Don't be a toad during break!

Just because F airfield Strength is closed during break that doesn't give you the right to slack off your training or get lazy! Don't be a toad! Enjoy your holiday by living it it fully - walk, run, explore - get off the couch and do something positive, something healthy, start your new year off right !!!

Now don't get me wrong, it's ok to sleep late, or stay up late, or both. But not every day - and not if you use this as an excuse to be lazy or to stay inside. Start your new year fitness resolution early - put a few work outs in the bank. Start 2010 right.

Become that which you can, do that which you are capable of. Take a chance, dare to dream, dare to try something new, even if you fail, dare to be great!

Captain


and remember to smile :) Life is good!

Indoor Soccer Training Update

Fairfield Strength will be sponcering a U-14 Girls and at least 1 High School Age girls soccer team this winter at Gooal Sports in Stratford. The format 6 V 6 with 2 - 25 minute halves. U-14 Games start on Saturday -December 5th. Game time is 1130 AM each week. There will be no games on the Christmas weekend of 12/25 – 12/26, but games will be scheduled games for the following weekend on January 2nd. Registration is available through the link on the right side of this blog. All games will be played at the Gooal Sports indoor facility on Honeyspot Road in Stratford. Team roster will be limitted to 12 players. Professional coaching will be provided for all matches and training sessions. Coach Gomola and/or Coach Little George will be the primary coaches for matches.

Last 2 days of Fall Session

Training Tuesday and Thursday - these are the last 2 days of our Fall Session. Winter Session begins next week.

No Training on Tuesday - Election Day

Schools are closed due to election day on Tuesday Nov. 2nd, Our training program is also cancelled for this day. See you Thursday.

Thought for the day - become the change

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. —D. Elton Trueblood

NO Training on Thursday - Early Dismissal

Fairfield Strength will be closed on Thursday due to early dismissal. We were open on Tuesday, nobody showed, so from now on we will be closed on early dismissal days. If school is closed due to emergency, weather, conferences, or dismissed early Fairfield Strength will also be closed.

Training is a Go for today!

Hi all - Our program will be held today during our normal class periods - 3-4 and 4-5. Will most likely be training outdoors and enjoying today's warm, sunny weather. TRX outside - doesn't get much better than that! Take care, Capt.

Training on Tuesday October 21 - Early Dismissal

Hi All -

As of right now the training scheduled for tomorrow is a go - the school has early dismissal but we will still run our program. If for some reason that should change we will make an announcement at school and I will post an update prior to 12 noon. Please check the blog before you go to our training session tomorrow.

Thanks much,

Captain

So what did you do this weekend?

The only time learning stops is when you are dead. While the quality and content of learning can become the subject of much debate, if you seek to be the best you can be, and if you seek to make a positive difference with your life by affecting the lives of others, then the challenge is to learn that which is important and to learn it well. The best way to learn something well is to plan on teaching that which you are learning. If you are to teach something you must learn it better.

That is what your instructors and future instructors did this week end in Stamford. Wendy, Mookie, George and Chelsea attended the TRX instructor certification program on Sunday. They learned from one of the best trainers in the country how to use the TRX training system to make you strong, flexible, and resilient. We will be posting some more information on their certification in the very near future. Fairfield Strength continues to provide the very best in functional movement training.

To keep what you have learned you must give it away.

This Week at Fairfield Strength

World's Coolest B-Day Cake

Feeling the love from my brother's on the Fairfield Fire Department - "Youse guys are the best!" Thanks Much!

Simple Cobble

In the firehouse we use the word "cobble" to describe the act of putting a meal together using materials at hand. It is the act which truly defines a great firehouse chef. Not to belittle the accomplishments of those who cook from recipes and carefully prepare a meal according to directions - good food is good food. The single variable that defines a the way firefighters cook is the way we approach the task. First you need to "feel it." Then you need to "make it happen."

The feeling it part is as unique as the cook - sometimes it happens at the coffee table talking about a meal somebody had, sometimes it happens at the store when you look at the flyer and see what is on sale. Don't have time to get into great detail about the feeling it part on this post - we can save that for another day.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - you need protein and good carbs. This recipe is for simple breakfast cobble - one pan toast and eggs. You need the following:

One non-stick fry pan
Olive Oil
3 slices wheat or multi grain bread
3 eggs
Good Salsa



Heat the fry pan to medium heat, add some olive oil (about 2 table spoons)
Cut the middle out of the bread slices - leave about 3/.4" all around the outside.
Put the bread into the skillet after the oil has heated - crack one egg into the middle of each slice of bread - lift the corner of the bread to allow the egg to run under - cook until the the egg has firmed (about 1 min) then use a non stick spatula to flip the slices - cook until eggs are done - about another minute. Plate and serve with salsa - Prep and cook time approx. 5 min.

