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Ryan and Stacy Palmer recently opened Foundry Fitness, a functional fitness gym in the building formerly owned by CrossFit Innerdrive. The gym focuses on making crossfit style functional fitness accessible to everyone regardless of past experience or athletic ability. Ayanna Eckblad/Albert Lea Tribune

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Ryan and Stacy Palmer opened Foundry Fitness to help people in the community overcome the misconception that crossfit exercise is too complicated or difficult. Ayanna Eckblad/Albert Lea Tribune

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Albert Lea couple Ryan and Stacy Palmer at the start of September opened their gym, Foundry Fitness, with the goal to bring functional fitness and CrossFit style exercise to everyone in the community. 

Functional fitness, they explained, puts an emphasis on full body conditioning and strength training, which is good for maintaining bone strength and muscle mass at any age. It involves traditional strength training, gymnastics movements and aerobic conditioning like running and using bikes, rowers and other equipment

Ryan Palmer previously worked as a football and wrestling coach at Albert Lea High School in various capacities from 2005 to 2017. He said he pulled back from coaching after his three sons — also athletes — graduated from high school. 

It was then, he said, that he became interested in functional fitness. While away at school, his sons also got involved with the activity. 

“Now it’s kind of something we do as a family,” Ryan Palmer said.

One of their sons is currently a coach at a functional fitness gym in South Dakota. 

“When we travel, it’s something we can drop into different gyms and do as a family,” Stacy Palmer said. She added this has also made it possible to see a variety of different CrossFit gyms and explore what does and does not work in the business, a skill that would come in handy when they opened Foundry Fitness. 

The Palmers began the process of acquiring the gym building from CrossFit Innerdrive about nine months ago.

CrossFit Innerdrive’s owners were going to leave the fitness center business, but Ryan and Stacy Palmer said they did not want to see the functional fitness gym go. 

“It’s something that we just love to do, and we didn’t want it to leave this community, this type of environment,” he said. “As someone who’s coached and been in different athletic endeavors throughout my life, I have a hard time going in and working out on my own and staying motivated. So this type of environment is important to me.”

It’s the only gym of its kind within 30 miles, Stacy Palmer said.

Ryan Palmer said there is a very good functional fitness gym in Austin, but he did not want to make the commute there every time he wanted to work out. 

It was then the couple decided to open their own functional fitness gym, using the building and equipment from CrossFit Innerdrive as a starting point.

Foundry Fitness currently has 10 coaches. Some of them coach more frequently than others. Ryan Palmer said this gives members the opportunity to have multiple people mentoring them in their fitness journeys.

When it comes to functional fitness, he said, the goal is to make it as accessible as possible. 

When people think about CrossFit, he said, they tend to become intimidated and think it is too complicated or difficult to do. 

Even with his life-long background in athletics, he said, stepping into a CrossFit gym for the first time was intimidating. He wants to remove this barrier for others. 

“The goal is to scale any movement that we have or any exercise that we have to fit that individual. And it doesn’t matter how slow you have to start, how many modifications need to be made; the key is just to be here,” Ryan Palmer said. “This is all about the community and everybody helping each other out.”

Another way the couple has made the space more inclusive is by setting up a children’s play space that is equipped with cameras so parents can work out while still keeping an eye on their children.

Right now, Stacy Palmer said, they are renting the space from the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency. She said their hope is to open a brand new facility about a block away that better fits their needs. 

Ryan Palmer said the hope is to open the new building by spring.

Foundry Fitness will have a special grand opening event Oct. 18. It will begin with their traditional Saturday morning class at 8 a.m. followed by puppy yoga at 9:30 a.m. Afterwards, people are invited to enjoy coffee, breakfast burritos and doughnuts. The cost of the classes that day will a freewill donation to the Humane Society of Freeborn County, Ryan Palmer said, and people do not have to participate in the classes to join the fun — they can just stop by to check out the space and ask questions.

Even when it’s not the grand opening, he said, Saturday classes are always free for newcomers to drop in and see what the gym has to offer before committing to membership.

Stacy Palmer said Saturday classes are often big classes with a wide mix of ages and abilities. 

To learn more about Foundry Fitness, visit the gym’s Facebook page or Instagram, @foundryfitmn, which is curated by Ryan and Stacy’s daughter, Taylor Palmer. Foundry Fitness also has a website, foundryfitmn.com.

Donald Trump’s fitness routine centres around golf, not the gym. Let’s know how his golf workouts burn calories, improve health, and whether golf can truly replace traditional exercise.

When you consider Donald Trump, you probably don’t think of fitness. Yet, one thing that he always swears by is golf. Beyond being a hobby, Trump uses golf in his leisure a great deal, as a way to stay active, socialise, and keep his body in motion. But here’s the big question: Can Trump’s Golf Workouts Replace the Gyms? Let’s explore his regimen and discover the unexpected health benefits of golf as a form of exercise.

Does Donald Trump Work Out At The Gym?

Unlike several celebrities or political figures who are stuck to a gym regimen, Donald Trump is not known for pumping iron or running on treadmills. Instead, it is his fitness in playing golf that comes first. Trump is said to spend hours of his day at the golf course, walking around, swinging and being active while he is managing both business and leisure conversation. While it may not sound like a real workout, golf requires you to move around, control your posture and your coordination all the time, making it a low-impact exercise for burning calories.

How Many Calories Does Playing Golf Burn?

Yes, and here’s why. On average:

• Walking 18 holes may cover 4 – 6 miles.
• The number of calories burned by carrying clubs or pushing a cart is 600-1,000 calories per round.
• A golf cart even allows golf players to burn up to 300-450 calories because of swinging, short walks, and postural control.

And when you’re an early riser, a workaholic and a frequent visitor to the course, as Donald Trump is, that calorie burn adds up, making golf something of a fitness powerhouse.

Health Benefits Of Trump’s Golf Routines

People grossly underestimate golf, but Trump’s steady play grants him some wrist flexing fitness advantages:

1. Improves Heart Health

Walking the course and swinging regularly provides greater blood circulation and makes the cardiovascular system stronger.

2. Increases Flexibility and Balance

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The golf swing to develop: Spine, shoulders, hips, and core. After a certain period of time, repeating the same movements helps your body gain flexibility and balance.

3. Improves Muscles Without Heavy Lifting

While not weight training, swinging a golf club develops arms and shoulders and core muscles.

4. Reduces Stress

Golf is an outdoor game, and it is played in often lush and calm surroundings. For Trump, it’s also a break from the pressures of politics and business, mentally.

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5. Promotes Longevity

Studies show that golfers live longer on average due to the combination of moderate physical activity and the provision of relief.

Can Golf Replace The Gym?

This is where opinion becomes polarised. For Donald Trump, golf might be sufficient to get a workout, but for most people, the gym allows for targeted exercises on strength training and cardio intensity which golf simply cannot match. However, golf is an excellent option for those who hate gyms but still desire a regular workout. The combination of walking, swinging, and being outdoors means that this is an effective low-impact workout.

Golf Smart: Maximise Your Workout

If you want to follow in Trump’s footsteps-but maximise the amount of fitness benefits you are getting-try these:

• Use your feet to walk the course rather than use a cart.
• Carry or use a push cart for your own clubs.
• Always warm up before playing by stretching.
• Galea does weight exercises, such as squats or push-ups, after golf to try to balance with force.

While Donald Trump is not known for lifting heavy weights or running marathons, his golf workouts keep him active and in shape in a sustainable way that is both fun and engaging. While a game of golf cannot completely take the place of a workout in the gym, it proves that fitness doesn’t always need to come from traditional workouts.

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MICHAEL CHIKLIS HAS played tough cops in shows like The Shield and a granite-strong superhero in The Fantastic Four, but the most difficult physical challenge the actor has faced over a long career might just have been playing a regular, real-life guy. That regular guy did something remarkable, however—Chiklis’s most recent film, The Senior, is about 59-year-old Mike Flynt, who suited up for college football as the oldest player in the NCAA.

Stepping into the shoes of this character wasn’t a stretch for Chiklis, who is now 62—he says he was the captain of his football team in high school, so he has the background—but getting in shape for the film well after 50 was a trial. The actor did “about 90 percent” of the football action on screen, so he needed to be able to do more than just look the part. He had to be able to move, too.

How did he do it? A dedicated strength and conditioning plan (and plenty of focused warm-up and mobility). Chiklis stacked up full-body training sessions to prep his body to get into football shape. He did more than just gym training, however; Chiklis says he would often spent 40 minutes in the pool jogging and walked 10,000 steps to raise up his general activity levels.