The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current, August 14, 2019, Page 19, Image 19

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    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.
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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
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304 W. Adams Ave.
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