Training parallels life.  Maybe that’s why I love it so much.  There are so many correlations between what you do in the gym and what you do in your life.  Both reward those who finish what they start, and maybe after reading this you’ll have a better idea of why that’s the real key to your success.

You’ve been training for a while now, but you’re stuck.  You can’t lose weight, you can’t get stronger, you’re not getting results…you’re not finished yet!!!  Stop hopping around from program to program and diet to diet.  Did you dot your I’s and cross your T’s???  You need to get enough sleep, adhere to rest times, get enough calories in, and if those details aren’t there then you’re wasting your time.

Finish what you start.

Don’t look for a 3-4 week results.  This is going to be a long haul.  You need 12-16 weeks to elicit dramatic change, anything less and are you really giving it your all?  How long did it take for you to get where you are?  Understand that it may take twice the time to get where you want to be.  We’ve all experienced it, you drive to a place you’ve never been and it takes forever.  Somehow the way home feels like time flew by.  That’s training and dieting.  It’ll feel like it takes forever, but if you stop before you reach the destination you’ll never get there.

I think that’s why I’m so passionate about the Olympic lifts.  You have to finish the pull in your clean or you won’t make it.  You have to commit to getting under the bar no matter what just to stand up with a heavy burden in your hands.  Once you stand you have to commit to thrusting the weight overhead regardless of how hard it is to breathe or stand.  Then you put it down and do it again.

You won’t get there without 100% commitment.   You won’t even get close.  There’s no room for fear, you just need to go and not look back.  I promise once you get there it will be worth it, and you’ll look back and say it wasn’t so bad.  So for now get started.  Get on a program, a meal plan, get hooked in for 3-6 months and give it everything you’ve got.  I promise the results will make the sacrifices you make worth it.  Don’t skip steps, and make the most of the journey.

Journey’s are never about the destination, they’re about overcoming obstacles.

Contact us and find out how we can help you break down those obstacles and help you on your journey.  We are the guides, let us show you the way.

1. Equipment - Our facility is filled top to bottom with top of the line stuff.  We have two dedicated Olympic Lifting Platforms complete with two Men’s and one Woman’s Pendlay bars and competition bumper plates.  We have three other platforms outfitted with power racks from Elite Fitness Systems.  These racks are used in tandem with various benches, bars, and/or bands and chains to provide the ultimate in training tool variety.  Glute-Ham Raises, pull up bars, gymnastic rings, odd objects, if you absolutely need it we have it!  That being said, machines are out, and we work almost exclusively with free-weights, bodyweight, and accommodating resistance.
2. Staff – Our staff isn’t just highly qualified, holding various degrees and certifications from physical therapy to sports nutrition, they continually work to hone their craft.  We spend countless hours in the classroom and at seminars every year to gain more knowledge.  Weekly in-services are held to continue staff education in-house, and we work hard to leave no stone unturned.  In fact we have a pretty extensive library in the gym of training and nutrition material both hardcopy and digital.
3. Community – Our gym isn’t just four walls and a bunch of equipment.  It’s the community that exists inside and out.  It’s not uncommon for athletes to play against each other during their seasons, yet work together to get better in the gym.  They push each other out of respect, and while we watch as many games as we can, parents and athletes alike go to each other’s games.  This is where #Team13Pride came from.
4. #Team13Pride – you’ll know it the moment you get it.  It’s respect, honor, and a willingness to push yourself beyond your preconceived limits.  We can’t explain it any further, you’ll just have to experience it for yourself.
5. Individualization – Today it seems that facilities pop up all over the place who give the same workouts to entire groups.  From start to finish your workout program is yours alone.  It’s the best way to achieve results, every plan is tailored to your specific needs.  It doesn’t get any better then that.
6. Assessment – Our assessment protocol is thorough.  From range of motion, mobility, to the Functional Movement Screen.  We use every tool we have to spot any issues and have an extensive referral network of doctors and therapists in case something arises that’s beyond our scope.
7. Semi-Private Training – The workouts are individualized, but you get to train amongst others.  This accomplishes two things, it provides a dynamic environment where people and athletes get to mingle with each other.  We’ve had parents train at the same time as pro baseball players, and athletes from rival schools share a platform.  It also allows us to bring down the cost of training putting money back in your pocket.
8. Atmosphere – there aren’t many places where you can everyone gets excited about your success.  Our members don’t just notice it, they encourage it, cheer you on, and if you slack on your lifts or slip on your diet it’s not just the staff that hold you accountable, the members do too.  Maybe the music is a little loud, maybe the weights drop a little hard, there may be some yelling and screaming, but you better believe that every day progress is made and goals are reached.
9. Experience – Our staff has worked with people and athletes from all walks of life.  DI full scholarship athletes to senior citizens.  We’ve had professional All-Stars, All-Region, All-State, and All-Americans.  Our general population clientele move better, feel better, and look better.  We’ve been helping people reach goals for years at all levels.
10. Accomplishment – We talk often about our ultimate goal is to Improve Human Performance.  By achieving this goal with our membership we help athletes earn scholarships and success on the field, and our general population members look and feel better.  But it goes beyond that.  Our members forge mental toughness and an iron will.  We don’t restrict our membership to a specific type of person, only a specific type of attitude.  Someone who shows up willing to work hard will succeed here.  We don’t babysit, but groom each individual to become the best they can be inside and out.

