Dallas Cowboy All-Pro Linebacker Demarcus Ware entrusts his conditioning to Impact Performance & Fitness
From NFL monsters to weekend warriors, Kevin Kordish's Impact Performance & Fitness already has a strong following in Southlake
By Tracy Southers, APR
Weight loss was the number one New Year's resolutionbrin 2012 and staying fit and healthy was ranked fifth, according to national databrresearch company Statistic Brain. It is a safe bet these will again be popularbrNew Year's resolutions in 2013 as a majority of Americans continue to battlebrthe bulge or seek to take better care of themselves. Here in town, staying fit and healthy is serious business. From specialty gyms and bootbrcamps to nutritious take-out meals and wellness seminars, therebrare numerous local options for becoming abrperson who looks good, eats right or can sack a quarterback.
A new facility catering tobrthose seeking a low profile, high intensity workout is Impact Fitness &brPerformance, located at 525 Nolen Drive, suite 100. Here, you can train like a professional athlete, literally, under the guidance of co-ownerbrKevin Kordish, who works with several NFL and NBA players. As a personal trainer atbrLarry North Fitness in Southlake Town Square for 10 years (which closed Augustbr2011), Kordish is no stranger tobrSouthlake and opened his doors with 150 loyal customers. His brother, Bobby, is the general managerbrand also worked at Larry North Fitness.
A certified personal trainer by the National Academybrof Sports Medicine and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, Kordish'sbrpassion is helping people improve their lives through fitness. He says thebrbiggest misconception about fitness training is that it's simple.
"If you really want results, you must understandbrthe scientific aspects of how muscles interact with each other. People don'tbrunderstand that momentum makes it lighter and you can achieve better resultsbrwith less weight. If you can't control it, you shouldn't be lifting it,"brhe comments. "The body is very adaptable and can do many things if it isbrappropriately trained for a task."
Kordish's knowledge and natural talent have enabledbrhim to work with several professional athletes, including current DallasbrCowboys DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, and LaMarcus Aldridge of the NBA'sbrPortland Trailblazers. He began training professional athletes while at Larry North Fitness andbrwhen the Southlake location closed, he transformed an empty showroom at thebrformer Classic Hummer location in Grapevine (Classic Chevrolet owner Tom Durantbris also a client) into a well-equipped makeshift gym. Kordish reports hebrtransferred 95 percent of his clients from Larry North to the temporarybrfacility, and trained several Dallas Cowboys players there five days a weekbrduring the NFL lockout in 2011. Shortly thereafter, Kordish began developingbrhis business plan, securing financing, and searching for property.
"I spent 10 years in Southlake and had greatbrclients, so I knew there was a need for an upscale facility without thebrmasses," Kordish states. "There are many people who don't want to gobrto the big box clubs and prefer a smaller gym with more customer service."
Kordish welcomes both novice gym-goers and hard corebrathletes, noting his training philosophy is the same for both. His initialbrassessment includes health history, movement patterns, and an overall fitness evaluation.brThese determine the workout program, thresholds, and if any corrections arebrneeded to movement patterns.
"Everyone is really built the same, but we don'tbrmove the same because of different things that happen to us in our life. Thebrfundamentals of fitness training apply to everyone, but the primary differencebrin training a professional athlete is they are typically in better conditionbrand have higher thresholds," he explains. "During football season, Ibrtrain DeMarcus Ware the same as I do a non-athlete because he is getting sobrmuch physical activity at practice and during games. During the off-season Ibradd more weight and core exercises to his routine. "
Even if you're not training to be a NFL linebacker,brthe personal trainers at Impact Performance & Fitness will help youbrtransform your body and improve your athletic skills. They offer one-on-onebrpersonal training for $70-$80 per hour (based on frequency) and group trainingbrfor $40 per session (two to four participants). Memberships are currentlybravailable for $99 plus $59 monthly dues for individuals and $149 per month forbrfamilies. Complimentary childcare is available.
