Meet Alexandra and Grant, two Tone House Athletes who competed in Turf Wars for the first time this year. Alexandra, a student and retired dancer, and Grant, a fitness professional, both set out to accomplish some personal goals on the Turf. Although from different backgrounds, both belong to a community that inspires them to be better Athletes. Check out what the Turf Wars training and experience was like for them…
PROFESSION
Alexandra Lammon: Educator with Lululemon and part-time student
Grant Belton: Fitness instructor and indoor cycling instructor
FITNESS/ ATHLETIC BACKGROUND
AL: Growing up I competed in any sport I could add to my schedule, but at age 13 I began pursuing a professional ballet career. I danced professionally for 2 years and then retired at the ripe age of 22.
GB: Powerlifting, Personal Trainer
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COMING TO TONE HOUSE?
AL: 9 months
GB: I started attending Tone House 2014 at the original location on 17th street. It’s been a wonderful journey so far.
FAVORITE TONE HOUSE CLASS (CONDITIONING, UPPER BODY, ETC.):
AL: Wednesday, 3:30 PM Core Day will always have a special place in my heart. It’s a tough day and it’s a great crew to take a class with.
GB: My current favorite class is Total Body. The complete focus on full body movements helps augment my other training.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO COMPETE IN TURF WARS? WAS THIS YOUR FIRST YEAR COMPETING?
AL: I have a hardcore Tone House addiction and will blindly sign up for anything related to TH. I hadn’t started going to Tone House until after last year’s Turf Wars.
GB: This was my first year competing in Turf Wars. I was very much inspired by the promotional video from 2017 Turf Wars. I was thrilled to see Tone House recognizing the seasoned athletes in the 40+ Athletes division this year. That signed the deal for me.
HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR TURF WARS? HOW LONG WAS YOUR TRAINING?
AL: The Turf Wars Workshops were a major help. All the events were really broken down and made really clear. I felt like I was working smarter, not harder.
I also incorporated some work on Pier 46 for stamina, lifting and “trying” to prioritize rest and listening to my body. The last part was the hardest, especially when facing a few nagging injuries and getting strep throat the Monday before Turf Wars. The last thing I wanted to do was to take rest days or miss classes.
GB: I started my training August of 2017. The basis of my training has been full body compound movements. Utilizing my barbell experience with squats, bench press, strict press, deadlifts and other movements. Also, rounding out my conditioning with sprints and conditioning class.
WHILE PREPARING FOR TURF WARS DID YOU ACCOMPLISH ANY PERSONAL GOALS?
AL: Personally I feel like I’ve learned so much more about how my body works and what it can handle. There are a lot of things in class I’m working smarter on and more things I’ve gotten stronger at. My upper body has gotten a lot stronger from training for the push-up event, especially after all the years of trying to avoid upper body work for the ballet physique.
GB: Through sheer determination and taking my recovery time serious. I was able to hit a 297 lbs. barbell squat.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TONE HOUSE THAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GYMS/WORKOUTS?
AL: Tone House is such a supportive and inspiring environment like no other I’ve experienced from any other fitness community. A few months ago, I shared how I’ve struggled for years with severe eating disorders and body image issues due to my ballet career and the support I received from the people I knew through Tone House was incredibly touching.
On top of that, a huge part of my recovery has been due to my attendance at Tone House. I’ve learned to appreciate what insane feats my body can do during that class hour. Let’s be honest, TH classes aren’t something you can just coast through, anyone who makes it through one and feels like they’ve worked their hardest should be proud. Everyone has their insecurities or things they struggle with in class or life, but the coaches do such a good job at motivating everyone and recognizing the progress someone has made. People are quick to acknowledge each other for even just the little things and that’s something that’s incredibly rare in the fitness world.
There are even days I don’t want to work, sometimes I’m only showing up for the people I care about, but once I’m there, I feel like I owe it to them to die on the Turf with them. The team environment really pushes you through more than just round 4 of a double warm-up.
GB: At Tone House, I love the challenge and the ability to connect with like-minded athletes. It is never easy to fail. The journey will be uncomfortable. However, if you are willing to give completely to the task at hand. You can achieve your wildest dreams.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE EVENT?
AL: The gallops – it was fun to have space to really go all out on them.
GB: The 100-pound sandbag clean & press and the sled push.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST EVENT TO COMPETE IN?:
AL: Probably either the push-ups or the row. I’ve struggled with both for a while, especially since I didn’t have any upper body strength while I was a ballet dancer. I wouldn’t have gotten through the row without Coach Adrian and Coach Wally and my friends cheering me on. It’s amazing how much farther you can push yourself with the support of others.
GB: Oh, I would have to say the gallops and runners.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TRAINING FOR THE EVENT?
AL: I wish I would have incorporated lifting into my training sooner. I noticed an immediate jump in my performance after I started lifting. I guess Trapcity (Coach Alex) is on to something with the bench…
GB: I would focus on being more explosive and work on the movement patterns for the gallops and runners.
WERE YOU SATISFIED HOW YOU PLACED?
AL: I was. I did way better than I thought I would do after being sick the week before Turf Wars, which threw a wrench in my planned training. I even PR’d on the row and push-ups which for me means I was successful with what I went out to do, do my personal best.
GB: I now have a marker to measure my performance for Turf Wars 2019.
WILL YOU BE COMPETING IN TURF WARS 2019?
AL: Absolutely.
GB: Yes, I’ll be there!
FINAL THOUGHTS?
AL: Shout out to all the LadyKillers who cheered each other on, held umbrellas for each other, kept each other warm and barely complained about getting soaked in the freezing rain. It was the most inspiring thing to be surrounded by such badass women and I think they are the very definition of what Turf Wars is about.
It was the most inspiring thing to be surrounded by such badass women and I think they are the very definition of what Turf Wars is about.