May is finally over, and we are preparing our drivers in Indycar for the slew of road and street courses coming in July.  This means raising the intensity levels, adding more reaction training, and getting outside in the heat to simulate race conditions.  We have a few drivers from around the world sign on to spend time in our program in June, thus it’s getting a little busy !

We moved into a new location at the end of May.  Plans for a wonderful new facility in partnership with IRL Chiropractor Rob Schroeder took a hit when the company who owned our new property went under, thus causing some grief !  But we still have our eyes on the future, and for the nexy 3-6 months we have taken over new space at Createc Corp/Bald Spot Sports at 6835 Guion Road.  It’s a great situation and we really have a sweet deal.  One of my closest friends, Alan Lewis, owns both companies and the employees enjoy having their own wellness center right in the same building.

We also put the finishing touches on a fitness center for Kasey Kahne’s new WOO shop in Mooresville, NC.  Kasey wanted a great workout facility for himself and Brad Sweet, and we got it done just in time for the Grand Opening the Wednesday before Memorial weekend.  With help from our friends at Bob Block Fitness, Spri, and Concept 2, Kasey has the sweetest training room around !  The plans are for me to spend time down there each month with Kasey and the team, and that’s a great start into the world of NASCAR !

We had great success recently, with Wade Cunningham winning the Freedom 100 and J.R. Hildebrand assuming the points lead in Indy Lights.  Two Dixon’s won last weekend, with Scott winning the IRL race at Milwaukee and Larry taking top honors in top fuel at the NHRA event in Topeka, Kansas.

We also added Team Penske driver Will Power into our program as he prepares for some races in Indycar.  Check out our new Simcraft simulator on youtube.com  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmmNbqjlQbA&feature=channel_page .  That’s my youngest son Nick driving it, but we have had many drivers learning tracks on this wonderful training tool.  Thanks guys !

Chat soon, have to a track workout at Butler University and then swim session at the IUPUI Natatorium.  It’s a good thing !

Stay fit,

JL

Hello all,

Unless you live in a cave, you by now have figured out we are in full swing for the Indianapolis 500 and the Freedom 100 in Indy Lights. It’s an extremely cool time to be involved in the sport of auto racing, and even better to see the drivers daily !  I went for a training ride/run with Scott Dixon and Wade Cunningham this morning in the pouring rain.  It was a sweet reminder how fortunate our staff is in that we get to interact with some incredible athletes.  While we were riding, Ryan was working with a slew of Indy Lights drivers as they prepare for the Freedom 100.   During my ride, I had messages from Paul Tracy, Townsend Bell, and an email from Scott Sharp.  Some were about training, some just chatting.  But all and all we have a great community for the month of May.

We finalized a deal with Robopong last week, and have this absolutely wicked automated machines that kicks ping pong balls back to us.  It’s a great reaction tool for drivers, and it was fun watching drivers like Memo Rojas and Brad Sweet tear that thing up !  Memo is headed off to Laguna Seca for the Grand Am event there, and we all which him a safe and successful weekend !

I will be updating a little more now, but for even more updates join PitFit on facebook.

Stay Healhy and Well,

JL

Ready for the 1-2 punch?

East meets West in this fitness class!  Build strength, flexibility, power, and stamina in a class designed by an athlete for athletes.  A dynamic blend of yoga, boxing, cardio, and core strengthening for an intense mind-body fitness experience!  

2-trainers, 1 - class, 0 - excuses!

Kansas City, Kan – PitFit drivers claimed four of the top five starting positions for the Kansas Lottery 100 at Kansas Speedway.

2005 series champion Wade Cunningham claimed pole position on the 1.5 oval.  “I’m really happy to be on the pole,” said Cunningham, who recorded a two-lap average of 187.458 mph (58.3812 seconds) in the No. 11 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. ”I’m just really pleased with the effort that the guys put in.  It was kind of a late deal getting started this season. Being a four-car team, it’s pretty tough to get it all working in the same direction. We’ve made a lot of progress in the past two weekends, but it’s good to come back to an oval. I love oval racing and here we are on the pole.”

Joining Wade on the front row is PitFit newcomer Sebastian Saavedra.  Long Beach winner J.R. Hildebrand starts in position four alongside PitFit’s Pippa Mann. All of these drivers train at PitFit’s facility on the NW side of Indianapolis.

