Ghosts of Christmas Past and Navel Gazing into the Future

Every year Christmas past gets farther away from us. Buried under the tsunami of lights, decorations, and commercialism we pause long enough to survey our surroundings and find a safe space before the audio onslaught of Mariah Carey starts caroling merrily 'All I Want for Christmas is You' Tinsel, teeth and tits from the marshmallow underworld screeching in her peppermint schnapps scented breath,only pausing long enough for us to stick our heads out from under the Christmas tree to ask: " Is it gone?" Then it begins again. Oh shit the extended mix.

This Christmas like last is different. It is the extended mix for sure. We are Into the third year of this Goddamn plague and much has changed. Never mind the extremism, polarization and trying to hold on to our egg nog while we grit our teeth and wait for the plague of locusts and the rivers to turn to blood. We try to hold out for hope. Feliz fucking Navidad . "Here comes Omicron ,"Here comes Omicron, right down variant lane.." You get the picture.

What do you take with you into the future that brings comfort and helps you go on to celebrate the Holidays, maintain one's sanity and optimism in the face of the biggest health crisis of our lives? What do we hang on to for dear life that helps close out the year and ushers us hesitantly into the unknown of a new one? Today marks thirty six years since my Mother died. Right before Christmas.This Christmas seems bleak for a lot of people and it seems hard to find joy in the face of the constant escalating toll of the virus.What does one do?

My best year professionally-EVER!!!

Hang on to something. And stay the course. I find myself short tempered this Holiday, completely out of patience and resting bitch face ain't even remotely accurate. I shouldn't be I know , work is beyond amazing I had a phenomenal year professionally - my best year ever actually. A flood of work, teaching endless Kettlebell swings and chin ups... Yet the underlying sense of doom brings visions of angst ridden sugar plums dancing in my head. I did manage to get to my beloved Mexico at the end of October and hoping against hope booked for January, I don't think it's going to happen, thanks to the giant Christmas turd at the bottom of my Omicron stocking .

Dream on beach boy, Santa ain't sending you south next year...

I Recently read a theory about the role of memory and how it operates in our brains.

The gist of it was that memories don't exist after a certain point- when we ' remember' something we are actually remembering the last time we remembered it. Wrap your head around it. We are only 'remembering the last time we remembered it' The best analogy I find for that statement was in a pre internet world listening to bootleg tapes of one of my favourite singers. 3rd and 4th generation cassette copies, muffled sound but some essence of a great performance . What remains? So much lost, much held close.

Friends and acquaintances seem older now. Like a fuzzy third generation cassette their younger selves are muffled but the essence of a younger them remains. In the rush and push of daily life I'll see faces I recognize and it's a bit different. The other day I saw someone I used to work with and it took me a second- his hair was completely white. It wasn't white when I worked with him but that was ten years ago and a millisecond to the minute hand of the universe. Old Man time marches on. Memory fades people come and go. Memory. How accurate can it be in these trying times?

Those 'Remembered' memories resurface at odd times . For me the oddest was after my return from Europe in October 2019. As the winter days grew darker something crept in to illuminate the dreary days. Overwhelming thoughts of my parents and the sister I never knew. The over the top Christmases I'd had as a kid. My brisk walk to work at 630 in the often soggy mornings filled to bursting with remembered memories clinging to those echoes of my parents, visits to the Woodwards Food floor and seeing Santa and the gorgeous decorated windows, family dinners, the omnipresent soundtrack of 'The Hugo Winterhalter Christmas Magic' album serenading my parents during the holidays.

I also reflected with that seasonal melancholy on the heartbreaking death of my older sister Kathy - the sister I never knew who died tragically at 16....some years I visit her grave where she lies in repose together with my parents. That year I placed a small poinsettia on their graves during the Holidays and part of me wonders if out there in the great beyond they know..Meh, too much Navidad navel gazing Ryan. And yet the potency of those thoughts and memories predominated. Why?

It didn't all make me sad per se but it oddly brought me....Comfort. Smart enough to know how lucky I've been. it was a most curious sensation. It was almost as if my parents and sister were reminding me of the things that mattered. And maybe just maybe giving me comfort to prepare for what was to come in 2020 and what to take with me. That Christmas of 2019 was wonderful. Nothing significant happened Just the warm holiday glow of friends and family being together and ' comfort' Brace yourself. Here comes the pandmeic and the death of your older sister.

What does one do? What do you cling to that can provide a semblance of normalcy against this chaotic onslaught and chipping away of what we thought ' normal' was ?

Being grateful is a really good start. I've had an incredibly fortunate life. If I ever get into the rut of taking anything for granted I take a quick look around my living quarters at Casa Encantada 'The Temple of Ruined Glamour' and it's not so bad . There are souvenirs of how fortunate I've been. Italian, French and Spanish Exhibition catalogues from various travels. An ottoman full of imported Japanese jazz CDs. A full wine cellar.( in reality a somewhat lugubrious corner of the dining room decked out with creaking Ikea) my carefully preserved and cared for Canali suits, mocking me from the safe confines of their cedar infused closet ' You won't be wearing us this year' Sartorial sarcasm aside, Casa Encantada is that rock of well heeled stability in these ' interesting times'

I've decorated it ' To the tits' in an explosion of twinkling lights, cotton ball snow and a vaguely sinister nutcracker that freaks me out first thing in the morning as I stumble around with my coffee. Some semblance of normalcy as the world outside rages. Or at least my 'Nightmare before Christmas' normal.

So what do we leave in the past and what do we cling to to help us ' remember'? In that mental box of my memories 'much held close' is a black and white photo of my mother holding me a few hours after I'd been born. It's Jimmy Durante singing ' I'll Be Seeing You' it's a Christmas card from someone I loved very much, insignificant in its dedication, significant that they showed how much they cared to send it. It's my name carved in wood by my Fathers hands, and it's an old passport with a stamp from Mexico in 2008 where 'we' rediscovered each other. It's a kitschy old 80s song that makes you leave the mall immediately or you'll burst into tears and it's the smell of my Mother's homemade turkey stuffing and the gentle feel of my Fathers work sock stuffed with an orange, small toys, and chocolate placed on my bed by my mother in the wee hours of Christmas morning. It's finally realizing how much work went into Christmas from both my parents to show us how much they loved us, and it's a song at the right moment when you've picked up the pieces for the umpteenth time and carry on living. It's tokens of survival and mementos of those who once existed.

Some days over the Holidays I just want to curl up go back in time to being eleven years old curled up on my parents sofa smelling my Mom's cooking, and gaze at the huge Christmas tree illuminated by the blue floodlight that always gave off the sickening burning electronics smell any kid who grew up in the 70s remembers.

And other times I want to forge ahead gleefully oblivious to whatever challenges are popping up. We view the past imperfectly and perhaps or perhaps fortunately we remember the good. Living in the past is an impossibility, nor a destination I'm aiming for. Until it's Christmas.

I put that mental box of memories away tied in an imaginary red velvet bow for another year. And I hope and pray those memories remain as clear as they can through the fog of the years , hoping and praying that something, some essence of my parents and childhood remains.They are my touchstones of comfort and joy during the Holiday season and I'm taking them with me into a post pandemic world for however many more Christmases there may be.

The end of 2021 finds me older wiser bitchier, funnier, fitter, and above all else finding that looking back can be a way of moving forward. It is all one can really do.

Wisdom Experience A.K.A. I may be many things but phony isn't one of them

The only time I ever thought I'd hit 55 was on a Highway. But as sure as death and taxes my 55th Birthday happened. 50 was no big deal, but five years on this one made me much more reflective. No not in a deep profound existential crisis sort of way, more like a 'How the Hell did this happen?' sort of way.

In my brain I'm nine years old. But sometimes when I wake up in the morning my body reminds me I ain't. Training people for a living is an incredibly tough gig. It's long hours, hard physical work ,hard mental work and that's even if you aren't that good at it. So few stick around this profession , so few get to do some of the amazing things I've been fortunate enough to experience. Why anybody in their right mind would pursue this as a vocation is a mystery to me, I honestly believe one of the requirements for a successful career as a Trainer is a healthy sense of self delusion coupled with a naivete that borders on the pathological. I'm not being funny.I'm half Drill Sergeant from hell half Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard ["I am big!It's the Gyms that got small!"] Add to that the fact that this is a field populated with scam artists, self described super trainers with their heads so far up their self absorbed ass that all they can do to validate their dubious credentials is pollute social media with shirtless selfies ad nauseam , and that's just the women.

