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