32 | SUNRAYS APRIL 2014
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
FITNESS
When Larry Allison sprained his left elbow playing golf, he figured there’d be
no harm in liftingweights unsupervised the following day instead of waiting for
his next scheduled appointment with Sun City Texas Personal Trainer Chris
Freas. It was a decision he would regret. Instead of scaling back, he lifted too
muchweight and aggravated the sprain. “I stressedmy injury to the point that
I had to lay off for six weeks,” Larry laments. “I know now if I had waited for
Chris’s supervision, he would have rolled back my exercise.”
According to Chris, the “no pain, no gain” mantra rarely works, especially as
a person ages. “If there’s pain, I have my client either cut back on the weight or
eliminate the exercise entirely,” he says, adding that he’s guided Larry through
two golfing injuries since he began working with him three years ago—a
shoulder injury and the one involving his elbow. “When it’s time, we gradually
work the weights back up. Sometimes, if Larry has had a cold or cedar fever,
we cut back the weights until he regains his strength.
“There are certain things I emphasize for all my golf clients,” adds Chris, not-
ing that overall aerobic fitness comes first, followed by strength, balance, and
flexibility. “Flexibility will allow for more joint range of movement and will
give you a better golf swing,” he notes. “What I see with some golfers is a lack
of stamina. They get very tired the last few holes. I tell them to get and stay
aerobically fit. Take long walks outside or use the treadmill, the stationary
bike, or the elliptical. All those things will increase stamina, endurance, and
confidence.”
Following Chris’s advice, Larry walks for an hour six mornings a week with
two of his neighbors. He also enjoys the camaraderie of the Neighborhood 60
Thursday golf outings. “One can never have too many friends or greenies,”
says Larry, who has dropped 30 pounds since he began working with Chris.
An active member and past president of the Sun City Kiwanis Club, Larry is
a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner who owned his
own firm in Clinton, Illinois, before retiring and moving to Sun City Texas
withwife Pat in 2009. “I knew that if I was going to be serious about getting in
shape and losingweight, I needed supervision,” he says. “I knew that onmy own
I wouldn’t stick to a routine. I believe in the supervision that Chris provides.”
Athlete of the Month
By Lynda Dufour
Larry Allison
Personal Trainer: Chris Freas
Meet Chris Freas
Personal Trainer
Certifications
• Cooper Institute
Certified
Personal Trainer
• Fitness Special-
ist Older Adults
• Fitness Special-
ist Special Populations
• Aerobics and Fitness
Specialist Association of
America
For an appointment with Chris
call 512-948-7761.
Group Fitness Tutorial
Monday, April 28, 10 a.m.,
Cowan Creek
In theGroupFitness
Tutorial, Whitney
Alexander, SunCity
TexasGroupFitness
Coordinator, will answer your ques-
tions about Group Fitness classes. If
youwantmore information about the
classes offered, which class is right
for you and how to get started, please
join us.
Children’s Swim Time
For Kids Ages 4-15 years
April:
1-3 p.m. Daily, Indoor Pool
Children’s Age Restrictions
Children ages 4-15 may use
the pool during designated
swim times.
Children under the age of 4,
per the CA Rules/Regs., are
not allowed at the pools or in
the Fitness Centers.
