As much as I love to swim, bike and run, I absolutely loathe strength training. You see, I already have my three- headed monster and had no interest in adding a fourth. However, if I want to be competitive in triathlon for the foreseeable future, you bet your booty that I need to get mine strong! Enter Boundless Performance Systems, a facility that has become a welcome addition to my demons.

One of the "heads" of the monster, owner Antwan Harris, me and my trainer Hannah.

One of the “heads” of the monster, owner Antwan Harris, me and my trainer Hannah. My eyes are closed because I just finished my first workout there and I’m lightheaded. #whereamI?

The Monsters Behind the System

Boundless Performance Systems is the dream realized by three owners:

Chelsea Carisio –  Master’s degree in occupational therapy

Hank Carisio –  A professional background in athletics playing as elite athlete in the AHL, and a 3X All-American in LAX, licensed massage therapist, A.R.T. Specialist, Personal Trainer, FMS Certified, and is a all-purpose entrepreneur, business management, creative solutions, business management.

Antwan Harris – Master’s degree in exercise science and a master of  managing client relationships, community work, social media, program creation, implementation, strategic outreach, business managements, and preventive measures.

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Antwan showing us how it’s done!

I can tell you these three are all hustle!

From the first day I entered the gym it was high energy, in your face enthusiasm, knowledge and a kick ass workout. I love how passionate they are about fitness (reminds me of when I owned my own gym!) and how eager they are to get you started in a safe, fun and goal oriented way.

I loved it from the start.

My Workouts

Since I’m trying to build strength in my offseason, my trainer Hannah can basically hammer me at will. But seriously, the way the workouts are set up is easy for everyone, are clearly marked on a whiteboard and change weekly. Hannah is there to guide us and show proper form, modifications and, of course, be our cheerleader. She seems sweet but is also tough and will not let us off with bad form or half-assery of any kind!

Me and Hannah post-workout.

Me and Hannah post-workout.

Dynamic warm-up

We all know that I tend to skip these, right? Well, there is no skipping it at Boundless Performance. And, I always feel ready to go once the warm-up is over and the real work begins. And example of my dynamic warm-up consists of:

Planks with monster walks

Fire Hydrants (HATE!)

Supermans

Ankle Rotations

Butt Kicks

Carioca

Usually the full warm-up takes about 10 minutes and then the real work begins.

Our dynamic warm-up board.

Our dynamic warm-up board.

[Tweet “Are you doing your #dynamic #warmup? I am thanks to @B_P_Systems #getstrong”]

The Workouts

The workouts change weekly for me but are always functional and total body. I have more of a focus on core, glutes, hamstrings and shoulders so we tweak as necessary as we go. Everything is for time and the first exercise our metabolic ramp-up – – think burpees, mountain climbers or boxing/punching. There is an airhorn recording so you definitely cannot miss your cue to begin and end!

Depending on what we’re doing for strength that day, the cardio session will be between 10-20 sets with 15 seconds on and 5 seconds off. It’s as grueling as it sounds.

Once our heart is hip to the fact that we are now working hard, we move on to the strength portion. This block is a consistent set of exercises that we do for a set amount of reps with a total time of 16-22 minutes. So, no matter the exercises, we keep repeating them for allotted time. It’s boatloads of fun.

My workout last week looked like this:

Forward lunges with weight (12)

Good mornings with front loaded weight (12) < – – OMG these were hard!

Russian twists with dumbbells (20)

REPEAT for 16 minutes. #helpme

Boundless Moments

This is definitely the moment I love to hate! A “boundless moment” comes at the end of the workout when your arms and legs feel limp and you’re trying to catch your breath. They can be almost any torturous move that was dreamed up by one of the owners or trainers. My first week it was 45 pound bar bicep curls to failure. I made it to 45 reps. The second week was this…

 

They then broadcast your performance on a list that hangs on the wall so you can see how weak strong you are in comparison to basically anyone else who trains there.

[Tweet “Have you had a #boundless moment yet @B_P_Systems? You’re missing out!”]

Grand Opening

Up next for the three-headed monster is a brand new facility. The grand opening will be held on Saturday, November 5 at 1200 Park Street in Hartford! You can expect live music, health & wellness vendors, live demonstrations, and lots of fraternizing amongst current and prospective clientele!

If you are local, you don’t want to miss it!

For more information about Boundless Performance Systems check out their website and follow them all over social media:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

This post was written in exchange for personal training services at Boundless Performance Systems. Of course, I would never write it if I didn’t love it and you know that is 100% truth!

 

What are you doing to strength train?

Do you have a three-headed monster in your life?

 

 

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