“I am a 54 year old movement ninja”
A Bad Back Left Katonna in Constant Pain
Katonna Snooks is a 54 soon to be 55-year-old Hair Design identity coach and a mother that lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a movement maverick! Find her at http://joparissalon.com.
Katonna made a decision to not accept the doctors diagnosis of her bad back and take ownership of her health. She made a constitution to accept her body and where she is! And to work proactively every day to grow and get better. No drugs, no shots just effort and hard work. Giving up has never been a option for this champion!
The marriage between her and premier fitness systems was destined to be great! Katonna loved to move and to her movement was life. But her body had become locked up from compensations due to repetitive aggressive movement. Her thoracic spine was compressed and she was having more difficulty rotating. This affected her doing what she loved, move, golf, roller blade, be more human. Her lower back was tight, left knee constantly agitated, massive impingements in her shoulders, tight hips, nonexistent scapula mobility, weak lats, weak ankles, neck suffering from improper position. You know the normal stuff! But, she was determined to do whatever it took to regain her freedom of movement.
“Training in my bare feet has brought me a whole new stabilization overall. Also -My spine is relaxed and segmenting , moving more freely. I am not flaring my ribs and have better control of my pelvis. My feet land softly, Ninja style, with control. Quality not quantity has enabled me to soar.”
Katonna started with a 2 week trial to premier. Where she learned training doesn’t always need to be physically hard to be beneficial.
The biggest thing that changed for Katonna was her mindset about intensity. She found that training can be more about intention, quality and movement. She learned to create space for being quite and still.
Embracing a quality approach has allowed Katonna at 54 to feel like a rock star and not in pain.
What We Teach
Our programs teach movement as a practice and as a means to enhance all aspects of ones life. Enhanced movement capacity can benefit any athlete. From a ufc light weight to a 70 year old Nana. We teach principles that once mastered allow you to progress without pain. Harder is not always better! In fact, in many cases harder is worse! If joints are not healthy and a foundation is not built harder can lead to pain and injuries.
In Katonna’s case her constant push was leaving her in pain!
How She Reclaimed Her Health
Don’t think it was easy! Katonna worked hard! She attended movement project class’s, golf and strength classes everyday and some days came to 2 classes. She did Physical Therapy sessions with Dr. Kay working on proper breathing technique, developing proper movement patterns and learning spinal function. She did private training with our movement specialist Andrew and Brandon which tied it all together.
Katonna worked very hard for her results! She is a testament to what can be accomplished at any age if we make it a big enough priority!
Why Premier Fitness Systems was RIGHT for Katonna
We teach a quality-based approach! Most gyms only emphasis quantity, how much, how many, how fast! This is only part of the purpose of training. Sure you want to get stronger, faster, leaner and more fit! But, without healthy joints, correct movement patterns, proper breathing technique injuring and burn out is inevitable.
Learn More About Our Programs
For Brandon, fitness has been his passion for as long as he can remember. In high school he was a three-sport athlete and received a scholar athlete award in football. Later, he attended Arizona State University on an academic scholarship and received his degree in Kinesiology in 2004. When he was a junior in college, he started Personal Training and has since turned this into his career. Brandon is a natural teacher who is passionate about health, fitness, wellness, and life. Each and every day he feels blessed to be able to do what he loves most…help people achieve a healthier life! Working with his best friend and having clients who he considers to be his family is one of the best jobs he could ever wish for. What he loves most about being a personal trainer is helping his clients achieve what they thought was the “impossible”!
Brandon’s philosophy is that exercise and fitness should be viewed as preventive medicine. If one takes care of his/her body today, he/she will stay healthy for the remainder of his/her life. His main focus is on functional training that incorporates normal daily movements which strengthen core muscle groups and help deliver a functionally fit body. This body will then be efficient with all activities, from athletics to everyday movements.