Frequent Questions
High school soccer player developing strength through weighted lunges
Q: How Do I Sign Up?
Look at the current schedule, if our classes match up with your availability then we are off to a good start. Call 801-920-0813 to inquire if we are accepting new or returning students.
Q: What If I’ve Never Lifted Weights Before?
We love teaching people how to lift properly. We’ll start you off slow and increase weight only if your form allows for it. We never rush you to perform a lift or exercise that you are not ready for. We want you to be healthy, happy and injury free.
Q: At What Age Should My Child Begin Strength Training?
As a general rule of thumb, we begin youth athletes on a strength program around their 12th birthday. Now this is a “general” guideline as some athletes can start learning lifts as early as 10 years of age but on the other side there are some athletes who are not ready to lift until they are a bit older.
Q: Is Strength Training Dangerous For Children?
Asking any one new to strength training to perform complex movements in an untrained state is dangerous. We begin by teaching youth athletes how to control their body in space and time. We start with air squats, lunges, push ups, and low level jumping. Once the athlete has developed a foundation of strength and coordination, then we progress to Medicine Balls, Kettlebells, and Dumbbells. Ultimately, our goal for each athlete in our care is to have them proficient in Back Squats, Front Squats, Hang Power Cleans, Power Cleans, Cleans and Hang Cleans, Push Press, and Dead Lift. All these classic lifts produce strength speed, coordination, mental focus, and durability.
We view training as a long term endeavor and are not in a rush to produce artificial results. We believe that the greatest service we can provide for any athlete and especially youth athletes is the foundation of strength. This foundation can take years of careful programming and dedicated training.
There are many coaches, parents and doctors who will tell you that it is dangerous for youth to strength train because it will hurt their growth plates. This is misinformation and a lack of knowledge on their part. If we were to apply the same reasoning, that strength training damages joints, then all youth sports would damage a child growth plates due to sprinting, jumping, landing, throwing, and kicking. All these activities place an enormous amount of stress on ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones. The best way to guard against any injury to to build a solid foundation of strength in an appropriate manner.
If you are interested in our program but are still unsure about youth strength training, feel free to call us 801-920-0813 and we’ll do our best answer any questions.
Q: Does Bomber Athlete Offer Sports Specific Training?
For our adults yes. We program on a yearly basis for an upcoming season. Our training cycle is intended to complement and support an athletes out of gym sport.
For youth athletes we do not do sport specific training. We know that this type of training is very popular right now and the promise of “incredible results” can be very tempting but we are here to tell you that foundation building will yield greater results as an athlete matures than any quick fix program.
We liken sport specific training to trying to run before knowing how to walk or trying to swim in the ocean before mastering the dog-paddle. There is ample evidence that too much sports specific training leads to overuse injuries in youth athletes. Base training is the key to long term success!
Of course there are those exceptions. We have many youth athletes who have trained with us for 4, 5 and 6 years. We will take these mature athletes and place them in a specific program to prepare them for college sports. Bomber Athlete is famous for creating the strongest, fittest, and most durable incoming college freshman athletes. Many college athletes will do their offseason training with Bomber Athlete to maintain their competitive edge.
Q: What’s Your Gym Culture Like?
Hardworking, focused, but laid back. You wont find big egos, just a dedicated group of athletes looking to improve human performance and have fun doing so.
Q: How Is Bomber Athlete Different Than CrossFit?
Our passion is for outdoor sports and we want to help athletes prepare for those sports. We feel the best way to improve human performance is through a varied cycle of low intensity and high intensity training. You train for a block(usually 3 months) and then we don’t see you again until your next gym block is scheduled.
Exercise as a sport is not our thing.
We feel that there are many great CrossFit gyms in the area but we profoundly disagree with the training philosophy of CrossFit.
Our gym is not for everyone and we strongly encourage you to call and talk with us. Or better yet, find one of our current athletes and speak with them. They are our greatest advocates and will give you unbiased information about how our program has help them.
Q: What if I get sick, injured or are on vacation?
*IMPORTANT* no refunds and no prorating payments. You are part of our gym and we are holding a spot for you The gym still has to make monthly lease payments, utility payments, pay taxes, etc, even though you might miss a few days.
There are a few situations we will prorate a month
- If you are sick for more than 50% of your training days in a given month then we will prorate your next month.
- If you are going on vacation that has you missing more than 50% of your training days first off that 's awesome! Second, we will prorate the month for you.
- If you are injured and need to take time off then we will prorate your first month back from injury.