Pre-View Kid Outdoor Bootcamps

If you have an active kid who likes creative challenges, you gotta get a hold of me.
Well... maybe I should back up. Inactive kids who need to get out and get movin' creatively are very welcome as well.
This summer I am launching the kid version of my traveling bootcamps. Traveling as in, we meet at different parks, playgrounds, fields, hills, tracks and such. No gym memberships. Just me, the kids and the great outdoors as our "workout place."
Here's a little taste of what the advanced kids would do (I do modify activities for each individual's ability).







This bootcamp for kids will attract kids who want to have a fun workout like this.

The adult one hour Saturday morning camp starts April 17th at 8AM (this weekend) and only goes for 5 weeks this spring. Contact me via text or e-mail or facebook to sign-up and find out where the first location will be.

Unorthodox

Recently a member of the Sports Center approached me and acknowledged that he has been watching how I train my clients and the things I have them do. He proceeded to let me know how "unorthodox" I am. My response. Yeah I am. And the results we get are "unorthodox" too. Lose 5 pounds in a week. Lose 20 pounds in 4-6 weeks. Clients losing 60 pounds in 4-6 months. Adding over a foot to vertical jumps. Decreasing sprint times in terms of percentages. Doubling & tripling strength. 0 pull-ups to 3 in 3-4 months. Flexibility increase. Injury decrease. Confidence through the roof by looking, feeling & performing better.
It's just what I do. I am good because I have passion for it. It's my life. I like changing people's lives for the better because I can.

Definitely the best explanation of a habit that I have ever heard

So like many of us who are working on self-improvement, you want to make positive changes in your life, maybe you struggle with regressing back to your old ways. Ever wonder what could be an underlying cause or factor?

Think of your habits and how they affect your life. Are they good habits, neutral or are they destroying you?

Look, habits are a big deal and we need to keep them in check for our own personal gain as well as realize how they affect the important people in our lives. We are in control of our habits and only we can make necessary changes if needed. Evaluate your habits and determine if they are making a positive impact in your life; if not how can you modify your habits?

The following is definitely the best explanation of a habit that I have ever heard:
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men; and, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine; Plus, the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am a HABIT!

- Author Unknown
*Which of all the habits do you choose to be yours?

Share your habits. What are some good habits that you have? What are your bad habits that you would like to change? What are some ways you have thought of to reverse those habits? If you are unsure on how to change them - list the habit and I will try to list suggestions to help you out.

Side Plank Combo

Can you hold a plank from every basic angle? Are you bored holding forever? What's the point if you can hold a plank for 2 minutes or more? Move on you've graduated to challenging yourself with more difficult variations.




First off, a plank is simply holding your body straight as a board. Think when you are at the top of a push-up movement and arms are straight. That's a plank. Most common mistake is letting the mid-section droop (which is a sign of weak core or abs, back and hips) or over compensating and rounding the back or piking the body up. Most common measurement of progress is how long you can hold the position.

Ok, so here's what's going on this video.

Shaun is holding a side plank on one elbow with one foot on a bosu ball, while holding his other leg up in the air to create more instability. With his other arm I have him doing a row with a light jumpstretch band.

Effect: With the progressive resistance from the band and the fast explosive pull, he's training to be powerfully fast as swimmers need. And being put into a position of instability, many various muscle groups are firing to maintain balance and control. Something to think about as when you are in the water there is nothing to brace you besides the water.

Remember this is only one aspect of a complete training program, don't just do these types of exercises. Be sure to incorporate strength, muscle stamina, cardio for heart and lungs, balance and coordination. Eat right and sleep well. Perform phenomenally!

Crabs, Haters and Vampires

This is the true story of my budding entrepreneur ah-ha moment that took place in Charleston, South Carolina.

After my freshman year in college, I decided to do something big and kinda gutsy (according to my family and friends). I went and sold encyclopedias door to door in South Carolina.

One of the meeting places for our ambitious group was in Charleston. These meetings made for a long day when we drove from our “territory” in Anderson to Charleston and back. During a break, we were allowed to the coastline and take in the scenery and watch people fish for crabs off the rocks.

