Sader Nation

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to go back to where my career started, or at least where it started to take shape, my college Alumn NNU! After being in touch with a college professor, Dr. Kim Forseth, I was asked to come and share my experiences as a personal trainer to her class...
This week as I prepared the topics to highlight and enlighten upon them, I began to ask myself "what does it take to be a personal trainer?" The question began to swirl around in my head and I haven't been able to shake it all week! It is such a dynamic career and the direction one takes depends on ultimately what they want to achieve. Is it about a health career to help people, desire to be financially successful, to work with athletes or a specific population, or to use it as a stepping stone towards something more? I am learning what it takes to be a trainer everyday and setting goals towards what I want to achieve, all the while being challenged by clients, my associates, and myself to become better at what I do.
Hmmmm... looks like I have a powerpoint to make tonight!

ColorSPORT Boot Camp

I am so excited about this!

I know I cannot wait for the flakes to start falling and to see fresh pow-pow on Bogus Basin! Are you ready for Ski Season? I mean really ready?! Not just the new tricked out skis... but physically ready?
So often we prepare for the season with our equipment, but not with our bodies. Without being in "ski shape" we run the risk of poor skiing, soreness, and even worse...INJURY!
Don't get hurt this season! Enjoy the season of your LIFE by preparing with the right moves. I've designed a ski and snowboard conditioning Boot Camp like nothing else in Boise! Bench Press and Bicep curls aren't going to do it for you; train like you SKI. Essentric strength, lateral movement, balance, agility, core strength, and flexibility will take your downhill charge to the next level.

Check it out: ColorSPORT Ski and Snowboard Conditioning @ A2O Fitness downtown Boise!
Thurs.7pm or Sat.8am (choose which one works best for you)
Cost: $120
When: 6 week Course, Starts Oct.21 -Dec.6

Sh*t Happens

Your going to enjoy this! I typically write about motivation and character, it's something I'm passionate about and believe changes peoples lives. Though sometimes it's worth writing about the silly or stupid, because speaking honestly the silly or stupid happens every day in the gym...

Accidents can happen anywhere, and particularly as a trainer we try really hard to prevent accidents. People can really get injured using weights that are too heavy or with bad lifting technique. Our eyes and mind have learned to watch for those things, but sometimes the simple is easliy missed...and that's when sh*t happens.

I had just a morning like that, when two -yes TWO- clients fell off the treadmill during class! Now we run a pretty tight ship, and keep two trainers on the floor almost every class, so nobody gets missed and clients can train with attention and safety. In order to keep the circuit moving quickly we keep several of the machines in motion during class, the treamills often run between 5-7 miles per hour during a given circuit. Well, these two ladies didn't see the treads running and STEPPED ON! Oops. Like a scene from the old Batman tv show, I just saw "CRASH" "BANG" "BASH" and they were on the floor before I could even react.
Brings a whole new meaning to No Pain, No Gain huh?!

Hit the gym, get on a bike, or take a hike today! Get out, do something healthy for yourself... and then let me know what funny stuff you see out there!

Blog Moto

"have no fear of perfection... you'll never reach it"


I absolutely love this moto. Especially in an industry, in an occupation where people - friends - clients are engulfed with self esteem issues. Plagued by insecurities and negative body images, I deal with it everyday. It saddens me and I work daily to challenge clients to overcome those insecurities. It's a difficult process to even admit and face them, and to deal with it puts you in a very vulnerable place... but what I've learned is when we are vulnerable we are able to change.
Fear puts up a wall. Fear is a default setting that weakens us. I challenge you today to let go of your fear. When you let it go, I mean truly release it and never look back is when you can really grow.
Grow Today!

