Pratt Personal Training

04/08/2026

🌸 SPRING GIVEAWAY ALERT! 🌸
To celebrate the arrival of spring,
Pratt Personal Training and Anne Katherine Creative are teaming up to bring one lucky winner an amazing giveaway valued at over $2,000!
One lucky winner will receive:
✨ A 3-month membership with Pratt Personal Training & a $1,000 portrait experience with Anne Katherine Creative
Ready to treat yourself? 👉 Simply click the link and fill out the form below to enter!

https://www.annekatherinecreative.com/giveaway-pratt

🗓 Entries close Friday, April 10th, 2026 at 5 PM
Good luck, we can’t wait to see who wins! 💛

02/06/2026

Join us for our grand opening February 21st! 12-3pm

01/27/2026

Come join us on Saturday 2/21 12pm for our grand opening ribbon cutting and open house! All are welcome!

01/20/2026

In baseball, when the game’s on the line in the 9th inning, teams bring in their closer — one of their best players — to secure the win.
Nutrition works the same way.
For a lot of people, the day is won or lost after 6 PM
When the heat is on in the kitchen. 🍳
Here are 20 “closer” strategies to help you finish strong:
• Drink water before dinner
• Eat veggies first
• Always include protein
• Pair pasta with protein + veggies
• Be mindful with oils & sauces
• Remove foods you overeat at night
• Keep danger desserts out of sight
• Set a “kitchen closed” time
• Have a go-to sweet option
• Protein shake before dinner
• Or protein shake after dinner
• Plate your food (no container eating)
• Use smaller plates
• Decide dessert ahead of time
• Walk before or after dinner
• Brush your teeth after eating
• Keep your hands busy
• Don’t under-eat all day
• Eat at the table, not the couch
But don’t try all 20.
Pick 1–2 and make them your closer.
If your days feel out of control, don’t beat yourself up over what happened at 10 AM.
Focus on what happens tonight.
That’s where most wins (and losses) really happen. ⚾🔥

01/20/2026

01/12/2026

One of the most common requests we get:
“I want nicer arms.” 💪
Sometimes that means:
• “I want my sleeves a little tighter.”
• “I want more definition in a tank—especially the back of my arms.”
Good news 👇
There’s one simple fix that instantly makes arm training more effective—no matter your goal.

The Problem (Feels Right… But Isn’t)
Whether it’s:
• Bicep curls
• Tricep pushdowns
• Any elbow-focused arm exercise
The most common mistake we see (by everyone, not just here):
👉 Elbows moving all over the place
Swinging forward.
Drifting back.
Helping create momentum.
It doesn’t look wrong.
It often feels stronger.
That’s the trap. 🪤
When elbows swing:
• Other muscles jump in
• Momentum replaces tension
• You think you need more weight
• Your arms do less of the work you actually want

The Fix (Super Simple)
For curls, pushdowns, and most arm work:
Your elbow should be a hinge — not a traveler.
Try this:
• Gently pin your elbows to your sides (or keep them fixed in space)
• Only the forearms move
• No swinging
• No rocking
• No torso lean
• No dancing knees
Think:
Statue from shoulders to hips.
All the action from the elbow down.
Smooth arc with the hands.
Still elbows.

What You’ll Notice
• Your biceps & triceps light up 🔥
• You’ll probably need less weight (that’s a win)
• Sets feel more controlled, more targeted, more honest
Next time you curl or hit pushdowns, think of this.
And if you’re not sure whether you’re doing it right—grab one of our trainers.
We’re always happy to help you dial it in.

