
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
128 FOLLOWERS
Read posts on professional and personal training and fitness program. Specialty Athletic Training exclusively train individuals with special needs, a population that is often overlooked by the fitness industry. Their approach is to make fitness fun and encourage self-esteem building and healthy lifestyle choices.
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
2d ago
Our founder, Ryan Lockard, recently had the incredible opportunity to present to the volunteer powerlifting coaches of Special Olympics Oregon. His presentation focused on teaching proper lifting techniques and effective exercise programming to help prepare athletes for competition.Ryan shared his expertise in adaptive fitness, emphasizing the importance of safety, form, and individualized training. Coaches learned how to tailor lifting techniques to meet each athlete's unique needs, ensuring th ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
1y ago
Founder Ryan Lockard recently had the opportunity to speak about Specialty Athletic Training on the "Sports Will Save Us All" podcast. He spoke about his experience working with individuals with disabilities, the inspiration behind serving the disability community, and much more! Make sure to give it a listen by clicking HERE ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
1y ago
As seen in Spectrum Life Magazine Summer 2023 Edition
Specialty Athletic Training was founded in June 2012 to provide access to professional fitness services to the disability community. Our programming is relationship-driven with the purpose of creating a fun and inclusive environment where everyone feels safe and welcomed.
Lewis & Clark College is home to our Portland, Oregon location and is where we first began building our Specialty Athletic Training community. I played football at L&C during my college years and was part of the coaching staff at the time. I spoke with the ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
2y ago
Featured by KTVZ Channel 21 news
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Luke Williams, a 19-year-old certified personal trainer, likes to push Abigail Hamer during their workouts at Boss Sports Performance.
“You’re almost there girl -- I believe in you!” Williams told Abi during a workout. “Great job! You’re killing it, Abi!”
Abi has Down syndrome, and she’s one of Williams' many clients he trains through Specialty Athletic Training.
“There’s just a wide spectrum of disabilities,” Williams said of the clients he trains. “So I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s not just one niche little thing, it's a broa ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
2y ago
EUGENE, Ore. -- A new athletic training program for those with specials needs is coming to Eugene in just a couple of months. Specialty Athletic Training has been helping those with special needs get in shape, and according to founder Ryan Lockard it's all about building confidence in and out of the gym. "Number one focus is always making it fun for them, and making it where they want to do it on a daily basis and make it a part of their own lives," he said. They've served nearly 500 clients since they first started back in 2012. They serve anyone with special needs such as those with autism ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
3y ago
Written by Emily Hatch, CSCS
Obesity is a well-known issue within our society that has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our commutes to work are often through the kitchen, we have more access to food, and when boredom sets in, we often turn to snacking. Obesity, which “is a term that reflects excess adipose tissue,” affects around 30.4% of U.S. adults and 18% of children (Jacobs, 2018, p110). Even more, adults with disabilities have a disproportionately higher rate of obesity (36%) and 22% of children with disabilities are affected by obesity (CDC.com).
&n ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
3y ago
Written by Emily Hatch, CSCS
Down Syndrome is characterized by “a genetic disorder that results in a trisomy (three copies) of the 21st human chromosome” (Jacobs, L Patrick, 2018). Along with the trisomy of the 21st chromosome, those with Down Syndrome also experience hyper-mobility in multiple joints. This hyper-mobility allows for an adjustment in training modalities for these individuals.
According to OrthoInfo, individuals with Down Syndrome mat experience joint instability within their neck, knees, and hips while also dealing with various foot issues, including bunions and flat fe ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
3y ago
As featured in Spectrum Life Magazine Winter 2021 Issue
Providing access to fitness and healthy living to the special needs community has been our mission since being founded in 2012. We started by providing individualized 1:1 personal training instruction and then added small group fitness classes. The pandemic made it difficult for many of our clients to not only access our services, but many of their other daily activities. Being isolated in quarantine with limited social outlets, we noticed that their mental health was being dramatically affected.
We reached out to our dear friend ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
4y ago
As featured in Spectrum Life Magazine Winter 2020 Issue
Imagine that you walk into a room and are instantly paralyzed by the bright lights. While standing there motionless, erratic and unpredictable sounds are so loud that you can’t hear anyone speak, even though you see lips on the blurred faces moving everywhere as you observe the room. There is a weird aroma in the air, part Axe body spray, and part body odor. The aerosol from the body spray and other cleaning agents in the air quickly overwhelm you and make you feel that someone has a death grip around your throat. Welcome to the weight ..read more
Specialty Athletic Training Blog
4y ago
As featured in Spectrum Life Magazine Fall 2020 Issue
Normal. What is normal? Whatever your definition of normal may be, your “normal” daily life shifted completely back in March when COVID-19 began to make its presence felt in our country. The fitness industry took a huge blow, as many did many other industries, when the shelter in place orders took effect. My business was no different, yet we will be a stronger business and able to serve more individuals because of how society has shifted during the pandemic.
As the virus began spreading rapidly on the east coast, I took notice on ho ..read more