Alexander Training - personal training in Austin, Texas

Personal training in Austin, Texas and customized strength programs in Austin, Texas.

Misc.

Social Benefits of Exercise

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The social benefits of exercise are abundant. From seeing fun people at your gym every day, to having a workout partner you trust with your life, to having friends you mutually support through common and individual goals, the social connections made from exercise are excellent.

I genuinely value the social role the gym plays in my life, beyond just a casual appreciation for it. I have found the best friendships, connections and support from people I meet through the gym. It’s more than running into people you know; it’s forming a valuable community.

My friend Joel supports me during a strongman lift; one of the social benefits of exercise.
My friend Joel times and encourages me through a coffin carry, a fun but sometime uncomfortable strongman lift.

Exercise in Your Circle

If the whole gym is your wider social ring, your closer friends are your inner circle. There are so many benefits of having friends in your inner circle who also exercise. Even if you don’t train or exercise together, it is likely that they understand and support your goals, because theirs are similar. 

Additionally, if you live similar lifestyles, they understand if you want to do things other than eat, drink and stay out late. You have so many options of active things to do, too! You can go on walks, hikes, bike rides, paddle boarding, etc. 

My client and friend Hannah. Meeting friends is one of the fun social benefits of exercise.
My client and friend Hannah and I

Friend Support 

You’ll find that even your friends who don’t exercise with you will likely still support you. This is one of the most heartwarming things I find with my friends. I haven’t had many of the life events my friends have: I haven’t a wedding, I don’t have children yet, but my friends are still so supportive of my lifting adventures. It feels so great when people support you, and it makes me appreciate people so much when they support a sport or lifestyle that they don’t even share a love for.

This type of support from your friends really can’t help but boost your confidence, self-esteem and friendship bonds.

Gym Partner 

Having a gym partner to train with comes with all the benefits listed above, in that they understand your goals and why you work so hard to reach them. Additionally, the tangible benefits of having a training partner are unbeatable: a spotter on hand, another eye to see your lifts, and real time feedback in form, intensity, and how to progress. 

Even the most seasoned lifter can benefit from having someone else watch their lifts. Sometimes a lift feels quite different than it looks. Your training partner will be able to give guidance on when to increase your weight, from a perspective that you as the lifter do not have. 

A training partner is built in accountability too. The structure in your schedule that comes with meeting someone and training together is a huge bonus. A good training partner will push you. As you get to know your training partner better, you’ll be able to help each other get more out of your training than you could alone. For example, you might be aiming for a set of 3-5 reps, get “stuck” on 3, but push out another rep when your training partner – who you trust – says to go for it. 

Of course, as you challenge yourself, a spot is crucial for confidence and progress. Sure, you can set up spotter arms or squat in a rack, but having someone to help during the lift is irreplaceable.

Splitting the loading and unloading the weights is pretty cool too. 

My friend Maggie and I exercise together.
My friend Maggie and I exercise together.

Spouse Workout Partner 

Working out with your spouse, wife or husband can help your relationship inside and outside of the gym. You deepen the bonds of trust and support when you lift and encourage together. I currently train four couples, some together, some individually. It is fantastic to know that they have the support of their spouse because they are working on very similar goals. It’s also really sweet to hear how they talk about each other both in and out of earshot. 

One of my favorite things about training couples is that they get to see each other’s strengths. Most individuals have a distinct advantage in at least one lift over their spouse. It’s really great when a husband looks at his wife with a newfound respect because she kills him on the ab workout. Likewise, I’ve seen women really appreciate their men’s literal strengths. 

My client Drew says of training with his wife, Heather: 

Working out together has helped us create positive energy, foster personal growth, and strengthen our bond as a couple. We are competitive personality types and that propels us and drives us to be part of a fit pair. 

I enjoy the motivation I feel from her compliments on an exercise or congratulations for completing all exercises in the week.

