The power of lunges

Lunges are a really good exercise to add to your work out routine, they are a kind of super exercise if you will. They work many muscles in your legs at the same time and also help build core strength in other parts of your body. Lunges are excellent for building strength around the hamstrings, which is a priority for many of our gym members, as most of them are active in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. Strong legs are integral to on-the-hill performance and stamina, but benefits absolutely everyone, weather you are an athlete or not. There are a few different types of lunges, the one we will be introducing here is the basic forward step lunge.

How to do lunges:
The Basics:
Starting position, stand with hands on hips and feet together. Keeping your head up and your spine in a neutral position, take a fairly big step forward, dipping down so that your front knee is at a 90-degree angle. Your back knee drops straight down behind you, this back leg will be balancing on the toe of that foot. The back leg should also be at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of your lung-dip, the thigh should be in a straight line with your spine. Then return to the standing position and repeat. The general motion is forward and descending, spine staying in a vertical position. Stabilize by keeping your chest high and stomach up. Keep your weight evenly distributed in the step, the weight put on the front foot should be on the heel or centered on the foot, do not raise the heel of the front foot. The spine should stay in the same neutral position when you move up and down, and avoid rotating at the hips. You can alternate which foot you place forward or do sets for each side.
 
Extras:
There are a few different variations to forward step lunges, you can do them stationary in one spot, or do walking lunges, 'propelling' you forward with each step (these are extra good for core strength as there is an extra balance element involved). You can add weights to your ankles and arms for a tougher workout and they can even be done with a barbell or other weights held overhead for hard core weight lifters. You can also execute the lunges up onto a step/box or off a step/box, both variations adding a bit of difficulty and resistance. In all cases the most important thing is the correct posture.

Here's Tammie, one of our regulars, executing  a deep lunge with added weights. She uses the weights for arm curls at the same time which adds another dimension to the exercise. You can often catch Tammie doing walking lunges around the gym, she then adds weight belts to her ankles as well. Yeah, she's an expert 'lunger'. When you see how good shape Tammie's legs are in it does make you want to do lunges.

For those of you who are very 'nerdy' about your anatomy and muscle groups in particular, here is a list of the most worked muscle groups when doing lunges: adductor magnus, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis.

If you see anyone doing walking lunges in the gym, why not join the lunge train. They are a great group exercise. One of the greatest aspects of this exercise is that it can be executed almost anywhere with great effect. A frequently visiting members of ours likes coming in and grabbing a couple of weights, then head out again to do lunges around the Body Shop building, lunges in the sunshine, why not?

Member Profile February 2013

It's a new month, goodness time flies when you're having fun! And that is why most of us are here in Mammoth, to have fun! Our new member of the month works hard, plays hard and works out hard.


BodyShop: Please state your name for us.

Member: Grace

BodyShop: Do you live in Mammoth full time, seasonal or visiting? And how long have you been here?

Member: Full time, I've been here four years.

BodyShop: What is your occupation?

Member: I'm an HR administrator for Levy Restaurants.

BodyShop: How long have you been coming to The Body Shop?

Member: About 5 months now.

BodyShop: How often do you work out and what’s your favorite time of day for working out?

Member: Just about every day. My favorite time would be in the morning, but since i work early I never get to come in in the morning, so I usually work out late in the evening.

BodyShop: What’s your favorite work out music?

Member: Actually, I usually listen to stand up comedy instead of music, it's more distracting.

BodyShop: What other sports/recreational activities do you engage in?

Member: Snowboarding, hiking, biking, climbing and horseback riding.

BodyShop: Which are your favorite spots to do those things around Mammoth?

Member: All around the Mammoth area and in Bishop.
 

BodyShop: What do you like best about The Body Shop Gym? 

Member: Friendly employees! (Note from The Body Shop: We did in no way bribe Grace for this answer.)
 
BodyShop: Finally, what is the one piece of workout gear you wear that should probably have been retired a long time ago? (oh, come on, you know you have at least one item like that)

Member: A holy pair of pants that I keep fixing, but they keep tearing in the same spot over and over. I won't give them up though!

Grace is always smiley and pretty, we love her.

Power Shake

For those of you following us on Facebook, you might have spotted Body Shop owner Bruce posting a picture or two of his morning shake making. Bruce is the king of shakes and knows a lot about what to put in them in order to get all the goodness of fruit and veg into one cup. When it comes to shakes a lot of it comes down to taste, if you don't like strawberries, don't put them in, but the more bright colored fresh produce the better. Favoring organic and avoiding GMO stuff is a given, when available and affordable, but work with what your budget allows. Try to use fresh produce for the most part, but if fresh is hard to come by frozen fruit and vegetables can be mixed in. As a rule, they will have been frozen a very short time after harvest and therefore retain a lot of their nutrients. (Be aware that the consistency of the finished smoothie might be different as frozen foods contain more water than fresh).

The essential equipment needed for making shakes/smoothies is a good blender, so you can get the texture nice and smooth. Bruce uses a Vita Mix blender.

Here is one of Bruce's typical concoctions:

1 orange
6 strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries (can be substituted for grapes or blackberries)
1/2 cup raspberries
1 kiwi
1 small apple
1 cup fresh broccoli
1 cup fresh spinach
1-2 scoops Met Rx Protein Powder
1 scoop veggie protein powder
10 grams Creatine
10 grams Glutamine
Add any amount of water to get the consistency you desire, alternatively add ice if you prefer a chilling smoothie.

As you can see by Bruce's staging of this photo, he does not exclusively eat healthy stuff.

If you have any questions about making shakes Bruce is happy to talk about it if you catch him at the gym.

