By Andrea Scarberry
I recently sat down with Chris Blackwell, one of the JCC's
own NASM certified personal trainers. Growing up, Chris was big into sports,
and played everything under the sun, including football, basketball, baseball
and tennis. Once he graduated, he was active in the Marine Corps for 22 years.
Chris got involved with the fitness programs there, and ended up in charge of the
Weight Control Remedial Program during the last half of his career with the
Marines. In this role, he helped others to achieve a healthy level of weight
and physical fitness, and realized it was something that he enjoyed and wanted
to continue once his career with the Marines came to an end. In the last couple
of years he spent with the Marine Corps, Chris started scouting training
positions at gyms, got certified as a trainer through the NASM CPT program, and
eventually got a position as a trainer.
Since his initial certification as a trainer, Chris has
achieved multiple additional training accolades: He is also certified in
Corrective Exercise, Senior Fitness, Performance Enhancement and Golf Fitness.
Aside from offering one-on-one and group personal training at the JCC, Chris
has spearheaded or been involved with several of the other fitness programs
offered to the community. These include Urban Warrior (a military style training
course), Pickleball, Body for Life and Team Lean.
Chris is a firm believer that anyone and everyone can
benefit from good core strength and stability, and these are his starting
points with all of his clients, from athletes to seniors. Chris follows the
NASM model of training: Stability, Strength, and Power. Once good stability has
been achieved, all the rest will follow.
"In my experience, people come to trainers wanting
something, whether it be to get fit, lose weight, increase athletic
performance, etc. A good majority of people seeking out a trainer for the first
time often don't realize that they can have major issues with muscle imbalances
and stability. I have guys that come to me, and all they want to do is to lift
300 lbs., but they don't realize the importance of good posture, core strength
and stability and how all of those things play in to lifting heavy," Chris
said.
Chris went on to explain that injury is much more common among
people who jump into programs too quickly, or want to lift too much too soon.
Starting with the basics is key, and having the patience and dedication to
focus on things like stability, joint movement and core strength can give an
athlete just the edge they are looking for.
"Young athletes always want these three things: to be
stronger, faster and more powerful. At first they wonder why I have them doing
basic balancing exercises, but after a few weeks, when they are pivoting more
quickly, jumping higher and running faster, it all starts to make sense,"
Chris said. "If you think about it, in almost any sport, you are on only
one foot most of the time. Take soccer: you're running, shifting the weight
from foot to foot, keeping control of the ball, planting a foot to kick, etc.
If you have good strength and stability, you're going to be light on your feet,
making sharp movements and getting the job done. If you don't have those
things, one side of your body could be compensating for an imbalance you have
somewhere else. You have that heightened chance of rolling an ankle when you
step on some uneven grass, causing you to lose precious seconds of ball
control, and you might possibly even injure yourself in the process."
To challenge and improve stability, Chris recommends
starting with an unstable but safe surface. This will vary depending on age and
ability. Creating an unstable environment for an athlete is a lot different
from creating an unstable environment for a senior - athletes may start with a
balance disc or BOSU Ball, while a senior may start with something as simple as
trying to lift a foot off the ground without holding on to anything.
Chris also talked a bit about exercise choices. "When
you are working out, learn what you're doing and why you're doing it. I see a
lot of people in the gym jumping from machine to machine, exercise to exercise,
with no rhyme or reason as to why they are doing what they're doing. The only
way to get the most out of a workout is to know a little something about how to
pair exercises, and how to execute proper form. Form, technique and tempo -
These are the three most important things to understand about any exercise
before you attempt it."
One last point Chris touched on was posture. Good core
strength and corrective exercise training can only do so much for our poor
posture. Chris says posture is more mental than anything - the more you think
about sitting and standing up straight throughout the course of the day, the
better your posture will be.
Chris is at the JCC most mornings, and is available for
consultations and personal training sessions. If you are interested in working
with Chris, visit the membership office and set up an appointment with him! I
hope you enjoyed my chat with this incredibly experienced and knowledgeable
trainer, and until next time, have a happy and healthy week ahead!