Working out together has helped us create positive energy, foster personal growth, and strengthen our bond as a couple. We are competitive personality types and that propels us to out do the previous work out and drives us to be part of a fit pair. 

I enjoy the motivation I feel from her compliments on an exercise or congratulations for completing all exercises in the week.

Meet New People

A huge bonus of exercising is that you get to meet new people through your involvement at the gym. I cannot overstate how important it is to find your own community. Having a place to go where you don’t need a reservation, a plan, and don’t need to keep spending money is fantastic. You’ll get to know people however deeply you want to; some people you’ll know on a first name basis forever. Other people will become friends you meet up with outside of the gym.

Gyms bring together people that ordinarily wouldn’t run into each other in the real world. I have trained next to people of nearly every profession I can think of.

Just having a place where you can go and know people is so underrated! 

I have worked alongside with some of my idols in the lifting world, made friends with girls just like me, and met people very much not like me, who I never would have had the pleasure to know in the outside world. 

I really can’t overstate how great it is to have a fun, healthy routine where you make friends along the way. 

Ed, one of my mentors and workout partners.
Ed, a mentor and friend, and I at Iron Guild Gym in Austin Texas.

If I can help you find a gym or program, please let me know! 

If you are brand new to the gym, my program called Square 1 takes you through exactly how to start. It tells you how many sets, reps, and what weight to start with on exercises. It’s $15 for a 6 week program, and you can message me anytime with questions. I’d be happy to help get you started, on this beginning program, or on a program custom written for you! Email me at kathryn@kathrynalexander.com or fill out this form here. 

Top 3 Big Picture Tips for Losing Weight

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Losing weight seems like a daunting task, but I can assure you it is possible. I’ve seen people from all kinds of backgrounds and different stages of life be successful in losing weight and becoming healthier. Here are my top three simple but effective tips:

  1. Structure your meals to have lean protein, vegetables, and water at every meal.

  2. Do both resistance training and cardio.

  3. Sleep well, and sleep enough.

Have Lean Protein, Vegetables, and Water at Every Meal

You can have other things, but you must eat those things. If you begin with those foods and fill up on them, you likely won’t be starving for a lot of other things.

Check out my favorite high protein, healthy recipes here.

Do Both Resistance Training and Cardio

You don’t have to be fanatical about either but be sure to include both of them in your week. Resistance training can be bodyweight or external weights like dumbbells, barbells,

Sleep Well, and Sleep Enough

Your body will not perform optimally if you aren’t sleeping well. Not to mention all the other health and cognitive benefits of getting proper rest.

This sounds simplistic, but there are many nuances to all of these things. You will have questions, but you will find the answers to these questions as you go. Just start here and have faith in your body’s ability to become healthier as your habits become healthier. Good luck!

Do you need a kick start to a new training program? Check out these options for training programs that include videos, text, and messaging capacity so I can answer all your questions. 

Is it Too Late to Get Your Summer Body?

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It’s not too late to get in shape for summer! 


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Do you ever just blink and feel like time flies by? It was just New Year! Now it’s summer! Everybody is talking about summer vacations, summer trips, training to get that summer body, and summer is HERE!

Likewise – I blinked, and 6 months have passed since I posted on the blog. The last post I wrote was about NY resolutions. 

(Well, it’s not the last post I wrote; it’s the last post I published. I write all the time. I just don’t take the time to edit them, take a good picture, and publish them. Big thank you to Jorge and Gary for the push to get going again!)

Summer is here!

What if you are still working on your summer body? What can you do right now, to make a difference, today? Lots of things! 


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  • incorporate a 10 minute walk after meals, or after one meal

  • go to one new group class this week. Yoga, Pilates, body pump, whatever is your style

  • return to your favorite active past time. My friends and I went roller skating last week. Toooo much fun!! Also, I WON the throwback dress up contest, even though no one else competed. 🙂

  • add an extra serving of vegetables once today

Small changes add up!

