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We talk a lot about the physical benefits of strength training, but what about the cognitive benefits? Particularly as we age, strength training actually plays a critical role in boosting our brain health as well! 

Sharper Memory, Quicker Thinking

Strength training isn’t just about building muscle—it’s about building a sharper mind, too. Research shows that regular weightlifting can significantly enhance memory and focus. For instance, older adults who lifted weights twice a week for six months experienced noticeable improvements in these areas (Liu-Ambrose et al., 2017). Plus, strength training has been linked to faster mental processing, with participants outperforming non-lifters on tasks requiring quick thinking (Nagamatsu et al., 2012).

Building a Stronger Brain

Your brain benefits from strength training in profound ways. Studies suggest that it can actually increase the volume of key brain areas like the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in memory. Even more exciting, research indicates that lifting weights may stimulate the growth of new brain cells, helping you stay mentally strong as the years go by (Northey et al., 2018). Strength training also boosts neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to adapt and learn—by increasing the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (Nagamatsu et al., 2012).

Guarding Against Cognitive Decline

Perhaps most compelling is the role strength training plays in protecting against cognitive decline. Engaging in regular resistance exercises may lower your risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s. A study published in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that those who strength train regularly enjoy better cognitive health and a reduced risk of dementia (Forbes et al., 2016). And let’s not forget the mood boost—strength training helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, which is essential for maintaining overall brain health.

Our WHY has always been centered around helping as many people engage in strength training as we can in an environment that is safe and inclusive for all. We know incorporating strength training is a no brainer, and we love creating personalized programs that fit all populations, experience levels, and goals. 

See you at the gym!

References:

• Liu-Ambrose, T., Nagamatsu, L. S., Voss, M. W., Khan, K. M., & Handy, T. C. (2017). Resistance training and executive functions: A 12-month randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58(10), 1918-1925. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03010.x
• Nagamatsu, L. S., Handy, T. C., Hsu, C. L., Voss, M., Liu-Ambrose, T. (2012). Resistance training promotes cognitive and functional brain plasticity in seniors with probable mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of Aging, 33(8), 1690-1698. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.05.010
• Northey, J. M., Cherbuin, N., Pumpa, K. L., Smee, D. J., & Rattray, B. (2018). Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than 50: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1832. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01832
• Forbes, D., Forbes, S. C., Blake, C. M., Thiessen, E. J., & Forbes, S. (2016). Exercise programs for people with dementia. The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 53(2), 497-515. doi:10.3233/JAD-160019

A couple of the first exercises you’ll typically encounter in your first sessions at SSP are a dumbbell single arm bench press and a split squat. These are both unilateral movements that primarily focus on and load one side of your body. But why do we do this? What is the purpose? Here are a few reasons why we emphasize unilateral training at SSP:

Better Balance and Stability: Working one side of your body at a time helps improve your balance and stability. When you have a dumbbell on one side in a bench press and nothing on the other side, it creates an “offset” situation where the side with the weight is going to naturally throw you off balance and challenge your stability. You have to fight to create tension on the other side of your body to prevent this. That’s a great example of creating and training for stability.

Core Strength: To the above point regarding balance and stability, in situations where you are having to control your body, you are developing greater core strength. Think about doing things like a single leg deadlift, a half kneeling overhead press, or even a suitcase carry. All of these movements require a greater amount of core stability and body control in order to execute them effectively and with good form.

Everyday Strength: Unilateral training mimics real-life movements. Whether it’s carrying your suitcase through the airport, playing sports where you’re changing direction quickly, or going up a staircase one foot at a time, all of these movements are supported and improved through unilateral training.

Greater Overall Strength: Sometimes when we are doing bilateral exercises (think regular squats, barbell bench press, etc.), it’s easier to compensate for muscle imbalances or weakness on any given side of your body. While there’s certainly a great case for doing bilateral exercises (and we do a lot of them at SSP!), with unilateral movements, it’s really hard to compensate when you’re training a single side. This ultimately allows you to identify and work on potential areas of compensation while also building greater strength that will translate better bilaterally.

