Personal Trainer Pricing
While I do still work with the occasional ‘one-off’ client, it’s been several years since I’ve promoted my own personal training services by the traditional “hourly” model.
Initially, one of the reasons I switched to more of a ‘monthly membership’ – or ‘program design’ model was because it was just different enough from what every other trainer was offering – and in a market flooded with “experts,” any point of differentiation can’t hurt.
Besides, how much longer can we – as an industry – expect people to pay us to follow them around a gym while we ‘expertly’ count to 10?
In fact, I now go so far as to provide that level of personal counting training for free – it’s what I call the “toy in the cereal box”. I’ve come the realization that the real value isn’t in my ability to count accurately (or lack of that ability, as my clients will surely agree!) – but in designing and supporting “big picture” programs and processes that get ‘em from where they are now to where they want to be in the next month – or 2 – or 3.
To explain my coaching process very simply: I can be the GPS, but you will always be the one who needs to step on the gas and turn the wheel. If obstacles come up (and they always do), I can often recalculate the route so you’ll end up in the same place, but you STILL need to do the driving.
WHEN DO “HOURLY RATES” MAKE SENSE?
If you’re a mechanic, charging by the hour can work (though I’d suggest garage owners would be wise to consider offering a monthly/annual maintenance & repair membership program, too, but I digress…)
The auto repair industry has standardized labor guides in which one can determine just how long it should take to replace an alternator on a 2011 BMW or the flux capacitor in a 1981 Delorean DMC-12. The car doesn’t get to choose why, when, how or where the repair gets done – or if it gets done at all – but the fact that there are standard expectations makes it easy (and perhaps even logical) to sell such services by the hour. As long as the annoying ‘service engine’ light is off when you collect your vehicle, all’s-well-that-ends-well.
The problem with selling personal training by the hour is that individual goals, experience, level of commitment and a plethora of other variables can be completely different from one trainee to the next. A single strategy might take one client/member a brief chat to understand, accept and implement. The same strategy might take another months – if it’s even an appropriate strategy! There are no standard guides to follow that allow us to provide a meaningful ‘hourly’ rate. Can a person lose 10 pounds in a month? Sure. Can you lose 10 pounds in 6 months? Absolutely.
While your car doesn’t have any say-so in its repairs, YOU ultimately have to make every decision from the time you decide to hire a trainer – or buy a book/video – or choose to do-it-yourself… or stay as you are and do nothing at all. YOU have to decide the best way to acquire the goal-supportive foods/supplements that’ll move you closer to your fitness goals. YOU have to consume, digest and eliminate the waste of said food. YOU have to get enough sleep. YOU have to control the rise and fall of your own iron. With so much dependent on what YOU do, do you really want ME or any other trainer to charge for personal training “by the hour”???
I (and all of my fit-biz brothers and sisters) can only teach, persuade, educate and direct. Unless (and until) you make the decision to systematically put your nose to the grindstone, shopping for “personal-training-by-the-hour” can only be a short term band-aid that may make you feel good… but what is the VALUE in that?
- Okay, so maybe KITT can pick which garage it goes to for repairs…
Grand Rapids Personal Trainer TV Show
Ok, so this post should probably be titled “Calvin College TV Show” – but since one of their media production classes (CAS250) asked me to help ‘em with a li’l project this semester, and I was the host of the fitness-themed show – I s’pose it’s just as fair to call it the Grand Rapids Personal Trainer show, too. ;-)
Anyway, over the past couple of months, I developed content for SEVENTEEN 10-minute episodes of a show titled “Beltline Construction” – a double-entendre those familiar with Grand Rapids geography will no doubt understand.
More to the point, below is a brief teaser/highlight reel from the project. I’ll be posting individual episodes at my GRPT site soon and will post some additional “fan page” exclusive content HERE. (“Like” it so you don’t miss a beat)
Have a happy festivus and a “mighty” 2012!
Now on with the show…
[Oh... and a HUGE thanks to my hard-rockin' musician buddy Mark E. Johnson from Pennsville, NJ for allowing us to use the 'training tune' in the show!)
A Letter From A Personal Trainer
Yesterday, I met with a new client with a few challenges – and I’m opening my follow-up email to you. Personally identifying specifics have been omitted or changed to protect the innocent, but since I know many of my readers are trainers and/or fitness enthusiasts who also have challenges to work with/through/around – and this was such an interesting guy to work with – I invite you to add additional comments, critiques, questions or the usual random insults I’d expect from someone who’s willing to read through my caffeine-inspired (although I still remain diet coke free since Oct 2010!) ramblings. ;-)
First, a little background: he’s dealing with weakness brought on by a traumatic injury to his wrist, elbow and shoulder (all the same side, same injury) ~40 years ago. Countless surgical procedures later, he’s still limited in strength and range of motion - as one might expect after such a serious “boo-boo.”
Next, a former competitive triathlete, he has “bad knees.” After working my mojo(e) with some basic movement/strength assessments, it’d seem that he has what McGill referred to as “gluteal amnesia” – or the term that I apply to ANY muscles that aren’t getting the right signals from mission control: ‘muscle dormancy’. Those muscles are still there… they just need to ‘wake the f*ck up’ (to paraphrase Chris Rock.) Since his glutes aren’t holding up their part of the deal, his knees are getting the kind of repetitive stress that all those “Unbreakable” combs did when handed out amongst my 4th grade class many years ago. (c’mon… if you were 10 and somebody handed you something branded as ‘unbreakable,’ wouldn’t you recognize that as a challenge?!)