More than a Trainer

I believe Personal Trainers are called to be "more" than just trainers. I believe we should be. The good ones, and I mean the really good ones - the exceptional trainers - will not only provide a workout but an EXPERIENCE every session. Sure my job calls me to provide good training programs, but what makes a great trainer is the one who can step up when the time is needed, and is the type of trainer I aspire to be... let me explain.
Week in, week out, Monday through Saturday, from early mornings until late nights I work with clients. But they're more than just clients, they're people. Some only train once a week, while others three to five days a week that I'm spending significant time with. And you better believe they get my full, wholehearted attention whether its 30,60,or 90 minutes; I'm right there in the trenches with them - coaching them, motivating them, pushing them... and sometimes just there to listen.
I was challenged just yesterday to be "more than a trainer". Before a training session a dear client came in kind of passively for her workout. As I approached her and asked how she was? how her weekend went? and if she was ready to get her sweat on? She confided in me that her and her family had just discovered that her mother was diagnosed with a very serious and fatal illness. My heart sunk. "Do you even want to workout today?" I asked. Holding back tears she calmly said "yes, I need this. I need to just workout and take my mind away from it and feel back to normal." And that's just what we did. I didn't mention it again, or ask questions about her mother's condition. This was her hour for herself, to work on her physic, her health, and clear her mind of pain and troubles...even if for just 60 minutes.
Finishing the workout, she thanked me and told me it was exactly what she needed. She felt better and was ready to go back outside the studio and face the realities ahead.
It's not always easy, and I'm not always the best at recognizing it. But I want to make a difference in my client's lives, in people's lives and know that those are the moments I'm asked to be more than a trainer. Not that I have to be a therapist or analyze and give profound advice; but rather to be there to listen, offer support, and give them precious time to focus on and achieve something positive in their lives.

Know the Gear

I have to admit one of my favorite websites is outside.online.com (from the editors of Outside Magazine)
Considering myself an avid outdoorsman, and as a fitness professional, I love to be up to date with the latest in gear and equipment. Especially as technology pushes us to further and further human capacities, the newest gear keeps us in the race. Plus this stuff is just cool!
Check out this years list by outside.online.com "Buyer's Guide Summer 2010"
@ http://outside.away.com/outside/gear/buyers-guide-summer-2010/gear-year-montbell-ultra-light-super-spiral-down-hugger-1-sleeping-bag-review.html

This Is Sparta!

I'm often asked what type of workouts I do. After putting people through grueling workouts all day long, people want to know how the 'trainer trains'. My personal workouts vary, and it's not fair to compare your workouts to others because we all have different goals in mind. We define our own fitness, some want to be able to run for miles on end and others may want to be strong enough to push a dump truck! -whatever those goals are make them your own!
One of the best tools to gauge your fitness is to perform some sort of assessment (based off your goals). That may mean taking measurements, or having someone take them for you, or performing a series of physical tests like push ups/ pull ups/ and squats or your 1 mile time; and then come back to them 4-6 weeks later and re-assess them. Doing this will help you establish your starting point and then give you a serious way to measure your results down the road.
Ok, so what type of workouts do I do? Here is one of my personal favorites, published by Menshealth.com and made famous by the physics of the Spartan Warriors in the film "300". It has become one that I use not only as an insane workout but also to measure my fitness. Whether or not I can complete it or not is a good indicator to me if I am at the level of conditioning I want to be.

- The Goal: finish ALL 300 reps in as fast of sequence as you can. Think that's tough? Try completing it 2x in under 45 minutes!
"300"
25 Pull Ups
50 Deadlifts (135 lbs)
50 Push Ups
50 24'' Box Jumps
50 Floor Sweepers (135 lbs)
50 KettleBell Clean & Press
25 Pull Ups

Live A Legacy

I remember the powerful words I heard at an event in 2000... "In order to leave a legacy, you must live a legacy." That philosophy has stuck with me since I was 16 years old. I often wonder if I was gone tomorrow, how would I be remembered? Not because of perverted narcissism, or because I want to feel popular... it's more of a wonder if I'm making a difference during my time on this earth.
Jim Rohn wrote "Leaving a Legacy - Principles to Live By". Outstanding principles and truths to live by, personally and professionally. http://www.burrese.com/Personal_&_Professional_Achievement/Articles/Rohn/Leaving_a_Legacy.htm
Just a little something to ponder today...

everyday fitness

I have to admit, as my work schedule continues to pick up, planning my workouts begins to slow down. Even as a trainer, it's easy for fitness to take a backseat. Hell, I work in a gym so when I'm in it, thinking about it, teaching it all day long some day's seem repulsive to stay and get my sweat on.
Here's the deal: No Excuses. There's no reason we can't do a little something everyday. Even if I didn't work in a gym; body weight exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, and planks are available anywhere and everywhere I go!
Yesterday, having just one of those days when the gloom of my workout wasn't going to get fit in...it hit me, and like a record player coming to a screeching halt I hit the gym floor for a 30 min core blasting circuit. If I'm going to practice what I preach it's all about doing something for fitness everyday. This core circuit chewed me up and spit me out and I had time left to shower and finish training 3 more clients for the evening.
Have half an hour? Think you got what it takes? Try and complete my circuit from yesterday in 30 mins or less!

KettleBell V-sit Throws - 60 Reps
Stability Ball Pikes - 20 Reps
Push Planks - 10 Reps (each arm)
Stability Ball Crunch
/with overhead Tricep Extensions - 20 Reps
Smith Machine Bench Press
/with Leg Lifts - 10 Reps

Combine each exercise one after another, Rest 60 seconds or less between, until all 5 drills are finished. Complete circuit 3 times in 30 minutes!

ColorFUEL

As August approaches I am planning to dive into the ColorFUEL nutrition program.It's not that I don't already eat 'healthy' or that I am starting a diet.No. This is a nutrition program and a way for me to set a goal for myself and practice what I preach to my clients, friends, and family.
This is just a heads up... look for much MORE to come as I fuel myself by ColorFUEL for 31 days!

Want to check it out now? go to: www.colorfuelfitness.com

Dear Journal

Lately I've explored the Internet to follow other "Fitness" blogs to see what's out there. Most are decent, infact most are pretty informative featuring healthy nutrition and training tips and lifestyle pointers...but all are facts, facts, facts. All I have to think is really? That's the best you can do? How boring, boring, boring!

The whole reason I started vaudevillegym was to bring out the lighter-side of gyms, health, and fitness. My thought was there was a need to be honest, brutally honest, definitely entertaining, a little vulgar, and even vulnerable about what goes on inside the gym. To relate to the people who are in the day-to-day battle of their health and fitness... and even poke fun at what I see as a trainer. A journal.

In our office meeting today, one thing led to another as stories often do, from clients named Dick to inappropriate shorty-shorts... and as we laughed, knowing we could have kept going for another hour with another story to top it, someone mentioned we should keep a journal to track the many adventures and situations that happen in our incredible occupation. Silently, I thought to myself "that's what vaudevillgym is about." So I remind myself tonight, to write about myself- write about my hopes and plans, direction and success of A2O ColorFUEL- and most importantly write about the great stories we experience everyday in the gym. This is vaudevillegym. This is my journal.

IN MEMORY OF COACH ED THOMAS

When we talk about wanting to impact our communities and city, here's an example to follow. This man was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award tonight during the ESPY's. His story is phenomenal and his legacy lives on through his family and through the students he coached... He inspired students and a town for over thirty years, only to be fatally gunned down in a locker room by a former player during a gametime pep-talk. Men like this should be remembered, here's a short moment to remember him by...but I encourage you to follow up and learn from his Full Story.

more

Today's all about the Fast Life. Life in the fast lane. In this globalized- circuit board- overload world it seems like everyone is trying to get one step ahead with every FB update and tweet. I was reminded today that this life is bigger than my own, and was challenged. Challenged to think about how I craft this new stage in my life... I know I have all the opportunity in the world, and have (by guidance) been put in a position for great success.
My desire is that as success comes that I don't forget the calling to my life to serve others. Recently I've focused intently on myself. Big changes have happened, and BIGGER changes are coming! It's easy to wake up and spend everyday thinking about what "I" need to do, what "I" want to do, and when "I" need to get it done! ...There's no doubt that I am looking more positively towards the future than ever! While those changes are happening it's easy to get lost in the me, myself, and I. My commission is to make sure that while I'm changing, I'm changing the world around me. I have been given so much and have to make sure along the way I am giving back. Asking myself tonight to add more pieces to the puzzle.