At some point, after seeing the benefits of small changes, you will likely be ready to jump in a little more whole heartedly; training 4+ days a week, eating well 90% of the time.

If you aren’t there, for whatever reason – you’re a human taxi service for your kids, you’re working overtime, etc.- I understand. But don’t let that be an excuse for why you can’t make small changes, which add up. 

Will you get your goal summer body in a week? No, maybe not. Will you be on the cover of a fitness magazine next month? Probably not; it’s a competitive process.

But – will you feel better, and sleep better, and be proud of yourself? Yes! It’s worth it to get going! 

Build your nest

A West African proverb says “dooni dooni kononi be nyaga da”, which means “little by little, the bird builds its nest.”

Begin building your nest, and taking the small actions that will add up, until your nest is complete. Until you have peace with your body and yourself. 

Instituting new habits or change is the hardest part. Keeping a routine is much easier than starting. So, start these new habits and be proud of yourself!

How to Stay Healthy During a Air Travel

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Summer travel season is upon us! Air travel literally broadens our world but it can be extremely hard on the body. Follow the tips below to be a fresh and happy traveler!

Stock Up on Sleep Beforehand

  • At least a week before you travel, aim for getting an extra hour of sleep in your routine.

  • This will help you feel more refreshed and energetic, and ease all the little minor inconveniences that come with even smooth air travel.

  • Beginning your travel rested will also help you more easily adjust to jet leg when you arrive at your destination.

    I did this to the extreme and it worked like a charm. Read about it here.

Strategically Pack Your Luggage

  • Pack a manageable amount of luggage, so you won’t be exhausted and frustrated hauling around too much stuff on your busy travel day.

  • It is tempting to try to stuff everything in your carryon to avoid checking a bag, but remember you’ll be fighting with a heavy, overflowing bag all day. When you change flights, you’ll have to drag it around and hope it fits into the overhead bin if you have a smaller plan for one of your travel legs.

  • Make it easy on yourself and just check a bag and take a simple carry on. Wallet, passport, phone, makeup, and a good book make a quick, easy carry on. As a bonus, you’ll have more room for shoes in your luggage, which men and women can get behind.


The wishing hole in Istanbul.

The wishing hole in Istanbul.


The Bosphorus Strait separates Instanbul’s European and Asian sides.

The Bosphorus Strait separates Instanbul’s European and Asian sides.

Get Up and Move!

  • Move around before and after the flight. If you get to your gate early, do some squats, stretch, or make an extra lap through the terminal.

  • If you have a long flight, walk to the restroom and back every couple hours. I know you don’t want to disturb your fellow passengers to get to the aisle, but that’s the reality of air travel. They signed up for it, and it’s worth it for your health.

Strategically Use Caffeine

  • Don’t drink more caffeine that you would on a typical day.

  • If possible, drink caffeine on a schedule that is in line with the time zone you are landing in. For example, if you traveled 6 hours west and now have 6 extra hours to stay awake, your evening coffee would be more like afternoon coffee.

Drink Water and Minimize Alcohol Intake

  • While caffeine can be a strategic indulgence, alcohol is really a comforting indulgence. However, it can make travel much tougher if you drink too much.

  • For smoother travel, remember to hydrate with water, and maybe save the alcohol for when you land.

Acclimate to the Rhythms of the New Time Zone

  • As quickly as possible, try to adjust to the new time zone. This refers to your sleep, exercise, and eating schedules.

  • If you land during dinnertime at your new time zone, eat dinner.

  • If you are a morning runner, get up and run in the morning there, even though it’ll feel strange at first.

  • Likewise, do your best to catch up to the sleep schedule to minimize jet lag.

  • These rhythms help our body adjust to a new time zone quicker, so you’ll have a more fun and energetic trip.

Where is your next flight adventure? Let me know, and try adding some of these tips in your next flight for healthy and carefree air travel!


Still the best place.

Still the best place.