“All of these drivers pit in incredible effort in the gym, focusing on their fitness and reaction skills.  “I’m especially pleased to see Wade on pole,” said PitFit President Jim Leo. “He has never let his training slip, and we actually completely changed his training this last week to give him even more attention”.  “I’m also thrilled with the effort by Pippa Mann”, added Leo who needed to show herself this weekend and did just that.”

About PitFit Training
PitFit Training is the recognized leader in developing driver-specific fitness, nutrition and human-performance programs to expressly address the physical and mental demands of the motorsports industry. PitFit was founded in 1997 by Jim Leo. Leo and the PitFit crew provide fitness training to racers in various series including the Indy Racing League, Atlantic Championship, Firestone Indy Lights Series, Formula BMW, USAC, Karting and more. To schedule an interview, contact Jim Leo at 317-388-1000 or jleo@pitfit.com. To learn more, visit www.pitfit.com

Well, we had a very busy weekend and a few of our drivers won races!  The Formula BMW Americas drivers came to Indianapolis for their annuial fitness camp.  Normally this takes place before the season, but due to scheduling issues we held it after the first race.  For anyone who is not familar with Formula BMW, it’s one of the premeir training series for drivers who are just entering formula cars.  We beat these poor kids into the ground.  They boxed, swam, lifted weights, did hot yoga, rowed intervals, tackled the Jacob’s Ladder, rock climbed.  They also learned how to use e-PitFit and had a great lecture with a mental training coach.  We alowed them some fun too, karting out in New Castle Race Park.  The karts were a little slow, but they raced hard.  You never saw a bunch of teenagers so ready for bed every night.  Thanks to Ryan, Heather, and Randy Biggs for so much great help.

On another note, JR Hildebrand won the Indy Lights race at Long Beach and Morgam Lucas won his first NHRA top-fuel race at Atlanta over the weekend.  Two great kids, and Morgan was way overdue !

Stay fit !

JL

It’s been some time since I have blogged, so I will try to make up for lost time. First off, after pressure from our drivers, we started a PitFit Facebook page. I was reluctant at first, but soon discovered it was a great way to update news to drivers and fans about what we do. We also posted a video on Youtube of Sam Hornish Jr on the Jacob’s Ladder. We plan to add more videos for your entertainment and also some cool training tips.

We have added more and more drivers to the program and have a few more surpises on the way. In April, we will take delivery on two very unique items. One is a wicked new racing simulator that will blow you away ! It is worth over $30K and moves in every direction. We are also getting a Technogym driver machine that is used by Michael Schumacher and also Lewis Hamilton. I can’t give more details but it will be a crazy month !

Champion has come on board as our apparel partner so look for cool new stuff in our store and on our drivers…oh, and we WILL have the store up and running in April.

I will stay on this blog deal a little better,

Stay Fit,

JL

Hello fellow fit racing folks,

I’m still adjusting to the whole blog writing and keeping on top of it….hence the gap between posts.  As we begin 2009, we seem to have a horde of new drivers coming on board and the return of our regular racing clients.  While we have some great young talents struggling to land a ride for the season, we also had some great news with Larry Dixon signing with a new top-notch NHRA team.  Larry is the nicest and most straight-up guy in the business, and he deserves all the good coming his way.  The biggest news for us in 2009, is our soon-to-be announced move to a new facility.  This is in partnership with Dr. Rob Schroeder, the chiropractor for the IRL and the Colts.  The new 10,000 square foot facility will be near our old place, but with specialized rooms for heat training aong with some awesomenew stuff I can’t quite tell you about yet.

I will leave you with this thought……take aim at new targets in 2009.  Find one new thing you have always wanted to do, something major, and do it.  Then choose something new every month to learn about, even if it’s 5 minutes reading about another country or a great person.  Soon these new adventures will create new growth, and you will finish 2009 starving for a bigger 2010. 

Stay hungry, stay on target,

JL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
12/10/2008                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ryan@mphsolutions.us
                                                                                                                                                    

PITFIT TRAINING ANNOUNCES EXCITING PLANS FOR 2009
PitFit, goes to the PRI Show to reveal new pricing, and strategies for the upcoming year
 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – PitFit Training, Inc. is announcing plans for the 2009 year including lower pricing plans, and a free workout for new clients. PitFit Training uses it’s state of the art program to focus on each driver’s specific needs for their respective series. This proven format continues to raise the racing fitness levels of some of the greatest drivers in the world.
 
