Aretas Performance Connects Vol. 18 | Training for Real Life

Discover the Aretas philosophy of functional training. It's not about training in the gym—it's about training for life. Plus, meet our new coach, Jake!

September 06, 2025

Hey Aretas Performance Community,

Every day, your body is a high-performance machine. You lift, you push, you pull, and you carry—from grabbing groceries to picking up a child. True fitness isn't just about how much weight you can lift in the gym; it’s about how well your body moves in the world.

At Aretas Performance, our philosophy is to train for life, and we call it Functional Training. This week, we're diving into what that means and why it's the most effective way to build a body that's strong, resilient, and ready for anything.

Functional Training

Functional training is an approach that prepares your body for real-life movements. It uses multi-joint exercises that mimic the demands of daily activities and sport. We don't just train muscles in isolation; we train your body to work as an integrated unit.

Why It's Crucial for Performance and Longevity

  • Injury Prevention: By strengthening your body's ability to move through foundational patterns, we build resilience and stability in your joints, reducing the risk of injury from both sport and daily life.

  • Enhanced Performance: A functionally strong body translates to better performance everywhere. Whether you're sprinting, jumping, swinging a golf club, or simply carrying a box, your body will move with greater efficiency and power.

  • Improved Quality of Life: The ultimate goal is to make every aspect of your life easier. Functional training makes tasks like getting up from the floor, playing with your kids, or moving furniture feel effortless and pain-free.

Coaching for Real Life

So, what does functional training look like with an Aretas coach? It's not about balancing on a yoga ball or using fancy equipment. It's about mastering the foundational human movements that serve as the building blocks for every other athletic skill.

We focus on movements like:

  • Squat: The basis for getting out of a chair, jumping, and lifting from the ground.

  • Hinge: Essential for safely picking things up and for powerful movements in sports.

  • Push & Pull: Foundational for all upper body strength, from throwing a ball to pushing open a heavy door.

  • Carry: The ultimate core stability exercise, mimicking real-world tasks like carrying groceries or luggage.

  • Rotation: Critical for generating power in golf, baseball, and many other sports (including getting a baby out of a car seat).

Try This: The Single-Arm Farmer's Carry

A fantastic functional exercise you can do anywhere is the Single-Arm Farmer's Carry. It builds core stability, grip strength, and total-body control—all at once.

How to Do It:

  1. Find a Load: Grab a single heavy dumbbell, kettlebell, or even a grocery bag filled with a few heavy items.

  2. Grip Tight & Stand Tall: Hold the object in one hand. Pull your shoulders back and down, brace your core, and stand up straight. Avoid leaning to the side.

  3. Walk with Purpose: Begin walking with a normal, controlled gait. The goal is to walk straight without tilting or swaying.

  4. Switch & Repeat: Walk for a set distance (e.g., 20 yards), then switch hands and walk back.

This simple movement teaches your body how to brace and stabilize itself under load, a skill you use every single day.

Other Aretas Updates & Community News

Meet Our New Coach: Jake Paddock!

We're thrilled to officially welcome Coach Jake to the Aretas Performance team! Born and raised in West Allis, Jake holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from UW-Madison and an M.S. in Sports Management from the University of New Haven.

Jake brings a wealth of experience from working with elite athletes at places like the IMG Academy and Long Island University, where he oversaw the training for baseball, wrestling, and tennis programs. He is excited to begin working with athletes and clients of all ages at both our locations. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be integrating Jake into our programs as he builds his client schedule. We couldn’t be more excited to have him on the team!

Women's Performance: New Community Class!

We've been hard at work building new connections and expanding our offerings to better support women at every stage of their lives. We're excited to announce that we'll be starting a free Bump to Baby community class on the first Saturday of each month! This is a perfect opportunity to experience our specialized training and connect with other women on a similar journey. Our first class will be today, September 6th, at 8am.

Can’t make this one? You can view all the dates and times here:

Movember is Taking Shape!

Join us on November 15th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an amazing day dedicated to men's health. The event will feature a workout and golf circuit, a raffle, a long drive competition, a men's health talk, delicious food, and more! All proceeds will benefit the Movember Foundation. You can learn more and RSVP on the official event page here:

The 12-Week Performance Nutrition Challenge

Don't miss your chance to take control of your nutrition! Our 12-Week Performance Nutrition Challenge is designed to give you a personalized roadmap, so you never have to guess again. We'll work together to build a sustainable system that gets you feeling good in your body and performing in your life. The challenge officially kicks off with our seminar on September 20th.

Book a free Nutrition Discovery Session with Laura: Book a Free Nutrition Discovery Session with Laura!

In Excellence,

The Aretas Performance Team

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