This one was in Galveston, so it really has nothing to do with air travel except there’s a plane in the background. I just thought little Kathryn and my dad are adorable.

This one was in Galveston, so it really has nothing to do with air travel except there’s a plane in the background. I just thought little Kathryn and my dad are adorable.

San Antonio Highland Games 2018 with Athletic Director Ed Cosner

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Throwing and the San Antonio Highland Games

I have always loved watching throwers in competition. The strength behind the shot puts, the precision of the spin, and that moment of anticipation while watching the implement fly through the air are so athletic, yet poetic to me.


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Some throwers may have a little bit more of an inherent ability, but all successful throwers spend many hours practicing. Maybe this is why the throws are so satisfying to watch: the culmination of many hours of work is evident in the briefest of moments before the implement lands.


Ed Cosner preparing for a stone put.

Ed Cosner preparing for a stone put.

 

The San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival: Paint the Town Plaid!

If you are like me and enjoy watching throwing, sport, competition, or maybe have a thing for kilts, you should head to the Highland Games in San Antonio April 7 and 8. 

The San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival brings Scottish Games, music, cooking, and Highland dancing together for a celebration of Scottish heritage. Over 30 clans represent their people and culture in a weekend that is fun for all ages. 

 

The Scottish Athletic Games

The Games are obviously my favorite part. Men and women compete over 2 days in the caber toss, sheaf toss, hammer throwing, stone put, and weight over bar and weight for distance. These aren’t just weekend warriors, either; world records have been set at these games. 

 

Ed Cosner, Athletic Director 

I talked to Athletic Director and former Highland Games champ, Ed Cosner, about the games, his experience throwing, and what you can expect at the games this year. 


Ed and his wife, Sally. "Sally, the key to holding the weekend together." 

Ed and his wife, Sally. “Sally, the key to holding the weekend together.” 

Kathryn: How did you begin working with the Highland Games?

Ed: I started competing in 1995 and have traveled the world competing. I was never a pure thrower and was still competing in powerlifting and strongman until 2000 when I went full time as a Highland Games Athlete. I really began to win championships when I became a Master’s Competitor (40 years old). 

Kathryn: So at that point you were a successful multi-sport athlete (Highland Games, powerlifting, and strongman). How did you transition from athlete into Athletic Director for the San Antonio Highland Games?  

Ed: I went to a meeting for the San Antonio Highland Games and the rest is history!!!! I was asked to take over the games in 2004, when there weren’t too many athletes competing. I was a champion and respected among my peers, so the men and women I competed with stepped up and came to my games.

I brought out my coach and training partner, James Parman, to judge and announce the games. People got excited to see real athletes out there, and to know what’s going on out on the field as well. James is awesome at that. His being a World Champion Professional Highland Games athlete himself and knowing all of the traditions and history behind the events makes it a fun experience.

Sidenote from Kathryn: I can attest, James is very informative, and humorous! The games are fun to watch even for someone who knows nothing about the games, since James does such a great job entertaining and informing the crowd. 


Ed steadies the caber.

Ed steadies the caber.

Kathryn: What is your favorite event? 

Ed: I love the heavy implements especially the caber and heavy weight for distance and height.

Kathryn: What else do you love about the games?

Ed: I love training for the games as it requires a beautiful blend of maximal strength to maintain positions while spinning/moving with heavy implements (like the 56# weight for distance, 56# weight for height, 23# Braemar Stone put or a heavy caber), explosive strength to throw these implements big distances to win, and the explosive power to throw the lighter implements (like the 16# open stone, 28# weight for distance), run and turn with a long caber, or the flexibility to wind a Scottish Hammer.


Ed prepares for the weight over the bar event.

Ed prepares for the weight over the bar event.

“Big, Strong & Powerful is what a Scottish Heavy Athlete is.”

 

Paint the Town Plaid!

