Written by Kylie Tidmore, LaHaye Rock Wall Manager

The LaHaye Rock Wall is a special place that hosts a unique, eclectic community who comes together to solve puzzles that flex their minds and bodies. Through the variety of competitions, challenges, and new sets the LaHaye Rock Wall has to offer, strangers have become unified friends as they work through problems and encourage others in their pursuits. The newly installed Grasshopper Board is a really neat training technology tool that can help advance anyone’s climbing skills—but it’s also much more than that. The Grasshopper Board is the newest thing at the wall that the community can use to come together.
So, What is it?
The Grasshopper Board features a variety of holds and uses an app to light up different routes. The app is super easy to navigate and houses a variety of problems at all difficulty levels, making it easy for climbers of every skill level to get involved.
Through the app, users have the opportunity to light up the board with any of the problems listed. One of the coolest features is the ability to create your own problems for the board. You simply select the holds you want and specify which are for … Read More

Written by Tabitha Earwood, Personal Training Manager

As a personal trainer, I hear women say these two phrases all the time: “Lifting weights will make you bulky,” and “I don’t want to be bulky—I just want to be toned!” Nothing is more frustrating for me than these two misconceptions. Since our perceptions shape what we do, believing something that isn’t rooted in fact can lead us to avoid the very practices that could help us grow. One of my passions is helping women understand their body’s physiology so they can be empowered to make educated choices.
I Promise, You Won’t Look Like a Man
Female physiology just doesn’t allow us to gain a masculine physique. Because males have more testosterone than females, women aren’t able to gain muscle at the same rate or size as men. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends similar general guidelines for both men and women, including strength training 2-3 days per week.
Carbs Can Equal Curves
Strength training can introduce you to a whole new world of understanding about your body’s physiology. Most people don’t realize that building muscle is one of the only effective ways to speed up your metabolism. The only two places that your body stores carbs as … Read More

Written by Alivia Chenoweth, Marketing Manager

You’ve probably heard the saying “new year, new me” for as long as you can remember. At the beginning of every year, the pressure to set goals to be healthier, be more productive, and ultimately to seek out self-improvement in some form looms over us. What if this year we put the pressure aside and stayed true to ourselves? The busyness of life will always take priority over our fitness goals, health goals, etc. but we should strive for accountability in keeping ourselves physically and mentally healthy.
At Campus Recreation we offer programs that assist you to stay on track such as Personal Training, Group Exercise Classes, Intramural Sports, and nine facilities that are here to meet your needs and holistic well-being during your time at Liberty. So, this year, take 2021 by the reins, and seek to be your best self in all phases of life. To help with this, we are offering some great deals on all our fitness programming at LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center, so check them out below!
Group Ex Classes
We offer over 70 Group Ex classes a semester, with a variety of free standard Group Ex classes and Group Ex Plus classes available with a Group Ex Plus Membership. Group Ex modalities include cardio, strength, mind and … Read More

Written by Heather Callahan, Associate Director of Fitness & Programming

Take a moment and set a timer for one minute. Make a tally of how many breaths you take during that minute. Try not to change or think too much about the span of the breath, try to breathe as comfortably as possible.
It is likely that you took about 12-20 breaths during that minute – which is the average for a human being. Now let’s look at a tortoise – they take an average of four breaths per minute. Comparing life spans, tortoises live an average of 98 years longer than human beings.
So, does breathing have something to do with longevity? Health research concludes this as a yes – good breathing practices are positively correlated to decreased mortality risk. Here’s why.
Breathwork Induces Stress Resilience
What is stress resilience? This is your body’s natural reaction to stressors in your environment. Having a good resilience to stress is a very good thing. Breathing practices bring you quickly to the present moment, which helps to reduce stress, symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD.
There are two important components of your autonomic nervous system:
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – “Fight or Flight”
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) – “Rest and Digest”
If you are familiar with these terms, you may have heard that good breathing practices … Read More

Written by Hayley Swenski, Intramural Sports Outdoor Soccer Supervisor

When training for soccer, it is vital for players to build up their strength and endurance to not only excel on the field, but also to help prevent injury. Staying hydrated, eating smart foods and being well rested are also key factors in increasing performance on the field and aiding in recovery between workouts. Remember to always include a proper warm-up and cool-down in each of your workouts, and don’t be afraid to listen to your body. If you feel too sore, tired, or have a possible injury, it is okay to take time to let your body rest and recover before starting another workout. However, it is still important to push yourself while you are completing your workout. The only way to get better is to work hard and push your body past what you think you can do. Your fitness and skills will develop over time, so be consistent and you will see results faster than you may think!
When developing your training, be sure to include strength training, endurance training, and interval training for optimal results. Here are three different workouts that you can complete in a week to develop all around strength and conditioning to improve your soccer abilities.
Strength Training
Complete 4 rounds with a … Read More

Written by Nikki Kilian, Fitness Coordinator

During my sophomore year of college, I signed up for the advanced running class (Phys Ed 236). I had enjoyed running but wanted to learn how to be better at it. I was looking for a technical formula and concrete answer. What I gained was so much better. One of the many questions I had about how to improve my running was how to breathe. To unfold this idea, first you need to determine your goals: Are you doing interval training or distance running?
Interval Training
If you are conducting sprints, you will get out of breath. The key here is to get breathless, let yourself recover, and then sprint again. (Do not go breathless if your doctor advises you not to, if you have a medical condition, or if you are pregnant).
The benefit to doing sprints is that you will achieve maximum caloric burn in a short amount of time and doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) actually allows your body to continue burning calories throughout the day. This is because aerobic activity causes excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
Distance Running
When aiming for distance, a good rule of thumb is to run at a conversational pace, as advised by the legendary Dr. Horton. (if you don’t know him, take PhysEd 235 or … Read More

Written by Lauren Shaw, Assistant Director of Operations

Over the last six months, you have probably become quite familiar with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as well as the importance of social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask. You’ve probably heard the phrase “the new normal” and thought to yourself, “What does this mean to me?”. According to the writers of the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase has been defined as “a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or expected.”
As we continue to navigate the Fall 2020 Semester at Liberty University, operations and policies at LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center and David’s Place look a little different than they have in the years past. Our “new normal” includes abiding by the state executive orders and the Virginia Department of Health’s coronavirus guidelines for all fitness and recreational facilities. In this post, you will find what we are currently doing as a facility to preserve the health and safety of our Liberty community — including students, faculty, staff, and guests. Current modifications for safety include limited capacity, spacing of participants and equipment, enhanced disinfection, navigational flow, and reduced recreational play.

Preventative Measures
Operations

LaHaye Rec & Fit and David’s Place are both operating at a limited capacity.
LaHaye’s busiest hours are between 4 – 6 P.M. — … Read More

Written by Danielle Ledgerwood and Hayley Swenski, Intramural Sports Staff

Whether you’re about to spend the next hour crushing it in the Training Loft, or you have an indoor soccer game at 7 p.m. — your nutrition matters! Next time you’re heading out to exercise, or you just finished an intense game of volleyball, consider some of these healthy and effective snacks.

Pre-Workout
These are some snack ideas to give you the energy you need to power through anything. Ideally, eat one of these 30-60 minutes before you plan to exercise.
Trail mix

You can customize this however you want! Include dried fruit, seeds, a grain (cheerios, pretzels, popcorn), and almonds, and you’re good to go! Trail mix is a great source of protein, fat, carbs, and fiber before a workout.

Greek yogurt, fruit and granola

This snack is both cheap and effective. It’s also incredibly customizable — add what you want for fast, metabolizing protein and fat. The fruit and granola also add a great carb source to keep you full and energized for your workout.

Energy bites

Easy to store and grab on the go for an extra boost of energy. Make sure to make these ahead of time, and let them cool in your fridge. You can find plenty of recipes on the internet, but this is a great one.

Post-Workout
After you finish up, you’re … Read More

Written by Nikki Kilian, Group Exercise Manager

Many people view running as something instinctive that anyone can do, and to an extent, they are correct. Even in our toddler stage of life, we have the ability to just go run. However, when it comes to running for fitness, things can get a little more complicated.
According to the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, as many as 79% of all runners will sustain a running-related injury during any given year. Therefore, learning proper form for running is imperative to help prevent injury and also aid in optimal performance. Running with improper form could lead to a slower pace or shorter distances.
To begin critiquing running form, think of proper standing body alignment from head to toe:

Neck—neutral, not jutting forward or sinking back
Shoulders—over the hips
Spine—should not excessively arch (anterior tilt) or come forward (posterior tilt)
Hips—over the ankles
Knees—relaxed and not locked out
Toes—tracking in the same direction as knees

When running, you want similar posture alignment, but less rigid.
Start with Your Head
Again, the head and neck need to be neutral, neither jutting forward nor sinking back. Also, pay attention to your eyes. Keep your gaze forward and not looking down. This will help prevent in any neck soreness.
Shoulders
Make sure … Read More