May
2012

Dear Members and Guests,

May is a month filled with blooming flowers, warmer days and comfortable nights. It is also when we start to shed our heavier, winter clothes and change into something a little lighter. This is part of what makes spring a perfect time to freshen up your fitness routine or perhaps wake it up from a long hibernation. Here at Ultima/Xtreme, we too are in the process of freshening things up – many of which can help you in achieving your spring fitness goals.

Check out the new programs we have to offer including: BCx Boot Camp year-round, MMA and Cardio Kickboxing! We are also working on giving the club a new look! Be on the lookout for a survey as we are very interested to hear your thoughts. And remember to please respond promptly so we can utilize your feedback while we make these decisions. We appreciate your patience throughout this process.

We are confident that you will enjoy all of the new things that we have been working on to improve the experience at your club.

Thank you for your feedback and positive comments.

In good health, fitness and peace,

The Merrell Family


Exercise of the Month

Summer Body Blast

By Eric Burtin

Many talk a good game when it comes to wanting a beach body to show off during the summer months. With summer right around the corner, we have included in this month’s newsletter some challenging exercises to help tone that midsection and put it on display. The plank, along with its many variations and just a few explained here, is the epitome of core exercises. The core consists of many muscles, but the main ones are the rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae and multifidus muscles. Stop. Before you start googling those terms, I will explain them in their most basic form. The rectus abdominis is also known as the six-pack.

Yes, everyone has a six pack; yours may just be hibernating all winter. The internal obliques are located below the external oblique, both of which allow you to rotate and move laterally from side to side. The transverse abdominis muscle’s main function is to compress the abdominal contents, or in other words, hold your organs in place. The erector spinae is a group of back muscles that run along the spine, keeping you upright. The multifidus is the inner most group of back muscles and tendons that stretch along your spine from your neck to your pelvis. If these muscles are weak at any point, the most routine activities will eventually feel difficult.

Now, that you know the basics of the core muscles and their functions let’s put them to work. The exercises below start with the basic plank position and gradually progress to more difficult positions. As always, modifications can be made by executing the exercise on your knees.

Plank

  1. Start by placing your forearms or hands on the ground and elevating your body off the floor forming a straight line between your forearms (or hands) and feet.
  2. Hold this position, keeping your body parallel to the ground for a predetermined amount of time. Start by trying to maintain your plank for 1 minute, and increasing the time as you get stronger.

Side Plank or T-Stand

  1. Starting position: Lie on your side with your right hand or forearm on the ground.
  2. Lift yourself up to form a plank with your right arm or forearm and your left arm on your side.
  3. Hold this position for a predetermined amount of time.
  4. Repeat on the other side.

Single Leg Plank Pose

  1. Start by forming a straight plank with your forearms and feet as the contact points on the ground.
  2. Once the plank is formed, raise one foot off the ground and hold this position for a predetermined amount of time.
  3. Once the time has expired, return your foot to the ground and repeat with the other leg.

Plank Knee-Ins and Spiderman’s

  1. Start by getting on your hands and toes (or knees) in a push-up position.
  2. Keeping your abs tight and your pelvis parallel to the floor, bring one knee towards your chest.
  3. Return the foot back to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

** Spiderman Variation: complete by bringing knee outward toward your elbow and return.

Remember that stability, focus and breathing are the foundation to any exercise and workout. Proper form is critical to engaging your core muscles effectively and keeping your lower back free from strain. Enjoy!

 

TKD

MARTIAL ARTS CORNER

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
By:

Lori Sternlieb

These words are from the mouth of the great Muhammad Ali. But you don’t have to be a professional fighter to train like one and receive the amazing results that contact kickboxing produces.

You’ve heard about it and maybe even thought to yourself "Can I do this? Is this for ME?"

The answer is a resounding yes to both. Contact Kickboxing at Ultima Fitness requires no prior experience and is great for anyone at any age at any level. In a Contact Kickboxing class, you will learn the basics of kickboxing including the different kinds of punches and kicks progressing into more difficult combinations including knee and elbow strikes just to name a few. Contact Kickboxing requires the use of boxing gloves, pads and shields and is mostly done in pairs with a partner. There will be conditioning exercises daily as well to ensure a total body workout. Unlike Cardio Kickboxing which is more like shadowboxing, the contact kickboxer is making contact (hence the name) with a pad or shield that is creating resistance…the result is a lean, mean toned and shredded machine- YOU!

This combination of cardio and toning will give you an extreme workout with extreme total body results. 

This is what Sand G, one of our current members, has to say about the contact kickboxing class:"I LOVE kickboxing class so much! Lori, our trainer is a package of dynamite!! She makes this high intensity workout alot of fun. I burned 720 calories in this morning’s class! Thank you Lori!

Come experience for yourself what others have experienced. First class is free! Come "kick it" with me 4 times a week and get in shape today while having fun!

 

Master Pope

Gus Pope Guerriero

7th Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do

4th Degree Black Belt Hapkido

Former Argentina National Champion

Former Florida State Champion

Certified Grand Master Instructor

W.T.F, I.T.F, U.S.M.A.A

Be safe and stay aware!

Grand Master Gustavo Pope

Be a Part of the Newsletter!

Member Q & A – If you have a specific nutrition or fitness question please submit them to info@ultimafitness.com and we will answer them in our next issue.

What Do You Think? We would like to hear your input about the newsletter. Do you like it? Do you read it? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know so that we can continue to make it better. Please email all comments to: info@ultimafitness.com

Friendly Reminders

Dumbbells: When lunging on the tile, please use the rubber coated dumbbells in order to avoid cracking the tiles.

Towels: As a courtesy to other members, as well as helping keep our club clean, please bring a fresh towel with you each visit.

Magazines: Please refrain from taking our magazines home with you. We receive over forty magazines per month for all members’ enjoyment.

Typos: We realize that there may be some typos in the newsletter. We are aware of that. In fact, the typos are strategically located in each issue because we know that people will be looking for them. Let’s see how many you find in this issue.smiley

Cell Phones: Please do your best to refrain from using your cell phone while inside the facility and especially in the locker rooms. Not only are they a distraction to other members and massage clients but they also affect the heart rate monitors on the cardiovascular equipment. If you must use your cell phone, please do so in the designated areas such as the front lobby.

Perfume and Cologne Usage: For the benefit of our members who are asthmatics, please refrain from wearing cologne or perfume while utilizing this facility.

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