Trust me when I say, all of us coaches are also doing a TON of unilateral training in our own programs because, well, it works. 🙂

Check out our recent Instagram post where you can see examples of various unilateral movements we do here at SSP.

See you in the gym!
Coach Chris

P.S. Are you ready to feel the difference of training at SSP? Sign up for our free introductory assessment here.

When you think of “core training”, what do you think of? Generally, the fitness industry associates core training with sit-ups, crunches, and getting a six pack (BTW more sit ups and crunches don’t give you a six pack!). Here at SSP, we tend to focus on training for the core that functionally helps you do more activities better and pain-free. This involves training the core to resist movement and stabilize (vs create movement). We call this “anti-core training”, and we use a bunch of fancy terms like anti-lateral flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation. 

At its core (pun intended), the goal of training this way is to build strength and stiffness. We want to train your core muscles to brace and stabilize the trunk by resisting movement. We do this to help keep the spine safe and stable while your extremities are moving and to transfer energy from the lower body to the upper body. 

Research from Stuart McGrill, a renowned researcher in low back disorders, has shown that the compressive force on the spine when bent in flexion (such as in a crunch or situp) can be the equivalent of 700+ pounds! Over time, due to these high compressive forces, the likelihood of injury increases. 

Exercises like deadbugs, pallof presses, planks, side planks, farmer carry, suitcase carry, and body saw are all examples of anti-core training and are all staples in our SSP programming. 

Think about doing your day to day activities, things like carrying bags of grocery, picking up your kids from the ground, gardening, and loading your dishwasher. Anti-core training helps you do all of these activities a little bit easier. Also, if you play sports, you may have noticed that training at SSP has improved your athleticism – jumping, changing direction, and running. A big piece of this is building stiffness and stabilization through your core. 

You can see some of our favorite anti-core exercises demonstrated by Coach Natalie here! 

So while you may not be repping out crunches at SSP, rest easy and know that whenever you come in for a workout, you’ll be getting a bit of functional core training every single time. 

Happy training! 

Check out this article on Very Well Fit which featured expert advice from SSP coaches about building a strong core using standing exercises! SSP staples such as the Goblet March, Farmers Carry, Pallof Press, and Chop are all featured.

Let’s talk about deadlifting form.

Deadlift Form Mistakes & How to Correct Them

Mistake #1: Yanking the bar off the ground.
When nervous about a new weight, we often lose patience and try to yank the bar up quickly. This can cause us to lose upper body positioning and core tightness, which are crucial for preventing injury.

How to fix it: Brace hard, tighten up, and be patient. You’ve got this!

Mistake #2: The bar is too far out in front of you.

How to fix it: Set up with the bar over your shoelaces and keep it in contact with your legs on the way up. This keeps your weight centered on your midfoot for a stronger lift!

Mistake #3: Squatting your deadlift.
Starting with your hips too low means the bar has to swerve around your knees, creating an inefficient bar path.

How to fix it: The position of your hips should be slightly above your knees and below your shoulders in the set up. If your hips are parallel with your knees, you are in more of a squat pattern versus a deadlift (or hinge) pattern.

Mistake #4: Losing tension through the lats and shoulders.
Tension in your lats and shoulders helps maintain a neutral spine during the deadlift.

How to fix it: Keep your shoulders down and back, or think of squeezing your armpits to engage your lats. Another tip is to imagine reaching your lats towards your back pockets.

Keep Working at Your Deadlift Form!

Remember, if you are working up to a heavier weight, don’t skip the warm up! Your body needs time to warm up the pattern and adapt to heavier loads. Please don’t go straight to your working weight. 1 or 2 warm up sets (sometimes more) are usually appropriate depending on how heavy you are lifting on any given day. Your SSP coaches are here to help you 🙂

Like I said at the beginning, we love deadlifts and think they are fantastic. They are a true full-body exercise that engages multiple muscle groups, including your hamstrings, glutes, back, core, and also builds your grip strength. The movement itself trains an important pattern (the hinge) which mimics real-life lifting scenarios when you are picking things up off the ground, and the stronger you are in that pattern, the stronger you are in everyday life! 

