We are ALL busy. We are ALL tired after work. We ALL have things to do and people to call. BUT you have to make it happen. Weight Loss. Feeling Better. Looking Better. Building Muscle. Being Healthy. Looking and feeling GREAT. You have to make it happen. This is the year – 2012 is YOUR year – your year to finally get into the gym and to love it. Enough excuses. You want it? GO GET IT. It’s yours for the taking. BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. Hire a Personal Trainer. Set Goals. Join a FUN, REWARDING, group fitness class like XFIT. Do everything you have to do to be successful and you will experience success. MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.
3
JAN
MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.
Dieting doesn’t mean food has to taste bad. A little elbow grease and some creativity can go a long ways! These are an awesomely tasty meal for those of you watching your carbohydrates, and easy to prepare too!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- A lean protein source – 4-6oz (depending on your caloric needs) chicken breast, lean steak (Flank, Round, Sirloin) cut into 1″ strips, or shrimp (tail removed)
- Stir-fry Vegetables – I like to use red, green, and orange peppers, as well as mushrooms, onion, and occasionally carrots (add or subtract for your own flavor)
- Lettuce – 3-4 LARGE full leafs of romaine, greenleaf, or butter lettuce (the key is big leaves here)
- Sauce – low-sodium soy sauce, chili paste, corn starch, 1 clove garlic (fresh, can be whole or pre-minced), 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh, can be whole or pre-minced) and 3/4 tablespoon splenda
- Finely sliced almonds
- Extra virgin olive oil - 1-2 tablespoons Continue Reading →
Every year we at Xconditioning play home to athletes of many different ages and sports – we are after all Prince George’s Athletic Performance home – and every year our athletic training helps athletes improve their strength, speed, and conditioning, and advance in their sport. Let’s take a look at what some of our current advanced athletes have done this year athletically: Continue Reading →
With January on its way next week, I’m sure there will be the predictable rush and hooplah in gyms across the globe, as people pile back into the gym to get going on those New Year’s Resolutions. As you steady gym goers know, usually by February the gym is back to its normal clientele and the year goes on as normal.
But some people actually do meet their goals…and it’s usually not by chance.
Xconditioning to do their athletic training, and personal training to improve their strength, speed, conditioning, and overall athletic ability. Continue Reading →
As a personal trainer, I get asked a lot about what to do eating-wise over the holidays. It’s no secret that the holidays can be a stressful time for people losing or maintaining their bodyweight – Christmas parties, booze, office snackplates, baking, booze, big dinners with friends, and don’t forget booze – it’s a recipe for packing on another layer of that unwanted winter coat. BUT if you don’t want to pack on the pounds and get ahead of the January rush, here are some easy tips for weight loss over the holidays.
Just like a good mechanic or a good hairdresser, sometimes you have to pay a little more to get exactly what you want.
How do you find a good personal trainer? Unfortunately, much like a good mechanic, or a doctor, or many other professionals, it may take a little time and detective work. Asking friends or colleagues is a good way to get real information – get feedback from people that have used the person in question and get honest feedback. You may have to try a few different trainers until you find the one that is right for you. Look for gold-standard certifications – the NSCA is a very well-respected personal training organization out of the USA. But more than certifications, look for real-world success – look for a trainer that competes in the fitness world. Would you take driving lessons from someone who was certified to teach driving, but had never actually driven a car? Look for a combination of feedback from friends, certifications and real-world experience for your best shot at finding the right personal trainer for you.
1. The Facility
Xconditioning has a private facility in downtown Prince George that is designed with gut-busting workouts in mind. Fat Loss? Check. Muscle Building? Check. Our equipment is carefully selected with our members’ results in mind and is straight to the point. No frills, no gimmicks, just results.
2. The Trainers
Xconditioning’s Personal Trainers hold the highest fitness credentials AND hold National and World Powerlifting records. We lead by example in our own fitness goals and push our clients to meet theirs. Would you want to learn how to drive from someone who has never driven a car before? Put your trust in the fitness professionals that walk the walk.
Diet and Fitness for Weight Loss are Key
As a regular, everyday adult living in Prince George, you probably sit a lot at work, or sit a lot driving the kids around, or sit and watch them play sports, or band, or sit down after work and watch your favorite TV shows. This is particularly an issue during our long Prince George winters, when you probably sit A LOT, and let’s be honest, sometimes the bitter winter cold dissuades us from our usual fitness routines. While it would be nice if we could all have at home personal trainers, we can’t. The reality is, there are 168 hours in a week. That means, if you weight train or do cardio 3 times a week for an hour, you have 165 other hours to sit, eat, work and sleep. That’s a lot of down time.
