coors Light. When I had to dive underwater and go through the man-size hole in the wall, my arms tensed up where I couldn’t move them as my muscles just seized from the cold. One of my fellow Mudders said it was like
eating an ice cream cone while getting kicked in the nuts. After pulling myself out, I started back up the hill again. And this was only the first mile.
Throughout the course, there were pits of thick mud you had to tread yourself through. Then there was barbed wire that was only about 12 inches above the ground so you had to army crawl under it to get past it. Later there were small bodies of water that you must get over. One had monkey bars as the only way to get across the lake. If you haven’t been on monkey bars since you were a little kid, they are incredibly difficult to do as an adult. Another had a vertical cable that went from one side of the lake to the other and you must wrap your legs around and pull yourself across. Another had a balance beam you must walk across, once again, over ice cold water. Then you had to Walk The Plank as you jump off a 20 foot high platform into water and swim to shore. I’m a good swimmer, but even this was tiring after everything else that was thrown at me. There were also cargo nets to climb. Dark tunnels you had to crawl through. A quarter mile trek up and down the mountain while carrying a massive log. Walls to scale without the aid of a rope. In addition to the cold water, there was fire you had to run through.
The two most difficult obstacles were ironically the two final obstacles. The first was Everest. Picture a large 15 foot high half-pipe like you would see Tony Hawk skateboarding on during the X-Games. You had to run up this thing! It was slick from the mud, water, and God knows what else from your fellow Mudders. Since all Mudders help each other, you made some fast friends as they could help you best the obstacle by helping you if needed. You then return the favor and help someone else up.
The last was called Electroshock Therapy. Now I had already been zapped by some electric wires already today. Once while army crawling through watery mud in an event called the Electric Eel and once again in a pitch black room called Dark Lightning. This last obstacle was simple: run through the hundreds of wires dangling down as you ran through about 12 inches of water and some small foot hills and cross the finish line that was just a few feet after the obstacle. The electric current was cranked up to 10,000 volts. I covered my face with my scraped up arms and ran full speed through it. As I got zapped over and over again, I just kept my feet moving. Finally I reached the end of the obstacle and got a jolt so strong, that it knocked me right on my ass. It must have looked like I ran into a brick wall. I got a huge gash on my left shin, but I picked myself up, ran across the finish line, and let out a massive war scream as I completed the course.
Now as I mentioned, your time wasn’t kept for the race and your goal was to just complete the damn thing. But I went in with a more specific goal regardless. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for time. A former client of mine ran one in May and told me he completed the course in 5 hours. I went in with the goal of going in at 4 1/2 hours. My race group started at 12:20pm, I crossed the finish line at 3:47pm; 3 hours and 27 minutes. I was impressed. More than that, I was exhausted. I pounded an FRS energy drink, a banana, a half-gallon of water, 32 oz. of Gatorade, and a Myoplex protein shake upon completion. I then drove 3 hours home and woofed down an entire pizza and passed out in bed not long after.
Tough Mudder may have been my most difficult obstacle course I have attempted, but it will not be my last. If I can conquer this, I can do anything!!!! I still have Spartan next month and am already thinking about how I am going to challenge myself even more next year!
To read about our other FT participants in the Tough Mudder, Team Boom Factor, and see more pictures from the earlier event, check out this previous post.
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Frank Francis is a personal trainer and small group fitness instructor at Fitness Together North Andover located at 73 Main Street North Andover.
Kendra Petrone, the Executive Producer for Kiss108fm’s Matty In The Morning Show is doing the Wedding Party Workout at our Medford studio. Here is her post for her third week.
Just completed my 3rd week at Fitness Together and I feel AWESOME. This week my trainer Maria worked a lot on my “core” and we did total body workouts… The hardest exercise I did was definitely something called “side planks” ..I had to keep my entire body upward with just my arm! It was hard– but if a pregnant gal like myself can do it– SO CAN YOU!!!
And who says we can’t have a little fun while we’re working out–Katie and I decided to battle in a TUG OF WAR! Who do you think wins?….. check it out!!
So all along I have been telling you all how amazing the trainers and the workouts are at Fitness Together – but another major ingredient in feeling good and looking good– is eating right. It’s all about portions and food choice. I love to eat– and just because I am pregnant, doesn’t mean I can just splurge on anything… when the doctors say you’re “eating for two” – they don’t really want you to OVER-eat– so here’s what my trainers Kristine and Maria have told me at Fitness Together
Eat small and frequent meals–I eat 6 times a day!!
If you’re eating salads, add good proteins like grilled chicken (plain), fish, even crushed walnuts or almonds
Try not to eat the same foods every day– change it up!!
I use the Fitness Together online nutrition journal to log in my daily intake of food–and it’s not complicated and it’s not overwhelming — GO TO WWW.FTMEDFORD.COM TO CHECK IT OUT! It makes a huge difference when you see what’s going into your body … and remember you are supposed to have carbs and calories — they just need to be within moderation!!
I really want to encourage all of you to call my friends at Fitness Together and try it out– I am doing things now (pregnant) that I never thought I could do before I was pregnant! You will love it- I promise!!!
Get the Kiss 108 discount for your own Wedding Party Workouts. Click the picture to download the coupon:
Kendra Petrone from Kiss 108′s Matty In The Morning Show
I completed Week 2 of the Fitness Together’s Wedding Party Workout — and I feel amazing. Working with trainers Maria and Kristine has really given me more energy and has taken away a little of my nausea!