One fisherman had one of those white five gallon paint buckets sitting next to him. I was curious so I looked to see what was inside it.

What I saw was a bunch of live crabs at the bottom crawling on top of each other. One crab seemed very ambitious. He climbed on top of all the other crabs and then reached his leg for the lip of the bucket. Once he hooked his leg on that bucket lip he began to pull himself up - clearly he was trying to make a break for it.

I let the fisherman know that he was about to be one crab less if he didn't put a lid on that bucket and he just chuckled and said; "watch what happens next."

Now what happened next was literally an epiphany for me. Right there I had my big ah-ha moment.

As this ambitious crab was hoisting himself up to make a run for freedom, several other crabs from the bottom methodically reached up, grabbed its remaining legs and pull him back down to the bottom.

Then the fisherman turned to me and said that crabs by nature self police each other and so a lid is never required on the bucket.

To me it wasn't "self policing" - it was "forced suppression."

Doesn't this epitomize human behavior?

Think about that. We're all surrounded by 'crabs' 'haters' and "vampires" who suck up your precious time and try to squash your ambitions, motivation, passion and enthusiasm.

Sometimes these crabs are those closest to you…or they could be people that you occasionally hang out with or people you work with, or even your significant other.

Fear is their greatest motivator. Fear of losing you. Fear of change. Fear of being left behind.

They conceal their fears as genuine concern for you. They always have a reason to burst your bubble, to instill doubt inside you and get you to second guess yourself. You know who these people are in your life. You can feel the bad vibes coming off them after just a few minutes of being in the same room as them.

They're creativity killers. They're time and energy vampires. They're your mojo killer.

Sound familiar? After that summer in South Carolina, I came home and literally took a survey of everyone in my life. Then I cut out everyone who was poisonous to me. I cut out some friends I knew from high school. I knew why others cut out some business partners. And I even know people who seriously limited exposure to certain family members who (unfortunately) can't be cut out permanently because - well, they're family.

Maybe it's even you… who is your own crab, hater or vampire?

Think how you talk to yourself and others around you. We all live in our own realities; it’s up to us to create the world we want to experience.

If there was ever a single thing you needed to know. It would be to have the ability to identify the crabs in your life - the people, the thoughts and the ideas that hold you back from achieving your personal goals.

Next, GET OUT and stay away from them- for your own sake. Instead, surround yourself with positive, supportive and energetic people who will help you grow.

Your 3 Weeks Are Up

Why would anybody need a trainer after the first two or three weeks?

Oh, oh I know pick me, pick me. There I was… training a new client. We were getting results quickly and my alternative style was being adapted to quite well…

Then it HAPPENED! This individual stopped scheduling times and disappeared. Not thinking anything of it; I mean people get sick, have to go out of town suddenly or who knows what, I didn’t bother contacting for a week.

I soon found out that I wasn’t needed, shouldn’t be bothered anymore and greatly appreciated for all my help.

That’s fine. People come & go. Some need more guidance than others. Although many stay on to see what else I come up with (nothing like a little foreshadowing in a blog.)

3 months later, the entire spring season has passed, It UNHAPPENED! This individual called me up looking for another month of training. So I obliged. And like clockwork, 2 weeks into the training this individual figured they had a new workout routine memorized and hinted at going solo once again.

But wait… I was overheard talking to another much more loyal client. Her 3 weeks were up and it was time to change up the workouts. Whoa! Workouts are changed every 3 weeks? Yeah stick around long enough and serious results will happen.

Here’s why:
1) I get bored watching people do the same stuff for a month.
2) The body adapts quickly, so to stimulate it to stay in shape - WE NEED TO CHANGE THINGS UP.
3) When performing variations between heavy and light training, the body can only handle 3-4 weeks of heavy lifting before it breaks down from not being able to recuperate. Louie Simmons from WestSide Barbell will back me on that.
4) Job security. Change elicits results. Results are associated to the reason people train with me.
5) Entertainment. Many loyal clients simply stick around for not only the above four reasons, but also because they’re curious. What else am I going to come up with?

When a guy thinks “What-If?” all the time, who knows?