Being in this business has changed me, some for the better , some for the worse-I'd like to think I have always been tough but as I always say 'If you have to tell people you are tough you aren't' you prove it through your actions and a lot of the time it means walking away without saying anything. It is most definitely not for the faint of heart. I've been screwed more times than a hooker with a buy one get one groupon that I've lost count. And yet I continue to not just exist-I thrive. Recently I was treated with a horrifying lack of respect and had to stand my ground against someone I actually liked-Not sure if I won the battle but I will be absolutely goddamned if anyone will ever treat me like that again. But yeah odds are it probably will. It added more stress to an incredibly punishing week , but honestly 'meh' Carry on Ryan.

My significant other suggested that this year was the year we descend on Europe. They've survived the Black Plague and the Inquisition so I'm sure they can handle me. Whenever I travel the goal is to spend frivolously and not worry about being on a budget-if you have to count your simoleans while promenading down the Champs Elysee, you probably shouldn't go. I can easily afford to go but the goal is to not touch Daddys carefully maintained piggy bank. Hence that means selling myself to any reputable offer.

It's funny when you put the Universe on notice-it responds. The last few weeks have been a flurry of one on one classes, teaching you name it, I've been going through offers faster than a bulimic at an all you can eat buffet- My legendary discipline I inherited from 'Dear old Dad' has resurfaced with a vengeance akin to Godzilla burbling up in the bay of Tokyo.

Saturdays involve me rising at the ungodly hour of 530 A.M. gulping down coffee, swallowing ginseng and hitting the road for an 8 A.M. circuit class with four amazing women at a community centre. After that its a two hour teaching/knowledge course that due to response was renewed right through August. Finish that, gulp down more coffee shoot home quickly, have lunch with the significant other and head off to work a Gym shift until 10 PM. Sunday is a day of rest and if weather permits I'm collapsing at our local swimming hole and significant other has promised me a glass of wine or two with dinner. Not that anyone would believe it but Monday is my favourite day of the week. That's a day spent training a few private clients who have been with me for years, after I am done that I have a nice leisurely [my idea of leisurely? Walking straight. ahead like the guy in 'The Terminator' and pushing phone gazing asshole twenty somethings out of the way] walk of exactly 2.2. miles home and get ready to embrace Tuesday.

This past Tuesday and Wednesday were 'Hit the ground Running' days. I show up for a Gym shift at my main place of work and within about 15 minutes find out I have to teach a quick circuit class due to another Instructor being stuck in traffic. Done.I find I'm actually at my best on the fly. It went well.

Wednesday starts all over again at 530 A.M. and one on one training- jumping on our metro going across districts to train again until 730 pm at night, Then for shits and giggles after I do my own workout I decide that it's such a nice night I'll walk 2.2. miles home again. Thursday more of the same, culminating in an absolutely fantastic Athletic conditioning class at the small boutique Gym I normally train my 'privates' [Training my privates...hmmmmmmm maybe I could market it on the internet-nah!].

Here is the funny thing-yeah I'm tired, body aches etc. but what I have found being so uber disciplined is that I fell in love with training people all over again, I mean I always enjoy it but this crazy week was incredibly special for some reason, just watching the joy of people in movement, drilling down into the nitty gritty of program design and watching everything flow in a mixture of sweat, determination, and knowledge. Truth be told I'm having a blast.

No matter how many times I get kicked in the teeth, taken for granted, or just feel like I'm swimming upstream 'Contra La Corriente' as significant other puts it, I survive.This beggars the question that so many of my students and colleagues ask? 'What is the secret to long term success in this industry?'

I honestly don't know.

But if pressed I would have to say being willing to outwork everyone-I can say with absolute certainty that I can outlast anyone half my age. Sorry millenials but my schedule would FLATTEN you. You don't have the 'grit' that it takes. At least not yet.

Second- during those rough periods in my career the best advice I have ever been given in regards to when it feels like the world is against me, or at worst ignored, is to 'go learn something' I only heard that advice a year or so ago but I can tell you it's one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received in my life.

So I'm going to keep going and drag my still pert 55 year old ass forward- ever forward and be open to everything I can. Boundaries can be set, but one of the great things about being my age is I know what I'm good at, and all too well aware of my one or two flaws..[cough cough].Paris Madrid and Barcelona await,wheer I can cheerfully cross off the last item on my bucket list- laying a black rose on the grave of Salvador Dali. Don't ask. and I'm thinking climbing the stairs of the Eiffel Tower might be a fun one to add to a new bucket list-Hell give Daddy a ginseng and I'll just go up the front of it! Au Revoir Bitches!

The Power of Reviewing

Busy week!-enquiries regarding Training and doing my schedule for the next week.. So far I have 13 sessions booked and there are more to come..I usually cap it at 15-18 but it looks like it will be about 20 Of that probable twenty sessions, 14-15 of them are all repeat clients who train with me 2-3 times a week, and have done for several years[ yes I said'Years']...As I was checking my email I came across a message from a former student who was feeling a bit discouraged. In it she asked me 'What's the secret? It must be so easy for you...."

Good question I thought...but off the top of my shiny forehead I didn't know how to answer.So I thought about it..

"What is the secret of success in this business of Personal Training? How do you keep sharp?"

I thought about the successful Trainers I know.They mostly have a few things in common.Great personality? Check.Good skill set? Well most of the time I would hope but not always.Dedication?Check.Organization? mmmm Check.Easy? No bloody way.This is hard work

I pondered more.I know very few people who stay in this business.It can be a very tough gig at times,long hours,back breaking work and trust me this most definitely isn't for everyone.The industry is littered with stories of people who gave up after six months,never to coach a squat ever again.There are a few that stick it out a bit longer but then throw in the towel because it just gets too hard.But for the successful ones, the ones that last five or more years ..what do they do that makes them a valuable commodity? What do they do differently to ensure they not only get clients , but get repeat clients?

I've been at this for over ten years now, and it is hard work but I still love what I do.I have the distinct luxury of working in an amazing facility, but as I sit here thinking about how to encourage this wayward student I'm also wondering why in my early fifties I continue to do well and thrive at an age where most people are looking for the gold watch, and a lengthy sojourn in Florida sitting on their retired ass playing canasta.

The answer?

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!

I am constantly reviewing everything I have ever taken.I read constantly especially during my commute to work.And every Sunday[ On the Seventh Day The 'Ryan' rests] I wake up and make three cups of coffee[black no sugar or cream] and out come the books.

Last Sunday it was a review of the two NSCA TSAC conferences I attended in 2011 and 2012...brilliant resources that although aimed at First responders have some great applications to a general population. Next up was again a review of the Exos Athletes Performance Phase One and Phase Two Mentorships I took in 2011 and 2012.These materials and those programs are probably the best I have ever taken.I find that almost every other week I am going back to them. Check out their offerings:

http://TeamExos.com [ BTW I am not paid to endorse them- they are simply the best in the world that's all]

I also review and re read a lot of Dan John's material his books 'Easy Strength',Never Let Go','Intervention' and 'Now What' are essential reading for any Trainer or Coach.I also read and review a lot of Eric Cressey and Nick Tumminello- among others.I also go back to all of my NSCA study materials as well as going online and going through videos etc.Over and over again.

And that's not all..Two months ago a colleague of mine who is half my age and BRILLIANT was holding a Kettlebell swing workshop..I have taught thousands of swings in my time, coached it at all different levels.Now the workshop was excellent but it didn't really have anything in it I hadn't seen before..but what amazed me was how much of it I had forgotten.Being reminded of those things I had forgotten also helped motivate me and I like to think made me better. I would do it again.

I wrote that wayward student and did my best to encourage her, told her to hang in there and keep trying to be better today than she was yesterday..Hokey I know but.................and I also encouraged her to review,review,review.... constantly upgrade your skills and stay sharp.