XC athlete Keith Redl – an inspector for the RCMP detachment in Prince George – recently placed 8th in the Grand Master’s A division at the World Police and Fire Games in the “Toughest Competitor Alive” competition. Keith worked with the XC crew getting into top condition for the 8-event (5km run, Shot Put, 100m Dash, 100m Swim, 20ft Rope Climb, Bench Press, Pullups, Obstacle Course) competition, held in New York from August 26-September 5, 2011.
The level of athletes that come through the doors of Xconditioning is always high, and that’s clearly illustrated this week when TEN current and former Xconditioning athletes are attending NHL training camps…
Fresh off his summer training with Xconditioning, ex-Cougar and AHL star Nick Drazenovic attempts to crack the Columbus lineup and make a name for himself in the NHL, while last year’s 6th overall draft-pick and current Cougars Captain Brett Connolly attempts the same with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dylan Willick, ex-MM Cougar and current Kamloops Blazer is attending the Minnesota Wild training camp, as is ex-MM Cougar and current Kelowna Rocket Brett Bulmer. Calgary Flames 2009 draft pick Ryan Howse will be in Calgary attempting to make the big squad, as is Brandon Manning in Philadelphia with the Flyers. Both Ryan and Brandon spent several summers with the XC crew while playing winters in the WHL with the Chilliwack Bruins.
It was another action-packed summer inside the walls of the Xconditioning Training Facility. As the snow melted and hockey season ended, we were once again filled with hockey athletes itching to get to the next level for the upcoming season.
This year saw hockey players from all levels – including the NHL – suit up in XC gear and work their way to peak physical condition. Nick Drazenovic played for the Peoria Rivermen last season and saw limited time with the St. Louis Blues in the NHL, but was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer and with a summer of hard training in the books with the XC crew, hopes to crack the NHL club and stay put. Garrett Thiessen will be returning to the University of Saskatchewan this fall after a hard summer of training with Drazenovic, and Prince George Cougars member Dan Gibb hopes to continue his climb to the top as a top WHL defenseman with another year of gut-wrenching training. Major Midget Cougars Harjas Grewal, Seb Lloyd, Josh Connolly, and Raymond Grewal, are all attending WHL or BCHL camps, as is Jake Lebrun, while Matt Dimor makes the jump to Junior Hockey in Kamloops, BC. Dryden Profeit looks to crack the Major Midget Cougars lineup, while his younger brother Mitchell looks to secure a spot between the pipes on the Midget Tier 1 squad.
Xconditioning athlete Nick Drazenovic’s free agency did not last long. Drazenovic was released by St. Louis Blues shortly before the Unrestricted Free Agency Deadline, but was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets within minutes of the opening of the Free Agent Market on July 1. Nick has been training hard all summer with Xconditioning, and will be looking to crack the Columbus Blue Jackets come September. Stay tuned…
Another Winter and hockey season has come and gone, and Xconditioning was once again in the thick of things in the Prince George Hockey community, hosting the off-ice training for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL, the Major Midget Cariboo Cougars of the BCMML, as well as the Integris Credit Union Bantam Tier II Cougars.
We want to wish all of our out of town winter team athletes the best of luck this offseason – train hard, enjoy the sun, and we’ll see you all in August! For those local players – we’ll see many of you this summer in our off-season programs…happy summer!
A group of local Speed Skaters and Xconditioning athletes are on the inside track to the Speed Skating elite. The group which trains together at Xconditioning and competes in various age and race categories, capped off a very impressive 2010-2011 race season with a combined 23 medals among 5 skaters at the Western Canadian Short Track Chamionships. Carley Budac, Lina Hiller, Lucas Hiller, Nico Hiller, Callie Swan, Morgan Swan and Kadeja White have been attending Xconditioning for 2 years now, and the speed skating world is noticing. Below are some results from the 2010-2011 season:
Xconditioning Athletes RJay Berra and Justin Fillion are both in their last year of BCHL eligibility, are both wearing letters for their Spruce Kings (RJay is the Captain, Fillion an Assistant Captain), and are both experiencing individual success at very high levels.
Berra leading the Spruce Kings in scoring, is 9th in points in the BCHL with 48, and is leading all goal scorers with 29 goals in 38 games, while Fillion recently committed to a 4-year scholarship to NCAA Division 1 Michigan Tech University.
Congrats to both players!
It’s been quite the past few months for Current and Alumnus Xconditioning Athletes.
First, Xconditioning Alumni Brandon Manning of the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins signed a 3-year entry level contract with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Manning went undrafted in his draft eligible years, but has been one of the WHL’s premier defensemen in the last 2 seasons, and his hard work and success has paid off. Brandon marks the first Xconditioning Athlete to sign a professional contract. Congratulations Brandon!!
Next, Major Midget Cougars defenseman Josh Connolly and Forward Brett Harris were named to the 2011 Team BC Roster, and will compete for Team BC at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia from February 11-18, 2011. Congratulations Josh and Brett!