Happy training!

Want to learn how to deadlift with great form (or maybe get stronger with your current deadlift)? Click here to join us!

We often get the question: should we do Yoga? Does it mix well with Strength Training? 

We know how popular the practice of yoga has become and we can understand why! We should say, we think Yoga is great! If you enjoy it, you should 100% do it and there are zero downsides to mixing Yoga with Strength Training. We don’t, however, believe Yoga can replace Strength Training, especially as we think about the benefits of strength for longevity as it pertains to increased muscle mass and bone density. While yoga has its benefits, it does not proactively increase muscle mass like strength training does. Let’s break it down:  

The Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training provides vital benefits for long-term health, and at SSP, that’s our primary focus. We want to help you live a stronger, longer, and healthier life. Our programming specifically targets changes through progressive overload, which involves gradually increasing resistance and driving new adaptations for muscle growth. This method is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. Additionally, strength training reduces the risk of osteoporosis by putting healthy stress on bones, stimulating bone formation and increasing bone density. Furthermore, research shows that strength training is crucial for long-term health and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and total mortality (Srikanthan, Horwhich & Tseng, 2016). Consistent strength training will overall improve metabolic health, enhance functional mobility, and contribute to overall quality of life by ensuring better physical performance and reducing the risk of injuries.

How to Supplement Strength Training with Yoga

Yoga can be a valuable supplement to your strength training program. Here’s how:

• Flexibility: Yoga can have a marked impact and improvement in your overall flexibility. This can have positive effects on your range of motion and mobility during strength training.  
• Stress Reduction and Mental Well-being: Yoga incorporates mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing techniques that help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. In overly stressful periods, strength training can sometimes be counterproductive by adding more stress to your body.
• Balance and Stability: Yoga improves balance and stability through various poses and holds. This can enhance proprioception and coordination, beneficial for performing strength training exercises safely and effectively.
• Complementary to Strength Training: It can serve as a low-intensity exercise on rest days, keeping you active without overloading or overtraining your muscles.

Ready to add some strength training to your routine? Sign up for a no-cost assessment with us!

References:

Srikanthan P, Horwich TB, Tseng CH. Relation of Muscle Mass and Fat Mass to Cardiovascular Disease Mortality. Am J Cardiol. 2016 Apr 15;117(8):1355-60. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.01.033. Epub 2016 Feb 2. PMID: 26949037.

Thanks to Well + Good for featuring SSP! Read it here. Excerpt below!

Is It Really *That* Bad to Never Strength Train? Fitness Pros Weigh In

Here’s why strength training is, frankly, worth everyone’s time, and how to get it done.

“Strength training is when we train our muscles to produce force against resistance,” explains certified personal trainer and functional strength coach Chris Travis, CPT, CFSC, owner of Seattle Strength & Performance. “That resistance can come from bodyweight, resistance bands, weights, or machines.”

That means even bodyweight activities like Pilates are considered strength training because they focus on not just stretching but also strengthening muscles, adds Gregory Rubin, DO, primary sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery at Naples Comprehensive Health.

Thanks so much to Seattle Refined for writing this feature on SSP. You can read it here.

This article does a great job of talking about the culture and inclusivity we want to create within our gyms as well as the effectiveness of our coaching and programming!

We were excited to be invited as a guest on FOX13 Seattle’s Good Day Seattle program to talk about the benefits and importance of strength training as you age. You can check out the segment with Coach Chris and Coach Natalie here!

“I could go on about how I’ve nearly doubled in weights for every lift or how much better of a runner I am now, but most importantly, my time at SSP has taught me that I am capable of so much more!” 

This is one of my favorite reviews from our member, Madi. She gave this review over a year ago and she’s still with us today! 

I remember when Madi first came in, she had been working out at a group fitness gym and was looking for something different to help her continue to make progress towards her goals. 

