The Faction is a heart rate-based cardio and strength workout for all levels. Focused on burning calories and increasing strength, Faction classes aim to transform your body utilizing Myzone coached by our professional coaches.
Faction classes are offered:
Contact Stephanie at scampione@ffc.com to try out a Faction class today!
In late 2021, we asked our members, “What’s Your Day One?” Dozens of members shared their 2022 fitness goals with us, and we chose four members to follow on their journeys from Day One to Goal Accomplished! Let’s meet one of those members: Emily!
Emily is a member of FFC East Lakeview and she applied to our Day One Program with a very specific goal: squat 180 pounds.
Emily started weightlifting in 2019, but once gyms shut down during the pandemic, she lost a bit of her momentum with lifting. Before she started the Day One program, she was able to squat close to 100 pounds, but she is looking forward to the structure that comes with working with a personal trainer.
“Even though I’ve been on the machines before in the gym, I think coming back to the gym and doing these types of workouts still takes a lot of discipline and trust in yourself and in your trainer.”
Emily is in her final semester of graduate school, and she hopes this program will help her manage the stress that comes along with applying for jobs and transitioning from school into a career.
“It’s going to be an interesting 90 days to see how this program will help my own mental health and stress routine,” Emily said.
As part of the Day One program, Emily is paired with FFC Personal Trainer Kyle Decker. Emily and Kyle will train together for 12 weeks to get her ready for her big lift.
Emily was inspired to squat 180 pounds because someone once told her that 180 pounds is the average weight of a man.
“That was just something that kind of hit me because I really am about women-empowerment, building strength and also being able to protect yourself, so that number really stuck out to me,” she said.
If she reaches her goal, Emily will be able to squat her own bodyweight and a half, which is another reason she chose to make 180 pounds her goal.
With 12 weeks to prepare Emily to squat 180 pounds, Kyle determined she will need to increase her squat weight every week by 5 pounds, which Kyle mentioned was a “lofty goal.”
“Considering I really hope to get as close as I can to 180 pounds – or actually hit 180 pounds because that would be super cool – that’s his gameplan,” Emily said.
Related: Women and Weights: Why You Should Lift Heavy
During Week 2 of her program, Emily tries her training program on her own. After completing the four workouts assigned to her by Kyle, Emily leaves the gym feeling empowered.
“I’m feeling really good. The movements are definitely a lot easier and I just feel really excited. I also feel really good stress relief from that workout,” she exclaimed.
In addition to her weekly training with Kyle, Emily is also seeing FFC Registered Dietitian McKayla Braender to make sure she’s fueling her body properly.
“Three must-haves if you lift regularly would be protein, carbohydrates and hydration,” McKayla said. “For a weight lifter, our protein is going to be much more important.”
Emily then shows us what a typical post-workout meal looks like for her, with veggies, a sandwich and a protein shake.
It’s week 4 of Emily’s program, and we check in to see how her training sessions with Kyle have been going.
“I really like the way that [Kyle] instructs because not only does he really emphasize proper form, but he explains why we’re doing something – why this is the process and the pace we’re going,” Emily said.
Related: Meet Another One Of Our Day One Program Participants, Renu!
Post written by FFC Contributor Natalie Casper.
Metabolism is a tricky topic. Every day, whether I’m seeing clients at FFC, talking to friends or getting served a targeted Instagram post, I hear/see the words metabolism or hormones. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how each individual person’s metabolism works, and in the field of nutrition, research is always ongoing.
Metabolism is complex and various factors impact it. While we can’t control all factors that impact our metabolism, we may be able to address some and ultimately optimize the way our metabolism works through nutrition, lifestyle and physical activity.
Metabolism refers to how your body stores and uses energy from food. It’s how your body works to break down nutrients into their simplest form for transport into cells.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the function of how your body utilizes (or metabolizes) energy:
Carbohydrates → glucose
Protein → amino acids
Fat → fatty acids
When it comes to factors that have the biggest impact on our metabolism, it really boils down to three things:
Metabolic Rate refers to the total amount of energy expended each day and is determined by three main components:
Related: My Resting Metabolic Rate Test Experience And What I Learned
Metabolic functions are controlled by hormones. Hormones control:
The key is to strike the right balance of hormones, otherwise, regular metabolic functions can be disrupted. Some common hormones that impact our metabolism are thyroid hormones, ghrelin, leptin, testosterone, estrogen, human growth hormone, insulin, and cortisol.
Outside of energy in, energy out, what you eat and how much you eat may impact your metabolism. Different nutrients may impact the hormones that dictate how your metabolism runs.
The following are macronutrients and foods that may impact your metabolic hormones:
Related: How To Enhance Your Longevity Through Nutrition
Micronutrients that are involved in making your metabolism work at its optimal level are:
While there are many things you can do to help regulate and balance out your hormones so that your body’s metabolism can run as smoothly as possible, here are my top 6 to get started:
That was a lot of information, I know, but metabolism is really complex. If you feel like your metabolism has changed or you are simply looking for where to start, the first thing I recommend is making sure you are feeding your needs. So if you’re working out, that means making sure you’re eating enough to support those workouts and daily activities.
The best way to figure out how much energy you need is through indirect calorimetry – which is a method used to measure how your body is converting oxygen to carbon dioxide (aka – how your body is metabolizing energy). It’s used to measure your energy expenditure (or, calories “burned”). If you want to know more about how to do this, FFC offers a Resting Metabolic Rate Test. Once we figure out the current state of your metabolic rate, we can talk about what you’ve been doing in terms of lifestyle, physical activity and nutrition that may be impacting your energy expenditure and metabolic hormones.
The process is ongoing, but taking metabolism from all angles, bit by bit, can help optimize it for your needs.
Post written by FFC Registered Dietitian Kathy Chung.