Then, the WHL Prince George Cougars Defenseman Martin Marincin, leading the WHL in defenseman scoring, was named to the Junior Team Slovakia, and will compete in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY, USA. Congrats Martin!
Finally, the WHL Prince George Cougars Captain Brett Connolly, fresh off his draft year that saw him drafted 6th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning, was named to the 2011 Team Canada World Junior Roster. Brett will suit up for Team Canada in the World Junior Chamionships from December 26, 2010 – January 5, 2011 in Buffalo, NY, USA. Congratulations Brett!
Once again Xconditioning Athletes are at the head of the pack. Separate yourself and don’t leave it to chance. Leave it to us.
We are now offering full Nutritional Consultation Services to help you meet your goals! Tired of dieting and yo yo-ing with your weight, motivation, and success? Let our head trainer look after your nutritional needs and get where you want to be! Let ex-bodybuilder Jay Cook coach you and your nutrition to your goals – whether it is losing weight, adding muscle, or eating for performance, we have you covered. Visit our “Programs” tab from the homepage and get started today!
We are also offering Supervised Strength and Conditioning Training - this open-gym, supervised training time is for any and all athletes aged 14 and up. During the time allotted, athletes will have full access to the performance facility – our weight room, stationary bikes, plyometric and speed development area – everything you need to build a bigger, stronger, more explosive you.
A Performance Trainer will be on hand to setup, supervise, spot, correct biomechanical form, and offer advice, but no programming is offered for this program – it is an opportunity to use the facility and train under qualified supervision. Daily stations will be setup with instruction on how to execute exercises and drills, keeping your young athletes safe, learning, and in good hands!
The 2010-2011 hockey season is now underway, and as usual, Xconditioning athletes are succeeding at many levels.
Current Xconditioning athlete Brett Connolly, fresh off his 2010 6th overall selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning, is 5th overall in WHL scoring with 11 goals and 7 assists in 11 games with the Prince George Cougars. The Cougars Captain is healthy again and is leading the way for his team, who are 6-4-1 and currently in 2nd place in the BC Division behind the Vancouver Giants.
Perennial Xconditioning athlete Sam Muchalla, the former captain of the Prince George Spruce Kings, is experiencing success beyond Junior Hockey. Muchalla is in his first semester of NCAA Division 1 hockey with the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, attending the school on a scholarship earned while playing with the Spruce Kings and training at Xconditioning.
Xconditioning Alumnus Ryan Howse, Brandon Manning, and Dan Correalle are also off to fantastic starts this season. Howse, a 2009 Calgary Flames draft selection, is leading all WHL players with 14 goals in only 9 games, including a hat trick scored against the Vancouver Giants in which Howse scored all 3 goals in a 58 second span – a Bruins club record. Howse also recently passed the 100 career goals plateau in his 4th full season with Chilliwack. Brandon Manning, the Chilliwack Bruins Captain, in his last year in the WHL, is currently 3rd in scoring for all defencemen with 12 points in only 7 games. Dan Correalle, with the Junior A Grande Prairie Storm, just received a scholarship to attend New Hampshire University – an NCAA Division 1 school.
Once again Xconditioning’s athletes are at the top.
Congratulations to all current and alumni athletes, and the best of luck the rest of the season and beyond.
12
OCT
Movember is almost here…
Yep, it’s that time of year again – the Xconditioning Performance Trainers will be walking around with upper lip hair to raise money for Movember – a month-long fundraiser each November dedicated to Men’s Health and Prostate Cancer Research. Men grow moustaches to raise money for prostate cancer research, and Xconditioning takes it up a notch. Not only will we be wearing our manmade soup strainers, we will be lifting and helping others lift weight for prostate cancer research.
On November 27th, 2010, Xconditioning will host it’s 2nd Annual “Pennies for Pounds” fundraiser, where our staff, members, and hopefully many others will stop by the gym to lift some weight, raise some money, and contribute to a great cause.
Stay tuned for full details!!
After an extremely successful September bootcamp, Xfit will continue with evening classes as of October 12!!
Running Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 6:45-7:45pm, and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30, these new class times join our Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9-10am and 12-1pm classes in the Xfit Program!!
Follow the Xfit link under “Adult Classes” or click here for full details on Xfit
email jay@xconditioning.com to get started today!
Once again Xconditioning is the place to be for Elite Hockey Players. After another successful summer of offseason training, Xconditioning is the home of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, the BCHL’s Junior A Prince George Spruce Kings, as well as the Major Midget Cougars for the 2010-2011 season.
Xconditioning is responsible for all off-ice training of these teams, and would like to wish all three teams the best of luck this upcoming season!
