Going on vacation but worried about your GAINZ? Don’t be!

Ahh, April. Spring is in the air, flowers are beginning to bloom and with any luck, the snow is gone until at least a cool late August evening. Once summer hits, our priorities begin to change. Holidays start to pop up, and you definitely want to hit the sun and show off that nice bod you’ve been keeping under wraps all winter. But with that comes the worry: “what about all those sweet gainz Jon and Thomas helped me make this winter? I know I’m a 10/10 on the swole scale now but what if I take some time off? Are my gainz as good as gone?” Fear not, because a new study yields the answers to these important questions…

The Study:

Researchers at Baylor University were curious how an acute (short) period of detraining (not exercising) would affect the strength and size improvements made during a resistance training program. For their study, 20 subjects trained 4 times per week for 4 weeks. This was immediately followed by 2 weeks of detraining. The researchers measured the subject’s leg press strength and the cross sectional area and lean mass composition of the rectus femoris (the big muscle in your thigh) before and after the 4 week training program and again after the 2 week detraining period. Interestingly, the improvements made in leg press strength over the 4 week training program were not impacted by the 2 week detraining period.

The Take Home Message:

Fear not, for your gainz are safe during your summer holidays. While you won’t improve your strength or size on a holiday, you certainly will not lose what you have gained over the winter months. It is difficult to say how a longer period of detraining will impact the improvements you have made but who really wants to be away from JKC for more than 2 weeks!

Reference:

Hwang, P.S., Andre, T.L., McKinley-Barnard, S.K., Marroquin, F.E.M., Gann, J.J., Song, J.J., Willoughby, D.S. (2017). Resistance training induced elevations in muscular strength in trained men are maintained after 2 weeks of detraining and not differently affected by whey protein supplementation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(4), 869-881.

Prepared for the JKC blog by Coach Thomas

Teri Stuckless

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

After my children were born, I was completely out of shape. I had been active before my first pregnancy in 2008. I saw a post on social media about a charity event that was hosted at the gym. It prompted me to check out the JKC website. I was immediately impressed by the professional content and decided to give it a try. The professionally crafted and uniquely tailored work outs, as well as the sense of accountability and commitment that they foster. I have not missed a workout since joining – contrary to other experiences I have had when purchasing gym memberships. The flexibility of booking and rescheduling workouts, made easy by an online app, also contributed to my success in meeting my fitness goals.

I enjoy every session, working out with Jon, Thomas and Craig, as well as the “JKC Community”. Anytime someone achieves a personal best, I enjoy the celebration and support everyone gives each other. For me, I fondly remember achieving personal bests on bench press, chin ups and the sled push, in particular.

Dane Woodland

Personal Strength Training by Jon-Erik Kawamoto

I came to JKC through recommendations from my peers from lululemon. As a current ambassador, I’ve been introduced to legacy ambassadors, like Jon, and I knew a bunch of other people from the store were working out here so I wanted to give it a go. I often dread lower body workouts so I started coming here to do legs. I’ve had such great progress that I now come twice a week— and, I no longer hate leg day!

I’ve never experienced this sort of hybrid between group workouts and personalized service. Many group strength training services offer a sort of one-size-fits-all workout for the general population, which has never been of interest to me, because I want my workout tailored to my needs! I LOVE that you can be in a group setting while doing your own personal program; I love the camaraderie and community at JKC, and, I’ve seen incredible results thus far! Jon is always so attuned to what I need.

Nic Capps

I’ve been weight training on and off for years but never really had a specific goal or target in mind so routinely stalled out, plateaued or stopped training all together. Before I joined JKC I was definitely in a fitness slump and needed something to motivate me and get me back on track. I did a bit of digging online, looking at various personal training options and gyms around town but JKC seemed like the best option by far. I’ve tried big box gyms and other personal trainers in the past but none of them have had the perfect combination of goal specific fitness programming, welcoming and supportive environment, and the knowledge and passion to back it all up that you’ll find at JKC. Jon and Thomas are great to work with, they know how to motivate you if you’re having an off day and are well versed in all the different ways to make your muscles burn! I also have noticed some major improvements in my deadlifts since I started with JKC and was really happy with the result.

Tracy Roche

I chose JKC originally to help prevent rowing injuries. I’m a rower and we won the St. John’s Regatta in 2019 but I rowed through a rib stress fracture and missed significant time in the boat during the racing season. Training at JKC consistently since the pandemic helped me stay injury free this year and made me the strongest I’ve ever felt, which helped me help my team win the 2021 St. John’s Regatta! Jon adds variety and mixes the exercises up well so that the workout goes by quickly and strength is gained. The gym is very personable and I like the eclectic mix of people that are there. JKC is much more intimate and personal than other gyms.

Astrid Billfalk-Kelly

I wanted to add strength training to my cardio, but have always felt gyms to be a bit intimidating, and was worried I would hurt myself without some supervision and help. JKC was highly recommended by several work colleagues. Thomas and Jon are both fantastic, making sure that everyone gets a highly personalized work out in a very supportive environment. The attention to detail and professionalism are second to none. The groups are very small, but very supportive and make the workouts even more fun. Since getting pregnant (36 weeks as I write this) I’m so happy that they continue to help me get stronger while always being safe.

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