Fit For Duty Podcast

OPEX is for those who have tried fitness but have not seen effective or efficient progress toward their long-term goals ...in and out of the gym. Our goal is to build a facility that is built on one main purpose – "To inspire people to live larger lives." When you work with our coaches you will immediately understand that your best interests are aligned with your coach's as well as the gym's owners. Every workout is specifically designed to optimize your long-term results. With monthly consultations to maintain focus on "big picture" success, along with assessments and nutritional guidance to ensure you are progressing physically, OPEX delivers ongoing support toward your goals in and out of the gym. When you start training at an OPEX Concord, you'll have your own personal coach who designs all of your workouts and your nutrition planning. Every day you'll have the opportunity to work out with a great group of like-minded clients and you will have a coach on the gym floor who will make sure that you are moving safely and effectively. This Podcast is meant to share those stories on the gym floor and provide viewers with information to help them whether they are in or out of an OPEX gym. This episode we speak with Concord Longevity Medicine on Fasting and the Best ways to implement it into your life. Some great tips inside of this episode and a really good conversation. As a bonus click the link below to download a healthy brands list that you can use before your next visit to the store for the best brands recommended to help you make the best choices for your nutrition to stay consistent. Healthy Food Brand Guide: Click HERE To speak to and OPEX Coach and start improving your nutrition behaviors today Click HERE

At OPEX Concord, we believe that to get better at anything you have to practice. Whether that is getting better at the 6 Basic Movement patterns or the nuances of higher skilled variances of the squat movement pattern. The same holds true for Nutrition and Behavior Practices. No matter what your nutrition protocol of choice is (Keto, Fasting, Carb Cycling) we believe that without great experience and practice of these 5 skills you could be missing out on the benefits these so called "fad diets" claim to have. These are a list of the 5 Skills we try to help each of our clients implement and sustain during their time with OPEX Concord. Just like the 6 basic movement patterns; spending time focusing and practicing these will lead to sustained nutrition practices that make the most sense for you no matter what your goals are at any given time. Take a listen and see where you sit and if you need some help getting started let us know. Thanks for listening! To Speak with an OPEX Coach today click here: https://www.opexconcord.com/consult Download our Free Meal Prep Guide: https://mailchi.mp/9494284c6e24/mealprepguide Learn More about our Basic Lifestyle Guidelines: https://www.opexconcord.com/blog/the-opex-experience-basic-lifestyle-guidelines

OPEX Fitness Concord is a Personalized Fitness Facility located in Concord, NC just North of Charlotte. We Specialize in providing a personalized fitness experience with each one of our clients by delivering customized fitness and nutrition programs based on our clients individual goals, lifestyle and fitness experience. The goal of this channel is to give you an inside look at what it as a client inside of the facility, tell the stories of the people we interact with everyday as coaches on the gym floor and help those who are not able to be in our facility either by distance or circumstance start or evolve their fitness journey. To speak with an OPEX Concord Coach click the link below: www.opexconcord.com/consult

Today is a recording of a group call with OPEX Concord members on how to add healthy snack choices to their day. We talk about the definition of healthy snacks, using a good, better, best framework to make the best choices available given your circumstances. We host these calls every Wednesday @ 11:00am EST. To join the call simply click the link below to get on the list to receive a reminder of the calls and the topics covered. Register For Weekly Meet-Up Here Thanks for listening and hope to talk to you soon.

In this episode we talk about ways you can maintain your health during this time of uncertainty. We know this is not an all inclusive answer but these are things that we believe you can do easily, even on your worst day. As always you should consult with a healthcare professional if you feel that your health is at risk past these points and stick to the guidelines provided by the cdc in regards to COVID-19. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to share the podcast! www.opexconcord.com/consult

This week we cover how we help clients auto-regulate their training from day to day using RPE. Progression comes in many forms but for those of us who have busy lifestyles it doesn't always happen in a linear fashion. Take a look at how we help manage that so that you get the results you want based on how your daily energy is . To check out the video version; https://youtu.be/wa6BiK-A1YU To speak with an OPEX coach about your fitness journey: www.opexconcord.com/consult

This week on the podcast we discuss the 5 areas we look at to help our clients improve their energy, why it's important and some actionable steps for you to get started. Check out our Free 2 Day Trail which includes a consult, fitness assessment and personal training session by clicking the link below. www.opexconcord.com/consult

