Seemed like an easy bet to win, so I don't think I will be picking up gambling anytime soon.

Although there was one time when I was in Las Vegas, I put $100 on 27 Red at the Roulette table (at the behest of my good friend Jeff), and won a ton of money. It was the only gambling I did the entire trip. I took a photo of the chip on 27 Red, and the pile of cash that I won, and sent it to Jeff in a text message. And then I was kicked out of the casino because apparently it's illegal to take photos of the game while you're gambling (makes sense), but obviously I didn't know that (I don't gamble). True story.

Gambling stories aside...I feel like we are watching one big adult game of "kick the can"...

Oh well. There is nothing we can do about it. To use one of my least favorite sayings (ever) "it is what it is."

Despite all of that, there are two things that I know, with absolute certainty:

1) I love GIFS (see above).

2) There is a strong possibility that we might be able to consider the likelihood of potentially opening on May 18th or maybe even the beginning of some other month in the summer.

On the topic of opening, there really isn't a whole lot I can comment on, in any concrete fashion, because I don't really know what the rules will be when that day comes. My guess is that it will look like:

I am also doing some research on some pretty cool cleaning products coming to the market that act as an invisible shield against bacteria and virus materials latching onto surfaces. Seems like they could be useful in the gym. (And I love cleaning products in general.)

(Oh...and to everyone who made fun of me for wearing a fanny pack; seems like a good idea now, doesn't it? You can store your mask, your hand sanitizer, your pepper spray, your chap-stick, band-aids...)

But fear not, we will continue with our Virtual Training Sessions (when appropriate) and will most likely start up semi-private and small group outdoor training sessions (weather permitting).

And no, Jake, just because you are wearing a mask, does not mean you don't have to wear a shirt.

Speaking of Jake...

This week's edition of "Things I Think" is brought to you by Jake Louro,

Co-Owner of Louro Training

Maintaining Strength during COVID

Maintaining progress in the gym is hard to do. Maintaining progress while training at home, with minimal equipment, is even harder. But, I have good news -- there are efficient and effective ways to make basic exercises more challenging even if you don’t have equipment!

(You've probably heard your trainer refer to these methods a few, or a hundred, times.)

Volume: This refers to the number of reps you perform, multiplied by the number of sets you perform, for a specific exercise. Are you doing 3 sets of 12 reps for an exercise (36 reps total)? Next workout, do 3 sets of 15 reps for a total of 45 reps. Try increasing your volume every 1-2 workouts, and soon you'll be a progressive-loading expert.

Eccentrics: This refers to the lowering, or stretching, portion of an exercise. The eccentric phase is also when most of the muscular micro-tears occur during a movement, and, as we all know, micro-tears lead to muscle growth. So how could we incorporate eccentrics into our workouts? Try performing push-ups with a 5 second count on the way down. You’ll increase the time under tension and create an effective stimulus to maintain, or even gain, strength. 

Power: This refers to the ability to generate as much force as possible, as quickly as possible. Training with power increases motor-unit-recruitment (read: more muscle fibers activate), which can lead to strength improvements. Let’s take those lunges that you've been doing -- switch them to lunge hops. Jump as high and as fast as you can on each rep, and now you've got yourself an awesome lower body exercise that will increase the power and strength in your legs.

Isometrics: This refers to statically contracting a muscle without much visible movement. You can hold an isometric movement for a long time (think: front planks) or you can hold them for a short time (think: flexing your biceps in front of the mirror after a workout). Either method (long holds or short intense contractions) is awesome. Let’s use squats as an example. One workout you could do a set of squats where get down to the bottom of a squat and press your feet into the floor as hard as you possibly can (without moving) for five seconds. Another workout you could do a set of regular squats, and then hold the bottom position on the last rep for 30 to 60 seconds. Like eccentric-emphasized movements, incorporating isometrics into your training is a great way to increase time under tension. 

The Bottom Line: our bodies are constantly adapting to the stimuli we are exposed to and there are so many ways to add new stress to the body without the use of dumbbells and barbells. Try some of these strategies for a few weeks and let me know what you think!