A great thing about small group classes is how the group, in addition to the instructor, contributes to the tone of the work outs. Now that we are deep into the fitcamp season, we have some ladies who have attended several sessions and are “pros.” The progress is astounding; speed, strength , agility, and endurance. They also have a masterful command of form and movements from basic squats to more complex compound movements. We also have some newbies, fresh and unfamiliar with the format and the movements. What thrills me the most is to see many women with no formal background in exercise become leaders that the novice women look up to. I feel a large part of my role a class instructor is to show my campers that they are not bench warmers or on the sidelines, that they are active, awesome, powerful leaders who are now empowering other women to be the same!!

Many of the women at fit camp, even repeat campers, miss a session or two due to vacation time. A great benieft of doing exercises in the park is that these women are armed with an arsenal of exercises that they can do WHILE they’re on vacation. So live it up! Have fun! And get your exercise in!

Wilson High fitcampers did a great job pushing through steep inclines and rough surfaces on upper Macleay trail this past week.  It was exciting to get away from the fields for a day and put all of those strength and endurance exercises to the test.  Great Job ladies on your commitment and perseverance! 

If you haven't had the experience of training in a group then you need to come join pdxfitcamp.  The next fitcamp class is starting August 23rd and it will change your body!  The changes are amazing in these ladies and it works because your training your body very differently FOUR days a week!  How could you not get results?  Fulcrum offers nutrition advice, great fitcamp instructors, & most importantly these instructors care about the people they are working with.  Hope to see you at the next fitamp on August 23rd! 

This month, at N. Overlook, we have a wonderful mix of repeat campers and new ones. It’s fantastic to see the level of comitment pay off and see women with little previous expereince with formal exercise become leaders in the group!

It's week four and some of these gals have been working hard for a good while now. Some began early summer, others joined more recently, BUT all had beautiful pushups this am! Be it one or ten in a row, they all looked great out there. Which reminds me to say that any newbies who are afraid to join should fear not. We all started at some point and we are all in different fitness places so there is good work to be done be it your first week or twentieth. Signups are happening NOW! Come join one of our groups and get the work done with lots of support.

Well, it’s week four already. What a fantastic, dedicated group of girls. I can not say enough about how these women push eachother! After our warm up on Monday, I asked the group if there was anything they wanted to focus on for the last week. The marjority vote was for “abs.” Be careful what you ask for!!

So we traded the rain for mosquitos and yet we are still out there. The sense of community helps keep us going. The jokes come a little easier as we become more and more comfortable with each other. And there are results being realized! Bodies are changing and there is plenty of summer left to enjoy showing them off and using them to experience new found interests. The quote of the week this week was from a fitcamper’s young son. He said, “Mommy, you have a dent in your side now!” He of course was referring to her improved and lovely waist!! Congrats to all those who are experiencing those changes and to those who will experience those changes as time rolls along.

There were some questions about the hand held body fat measuring tool used at each bootcamp.  I wanted to provide some information that will help clarify some questions that you might have had and didn't ask or clear up any confusion of how body impedance testing works!

Body impedance is measured when a small, safe electrical signal is passed through the body, carried by water and fluids. Impedance is greatest in fat tissue, which contains only 10-20% water, while fat-free mass, which contains 70-75% water, allows the signal to pass much more easily. By using the impedance measurements along with a person's height and weight, and body type (gender, age, fitness level), it is possible to calculate the percentage of body fat, fat-free mass, hydration level, and other body composition values.

Using this hand held devise to estimate person's body fat assumes that the body is within normal hydration ranges. When a person is dehydrated, the amount of fat tissue can be overestimated. Factors that can affect hydration include not drinking enough fluids, drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, exercising or eating just before measuring, certain prescription drugs or diuretics, illness, or a woman's menstrual cycle. Measuring under consistent conditions (proper hydration and same time of day) will account for best results.  I will be testing my own campers the last week of fitcamp again, so keep in mind that you want to stay hydrated and be consistent with your morning routine in order to obtain the most accurate results!  I hope this helps