Personal Training

Who uses a personal trainer?

Everyone!  The role of the personal trainer is changing. It used to be that celebrities and wealthy individuals were the only people that used personal trainers. The stereotype of a personal trainer used to be that of a big body builder. Today the personal trainer is a highly skilled professional that has been educated and certified to work with various types of clients. Children as young as 7 years old, 80 year old men and women, obese adults, athletes, cancer recovery patients, and adults with diseases all benefit from working with personal trainers. Clients are using personal trainers to: lose fat, gain weight, increase flexibility, improve posture, alleviate stress, increase energy, rehab an injury, improve quickness, general health benefits, and cancer recovery.

How will Irena know what program is right for me?

Prior to getting started you will have a consultation. During this time, Irena will ask you questions about your fitness goals, past history with exercise, etc, to get an idea of what type of program is right for you. All of our personal training programs are specifically tailored to meet each client’s specific goals.

Who should I talk to about which program would be best for me?

Irena will be able to help you decide which program would be best for you.

Do I need equipment?

Not necessarily.  Our services can be provided at our location or yours. If you choose to train at your residence and have equipment in your home, that is great, we’ll use it. If not, Irena is equipped to bring all of the necessary items to give you a great workout.

What exactly does a Personal Trainer do?

Irena is highly skilled and nationally certified, and serves many roles when working with clients. She will serve as a coach, teacher and motivator. It is the personal trainer’s job to assess your current physical and mental state, establish very specific goals, design an individualized program, and do what ever it takes to keep you on track towards getting results.

How much will it cost me?

There are several different personal training programs to choose from. The cost is determined by the following:

  • How often you choose to use a personal trainer
  • How long you decide to use a personal trainer (2 weeks, 6 months, 5 years)
  • Whether or not you choose to work one on one with a personal trainer or get involved with a small group of clients who work with a personal trainer together
  • The location of the personal trainingDiscounted rates for referrals

Pilates

What exactly is Pilates?

Pilates is a system of over 500 controlled exercises that engage the mind and condition the total body. It is a balanced blend of strength and flexibility training that improves posture, reduces stress and creates long, lean muscles without bulking up. Pilates works several muscle groups simultaneously through smooth, continuous motion, with a particular concentration on strengthening and stabilizing the core (the abdomen, back and pelvic girdle region, referred to as the “powerhouse”).

The focus is on quality of movement rather than quantity, which makes one feel invigorated rather than exhausted after a session. Pilates takes a balanced approach so that no muscle group is overworked and the body works as an efficient, holistic system in sport and daily activity. Pilates exercises can be performed on a mat or on specialized equipment such as a Reformer.

What are the benefits of Pilates?

With regular committed Pilates workouts you can expect to:

  •  Tone and build long, lean muscles without bulk
  •  Challenge deep abdominal muscles to support the core
  •  Engage the mind and enhance body awareness
  •  Efficient patterns of movement making the body less prone to injury
  •  Reduce stress, relieve tension, boost energy
  •  Restore postural alignment
  •  Create a stronger, more flexible spine
  •  Promote recovery from strain or injury
  • Increase joint range of motion
  •  Improve circulation
  •  Heighten neuromuscular coordination
  •  Offer relief from back pain and joint stress
  •  Correct over-training of muscle groups which can lead to stress and injury
  •  Enhance mobility, agility and stamina
  •  Compliment sports training and develop functional fitness for daily life activity
  •   Improve the way your body looks and feels

What age group is Pilates for?

Pilates can be beneficial for virtually all ages, fitness levels and body conditions.  Indeed, one of the beauties of Pilates is that we tailor it to suit each personage and physical condition.

Many of our clients are middle-aged or elderly. Indeed, more than a few start doing Pilates specifically because they have reached ‘a certain age’, realized that they no longer take any exercise and suddenly thought, ‘My goodness, I have to start to do something, or else I’ll fall apart’.