Positioning For Success

I love surfing. Spending 6 months on the island of Oahu Hawaii, I was in the water nearly every day. I had to study the ocean and learn from others, but the sport is incredible. The energy in the waves, the physical exertion it takes to control the board under your feet, and the thrill of the ride. Though the sport has its down time to... The work it takes to paddle out to a good spot is exhausting, and then once your there the wait and anticipation for the sets to come in. Those moments are incredible. You have to do the work to get there, the waves build and take form if you position yourself right, and then you enjoy the ride.
I'm in a moment like that in my own life right now. Taking my career as a trainer and re-locating to A2O Fitness and deciding to create the best fitness atmoshphere in Boise. I can see the waves in the distance, the set is coming in... now is my time to do the paddling. Putting myself in position to ride the biggest waves of my life. Thanks to a trainer friend of mine and fellow Eastern Oregon'er, Brandon Campbell, I am extremely motivated and know I'm setting myself and others up for SUCCESS. His highly successful bootcamp and training is out of UrbanBootcamp in Scottsdale Arizona, check out www.urbanbootcamp.com or find him on Facebook.
This next week is all momentum forward! The owners of A2O ColorFUEL studio, fellow Trainer Heather Eastman, and myself are re-writing the script of Bootcamp Training in Boise,ID. On top of the new classes being offered, I'm in the works of designing my personal website, business cards, flyer's and post cards - all the tools to let people know of the insane and high-quality fitness bootcamps that are going to change peoples lives!
To see a schedule of classes offered now check out http://a2ofitness.com/groupclassschedule.html

Back to Basics

My most influential coaches often returned to one familiar saying "fundamentals, fundamentals, FUNDAMENTALS!!!" Some of my favorite sports movies customarily have a scene where the team or a player can't seem to get it together; thus the scene continues to where the basic skills have to be repeated over and over until that climatic moment where it clicks and the skills are performed flawlessly. In athletics, and with life in general as it seems, accomplishing what you want is achieved when you do the small things right. Getting back to the basics... whether in concepts or mechanics can make all the difference.
As I reflect on my recent move to A2O Fitness and as the weight of my new occupational direction challenges me I feel myself searching for an 'answer'. For some miraculous means to overcome the obstacles ahead. Certainly there's a book, website, or genius-humanoid who I can latch onto, follow their easy step-by-step plan, and reap the benefits from? Right???
Tonight I confront myself to go back to the basics. Return to the fundamentals of what I know, back to what propelled my passion and calling for this career and livelihood anyway. Instead of crawling ahead in worry and doubt, Propelling myself forward with the desire I had when I started.

BoiseLife: Enjoy Serve Learn

I have to admit it has been a while since my last post. My interest has sparked because life, my life, has had a recent change and I hope to use vaudevillegym as an outlet to express the good, the bad, the ugly, and funny as this change develops.
This so called change is I have re-located my occupation to downtown Boise. In the center of a city I have come to love and appreciate so much in 8 years of living here. My passion and profession of physical training will be through a fantastic facility called A2O Fitness...
The journey is fresh. A brand new start, and thus far has been alot of momentum yet still a difficult start. I am thrilled at the new prospects and potential benefits that are being presented. Though it's not the re-location so much as the 'location' I want to talk about. Downtown Boise.

I'm learning to love the City of Tree's more and more, and now that Boise's hot summer has peaked its sweet head from the clouds I'm even more excited about all the great stuff there is to do in this town... but what about you? I'm curious what others love about Boise? Let me know, share your thoughts stories and legends.

And maybe you don't know Boise that well. Here's Boise's premier website, ran by a good friend of mine, and a great way to get a taste of what Boise has to offer.
www.boiselife.org