Add to this the lack of any SPECIFIC goal other than to become “optimum” (seriously, I couldn’t peg him down to ANY goal – even with all the prodding, guiding, questioning I could muster – yet he’s been training 2.5 hours EVERY day like clockwork.) While I certainly commend his dedication to the practice of training, without any specific goals, how could we ever know if training is getting us closer to an “optimum” state? As I’ve said more than once, random efforts can only produce random results. This meeting/consulting session opened up quite the thought-provoking, philosophical – and dare I say fun – dialogue that you’ll no doubt see forms the philosophical theme of my follow-up to him.
He’s well-versed in the basics, seemed to accept my analogies – and even though we made some significant progress in just one meeting, I could tell that my “modern approach” challenged his core beliefs of fitness to a point that seemed as if THAT made him a bit uncomfortable.
Oh, and he’s an out-of-towner so it’s not like I’d be able to oversee every minute detail of his new-and-improved training plan (not that I’d necessarily need to,anyway), so this one-off consult includes the additional challenge of addressing the most important concepts that’ll help him make the kind of (yet-to-be-defined) progress he wants – and have enough resources available to refer back to – when he returns to his fully-stocked home gym far, far away.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps (since I frequently refer to conversation points from our meeting that aren’t directly obvious from my notes.) And as I mentioned earlier, feel free to share your own constructive critiques, additional questions, etc… I’d imagine “Client X” will read this, too, so if you have something useful or otherwise thought-provoking to offer, I’m sure we’ll all appreciate it.
Now I’ll let my follow-up do the talking. Hope ya’ll can keep up!
-Joe-
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Client X,
Ok… so my pocket-answer to “how does one get in shape?” is the same as any of our grandmothers might’ve told us: eat right and exercise.
What this really means is, “how can I get from where I am to where I want to be?” - so my job is to translate ‘eat right and exercise’ into a language that matches the individual’s goals, timelines, abilities/limitations, interests, available resources and experience to help them get WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.
In the book, Facts and Fallacies of Fitness (by Mel C. Siff – one of my early mentors through his Supertraining newsgroup and books), Dr. Siff defines fitness as “the ability to execute a given task effectively and safely.” I s’pose I’d define fitness even more simply as ‘the ability to perform work.’
How much work? What kind of task?
Well, that depends on YOUR needs – which bring us right back to the Lance Armstrong/Asashōryū Akinori comparison. Both could be considered among the very best at performing their chosen “work,” yet if you put Armstrong in the sumo ring or Akinori on a bicycle, either of ‘em would be lucky if they even received a “certificate of participation” at the end of a competition. “Fitness” is specific, therefore, training to become “optimal” one MUST have a specific desired outcome.
One of the fundamental concepts of “fitness” is known as the SAID principle… Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. Demands could also be referred to as “stimulus” – adaptations are the response. How we choose and apply the stimulus affects the level of response we should expect to see.
So unless and until you can recognize/identify/articulate a specific goal it’s gonna be impossible to determine which training stimulus we need to apply, how much, how often, at what intensity, etc…
Because your only immediate goal is to continue doing “something” (to the tune of 15-17hrs/week) that will move you closer towards “optimal” – but only in a “general” sense – I’ll address the 3 common components of “general fitness” one at a time.
STRENGTH – call it weight training, resistance training, pumping iron or whatever else you’d like, the main reason (some would argue the ONLY reason) we use resistance is as a stimulus to increase strength. Therefore, if you’re not pushing the envelope to get progressively stronger, you’re not really ‘strength training,’ are you? It gets even trickier when one considers the many different types of strength: maximal strength, relative strength, speed-strength, acceleration strength, strength-endurance, etc… Which type is “most general”??? Beats the hell outta me!
ENDURANCE – This article provides an introduction to the 3 metabolic pathways. We need one kind of endurance to sprint 100m/perform a one-rep max squat, a different kind of endurance to run 400m (or a P90X circuit training workout) and yet another kind of endurance to tackle a triathlon. To me, this what ‘cross-training’ is… NOT switching between walking, running, biking, stair-climbing, etc. – all done at the same relative intensity/duration. One could effectively “cross-train” with a single activity (let’s say a spinning bike, for example) by varying intensity, distance, time, etc. from one workout to the next. Of course, I’d ALSO like to get away from lower body, sagittal plane dominant exercise as your ONLY form of “cardio” training, but let’s address one issue at a time, shall we?
Restated, there is no “general” endurance. As far as I’m concerned, we can get all the “cardio” we need by manipulating the rest intervals and exercise selection during your strength training. This kills two birds with one stone (as the saying goes.) Of course, this kind of time-efficiency would cut deeply into your current approach of 15+ hrs of training each week – bringing training time down to 2.5 to 5 total hours (gasp!), so what else can we do increase your (perceived or real) training volume?
Long, slow distance (LSD) training *may* be appropriate during certain phases of training… as may high intensity interval training (HIIT).. or anything in between. But we STILL need that specific target to aim for before just working out for the sake of working out.
I believe it was Alice (in wonderland) who asked the rabbit, “which way should I go?” The rabbit replied with something to the effect of “if you don’t care where you end up, the way you go doesn’t really matter.”
FLEXIBILITY –Static stretching? Active-isolation? PNF? Dynamic? Contract-relax? There are many ways to ‘stretch’ – but are we more interested in active or passive range of motion? (after significantly increasing your shoulder range of motion in about 5 minutes without ANY ‘stretching,’ I’m sure you know which side of the fence I’m on!)
