KICK START is a one-hour morning fitness program that combines strength training in the gym and cardio training on the indoor field. Sessions are held every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 5:30 am. Cost is only $5 per session (gym membership required). Walk-ins are welcome! Send us a note to join or give us a call at 713-426-1107.

WHY JOIN KICK START?

Any exercise program should address three of four equally important components of fitness: Endurance, Strength, and Flexibility. Leaving any one of these factors out of your fitness program could lead to unsatisfactory results and/or injuries. The fourth component to fitness, body composition, is improved when the previous three are applied frequently and consistently. The following describes each one, why the are important, and how our Kick Start program incorporates it:

ENDURANCE

DEFINITION: The ability to continue to work without undue muscular fatigue or muscular failure.

Cardiorespiratory Endurance♥:

• Exercise to elevate the heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes. The goal is to be able to reach at least 45 minutes to an hour.
• Exercise the large muscle groups of the hips and legs vigorously because they move blood back from the lower extremities and improve the heart’s work capacity.
• A minimum of three times per week is needed, but no more than 5 days.

Muscular Endurance:

• Perform high repetitions with lower weight to increase the ability for the skeletal muscle to continue to exercise without fatigue or failure.
• Very little to no rest in between exercise bouts or sets is ideal in increasing the muscular endurance.
• Ultimately, greater muscular endurance translates into better cardiorespiratory endurance.

Kick Start is aerobic in nature because of its short breaks and frequent exercise stations. Your heart rate will be elevated the entire hour, ideal for fat metabolism. Unlike a purely aerobic class, however, the weight circuit meets the physiological definition of a muscular endurance workout.

FLEXIBILITY

DEFINITION: The range of motion around a joint.

Any stretching program should be progressive and done in a static or ‘held’ position. Initially, proper technique and supervision should be sought to prevent injury and insure best results are yielded.

• Stretch to feel good and the improvement will follow.
• Stretch should not be bouncy. The stretch should be slow and taken back only as comfortably as possible.
• NEVER stretch cold muscles! Do some aerobic activity with the larger muscle groups first, then stretch. Most muscle pulls occur from stretching cold muscles.
• Stretch each muscle group three times, each time increasing the range of motion.
• You should stretch at least three time per week. Stretching after each exercise sessions is ideal and will prevent tightness occurring due to exercise.

All F&J Fitness trainers practice PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching techniques during Kick Start and one-on-one with clients. PNF stretching is the safest and most natural way to stretch a muscle. Done properly and combined with resistance training, PNF stretching yields the best results and will dramatically improve anyone’s range motion in any joint.

STRENGTH

DEFINITION: The maximal amount of force a muscle can exert.

No other physical activity rewards you with better visual results than strength training. Cardio burns fat, but the increase in lean body tissue and firming of the muscles comes only with strength training. The hypertrophy (increase in size) of the muscle is dependent on gender. The presence of testosterone in males accounts for the difference in muscle hypertrophy between males and females. Hypertrophy of the muscle in females WILL NOT occur without the use of anabolic steroids.

I have yet to have a client who was unhappy with his or her body’s new shape after strength training. This is especially true with my female clients.

• Strength training is anaerobic. It should involve short duration at a high intensity.
• Prior injuries should not discourage beginning a program. After proper medical consultation and release, a tailored individualized program can be designed to accommodate any orthopedic condition.
• By requiring the muscle to do more work that they normally do, called the overload principle, the muscle will get stronger and firmer as they adapt to the exercise.
• Proper exercise technique and training intensity are important to avoid injuries and to achieve greatest results.
• Three days a week should be the minimum you resistance train. Allow time for recovery, this is when you physically get stronger.

What makes Kick Start such an effective program is that it includes a safe and challenging weight training regimen. Proper weight settings and resistance levels will be discussed with each participant prior to meeting for the first class. Weight training insures that physiologically your making changes to your body that effect how you function. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is greatly increased when gain lean muscle tissue. This is why weight lifting is obviously key to your success.

Our trainers strongly encourage a ‘can do’ attitude with all of their clients, it’s what makes training with our trainers so much different. But, we absolutely realize that everyone is at a different fitness level. Intensity is completely self-regulated and our trainers are there only to encourage you to push yourself, safely.

-F&J Fitness