If you’ve hung around OPEX for long enough you’re bound to have heard someone say the words, “assess, don’t guess.” This mantra informs how all of our Gyms operate, implementing the OPEX Body, Move, Work assessment during intake. Every OPEX Coach has their individual flair and specialties, but their coaching is grounded in a consistent starting point–clear assessment data. Here are 5 reasons why we insist that every fitness program starts with an assessment: 1) Identify ability Everyone who trains at an OPEX Gym receives a program that is designed to meet them where they’re at and nudge them towards their goals at a sustainable rate. To design this, an OPEX Coach needs to understand their client’s current ability. This includes measuring their body composition, their movement quality, and their work capacity. 2) Highlight priorities Every individually designed program begins with an assessment. This helps your coach identify your priorities. It’s impossible to program for everything at once, so your coach will use your assessment data to highlight what they need to focus on for each training cycle. 3) Address imbalances Assessing structural balance allows your coach to program in a way that develops balanced strength that supports your function and longevity. Your OPEX coach uses a system of percentages to make sure your squatting, bending, pulling, pushing, core, single-leg, and single-arm strength is balanced. They will also screen work capacity to make sure you have a balance of aerobic and anaerobic fitness, based on the requirements of your life and sport. 4) Prevent injury A movement assessment is a valuable tool for screening for any potential limitations, past injuries, or contraindications. For example, an assessment can determine whether you have adequate overhead mobility for pressing or knee stability for squatting. This will help guide your coach to design your program to avoid potential injuries and build strength and stability where you need it. 5) Monitor progress An initial assessment provides clear data on your starting point that you can refer back to over time. This way, you know objectively whether or not you’re making progress. It tells your coach if your program is doing what it’s designed to do–get you results! If things aren’t tracking like they should be, they can adjust accordingly. Seeing your progress through assessment numbers over time is also a great way to stay inspired. It can be easy to forget how far you’ve come, so it’s important to look back and be proud of your fitness journey! OPEX is for those who have tried fitness but have not seen effective or efficient progress toward their long-term goals ...in and out of the gym. Our goal is to build a brand that is built on one main purpose – "To inspire people to live larger lives." When you work with our coaches you will immediately understand that your best interests are aligned with your coach's as well as the gym's owners.

Getting and Maintaining a Good Fitness Routine can be challenging. The priorities of the day to day and inserting fitness into an already busy lifestyle is difficult to maintain over time. The truth is there is no "magic program" that allows for you to do this without the appropriate amount of planning and an honest look at what your day looks like. We have broken this down into 5 different steps or ideas for you to walk away from and get a good idea around what you can actually do to start to develop consistency that you can stick to for a long period of time. Create a list of priorities that are non-negotiable and need to get done. Don't feel obligated to put exercise; it may not be the priority for you. That's really ok. Review your calendar and insert your priorities in time blocks of 45-75 minutes depending on how you work. Find the white space that you can insert a new priority (Daily Exercise, Walking, Improving Nutrition, etc). Focus on the things during that time that will give you the most bang for your buck! Keep Practicing and stay consistent. Take a listen to get all the details and you can also check out the video version below: (Insert Youtube Link) Like us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/

Fighting Cravings and staying consistent with your nutrition or any other practice that you have can be difficult even stressful. Creating a plan that you can execute on consistently with little to no barriers can help you see progress and continue to make positive changes toward what it is that you want to accomplish. This episode I speak with my wife and a friend on hers on creating a plan that allows you to stay consistent and how this will help combat those cravings in the middle of a busy work day/week. Hope you enjoy the episode, don't forget to share with someone you think this may help.

Today we have a couple of guest on the show and we go over gym etiquette and how to conduct yourself in the gym. We also talk about no matter what gym environment you are in how being respectful toward others, the equipment and keeping things clean will preserve the gym environment and keep you moving in the gym so that you can accomplish the things you are looking for outside of the gym. Hope you enjoy the episode and we'll talk with you soon!

In this episode we talk about New Year's Resolutions, how to beat the new year fall off of fitness and simple steps to start today for you to get some wins that are simple and effective. Take a listen and to check out the podcast we did with Cabarrus County Magazine click the link below. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-front-with-cabarrus-magazine/id1453883113#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-2454374 To learn more about OPEX Concord go to: www.opexconcord.com/consult and speak with an OPEX coach today.