Come on out to the games! It truly is a lot of fun regardless of your age or ability level. Check out the crowd getting involved in a caber toss in this video.

 

You can buy tickets online here for $10, or $11 at the door. Senior, military and children’s rates are $6. (This is not an affiliate link.)

ReadyUp Podcast, talking shop about Max’s Ride and Lifting

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ReadyUp Athletic Podcast

Hey hey guys, I recently had the honor of sitting down to talk with my friend Zack on his podcast, ReadyUp Athletic Development. 

Before the podcast, I posted this video on Instagram explaining Max’s Ride for ALS, a fundraiser I am part of. Shortly after, Zack invited me to be on his podcast. 

Max’s Ride

Max’s Ride is a motorcycle ride and concert that raises money to support finding a cure. It is in Austin, TX, on April 21 this year. It is fun, family friendly, and welcomes all riders and non riders. Visit Maxals.org to learn more, and please join us! 

ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, strikes people in every demographic, but with a greater frequency in the military population. It is always devastating, expensive, and fatal. 

I know, because my dad had ALS. He passed in 2007. ALS will always be my biggest fight, but that is to be expected. When people like Zack, who haven’t had a familial link to ALS, support our cause, I can never properly express my gratitude. THANK YOU Zack and Readyup for both giving us a voice, and becoming a sponsor of Max’s Ride!

We had a great conversation covering lifting, gyms in Austin, TX, the fight against ALS, and fun things we are getting into next. 

Listen here, and check out the ReadyUp podcast. It has central themes on lifting, athletic development, and great music, but covers many other topics. 

ReadyUp Podcast Episode 6 with Kathryn Alexander


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Austin’s Strongest Savage

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Rogue American Apparel and Big Tex Gym teamed up this past weekend to host Austin’s Strongest Savage, a US Strongman sanctioned competition. The event benefited 22 Kill, which works to support veterans’ mental health and prevent suicide. 

Good coffee, good beer, an amazing venue, and great athletes made for a memorable day!


Iron Savage Barbell. This place is real. 

Iron Savage Barbell. This place is real. 


Get this man a medal! When the audio wasn't loud enough around the coffee stand, Joel Huston Hendershott held speakers up for all to hear. Joel coordinated this event and did a fantastic job!

Get this man a medal! When the audio wasn’t loud enough around the coffee stand, Joel Huston Hendershott held speakers up for all to hear. Joel coordinated this event and did a fantastic job!


Ed Cosner and I. Ed drove in from Houston to watch and coach.

Ed Cosner and I. Ed drove in from Houston to watch and coach.


Ed Cosner coaches Sarah Herald before her car deadlifts. 

Ed Cosner coaches Sarah Herald before her car deadlifts. 


Esther Chou of Big Tex Gym hands Dom Liontas, men's super heavy weight champ, his prizes. Dom drove from Canada to compete!

Esther Chou of Big Tex Gym hands Dom Liontas, men’s super heavy weight champ, his prizes. Dom drove from Canada to compete!


Robert Impastato of Big Tex Gym and Willie Wessels of US Strongman pose with the men's heavyweight open winners.

Robert Impastato of Big Tex Gym and Willie Wessels of US Strongman pose with the men’s heavyweight open winners.


The men's masters winners show off their prize hatches. Winners from L-R are Lee Huddle, Christopher Loop Sr., and Mickey Tomlin.

The men’s masters winners show off their prize hatches. Winners from L-R are Lee Huddle, Christopher Loop Sr., and Mickey Tomlin.

Above, Stephen Moore clears 14 feet with the Sorinex center mass bell. 

What’s So Special About the New Year?

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It’s a Friday. Fridays are pretty fun even when they aren’t January 1, but there are 52 Fridays in a year. What’s different about this one? 

Why is it filled with hope and unbridled optimism and the promise of #bigthingstocome?

It’s a Friday. 

It’s different though. It’s not like any other Friday. It’s the first day of a new year! It’s different and it’s special just for that. 

