Exercise of the Week

Wall Sit with Shoulder Press

with Fitness Together Co-Owner Adam Eckart

Hello, its Adam here. I'm going to show you a great exercise for total body mobility. This exercise was created by top physical therapist and strength coach Gray Cook. Its purpose is to help correct immobility in the hips, upper extremity and core stability. This exercise is a popular one at Fitness Together. We have our clients perform this as a part of their warm-up to prepare the body for the coming workout.

• Sit on the floor, with your back against the wall and the soles of your feet together, pulled towards the body.




• Hold your arms out to the side against the wall, with the elbows bent at about 90 degrees. Place the back of your hands flat against the wall or as close to the wall as possible.




• Press hands upward towards the ceiling. Press knees towards the floor at the same time as raising the arms over head.




• Perform the pressing as far as possible while keeping the hands against the wall, or as close to the wall as possible.

Perform this exercise everyday, as a part of your daily stretching routine or as a corrective method, especially for those that sit for long periods. Enjoy!

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What is the purpose of training? How can it help me? Am I ready for training? Who can help?

Fitness Together trainer Anthony Lopez, BA Physical Education, ACE-CPT

These are the questions that you should ask before starting a fitness training program. Everyone thinks they know exactly what kind of training to do. However, many people do not understand what training really means. If you are currently working out do you know what you did the day before? Could you explain to me how long it will take you to reach your goal? Do you even have a goal? Finally, be honest, are you lost going from machine to machine or looking at the person next to you for ideas. If you are, that person is probably looking at somebody else to figure out what to do.
To begin, let’s start with the science of training. Genetically speaking, we can only go so far in our performance and our overall physique. Our genetics are like a ceiling and we can do our best to reach the top but we cannot break that ceiling. Do not be disappointed there is still a lot of work to be done if we can ever reach that ceiling. We need a starting a point to figure out where to begin our training.
We start by evaluating our body and movement patterns. Is our body mobile? Can we move correctly? Is it stable enough to hold or move in a correct pattern? Basic movement is the start because if we cannot move properly our training becomes compromised. Basic movement goes back to being a being a toddler beginning to crawl, stand, and walk. If you’ve ever seen a baby go to reach for a toy on the floor, watch their hips. The baby will amaze you with how well they can properly squat to pick up that toy. Picking it up any other way would lead to incorrect patterns and eventually injury.
The point is if you can’t move properly then you can’t train appropriately. Lifestyle is going to determine how the baby changes his or her movement patterns. In our full time jobs, strenuous work and our sedentary lifestyles we will encounter movement imbalances.
Now that we see movement imbalance, the next question is, how do we fix it? Honestly, to fix many of the issues the best thing to do is ask a fitness professional. Speak with a trainer who has a degree in an exercise related field, years of experience, and a nationally accredited certification. You can also see a physical therapist to correct many severe movement issues. Last option if the first two are too expensive, pick up DVDs on movement patterns by credible strength coaches and physical therapists for example Mike Boyle and Gray Cook.
Training is a commitment and cannot be taken lightly. It can be a very powerful tool or it can work against us. Do the research if you are really looking for the changes to happen. Stop looking at the person next to you for answers and take charge of changing the way you train today!


Call the studio now to schedule your complimentary private personal training session!