In this episode I talk about a better way to track your weight if moving the weight loss/gain needle is your goal. It's broken down into a few really simple steps. 1. Measure your weight for up to 7 days 2. Take the average of those measurements as your starting point 3. Choose a single day each week and to "weigh in" and compare that measurement to your starting average. Execute on the other things that are going to help you show progress and you'll win! As always any questions let me know alfred@opexconcord.com For the Youtube Version Click the link HERE to check it out! To speak with an OPEX Concord Coach visit our website to set up your No-Sweat Intro

In this episode I go over the difference between Specific Goals and Identified Weaknesses how they tie in to a fitness assessment to create and start to work toward your goals. To learn more about OPEX Concord Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/ OR Click HERE to speak with an OPEX Fitness Concord coach to start on your journey today with No-Sweat Intro.

This is a talk with a client on the floor following his workout. We discuss: His Food Log Challenges with making change How it can start simply by adding protein A better way to check his weight and track progress. Hope you enjoy the episode any questions or comments hit me up alfred@opexconcord.com

Setting goals in 2020 is an important part for the coach/client relationship at OPEX Concord. Setting goals gives you something to shoot for and your coach to program for you to progress toward. We typically want to start with the end in mind then reverse engineer back to start. In this episode we go through the steps to set up your goals and get you to a place where you can not only start but carry out your goals all the way through to the end of 2020. If you enjoyed this podcast and want to take charge of your goals and get the results you deserve, then click the link to get our Free Goal Setting Webinar delivered right to you that talks you through how to set up the goals that are most important to you! https://mailchi.mp/65671349ee90/goal-to-action If you feel like you need some extra accountability and have been thinking of hiring a coach, click the link in the bio to speak with an OPEX Coach Today. www.opexconcord.com/consult

As we head into the end of the year, it's time to start setting priorities for your fitness and health goals for 2020. The hope is that you are either refining a current goal that you have walked out carefully or that you have just created and want to improve on for the year. Here we cover how to stay conscious in your movement practices and our recommendations on what you should be looking for to help put yourself in the best position possible to reach your current goals inside and outside of the gym. To learn more about OPEX Concord Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/ OR Click HERE to speak with an OPEX Fitness Concord coach and claim your Four Week Trial

Ever wonder why you start to reach for a goal and you feel like you're just not making progress? It may be because of what your tracking or the lack of tracking your progress that has you stuck. In this episode I cover the importance of not only staying consistent in the gym and with your nutrition but tracking your progress during the time frame of your goal to see measurable progress. To learn more about OPEX Concord Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/ OR Click HERE to speak with an OPEX Fitness Concord coach to start on your journey today with No-Sweat Intro.

This week we talk about your behaviors and emotions around food and how to improve them. Nutrition is one of the most common topics I get asked questions about and often times it comes with the question "Do you provide meal plans?" Their are benefits to meal plans and all that comes with them, but unless you have a sold base of support for how you handle: Office Parties, Holidays, Family Gatherings that allow you to not be so restrictive a meal plan is just that a plan with no real way to take action on it as your life changes. To learn more about OPEX Concord Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/ OR Click HERE to speak with an OPEX Fitness Concord coach to start on your journey today with No-Sweat Intro.

In this episode we talk with Bryan Parady from Bones to Bulk.  An online coaching service that helps skinny guys get buff!  I have followed him for some time now and really enjoy hearing his story and watching his progress in fitness and business.   If you want to know more about Bryan you can find him on all social platforms @bonestobulk Follow Alfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_alfred_w Follow Opex Concord on all social: https://www.facebook.com/opex.concord Want to speak with an OPEX Coach to evolve your fitness journey? Get started today: https://www.opexconccord.com/consult

In this episode we sit down with Dr. of Physical Therapy Jennifer Frankowski. We discuss her history in fitness, how she got into physical therapy, how she currently helps clients in and out of OPEX Concord and her current training routine. To see more from Dr. Frankowski Follow her on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be-the-Change-Physiotherapy-1046061298931637/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethechangephysiotherapy/ To learn more about OPEX Concord Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opex.Concord/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opex.concord/ OR Click HERE to speak with an OPEX Fitness Concord coach to start on your journey today!

It’s common to hear “you don’t have time, you need to make time.” I hate those little nuggets because if you had time you would just make it! Right? In this episode we’re going to show you that you do have the time and how to add exercise and movement into your day with the use of time blocking. This was a quick episode that I hope provides you with some value to execute on.