It’s the first day called 2016, it’s a clean slate, a blanket of fresh snow. And sometimes that in itself is the last little bit of motivation we need to start a new habit. 

 

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

Take a minute and think of them right now. 

I’m going to guess:

  • lose weight
  • exercise more
  • be a better husband or wife
  • spend more quality time with your kids
  • enjoy life more fully
  • save more money and pay down debt
  • get organized

Are those new thoughts? Did those goals just come to you this morning? No! Absolutely not! They are things you’ve wanted many times before. How many times have you looked at that piece of cake at the office party and thought, “I shouldn’t eat this.” 

How many times have you tucked your kids in bed only to realize that the day was another exhausting blur of carpools, practices, and homework. You’ve wished you had put away your phone, your kids’ homework, and spent more quality time with them. 

You’ve wished you actually committed to that workout. You wish you actually used your gym key tag.

Why didn’t you do that already? Well, many reasons, and they are all okay. You are human. You are busy, you are obligated to people and tasks, but you have the best of intentions. 

 

Forgiveness

Consider the act of forgiveness. It is an immensely kind act to do for yourself, when you can acknowledge and release others’ transgressions. It doesn’t require any specific formality or documentation. No attorneys, witnesses or notaries. It is simply an shift in your mindset. 

The new year presents us a similar opportunity. It gives us an occasion to put away the old guilt and failures, the missed workouts, the regrets for time lost. It gives us an occasion to start anew, making healthier, kinder choices that will truly fulfill us. 

So take this opportunity to make resolutions. Everybody else is! Gyms are bustling. Vegetables are flying off the grocery shelves. You are practically globally supported! Make your resolutions fun, do-able, and specifically beneficial to you. Sounds silly, but doesn’t “lose 11 pounds of fat” sounds better than “lose weight”? “Go to the gym 3 times a week” will guide you better than “exercise more”. 

The key to resolutions is to harness the energy of the new year, but remember that these goals are set up to become new lifelong habits which aren’t attached to any particular calendar date.

Here are some suggestions for resolutions in case you haven’t come up with any. Don’t pick all of these, but choose and adapt 1 or 2 if they will help you.

  • Drink 64 ounce of water every day.
  • Prepare a healthy breakfast every day.
  • Go for an exercise walk or jog 3 times a week.
  • Write in a gratitude journal 3 times a week.
  • Set your alarm, then put your phone on Do Not Disturb by 7:00 pm every night. (This is my favorite! Love you all, but I need my beauty sleep!)

 

Here’s to a Brilliant 2016!

One more thing: email me and tell me your resolutions! Let me know how they progress. I want to know if you have success with them, if you modify them, if you can positively influence your family and friends through them. 

kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

Let me know!

Bring it, 2016. 

Should I Use Weight Lifting Gloves?

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You can be a lifter and have pretty hands and a pretty posterior. Sure, you’ve got to do work with your hands in the gym, but it doesn’t mean they have to get torn to shreds. That’s a common misconception.

Often I hear women say they don’t want to get calluses, and this is usually expressed before they’ve even develop calluses or curves. Talk about putting the cart before the horse.

I don’t mean to be insensitive; I hear you! Feminine, well kept hands are important to many women. I just want you to give it a try first and see that massive rough calluses don’t develop overnight.

The Case Against Gloves

What’s so bad about gloves, you ask? They make it a little tougher to grip the bar, because they make the diameter of what you have to grip larger. They slide. They are another thing you have to drag around. They get sweaty, smelly and their annoying Velcro strips grab everything in your gym bag.

Ditch the Gloves

So what’s a girl to do? I suggest you forgo the gloves. If you truly want to use them, you can, absolutely. Give it a shot without them first, though. Your grip will get stronger, which is always a good thing. Initial discomfort of grip intensive exercises will dissipate.

Your calluses will protect you, remember. You earned them.

