As both an exercise physiologist and a professional chef, Steven Czerniejewski serves this
winning recipe for success: “What it comes down to is a simple quote I once read,” this
Westfield native said. “‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.’”
Czerniejewski owns Full Plate Strength and Conditioning, a Broad Street training facility where
each of four coaches helps clients build physical strength while also encouraging them toward a
future of healthy habits and personal growth.
“We all have these areas in life that we need to be actively working on, whether it be our
health, our career, our relationships,” said Czerniejewski, once an inactive gamer; now a fit,
dual career business owner. “The way that we grow muscularly is the way that we grow in all
areas. We have to stress our muscles to grow them. It’s the same in all areas of life.”
When coaching clients, Czerniejewski blends his own, can-do attitude with the latest science
and his students’ unique goals. Then, he adds his secret ingredient: “Coaching is all about
communication,” he said. “You can know all the physiology in the world, but if you can’t
communicate that to people, you’re missing the mark.”
Training like an athlete:
· Max Effort Sprinting
When it comes to success in athletics the faster athlete typically wins, not necessarily the strongest. In many cases the stronger athlete is the faster athlete. We need to train our strong muscle to move fast. Do this by performing 8-12 max effort sprints each week, and no more than 6 per day. The key phrase is max effort, because running slowly doesn’t make us faster. Rest 10x longer than the time it takes to sprint (a 5s sprint would require at least 50s rest)
· Single Leg Training
Most of athletics are done on one leg. Sprinting, changing direction, etc. is done on one leg. So, the athlete who has more single leg power will generally be faster. At Full Plate we develop this using sleds, split squats, and single leg squats.
· Move weights fast
Very simple: move slow, be slow. We should pick weights up with speed and a sense of urgency. The last thing we want is to get used to moving slowly. Sometimes this means using a weight that is slightly lighter, for the sake of working on the speed of movement.
· Multiple joints
Athletics and life are performed using multiple joints. Sprinting, jumping, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, etc. all require multiple joints. We want to use multiple joint exercises (squat, lunge, deadlift, row, etc.) to prepare us for those tasks instead of single joint movements (bicep curls, leg extensions, triceps pushdowns, etc.)
· Recovery
The most successful athletes out eat, and out sleep their competition. Training is stressful and breaks down our body. Recovery builds us up stronger than where we were before. Therefore eating foods high in protein, rich in color, and getting enough sleep will make the difference in how much our body grows in response to training.