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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2019)
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Health & Fitness 19 Getting strong is for everyone By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Over the past decade or so, a quiet revolution has taken place. Strength training has moved out of the dun- geon and into the forefront of the push for health and well- ness 4 for men and women, young and old. Ryan Hudson of Level 5 CrossFit Sisters has helped to lead the charge in his hometown. He9s seen his weightlifting classes change. There are always plenty of women involved, and these days some regular classes look like seniors classes because so many older folks are engaged in lifting heavy things 4 for the health ben- efits and for fun (see related story, this page). Strength training is criti- cal to retaining bone density, and it improves basic func- tion in day-to-day life. C o d y Tw e e t e n w h o r e c e n t l y m o v e d f r o m Wyoming to take a position as a trainer at Sisters Athletic Club, says <I do try to steer people toward strength train- ing because it has so many added benefits.= For clients who don9t like weights or find them intimi- dating, he finds resistance bands a good substitute. The key is to get some resistance going to build up strength. And that9s not just for ath- letes. It9s about the quality of daily life. <People don9t realize what strength training does for them on a daily basis,= Tweeten said. Tweeten recalls a cli- ent back in Wyoming who had a very simple and pro- saic motivation for strength training: <Her mom couldn9t squat down to pick up her kids. She didn9t want that to be her& Family is usually a pretty good motivator.= Hudson emphasizes that your physical condition when you start training isn9t the key factor. The most important thing is that you9re mentally prepared to work hard, to keep applying your- self. Because to be effective, strength training must be challenging. <You9ve got to be up for this mentally,= Hudson said. <I don9t care where you are physically. When people come in, I tell them this is a place where people work really hard and get really good results.= A lot of intimidation and stigma around weight training has fallen away 4 the notion that it makes you <musclebound= or that women who train with weights will bulk up. Women don9t have the same testos- terone levels as men. <You don9t really see that bulking you see in men,= Tweeten said. What you do see, as Hudson can attest, is women lifting amounts they would never have thought possible and looking and feeling more fit than they ever have in their lives. You see men get- ting stronger and encourag- ing others. And you see older folks staying strong enough to pick up their grandkids 4 and keep up with them in all the activities Sisters has to offer. Join Sisters’ strongest fi tness community and become the best version of yourself! NO INITIATION! NO CONTRACT! Offering 6,200 sq. ft. with 24-hour access! FREE private introduction sessions available. Come try a class and experience the benefi ts of constantly varied exercise. All ages and fi tness levels welcome. CALL TO GET YOUR FIRST Call 541-699-7800 MONTH or email coach@crossfi tsisters.com In the Ray’s Shopping Center • crossfi tsisters.com FREE! Strength training: Why compete? By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief You9ve broken through the stereotypes and the trepi- dation and started hitting the weights. You9re getting stron- ger, and you notice it in your everyday activities. You like the way you feel, you like the things that you can do, and you like the way you look. Maybe the next step is to enter a weightlifting competi- tion. No way, you say; that9s not me. Maybe you should think again. Ryan Hudson of Level 5 CrossFit Sisters is a big believer in competition as a way to enhance both the experience and the effects of strength training. He says he doesn9t push his cli- ents to compete 4 but he loves to provide them with opportunities. Why compete? <A lot of times, people get plateaued and they get stalled out,= Hudson told The Nugget. Training for a competition is motivating 4 it can add focus and purpose to training. And a lot of times, people hit their best numbers on the plat- form in competition, simply because the atmosphere of a meet empowers them. Facing a looming competi- tion can focus a person on hit- ting a desired weight, too. <A lot of times, being in a weight class competition where you have to make a certain weight on a certain day is all the motivation they need 4 the accountability to get there,= Hudson said. And competing can be a lot of fun. At the end of the day, it9s not about who can lift the biggest load 4 it9s about pound-for-pound strength and working hard to <actually do something great,= Hudson said. <If you make weight, post a total and have fun, it9s a successful meet.= The camaraderie that develops among lifters is phenomenal. <That9s why I want to host these competitions,= he said. <To give people opportunities to throw their hat in the ring and give this a whirl. When people see everybody cheer- ing everybody on and encour- aging each other, they want to be part of that.= The effects are startling and obvious. <They get hooked on the progress,= Hudson said. The coach speaks from personal experience. <That9s where I started 10-12 years ago 4 I just started signing up for meets,= he said. With trophies and records to his name, Hudson can look back and say with certainty: <If I9d never signed up for a meet, I9d never have made half as much progress.= Competition is more accessible than ever before. Take Strongman competition for example. Not so long ago, Strongman 4 competitions that feature a variety of non- standard lifting and carrying events 4 used to be the sole province of Icelandic giants like Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who played The Mountain on the hit fantasy series Game of Thrones. Now there are weight and age classes and classes for women. <Smaller guys and older guys and gals can compete in this,= Hudson said. <It9s a growing sport because of that 4 especially on the women9s side.= Level 5 hosted its first Strongman Throwdown on July 20. The event featured one of the great traditional events 4 the Húsafell Stone carry, which originated in Norse Iceland, a log press, See STRENGTH on page 20 Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Your Dentist in Sisters Since 1993 ~ We are here to help you smile with confi dence! 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters