Tag Archives: jeff roux

Hartford Young Professional Entrepreneurs (HYPE) organization is a great way for young professionals to meet and network with other local professionals in similar and complimentary professions. Check out the following video, featuring Excel Fitness owner and trainer, Jeff Roux, on his experience and success working within the HYPE network.

2013 Entrepreneurship Awards

Excel Fitness is an intimate gym and personal training studio located in West Hartford, CT. We offer personal training, small group training, gym memberships, CPR/AED certification courses, and massage therapy. Call today (860) 523-8167 for a one-on-one, risk-free, complimentary consultation with one of our certified personal trainers!!!

Exercising while injured, my personal story.

Jeff Roux B.S. Exercise Science 11/23/11

 

I recently and unfortunately suffered a laceration on my dominant hand requiring 9 stitches.  The ER doctor asked me what I do for a living and when I told him he kind of laughed and said, “Well, you won’t be working out for a couple of weeks.”  Little did he know who he was dealing with and what I was capable of trying?  In actuality, I believe that he should have suggested continuing to do lower body exercises and cardiovascular work, ensuring to keep the wound clean and dry, but that is another story in itself.

 

My injured hand

Needless to say within 3 days of the injury I was back in the gym.  I was able to complete a full lower body workout using plate loaded machines, crunches on the ball and two shoulder exercises.  I thought I would still able to palm a shoulder press machine and not affect the stitches and while griping a dumbbell with my left and use my right hand to support and perform a modified DB front raise.  I also ran 2 miles.  2 days after that I returned to do more core, and plate loaded chest machine and used the resistance bands to perform Lat pull downs, back rows, chest fly’s, bicep curls and overhead db triceps extensions.  Through only slight modification in placing the band around my wrist instead of in my palm I was able to complete many of the traditional exercises one would normally complete in the gym.  One week after the injury I was playing tennis with my left hand and actually beat the person I was playing with.  My point is, whatever you’ve hurt there is usually a way to exercise around that injury.  UBE’s (upper body ergo meters, hand bikes) are great for people who have injured their lower body.  The question remains if an injury occurs does this take away from the fact that you still have a health goal?  Are you going to sit at home and wait, or are you going to explore the alternatives?  Everyone knows exercising has positive effects on mood; many people get depressed when they cannot exercise, so why stop exercising?  Find a way, your mind and your body will thank you.

For more information on modifying your exercise program to fit your needs contact the fitness professionals at Excel Fitness, you’ll be glad you did.

Lee S. Testimonial for Jeff Roux @ Excel Fitness

Investing in personal training with Jeff Roux is by far the best money I ever spent on my fitness goals.  I recommend him to every person I know who has a fitness, weight loss and/or health-related goal, even if seemingly unattainable. Jeff will help you get there! I’ve trained with Jeff for over 5 years through a variety of stages in my life: wedding preparation, post-back injury (not related to workouts with him), triathlon preparation, maintaining fitness and now post-pregnancy fitness and weight loss.

Jeff has never – I mean NEVER – missed a training session or called in sick. Each time Jeff has tailored the training session to meet my very personal and specific needs. Jeff has his thumb on the pulse of emerging fitness trends and exercise science, keeping the trainings new and fresh, but keeping me safe from fitness fads. There are many poorly educated meatheads out there pretending to be professional personal trainers. Jeff is not one of them!  Jeff is attentive, respectful, energetic, positive, reliable and an expert on motivation. In less than four months after the birth of my son, I am back into my favorite (pre-pregnancy) jeans.  Thank you Jeff Roux!

– Lee S.

Metabolism; Use it or Lose it!

Metabolism; Use it or lose it!

Jeff Roux B.S. Exercise Science 5/4/2011

You’ve probably heard it before, “as soon as I turned 30 my metabolism slowed down and I can’t seem to lose weight.”  You may have also heard, “it’s easier for men to lose weight.”  Oh really, why?

Here is my myth-busters enlightenment on these subjects.  Firstly, slower metabolism due to decreased muscle mass and increased body fat in males and females is most likely attributed to inactivity rather than to any aging effect.  Secondly, lean mass the primary determiner of metabolism or resting metabolic rate (RMR) is scientifically not different between males and females, only the amounts of mass differ.  An adult male and female with like lean mass and body fat contents could have the same RMR’s providing that they have similar exercise and nutritional habits.

