On Havana Street
Four Factors To Focus On In Building Functional Strength
by Kyle Wheeler
Have you heard of functional strength training? What exactly does that mean, and is it something you should incorporate into your fitness routine? The answer is yes! More than a buzzword in the health world, functional fitness can give you the overall strength you need to stay active throughout your life.
First off, what is functional strength? It’s what helps us physically take on the challenges we face in everyday life — carrying groceries, mowing the lawn, or climbing stairs. Without functional strength, these tasks get more and more difficult through the years, and we find we’re not able to do things “like we used to.”
The extent of functional strength you need varies by individual — some people’s lifestyles involve playing sports or running races. Others just need the strength and stamina to work in the garden or to play with the grandkids.
Training is tailored to individual needs and goals, and can be done by active older adults, elite athletes or teens and kids. Regardless of your level, functional strength can build muscle and bone mineral density that diminish as we age. It also allows you to add unique and fun movements to your activity repertoire, which in turn can stave off aging-related concerns.
To incorporate functional strength training into your routine, here are four factors to keep in mind:
- First, be fit.
Before starting a training program, establish a good base of cardiovascular health. Assess your overall fitness on your own or consult with a personal trainer. Also, don’t begin functional strength training without having done some steady resistance training using proper form.
- Explore the moves.
Functional strength exercises differ from other movements in that they engage multiple muscle groups. Instead of doing isolated exercises that may work the legs or arms, functional strength exercises incorporate broader movements that not only improve strength but also boost balance and improve joint control. Because of this, they help reduce the risk of injury you might experience in doing everyday “functional” activities.
Functional strength movements include:
- Suspension training
- Plyometric bodyweight movements
- Kettlebell training
- Mega-medicine ball training
- Battle rope exercises
- Olympic lifting
- Sandbag workouts
- Fully engaging core exercises beyond typical crunches or sit-ups
- Push-sled workouts
- High-Intensity Interval Training
- Balance work
- Stability (physio-ball) ball exercises
- Add a few moves slowly over time.
That said, don’t just jump in and try to tackle all these moves at once. Start by adding just one or two to your existing routine. For example, at the end of your current workout, try adding three 30-second sets of full-out battle rope movement. Aim to have great form — a neutral spine, tight core and stable base.
The next week, add kettlebell swings into the mix, and so on. If you choose something more difficult like Olympic lifting, make sure to do the lifts before your workout, instead of adding them on at the end. You don’t want to be doing the most difficult exercises last!
- Have fun.
As you incorporate functional strength training into your routing, celebrate the added flexibility, balance, and muscle you’re bringing to your life. Most importantly, as you train, remember to have fun. If you find you’re not looking forward to your workout, figure something else out. The beauty of functional strength training is that it comes with variations and new possibilities to explore. You don’t have to do moves you don’t care for — there are always more options.
Functional strength can keep you active and engaged and able to do the things “you’ve always done.” Stay strong!
Kyle Wheeler, NASM-CPT, is a Certified Wellness Coach and Fitness Coordinator. A personal trainer, certified pool operator, and small group instructor, Kyle has a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion. He is a self-proclaimed nutrition nut who trains with a focus on core stability and functional strength. Kyle teaches at the Schlessman Family YMCA.
October Comes Screaming Back
Let the leaves fall where they may, October is about to come screaming back! A riot to the senses, the month is climaxed by Halloween and our need to be scared and terrified. Nevertheless, summer’s oppressive 90-degree heat will soon be a distant memory and golden leaves promise a Valley full of beautiful fall adventures.
Boo: “Halloween, ooh, Halloween ghostly things are gonna happen.” Darkness comes much earlier this month and you’ll soon be hearing spooky, silly noises outside.
Here are our supernatural choices for shopping, dining and entertainment as the wind nestles in the trees outside and spirits prowl the sidewalks like unseen cats:
3 Don’t miss the opening of JAAMM Fest, a one of a kind arts extravaganza on the JCC campus Oct. 4-Nov. 18. The high caliber of this year’s lineup includes music acts from all over the world. Information: 303-316-6360.
3 Be sure you have the “Write Stuff” including vintage pens at the Colorado Pen Show in the DoubleTree North, Oct. 5-7. Information: 303-322-6666.
3 Dance over to Colorado Ballet’s season opener featuring Sleeping Beauty at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House Oct. 5-14. Information: 303-837-8888.
