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POWER UP STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Getting You In Shape The Right Way 
By Mark Hallburn
Publisher
PutnamLIVE.com

Twenty-one-year-old Patton Robarts has a dream. The Hurricane                                 High School graduate                               wants to serve his                                  country. For most, that                                  in itself is a lofty goal.                             

However, Robarts isn't                              stopping there. He                                   wants to serve as a                               United States Navy                                   SEAL, the elite Special                              Operations Forces of                                  the Navy, employed in                              direct action and                                     special reconnaissance                           operations. SEALs are                                also capable of                                     employing                                  unconventional                                   warfare, foreign                                   internal defense, and counter-terrorism missions.

To become a Navy SEAL, you have to be one of the elite. SEALs experience high level training, rigorous testing, and must be in extremely great physical shape. Much of that is done once a person joins the Navy. However, Patton Robarts is already working on his physical training. Boy is he working. Seriously working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, Robarts hired Clint Alley, President of Power Up Strength & Conditioning, to prepare his body for the rigors of training to become a Navy SEAL.

Several times a week, Robarts works out under Alley's guidance, lifting weights, running, doing countless sit-ups, lifts, as well as strength and agility drills. They utilize Power Up's facilities in Teays Valley as well as Hurricane Park across the street.

Alley, a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force, knows what it takes to get in shape and stay in shape. And he has been training Robarts, honing him into a lean machine that will be able to go straight into specialized training with the Navy SEALS. bypassing some of the basic training. That short-cut will jump-start Robarts' SEAL career, sending him on his mission in life to defend our country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robarts' training with Alley and Power Up has been intense, however, he realizes Alley's advice and coaching has been crucial to put him on the road to his goal to make it to Coronado, California to train with the SEALs.

"They are very helpful," says Robarts. "They push me to my limits. That's the only way that I can achieve the goal, is for someone to push me."

And push him, Alley does. Part coach, part drill instructor, part father figure, Alley has diligently worked hard to mold Robarts physically as well as mentally for the tough challenges he will face as a SEAL.

"Somebody's got to do it," Robarts admits. "I've always thought about it, and I'm sick of being mediocre."

Why does a 21-year-old from West Virginia want to be a Navy Seal? For Robarts, it's about being one of the best, one that people look up to and admire, not only for their physical skills but for their integrity as well.

"You look at them and they're admirable people," Robarts says. "I'd like to be half of some of the people I've met. They're great guys! Not many people know about it."

Alley says a big part of the draw is that it's not something most people can do. He says Robarts can make it as a Seal, not only physically, but because he has a maturity and integrity rarely found in 21-year-old men.

Robarts recognizes Alley's coaching and says his input has been crucial.

"It's been very beneficial so far," Robarts says. "I've greatly appreciated what he's done for me. He's held true to his word. He said, 'I'll get you in shape for this.' He's kept on improving me."

That improvement includes a mental awareness of where Robarts is in life and an outlook towards others.

"Respect yourself, respect other people, watch what you do with your self, be wary of the things around you," Robarts says. "Those are some of the things I've learned. He's taught me to be a better person to help other people and show other people what I've learned. I've helped one of my friends work out and exercise. I watch the news, see what's going on, and discuss it from a military point of view."

Alley founded Power Up Strength & Conditioning after he retired as a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force. He wants to continue helping people in the military and law enforcement stay in shape while working with individuals in the private sector to get in shape, beating back obesity and diabetes that is all too prevalent in West Virginia.

Alley sees his business as a life-saver first, helping people take back their bodies and their health.

"There are few professions in the world that can allow you to accomplish as much in the lives of others while earning a living," says Alley. "It is a state of self actualization for me. I would do it for free, if I didn't have to pay the bills."

Alley is building a training facility at Mid-Valley Square near A & L Hardware, Dollar General, and next to Kali's Pizza. As a personal trainer, he wants to coach people into proper physical shape, keeping them away from obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, which ravages and kills many West Virginians.

"Type II Diabetes is related to behaviors that are seemingly perpetuated in this state," Alley says. "When the condition is diagnosed by the physician, you are normally told to begin a diet and exercise program. You are then normally referred to the nurse who explains your meds and sends you on your way. If this condition is not addressed, amputation and early death are the inevitable results. When you understand the mechanisms of the disease and the methods that you have at your disposal to reverse this condition, you can change your quality of life and extend it. I can help a client understand and deal with this malady in fairly short order."

Alley is a highly-trained and educated personal trainer with a Master's Degree from Marshall University. He the West Virginia Director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He isn't a candy-assed Richard Simmons in spandex that dances around the room leading cheers. He doesn't do Oprah Winfrey's diet of the week weirdness. He isn't a "Golden Boy" spa rat that thinks it's "cool" to work at a "health club." Alley is the real deal when it comes to health and physical fitness. When you work with Alley, you work, and you learn, on your way to losing weight and taking back your health. You have to be committed, and Alley will continually teach you as you stay focused on your goal. Then he will teach you how to keep the weight off for permanent health.

There are thousands of diet books and theories, most of them trash, Alley says. The way to lose weight is simple: Diet and exercise. And while the phrase seems simple enough, there is a tried and true science behind that diet and exercise that Alley teaches along the way. If you are committed, Alley says you will see positive results fairly quickly.

"If the eating is done right and the training is done the way it should be done," Alley says, "It can be as little as three months depending on the progress of the disease when it is diagnosed."

Eating correctly is crucial, Alley says. Before he allows you to touch a weight, do a sit-up, or run 10 yards, Alley will start discussing your diet. That doesn't mean eating cardboard. It means learning how to manage calories and fat intake while enjoying the process of losing weight. You will learn how to control your diet, instead of letting fast-food garbage control you while destroying your health.

And controlling your health will keep you away from obesity and diabetes.

There are two ways to deal with Diabetes, Alley says. "Manage" it, and deal with pills and meters for a shorter life, or eliminate the disease, throw away the pills and meters, so that you can enjoy a longer life with your family and friends.

"Diabetic management became the acceptable practice for a long time," Alley says. "With the recent developments in research, we know that the symptoms are reversible. So the medications that are currently used should be  stopgap measures while we are working at reversing the Type 2 diabetes. If the diet and exercise are done appropriately, in most cases Type 2 diabetes can be reversed."

Alley also coaches strength and conditioning for athletes from the aspiring to the professional. Devising strength and conditioning programs for the sport that athletes compete in takes a highly-skilled individual. If you are training for a sport, you want to work with a nationally certified strength coach. A certification as strength and conditioning specialist from the NSCA is the most highly prized certification attainable today.

"Watching an athlete get stronger, faster, jump higher as a result of training, is part of the maturing process that you enjoy in the life of an athlete," Alley says. "Being able to direct the training to affect the athlete in a positive manner is what I do."

Whether you are a diabetic that wants your health back, or you want to stay in shape, or want to get back in shape, Alley can set up a plan for you. He works by appointment only and can be reached by calling 304-633-9217. Making a commitment to telephone Alley is step one in the commitment to better health.

Clint

Alley