SHAMELESS PLUG: April 7th and 10th is 'Practicum Refresher at Bentall through Inshape Training' If you want to sharpen your skills learn the best progressions and regressions for your clients as well as reviewing what you SHOULD be doing then come along... you can register right here..I look forward to seeing you: http://register.inshapetraining.net/personaltrainingpracticumpart2-therefresher.aspx

Personal Training Practicum-learning by doing,experience is the best teacher.................

For about six or so years I have been teaching for a great small company called 'Inshape Training' at the Bentall Athletic Club.I mostly teach the Personal Training Practicum, in addition to workshops and subbing the odd weight training class.

Teaching is enormously rewarding and I am even happier to be associated with a certification body like the CFES [Canadian Fitness Education Services] The CFES gives me the opportunity to share my ten years of experience as one of the Senior Trainers/Coaches Richmond Olympic Oval as well as various Community centres, Colleges you name it-most of whom have asked me to come and work for them.

The best thing about the CFES is the goal of giving the students the skills that will get them employed-something missing from a lot of other companies who are only interested in sucking money out of those entering this profession [and do not even get me started about 'so called' online programs.Nothing beats good old hands on experience] especially the hard won experience from those of us who have actually been in the trenches for years training people..real flesh and blood people week in and week out,year after amazing year.I've literally trained hundreds and hundreds of people, everything from Border Guards,Police Officers,Moms,Seniors, Tri Athletes and even a bronze medal winning Paralympic Athlete. ..With one eye on the future of this profession and a commitment to make this industry better than it is keeps my blood circulating and my passion high,in addition to striving to learn more myself-'The best Teacher is also the best student' comes to mind.

It might make an interesting blog post to talk about what we do in a 21 hour practicum,and give some insight on the whole process.

Each session the students are given a scenario,it contains all of the assessments etc. to get someone started.This is our starting point. Day one in our Practicum the students sit down in a group and after getting them to give a brief intro on why they want to be a Trainer we get down to business... and it all starts with one simple question I pose......

"What is the first thing we want to do with this client?"

There is always a pause and then one brave student takes the bait, blurting out:

" A warm up on the elliptical!"

Me: " Er ..no...not what I'm after here.."

Another student chimes in with :" Jumping jacks!"

Again I shake my bald forehead no.

The students look more confused and then sometimes someone gets it..

" Uhhh you...talk to them first..Maybe?"

BINGO!!! Now the ball is rolling.And now the doors have opened and hopefully so have the minds...one of the concepts I stress is the value of empathy and how the psychological aspects of training an individual is the most important thing I can leave them with. Getting to know the goals and indeed the hopes of those who have chosen you as a trainer is the key to getting to where you need to go.

Taking the the CFES educational materials as our jumping off point we explore the various ways we can further our understanding of what the 'best practices' for this particular individual will be. The fun part for me as an educator is watching the students eyes light up when they 'get' a particular concept or exercise that never occurred to them.That is precisely what it is about.You are not going to train a Post natal woman like you would train a 27 year old Tough Mudder competitor.Concepts that are stressed are cueing and communication-big things with me.I always emphasize :"Get the client to feel where their force,energy effort etc. is coming from.Don't just be a rep counter."

After a series of demonstrations,and having the students work with each other I sit the students down for the final half hour and give them career advice.For me it's the most important thing I can do.Through that I can instill the qualities of professionalism which I truly believe will carry them much further than knowing how to set up a deadlift.I talk about respect for their craft, blocking the ego to allow learning and how to always get the best in continuing education and never be afraid to spend the money, anything spent on high quality comes back to you a thousand fold.I also am notoriously realistic about the pros and cons of a career as a Trainer and how if your passion guides you then any obstacles to doing this are meaningless. I follow up with the students via e mail with links and videos and am happy to say I still hear from students I had years ago.Even better is when I can help the students get employed..I have helped many students go on to Community Centres,private Gyms or even just volunteer

Getting to dispel a lot of the myths that are so prevalent in today's wild west of the Fitness Industry matters too.With so much information available to everyone at any time of day the navigation of this profession is fraught with landmines of fake gurus,misinformation, and stuff that is downright dangerous to a novice Trainer.Through our practical hands on example I hope that we can make the path clearer for them.

Look at meeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm a Trainerrrrrrrrrr!!!

It's been an interesting month or two-challenging to say the least.Work is great and going along swimmingly but there just seems to be a generally 'odd' vibe in the air at the start of this year.Perhaps it's my general sense of malaise about the state of the industry I find myself in, or perhaps its that general air of unpleasantness that is so unique to the city I live in.But hey like I said, work is great, beyond great-focus on the positives.

I work in an incredibly fulfilling yet fraught with 'challenges' industry...in many ways it is the 'Wild West' Being a Personal Trainer and Coach is a career with a short shelf life, usually do to the fact that most people never last more than a year or two in it. Here I am in my early fifties, been doing this for ten years give or take, and by all accounts successful. I am very grateful for that. It is a very rewarding career. I do have concerns about getting old, but as it stands right now, I am in the very enviable position of being able to turn work away. Once again I try to practice gratitude.

Perhaps its my advancing years, and age doesn't necessarily convey wisdom but with the explosion of social media something I've noticed is a curious kind of angle to my profession, no not the evil old group fitness ladies who as part of their satanic religion worship bosu balls in a forest at midnight, or the juiced up roid monkey's who saunter into a gym reeking of B.O. and axe body spray and glare at you if you say 'Hi'..I'm talking about something that's so endemic to our industry- the utterly oblivious narcissist

I get a lot of people adding me to Facebook largely because of where I work. In the past I'd simply add them , give them their due as another professional wanting to network and hopefully maybe interact once or twice in passing: "Hi How Are you?

It didn't quite work that way.The few times I'd see some [ not all] of these people at an industry event, more than once they would look at me like I was a piece of shit on their shoe.Look I am not trying to be their best friend or share warm spit with them , just trying to be pleasant. I deleted most of them.I can't believe these people are in a service industry-dealing with people.

Here is where I scratch my head... and this has happened numerous times.I have someone on my FB page whom I've never met. Not once that I recall. They added me. They seem very qualified etc. although even on FB we have never interacted at all. Never got Birthday wishes, no 'likes' as far as I can tell. Nothing. Apparently they are a very qualified professional, do well etc. so ..OK then. But I thought maybe I'd delete them as I don't know them. I decided to do a bit of creeping on their posts.

And then it hit me. As I scrolled through post after post from this individual , all I saw was: "I'm teaching this!" "Wow so excited about going to this".. "Photographs of me for this video" etc. Not once was there a single post about a client achieving their goals. Not once in any of the posts I saw. There were however photo after photo of this person. I said it out loud:

"Do they actually even have any clients?"

And I see it again and again. In my previous post I mentioned why I left a facility- the Trainer at the centre of that storm that triggered that letter about sleeping on the job and checked out their FB profile...and what did I see? yep the exact same thing I mentioned. "Me hitting my PR", 'Look at me doing a heavy workout" look at my friends and me at this event." Same thing . Not one mention of how a client was able to hit their PR...All of this oblivious narcissism is like a party in a ballroom where a warped record is played over and over again, but no one can hear because they are all busy taking selfies.The cycle is endless and the industry promotes it...

Contrast that with an amazing guy I know. Worked at my current facility for a while. This guy was very quiet ,very easy to get along with until the day I was walking through the Gym and he was walking behind me.. ON HIS HANDS. It was hilarious. We have been friends ever since . Great personality and as smart as a whip... he left to open up his own Gym, and of course publicized the hell out of it on Facebook, but again as he should.....I get regular posts and updates from him. And it dawned on me.. almost every single post he has done features clients. With encouraging messages. The focus is on his clients. I wish him continued success. Oh and yeah he just expanded his Gym, I'm guessing due to the demand. He deserves it. Contrast this with the Narcissist I mentioned previously.. which one will still be doing this in five years? Maybe? Maybe not.

The uniqueness of my profession is that it attracts these oblivious narcissists and rewards them. They get high off of being seen 'Fitnessing'. All of its ego driven. If you combine monstrous egos and a low barrier to entry it's a perfect storm of well.....'Clash of the Douchebag narcissists' [I'd like to see them make a movie with that title]..I'm a shameless self promoter, and yeah to an extent you have to be..... but I've always felt that if you put your clients first and foremost , all of the magical stuff you have wished and hoped and worked your ass off for will take care of itself. And yet if you tried to explain it to these self obsessed sociopaths you'd get a cold blank stare and defensiveness.

It's enough to make you heave.

Pursuing excellence,not lowering standards and Integrity-'Adventures in Training'

Been doing a lot of thinking of late.Which is code for 'increasingly cranky in my dotage' Not so unusual, I think way too much at the best of times, but of late I have been Thinking a lot about integrity. About standards. About pursuing excellence....About what I will tolerate and be associated with and what I won't.

Everything is great-yes seriously. Steady flow of clients, lots of teaching and I hope the respect of my colleagues and students. Just lectured at a College, and more teaching opportunities are opening up.Grateful indeed.

I'm getting better at practicing gratitude. I also am proud of being associated with the NSCA, Exos etc. and that I work in arguably what is one of the best facilities in the world with incredibly high standards. It's not always easy, but even with ups and downs I wouldn't trade it for the world. And yeah I occasionally think about retirement.

The point of this current post is to detail one of those experiences that made me sit up and take notice of 'What not to do'.

Last year or so a younger colleague of mine [ who is like a son to me] encouraged me to come work with him at a non profit 'Health and Wellness' Facility. Muttered something about 'raising standards'. I didn't really need the work, but this Facility was closer to home , easy to get to and what I thought was a chance to maybe build a clientele with less commute time.

On the surface it was an incredibly well run Facility, clean ,organized and when I started, the best job any company has ever done on promoting me that I have ever seen. Everytime I took a whizz there was my beaming bald forehead staring back at me right over the urinal. I was everywhere.I liked the members ,the Front Desk staff were great.So far so good.

The other Trainers with one or two exceptions weren't the friendliest lot, but hey I don't care, I still went out of my way to smile and greet them. Sometimes they would grunt at me or give me a surly nod, mostly they ignored me.

What was common with this particular facility , like all Non Profits you would have to as part of your employment volunteer to teach classes. Hmmmm not crazy about that but to get things off the ground I did..it was a great deal of fun and from what I was told I doubled the class sizes in the first month..."It will give you exposure" they said.I did get a lot interaction with members and thats the part of what I do that I love-meeting people and I hope inspiring them..I got a few clients .. and all of them turned into repeat clientele.Still it wasn't a lot.

I couldn't quite figure this out...it didn't look a lot like any of the other Trainers were doing a lot of business either..I began to observe. Good God.I did not see a single squat, hip hinge, or pushup. No cueing. NOT ONCE. But lots of bosu balls, random running around weird kind of shitty choreographed things that might resemble corrective exercises if we were on a different planet. But hey, I only worry about what I can do. Those clients hired them and not me.

I eventually did get to exchange some polite conversation with another Trainer.He was a nice guy in that slightly 'Forrest Gump' box of chocolates way....I took a chance and asked him what he did for continuing education..[I already knew the answer] He looked at me kind of puzzled.."Oh I just take the quizzes in the e mail updates every four months.." ahhhhhhh ok. Although I saw it coming I ventured to ask if he ever went to any 'live seminars'. Yep, just as I thought. Attitudes like that are a fundamental problem in our industry, the frustrating point of it is to explain it to someone like that is an exercise in futility. They don't know the difference.

A further clue was revealed one morning when I saw one of the Trainers I'd never met come sauntering in-he was unshaven huge cup of coffee in hand ,cell phone in the other, greet his client told them what to do and how many reps and sat down propped up against a pillar and began checking his phone messages and occasionally glancing at his client.....I was dumbfounded. That's not Training....That's a grotesque sense of entitlement, and the utter arrogance and lack of respect set my fangs on edge.

But the real kicker came when 'Forrest Gump' and I and I were in one of the Group studios training as it was empty...doing our thing.. and in walked an older lady maybe late fifties early sixties, long black leotard and an absolutely miserable look on her face..kind of like a Satanic Marcel Marceau [ wiki it kids]..That's right it was the Pilates instructor from Hell. Here to set up for HER Pilates class. She didn't say a word, hello or nod , she simply walked to where my colleague had been training , picked up the bands, mat etc. AND THREW IT ACROSS THE ROOM!!!!!

Yep.Are you effing kidding me?

Listen to me very carefully here. This was one of the managers . This was the first time I was meeting her. This was the very first impression I get of her. Let that sink in for a minute. No hello, no 'Hi' I am so and so.. nothing.I was directly in the path of her Tsunami of misery, and no lifeline forthcoming.I'd also like to add this was done IN FRONT OF CLIENTS...think about the terrible message that sends.

That has bugged me ever since. She didn't introduce herself say 'kiss my ass' or anything. Look maybe she was having a bad day, maybe her army of winged monkeys crapped on her carpet, but the point is you don't bring that to your job. And if you see a new employee you go out of your way to introduce yourself.Pleasantly

That's when it dawned on me...that douche nozzle propped up against the pillar while he was 'training'. The Trainer who ran his client around the gym and up and down the stairs 'Because she needed cardio'. The satanic mime Pilates instructor/Manager. The arrogant Russian trainer who had her clients on top of a bosu ball doing kickbacks and was yelling at them Hmmm.Standards.Integrity.All these terrible Trainers, maybe I have a chance to stand out.I kept saying 'This doesn't affect me'

And then it dawned on me.The problem wasn't the Trainers per se, it was the clients-The clients and members didn't know any better because they had no concept of what to expect!

And here am I an NSCA Certified Trainer,I have been trained by the company that trained the German World Cup team fer Chrissakes! They even profiled me. I'm currently training bronze medal winning Paralympian, run a Tactical Strength and conditioning program for Law Enforcement, lecture at Colleges..and I can scream until I am blue in the face and no one will hear because none of the members or clients in this facility knows the difference, because they have had to endure this absolute garbage for so long. They don't know quality or value because no one has shown them what they should expect as consumers..

To counteract that I proposed a member clinic as some of the other Trainers had done, and had to sit down with this all too typical miserable Pilates emissary of Satan and her manner to me was.. beyond condescending. She'd never heard of the NSCA, Exos or any reputable company at all. It was like talking to a wall. She was so miserable I realized I had already lost the battle in trying to improve standards as long as this pitbull [without the sunny disposition] was in a position of power..I was wasting my time. I tried to be professional. My member clinic "Designing the Perfect Workout" had a Huge response, 22 people registered where normally they only get 6-7 The members loved it and wanted another one. I was told 'No'. I was given reasons etc. but I couldn't help but feel they weren't interested in providing service as they were more about being miserable. Again another missed opportunity to 'Raise the bar' and maybe just maybe plant the seed of something better in an otherwise well run place.It was a missing link and I so desperately wanted to try to 'fix' it

Final straw came when another manager sent out an e mail to the Trainers and I quote part of it here:

"At this time, we’d like to ask you to help us present a professional image at all times. Over the last couple of months there have been observations made that our quality standards are lacking at times. We making an effort to improve in all areas. Here’s what we know about successful trainers

· Their training attire is professional. They are dressed for work. Clean, neat, tidy, etc. – you get the picture

· They are focused on their client at all times – conversations are centered around the client

· They make sure their clients can focus on their reps – if the client can carry on a conversation while they’re exercising – are they really focusing or being challenged?

· Even when not training a client the trainer are presenting themselves in a professional manner. Eyes are on you at all times while in the facility and future clients could be noticing how you present yourself.

· They understand their image and the way they present themselves is very important. They are a walking advertisement of their business.

With training fees as high a $75 hour, it is of upmost importance that we all preserve the integrity of personal training and its value.

Specifically - Sleeping/sprawling/ in the member’s stretch area and around the facility is not permitted. Drinking/eating while training (or on the 3rd floor) is not permitted. Professional attire is required.

Thanks for your attention and cooperation."

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME MY JAW DROPPED OPEN. Sleeping in your place of work? On my planet that's an automatic dismissal. And yet by sending out this toothless letter they are actually condoning it. It shouldn't even have to be said. I should have cancelled my contract then and there. Seriously? You have to send a letter because these idiots don't know better? Newsflash Honey the lunatics are running this asylum, you have already shown you won't do anything....But still there may be a chance to help.. I took a chance and wrote this particular manager, I applauded her for finally trying to do something about this, and told her that I was willing to provide some feedback if she wanted to hear it. Look I'm a 'solutions' guy.. I don't have a lot of use for people who obsess about chronic problems and don't do anything about it.. Lets cut to the chase ,come up with an idea and put things into practice. Above all else , let's not waste time. She wrote me back and said "Great! Let's set up a meeting, we want to be better etc." Now in fairness I liked this person and yeah I do get that she was probably busy. But in terms of priorities and looking at building a better platform to increase revenues wouldn't trying to fix a glaring 'staring at you in the face' problem be the best course of action? Apparently not.

Never heard another word. And that silence told me that not only did they not care about their facility they also had absolutely no respect for me, nothing I could do would counteract the institutional paralysis and dysfunction. That did it. Told them I wouldn't renew my contract.[ my colleague? He just sighed and shrugged. I took him out for lunch because he felt bad. he remains a close friend. Still give him training advice. He deserves better]

And to add insult to injury-a really nice manager who worked with my colleague at least had the class to send me an email saying how sorry she was I wasn't renewing my contract-and that it was a terrific loss. I liked her a lot , and I won't soon forget how classy she was. Aside from my colleague she was the only one to do so. Not a single one of the others even bothered to ask. Why are we losing such a qualified employee? What can we learn from our failure to keep qualified Trainers?.. They didn't care.And that is disgraceful.. and disrespectful. Rot doesn't come from within , it comes from the top and flows down.

I guess this all makes me sound a bit bitter about the whole experience..and I'd agree..But only a tiny bit..... way too many awesome thigs happening in my career to stew over this..I see it more as a learning experience , or e.g. 'experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted'Thats because I really do care about impacting the lives of others.I care about being as professional as I can.I love what I do every single day and when I am in a work environment? I only have 'good days and great days'

Standards. Quality. Integrity.E verytime I set foot in that facility [to me at least] my professional standing goes down. Everytime someone of my background and experience offers a constructive approach to building things up and it falls on deaf ears, my professional standing goes down. Well your standards can go right down the toilet but I won't go with you. Standards. Integrity. And then the words I tell my students come back to haunt me when I give them the three pieces of advice for their career and this one is #3-

"never work for second or third rate organizations or people. It will lower your brand,cheapen your efforts, and drag you down with it."

Practice what I preach. And that will guide me for the rest of my professional life. Nobody noticed I left. And that is the cruelest wake up call of all.

Enforcing habits,constant learning and letting the little things take care of themselves

Its been an interesting few months. A very good few months come to think of it, I can never remember a time in my life where I have been busier more in demand, or enjoying what I do more. And yeah I'm tired, being a workaholic is a genetic trait I picked up from Mom and Dad God rest them. At the age of 52 everything is pretty sublime. Lots of work, happy relationship, so many close friends I can't even begin to count them, professional respect.And learning.Just did another online Exos course[and again first rate] No complaints...

I guess this is kind of a rant of sorts-and again like I say things are going swimmingly. The good? Well a place that had been after me for about six months to go and work at part time is paying off. It is a first rate run organization the job on promoting me when I got there was absolutely outstanding. More on that later

The not so good- another place[Told you I was busy] and city run again asked me to come work for them part time. OK, close to home nice facility.. So far so good , but unfortunately had the charming habit of paying me 'when they got around to it'.. if it was a private place it still wouldn't have been acceptable but it would have been understandable .No this was a community centre Gym...after a few months there it became apparent that they had no interest in any of the programs I wanted to run , Trainers talks, and they didn't even put my bio up on the official site. Frankly nobody gave a shit- with the exception of me. The kicker is when I told them 'no more' nobody batted an eyelid...and yes I am owed a few hours which I will never get. Disgraceful.

It's interesting how much things can change when people actually care. The first facility[ and BTW this is on top of my regular job at probably one of the best facilities around] which is private is so incredibly well run. Clean, efficient and really together and pays me immediately. I got the job through a colleague of mine who had asked me for about six months to come and work for them...something told me there was an ulterior motive. There was. Oh my God the Trainers there are .....well terrible. My colleague, when I mentioned it shook his head and sighed. "I know. That's why I wanted you to come here" Now generally I only worry about what I do , but as great as the facility is.. oh Dear God.. Bosu Ball squats, bands, run up and down the stairs for no reason. None of the ones I have seen have a clue. No I haven't said anything because if their clients hire them and not me well , none of my biz..I have not seen a single Trainer there teach anyone a squat,hip hinge or pushup.NOT ONCE

But it reinforces something I have said all along, we need to educate consumers about what they should expect when they hire a trainer....Bemusedly I have put together a list for consumers...

1] Only hire an ACSM or NSCA Trainer. This is a cut above. ACE might be OK, NASM is iffy.

2] Have they left Canada to go to a seminar in the United States?[ Trust me on this] If they never have proceed with extreme caution.

3] Were you screened? ACSM Risk Stratification, Functional Movement Screen, New Zealand Movement Competency Screen? If all you do is show up and run around in circles with no assessment , please get your money back.

4] Do they talk on their cell phone when Training YOU? Fire their sorry ass IMMEDIATELY.

5] Do you have a file with notes detailing your progress and weekly workouts?

6]Do they check in on you after a session?

That's just a beginning list.I'm working on a list of what you should expect from a session... Stay tuned

Goodbye 2013-Hello 2014

LOOKING BACK

It was a pretty good year.....the most significant thing that happened this year was turning 50...

Fifty...?????

Fifty...man just the sound of it. It's a good time to take stock , look back but most importantly look forward.

Fifty......hmmm. on the plus side , life is good I am doing what I want , when I want and how I want.

On the other hand, there is a sense of time flying by, and as someone who was 90 once said after 45 "Every fifteen minutes it's breakfast" you get facebook friend requests from people you haven't seen in twenty years and when you see pictures of them a thought runs through your head "How the Hell did they get so goddamn old?", never realizing that they are probably thinking the same thing about you. I've been incredibly fortunate life wise. stable relationship for over twenty years, friends that aren't friends but are family, a mid life career that shows no signs of slowing down, and best of all no debt.

And yet there is a sense of wanting to accomplish so much more, wondering how much time is left on the clock, and what can be done before we shuffle off to either play a harp or shovel coal.[really hope it's the former] Life has been really good to me for the first fifty-I've worn many hats and had some amazing adventures, come through it all unscathed, wiser, world wearier, and sense of humour intact[ the most powerful weapon in my or anyone's arsenal] But ten or eleven years ago if you'd told me I'd be working and working very successfully as a Personal Trainer and coach ? Laughable. Nuts. Crazy talk. And yet here I am, working harder than ever, in a career I was born to do. And lucky enough to have the luxury of turning work down, never less than fully involved and most days running around like a nine year old after a shot of espresso and extra helping of Frosted Flakes. Lack of energy has never been an issue. I can still swing, squat, and dead better than a lot of people half my age.

What's left to accomplish? Much. A good Tactical Strength and Conditioning Division where I work. More teaching and trying to raise standards in this Wild West Business I'm in. More travel for pleasure. And above all else , more learning about well , just everything. For 2014 I want more balance and focus. Quality over quantity. Good education, receiving and giving. More time to paint my stupid pictures. Listen to more music. Read more and not just for work. Finish my TSAC cert. Increase my private business. And live my life either as an example or a warning. Your pick. Above all else I am beginning to realize how short all of it is , and after fifty how much bullshit and drama does not matter. And what matters is greater than before.

So bring on 2014, I really do think the best is yet to come , I've thought that every year and whatever challenges lie ahead are to be met with courage, optimism and compassion. So Here's to you 2014,Daddy is ready.

Intervention seminar with Dan John

This past Friday I had the privilege of attending a day long seminar by one of the heavyweights in the Fitness/Strength and Conditioning fields , Dan John...The man is a legendary name and has been in the field before there ever was a field. It was an amazing experience to listen to him talk about his mission , his life and the thing that struck me the most was first and most important to me; he was very, very funny....if your funny I'm going to listen to you. For the first three hours or so he talked about 'Reasonableness'[ apparently the title of the new book he's writing]his life, how it was important to always 'mine' your life and see if its all where it should be.. I am paraphrasing him I am sure, but he said a few times that the exercise stuff was small compared to the bigger picture...that if your life wasn't balanced with family, friends, good literature etc. something was missing.. 'What are your givens?' 'What is your WHY?' Listen to me, any Strength and Conditioning Coach that quotes Nietzche, Socrates, and Frankl is going to get my attention... 'Do you have a list of your ten favourite books? Your ten favourite movies? it matters.He said again and again 'This is the important stuff'...Later in the afternoon we got into exercise, programming and movements , but that first part of the morning really resonated with me. I thought about it a lot and realized I liked him because I agreed with him.Your always going to pay attention to someone whose likes and passions run in synch with your own.But why does this stuff matter to a Strength and Conditioning Coach????

Here's a shot of of one my bookcases in the living room of my Apartment:

on that shelf you'll find the usual suspects 'The Iliad','The Divine Comedy' Histories of Greek and Roman Civilization, the Histories of the Aztecs,Mayans,and Incas, Essays of Michel De Montaigne,Complete Works of Shakespeare,Complete works of Dickens,Volumes of the most famous works by Balzac,Voltaire,Flaubert, and more..below that are my artbooks some of which I've had since I was a boy.'Art Treasures of the Vatican' a lot on modern Mexican painting, Volumes on Renaissance Painting,Fra Angelico,Fra Filippo Lippi, Titian Veronese..... Complete Paintings of National Gallery of Art in Washington way too many books on Salvador Dali and Jasper Johns, and on and on..here's the second bookcase:

Second bookcase contains 'Utopia' by Thomas More,Plutarchs essays, 'On Man and the Universe' by Aristotle,Outline of History by HG Wells, and below that more on Mexican and South American Modern painting, complete works of Da Vinci and Michelangelo etc.I've read all of them , a lot of them more than once.Oh yeah I have scads of strength and conditioning books , but I keep those in the study aka the bedroom where I can work if I need to be away from my Peruvian in laws while they are watching 'Novelas'

SO WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOU BEING A TRAINER/COACH/INSTRUCTOR?????

I have to have those things around me.I need them like I need oxygen.After listening to Dan John I thought about my current crop of clients.. I'm one of the busier Trainers in the main Facility I train at...who do I train?Pretty diverse a Nuclear Physicist, a professor of Latin at a Private School. Self made businessman. Police officers..Border Guards..but all my clients have one thing in common. They read too. Guess what else, I have never asked a single client to ever train with me.Not once. Never. But I have discussed literature and art with them .. and yes in a Gym. Guess what else? Almost all of them are repeat long term clients. And I have never asked anyone for repeat business. Do you see where I'm going with this????I'm not trying to impress anyone. I love literature, music art etc. and I LISTEN to people who like the same. after a Training session I'll ask my clients how their week was, what did they read?What did they see, what did they listen to? And then I shut up and let them tell me as they are standing there dripping in sweat.

So here is the big takeaway for all of you aspiring Trainers- when you go into the Gym tomorrow and you are [hopefully] greeting members, ask them in the course of conversation what they have read or if they have ever heard of a certain favourite book of yours...Try it.Don't fake it,Try it. And don't thank me , thank Dan John

Are you missing this one crucial part of your Personal Training Sessions?

Every Friday night I have the same ritual....a two mile walk home [ by choice] and on the way I stop off at my favourite Wine store pick up a bottle of good quality South American red for the two of us, usually a Malbec and head home.Glass and a half then off to bed.

This week I noticed something .....It got me thinking and inspired me to write this.. Every Friday when I walk through the door of the wine store the two twenty something girls who work there look up at me AND DO NOT EVEN SAY GOOD EVENING, HELLO , or even HI.I really don't think I look scary or menacing.I tend to be a polite guy by nature.Most importantly I'm coming in to spend money.It's not like they don't know me, I was there to buy all my wine for Christmas and New Year's,gifts for my friends etc.Why did I have to acknowledge their presence first when I was coming into their establishment? I could quite have easily gone to the much cheaper Governement liquor store two blocks away... I thought about this as one of the young ladies was ringing up my order.."Oh I forgot to give you my phone number.."[ you get points for purchases and I dutifully registered my info on a previous visit-again found out by accident, no one volunteered it] without even looking directly at me she intoned

"You need to let us know that before we ring up your order".

hmmm ok.No offer to adjust , no acknowledgement of me being a loyal customer.Zip.Not even a forced smile.Much less a simple 'Thank You'.Ok maybe they think I'm a creepy lush.Or maybe they just didn't like the fact that when I walk into a place my first instinct is to say "Hi !How are you?" Nah , it's got to be the creepy lush thing.. But then again I realized that no matter where I went in this city the art of saying "Hi' when I entered a store always fell on me-the potential customer...When I was buying pants and shirts at Zara and the salesperson didn't even look up at me once,or a quick dinner the other night along the Drive was served by a twenty something waitress who I swear looked like she had a small turd just under her nose.No 'Hello','Good Evening How Are You Tonight?','Thank You', either to me or the other patrons.It's everywhere.

As I left and continued on my walk home ,bottle of Clos De Los Siete and its pleasures stuffed in my Gym bag I started thinking about my day.I had trained eight people in a row- it was my last set of sessions with three of my clients, one had a ten pack , one had five , another was doing a set of three half hours. All three of those clients went to the front desk and registered for another ten pack, another five pack, and ten more half hour sessions.I didn't even ask them to.In fact I never even brought it up with them.True story-Hey wait a minute, you've never asked anyone to renew..ever..hmmmmmmmm.Sure I'm grateful and very lucky.Just then Irealized that I never once have ever actively solicited any business, asked people to train with me,or tried to do a sales job on anyone.And I never do.When I thought some more about it out of my roster of 16 active clients at one place, nine of them are repeat-and not just once or twice.At another venue I have four clients- three of them are long term and again repeat.And at yet another venue I train at I have four more- two of them long term multiple repeat.Now I think I'm a 'good' Trainer but I will tell you unequivocally nobody can touch me when it comes to service.No one.But as I pondered this a thunderous,not even a glass of wine down my throat epiphanay bellowed right back at me ... it wasn't that I was so good at service, it was just that too many others were awful at it.Service is the gold standard that so few care about, and that those who understand ,embrace and thrive with it

About a year ago I was asked to go work part time at another gym.I do it on an on call basis ,take clients as needed, and I noticed two things-I was busy off the bat and that none of the other Trainers would speak to me at first.Yep got the 'ol stinkeye.Eventually heard through the grapevine that they were pissed off because I was getting all the business and they weren't...I just smiled and carried on doing my thing... slowly I became friends with one of the younger Trainers who kep watching what I was doing with clients-he was was always whining about not having any money,not enough clients etc.so one day after I noticed him watching me I asked him the following questions, and I quote his actual responses.

"Do you do a follow up e mail with your clients within 24 hours to see how they feel?"[ no- who has time for that?"]

Do you remember their Birthdays?["Why would I want to do that?]

'Did you ask about their kids, Grandchildren,Spouse, how is work?'[I was told to focus on the Training]

At the end of a session have you ever asked for feedback?Have you ever said "please tell me what you liked and if there is something you didn't please share it with me, I won't take it personally all of it helps me become a better Trainer"[What is this 'The Actors Studio?]

At that point I didn't even consider asking him if he gave clients his card and e mail and tell them that if they have any questions e mail and you'll do your best to answer them.Or 'Have you ever done a quick five minute demo' for someone who asked you a question?'To quote from Alec Baldwin in one of the greatest speeches of all time from 'Glengarry Glen Ross' "I'd wish you 'Good Luck' but you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it'

Companies all over the world spend millions if not billions of dollars on ways to get people to spend more of their hard earned dollars.Canadian retailers are screaming that they are losing money to cross border shopping,yet I have NEVER seen a single one of these Canadian retailers emphasize that the one missing link in all of their endless whining and hand wringing would be to spend money on actually improving service.Not once.Is it a dirty little secret?I maintain people will spend more money if they feel valued as consumers.It inevitably comes down to service.I don't care if your selling Real Estate,Hamburgers or Personal Training ,If you worry about service, everything else will take care of itself.What drives me nuts about this whole thing is the complete and utter inability of those front line staff in almost any industry to say 'Hi''Good Evening' or 'How are you?' when someone walks into their place of business, whether it's a restaurant,Hardware store, or Gym Floor.Saying Hello and acknowledging a customer or potential client is for my money one of the most important things you can do-and its an increasing rarity today especially among the young.I notice now that when I walk through the Gym and say 'Hi' a lot of the twenty year olds stare straight ahead and ignore you.Guess what -I say 'Hi' anyway.Acknowledging someone with a simple 'Hello' goes miles.It shows the fact someone you don't know has been given the appropriate respect and appreciation for walking through your door will maybe hire you,when they could have walked through anyone else's and hired someone else.That and saying Goodbye' and Thank You whether they have purchased anything or not is so simple-and so effective.Why are so many in the service industry afraid of doing it?.

I tell my students when I teach that there would be any number of people out there who can train, this city and many others are full of them.Someone will always be better educated,know more etc.I've seen it.But there are very few who actually like dealing with the public...and that will be your greatest advantage.Of course I stress professionalism, constant learning but I owe it to them to be honest as well...'If you don't have personality or offer good service , it doesn't matter what you learn , your sunk." Someone accused me[not the only one I'm sure] of being full of myself.Goddamn right I am,I work hard learn everything I can and always keep in the forefront of my mind the value and respect I have for the people who have paid me very good money that enables me at the age of almost fifty to have a great standard of living and a job I love.. and how no matter how I feel on any given day to get out there and make everyone think that I am having the best day ever.If I don't believe that how in hell can I possibly ensure someone will reach their fitness Goals if I'm being half assed about it?Think about it. I want to see every single Canadian retailer do two things..make it mandatory for their staff to say 'Hello' or 'Good Evening' to every single person who walks through the door.That's it. It might just be a good start.

In which Mr. Delaney confronts 'The Creatures'

Ok before I go into full on rant mode, I want you to realize that I pretty much only worry about what I do-I strive to be the best that I can be by always learning etc. at the end of the day I am only responsible for myself. But lately I have been noticing more and more a particular creature I come across...it happens again and again and I shouldn't let it irk me...but it does. The creature I'm referring to is generally of the female gender either in their late fourties or early fifties and the natural habitat is any number of community centres.They can usually be found teaching Group Fitness classes utilising what I call the ancient religion and sacred rituals of choreographed routines from 1983.Inevitably they will bring out at some point the 'Holiest Of Holies' the ritual object the divine blue half orb and encourage the worshippers to 'engage the fetish object with their feet' STAND ON THE ORB STAND ON THE ORB' they intone to which the Faithful follow..

Ok so I'm being sarcastic.And for the record I know a lot of amazing female Trainers and instructors who live their lives with a passion for knowledge and self improvement.Yet I also wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have this experience happening again and again...

In one of the places I work at, where I was ASKED to go and work had the interesting effect of ensuring none of the other trainers spoke to me and when they did look my way, all I got was a hairy eyeball.Why?I started getting all the business.I was told by my supervisor that she had never before had people ask for a Trainer by name before.I didn't take any business from anyone else..

One day against my better judgement one of my snide remarks got out vis a vis a client who was talking about how a previous Trainer had them standing on a Bosu ball and touching their nose.To which yours truly replied-"It's training not a circus act , if you ever get a Trainer who asks you to do that fire them they're an idiot." This remark got back to one of the creatures who worshipped her 'precious' The creature than made the mistake of confronting me about it. I stood my ground-my nice stable ground and supported why I don't use 'the Precious' in my training backed it up with facts on studies that measured forms of unstable surface training , the possible bad effects in women with greater q angles, effects on any number of the 56 joint actions of the foot , risks of injury and how various studies have shown NO MEASURABLE EFFECT in proprioception.I even offered to send it the links."No Thank You" she hissed. I thought the creatures head would explode.Instead it just looked at me with a vacant ugly stare and slithered away back into their subterrenean cave to watch Cathy Smith Dvds....no wait make that VHS tapes...and probably on betamax. later I found out that it had last gone to a seminar in 1998 because 'she didn't need to' and cross my heart that last statement is true as I heard it with my own ears.

I run into the same thing with my students[who are ALL amazing] they tell me"So and so says we don't need mentors'.'So and so has never heard of X or Y or Z' I guess whats really gnawing away at me is the refusal to learn from so many and I suppose I notice it most among the creatures I describe.The 'this is the way we have always done it'. Some of the Trainers at the place I described above have begun to talk to me.In conversation it comes up that I'm going off to a seminar with the NSCA or taking a workshop with ACSM or reading new research,every single time,and I mean EVERY single time they say "I've never heard of that'.. It brings me back to my original screed-I guess I can only worry about what I do and strive to always improve my skills and knowledge..I can try to educate my students and give them the message of always keeping open minded and always learning.Hopefully together we can begin to vanquish the forces of darkness, and make the'Creatures' obsolete..and replace them with proud confident knowledgeable women of a certain age who keep up to date, and welcome change and opportunities to learn.Until that day I will remain in a heightened state of awareness around 'The Creatures'..

Athletes Performance Phase 2!! A review

Well...that was an incredibly intense four days..Athletes Performance Phase 2 rolled into the Richmond Olympic Oval and yours truly was chomping at the bit to get right into it. I also didn't take any time off of work either so I was with AP during the day then working at night.Like I always say I would have sucked as a cop, but would have been awesome in the army...up at 5 am after 3 hours sleep-NO PROBLEM!

AP's expert coaches this time around were Brent Callaway who was a five-time ACC Champion pole vaulter in track and field and a seven-time All-ACC Athlete during his time at the University of North Carolina .This guy knows his stuff- he was joined by Nicole Rodriguez Performance Specialist. she had been previously with Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning...All of it was overseen by Dan Zieky Business director for AP. Day One started with 'The Art of Coaching' and went into the various elements of cueing and above all else the art of communication.I found this fascinating as I do coach groups of 8 to 10 and although you would think a lot is basic common sense, it amazes me when I see a lot of Trainers and Coaches clearly uncomfortable in front of their clients.Hey it happens.

Following that we went rather extensively over the FMS[Functional Movement Screen]-This was good getting practice on the Functional Movement Screen it's always invaluable, I just did a few lengthy sessions on this back in April at the TSAC conference and of course all of our clients at the Oval are screened using it.I did pick up a few things, and that's what I love about being a Trainer and Coach.From that we moved on to Vertical Jump testing..oh yeah Daddy and his 48 year old ass had to hit it..no surprises there , I don't think the NBA will be calling on me anytime soon..still it was fascinating to see how that data is analyzed and show where your strength,endurance,and power can be tracked.

The day ended with a group workout and reinforced the program design philosphies of AP-again nothing new , but once you start applying it, it all gets a bit easier;a horizontal push balanced with a pull, rotation and anti rotation etc.

Day 2 was all about energy system development but the big and super intense days were 3 and 4- we were out on the track doing speed drills, multi directional speed, warm ups and getting the basic protocols of the best athletic training in the world down pat-

Brent Callaway demonstarting four point starts and various other starts....then we had to do it!!! we were out on the track for three hours, marching,skipping,lateral shuffling hooked into bungees and shot across the track...and again all of our movements analyzed critiqued,and corrected.It was a very hardcore day , that is until...... DAY FOUR HOLY CRAP!!!!! ....coaching evaluations.We split into two groups and led a portion of all of the applied sessions so one by one we again spent eight hours going over everything then followed by group feedback sessions on what can be improved.Eight hours of marching skipping, running, jumping, over and over again... What I noticed was how uncomfortable some people were in front of a group.To me if you can get over that, the rest is easy.That's also something that can never be taught.I see it all the time with my students. I did very very well on my coaching demo.Extremely well.Highest score overall actually. It all wrapped up with a Q& A session and as it came to a close I had a chance to process everything, I realized that these guys really are the best athletic education money can buy.Going over my notes,educational materials etc. showed me that these people are serious... Let's just say I pity next week's Athletic Conditioning class at Eastside Fitness-you have been warned!

Back from TSAC-takeaways!!

With from L to R Ed a Corrections Officer from Omaha, Taco Visser Exercise Physiologist for the Royal Netherlands Army and yours truly at TSAC Las Vegas

well I got back last night from the 'Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference' done by the National Strength and Conditioning Conference in beautiful Las Vegas.

I went last year also and for those who Train Law Enforcement, Military or Firefighters its indispensable.For me the best part is to connect with people from all over the world, share experiences discuss what works for them, challenges they face and solutions to issues that come up.
My good friend Rebecca Swan the Fitness Coordinator for the Vancouver Police Department was there for the first time and she found it great as well...I met an exceptionally nice Exercise Physiologist for the Netherlands Royal Army,a Hilarious Female Firefighter from Colorado, assorted prison guards, a gregarious Motorcycle cop from Austin Texas, and a Police Officer from Santa Cruz California, who trains Academy recruits.
There was a greater presence of Firefighters this year and that was great, the conference has doubled in size from Last year.....

So here in point form are some highlights and takeaway 'knowledge bombs' from my three days at the conference...

- Keynote address from Stew Smith former Navy Seal and Trainer of future ones- his keynote was called 'The Need For Physical Training among Tactical Populations'..Stew is an excellent speaker and the thrust was the necessity for testing and also [and this is jaw dropping] the absolutely horrifying increase in obesity in new recruits for any Military,Police, or Firefighting professions.. its getting worse even for those already serving and as much as I hate to say it, the women's stats are worse than the men.
-Fave quote from Stew's speech? 'Obesity is a bigger issue than Terrorism ever will be'
-I went to another presentaion by Stew Smith called Training With No Equipment again just excellent.He also by popular demand went again into the 'Traumatic Exercise release' protocol that was such a hit last year.Great deal of respect for Stew and what he is trying to do
-CPT Tony Soika gave a Hands on session of 'Development of Explosive Power:Plyometrics.Speed ,and Agility..an amazing speaker and he took a whole bunch of people through an entire workout and also pointed out that this would be the same training program for collegiate athletes-none of what he did was new to me but he did it so well-in other words he didn't just get people to go through the motions he 'coached' and made stuff that seemed so familiar look professional organized well thought out and very serious.One of my favourite sessions because of his exceptional coaching skills and attention to proper bio mechanics
-Olympic Lifting technique 'The Snatch' by John Carlock- again nothing new except for how he broke down how to teach in stages..any of my Trainer friends would have loved to have seen how he broke it down..using a dowel,Romanian Deadlifts, then all kinds of excellent cues.well done.
-Pre Screening Injury Prevention Strategies-Patrick Conway- by the book, nothing new, but always good to have things reinforced.The FMS portion was not that good.
-Alternative Training Methods-Dave Sandler and Jason Dudley- another circuit, by the end of the conference I didn't want to see another agility ladder,Kettlebell, or TRX..again this was nothing new, and nothing special about it ,but again for someone who might be new I bet they got a lot out of it.
-A Proven Approach Of Identifying And Reducing Injuries In The Tactical Athlete[Firefighters to be specific] this was presented by Michael Contreras,and of course was all about the FMS [Functional Movement Screen] I'm certified in FMS but it was great to see his approach in applying it.I still say that the FMS is highly subjective and not perfect but with the adoption of it in the Tuscon Fire Department they reduced time loss due to injury by 62%,Total number of injuries by 42%.I do like the FMS but it does take a lot of practice to know what to look for...we use it exclusively at the Oval, and Mike Contreras was a great speaker very much to the point...he stressed to us 'don't overthink it'.I also spoke to him after and he was more than sold on the value of FMS screening and also hilarious as he recounted stories on today's recruits and their lack of fitness, nice guy and totally to the point.

so there you have it-I did a lot of other sessions involving RCMp Training protocols, Kettlebell training and more, a great deal of it reallly isn't anything new to me as a lot of the things are what I do already....but it's always great to have a lot reinforcedHopefully I'll go next year although I heard a rumour it may be held in Norfolk Virginia not Vegas..thats a shame 'cause it's too far away..

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A very busy but EXTREMELY Excellent week

Wow.What a week! a good week but busy.Running between Kerrisdale,Eastside Fitness and the Richmond Olympic Oval keeps me happy..I'm still processing the week before when I went out to the Justice Institute of B.C. and ran the POPAT[Police Officer Physical Abilities Test] as a guest of the amazing Rebecca Swan Fitness Coordinator for the VPD.I got 4:54 and a couple of re-do's but considering my age and the fact I didn't do any specific training for it, not bad.I WILL do it again, but man it was tough.
Training Police and law enforcement is a cause very close to my heart-those of you who know me well know why.
This week was really good as well thanks to my fantastic client Mr. Marshall at Kerrisdale..78 years old stroke, limited use of his left side, this guy blows my mind..He is always fifteen minutes early and his dedication could put someone half his age and in better physical shape to shame.
Then there were the two inspiring women at Eastside Fitness, Victoria has Parkinsons diseas but she is in great shape and there was nothing she wouldn't do.
Its people like that that make my job worthwhile.No amount of money can ever compare to the feeling you get when you come across people like that.
Had a few clients at the Oval too, where I am heading right now..
Next week is TSAC in Las Vegas..will post before I go

Athletes Performance Part 2 coming up!!!

best training in the world-I am doing my phase 2 performance mentorship in May- easily the best money I have ever spent....

Eastside Fitness!!

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Been training/teaching at a local Gym up on Fraser Street in the heart of Vancouver's East side[Obviously!!!]
This is a fantastic littlke Gym that offers classes for all fitness levels and abilities...I teach an Athletic conditioning class there Monday nights at 6:15 pm..the owners are really proactive at engaging the community in this area, the care and effort that they are putting into this Gym is truly inspiring. If your in East Van please check it out

Video of my Athletic Conditioning class

This was a lot of fun!!!

article on recovery I wrote..

RECOVERY ARE YOU GETTING YOURS? a short article I wrote for the Richmond Olympic Oval

By Ryan Delaney BCRPA Personal Trainer..


...So your hitting the gym three to four times a week, pumping the iron,tramping on the treadmill and being a dedicated fitness fanatic..so what could be wrong with this picture?
Well nothing actually if your allowing your body adequate time to recover..when we talk about recovery we mean a couple of different things....there is our specific recovery from any form of physical activity, and then there is our recovery as part of our exercise session that will allow our muscles to replenish their cellular energy[e.g. muscle glycogen]
First and foremost,are you allowing your body to fully recover from a good workout? A good rule of thumb according to the ACSM[American College Of Sports Medicine] is between 48-72 hours for muscle groups-so if you have been lifting heavy then two to three days is needed before you involve that muscle group again.
But we also have the concept of ‘active recovery’ which is light physical activity following a heavy workout- usually this would involve some light cardio and believe it or not this will speed up the recovery process ,by flushing the lactic acid and metabolic waste products out of your system....
active recovery can take the form of brisk walking,biking,yoga, light swimming,anything that involves the larger muscle groups in a lower intensity fashion..

So that covers your days out of the gym now what about when your in the Gym?How long should you wait between sets and reps before you go again?Your pounding out a couple of sets of heavy bench presses and wondering what the magic number of seconds to wait for recovery before you hit those next reps..?
Again recovery between sets depends on your specific goals..Are you a Powerlifter,bodybuilder or just an individual staying fit and hoping to stay strong to enhance your health and fitness?
It’s important to learn the basic guidelines from the National Strength and Conditioning Association in regards to how long should you wait..If you are training for muscular endurance (low to moderate resistance, 1-3 sets, >12 reps) you should rest for about 30-60 seconds. If muscular hypertrophy ,e.g. more of a bodybuilding type of training, then its moderate to heavy weight, 2-4 sets, 6-12 reps and rest periods around 45-90 seconds. Training for muscular strength/power (moderate to heavy resistance, 3-6 sets, 1-6 reps), rest ranges are 90 seconds or a bit more..but again everybody is different- listen to your body, and experiment!

If I can do it, YOU can do it!

Welcome again to Fuertefitness..we're happy to announce we've recently taken a position with Vancouver General Hospital in the Corporate Wellness department.Its been an amazing year, and this year looks like it will be even better!Don't forget to check us out and ask about our group personal training rates[ cheaper than a one on one!] if you and a friend or two need to get into shape now is the time for you to do it!We can train you almost anywhere!