3 Catch Emmy winner John Tesh as he sings, tells stories at the Grand Piano in Lowry’s Soiled Dove Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-830-9214.
3 Let Total Wine & More — newly opened on East Evans Ave. — take part in all of your Halloween parties. Your spirits will soar with the unbelievable selection of wines and unique spirits. Information: 720-535-0027.
3 For a taste of October you’re certain to enjoy attending Joy Wine & Spirit’s 8th Chili Cook Off on 6th Ave. Oct. 21, 12-4 p.m. Amateurs and pros vie for critics’ and peoples’ choice awards. Information: 303-744-6219.
3 Join the Kidney Foundation’s non-competitive 5k walk-run at Sloan’s Lake Park on Oct. 14, 8 a.m. Information: 720-748-9991.
3 Escort the kids along Glow in the Gardens’ spooky Halloween pathways Oct. 17-18 and 23-25. Information: 720-865-3500.
3 You yearn for the crispest, clearest sounds to enhance your audio experience but with today’s advancements in technology you’re not sure where to turn. Start at this year’s 15th Rocky Mountain Audio Fest at the Marriott Tech Center, Oct. 5-7. At the world’s largest Audio Show, attendees will enjoy equipment show specials, prize drawings and live entertainment all weekend. Information: 303-779-1100.
The air begins to chill, slowly, first at night, and then during the day. The leaves start their colorful dance ushering in the final stage of their existence. Nature begins the preparation for a long winter’s nap. Everything alive seems to go to sleep or migrate south. Only we humans seem to stick around for the colder months ahead.
October in the Valley, with its warm days, cool nights, and colorful displays of foliage, is always a favorite month for most everyone — most of the living that is!
For the dead, the month signifies an unwanted awareness by the living that the dead may be lurking among us. As you enjoy Halloween costume parties this month remember that this freakish, bizarre season is a reminder to be adventurous, bold and daring or you’ll just be another “hoblin’ goblin.” Eat, drink and be scary. Bone appetit!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
The Grandoozy Music Festival ‘Isn’t She Lovely’
The inaugural Grandoozy music festival had a reported attendance of 55,000 over the extended weekend.
The inaugural Grandoozy Music Festival was held over the extended weekend of September 14-16, 2018, at the Overland Golf Course off of Santa Fe Drive in southwest Denver. Why at Overland Park Golf Course? At first it would seem a strange choice. With virtually no on-site parking the golf course site is stuck between the extremely busy Santa Fe Drive on one side and a raft of homes on the other. The lack of on-site parking necessitated free shuttles from far away parking lots with the vain hope people would hike in from the nearest, not so convenient light rail station.
As part of the June 2017 presentation for City Council approval of the event on public land a bullet point was the that the organizer, Superfly Productions, negotiate with RTD to include public transportation as part of the $270 event ticket. But Superfly Productions apparently was uninterested in paying anyone for anything. RTD offered additional cars for the extended weekend and requested from Superfly $72,000 to cover the additional service, security and personal costs and when Superfly said no RTD dropped it down to $33,000. But the production company was still uninterested, and no additional service was added for the event for public convenience.
Stevie Wonder performed during the final night of the 2018 Grandoozy music festival.
The RTD kerfuffle was emblematic of why Superfly was at Overland Park Golf Course in the first place and not at the many different existing concert venues in the area such as Fiddler’s Green, Mile High Stadium or Red Rocks. Superfly had come to Denver to take every last penny it could beg, borrow or steal from the community. The existing venues cost real money while Overland Park Golf Course is on public land and could be obtained for a fraction of the cost. The City and County of Denver under Michael Hancock is trying to get rid of, or alternatively monetize, every possible inch of open space under its control.
Superfly could get everything it wanted for a relative song from the mayor’s office and the always compliant Denver City Council. In turn, the production company brought in a hodgepodge lineup which was far skimpier than almost any other marque event it holds. Headliners being Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar and Florence + the Machine, all of which have performed in Denver before. The gaps were filled with numerous local acts Superfly could get to perform at the Festival on the cheap.
The Denver golf community and the Overland Park neighborhood vociferously opposed the event which has partially destroyed the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi. But as one insider noted: “Those groups are composed of old white people who the city is hoping to drive out as fast as possible. No one is going to pay any attention to them.” She was right. The City Council blew right past them with hardly an acknowledgment at the June 17 meeting.