My thought process regarding flexibility can best be summarized by a series of questions that goes something like this:
1) do you have the ability to function effectively in your sport/activity/lifestyle and still have pain-free movement to spare?
2) if no – is any limitation/tightness serving a protective function against instability? (remember, stability proceeds mobility, so we can *usually* assume the answer is a resounding YES!)
3) WHY ON EARTH would we want to over-ride or otherwise bypass an evolved protective mechanism that’s much smarter than I am?
Because I have to operate under the presumption that “tightness” may in fact serve a very important purpose, I’m morally and professionally obligated to present you with TWO options:
1. Suggest that we allow your body to protect itself from further damage and continue the predictable pain/tightness cycle – UNTIL it gets so unbearable, you give up and seek surgical/medicinal options that may or may not address the actual CAUSE of the discomfort/limitation.
OR
2. determine which muscle(s) are weak/inhibited, causing the ‘tight’ muscle to work overtime to pick up the slack – then address that WEAKNESS. (since “diagnosis” and “treatment” are out of my jurisdiction, if determining your length/strength relationships goes beyond my own capabilities/scope of practice, all I could do then is return to option A but instead of waiting until the inevitable “breaking point”, I’d suggest you find someone better qualified to work with your particular limitations – one who could address the cause of tightness, not just the ‘symptoms’)
Now if you really want to entertain yourself on the principles behind the techniques I use, try googling “reciprocal inhibition” (and then send me a 2 page book report with your findings/follow-up questions!)
Better yet, find a Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) therapist in your area. The techniques they use are even MORE efficient – and effective – than the approach I work with. Go to http://www.muscleactivation.com/main.html –> about –> finding a specialist (or –> ‘science behind’ if you want more info on how the system works its mojo)
Also, take a gander through “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” (Davies & Davies) and/or search YouTube for vids on Self-myofascial release (using a foam roll, lacrosse ball, etc.)
Nutritionally, I recommend the systematic approach of Dr. John Berardi’s “Precision Nutrition.” You can purchase the do-it-yourself ‘kit’ for about a hundred bucks; join one of JB’s lean eating coaching programs/contests (I think he’s been running this a couple times a year) or you may even consider my own basic and advanced personal nutrition coaching options (I was among the first dozen or so people to complete the Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification, so even though I’m no biochemist, this certainly wouldn’t be my first time at the rodeo!)
Other issues/concepts we discussed:
Calorie cycling – although I’d consider it more of an advanced technique and I’d really like to see you master the 5 basic habits FIRST, you do already seem to have a respectable grasp of basic nutritional concepts, so you may be able to get away with taking a ‘shortcut.’ Essentially, take your current 2000cal/day intake as an AVERAGE over a week, not a daily “absolute.” At the end of the week, you’ve still taken in the same 14,000 calories, but by running couple days could be at a deficit, a couple at maintenance and a couple at a surplus, you’re now manipulating the stimulus that can produce change.
Your body will always seek a level of homeostasis (read: maintaining the status quo.) Without variations in expenditure (through training & lifestyle related activity) and intake (read: the calories/nutrients you consume), our bodies will ultimately adapt to the stimulus provided and have no reason to move towards “optimal”… instead, you’ll move AWAY from optimal. Of course, I’d suggest STRATEGIC and MEASURABLE variations (as opposed to random ones), but this brings us right back to the sticking point of not having any specific goal(s) to work towards!
There are 3 basic variables to nutrition: HOW MUCH you eat, WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat. Change one or more variables, you change the outcome. It sounds like you have all 3 variables locked in to your day-to-day routine. My suggestion: start by focusing on just ONE of ‘em… and from what you told me, I’d start with WHAT you eat first (this is a nice segue into my next thought…)
If you’re going to insist on training 15+hours/week AND you’re also going to consume a diet that consists of little more than whey protein powder, yogurt and diet coke (the recipe for the ‘gruel’ in THE MATRIX?), because you’re not providing alkaline (base) producing foods in the form of fruits and veggies, your body is left with no option but to break down the lean mass you’re working so hard to build/maintain, both for repair and to balance out your acids/bases. There’s a lot of alkalinity stored in the form of bone, connective tissue & muscle that your body will need to “eat”… t’would certainly be a shame to ‘wash it all away’ simply because buying/prepping/storing/eating vegetables is “inconvenient,” wouldn’t you agree?
Since you do have 15 hours each week to dedicate towards becoming “generally optimum,” you might want to consider counting food acquisition (shopping? gardening?), preparation and storage as part of your ‘time served.’ Remember, grandma said it best: eat right and exercise. It doesn’t need to be rocket science, but to cause an adaptation response, we need to apply stimulus, recover (adapt), apply a NEW/greater stimulus… and so on. Doing the same thing all the time is a road map to take you backwards, not forwards.
Both of these guys could be considered “optimal” at different tasks.
Which is MORE optimal?
How do YOU define ‘optimal’?
Grrrrrr…. A Rant About Multi-Level Marketing “Opportunities”
This one’s especially for my fellow fitness/health industry pros…
In your work with weight loss and/or sports performance clients, I assume you’re already giving ‘em some variation of the standard recommendation to “eat right.” I also assume you’re even helping them understand what that seemingly simple advice actually means. You may even be recommending a few supplements to help make “eating right” a little easier (perhaps through an affiliate program?)
I’m even going to go out on a limb and assume your clients are at least as smart as mine and realize that our body’s preferred source of nutrients is actual FOOD – and NOT shakes, powders, pills or potions.
Just last week, one of my trusted colleagues pointed me in the direction of a meal delivery service that is NOT loaded with cheap fillers (read: pasta/rice/flour.) It’s also NOT a mass-market “T.V. dinner” (such as the latest crop of ‘jenny craigs’ and ‘weight watchers’ knockoffs.) The menu options consist primarily of proteins and veggies. The same things I suggest my own clients base their own “diets” on.
My first instinct whenever someone tells me about any program that “sounds too good to be true” is that it must be another Multi-Level Marketing program (argggh!)
Even though I’ve been living in the middle of MLM-central for the last 3 years now (Amway started in a neighboring suburb of Grand Rapids, MI) – I don’t care if you’re selling solid gold bars straight from Fort Knox – if it’s being sold via an MLM business model, there MUST be something wrong with it. There have been too many less-than-legit “opportunities” over the years, that it has long been my hard-and-fast policy to completely turn my attention away at the first signs of a “ponzi scheme” no matter how much better the product is than sliced bread.
“But I’ve got the cure for cancer!“ MLM? fuggeddaboudit.
“What if I give you a free sample of this magic fat loss dust?” Not interested. In fact, why don’t you hang up on yourself before I do?
There’s just something about the MLM model that doesn’t sit well with me – and I suspect it’s the same thing many of my clients have alluded to when discussing such “solutions” over the years. Now I’ll try to articulate what I *think* many of us have been feeling…
While I’m certainly not against the idea of profit, it seems that most (if not ALL) MLM-ers put their personal want for money above any sense that they should ALSO be delivering a product/service.
Let me restate this: I’m all for making as much moo-lah as you personally care to, but not at the expense of ‘selling out’ the same trust you work so hard to build as a PROFESSIONAL in your field. The difference between “greed” and “good business” is motive. Because the “downline” is usually positioned as “the key to great riches,” MLM-ers motive always seems a little to self-serving to me.
That said, there are several excellent “single-tier” affiliate programs I whole-heartedly buy in to. It should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway, in case there was any doubt), the products also have to be of top-quality for me to even consider putting my MIGHTY JOE ‘seal of approval’ on ‘em. I don’t expect any of ‘em to help me “get rich quick.” Instead, I view them as resources that may help a certain number of my clients, prospects, readers, neighbors, friends or family. Any commissions I happen to make because I promote them is a bonus. Some months, this might be as little as a couple hundred bucks while other months reach into the thousands. My CORE business is fitness program design and coaching. When I find existing resources that support or compliment my the coaching principles I use – and they don’t have that “taboo” label of MLM on ‘em – I think it would be awfully silly if I didn’t at least look into promoting it even if it means I might actually profit (gasp!) from it, too.
So getting to the point, the aforementioned meal delivery service that appears to be an EXCELLENT match with the nutrition principles I teach (and I assume you do, too, in whole or in part) has a single-tier affiliate program. You can check it out at Personal Trainer Food.
I certainly don’t have all the answers about the program, but I did sit in on one of their daily webinars (along with another well known fit-biz pro – and I think it’s fair to say that he’s AT LEAST as skeptical as I am about these things) – and all I can say is that if you don’t at least do a little research into this unique service (did I mention it’s free to join?), you may be doing your customers a huge dis-service by giving ‘em good advice (‘eat right’) but no practical solution to make it work.
The Answer to Virtually Every Exercise Question
How many more reps should I do?
How far should I squat/press/lunge/move?
How much weight should I use?
How fast should I go?
All (and more) can be answered by an ever-so-easy-to-remember acronym, but first, the back story…
For nearly 10 years, I relied on the much more challenging PFROMASTYCC (pain free range of motion and speed that you can control) to answer the most common questions my fitness coaching clients would ask me. Yes, I knew the original acronym was ugly and hard to remember – my clients made sure I knew that – but it worked.
Over the years, I challenged many of my fit-biz friends to help me develop a ‘prettier’ acronym to get the same message across. I asked experts such as Stephen Holt (ACE Personal Trainer of the Year), Alwyn Cosgrove (co-author of “The New Rules of Lifting” series), Bill Hartman (known to industry insiders as ‘the smartest guy in the fitness industry’) and a slew of others.
All agreed that it does indeed get the message across, but it wasn’t so easy on the eyes (or ears, for that matter.)
[side note: I've always pronounced it FRAHM-iss-tyke, with a silent "P". Stephen Holt recently told me he says pee-fro-MASS-tik]
Together, the best any of ‘em could come up with was PROMISE – the “-ISE” represented something along the lines of “Intensity you can Safely Execute” and PROMOTE – “…Optimal Technical Execution”.
I rejected these alternatives on the grounds that the word “Execution” sounded too terminal – it gave me visions of standing blindfolded with my back against a wall in front of a firing squad in some third world country.
And I wasn’t keen on using “Intensity” or “Optimal” since both can be confusing and/or intimidating to those who may be a bit newer to this whole “fitness thing.”
But on a Sunday afternoon in May (yesterday to be precise), in a crowded Kansas City airport at the end of the 2011 Fitness Summit, I had a chance to kick back and talk shop with Lou Schuler (the other half of “The New Rules…” books.)
I figured, who better than an award-winning fitness journalist, and MC of the Fitness Summit I just attended to run my wicked step-sister ugly acronym past and see if he could succeed where others have fallen short. Worst case scenario, I still have PFROMASTYCC.