In this episode we discuss our process for helping clients that come to us with pain move toward a pain free exercise experience so that they are able to reach their highest potential. Hope you Enjoy! Follow Alfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_alfred_w Follow Opex Concord on all social: https://www.facebook.com/opex.concord Want to speak with an OPEX Coach to evolve your fitness journey? Get started today: https://www.opexconccord.com/consult

The idea that short term fitness and nutrition solutions don’t work is true. Not because they are bad ideas but because they are short. You have to commit more time to the process and practice the behaviors that are within it to fit your lifestyle. You just need to practice more

In this episode we speak with Sun Makachinas on: How she started Fitness Her journey from 6 week challenges to Personal Fitness Coaching What drives her to walk for 24 hours at a time Why Fitness is important to her This was a great episode and hope you enjoy! Follow Alfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_alfred_w Follow Opex Concord on all social: https://www.facebook.com/opex.concord Want to speak with an OPEX Coach to evolve your fitness journey? Get started today: https://www.opexconccord.com/consult

On this episode we discuss the process of creating your own goals. Clients of OPEX Concord utilize SMART Goals as a framework to set goals. S: Specific M: Measureable A: Attainable R: Relevant T: Timely The hardest part for some is getting started. Setting specific goals that can be measured and relevant can create timely and attainable results. For a very long time. If you enjoyed this episode don't forget to subscribe where ever you take in your podcast. Follow Alfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_alfred_w Follow Opex Concord on all social: https://www.facebook.com/opex.concord Want to speak with an OPEX Coach to evolve your fitness journey? Get started today: https://www.opexconccord.com/consult

On this episode I talk about the use of progressive overload to gain strength and build out a larger capacity of work in the gym. This subject stems from multiple conversations I've had about clients I have recently worked with using resistance training without progressively overloading their exercises to create new challenges, increase strength and build the bodies they have ultimately wanted. This is a staple for our clients to help the live their largest life through fitness while still feeling challenged and improving toward what their goals are. Follow Alfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_alfred_w Follow Opex Concord on all social: https://www.facebook.com/opex.concord Want to speak with an OPEX Coach to evolve your fitness journey? Get started today: https://www.opexconccord.com/consult

In this episode we sit down with Whitney Badramraju. A client at OPEX Concord for the last 10 Months. We talk about where her fitness journey started, her why behind starting and how a short term goal of a trip to the Bahamas for her birthday helped keep her motivated as she was just starting out. We also discuss her migration away from CrossFit into a personalized fitness program and her success with that as well as things she continues to struggle with and improve on inside and outside of the gym. This was a great episode and we’re excited to share her story. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review either on Anchor, Spotify, or Apple Podcast. Also, don’t forget to share with your friends if you can relate in any way. Want to learn more about how OPEX Concord can help create an individual fitness experience specifically for you? Sign up in the link below to learn about our 4-Week Trial and speak with an OPEX Coach about your goals today! 4-WEEK TRIAL

In this episode we discuss the benefits of adding vegetables to your plate and how to increase the amount for what is appropriate for you. I review a lot of 3-day food recalls and what we are looking for initially not what we can take away but what you can add to your daily nutrition to help you stay on track toward your goals. The benefits of eating vegetables specifically are well known in the fitness and nutrition space and like Proteins they are difficult for a lot of people to get a hold of. In Fact one of the first things people lean toward is Fruits. I mean why not? They are sweet and still have a good amount of vitamins and nutrients. It’s easy to just say “eat the rainbow” in fruits and vegetables but without a good idea on how to do that it’s really just lip service to make you sound like you’re in the know. So today, I want to give you three tips to add more vegetables into your daily food intake. Now, let’s get right into it. You have to plan ahead: Vegetables go bad so having a plan to make sure you consume them is important. When you’re shopping choose between 5-6 types of different vegetables that you enjoy and have no aversions to, then when you get home if they are fresh immediately seperate them out wash, clean and cut so they are ready to go when you need them. Buy Frozen: Now this isn’t the most ideal but it can work, especially if you are busy. If you buy Frozen Vegetables they can last a little longer and you don’t have to worry about throwing them out if planning maybe isn’t your jam. “Earn” Your Fruits: Fruit is a great snack and is still really good for you to have. I recommend often a ratio of Vegetables:Fruits to help my clients get started in improving this based on what they are currently capable of and willing to do. So imagine if you want an Apple. This is fine have the apple, but what if you had 2 or 3 servings of Vegetables first? This would accomplish two things. A. You can have the fruit you love and B. You get the benefits of having vegetables to maintain your energy througout the day and just overall feel better. So, that’s it! If you start with just one of these steps to increase the number of vegetables you eat throughout the day and were successful. How would that make you feel? Can you Imagine it? Hit me up with any questions via email: alfred@opexconcord.com and let me know which one you are going to try first. Thanks for listening and hope you enjoyed the episode. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review either on Anchor, Spotify, or Apple Podcast. Also, don’t forget to share with your friends if you can relate in any way. To download our E-Z Portion Guide Click the Link Below. CLICK HERE