01/09/2026

Quick story from last week. 👇
I’ve been doing barbell RDLs as the first lift on my lower body day for 4–5 straight weeks.
They’ve felt great. Strong. Smooth. Normal.
Sunday morning, I warm up like usual.
A couple sets in, my low back just feels… off.
Not a snap.
Not a dramatic moment.
Just enough to know something wasn’t right.
I try one more light set.
Same feeling.
So that was it.
No ego lifting.
No “push through it.”
No hero moment. 🛑
It just wasn’t a deadlift day.
For me, this happens maybe once every few years with deadlifts or squats.
And you might think:
“If this flares your back once in a while… why keep doing it?”
Simple answer 👇
The benefits of getting stronger far outweigh the occasional annoyance of a tweak.
I’ve never had a serious weight-room injury.
Nothing has stopped me from doing what I want to do for more than a week or two.
That’s strength training.
There’s reward—and yes, some risk.
This time?
Two days of a cranky back.
A couple small exercise swaps.
Then right back to my normal lower-body plan.
And here’s the key part:
Nothing dramatic happened.
My 24 years of technique didn’t disappear.
There isn’t one magical thing to blame.
Pain and tweaks are multifactorial 🧠
Sleep. Stress. Life. Load. Positions. Timing.
It’s almost impossible to point to a single villain.
Funny enough, that same week I talked to another trainer with 20+ years of lifting.
He strained his upper back… just holding a dumbbell out in front of him.
No PR attempt. No chaos. Just a weird moment.
If you only heard those two stories, you might think:
“Wow—lifting is dangerous.”
But here’s what I know for sure 👇
Not lifting, not moving, and being sedentary is far more dangerous than the occasional minor issue that comes with consistent strength training.

01/07/2026

For the last two weeks, I’ve been bouncing between 192–193 lbs.
Before that, 190 was my steady average.
Every morning I thought:
“Today’s the day I’m back under 192.”
And every morning… nope. 😅
When I looked at why, it was all explainable 👇
• I’ve been eating a little more than usual
• Too many unplanned snacks I didn’t turn down
• My steps are 4–5k lower per day than normal
• More sit-down meetings (sometimes 3–4 hours at a time)
Nothing mysterious. Just behavior.
So here’s my simple get-back-on-track plan ⬇️
1️⃣ Plan my food for the day
I write out exactly what I’m eating and when.
I won’t hit it perfectly—but staying ~90% aligned keeps my calories in check and my weight in my preferred 187–192 range.
2️⃣ Prioritize protein 🍗
Some high-fat, high-carb choices crept in without much protein.
I’m tightening that up so every meal has a clear protein anchor.
3️⃣ Get my steps back up 🚶‍♂️
At the tent gym, I had 4–5k steps by 4:30 a.m.
Without that built-in movement, I need to schedule walks—short bursts to offset long meetings.
If there’s one priority, it’s #1: daily meal planning.
It doesn’t need to be perfect—just consistent.
The closer I stick to the plan, the leaner I get…
and the better I look and feel.
Does this resonate with you?
What habit do you need to re-introduce—or finally introduce—to feel your best?
Planning meals 🍽️
Eating more protein 🥩
Walking more 🚶‍♀️
Something else?

01/05/2026

Someone reached out recently.
They hadn’t trained in a couple years.
Back then, they lost a lot of weight.
Recently… they gained it back.
Their plan?
👉 “I’m going to train 5 days a week
👉 and go back to a strict diet.”
I recommended the opposite. ⬇️
2–3 training days per week.
Change ONE daily habit.
That’s it.
For them, dinner was the trap. 🍽️
So we agreed on:
• One plate at dinner — no seconds
• Skip dessert on weeknights
Nothing else (yet).
Here’s why 👇
Your body follows your normal behavior.
If you build a short-term, extreme routine, it only works while you’re in it.
When you return to your true normal… your body goes back too.
Most people can white-knuckle big changes for a few weeks.
But if it’s not sustainable, it fades — and so do the results.
The problem is usually this word: “until.”
“I’ll diet and train hard until I hit my goal.”
That word assumes you’ll revert.
And when you do, the weight follows.
A steadier plan that actually sticks ⬇️
For the next 4–6 weeks:
• Strength train 2–3x/week 🏋️
• Pick ONE calorie-reducing habit you can live with
• Walk most days 🚶‍♂️ (6–10k steps is great)
Low-friction habit ideas:
• One plate at dinner
• No dessert on weeknights
• Replace liquid calories with water/zero-cal
• Protein + produce first
• Kitchen closed after a set time
Small, durable changes create a new baseline.
Once that’s automatic, you add another.
That’s how results actually last—
without living in extremes.
If this sounds like someone you know, send it to them.
It’s usually not a lack of effort…
it’s a lack of a sane plan. 🧠

