You’re hitting the gym! Back in January, it sounded like a great idea. Now it’s May. Swimsuit weather beckons, and your body’s still in hibernation. But who has time for the gym when there are a million things on your to-do list?
Unfortunately, while you’ve been busy taking care of business, your muscles have been slacking on the job. In fact, after the age of 30, you’ll lose 3–8% of muscle mass every decade, even more once you reach 60. The good news is that your muscles aren’t predestined to turn into jello. According to Brian Gibson, franchise owner of MaxStrength Fitness in Montgomery, it takes just two 20-minute workouts a week to stay strong for the active life you want to lead now — and for years to come.
Get a Full Workout: No Sweat, Tie Optional
How is this possible? Call it the magic of the MaxStrength Continuous Tension Protocol, which uses precise, controlled resistance throughout each strength exercise.
“With a typical workout, you might go in and do three sets of 10 reps and focus on one muscle group that day, lifting a load that you’re capable of,” explains Studio Leader Danny Bartlett. “At MaxStrength, it’s a full-body session where you lift weight to the point of concentric failure, meaning you can’t lift that weight anymore.”
It’s within this space of muscle “failure” and letting your body recover from it that you build your strength. Workouts are spaced a few days apart to allow for this recovery. Then, the next time you come in, you’re able to push your body a little further.
While MaxStrength is for everybody — from busy executives to empty nesters — its studio is like no other. The weight machines are made precisely for the MaxStrength workout. They’re built to move slowly and provide just the right amount of resistance, depending on your muscle strength. Unlike using free weights, there’s no need to worry about keeping your balance. MaxStrength machines do it for you.
“The machines account for things that our bodies do when we’re using free weights,” says Danny, who’s also a board-certified physical therapist. “This allows us to focus on that specific muscle stimulus.”
You won’t hear any piped-in music or see any mirrors, either, unlike what you’d probably find in a typical big-box gym. The removal of distractions is by design.
“You are solely focused on what you are doing with your trainer,” explains MaxStrength trainer Lane Walker. “My purpose is to get you to the point where you’re having a stimulus in your muscle.”
You won’t even break a sweat. The studio is kept at a cool 67 degrees, meaning there’s no need for a shower after your training session. You can even work out in your street clothes. Just ask Danny.
“There’s a gentleman up in Cleveland who trains in his tie,” he notes.
Imagine trying that at a regular gym — going from boardroom to bench press and back, necktie intact. And impossible at anywhere except MaxStrength.
Prime Time Transformation
MaxStrength is designed to make the most of your time, too. After the initial 45-minute orientation session, a typical 20-minute MaxStrength workout consists of six exercises, including the lower body, upper body push, upper body pull, and a spine and abdomen exercise. Clients see measurable results with gains in strength and muscle mass. Most clients lose weight, as well. Although, it’s important to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.
After a short MaxStrength session, you can expect to feel like you’ve completed an intense workout — because you have. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll transform into superhero shape overnight. MaxStrength is a process that takes commitment, which is why memberships are available in 6-, 12-, or 18-month packages.
On a Mission for Mobility
For Brian, strength training has always been an important part of his life, and it hits close to home. He’s seen his own parents struggle with mobility as they grew older. They never did strength training.
“People want to stay active and travel and play with their grandkids,” he says. “If you don’t have strength, you can’t do that.”
It’s one of the reasons why opening Greater Cincinnati’s first MaxStrength Fitness location was so important to him. It’s also why he took great care in hiring the trainers that he did.
Besides being a former yoga and Pilates teacher at Body Alive, Lane was also a men’s hairstylist for 10 years. Brian was one of her clients. He knew firsthand about Lane’s exceptional combination of fitness expertise and customer care. As for Danny, he came highly recommended by a physical therapy client, who happened to know Brian’s mom.
“She kept telling me, ‘Brian’s doing something. You’ll be a great fit!’” Danny recalls.
Brian wholeheartedly agrees.
“Relationship is so much a part of this,” Brian explains. “That’s why I knew I needed people with the right personality, the right customer service mindset.”
Stay Strong for Life
Time doesn’t stand still, and neither should we. Even as we grow older, we can build the strength that keeps us moving through life — one 20-minute MaxStrength Fitness session at a time. Need more motivation? Two free introductory workouts are waiting for you. Now what are you waiting for?
MaxStrengthFitness.com/location/montgomery-oh | 1010 Vintage Club Blvd, #202, Montgomery | 513.247.0012