In this episode we talk about macros and calories. The fitness industry is covered with people who are either doing Keto, Fasting, Carb Cycling or whatever else you want to call it. Bottom line is; you have to take a stance somewhere and decide what is going to work for you. Where we think you should start is at the beginning. Can you: Track your food for a period of time? Make adjustments to that based on the information you received? Continue to do this until you have gotten the results you are looking for? Well if you are unsure hopefully this will help you out. Here you go! Track your food. This can be done with a food log journal on just a note pad, or using something like My Fitness Pal or My Macros +. Pick a method and track what you are currently eating for 3-5 days. I like 5 because it gives you some consistency. Improve your Food Quality First! So this means eating minimally processed whole foods at an amount that supports your daily energy needs. This is different for everyone so number of meals/day is a great place to start here of good quality food. Then the times at which you eat. Your body responds to rhythms. Meal timing is no different, can you eat around the same time everyday? This will help with creating regular hunger signals and being able to respond to them appropriately. Then you can adjust volume of food as needed. Track your weight during the same time you track your food. I that 3-5 day period did you: Lose Weight Maintain Weight Gain Weight Depending on which one (i.e. Gain weight). If your goal is to lose weight then first look back at your quality and times you eat and work through those first. This is because volume is easily manipulated with the addition of just these two steps. Then, if you need to decrease the amount of food or increase it simply try dropping a snack from your routine and see what happens give it a significant amount of time to work for you (at least 6 weeks) then make adjustments from there. There is no guarantee and there is a law of diminishing returns on all of this but if you stay consistent then you can see the results you are looking for. If you have questions or want to learn more about how we help our clients reach their goals. Click the link below to speak with a coach today. OPEX Concord

In this episode we talk with Amber Lafferty. Amber was with OPEX Concord for the past year and recently competed in her first Bikini Competition and has a great story on how she started with Crossfit and knew she needed a more individualized approach to her goal. We also talk about the resources it takes to get on stage, health and her plan moving forward. Take a listen and hope you enjoy.

In this episode with Taryn Rowland a dental hygienists from PA. She has bee a client with OPEX Concord for over a year and we discuss her biggest Struggles getting started the spark that lit her fire for fitness and how without a coach at each stage she wouldn’t be where she it today. This is a great episode and hope you enjoy. If you think this episode was inspiring and would help someone you know don’t forget to share and if you have any questions about how we help our clients visit us at www.opexconcord.com

In this episode we talk about using Tempo as a training tool to help you lift safely, get strong, increase muscle and loose fat.    Tempo training is used to slow down an exercise to get the maximal muscle contraction available for your current training experience.  It is described as the speed of the movement with the first part of the movement being the lowering or eccentric portion, the second part being the isometric pause at the bottom, the third being the concentric portion or contraction of the muscle that is working.  Then finally the isometric hold at the top.  When written out something like a squat would be written as such:  4-2-x-1.   This means you would go down 4 seconds into the squat, pause for 2 seconds the x entails coming up from the pause as fast as possible under control and a 1 second pause at the top.  The benefits to tempo training are increased body awareness, or motor control.  Muscle endurance for the new trainee and a really killer workout.   So how do you add these to your training?  Start with our example above of 4-2-x-1 in your first week.  The next three weeks may look like. 4-1-x-1; 4-0-x-1; 4-0-x-0. This decreases the isometric holds for the movement making it faster with the goal of better positional strength. This will vary heavily based on the person and their goals/experience but just to start go with the tempo described above. If you want to know more or have more questions check us out at www.opexconcord.com to speak with one of our coaches or you can email me alfred@opexconcord.com.

In this episode we sit down with Kat Theiss.  She has been a member with us since our opening in November of last year.  We discuss how she got started, her struggles with pregnancy and what health exercise and being a great example as a mom means to her and why it's so important.   Apologies for the audio in this episode I wanted to try something new and it didn't go as well.  My audio was not that great but Kat came through awesome!  So hope you enjoy her story and thanks for listening. 

In this episode we speak with one of our clients Maryanne Sivers. She has been on her fitness journey for well over 5 years and has learned a lot along the way. From Couch to 5k, Globo Gym, CrossFit and Now Personalized Fitness with OPEX Concord. We talk about her journey and how she sees things now vs when she started and what her future looks like and what she is expecting to accomplish in and out of the gym to move toward her long term goals and purpose. Enjoy!