Kristal Frisque- May Member of the Month at The Strength Collective Galesburg

by About UsMember of the Month
Kristal in her natural habitat 🙂

This month’s Member of the Month is Kristal Frisque! Kristal is an artist and Owner of Art Defined Studios (check out the Facebook page here to learn more and get artsy!). She recently ran the St. Jude Half Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. Read on to learn more about Kristal:

Q: What got you started working out?
A: My health. I knew that I needed to take better care of myself & have always liked strength training, so it was a good place to start. Plus, there’s lots of health problems that run in my family, so I wanted to be as proactive as I could be to fight off genetics.

Q: How many days per week do you typically work out? What groups are you a part of?
A: 5 days a week; I take the lunch class at SC & run with my running group, Sole Sisters.

Q: What’s your favorite exercise?
A: Riding my ElliptiGO! It’s super fun and great on your joints.

Kristal’s ElliptiGO! (It’s like a bike/elliptical hybrid!)

Q: What’s your favorite post-workout meal/snack?
A: I’ve never really had a routine with this, but I have used Advocare Spark & protein shakes….beer is great too!

Q: What do you find most challenging about working out?
A: My workouts are mostly solitary, in that I go for long runs or bike rides in the country by myself. Being a long distance runner, I not only have to prepare my schedule for the time I dedicate to my workouts, but also the mental game. I know that I’m going to have my aches & pains, but I have to endure through them when I’m out in the middle of nowhere & accept that I have to run back using the muscles that hurt.

Q: What keeps you motivated to work out regularly?
A: I love the pain! Seriously. The mental accomplishment keeps me going every time. The fact that I owned that workout is very gratifying.

Q: What advice do you have for someone who’s thinking about getting started in the gym?
A: Just do it! Don’t overthink it or you’ll never start. And your body, your level of fitness is enough. You do not have to fit a visual mold or wear the right gear. You are worth it & deserve to be healthy. We all come in different shapes and sizes, different areas of struggle. There’s no judgement at the gym. Everyone is super supportive and motivating.

After a hard Lean&Strong workout!

Q: What is something you couldn’t do when you started, that you can do now?
A: My core muscles are so much stronger! I still can’t do those blasted pushups, but that’s a long term goal to do them well & in good form.

Q: Tell us a random fact about yourself that people might not know:
A: I was born in Japan.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about working out at The Strength Collective?
A: Hands down the support and one on one help. Lord bless her, Jenna is SO patient with me! And both she & Kat will correct my form, so I can improve. The group is also amazingly supportive.

Thank you for being an awesome member, Kristal! We love having you as a part of our community!

Barbell Strong

5 Ways Group Training Will Help You Reach Your Goals

by About Us
Lean&Strong Lunch at The Strength Collective Galesburg

At The Strength Collective Galesburg we offer a variety of small group personal training classes to help you reach your fitness goals. Occasionally we have people ask why they should consider paying for group training when they could do group fitness classes for free at another gym? Well, there’s a ton of benefits to group training, but today we’ll share 5 reasons group training is awesome and will help you reach your goals.

Surrounding yourself with other people with similar goals will help motivate you to succeed.

You’ve probably heard the old saying “You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” Research shows that the people you surround yourself with makes a significant impact on your habits-not just your five closest friends, but your entire social network. So if you have a goal you want to achieve, becoming a part of a group in which people are taking action to achieve similar goals to yours can increase your chances of success exponentially.

One of the greatest benefits of group training is that you’re surrounded by people who want to achieve the same things you do. You’ve all signed up and committed to being a part of the group. You get to know each other and become friends over the course of the session. Everyone cheers each other on when the workout gets hard, and if you’re a competitive spirit, working out with other people can encourage you to push a little harder than you would if you were alone. And when you miss a class, there’s a group of people asking where you are and when you’ll be back!

Effective workouts are created for you- no guesswork.

Have you ever walked into the gym to workout, having no idea what you wanted or needed to do? Maybe you threw together a few random exercises, or hopped on the treadmill for 30 minutes, but at the end of your workout you kind of felt like you wasted your time.

Our group training workouts are full body workouts created by a certified personal trainer, so you can rest assured you’re always going to get an effective, balanced workout when you walk in the gym. We know you’re busy and don’t want to waste time, so we make sure to focus on the exercises that are going to get you the best results in the least time. No more wasting hours on the internet trying to find workouts or programs not knowing if they’ll even be right for you. We’ve got you covered.

Supervision from a coach helps you push yourself and prevent you from getting injured.

Barbell Strong at The Strength Collective Galesburg

If you’ve ever been afraid to try new exercises because you’re afraid of getting hurt, or looking stupid, or pushing yourself too hard, group training has you covered there too. A certified coach will demonstrate how to do all the exercises correctly at the beginning of class, provide possible modifications if you need them, and instruct you on how to make any necessary tweaks to your form throughout the workout to keep you working safely and efficiently. And when it’s time for you to push harder, they’ll encourage you to try a harder version or a heavier weight.

Variety in the workouts keeps you from getting bored.

No two workouts are exactly alike in our group training sessions. You’ll do certain exercises often enough that you’ll improve and get stronger, but there will be enough variety that you never get bored with the workouts. If you’re someone who hates doing the same workout more than once, we’ll keep you on your toes with new workouts and exercises every week.

Putting skin in the game (money) keeps you accountable.

For some people, shelling out their hard earned cash will ensure that they actually go to the classes and get their money’s worth. Simple as that. Money can be a serious motivator. Your health and fitness is a great way to invest in yourself, and the positive results carry over into other areas in your life. If it increases the likelihood that you’ll reach your goals, isn’t the investment worth it? Try it and see for yourself.

The Strength Collective Galesburg 22 WOD Fundraiser Workout

Want to learn more about our group training offerings? Check out the options here. Not sure if group training is right for you? Schedule a free fitness consultation to talk with Co-Owner and Certified Personal Trainer Jenna Fox. She’ll help determine the group that’s best for you and your goals. Call us at 309-343-2900 to schedule your appointment.