The emergence of using Recovery Boots after intense physical exercise by professional athletes has now moved into the realms of everyday people in the Milton area. It’s now rare to find pro sports teams not focusing on the recovery process and the science behind recovery boot technology has developed hugely over the last few years.
Fitstop Milton co-owners Mic Linfoot and Gigi Johnson established the first recovery room in the area to enable their clients to benefit from this technology.
“The Normantec Recovery Boots offer the very best massage you will ever have. They are proven to help lymphatic drainage, decreasing pain and soreness, allowing the lower body to recuperate far quicker. The recovery room also has an Infrared Sauna which has an abundance of health benefits and is ideal for that post work-out recovery.”
The recovery room is bolted onto the back-end of their training system which offers a unique program within a supportive community.
The Fitstop system revolves around 4 training blocks per year, each 12-week training block breaking down into 4 phases of 3 weeks each:
Base – Focus is getting back to basics and building or rebuilding a solid base and allowing a little bit of a deload and recovery.
Build – Focuses on starting to build on the foundations of the previous phase and starts to see an increase in the strength part of the programming.
Performance – This is where members start to be tested in terms of fitness and strength capacity through the trackable workouts and lifts.
Peak – The last 3 weeks are where members push their fitness, strength and
endurance and see their progress over the previous 9 weeks.
Members love the Fitstop Milton Community
Mic is very proud of the community he and Gigi have built.
“We know all of the names of our members and their stories and care about what is happening in their lives. People don’t just come here and workout, they come here and make friends that will be with them for a lifetime. We take their fitness very seriously and love the privilege of helping them with their goals,” he says.
The 7.30 Run Club takes place on Sunday mornings “focus on intervals to help people improve their running through shorter run efforts.”
“We open this up to everyone in the community, not just our members as it is a great social Sunday and then we hit the markets after. Just like our gym, run club is for everyone, the pro runners, parents with prams, beginner runners, members who want a Sunday morning jog with their pups – everyone is welcome,” says Mic.
Meanwhile, the Saturday Sweat Pairs are also open to the public, enabling the community to experience firsthand what the workouts entail and join in on the fun.
An example of how much the members love Fitstop Milton was on display a few months ago, when the community bootcamp organised by Mic and Gigi, attracted 240 people, the largest turnout in the Franchise across Australia.
“All of our members are our ambassadors and have stories of how they have made improvements in their life from not exercising to now running marathons, competing in their 1st powerlifting competition, doing their first triathlon or just being able to chase their kids around and not get out of breath,” says Gigi.
Gigi was voted Business Woman of the Year for the Cooper area, receiving the award from Jonty Bush, Member for Cooper and Fitstop Milton was also voted the best gym in Inner Brisbane.
How would Mic suggest using the gym?
Mic was asked how he would best use the current special offer of 2 weeks membership for $54.
“The best way to get the most value from our two-week offer is always to start by downloading the Fitstop app and doing a free session first so they can come and meet the team, the community and check out the gym before starting the two-week trial.”
“The goal during the two-week trial would always be to get to gym at least 3 times per week and if people have had a little bit of a break we would suggest having a day off between gym days to allow for them to recover. Monday, Wednesday, Friday is a great start as this lets people see all three styles of training we run and allows that rest in between.”
“We also always let people go at their own pace initially and we use the first few weeks to mainly get them back into a routine of training again and let them settle in as they learn how our sessions work.”
Darren’s Story
Darren is a 55-year-old manager in the scientific industry. He loves Fitstop Milton and what it has done for him. He answered a few questions about his journey:
What was your exercise routine 3 years ago and prior?
“I got a trainer 10 years ago for ‘middle aged spread,’ eventually migrating to group fitness in a park. The trainer was very good and I certainly increased my fitness but it’s limited in what you can do; what exercises are available and muscle groups you can work. Mainly cardio.”
What made you go to the doctors 3 years ago, and what did they find?
“Actually, the whole thing is a journey – I have a condition that was diagnosed 15 years ago. It’s fine but research indicated a potential concern of bone density so my doctor ordered a test in 2019. In a scan of my spine, it showed that I had a bad score, and was in a low bone density range, indicating a potential fracture risk, and would be defined as having osteopenia (next step below osteoporosis). So I was probably fighting the usual bone density decreases of age plus this condition.”
How did you find out about Fitstop?
“Word of mouth. In order to do more lifting and so help with the bone density issue I joined one of the large gym chains. It was OK but I found very limited support in technique or even lifting safety boring and I wasn’t getting much out of it. I was telling a friend at the same gym and she said she was leaving it to join a Fitstop in Milton and I should try out a special they had on. I hadn’t heard of Fitstop before that.”
What was the journey to recovery in terms of bone density?
“It’s great. I have been able to add squats and deadlifts and have significantly increased my lift weights. Not being silly but getting myself to work harder over the last few years.”
“This has meant that in a recent spine scan this year I no longer fell in the low bone density range and my score indicated that I would no longer be defined as having osteopenia. I was in the ‘normal’ range for my age. I am going to keep working to get it up even higher but I was stoked of course. I am not on any drugs to address this issue – it’s been driven by the gym work.”
Why do you think the Fitstop method has helped in that recovery?
“The difference was totally Fitstop. As you age, being able to lift is crucial and not just for bone density. At a regular gym, I knew basically what I wanted to do, but didn’t have the confidence or the knowledge to do the lifts and exercises I wanted safely with decent weight.”
“With the small group size of Fitstop sessions, I got genuinely useful technique instruction on doing my lifts safely. The variability in Fitstop session types and the different stations means it’s never boring so I tend to go more often.”
Are there any other improvements you have found since starting working out with Fitstop?
“Previously having just focused on boot camp/cardio I hadn’t seen much impact on body shape or muscle mass. I find the variability of exercise types and adding the lifting has meant my body shape and posture has improved dramatically and I have added a decent amount of lean muscle mass. But I haven’t neglected cardio – those condition sessions can be tough but
are great.”
Fitstop Milton is a proud Promotional Partner of Milton Today.
Published 21-April-2024