So how was the three-day festival? Depends on who you ask. For the neighbors and the golfers it was a disaster, but that was expected from them. For many festival concertgoers the event was okay, but lacked the big names they had expected. They are hoping in future years Superfly will spend the money it takes to bring them better lineups. Don’t count on it.
But for Superfly Productions, Stevie Wonder’s greatest hit “Isn’t She Lovely,” best summed up the event. They made a killing. Good crowds at top dollar prices and very low overhead. Nineteenth century con man Soapy Smith found that Denver was a perfect place to pull off his many scams with a rube seeming to be waiting on every street corner. In Michael Hancock’s Denver not much has changed. If you are unscrupulous enough and have access to the powers that be in Denver government, there are fortunes to be made in the Queen City on the Plains.
- Editorial Board
Take a tour of Italy without leaving home
(BPT) – Dreaming of an Italian vacation? You can experience the country’s stunning, ancient and romantic regions without even leaving home. The wines of Italy embody the heart and soul of the country itself, being a part of the land, the air and the water of the regions in which they’re grown.
Letting the vineyards be your guide, you’ll travel from the Tuscan coast to the Adriatic’s long, sandy beaches, to the black and rich slopes of an active volcano. You’ll marvel at Sicily’s crystal blue waters and be awed by Campania’s storied past. You can even learn about some dedicated winemakers along the way.
Invite your friends for a backyard wine tasting on a balmy evening, open up these Italian whites, and enjoy their not-commonly-known varieties accompanied by light, Italian fare. Buon viaggio!
Ca’Marcanda Vistamare: The playful name of this wine, which means “sea view,” was inspired by the Tyrrhenian sea breeze, the sun and the cheerful, lighthearted outlook of the Tuscan coast. Coastal innkeepers would use “vistamare” to entice hotel guests, even if their rooms only offered a limited view of the Mediterranean. The vineyards used for Vistamare actually enjoy a panoramic view of the Tuscan horizon, and their grapes are gently touched by the salt air and brilliant colors of the Tuscan sea.
Vistamare is fresh and light on the palate, with notes of bergamot, pear and nectarine. Then it shifts toward a more mineral and spicy character, with notes of flint, rosemary and saffron. The wine gets riper in the finish with hints of mango.
Terlato Vineyards Colli Orientali del Friuli Friulano: Travel to Northern Italy’s Friuli region, where mountains overlook the Adriatic Sea, its coastline dotted with lagoons and long sandy beaches. Friulano is the predominant wine here because of the ideal growing conditions for this indigenous varietal. This Friulano comes from very old vines located on Estate vineyards at 1,050 feet above sea level, with cool nights and warm days, ideal for producing wines with excellent acidity and elegance.
Attention to detail gives the wine floral aromas with distinct pear and almond notes, and a creamy, full-bodied texture.
Anselmi San Vincenzo: Grown in the Monteforte area within the Veneto region of Northern Italy, San Vincenzo vines are planted on 110 acres of volcanic tuff and limestone. Veneto is encircled by Lake Garda, the Dolomite Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Imagine floating down the Grand Canal in Venice, and seeing Juliet’s balcony in Verona before finding a cafe where you can sip this delicious wine of the region.
San Vincenzo is medium bodied and fruit forward, with a clean, dry finish and scents of minerals, lemon, lime and melon.
Alta Mora Etna Bianco: Travel south to Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, where these grapes are grown and harvested on the slopes of the active volcano, Mount Etna. The soil is black, fertile and dynamic, and the name Alta Mora translates to “tall, black,” representing the great heights of the vineyards on the mountain and the dark, black volcanic soil.
This wine is a slight nod to Sauvignon Blanc in style. It’s fresh and fruity, with great minerality, and a classic match for seafood dishes. It’s easy to imagine sipping it while gazing out onto the Mediterranean’s crystal blue waters.
Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina: This vineyard is in Sorbo Serpico, a tiny village in Campania’s Irpinia region, near Mount Vesuvius. The area, with its numerous castles and fortresses, has ancient roots, and has been a transit land between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. Named after the method of vine cultivation in Sannio at the end of the Roman Era called Falangs (“poles”), this Falanghina is ideal as an aperitif. It can also accompany various types of appetizers, plates of simple fish and vegetables as well as fresh cheeses.
Floral notes like white blossoms and delicate apple and pear float through the air as you sip this medium intensity wine, which is crisp with hints of spice, light almond and a slightly bitter orange peel character.
Let these wines bring the beauty of Italy to your table tonight. Cincin!