Balance

Rambling

In all things we must seek balance. Without balance there is dysfunction and instability. Balance is illusive and fleeting. It can be gained and then lost as time and circumstance shift the loads we carry. As long as we are truly seeking our journey will be productive. We will accomplish great things in sport, in training, and in life.

Coach - what the heck are you talking about?

Time to put the seat belts on - the ride is about to get bumpy. We have been stretching our muscles - now it is time to stretch our mind. The brain is after all just another muscle.

We are about to enter in to the realm of the poet warrior, the cerebral athlete, the Renaissance man/woman. To seek balance in all things we must train our mind with the same enthusiasm that we do other muscles.

You are who you think you are - perception is reality - life is good if you say so. Today is good - if you say so. Today can also be great - it can be the very best day of your life - for in reality - today is all we have. Today is what you make it.

There is an old Sanskrit verse that puts things into perspective:

Look to this day for it is life, the very life of life.
For yesterday is but a dream , and tomorrow a vision.
But today, well lived, will make every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Live well therefore this day.

We had a guy on the fire department, long since retired, who with out really thinking about it, lived this proverb to the tea. He savored every moment and squeezed every second out of life. As is true with all great men, his words, or better yet, his catch phrases, have become part of our fire department culture. When he was asked about the food he was eating - his response was highly predictable - "the best I ever ate." It didn't matter what the food was - a sandwich or a steak - if it was lunch, dinner, or just a snack - the food in his hand became the best he ever ate. He was very grateful to have it and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Those who love dogs and truly know them understand this concept - dogs keep it in the now - they remember little, forget quickly, and appreciate this moment completely. They can be scolded and punished for peeing on the carpet but give them a bone a minute later and all is right with the world. The bad memories are forgotten and life is good once more. The dog bone is always "the best I ever ate."

So what does this have to do with anything - and why are you posting this on our blog?

Sometimes we need reminders to help us seek that which is important. The signs along the highway remind us to check the gas gauge on a long journey. They don't actually say "check your gas level" but they remind us with pictures, works, and symbols that gas is available. Running out of gas is never an accident - it is the result of misguided priorities. This translates into a lack of balance. Something else was more important than putting gas in the car.

Misplaced priorities can also turn a long and happy life into a tragic footnote. If we fail to take care of the machine through proper diet, exercise, and stress management we are setting ourselves up for failure.

Life is a journey -you choose the destination and the means of travel. This blog is but a sign along the way - seek the balance and enjoy the ride. Capt.

More Pcts

Today's Photos

Photos from todays classes.

TRX and Kettlebells.

Today at Fairfield Strength

Fairfield Strength welcomes Craig VanSteenbergen as our new web master and program photographer. Thanks Craig!

Kettlebell Training featured on News 12

Not sure if you caught last week's special on News 12 health watch but our very own Wendy Pond was featured. Her tremenous success with kettlebell training and her recent certification as RKC Kettlebell Instructor. Congratulations Wendy. We are in the process of forming a new kettlebell class. Please check back for details.

3-4 Session is Full! A few spots left from 4-5

The Fall session of the Fairfield Strength ASE Form and Function program is off to a very strong start. We are currently at capacity for the 3-4 session. If you are interested in this session for the next season please sign up early. We have room in our 4-5, but that too if filling rapidly. If you are interested in our program and are not sure if you want to commit for a full term no worries. Give our program a try - send us an email at fairfieldstrength@gmail.com, let us know when you are available, and if we have room, you are most welcome. We are a program of attraction as opposed to advertisement. Most of our clients are word of mouth. Those who have tried have stayed or told their friends. We offer what most health clubs cannot - functional movement training - Certified TRX instruction, RKC certified kettlebell instructors, and Z-health neural training. Welcome to the best kept fitness secret in Fairfield County. Give us a try, but be careful who you tell - there are only a few spots left.

READY SET GO

Fairfield Strength Fall Programs will begin on Tuesday September 22nd. Training sessions are held on Tuesday and Thursday from 3 PM - 4 PM and 4 PM - 5 PM. The Fall classes are filling up rapidly but openings are still available. Please contact us for additional information.