Member profile January 2013

It's a new month, a new year in fact, and our 'Member of the Month' feature is back. This month we convinced one of our male frequent visitors to spill the beans for us.

BodyShop: Please state your name for us.

Member: Aaron

BodyShop: Do you live in Mammoth full time, seasonal or visiting? And how long have you been here?

Member: Full time now. I’ve lived here on and off for the last 6 years, but have been a more permanent resident the last 3 years.

BodyShop: What is your occupation?

Member: I work Security, and I also do construction in the summertime.

BodyShop: How long have you been coming to The Body Shop?

Member: Since 2010, a bit on and off though.

BodyShop: How often do you work out and what’s your favorite time of day for working out?

Member: I work out 5 times per week if I’m really on it. You know when I like to come in, it’s usually around 4 or 5pm.

BodyShop: What’s your favorite work out music?

Member: I like Hip Hop.

BodyShop: What other sports/recreational activities do you engage in?

Member: I’m a summer activities kind of guy. I like a lot of the stuff there is to do here in the Summer, and I play some B-ball as well.

BodyShop: Which are your favorite spots to do those things around Mammoth?

Member: The Lake Basin is cool.
 

BodyShop: What do you like best about The Body Shop Gym? 

Member: I like that it’s a smaller gym and there isn’t a whole lot of people in all the time, it’s easy to get on the equipment, you can get in and do what you need to do quite quickly. It’s also a friendly gym, people know each other here.
 
BodyShop: Finally, what is the one piece of work out gear you have that should probably have been retired a long time ago? (oh, come on, you know you have at least one item like that)

Member: My work jeans, I shouldn’t even be wearing them in the gym really, I just do because I come here straight from work sometimes.

Aaron and an inspirational picture of a bundle of muscles.

Our favorite machine

Introducing our favorite piece of equipment at the Body Shop gym, the Stairmaster Gravitron 2000. Made by the brand Stairmaster, but it is actually a weight assisted pull-up/triceps machine. It allows you to subtract a desired amount of weight from your total body weight, enabling anyone to do pull-ups or triceps lifts/dips. Lifting your entire body weight might not be for everyone (just yet), so here is your chance to work on those upper body muscles with a little helping hand. Amazing!

The machine as it's stands close to the entrance to the Body Shop main gym floor.

Knees are placed onto the platform and the desired handle bar grip is chosen.

If you ever have any question regarding operating one of our machines, please don't hesitate to ask the gym staff member on duty.

Member profile December 2012

We thought it might be fun to present our blog with a monthly member profile. We love our members so much, their relaxed attitudes and friendly faces are what makes The Body Shop special, so this feature is a homage to them.
I found the perfect member to get the first slot, she has been a member for many years and is a wonderful girl. Without further adieu...

BodyShop: Please state your name for us lovely.

Member: Jennifer Marie Collins

BodyShop: Do you live in Mammoth full time, seasonal or visiting? And how long have you been here?

Member: I live here full time. I came to Mammoth in 1999, so that’s 14 years ago. But I’ve left twice, once to live in New York and recently I lived in New Orleans for a bit. I love that place.

BodyShop: What is your occupation?

Member: I’m getting back into personal training at the moment, after a hiatus. I was a personal trainer for over 10 years here at the Body Shop Gym and I'm coming back to it now because it's a passion of mine. (For anyone who needs a personal trainer, Jennifer’s business card can be found in our office)  I also teach figure skating. I also have a lot of love for theater, I'm in a play at the Mammoth Theater at the moment.

BodyShop: How long have you been coming to The Body Shop?

Member: Since the very first day I moved to town this has been my gym of choice.

BodyShop: How often do you work out and what’s your favorite time of day for working out?

Member: I try to make it 5 to 6 times per week, and my favorite time of day is after 7.30pm. You’ve probably noticed I’m often in here right before closing.

BodyShop: What’s your favorite work out music?

Member: Dubstep! I think Bruce keeps removing the dubstep channel from the gym iPod though.

BodyShop: What other sports/recreational activities do you engage in?

Member: Skiing, dancing, ice skating, hiking around and walking my dog Butters. I also love going to music festivals such as Burning Man.

BodyShop: Which are your favorite spots to do those things around Mammoth?

Member: For ice skating the lakes of Yosemite are great. Last season we went almost every day, the lack of snow offered great opportunities for ice skating. Horseshoe lake is great for hiking, I take my dog out there for walks. The Body Shop is definitely one of my favorite spots too, I am in here a lot. But for dancing I must say I like leaving town.

BodyShop: What do you like best about The Body Shop Gym? 

Member: The members here are a bit like family, many have been coming here for a long time and everyone is so friendly. There is also no elitism here, there is no unspoken dress code and stuff like that, that you can find at many gyms. Here it's very much come as you are and we all like each other.

BodyShop: Finally, what is the one piece of work out gear you have that should probably have been retired a long time ago? (oh, come on, you know you have at least one item like that)

Member: Oh man. Well… I have this pair of Juicy Couture velour trousers. I didn’t buy them, they were given to me. I’m not really a Juicy Couture kind of girl, but these one pair of pants keeps outlasting all my other gym gear, they just won’t wear out! I'd seriously come to the gym in PJ's and Uggs if no one would laugh at me. (Note to Jennifer: No one would dare laugh at you, you're stronger than most other people attending the gym)

Jennifer is one of a few of our members who do bodybuilding, here she is at a competition in Los Angeles.

Gym Panorama

With today's technology we can do so much, this blog for example. But have a look at this. The gym in panorama. How cool is that!?

Click on the images for a better view.

The Body Shop office, this is where you sign up to become a member or pay for your one-off visit if you prefer.

The main gym floor, we've got the cardio and weight equipment you need to get in shape!