Older clients still might have to ask medical advice before taking up Pilates and to start more slowly. Many people, however, do Pilates into their eighties and nineties. A properly tailored Pilates program is one of the best-known ways to ward off the infirmities of old age. Your true age, in the end, of course, is as much a function of how feel as of the date on your birth certificate. As Joseph Pilates himself put it: ‘If, at the age of 30, you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If, at 60, you are supple and strong, then you are young.’

Is Pilates mainly for women?
Far from it. Pilates, after all, was invented by a man, Joseph Pilates, originally for his own benefit – and was only later adapted for women.  Men, what’s more, tend to be less flexible than women, and so tend to need Pilates even more.

In fact there are countless celebrity devotees of Pilates, from Hugh Grant to Martin Amis, John Cleese, Ian McKellen, and the late Patrick Swayze, and an ever-growing number of famous footballers, rugby players, cricketers and other professional athletes.

What is Mat Pilates?
You will lie on a mat, sit or stand and learn the principles of Pilates. The Pilates principles will be integrated into each exercise. The exercises use your own body weight and should be mortified for your fitness level and become more and more progressive and challenging as you develop awareness, strength, flexibility, coordination, endurance and strength.

What is Reformer Pilates?
The Pilates Reformer is the most well known piece of Pilates equipment. It is a bed like frame with a moveable carriage where a person sits or reclines and does his or her stretching, and is an excellent way of exercising without hurting the joints while strengthening muscles.

What’s better, mat or Reformer Pilates exercises?
It’s not a matter of one being better than another. The fundamental Pilates workout can be performed on a mat alone, and great results can be achieved through beginner, intermediate and advanced moves. However, the various equipment pieces such as the Reformer incorporate light spring resistance that works like concentric and eccentric muscle contractions to safely sculpt, tone and stretch the muscle while providing support that allows you to safely manipulate your body to stretch and engage muscles that are otherwise challenging to isolate. Smaller Pilates equipment pieces such as resistance bands, circles and balls also provide an element of variety and focus to a Pilates regimen.

A complete and satisfying workout can involve exercises on the mat alone or can be combined with various pieces of specially designed Pilates equipment. Each session can offer variety so that no two workouts are alike.

What is Pilates for Golf?

Pilates increases the range of motion, mobility, stability, strength and power, and improves the core strength for control of your swing, posture, balance, coordination, and agility.

Who should I talk to about which Pilates program would be best for me?

Irena will be able to help you decide which program would be best for you.

Active Isolated Stretching

What is Active Isolated Stretching?

Active Isolated stretching (AIS) is a method of stretching is most used by today’s athletes, massage therapists, personal trainers, and professionals.  This allows the body to repair itself and to prepare for such activities as golf.  This also works well with Quantum Wave Cold Laser Therapy, which helps with pain, inflammation, wounds, scar reduction, anti-aging and overall relaxation.

  • What are the benefits of AIS?
  • Improves flexibility and health of muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
  • Reduces the risk of muscle strain and tear.
  • Reduces muscle spasm.
  • Stimulates the circulation and drainage of lymph, which helps eliminate metabolic waste.
  • Improved oxygenation and nutrition of myofascial structures promoting growth and repair.
  • Realigns collagen fibers.

TPI Certified Golf Fitness Profession

What is the Titleist Performance Institute?

Titleist has always been a leader in the golf industry and their golf fitness program is no exception. The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) was established in 2003 by Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips who host the Golf Fitness Academy on the Golf Channel. Professional golfers around the world are involved with TPI and now you have the opportunity to experience the same physical assessment and fitness training the pros do, regardless of your age, current fitness level or handicap.

What is TPI Certified Golf Fitness?

As a TPI-Certified Golf Fitness Instructor, Irena will develop a fitness program that will reduce your physical limitations and build on your fitness strong points. The TPI fitness program is a successful program utilized by numerous tour professionals and other golfers around the world.

Strong golf performance begins with a strong body. Your body ultimately determines distance, accuracy and consistency in your golf game. We conduct a complete fitness analysis to help identify areas in your body that may be limiting your golf game. You will receive a complete fitness plan of golf-specific exercises that focus on the fundamental mechanics of the swing and the physical demands of the game. A customized fitness agenda will be created to meet your individual needs, resolve your shortcomings and enhance your strengths.