Back to Work- but what a summer!

Hi All -

Many regrets for the delay in posting this information. Just got back from San Francisco on a long overdue and much too brief summer vacation. Mrs. G and I spent some time on both sides of the Golden Gate - spent some time with Caitlin in Sausilto, did some hiking on the ocean cliffs of Pacifica, and ate some great pulled pork at the Gorilla BBQ - if your ever traveling the Pacific Coast Hwy this is a must stop location.



Seems like the summer just flew by - Not complaining - our summer program was an incredible learning opportunity for our instructors and a wonderful growth opportunity for our program participants. Our programming this summer was the culmination of 3 years of very hard work. We took the best of everything that worked, and fused it with the very best of cutting edge fitness and functional movement science. Z health neural warm up, TRX suspension training, RKC hard style kettlebell training featuring the Turkish Get UP, farmers walks, and presses. We added key components of the Z health S-Phase speed and reaction training, mixed in a little of Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen corrective strategies, and topped it off with some basic nutritional guidance. As one of our Moms put it - my daughter moves differently since she started working with you... she is more balanced and stable. The same girl's father returned from a long business trip and asked "who is the girl standing by the pool? Does our daughter have a new friend?." The friend was his daughter - she had lost weight, stabilized her core (causing her to stand tall and strong - instead of hunched over), and added definition to her arms and shoulders.

In the past we took baby steps, learning to crawl and then to stand. This year we hit the ground running. You worked and you changed - you felt different - you moved differently - most importantly - you liked the way you moved - the other comment we hear all the time is "my son (or daughter) seems much more self confident since she started training." Cool stuff - on many levels.

So - back to the fall programing. This school year we will be running 3 sessions: Fall, Winter, and Spring. The Fall Session will start on Sept 22nd. The cost is $269 per session for new students, $249 for alumni, and $199 for peer trainers. We meet on Tues and Thursday from 3 PM - 4 PM or 4 PM - 5 PM. When is closed our program is closed. For early dismissals check the blog.

Peer Trainers: This year peer trainers MUST qualify in TRX to maintain their status - qualification is a 20/20 challenge. In addition, each peer trainer shall demonstrate a full pull up AND perform a Turkish get up with an 8 kg kettlebell (both sides). Final note - we will be limiting the number of participants to 16 per session. As always - full and partial scholarships are available on a need basis, no child will be denied participation due to financial reasons.

On a final note - in accordance with Fairfield Rec Dept Policy -- this program will open to non residents 1 week from the start date - so if you are interested pls sign up ASAP. Any questions pls give us a shout at fairfieldstrength@gmail.com.

Train hard, train smart,

Capt

Wendy Pond RKC

Congratulations to Wendy Pond- Fairfield Strength Member and our newest Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor. Wendy completed the RKC Snatch Challenge on Friday performing 100 snatches with a 35 lb kettlebell in 4 min and 25 seconds. The challenge allows 5 minutes to complete 100 reps. But the snatch challenge is only the beginning - the gateway to a 3 day trail of strenght and endurance that 30 % of the candidates fail. Wendy was required to demonstrate perfect technique in the deadlift, the squat, the swing, the clean, the press, the snatch and most importantly - the Turkish Get Up. Finally - she had to demonstrated her ability to teach and pass an instructor training practical - her final test was to survive the Graduate Work Out - a grueling work out that seperates the strong from the weak. Wendy destroyed every challenge and recieved her RKC Kettlebell Instructor. Great Job Wendy!!!

WENDY MEETS RKC Snatch Challenge

Fairfield Strength member Wendy Pond completed 100 snatches with a 16 kg kettlebell in 4:25 seconds. The RKC instructor challenge requires female instructor candidates to complete 100 snatches with a 16 kg bell in under 5 minutes. Wendy DESTROYED the challenge. Great Work Wendy!! Stay STrong.

Parting Shots - TRX Challenge - 10/10 Club

Fairfield Strength Summer Programs End...

Thanks for all of your hard work - the life you saved may be your own. Check back for information about our fall programs.



Thanks!

SAQS is a go for tonight!

Our last session of the summer season - hope to see you on the field. Capt

Congrats to Denis - TRX 40/40 in Germany!

Thanks to technology, TRX and Fairfield Strength the pond just go smaller. Denis took a TRX back to Germany with him after his visit in July - It didn't take long for him to master the atomic push up and conquer the 40/40 challenge. The above pictures were taken during his recent visit to the Fairfield Strength Summer Session at Roger Ludlow Middle School fitness center back in July. Congratulations Denis - we are very proud of you!

