Revamp your life

The gains in diverse exercise

Fitness places don’t really appeal to me. Perhaps I secretly feel like I have to be fit in order to go to a fitness center. “That’s a common misconception,” says Lindsay Ashton of Revamp Personal Training in Morro Bay. I know she is right. How silly! You start a fitness routine to GET fit.

 I met Lindsay at her business location where she has three large workout rooms with a variety of equipment. “I don’t rely solely on the equipment,” she says, “Personal training sessions are the best way to start a fitness program.” There is also an outside area where certain exercise sessions can take place.

Ashton is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer and has a number of other specialty certifications. The important thing about a personal training program is that it is specifically geared to you and your needs. It starts with a half hour free consultation to assess your situation. From there one can progress into a variety of small group training sessions.

Revamp offers basic training in core conditioning, boot camp style weight loss, strength and muscle building, circuit training, functional training, and plyometric and endurance sessions. There are also specialty training sessions for balance, injury prevention, sports specific, Olympic lifting technique, injury prevention, postural training, prenatal and postpartum, Kettlebell training, and manual stretching.

Ashton stresses functional training. What does that mean? “Functional training prepares the body for life.” During one-on-one training sessions you learn the movements that will help your body throughout your day. I found I could relate to that. Since undergoing a five vertebra spinal fusion in 2005 I found myself having difficulties with my daily activities.

 “Do you stretch?” Ashton asked me. We both laughed because she could tell by the look on my face that I didn’t. Muscles from the lower back through the legs get adversely affected after a surgery like this. Without stretching exercises, they tend to atrophy a bit and then other problems arise. Yes, I was experiencing exactly those kinds of things. It was time to get with the program!

I chose to take her up on the half hour consultation. That actually turned into a bit more than an hour session because after going through a number of assisted stretching procedures, I wanted to be able to do as much as I could at home to keep going. I came in to Ashton with pain in both knees and in my left hip. I was facing the possibility of having knee surgery and not happy about it. At the end of my session I was magically pain free. “You have to do these every day,” she told me in order to get those muscle and tendons flexible again. So much of what I learned just made sense. There is no easy way out. You HAVE to exercise to feel good.

Revamp is one of the places that offer Crossfit Training and Ashton is Crossfit Level 1 Certified. She also has her husband involved as well as a former client both of whom are Crossfit trained. What exactly is Crossfit? This is a circuit type training involving boot camp style small group sessions experiencing cardiovascular exercises, body weight exercises, plyometric and kettlebell training and more. The 45 minute sessions give one a full body workout. There are six levels of training to be achieved in this high intensity workout. Area fire fighters and police are active in Revamp’s Crossfit program.

Not ready for Crossfit yet? Perhaps Tone & Tighten is for you. This is the program I will head towards once I improve through my athletic stretching. It is primarily geared for women. Maybe you want to shed a few pounds and tighten up some spots. This semi-private class with anywhere from three to six people attending utilizes lighter weights, moderate cardio sessions, and higher repetitions to achieve your goal.

“I try to keep groups to no more than 10 people,” Ashton said, “and I change out the workout every six weeks.” That change out is important too. Our bodies tend to get used to doing the same repetitive things and after a while no benefit is gained. Ashton always has at least two trainers on hand for every session to make sure people are doing the movements correctly and that no one gets hurt.

Revamp has a variety of times and lengths for each type of training and can assist you in finding one that fits your schedule. There are a variety of membership and pricing opportunities also.

It might be for reasons of health or weight problems or just because you want to keep moving that you should consider an exercise program. It might solve a serious problem or keep you from having a surgery. Whatever your reason, Revamp Personal Training will work with you to achieve your goals. Give it a try and revamp your life!

See Revamp Personal Training at revamptraining.com or call (805) 771-9707 for more information. Revamp Personal Training is located at 1130 Napa Street, Morro Bay, CA 93442.

Ruth Ann Angus - Local writer and photographer

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