Meet Olivia Brant, the resident RD at VIDA Fitness The Yards. We took a moment to catch up with Olivia to learn more about her background and why being an RD is her dream job.
Since joining VIDA Fitness, Sarah Heckman has become an entirely different person: She lifts serious weight and works out five times a week. And that’s not all — she’s even currently studying to become a personal trainer after getting inspired by the trainers she’s worked with at VIDA.
Let’s be honest: Everyone wants a nice booty. And with swimsuit season in full swing, that’s motivation enough to get your derrière in tip-top shape. We caught up with VIDA Fitness Master Trainer Emma Krieger to learn why focusing on your glutes is important and which exercises are critical for getting the backside you deserve.
When you see yourself every day, sometimes it’s hard to recognize the progress that you’re making. But when people who haven’t seen you in eight months are showering you with congratulations and comments like “wow, you really great!” and “I can totally see a difference” it’s pretty damn awesome.
VIDA group fitness instructor Dave Roberts has been with VIDA since 2008, and he leads the Logan Circle boot camp. He says that the number one reason you should check out his classes is to add a little spice to your typical routine.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over these last few months, it’s that progress with fitness takes a lot of time—there are no instant results—and a lot of dedication, but that it’s 100% percent worth it. The feeling of hitting a milestone like fitting into clothes you haven’t fit into for a few years is the perfect illustration of that.
Meet May’s squad member: Raffi Umanzor! Rafael is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor at VIDA Fitness U Street who’s well-known for his intense indoor cycle classes. In fact, Raffi’s classes are so popular that they’re always full — people even arrive up to an hour early to snag a seat!
One of the counter-intuitive things I’ve learned about fitness is the more fit you are and the more lean mass you have, the more calories your body needs to fuel your metabolism and maintain muscle.
If you have ever had any form of deep tissue massage you can recognize the benefits (and discomfort) associated with foam rolling. Our muscles are surrounded by fascia, or myofascia, which is a thin, elastic, fibrous connective tissue (the white stuff that holds your meat together). When your muscles get “tight” this tissue tenses up and creates “knots” which must be released. So, in both a massage, and in foam rolling, we are kneeding the knots to help release tension and pressure.
Too often, those of the fitness community set their sights on black-and-white goals without considering the other, and sometimes more important, adaptations to weight training. Sure, when done properly, weight training will get you bigger arms, broader shoulders, and a tighter look, but those hours spent sweating it out in the gym result in much deeper changes that often go unrecognized.