Fact; we do tend to lose about 1% of our strength per year after the age of 30 and at age 50 about 1.5% and 2% after age 70.  The loss of strength is due to the loss of lean mass and neural muscular facilitation (coordination and synchronization of muscle fibers and contractions) hence the decrease in metabolism.  Again, however; the loss of strength can be attributed to INACTIVITY not aging.  There is considerable evidence that shows an intense (>80% 1RM, repetition max) resistance training program increases both muscle mass and strength in 60-96 year old individuals.  These training programs resulted in increases of up to 30% muscle fiber area and up to and over 100% in 1RM Strength.  Increasing your lean mass through resistance exercise training at any age will directly increase your metabolism.

Male or Female you can no longer use your age or sex as an excuse, only your lack of motivation and resistance to resistant training.  To learn more about safely incorporating weight training into your life contact the professionals at Team Excel Fitness.

E. Howley, B. Franks, 2007 Health and Fitness Instructors Handbook, Human Kinetics, IL. pg 282,283

HBJ’s 40 under 40 Award; what it means to me

Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Recipient

It’s an honor for me to be selected as a Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Recipient.  My goal to leave Bally Total Fitness after 10 years of service as the Fitness Director was to open a facility where the customer, staff and the community come first, and if these fundamental points were followed consistently the business would thrive.

Now, in a slumped economy where many businesses are both slashing prices and cutting services, or in many cases closing their doors permanently, Excel Fitness has managed to grow.  I believe our members, who have been tremendously supportive, are a large part of our success.  They have encouraged us to become involved in the community, helped us organize and contributed to our School Supply Drive, Food Pantry Drive and Breast Cancer Walk to name a few.

I also believe who we associate with is a big part of our success.  When I arrived at the winners’ photo shoot I was excited to see that I already associate with and am friends with four other recipients.  I am also proud to say that I am personally training two of them.  It solidifies in my mind if you want to be successful you need to surround yourself with other ambitious successful people.

I have to also give thanks to Karen Robbins, a client for over a year now, and my sister who at the time worked for us at Excel Fitness, for nominating me.  As a HBJ 40 under 40 Recipient, I now feel an even greater responsibility to lead by example in community involvement and in performing sound business principles and ethics.  I will encourage others to work tirelessly putting the community and the customer first to make Greater Hartford a better place to do business, work, and most of all live.

 

Karen Robbins, Excel Fitness Client

Testimonial from Paul Bunker – Working with Jeff Roux at Excel Fitness

At the age of 53, I decided to embark on a second career as registered nurse.  As I continued my science and medical studies, I realized I would have to be in top physical shape to withstand the daily demands of nursing, and to be an effective role model in promoting wellness to my patients.  I needed to be in the best shape of my life.

While I had always worked out and stayed in decent shape, I decided I had to do more and started a weight training program in earnest.  My program was a mish-mash of exercises I had picked up from magazines, the internet, and just watching other people in the gym.  After making some nice gains, the steady improvements began to plateau, and I was constantly plagued by annoying joint inflammation caused by repeating the same exercises over and over again.  And, I had a hard keeping my body fat low.  It was time to consider hiring a trainer.

When I moved to West Hartford, and asked friends for advice on selecting a gym and a trainer.  Excel Fitness was the overwhelming response, and trainer Jeff Roux was suggested as being the best match to my fitness goals.  After visiting the Excel Fitness web site, I was impressed with the facility, but a bit apprehensive about working with Jeff, whose impressive background includes success as a competitive bodybuilder.

I needn’t have worried.  At our first meeting, Jeff put me at ease as I explained to him that I wanted to be in the best shape possible in 18 months, by May 22, 2010 – the date of my graduation from nursing school.  He accepted my goal, did a personal assessment to create a baseline, and designed an exercise program to get me started.  From day one, the effect of his training program on my body has been intense and wonderful,  to say the least.

Jeff always explains the purpose of each exercise, and demonstrates its proper form and execution.  He consistently pushes me beyond my own self-perceived limits, and provides me with fresh approaches to standard exercises and adding new ones.  For my part, I am encouraged to train to my real potential each time, and I have not sustained any training injuries, as I had in the past.

The result:  I felt I had reached the best shape of my life within 12 months, but in the past six months I have added more muscle, lost more body fat, and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.  I am able to wear clothes sizes I wore when I was in my 30’s, and friends and family have noticed the change in my body, with the comment “You must live in the gym!”  Well, I train just a little over an hour three times a week.  That’s just a bit more than three hours a week to be in the best shape of your life at any age!   My doctor once said I am his most boring patient, as I take no medications, and have never had any surgery.

Getting back to my graduation as a RN on May 22, I was able to walk proudly onstage at the age of 58 with my white scrub top tucked into my pants, in the best shape of my life.  And I have Jeff Roux and Excel Fitness to thank for this accomplishment.

Paul Bunker