Apparently not the kind of guy to turn down a challenge, in the masterful way a championship Scrabble player would shuffle tiles around looking for the combination that will score maximum points, Lou rearranged letters while I continued explaining the full intent of my original acronym. After 10 minutes or so, somewhere out of the alphabet-soup tinted fog scribbled on his notebook, PROM DATE appeared. Now the challenge was to fill in the blanks and see if the suit would actually fit.
PROM was obviously the easy part: Painless Range Of Motion…
Having been down a similar road before, I was still concerned that we would end up with yet another ‘almost there’ acronym that ended with the life-ending phrase, “technical execution.”
The exact details are kind of a blur (the Fitness Summit was a blast, and sleep wasn’t as plentiful as usual), but the way I remember it, Lou tossed a few words around and then put ‘Demonstrating’ on the table.
I quickly fired back with “Acceptable.”
But what can be done with the final ‘TE’?
After a series of overly-loud announcements blasted through the airport’s PA system, Lou looked up over his glasses and asked, “Why not just use both letters for ‘TEchnique’”?
Painless
Range
Of
Motion
Demonstrating
Acceptable
TEchnique
Bingo! I’ve been working on this for a decade and in less than half an hour, PFROMASTYCC finally got its much needed makeover.
“Acceptable TEchnique” can always be debated, and every coach/trainer will have his or her own interpretations of what constitutes ‘acceptable’. But I coach my clients to work at the level of “good that gets done is better than perfect that doesn’t.” I find it much more effective to focus on actually doing the exercise than worrying about every little detail. Paralysis by analysis does not a lean, strong, healthy body make.
Low-load and no-load exercises can allow for more wiggle-room. The closer one gets to their maximal effort, the tighter the technique has to be for safety and efficiency of movement.
Think about the last time you dropped your car keys. Did you set up in neutral spine, feet shoulder width, toes slightly out and sit back into a deep squat keeping your torso and tibias parallel to each other? Of course not. You did what we all do: you hunched over like a Texas Armadillo and snatched the keys up off the floor. Far from a ‘perfect’ squat, but mission accomplished, right? Now if you did the same back-rounding, key-snatching movement with several hundred pounds on your back, there’s a good chance you’ll be making payments on your local back surgeon’s vacation home.
As long as a trainee works ‘within tolerance’ – an attention to technique dictated by their abilities, goals and training intensity – PROM DATE serves to minimize risk of injury while allowing maximum efforts – and results.
I’ll always remember PFROMASTYCC fondly, but am happy to put her to rest. PROM DATE just makes more sense.
Women Are Always Right
You know that old saying about “if I got a dime every time somebody ___________”?
Well, I used to think if I got a small commission every time a woman expressed her fear of lifting weights simply because she thought it would make her look more man-like, I’d have enough to pay off the U.S. debt and still have enough left over to buy a couple small continents.
But apparently lifting weights really does have the potential to make some women take on male characteristics.
Just in case these pictures aren’t a fluke (or photo-shopped), I’ve already started brainstorming a formal apology to women everywhere for all the misinformation I – and my fitness industry brothers and sisters – been giving over the years. Here’s my rough notes so far. Let me know if you have any ideas how I can make this better…
Ladies of the world, I’m so sorry.
You were right all along. [women just love this crap. use this phrase frequently!]
It’s all my fault that you stayed fat when all you wanted to do was lose a measly 30 pounds in a weekend to “kickstart” your results before doing a “real” fitness program.
Those ab-sculpting videos and low-intensity ‘cardio’ classes I talked you out of really were the answer you were looking for – and I didn’t take your feelings into consideration.
I’m so stupid and feel so ashamed. [here's where I'll start doing the fake cry thing]
I’m just now seeing how special you really are. [sniffle a little bit] You were absolutely right when you told me that your body wouldn’t respond to progressive resistance training and a goal-supportive diet even though you only had a ‘cheat meal’ once – sometimes twice – a day.
The frequent cakes, cookies, muffins and wine were only ‘snacks’ and couldn’t have had anything to do with your lack of results. They were all organic. Heck, you bought ‘em from the ‘health food’ store, so they must be good for you.
I don’t know if I can ever earn back your trust…But maybe if you let me buy each and every one of you a triple-scoop frozen yogurt smothered with organic, free-trade chocolate syrup, we can try to rebuild what we once had. But I’ll lift the spoon to your mouth. We wouldn’t want you to get even bulkier from all that lifting.
When I realized you were right, I created something especially for women like you. Now I want to show you a preview of my brand new infomercial. It’s a product I call “sleeping beauty.” There’s a battery operated 1/4lb plastic weight that comes in a little, pink box with a ribbon. You put it under your pillow at night and the weight sends fat burning signals to your brain while you sleep…
CPR/AED Renewal Notes (PIC NSFW)
I finally renewed my expired CPR/AED certification. Even though this is roughly my 15th-ish time or so sitting through the cheesy videos and repetitive demonstrations of my ability (to pretend) to remove a foreign object from Rescue Anne’s mouth, I actually learned some new things… sort of.
1) The American Red Cross Adult CPR/AED cert used to be good for just one year. Now, it’s good for 2.
2) When you have a young college girl instructing for the first time, it can be incredibly entertaining to ask her questions such as “if a victim has nipple rings, do I need to remove them before placing the AED pads on their chest?” – along with “…and if so, how do I do that?” Another fun question: “How should I modify my hand position for chest compressions if a victim has breast implants that won’t ‘give’ any more than a pair of upside-down Tupperware bowls on a kitchen counter?” (neither of which she was able to answer)
- If I can’t give proper chest compressions, should I try the “motorboat” technique instead?