Once again September is upon us and we say goodbye to our summer hockey athletes as they make their way to their teams and into their regular seasons. With yet another successful summer of hockey offseason training in the books, we wish all of our hockey athletes the very best this season and hope to see everyone next spring!
This summer’s senior hockey training saw 25 of the top athletes in the North including a top 10 NHL draft pick, 3 WHL Bantam Draftees, WHL, Junior A, Major Midget, Midget AAA and Bantam AAA athletes, while our junior hockey training was sold out for the first year and was home t0 over 50 athletes.
Xconditioning wishes all of you the very best this season and we hope to see everyone next spring/summer!!!
Xconditioning Head Trainer and Baseball Skills Coach Jay Cook has been invited by the Baseball BC Hi-Performance Committee to coach on one of the BC Selects teams at this year’s Pacific Northwest Championships (PNC) in Portland, Oregon from August 13-15.
The PNC teams are Provincial Selects Teams that are chosen each year through ID Camps and Tryouts to showcase the province’s best young baseball players. The tournament hosts teams from all over the Pacific Northwest including Oregon, Washington, and Utah.
Cook will be part of the performance coaching staff for the 2012 Team BC Red (based on graduation year), and will be reunited with Xconditioning Almuni Cortez Chappell.
This invitation is a strong indication of the skills that Cook possesses not only as a Performance Trainer, but also as a Baseball Coach at an extremely high level of play.
Xconditioning Athlete Garrett Belanger’s baseball season isn’t over quite yet. After his Prince George Knights lost 9-5 to Richmond in the Midget AA Provincial semifinal game this past weekend, Garrett pitched well enough for the phone to ring. The provincial champion Ridge Meadows Royals have invited Belanger to be a part of their team for the Western Canadian Championships August 12-15, in Newton BC. Belanger led his team’s pitching staff this year, and is a starting pitcher with good command and the ability to change speeds. His tools will be needed as the Royals represent BC and vie for a 2010 Western Canadian Championship.
Congratulations and Good Luck Garrett!!
This coming weekend, 15 Xconditioning athletes will be vying for a spot on the 2010-2011 Major Midget Cariboo Cougars. Starting Friday night, August 6th, those trying out for the MM Cougars will be put through a rigorous schedule in hopes of making the squad for the coming season.
All of our athletes that will be trying out have been working incredibly hard to prepare for this tryout/camp, and we are confident everyone is as ready as they can be. We want to wish all of our athletes the very best of luck – we know you will be working hard and showing off the hard work you’ve put in over the summer in the gym and on the ice.
As partners with the Major Midget Cariboo Cougars, the Xconditioning Team will be on-hand Saturday morning to put all 90 athletes trying out through physical testing.
Xconditioning Alumni Cortez Chappell made a big move last September from Prince George to Langley with one thing in mind – baseball. The talented young righty made the move to Langley to be a part of the Langley Blaze Baseball Club – one of Canada’s best 15-17 year old baseball programs. The Blaze have seen more Canadians drafted than any other club in Canada, and the 15 year old Chappell has shown he belongs with the best. In his first year with the Junior Blaze (a development team ages 14-16), Chappell, a right-handed starting pitcher, went 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA. Further, Chappell helped his team to both winning the league with a 29-11 record, as well as winning the Provincial Junior Premier Championships this past weekend.
Cortez has also been selected to represent Team BC in the Pacific Northwest Challenge (PNC) August 13, 14, and 15 in Portland, Oregon. The tournament is a showcase for the best high-school aged baseball players the Pacific Northwest has to offer. The annual tournament is attended by over 100 MLB and College Scouts, and is a stepping stone for playing at the next level, be it collegiate or professional.
Xconditioning sends a big congratulations to both Cortez and all of his teammates on the Langley Junior Blaze
How do You Spell Success?
It Starts with the Letter “X“
Every year, Xconditioning Athletes continue to impress. The list of highly successful Xconditioning athletes grows and grows, and 2010 has been no exception. Xconditioning athlete and Prince George Cougar Brett Connolly was recently selected 6th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Prince George Spruce Kings Captain Sam Muchalla is heading south of the border to make the transition to NCAA Division 1 Hockey for Northern Michigan. Major Midget Cougars’ Captain has progressed to Junior A Hockey as he has signed on with the Quesnel MIllionaires. Kelly Road High School Football Running Back Brandon Deschamps was chosen to play for the CIS’ UBC Thunderbirds. Josh Connolly, Raymond Grewal, and Chase Witala were all selected by WHL teams in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. Speed Skaters Lucas, Lina, and Nico Hiller, as well as Morgan Swan and Carley Budac were all carded as Integrated Performance System skaters…No other gym in Prince George can compare – our results speak for themselves. Come and experience the Xconditioning Difference for yourself.