Is Pain Keeping You From Playing Golf?  Don’t let your body’s physical limitations hold you back! We can identify which parts of your body are limiting your golf game.  I will focus on eliminating pain and postural faults with deep tissue therapy to restore the physical condition necessary for complete performance and injury prevention. You will develop a heightened body awareness that will result in increased range of motion, improved posture, enhanced coordination, better balance, increased flexibility, added endurance, superior strength and more power. To learn more about our golf fitness program or our Titlelist Performance Institute certification, visit the Titlelist Performance Institute website.

Cranial Release Technique

What is Cranial Release technique?

CRT is a natural, hands-on approach to releasing the body’s natural capacity to heal and regenerate itself.  It works to restore the proper function to the nervous system and proper balance to the body structure.  It has positive effects on conditions ranging from aches and pains to overall health and wellness.

How is CRT different?

This “release” of the bones of the skull initiates a release of all of the tissues and structures associated with the cranium and the nervous system.  These include: spins and pelvis, extremities (shoulders, hips, knees), the Dura Mater  (protective covering over the brain and spinal cord), the Fascia – connective tissue envelope which runs head to toe, front to back, side to side, and surrounds every organ, muscle, and vessel in the body and cerebrospinal fluid flow, which is vital to the health and proper function of the nervous system.

Quantum Laser Therapy

quantum-laserWhat is Laser Therapy?

Therapeutic lasers work by supplying energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light. These lasers do not cut or destroy tissue, but biostimulate the tissue creating a therapeutic curative effect.  The body is able to absorb this external energy on a cellular level and transform light energy into chemical energy, which the body uses to accelerate the normal healing rate of tissue for a wide range of ailments.

What are the benefits of Quantum Laser Therapy?

Many studies have shown that the following benefits can be experienced with Quantum Laser Therapy:

  • Donates photons and electrons to the tissues and cells of the body, which support the production of ATP (energy) that is needed by all cells to carry out their duties.  Speeds cell rejuvination & balances organs.
  • Reduces pain by causing the production of natural pain killer endorphins.
  • Reduces inflammation by suppressing inflammatory enzymes that create swelling, redness, pain, and heat and enhances the release of anti-inflammatory enzymes.
  • Enhances the process of nerve regeneration and muscle relaxation
  • Enhances lymphatic drainage, which increases circulation and speeds healing.
  • Stimulate the release of helpful healing enzymes and enhances the immune system.
  • Releases tight muscles (both smooth and striated) that create chronic pain, joint problems, and decreased mobility.
  • Speeds bone repair by stimulating fibroblastic and osteoblastic proliferation.
  • Appears to be antiviral, antifungal, and antiherpetic when applied in the correct frequency.

Massage Therapy

What are the benefits of massage therapy?

Research shows that regular massage therapy improves range of motion, reduces recovery time, increases muscle tone, and improves flexibility. Massage therapy is a fantastic way to complement any fitness program or to simply relax and feel great! Whatever your needs, we have the right massage programs for you.

What is Swedish Massage?
The classic light touch used in this full body massage induces relaxation, improves circulation and mobility and relieves muscle tension using long, light, flowing strokes.

What is Deep Tissue Massage?

This treatment uses a series of intensive techniques to manipulate sore, tight muscles and the connective tissue that holds them in place. Highly therapeutic, deep tissue work increases circulation, releases built-up toxins, and heals and restores balance to the body and nervous system. This can be excellent treatment for chronic injuries.

What are the benefits of Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massage?

Tension in the back, neck, and shoulders is common for those who spend time driving, talking on the phone, or working on a computer. This treatment can help relieve those nagging aches, scrunched-up shoulders, and tension headaches.

What is Reflexology Massage?
Reflexology massage is used to reduce stress and relax the body by targeting the nerve endings in the hands and feet. It is used to improve circulation, promote proper digestion, trigger the release of toxins and impurities, improve the body’s ability to heal, and restore corresponding parts of the body to full health. Reflexology is great for those suffering with chronic pain, illness, cancer and other serious ailments.