The Downey Gym

Flying squirrels (i.e. modified push-ups) from our veteran Downey Gym-er.

Had a great time speaking at Downey's Rotary Club last week about exercise and aging! Here's a link to a brief write-up they put together after the talk; check it out!

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2515/Stories/jim-harrison-dpt-western-physical-therapy

Jim Harrison, DPT - Western Physical Therapy by Lorine Parks “Half the population over 72 aren’t having any fun.” That’s the conclusion Jim Harrison, DPT, owner of Western Physical Therapy in Downey, draws from the fact that 50% of the people over 72 have to have assisted living.

The purpose of Weds workout was to quicken the pace of hinging and squatting movements while maintaining a stable core position, concentrating on technique and raising our heart rates. The result was a vast improvement in our push-up abilities and a great workout overall. Good job. Jim

So the idea of limiting yourself to the number of repetitions which you can perform correctly rather than doing a predetermined number of poorly performed exercise appears to have inspired the group. Pretty cool!! When you self monitor your technique during strengthen activities the activity becomes more interesting. You begin to understand the exercise and concentrate on how your body works. This results in a more fun and beneficial workout. Nice job gang. Jim

The Downey Gym advertising machine rolls out an idea for a couples workout for Valentine's Day 😍

Last nights workout was dedicated to studying the relationship between core stabilization and shoulder stabilization. the stronger your shoulder stabilizers are and the more coordinated they are with your core muscles the safer your shoulders are during any type of upper extremity activity.
The class participants all transitioned from core stabilization exercises through a sequence of strengthening exercises which ended with proper mechanics of overhead lifts. I realize this sounds fairly complicated but it's really quite a lot of fun to know why you're doing exercise rather than just perform. Thanks to everybody and I hope to see you at the 130 class on Friday Jim

Our philosophy here is simple- reach your fitness goals by DOING IT RIGHT. "IT" being the technique, exercise, and intensity which is appropriate for you regardless of your current physical condition. The Downey Gym is led by physical therapists that are passionate about fitness and have 30+ years of experience working with people to personalize the plan to meet their fitness goals. Currently participants range from ages 19-70, so all ages and abilities welcome. For more information check out our website at www.thedowneygym.com.

Hope everyone's Super Bowl was great. Friday night WO helped some our athletes establish how much weight they can lift during the WO and also how much assistance is required for them to use in order to gain strength in both push ups and pull ups. Monday's class will build on these principles. See you there. Jim

The Monday WO was challenging. The primary exercise focused on maintaining a Hollow Hold position while on the pull up bar. Being able hold this position allows the athletes to progress to the point where many could raise their knees up into a tucked position. Significant strength, coordination flexibility and concentration are required to do this activity. But the main purpose was to have fun while working hard. Great job everyone. See you at one of the classes on wed. Jim

The 6 o'clock class did the same hard workout as the 1:30 class however most of the exercises were modified in order to safely allow all of our athletes to participate fully. The modification of the exercises for each person is a key to safe strengthening progression. Great job! and Happy Chinese New Year🎉

Today's 1:30 class ... not bad ahh.

Good Morning to everyone in exercise land. The purpose of the training over the past 2 weeks has been to establish the difference between exercises the utilize a squatting motion and those that use a hip hinge motion. The results of practicing these motions has been improved lifting technique , safer lifts, greater weight and improved fitness. Nice job you guys!! Tonight's workout will continue to explore these motions. See you at 1:30 or 6. -Jim

Hope everyone had a great weekend. The training class on Friday was designed to practice maintaining core stability during may various exercises. It would be expected that some soreness in the muscles of the trunk would be noted today ( 48 hrs after exercise is when the peak muslce soreness is noted. The is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS). Tomorrow, we will be using this ability maintain our spinal position during more complex movements. See ya then. Jim

Good Morning everyone in Facebook land. Welcome to the first official post for THE DOWNEY GYM. I will try and write something witty for the occasion. THE DOWNEY GYM is a fitness and conditioning group which has been training for the past 18 months at Western Physical Therapy. Western Physical Therapy has been treating people at this location for 29 years ( That's right. We have experience.).
Tonights training will explore the relationship between your abdominals and your hip extensors. The training will emphasize maintaining proper alignment during numerous exercises and explain why we work to strengthen our core muscles. See you all at 6 for proper warm-up.