So there you have it, if you’re ready for the next step, click on the Contact Us page and let’s get started!!!!

Eat 3 avocados week – full of awesome for you fat and vitamins.

Limit your grains/bread intake to no more than 5 servings a week. (1 slice of bread/ or 1/2 cup of cooked pasta = a serving)

Spinach is awesome for pop eye; it’s awesome for you too, eat it.

Red meat is ok, just be careful about quality! Ground beef, ehhh not the best choice…grass fed porterhouse, now were cooking!

Fruit is awesome, but don’t overdo it. Eat a bunch of berries every day (like 2 big handfuls). Don’t overdo the bananas and apples.

Almonds, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts;  Take 15 of each, put it in a bag, and eat half of the whole bag 1.5 hours before you eat lunch and eat the other half 2 hours before you eat dinner. Have ½ an orange or a handful of cherries with the nuts.

I know, you’re reading this thinking, wow; Team 13 is the shiznat… ok back to some rules.

Greek yogurt, 4 -6 ,(6 oz) servings a week, use plain, add your own berries.

Eat fish, preferably not from a can. Fresh/wild caught not farm raised. I know it’s expensive, so instead of buying stupid groceries, save your dough for some good fish instead and your brain will thank you.

Dairy is ok for some, not for others. Some people have a low tolerance for digesting dairy, so pay attention to your intake and see what your body can handle. Monitor how you feel after eating a dairy product, and also how you feel when you limit your dairy intake. Try to use raw, local, organic, etc when you are choosing dairy products.

            “Feeling down lately? No energy? Not feeling like yourself? Maybe you have low T levels”

I could understand if the commercials were being aired during a 430 am time block for “The Rascal” infomercial; but seriously guys (and girls), this is getting a little out of hand.

This is America. We’re supposed to be known for big loud engines that eat up too much gas and peel the pavement off the road when we hit the gas. We have the right to bear arms and blow stuff up. We publish the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Do I need to list any more examples?

Point is, is that if you’re a male between the ages of 13 and 50, you shouldn’t be watching that commercial thinking “hmm, maybe I’ll ask the doc about this.”

Testosterone: what is it and why it’s important –

Testosterone is a steroid hormone, produced by the male testes and for females in the ovaries. The ingestion of cholesterol (yes, cholesterol, it is actually good for you) is turned into T inside the body. It is responsible for a variety for metabolic functions. For the sake of this post we’re concerned with the rebuilding/ building of muscle mass, and body fat reduction.

To put it simply, the general population has seen a steady decrease in average testosterone levels in males. This is bad, as it correlates with the steady increase in average weight in America. Here at Team 13 we’re all about improving human efficiency. Long story short, the more body fat you carry on you, the lower your T levels, and the unhealthier you are. Get healthy, get more T.

In a recent study, men with increases amounts of abdominal fat showed significant decreases in testosterone levels, as well as a large increase in erectile dysfunction.

So basically, you have a gut, a harder time being awesome for your lady friend than you should, and you don’t look like Hercules.

That’s not too awesome.

Simple ways to increase T levels and be more awesome

1)    Lift heavy weights. How many times are you going to hear us at Team 13 say this? Lift heavy stuff, lift it quick, and lift it correctly. It uses a lot of muscle mass, and tells the body to a) build muscle, b) use energy. More energy use, more fat loss, more awesome. Plus, who doesn’t want to look like Hercules?

2)    Get GREAT sleep. How do we do that?

Go to bed earlier – people tend to snack on stupid stuff when they are up late.

Eat MUCH better – veggies, little bit of fruit, good protein and fat sources. Keep your body regular and it will take care of itself.

Train – don’t just workout, have a goal. Lift for a reason and figure out how to train for it; and go hard in the paint.

3)    Take ZMA at night. It helps you sleep deeper. Deeper, more restful sleep has been shown to increase T production at night. This aids in better recovery from training sessions. Better recovery equals getting stronger equals being more awesome.

Instead of giving in to the current trend of males in our country; reclaim your awesomeness, increase your T levels.