Although Impact Fitness & Performance officiallybropened November 12, 2012, the timing is fortuitous as most fitness clubs see anbrinflux of participants immediately following the holidays. Atbrapproximately 10,000 square feet, Impact Fitness & Performance is welcomingbrand comfortable, but still intense. The reception area features a leatherbrsectional and flat-screen television, but it is doubtful that either get muchbruse. The action is in the large, open area filled with FreeMotion®brtreadmills, incline trainers, recumbentbrbikes, ellipticals, and an impressive assortment of strength equipment.
"FreeMotion is thebrbest line of fitness equipment available and has a cable pulley system thatbrallows greater flexibility and the ability to do more exercises," Kordishbrexplains, noting other equipment brands allow for only fixed-isolatedbrmovements. "FreeMotion canbrbe used by all levels -- student athletes, competitors, or the baby boomer who just wants to feelbrbetter."
Used by professional sportsbrteams, universities, hotel chains and medical clinics, FreeMotion equipment isbrdesigned to allow the user to move naturally, based on their abilitiesbrand differences in limb lengths and joints. Known as asymmetrical training, FreeMotion allows for the user to definebrthe movement pattern, not the machine. The best news: Since FreeMotionbrequipment activates more muscles, more calories are burned.
Kordish also points out thebrFreeMotion cardio equipment have a built-in tablet that links to Google Maps™brfor the user to program a route anywhere in the world to run or cycle. CalledbriFit® Technology, the equipment automatically responds to the terrain bybradjusting the incline/decline, resistance and speed.
"This is great for peoplebrtraining for a marathon or triathlon. All workouts are stored in the iFit cloudbrso progress can be tracked to check time, speed and distance. You can evenbrqualify for the Boston marathon by using a FreeMotion treadmill."
Seeking to offer membersbrsomething new and unexpected, Kordishbropted to include two unique pieces of equipment:
· brThe Vertimax is a platform withbrbungee cords that are attached to the user at eight points for running, jumpingbrand lunging exercises. The goal is to challenge muscles more than body weight.brIt is used primarily to train athletes to gain explosive power.
· brAlso designed to test bodybrstrength, flexibility and endurance is the Flipper, which simulates flipping abrtire with Olympic-sized weight plates up to 700 lbs. The movements that resultbrfrom its use closely mimic those of a lineman in football.
For those seeking a more traditional full body workout, real-life tiresbrranging from 75-300 lbs. (think John Deere tractor) are lined along the backbrwall of the gym. The strength and aerobic benefits of tire training can enhancebrperformance in all sports from gymnastics to football.
Impact Performance &brTraining also offers indoor cycling classes and RAPIDfit, a 55-minute highbrenergy workout that combines cardio and resistance training by using the Vertexbrvibration machine, Incline Trainer, and Dual Cable Cross.brDeveloped by FreeMotion, the average participant burns between 600 andbr900 calories per session.
For most people Kordish works with, the two mostbrrequested fitness goals are losing weight and firming up, and the FreeMotionbrequipment addresses both. For those seeking to drop pounds, Kordish employsbrmore cardiovascular exercise, such as the treadmills and stationary bikes. Inbraddition, he applies nutritional guidelines to their program. Strength trainingbris used to reduce body fat and for muscular development.
"The key to weight loss is elevating the heartbrrate and keeping it up, which burns more calories," Kordish says. "Itbrall comes down to calories in and calories out; there is no easy way around it.brYou need to have enough fuel to run the engine, but not overfill thebrtank."
New Year's resolutions and gym memberships seem to gobrhand-in-hand, but Time magazinebrlisted "lose weight and get fit" as the most commonly broken NewbrYear's resolution. Don't let this happen to you.
GET FIT THE RIGHTbrWAY
Tips from Kevin Kordish
1. brWeight training increases muscle; more muscle burns more calories.
2. brSpot reduction is not possible through exercise. You can do crunches orbradduction/abduction (inner/outer thigh) all day long, but it won't reducebrthe fat in those areas.
3. brCardio will increase cardiovascular capacity, but not necessarily facilitatebrthe loss of body fat.
4. brWork smarter not harder, hire a personal trainer.
5. brIf you only have 30 minutes to exercise, maximize your timebrwith resistance training.
Bonus: Exercise is like a parachute, it only works when you use it.