We talk about our community a lot (which we love and we know our members love!) but we also get questions about why SSP is different than, say, an Orange Theory or an F45 or a big box gym. So, we thought we’d dedicate an email to talk about what we do in the gym and how our service and offering is different… particularly the exercise stuff. 🙂 

In terms of gyms, we know there are lots of options out there. Trying to choose the right one for you can feel overwhelming. There’s big box gyms, like LA Fitness or Anytime Fitness, where the model is to have an accessible open gym for you to program and workout largely on your own. There are CrossFit gyms which (typically) have a high intensity group class focus with CrossFit specific programming. There are group training circuit style gyms like an F45 or Orange Theory which specialize in larger group workouts where you are moving quickly between stations. Or, you can also hire a personal trainer for 1:1 training. Then there’s us. 🙂 Where does SSP sit amid all of this? 

Well, we are unique, and I’m not just saying that. I’ve spent quite a bit of time studying the market and different offerings out there as well as consulting and coaching gyms all across the world and country on a regular basis. I can say, in Seattle, I don’t know of any other gym that does it quite like us. 

Here’s why…

We are incredibly intentional about getting to know and learn about our members. This includes your injuries and other considerations for programming. This is why every single person that comes into SSP starts with a 1:1 assessment so we can spend time with you to inform your personal training programming and class experience. This creates a higher barrier to entry to SSP than most other gyms who might offer a free class or session as a low barrier offer, but we maintain this because we believe it provides the best experience for members as they come into the gym. 

Our personal training program is built off of the principles of progressive overload. Meaning, you will see and make strength gains over time because we are intentionally manipulating your weights, repetitions, sets, tempo, and exercise variation to create adaptations over time (Plotkin et al.). Our team keeps a careful record of the weights, reps, and sets you did in each personal training session, and aims to increase at least one of these factors the next time you train. In other group fitness class environments, the coach is not responsible for ensuring you are adjusting these variables over time, which is often why people feel like they “plateau” in group fitness because your body becomes really good at adapting and becoming efficient at processing the stimulus you are providing it. 

The reverse of #2 is, while we know when and how to push you to drive strength gains, our coaches also know how and when to scale back. We understand other variables affect your ability to perform in the gym. Some days you may need to do some light movement or mobility instead of pushing hard. In fact, scientifically, we know it’s much better for you to scale back on days where your stress level is higher overall because exercise IS stress. The more stress we place on top of stress, the longer (and harder) your recovery period is. 

We focus on improving your strength and abilities in everyday activities. You train your full body every time you come in, meaning you’ll push, pull, squat, and hinge every time, and in doing so, we’re also challenging your core and your ability to move through different planes of motion (e.g. side to side and rotationally). In addition, we train for power using lightweight and quick movements while also training for maximum strength through heavy weights. All of this translates to real life – moving faster to pick up your kids because you can change direction and pivot better, carrying your heavy suitcases up stairs to your AirBnBs on trips, tackling those big hikes easier because of greater glute and hamstring strength, and being faster than all your friends playing recreational sports on the weekends. 😉 

We’re not saying group training, big box, etc. are bad. There is always a positive physiological and community benefit to having movement in your life consistently, regardless of what that may be. We also do small group classes at SSP, and we know working out with your peers has been shown to encourage consistency, decrease stress, and foster a sense of community, which you know we’re all about here at SSP (Yorks et al.). 

That said, we know that the way we train at SSP leads to faster gains in general stability, mobility, and definitely strength than most other group classes environments just by the nature of how we program, track progress for each individual, and coach. 

Happy training! 

Coach Chris & Team SSP

P.S. Sign up for your 1:1 assessment to get started!

References: 

Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, Maldonado J, Oberlin D, Israetel M, Feather J, Alto A, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ. 2022. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ 10:e14142 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14142

Yorks, Dayna M., Frothingham, Christopher A. and Schuenke, Mark D.. “Effects of Group Fitness Classes on Stress and Quality of Life of Medical Students” Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, vol. 117, no. 11, 2017, pp. e17-e25. https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2017.140