When you’re pregnant- you may think your body isn’t able to do some of the workouts that you did beforehand but you can! You just need to be with a medically trained professional who has the knowledge to direct you.
One thing that I love the most about working out at Fitness Together in Medford, is that during all of my workouts– my trainers always tell me to stop… get water… and rest… so it’s not what you’re probably thinking (IE: trainers yelling at you like a bootcamp).
I promise you won’t be disappointed– oh and yesterday, I was on the treadmill next to an 85 yr old man who was doing the same workout as me– so no excuses– all ages can do this!!
You too can get the Kiss108 Deal. Download the coupon below and call a participating FT Studio near you.
Catch up with Kendra’s workouts at Kiss108 and, of course, listen to Matty In The Morning on Kiss108.
MORE ABOUT KENDRA PETRONE
Kendra is the Executive Producer of the Matty Show, which means, she is in charge of selecting and booking all the celebrity guests, setting up the daily schedules, updating all the personality web pages, managing the social networking sites for the morning show and station, answering the listener emails, managing the Matty Show phone lines and overseeing the Matty Show internships. She can often be heard discussing entertainment and pop culture on air with Matty, Billy and Lisa! This past fall, she was a weekly contributor on FOX25′s “The X-Factor Recap”, and can currently be seen every week on FOX25′s Morning Show, as their official American Idol Expert. She joined the morning show team in April 2007, from WBZ-TV in Boston, where she started out as the Promotions Coordinator then worked her way to the Morning News Production Assistant alongside morning show anchors Paula Ebben, David Robichaud and Barry Burbank. Prior to WBZ, she interned at the Rock radio station Lazer 99.3FM in Springfield, where she was in charge of creating contests, prizes, organizing live events, and the daily shows schedules for all the radio jocks. She has a Bachelors Degree in Broadcast Communications, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is also a member of the Beta Eta chapter of the Sigma Kappa sorority. Throughout her time at UMASS, she also worked for The New England Patriots during their 2001, 2003 & 2004 World Championship seasons and is still very involved with The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Merrimack Valley, located in Salisbury, Ma. For the past 5 years, she has helped coordinate the annual Methuen Festival Of Trees event to benefit the Methuen Historical Society; and NuPath, Inc’s annual Taste of Spring, that helps to provide a network of creative day services and residential options for people living with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and acquired brain injury. She is married with a 1 1/2 yr old daughter who always keeps her life interesting along with being a part of New England’s most successful morning radio team. Every day brings a new and exciting challenge! She wants to hear from you… email her KendraPetrone@clearchannel.com
Eric Petersen loves training at Fitness Together in Norwell and it shows. A client since 2011, Eric completed the ten mile Tough Mudder adventure race with Team Boom Factor in May and within a week, while basking in the post-race delirium, signed on to run in the 13 mile Spartan Beast in September with FT Norwell Trainer Mike Eaton.
The 47 year old especially loves the social aspect of training and has made quite a few lasting friendships among clients and trainers alike. During any given Pack session, Petersen can be found waxing poetic about his favorite greasy foods while his fellow Pack members strain to complete their circuits. (Eric looks like Jack LaLane but eats like John Belushi and talks food like the fat guy stuck in a fit guy’s body that he his.) His favorite topic is sausage, particularly Santarpio’s sausage in East Boston as well as the hot dogs at Capitol Lunch in New Britain Connecticut. Not everyone enjoys listening to vivid descriptions of greasy food while struggling to keep their oatmeal down during a round of squat jumps, but Eric doesn’t care. He practically levitates while describing the gustatory delights of his favorite gut busters.
Eric loves training at Fitness Together in Norwell, but he kind of hates it, too.
He calls Mike Eaton “The Silent Assassin” and lately he’s taken to calling trainer Alicia Tasney, “Lucifer” or “Lucy” if he’s feeling too short of breath for the extra syllable. Sometimes, during an especially brutal workout, Eric will hide in a corner like a wounded coyote. “Get away from me, Lucy! I’m not talking to you,” he says to Alicia. “Walk away!”
But, says Tasney, Eric asks for it. Sometimes literally. Petersen arrived for a recent appointment and announced, “I’m giving you five minutes. Write a workout for me that no one could possibly do. Go.”
Never one to shrink from a challenge, Tasney wrote the workout and called it “The Eric.” This is the sweat stain left on the floor two-thirds of the way into the workout.
Rumor has it they’re thinking of having it permanently marked on the floor like a Hollywood Walk of Fame star: The FT Walk of Stain.
Some guys have sandwiches named after them, and who knows, perhaps somewhere there’s a Petersen Pepper Braunschweiger. Maybe there’s even an emblazoned sweat stain in his future, but for now Eric will have to be satisfied with having a workout named after him.
Give it a shot. Send me a photo of your sweat stain after and tell me what you think. marthaletaFT@aol.com
“The Eric”
Pullups, (Choice of grip)
Reps: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
Two full burpees after each set of pull-ups
5 Wall Walks
Spiderman Pushups
Reps: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Two hanging dips after each set of pushups
24” Box Jumps
Reps:20
Burpee to Pullup (Full chest to the floor burpee, jump at the end to grab the bar for pullup)
Reps: 10,8,6,4,2
TRX Pike with push-ups. (Feet in TRX in plank position. Pike up, straighten, drop into pushup.)
Reps: 10,8,6,4,2
Alternating Wall Ball/Med Ball Slam with 16 lb Dynamax ball
Reps: 40,30,20, 10
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To find out more about “The Eric” contact the trainers at FT Norwell