Grip Strength is Always Beneficial

When in life would it benefit you to have softer hands or a weaker grip? I can think of no situation in which that is beneficial. Even if you do minimal work with your hands – no, especially if you do minimal work with your hands – that one time you find yourself really in a bind, you’ll wish you hand a stronger and tougher grip!

Weight Lifting Calluses

Maintained calluses don’t scratch, rough you up, or tear. Those pictures you see online of people bragging about their bloody hands are usually from exercises like kipping pull-ups, in which the exerciser continued to lift despite signs that their hands were going to be damaged. Ripped, bloody hands are not the result of one or two extra reps; these are situations where the exerciser could have chosen plenty of times to stop. Perhaps they were in competition, perhaps they doggedly went after a goal number of reps, but regardless, it was their choice to continue.  

Callus prevention and smart training choices

When you are doing your own workout in the gym, and your hands have had enough for the day, you can choose to do a different exercise. In fact, I highly suggest that. It won’t help you to be out for days while your torn-up hands heal, so choose your exercises intelligently and be able to work out tomorrow.

So yeah, you will develop tougher hands. While you probably won’t develop giant calluses that rip and bleed, you might have a broken nail every once in a while. That happens anyway. If you ever feel like your hands are a little worse for the wear for your time in the gym, well you might be right.

What Made Me Fall in Love With Fitness… and Why Everybody Belongs in the Gym

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I grew up in a pretty sleepy small town that didn’t have a whole lot of fun activities to offer kids. It was beautiful, though, and quiet and spacious. My parents gave me the best gift in the whole world, which was a house on land with a barn and horse in the back yard. 

Kathryn riding a horse at the barn circa 1991
Little me taking riding lessons. Yep, it’s a picture of a picture because, 1991.

I spent a lot of time outside, and remember watching my dad play around with some old weights. They were old Sears weights, my mom tells me, and they belonged to her brother when he was growing up. My dad would use this old barbell and curl them, and occasionally press them on a bench he had made.

Dad and Maverick
My dad and Maverick playing in the backyard. They were big buds and had so much fun.

Somewhere along the way, I got the itch for lifting, and asked to go to the gym. I wasn’t allowed until I was 12, which was the minimum age at the only gym in town. But when I turned 12, my parents bought me a membership, and I tagged along with my big sister. From then through the end of high school, I ended up just kind of being a gym rat, soaking up the experience and knowledge people had earned along their fitness journeys. I asked a million questions and received an outpouring of genuine advice in return. 

I Fall in Love With Fitness

This was my first experience with the amazing supportive environment that gyms produce. It breaks my heart when people think gyms are full of critical, judgmental beautiful snobs, because the truth is that the core members of a gym usually provide the best support a person could imagine. I LOVE the support groups gyms provide.  People truly would be so pleasantly surprised to realize what a great environment gyms make for personal and physical growth. 

Anyway, here I am. Many the best times of my life and many wonderful relationships have formed in a gym.

I encourage you to try joining a gym. If you can, find a neighborhood gym, or at least one that is not a huge chain.  You’ll find the regulars to be hard working people who understand that everybody has to put his or her time in. Truly, try it!  It’ll be more rewarding than you can imagine!

I’d love to help you fall in love with fitness and a gym too! Please message me if you have any questions, qualms, or are trying to get started. kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

The Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS

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I'm holding a picture of my dad for the Ice Bucket Challenge.  He lost his life to ALS in 2007.  Stupid disease.

I’m holding a picture of my dad for the Ice Bucket Challenge.  He lost his life to ALS in 2007.  Stupid disease.

One thing people typically discover about me fairly quickly is that I am rarely short on opinions, and given a polite opportunity, I will share them.  This comes much easier when the topic of conversation is exercise, fad diets, and calluses on my hands.  At least with the science stuff, I always have facts, studies, and other research to back up my plan of action regarding.  Seriously, every thing I factor into a workout program is by careful design, and I love this stuff!  I can blab about it all day.