3) even though there’s evidence chest compressions ONLY can be more effective than rescue breaths plus chest compressions, the ARC still teaches the supposedly ‘less effective,’ up close and personal method – though they are in the process of reconsidering that position.
4) Finally, no matter how comfortable you might think it’ll be to “spoon” a limbless mannikin while you’re on the floor watching Red Cross videos, never… I repeat, NEVER do this in public.
A Six Minute Workout?
Getting back on track with my previous Vision Quest themed posts… It ain’t about “going to work out.” It’s what HAPPENS when you work out.
Why all the Vision Quest references lately? You’ll have to follow me on my FB “fan page” to find out…
Steroids In Pro Sports: You Know You Want It
Here’s the deal: I think politicians should keep their noses out of professional sports. Isn’t there anything more important they can do to waste their time (and OUR money?)
I also believe the way a responsible adult chooses to “enhance” performance is a personal choice, and if an individual feels the potential for benefit outweighs the potential for risk, well, who the hell am I – or you – to tell him otherwise?
Not that I condone, endorse, recommend, prescribe or otherwise assist in the acquisition or use of any illegal substances – including anabolic-androgenic steroids or growth hormone, but when it comes to professional sports, the fact is, there’s a LOT of money at stake (mmmmm… steak), and you might be surprised (if you’re naive enough) to learn what people are willing to do to get a piece of the action.
While the media/public-at-large typically speak against performance enhancement in the public forum, the reality is that very few people will shell out hundreds – even thousands – of dollars to plant their carcass in a seat at their favorite team’s stadium for 3 hours and pay upwards of $10 for a beer if the players/entertainers are anything less than caricatures of ‘regular’ humans.
If ever-increasing signing bonuses and multi-million dollar contracts are any indicator of the truth, we clearly want our superheros to be larger/faster/stronger than life, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.
Just last week, I was live on WJRW (1340am) discussing this reality (and so much more) with Tim Doctor and Josh Leng.
I can’t say just how long the podcasts will be up and running, but I invite you to listen in as I offend Chicago Bears fans, sports “purists”, ugly women and anybody else who doesn’t feel exactly as I do. So hurry yo’self over to this 2 part interview and let me know your thoughts on the subject…
Motivation
What are you doing right NOW to get you closer to your goals?
…and who can you count on to push you to the top when the going gets tough? (and believe me, it will get tough)
You can do it. It doesn’t matter who you are.
The Reality of Winning
Believe it or not, many others have the same goals and challenges as you. A lot of ‘em will get hurt, get scared or just roll over and quit before they have a chance to taste victory.
Seeing others fail to overcome the same challenges (perceived or real) you expect to face might just scare the living crap out of you…
Speaking Off The Record?
Maybe it’s a fear of failure, or of looking foolish, but too many people have “goals” they aren’t willing to talk about.
In my experience, it’s generally better to recognize (and respect) your challenges by stating your goals out loud – especially among others who can support you as you work towards that goal – than it is to keep it to yourself.
Once you have a clear picture of what’s standing between you and success, you’ll have a good idea what it’ll take to win.
So what challenges (fitness or otherwise) are you going to overcome this year?
Well?
Globetrotters, Green Bay and the Godfather of Fitness
Having won over 98% of 22,000+ games played over the past 85 years, the Harlem Globetrotters amazingly <wink, wink> scored yet another tally for their win column by defeating the Washington Generals in an ‘exhibition game’ here in Grand Rapids this weekend. Whew!
You can be anything that you can imagine – Meadowlark Lemon, Harlem Globetrotter for 22 seasons
Speaking of wins for the history books, my Green Bay Packers are going to the Superbowl. My prediction for Feb 6: Green Bay 41, Pittsburgh 17. (not to put any pressure on you, Green Bay, but my birthday is Feb 7. It sure would be nice if’n ya’ll would be so kind as to give me just one more win this season, eh?)
Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser. Vince Lombardi (1913-1970)
Last – but certainly not least – perhaps the most respected man in the fitness business, Jack LaLanne, completed the final set of his 96 year workout. While I’d assume he put the dumbbells back in the rack where they belong, I’m quite sure all of us who have been inspired, educated and motivated by Jack’s message and personality over the years would more than happily follow him around the gym, picking up his weights, in the hope that just a little of his mojo would rub off on us in the process.
I tell people I can’t afford to die; it will wreck my image! Jack LaLanne (1914-2011)
Jack, I think it’s safe to say, your image will remain intact for a long, long time.
Jack obviously read the latest Lou Schuler/Alwyn Cosgrove book, New Rules of Lifting for Abs
Trampoline Fitness Will Be The End Of Us All
Does anybody understand there’s so much more to exercise than “calories burned”???
The ‘brains’ behind Trampoline fitness suggest such benefits <ahem> to their “low contact, high intensity workouts” as:
“…burn up to 1,000 calories an hour” and “many of the same toning and cardio effects as jogging, but without the jarring impact on the joints”
So what happens when you step back on terra firma where each and every step you take (whether walking, jogging, running or skipping) puts the “jarring impact” of 3 to 12 times your own bodyweight on your joints. I dunno about you, but I’d rather stick with good ol’ fashioned hard work and the full force of gravity to make my muscles the strongest, most reactive, energy-chomping machines they can be.
And I have no idea how anyone can call an hour of non-stop bouncing a “high intensity workout” while keeping a straight face. A non-stop hour of ANYTHING may make you sweat like a mountain goat in heat (or something to that effect), but it doesn’t make it intense. Although it may be considered challenging, by definition, anything short of a full-out sprint/max effort lift becomes LESS intense the longer you continually perform that activity.