PitFit Training will lower rates in 2009 to meet the economic challenges facing the motorsports industry today. While rates will be lowered, the world class training services offered by PitFit Training will not change with the price drop.
 
“We cater to all levels of athletes at PitFit, and with that being said we have decided to lower our prices to meet our client’s needs in these tough economic conditions,” said Jim Leo, president of PitFit Training, Inc. “We see this as an opportunity to continue our unmatched level of excellence at PitFit, while making it easier for more drivers to join the program.”
 
PitFit Training has trained the winners of the past three Indianapolis 500’s, and plans to continue that pattern of excellence in 2009 with a slightly modified training system. The new system will focus on training classes including professional training in boxing, rock climbing, mixed martial arts, hot power yoga, and several other options.
 
“Our program is unique because we continue to add new and exciting ways for our clients to break through to a higher level of physical preparedness. Our drivers are only restricted by what their car can do, and that is the goal of our program,” said Leo.
 
PitFit Training’s world-renowned training program is now available anywhere in the world to all levels of racecar drivers through the ePitFit.com Online Program. The ePitFit.com program will be available to all drivers at a 15% discount through December 31, 2008. PitFit Training has made it easy for any level of driver to train in the fashion as some of the world’s greatest drivers such as Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish, Jr, and Larry Dixon.
 
“PitFit has given me an edge over my competitors,” said two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion, Larry Dixon. “To be the best on the track it all starts with what you do off the track, and PitFit supplies the best services and support there is out there.”
 
For more information about PitFit Training’s programs, and rates please visit www.pitfit.com. PitFit Training is the Official Training Program of the Formula BMW Series, and the Team USA Scholarship. PitFit trains clients in IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, USAC, and numerous other forms of auto racing.

Hello all.  We have decided that a weekly blog letting our drivers know what is going on at PitFit would be a good idea. Hopefully my first foray in cyber-blogging will be well-received.  I’m attending the PRI show in Orlando, Fl to meet with drivers and sponsors.  It’s my first time attending this incredible event and I must say it is quite impressive.  I will actually start writing on Sunday nights, thus I will sign off.

Stay Fit,

JL

Indianapolis, IN – PitFit Training (PitFit) today announced Scott Dixon, a PitFit client, won the 2008 IndyCar Series crown. The championship title is Dixon’s second, and just like when he won his first title in 2003, Dixon had to battle Helio Castroneves again. Back then, the margin of victory was 19 points. This year Dixon won by just 17 points.

“This was definitely a stressful championship run,” noted Dixon after his victory celebration. “But Jim Leo and his team did a fantastic job in providing me with opportunities to get away from that stress through the workouts they designed for me. Jim came to the last several races to provide additional support, and he’s already got a plan in place for the 2009 season. After some time off, I’ll be ready to start training for that third championship trophy.”

Dixon won six races this year including the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. His win is the third year in a row where a PitFit Training client has won the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, starting with Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006. Dario Franchitti won in 2007.

It is also the third year in a row that a PitFit client has climbed atop the IndyCar Champions point’s standings. PitFit clients have won the Series title a total of six times in the last eight years.

“It never gets old winning championships and Indy 500’s,” exclaimed an elated Leo, President of PitFit Training. “I’ve trained Scott longer than any other client, so it’s especially sweet to see him get his second crown. It’s rewarding to see the results of our focused, race-specific training pay off in the form of so many champions, not only in the IndyCar Series but other world class racing series’ as well.”

About PitFit Training
PitFit Training is the recognized leader in developing driver-specific fitness, nutrition and human-performance programs to expressly address the physical and mental demands of the motorsports industry. PitFit was founded in 1997 by Jim Leo. Leo and the PitFit crew provide fitness training to racers in various series including the Indy Racing League, Atlantic Championship, Firestone Indy Lights Series, Formula BMW, USAC, Karting and more. To schedule an interview, contact Jim Leo at 317-388-1000 or jleo@pitfit.com. To learn more, visit www.pitfit.com.