Summer Olympic Lifting Competition

Greetings, lifters!

Today is the moment you have all been waiting for! I am announcing the gym wide lifting competition. Many people have come to me requesting that we have an olympic lifting competition, and I thought it would be a great idea to bring some healthy competition to the gym as well as bring our small community of lifters together. The competition will be held at the end of summer on Friday, August 26th. This will give you all time to prepare for the event. The competition will consist of bench press, power clean, clean and jerk, and squat. Open to the possibility of a pull up challenge, 225 bench rep challenge, etc. The competitors will be split up by gender as well as into age groups. This is the perfect time to ask for my or one of the trainers' help in how to perform these lifts correctly and safely. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or any of the staff. This is not an excuse to be performing lifts we are not proficient in and hurting ourselves because we are pushing ourselves past our limit. It is okay to ask for a spotter! I look forward to the competition and happy training!

Gym Rules

For those of you wondering, I just wanted to lay out the rules on here so we're all clear:

1. Person's must be 15 or older to use the gym equipment.
2. Gym ID's are required to enter, no exception.
3. No open containers in the weight room or food. Closed bottles only.
4. Keep your personal items in the lockers in an organized fashion.
5. Yelling or profanity of any kind will not be tolerated.
6. Wipe down and disinfect any equipment after use.
7. Request a spotter when performing any lifts where you are unable to lift the weight on your own.
8. If there are any machines that you don't know how to use, ask someone instead of risking injury.
9. Share the equipment and machines with others so that people do not have to wait.
10. If there are any spills or messes, report them immediately.
11. Refrain from dropping weights to prevent injury of yourself and others and keep from damaging equipment.
12. Gym patrons must be wearing appropriate clothing. This includes closed toed shoes, shirts, etc.
13. Keep phone conversations and other disruptive behavior outside the gym.
14. Re-rack all weights after use.
15. Finally, be courteous and respectful to the staff and gym members. Use common sense, be friendly, and be safe.

Follow the rules, and happy training!

Proper Power Clean Form

One of the most widely asked about lift that the trainers and I have been seeing in the gym is how to perform the power clean lift properly

First, start off with your feet shoulder width apart and squat down and grab the bar. Make sure your back if slightly arched, your chest and eyes are up, and keep the bar close to your shins. Keeping your butt down, start to push off the ground with your legs and pull up on the bar, keeping the bar as close to your body as possible. As the bar gets raised past your knees, bring your hips forward and forcefully and quickly extend your hips and knees and shrug your shoulders, briefly standing on your toes. Once you get to the top you'll want to catch the bar on your shoulders by getting underneath it and bend your knees when you catch it, putting yourself in a slightly squatted position. Stand up, drop the bar carefully, and start over again.

This is a great full body lift that is beneficial for athletes as well as non athletes that I highly recommend once you get the form down. If you have any other questions feel free to ask us while you're at the gym. Happy training!

Nutrition Tip of the Day...

Having trouble figuring out how to start your diet? Start small! Start by cutting out fast food from your diet as well as soda and anything overly processed. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel. It's okay to cheat every once in a while so try and reduce this to one cheat a week. Don't feel guilty about eating that pizza or that chocolate cake. It is too hard to completely cut out unhealthy food from your diet because of how used to it you are and it will immediately make you want to quit. Remember, eat everything in moderation and feel free to ask any of our trainers if you have any questions. Happy training!

Fitness Tip of the day...

Are you sick of doing the same exercise routine every day? Don't be afraid to change it up! Here at Lexi's Gym we have several different onsite personal trainers that can help you plan out a workout routine. Whether you want to bulk up, build lean muscle, lose weight, etc, our trainers have the knowledge to help you reach your goals. All you need is to be focused and willing to put in the work. Cross training and doing different workouts every day is crucial whether you are a marathon runner, body builder, or even just the average person trying to stay in shape. So get outside your comfort zone and contact one of our personal trainers today! Happy training!