PDXStrength News

Hello Coaches,

I just wanted to reach out and express my gratitude to each and every one of you. I have always said that PDXStrength has been a home for me. I was introduced to the gym in 2013 and have watched it grow…I have grown. Through life’s ups and downs, PDXStrength has been a constant for me. A place that when I walk through the door I feel welcome, like I belong. There has NEVER been a workout that I have regretted. Now, maybe there were days when I looked at the white board and saw that what was posted on FB was only a glimpse of the programming for the day and I wanted to go to my car for my jump rope and not look back, but every time I showed up, put in the work and did my best (for that day) I always left proud. This gym has seen my blood, sweat and I unabashedly admit, my tears. I have seen coaches come and go and I have truly enjoyed them all. I have seen members come and go and while I was happy to see some move on Emoji I have also formed many friendships. This is truly a community that I cherish.

In those beginning days of uncertainty, before PDXStrength temporarily closed its doors, it was still a place of solace for me. I showed up to the outdoor classes, quickly adapted to touching less equipment, being more vigilant about cleaning and washing. I held on because that is what you do when you love something. I didn’t know what was next, I didn’t know if each time I left if it would be the last time for a while. Meanwhile, an amazing thing was happening. You, the coaches, were working together to make sure we all still had what we needed to be a community and to work and be healthy and be safe. You NEVER let us down. I have found that PDXStrength is not a person, a building or a location; it is a pulsing thing that is alive. They say home is where the heart is, and I can feel every one of your hearts here in my home as I have transitioned to Zoom and Instagram workouts, supplemental programming, happy hours, blogs and personal attention through CHOMA-19. Thank you for being my rock. Thank you for being my constant. Thank you for being my home.

Nigel, your thoughtful programming and coaches notes make me smile. I can hear every WOD read in your voice and I always want to make you proud. You are the professor who everyone loves and turns to.

Laura, your energy is just as strong through streaming. You have busted your ass to make sure people have equipment, swag, modifications and a place to have fun. I hope that dance parties continue to be a part of warm-ups even when we have bikes and rowers available to all. Nigel, get ready.

Christie, I am stoked to be a part of CHOMA-19. I would have been pleased with any one of our awesome coaches as a captain, but this fit just seems right. I feel like you are my coach, cheerleader, friend and therapist at times! #chomingtogetya

Courtney, the home workouts have been great! There are days where I can’t motivate myself to do a Zoom class or it just doesn’t work for me. There were a few days where I wasn’t ready to adapt and needed familiar movements. I can always turn to you and Steve for simple and accessible alternatives when I need it.

Dylan, one of your recent blogs said something to me that I couldn’t previously put into words. Or maybe I thought I was crazy for the feeling I had. You said you are able to pretend like you are talking to each of us individually. Sir, I want you to know, that is EXACTLY how I feel when I read your words. Like you are talking to me. Like you have something to say that you know I need to hear. Keep it up!

Jessica, you have helped me turn off my brain when I can’t. You have brought peace that I cannot always summon on my own. In these crazy times, we need that more than ever. While my favorite part of your yoga classes in person was the oils and the human connection at the end, the light in me still sees and feels the light in you virtually. Namaste.

Jocelyn. Emoji Oh, Jossy. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. You have shown your fierce ability to adapt and persevere. You are a great leader who is also very human and relatable. We may say #notaweirdgym but we all know we are and that is what sets us a part and why we love it. Thank you for having this dream and creating this community.

Thank you all. I love you all. And I miss you all.

Kate Nolan

Blog 10 – Warm Down 2.0

Circling back to our warm-up and cool down blog from a week or two ago. This one is a bit more technical in nature; a little less creative writing. Stop here if that’s not what you’re into or continue scanning for my brief pointed asides and parentheticals. Honestly, not sure if there will be any in this blog, but I never do when I start writing. Very little planning (weird, right?) Woop! There’s 1! Anyway, to continue to what I thought would be a point of all this when I started. 

Members have asked the coaches recently for warm-ups for nagging or chronic tidbits. These include – wrists, shoulders, hips, and ankles. This makes anatomical sense if we think about it. As bipedal mammals, our hips bear the load of our upper body and our ankles support our entire body as we move through space. If we flipped ourselves upside down, our hips would be replaced by our shoulders and our ankles by our wrist (If it’s easier, we can think of our shoulders as upper hips and our shoulders as our arm ankles – every medical professional at the gym just cringed). In reality, these joints move in multiple directions, which leave them more vulnerable to tweaks and oopsies. They’re fickle.

In a weightlifting setting, we increase this stress and vulnerability intentionally. That increase in stress can lead to an increase in pain; all of this is safe, IF we increase our care. For example, warming up and cooling down (AAANNNNDDD finally to the point).

In the last blog, we said that we want to warm-up globally and then work a little bit more acutely (burpee -> push up -> wrist series) and then work in reverse in our cool down phase. Our level of irritation can be used to guide us in our warm-ups and cool downs. We need to check-in with ourselves and ask if the level of irritation warrants a light warm-up or, if the irritation continues to increase over time, more of an acute mobilization warm-up, like we would get from Dr. Paul, OR if we actually need rest. No, not just resting our wrist because it’s nagging us, like actually resting our entire body. Our bodies communicate to us constantly (… getting side tracked again).

Options for a bit more of acute warm-ups would be things like:

• Location specific stretching
• The Wrist Series
• YTW Shoulder Work
• The Squat-y Pa’ty
• A Day at the Zoo – some may call this the Quadrupedal Movements or “that parkour shit.”
• Bands – this may be one of the better “apocalypse home gym” pieces we can have at our disposal. If you don’t have weighted equipment, bands are a great tool that are relatively in expensive, can be used to replace almost every movement, don’t take up much space, and are Tony Horton approved. 

More acute or aggressive work might take a bit more intentional research on your part. We like resources like:

• Mobility WOD
• The Prehab Guys
• Squat University

As always your team coaches are here to help your learning process. Please let us know if you have recurring or nagging issues that you may not feel that you have the tools to manage.