No wonder America is getting fatter by the day. Seems a growing percentage of the population goes out of their way to avoid the exact kind of stress they really need – and these trampolidiots enable that kind of thinking.
Yeah, jumping around may be fun, but if we can’t make a cultural return to real strength training as the basis of “fitness”, it won’t be long until we implode under the weight of our collective gravitational pull.
Riding Ted Williams’ Coattails
Ted "Golden Voice" Williams
Certainly by now, you’ve heard all about Ted Williams fall and rise (and fall?) from glory. Not being one to pass up a good opportunity for shameless self-promotion, I figured if the Today Show, the Cleveland Cavaliers and umpteen other businesses are willing to ride Mr. Williams’ camouflaged coat-tails into viral-video stardom, then who the hell am I to sit here and think up my own unique marketing message to promote my new Grand Rapids personal trainer website?
After all, fame sells, baby.
It’s amazing what you can create with some cardboard, a couple of permanent markers and a camera, don’t ya’ think?
(Note to Matt Lauer & Meredith Vieira… have your people call my people and we’ll try to set up a time for me to come on your show.)
What Gyms and Personal Trainers Can Learn From Fast Food
An Open Letter To The Fitness Industry
from Joe Stankowski
There’s no doubt that our industry is growing, but from my perspective, it’s steadily growing apart.
Case in point: I’ve long been amused by the way “chain” health clubs resist independent personal trainers, but a recent event has really opened my eyes to the way in which the “don’t even look at our members” mindset is sabotaging our entire industry.
The details of my own ‘event’ aren’t what’s important here, but what we NEED to do – if we’re to succeed as an industry – is change the current way of thinking. All of us need to realize that we can be more effective (and profitable) if we understand how we work together as an industry.
The fast food industry already figured this out. Perhaps an ironic ‘role model’ for us to consider, but hear me today and believe me next week…
When it comes to fast food, obviously there’s always going to be competition between brands (and I’d expect nothing less), BUT a customer who uses one drive-up window is more likely to use ‘em all. Now I don’t have “scientific research” to back this one, but find a client who regularly eats fast food and then take a look at all the different bags, wrappers and empty fry boxes on the floor of their car and under their seats and you’ll quickly understand the idea that “a buyer is a buyer.”
There’s actually a synergy among this type of… for lack of better word… restaurant.
Think about it: if any one of the fast food joints can ‘convert’ a non-customer into a ‘fan’, the customer will likely put on a few pounds, begin to enjoy the ‘convenience’ aspect of the ‘service’ provided and/or get hooked on the fatty/salty/chemical flavors and preservatives. It won’t be long before they’ll find themselves trying the offerings of the drive-up window next door.
The cycle continues and now their entire industry benefits from a fast food addict. The customer will likely have his/her favorite(s), but whatever sack of calorie-loaded poison they buy today, they’ll inevitably pull out their wallet for their “competition” tomorrow.
What if WE could work together to get people ‘addicted’ to moving, lifting, running, climbing, rowing, pedaling and playing, while still retaining our own “brand” identities?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m every bit a capitalist as the next guy (perhaps even more so), but doing things as we are now, who really wins?
The marketplace continue to grow fatter, sicker and weaker while their expectations from our industry are dropping, yet for some reason, they continue to pay for gym memberships and ineffective “solutions” – for now. Here in Michigan, we have 65% of our population overweight and rank as the 11th fattest state in the USA.
If we can’t remove our collective heads from the space between our glutes, I predict the entire fitness industry will soon experience a shift very few of us are ready (or willing) to handle.
[There are always going to be those who succeed in spite of the odds being against them. I wrote in detail about the failure of gyms to produce "success stories" in proportion to their growing membership base in "The Power of Champions"]
Unless – and until – the big box gyms figure out how to provide more than “membership” for the masses, I’m hoping, for the consumer’s sake, they’ll consider ways in which they can work alongside ‘outside’ trainers to deliver the best possible experience for their members.
Grand Rapids Personal Trainer Leading Statewide Fitness Challenge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
David Roddenberry roddenberry@healthywage.com or (917) 213-2235
“Mighty” Joe Stankowski news@JoeStankowski.com or (616) 827-7479
New York Based HealthyWage™ Enlists Grand Rapids’ Fitness Guru to Help Michigan Lose Weight
Jan 4, 2011 – Need extra motivation to lose weight this year? Modeling the success of the popular TV show, The Biggest Loser, New York based HealthyWage [www.HealthyWage.com] has issued a state-wide fitness challenge to all of Michigan with the help of a local fitness expert, plus some extra special incentive.
In “The Michigan Matchup,” teams of five will compete for the greatest percentage of weight lost from January 8 through April 15, 2011. To join the challenge, participants pay a modest registration fee and weigh in at the beginning and end of the contest at a local health club. The winning teams will receive a total of $18,000 in cash prizes ($10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second, and $3,000 for third). Additionally, individual participants can earn $100 cash if they start with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30 and achieve a BMI below 25 after one year.
Grand Rapids’ resident fitness expert, “Mighty Joe” Stankowski, creator of “This Workout Doesn’t Suck” [www.ThisWorkout.com] and a co-author of “The Power of Champions,” was enlisted as The Michigan Matchup’s official spokesperson and will provide contestants advice, support and motivation via weekly Q&A-format telephone conference calls.