01/02/2026

The single biggest lever for “feeling athletic” is reducing excess body fat ⚡
Lower body fat improves relative strength, speed, and how light you feel on your feet. If body fat is higher right now, jumping straight into “athlete drills” can mean higher risk, lower reward.
So we start with the basics: eat fewer calories, train consistently, stay active 🥗🏋️‍♂️🚶‍♀️
The 4 Athletic Patterns
Locomotion
Moving your body from point A to B: brisk walking, jogging, running, backward walking, shuffles, crawling. Think “moving through space,” clean and controlled 🏃‍♂️➡️
Triple Extension
Ankles, knees, and hips extending together—used to jump, sprint, or drive a sled. Expressed at low risk (SkillMill fast walk, resisted marches) or higher demand (jogs, controlled jumps) 🦵⚡
Throwing & Rotation
Fast arm and torso movement: medicine ball passes, slams, rotational throws 💥🧱
Push & Pull at Speed
Upper-body pushing/pulling with intent—strong, crisp reps 💪⚡
Where this lives
Usually placed in the cardio/conditioning portion of your program.
Examples you’ll see:
• SkillMill: fast walk, light jog/run, or heavy pushes
• Bike/Assault Bike: 10–20 sec bursts
• SkiErg: short hard bouts
• Rower: powerful leg drive + quick pull
• Medicine balls: slams, rotational slams
• Jump/Land progressions: step-down landings, moderate hops
Choose your level (same intent, different dose)
• Level 1: SkillMill power walk, sled pushes, bike/rower 10-sec bursts
• Level 2: Light jogs, SkiErg 15-sec efforts, MB throws
• Level 3: Short sprints, heavier sleds, jump/hop drills
Safety & progressions
Power work works best when dosed small and done clean. If it feels advanced, Level 1–2 still deliver power safely.
The most athletic thing you can do
Show up. Strength train. Do aerobic work. Walk daily. Nudge calories down sustainably. Advanced plyos aren’t required—but the right sprinkle of athletic patterns helps you keep (and feel) your power as you age 💪🔥

12/31/2025

The big idea
Do better before you try to be optimal. Improvement first, optimization later 🔁
Step 1: Get honest about your real baseline
Don’t think of your best day. Think of your average day—and your weekends.
• What do you normally eat and drink? 🍽️
• Where do extra calories sneak in (snacks, seconds, drinks, dessert)? 🍪🍷
• What are your “easy-win” swaps? ✅
Step 2: Pick 2–3 low-friction reductions (keep them all week)
Examples (choose what feels easiest):
• Eating out: burger → grilled chicken sandwich; fries → veggies (whether you eat them or not, LOL) 🍔➡️🥗
• Dinner: no seconds—one plate and done 🍽️
• Snacks: eliminate them, or cut them in half—especially the 200–300 cal bites 🥨✂️
• Drinks: skip weekday alcohol and sugary drinks; go water/zero-cal 💧
• Portions: leave two bites on the plate 🍴
• “Protein + produce first,” then carbs/fats if still hungry 🍗🥦
• Night rule: kitchen closed after your set time 🌙🚪
• Auto-meal: one go-to light meal on repeat 🥣
Step 3: Track progress simply
• Weigh 3–4 mornings/week; watch the weekly average ⚖️
• Notice looser clothes and steady workout energy 👖💪
• If nothing changes in 10–14 days, add one small reduction ➕📆
Calorie targets (optional)
If you like numbers: Goal Body Weight × 12 calories/day. Helpful—but not required 🔢
If numbers stress you out, skip it 🧠💤
The pace that lasts
Small steps aren’t fast—and that’s the point. This isn’t a race. Keep finding sustainable ways to move more, strength train, and reduce calories so you feel good and look leaner—without misery 🏃‍♂️🏋️‍♀️🙂