ALS Sucks

One thing that I don’t discuss as much, because it’s not about exercise, and because it SUCKS, is ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Lou Gehrig’s disease is the worst disease in the world.  Hands down.  No one has ever persuaded me otherwise, because I watched my dad fight . for. his . life for 6 years with this disease.  In ALS patients, a motor neuron dysfunction causes the muscles of the body to atrophy, leading to eventual paralysis until death.  That means paralysis of the inspiratory muscles and muscles of the throat, making breathing, talking and swallowing harder.  This means paralysis of the throat, hands, legs, face.  It means that even though a few times my dad asked me to please scratch his nose because he had an itch he couldn’t reach, the truth is that hundreds more times, he probably didn’t even ask.  And then he couldn’t walk, couldn’t breathe comfortably, couldn’t communicate as well.

And then he passed away.

I know everyone loses their parents.  But he was ripped away.  He was made to suffer his last years, and I’ll miss him for all my years now.  So will my mom and sister, and his grandbabies whom he never met.  I excuse myself at every wedding’s father-daughter dance because it’s not cool to be that weirdo sobbing on a happy occasion.   I have often thought that should I marry, we should elope so there will be no aisle to walk down alone.  Selfish, I know, but so much was ripped away.  He was 60.

I didn’t tell many people when my dad was sick because I was in college at the time, and it was easier to focus on all the good things in my life, which was everything else.  But now, I have no excuse not to tell everyone I can about it and encourage people to help support fundraising and increasing awareness.  Even on a lifting blog.

ALS is More Common in Military and Veterans

ALS is more common in military veterans and athletes.  Diagnoses seem to be more and more common, with someone new diagnosed every 90 minutes.  Every 90 minutes!!  Lou Gehrig was diagnosed in 1939 – 75 years ago! – and there is still only one treatment option, a $1000 a month drug that extends life in patients by 2 months.  2 months!!  WTF, people?!

How can you help?  If you do one thing, please go to alsa.org and sign up to be an advocate.  This means you get an occasional email asking you to email your lawmakers when something on their ballot could allocate more funding to our cause. And if it is in your budget, please donate!!  Research will find the cure!  It will, it will! Thank you so much for reading and please reach out to me if you need ALS resources. kathryn@kathrynalexander.com

Welcome to my new training blog!

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Hey y’all!  Welcome to my new web site!  This is a blog about lifting and training, and what it can do for you.  Yes, you.  Everybody.  Lifting is good for everybody!

If you read my About page, you know that I am admittedly a gym rat.  Yep, I am pretty one-dimensional.  I joined a gym when I was 12 because that was the age requirement in the only gym in my little town.  By the way, thanks Mom and Dad, for paying gym dues all those years!

When I went to college, I didn’t know what to study, but I knew I loved exercise.  So, I worked at the Rec Center and learned everything I could from my supervisors and coworkers, and before I knew it, I had a degree in kinesiology from LSU.   Fastest 5 years of my life.  I knew my education wasn’t over, so I moved to Austin and earned my masters in exercise physiology from UT.

Along the way, I had jobs and second jobs in gyms.  I’ve worked in shiny chain gyms, female only gyms, racquet clubs, community centers, and LSU’s rec center.  I’ve taught anatomy lab to undergrads, group exercise classes, one on one workout sessions, and exercise lectures.  I’ve met amazing friends and bonded with hilarious people over workouts.

I do love Texas dance halls, odd fashion, college football, and pretending I know what the heck is going on with the stock market, but really I don’t.  All I can say is exercise physiology is my area of expertise.  Not only the science of exercise, but also the nutrition, business, and psychology of training individuals and athletes.  I absolutely love designing specific programs for people so that they feel better, move better, and look better. 

Life is short, yall!  You might as well feel good, and be strong!  Remember, gyms are for everybody!  Find one and get started on your goals today!