Captain

Germany beats the TRX 40/40 challenge !!!

                         Denis Schulte - former trainer for Fairfield Strength

                                     

Thanks to my friend and coach Captain Gomola. He showed me all those great exercises that made me faster, stronger and more resistant against injurys. Thanks for all the great programs you send to me. Here is the proof that I'm working hard. I'm excited to do the next challenge ;-)

Thanks.

SAQS Training is a GO! As of now...

Hi all -

Cleo and Bobby are heading down from West Haven for tonight's SAQS training program. As of now we are a go. If in doubt pls show up at the field behind Ludlow Middle School. In the event of thunder and lightening the program will be cancelled and the participants will be sheltered at Roger Ludlow HS under the pavilion by the snack bar on the Turf Field.

Capt

TRX on the road - Matt in AZ

TRX on vacation. One of the great features of TRX training systems is the portability. Not wanting to miss training Matt purchased his own TRX before heading on vacation. This photo was taken in Arizona - Great Stuff Matt!!

SAQS Training is a GO!

Tuesday's Training - TRX on the Track

Fairfield Ludlow HS Maintanance Staff has much work to do over the summer. We try our best to work together to minimize our program impact on their schedule. They are refinishing the floor outside the fitness center this week. We had the option of moving to the yoga studio but decided to move outside instead - great stuff - our photos show the versitility of the TRX training system:

Matt's Atomic Push Up - For Shawna at News 12

Check back at 5 PM - Poss. Thunderstorms

Fairfield Strength Trainer Beats the TRX 40/40 Challenge

Chris Barrett - Trainer for Fairfield Strength smoked the TRX 40/40 challenge - performing 40 atomic push ups and 41 low rows. Chris - a first year trainer with Fairfield Strength is quickly becoming one of the very best. He definitely walks the walk.

In addition to meeting and beating the TRX challenge, Chris was one of the top finishers in his class at the Fairfield Fire Fighters Half Marathon last month. Congrats Chris! Job Well Done.



Shannon Curry - Fairfield Strength Student meets TRX 20-20 Challenge - Video to follow. Trainer Chris Barrett set the bar and his clients are reaching for it in a big way. Shannon Curry completed the 20/20 TRX Challenge yesterday during our 230 session. Video to follow. Great Stuff Shannon!

Russian Kettlebell Seminar Postponed

Check Blogspot for updates: http://rkcfireprokettlebell.blogspot.com/

Programming Cancelled Due to Chance of T-Showers

Field is wet and it is raining. Looks like T-showers are on the way -We can handle the rain but not the threat of lightening. We will schedule a make up class - Check back for time and place.

Not Looking Good for Programing Today.

Please check back for definitive information - but if it is raining or there is thunder and electrical activity at 5 PM our program will be cancelled for today. Make up class arrangements will be announced. Captain

Last Chance! Kettlebell Seminar Deadline Expires Tonight

Gentlemen (and Ladies)

Our second Firefighter Kettlebell Seminar is taking place on August 7-9 at the CT Tank Location in Bridgeport. If you attended our first session you know the quality of this seminar. We received "excellent" reviews on every aspect of our program. The two day basic training program will be held on Aug 7 and 8. At your request a one day advanced training session will be held on Sunday Aug 9. Registration for this seminar has been slow. The registration deadline is next Wednesday, July 29. If you are thinking about participating now is the time to register. Two weeks ago we presented the Fairfield Firefighter's Benevolent fund with a check for $408.32 at their annual meeting. This was the proceeds from our February Seminar. The beneficiaries of this seminar will include the CT Burns Camp Foundation. We currently need about 20 more participants to cover our basic costs. If we do not meet our minimum we may need to cancel this seminar. Many people have expressed interest, but it's time to firm up those commitments. We will still be including a kettlebell with the basic training program - but only for the first 40 applicants. Registration is time stamped. If you know somebody who wants to participate now is the time.

Any help you could provide in spreading the word would be greatly appreciated. In addition to firefighters, families and friends we are now inviting PD, State PD, EMS, Military, and EMS Providers (MD, Nurse). We opened the door for you, please help us spread the word and open it for others. Information and registration available at http://rkcfireprokettlebell.blogspot.com/ The life you save may be your own.


Stay Safe,

George "Captain" Gomola RKC

Weeks 3 and 4

Week 2 - TRX All Body Xpress

Push It - No limits - No Mercy