495 Strength and Performance

05/19/2026

Who wants to jump higher?

04/29/2026

One of the most prevalent myths among mothers is whether or not resistance training (or weight training) will have a negative effect on their child’s growth and development.

Every year at the annual check up mothers take their sons and their daughters. They’re measured on height and weight. The nurse plugs it into a system and a nice little bar graph is presented to the parents. Sometimes the child is underweight sometimes they’re headed overweight sometimes they’re in the 10th percentile for height and sometimes they’re in the 90th percentile. If the child is one extreme or another, I’m sure it causes worry for the parent.

And then comes to the Japanese study, post World War II, where there was famine and two nuclear warheads were detonated, and it found that strength training for those with radiation sickness was actually presenting a negative effect to adolescent height development. Think about the variable there affect affecting the study.

So for the healthy American child getting eight hours of sleep, eating 3 to 4 square meals a day, getting regular exercise - put in a barbell on their back. Sounds like they might shrink?

This is not the case; if anything, in the case of height it is dictated by genetics primarily from the maternal grandfather and his siblings.

Exercise and weight training done properly and designed around building an athletic individual who is mobile through all of their joints can do body weight, as well as resistance training will have stronger bones and will likely out perform their genetics for height.

I know I’m just a local strength coach so you can read about it here from Stanford University. Let’s get our kids stronger!

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine now say that strength training is fine for kids, as long as they're supervised and don't try to lift too much weight. Read on

04/29/2026

Bigger faster, stronger does not mean slow and useless! We build athletes who have pop when they make a tackle drop their opponent to the ground. When they stick a block. It becomes a pancake when they outstretched their opponents arms for a jump ball, and when they can reach across the goal line for that much needed late game score. If you’re a parent of a football player in Potomac, Bethesda, Rockville or Silver Spring we are only 5 miles from your house. There is absolutely no reason that your son should not be training with us. Send us a DM and we’ll tell you a little bit about our program to help your child get ready for the fall.

04/08/2026

Our student-athlete program readies you for college.

1st: we assess and improve your movement

2nd: we get you eating right to grow muscle.

3rd: we help you manage your school, athletic and life obligations.

4th: we get you to perform at a high level and start lining you up for college opportunities.

DM us for get your kid’s free assessment and a good discussion on what’s next!

04/05/2026

If you play baseball football ice hockey or wrestle, you know that you need to build more muscle and get stronger in order to compete at a highest level, but you’re also concerned that you’re going to lose speed and when you’re a power athlete speed is what is gonna separate the winners and the losers!

At 495 Strength & performance we have been combining mixed model exercises that many will call contrast training. I don’t know if it is but it works for us or athletes build more muscle. Get a lot stronger and see speed improvements that are second to none.

I’m sure our boys would have been the first to the tomb too.

Happy Easter!

02/13/2026

Let’s go!!!!!

02/11/2026

If you learn how to sn**ch, you’ll improve power, core strength, shoulder stability, and full body mobility & coordination. Here’s how to prep for it. Join us to learn more

02/10/2026

Parents, the clean is a movement your kids need to learn. new athletes can expect to be proficient in a month and able to move their bodyweight in a few months. When this happens you’ll be watching your son or daughter move effortlessly with speed and power on the field.

💪

07/11/2025

Jonathan Jurewicz

02/06/2025

Athletic Strength training is not Powerlifting
Athletic Strength training is not weightlifting

The latter are sports strength training is how you get good at them and improve your potential at field sports.

If you wanna get good at sports, you need to get stronger and the best way to get stronger is to join a club with a coach who genuinely cares about each and every athlete that walks through its doors.