“The Michigan Matchup brings the state together in a collective effort to achieve weight-loss and health goals through a fun and lucrative contest,” said HealthyWage co-founder David Roddenberry. “Competing in teams of 5 against family, friends, and co-workers for added encouragement, bragging rights and big cash prizes leverages our social network model proven to help motivate and sustain weight-loss. Academic research shows that obesity has spread through social networks and will likely reverse through social networks.”
Stankowski adds, “Of course it would be great if everyone was motivated by improved health and wellness, but in reality, there’s a tendency to take those things for granted until it’s too late. Fortunately, HealthyWage understands the motivational power of cold, hard cash and they’re putting some serious money on the table to help those who need an extra kick in the backside!”
Over 90 health clubs throughout Michigan have signed on to support contestants and serve as weigh-in locations, including many YMCA’s, Endurance, Bally Total Fitness and MVP Sports Clubs. Registration for the contest is open now through January 8 for all Michigan residents.
Those interested in joining The Michigan Matchup may do so online at www.michiganmatchup.com.
# # #
Your Weight Loss Resolution Sucks (And How To Fix It)
It’s that time of year when a lot of people traditionally “resolve” to lose weight.
Problem is, “losing weight” isn’t an action one can resolve to do; it’s an outcome.
Lifting weights 3 times a week – now THAT’S an action.
Planning your meals a week in advance… THAT’S an action, too.
Drinking water instead of soda… more ACTION. (I’m 3+ months diet coke-free, by the way!)
Resolve to take positive action and there’s a much better chance you’ll get the outcome you want.
***** ***** *****
Last week, I was a guest on the Tim Doctor radio show (WJRW 1340AM right here in Grand Rapids) where we discussed some other common problems people have with their resolutions and training plans. While it’s obviously too late to call in with your questions, you can listen to the podcast at the links below.
[UPDATE - 1/20/11: THE PODCAST IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AT THESE LINKS. IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO IT, CONTACT ME (SEE "HOLLA'" AT TOP OF PAGE) AND I'LL FIND A WAY TO GET IT TO YOU]
It’s The End of This Blog (As We Know It)
I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog lately.
Which way to go? What news is comment-worthy? When will I have time to write out all these ideas that are sticking in my head? etc…
Then I started to remember why I started The Cup in the first place.
Unlike high-fructose corn syrup, this was never really intended for human consumption (though like HFCS, it did turn out to be somewhat ‘addicting’ for more than a few readers.)
I’m still really not sure how or why all of ya’ll found The Cup, but truth is, I started this li’l endeavor as nothing more than my personal sounding board – a place to exercise my creative writing skills away from editors, corporate sponsors, word count limits or any other outside “control”.
Of course, I suspected that there might be the occasional, random neighbor peering over the fence to see what’s going on in my yard, but never imagined this li’l ol’ blog would develop any sort of “following”.
Back in the formative days of The Cup, I met award-winning journalist and author of too many fitness books to name (and a fan of The Cup), Lou Schuler, at a photo shoot in NYC (that name drop is for you, Mr. Holt). He asked me if I know why people read my blog.
I didn’t know the answer (fortunately, he did and was willing to enlighten me.)
Lou’s simple explanation: “It’s ENTERTAINING.“
Moi? Entertaining? Really?
Maybe sarcastic, twisted, cocky or borderline insane… but entertaining?
Bah! I found that awfully hard to believe.
I admit, I have something of an ego (after all, the universe does revolve around me, but I didn’t have to tell you that, did I?). Even so, I’d like to think I also have a semi-reliable system of ‘self-check-and-balance’ to keep the weight of my big head from imploding upon itself.
But when a writer as respected as Lou gives your personal writing playground a high-5, well… it’s bound to have some effect, right?
I mean, yeah, my posts entertained ME… but THAT was really one of my initial goals, anyway: Write stuff that I’d want to read. Throw in some twisted humor, hidden messages, backward song lyrics and subliminal messages. Anything that would make me laugh – or THINK.
Until that chance meeting, I wrote new posts simply for the exercise, experience and growth that comes with putting in the reps… kind of like deadlifting ;-)
Looking back, it’s fair to say that I came to the conclusion that since I had such a good thing going, I might as well flaunt it. Eventually, I became paralyzingly selective on the topics, stories I’d write (or ramble) about.
Always wanting to make the next post better than the last, I became my own worst critic. While I suppose that’s somewhat natural, I also became my own personal road-block. If you’ve been a reader for any length of time, you’ve no doubt realized that my posts have become increasingly infrequent.
It’s not that I don’t still enjoy spouting off on any of the topics that interest me, but with the explosion of social media, I found it so much simpler to throw a link and a brief comment on Facebook than to write out an entire blog post.
Now I’m not saying social media ‘killed’ this blog by any means. In fact, I’m guessing this blog will get even BETTER because of it.
Why? An art form I never really respected when I was sitting in Mrs. Robison’s high-school English class, I now totally appreciate the limitations of the structure of a Haiku – as well as the modern equivalent, 160 character limit of Twitter.
Have a point. Say it succinctly. Move on.
(something I’m obviously not doing here, but that’s because I have no limits on my blog, now do I?)
I have no doubt that I will continue to use social media as an outlet for my creative side. Sparking discussion, thought and possibly even persuading a friend/fan/reader now and then to shift their thinking to a new level.
But I also intend to make a meaningful return to this blog. To write about things I want to read about. But also, to branch out BEYOND the realm of ‘eat right and exercise’.
If you stick around to see what’s been rattling around in my head, you may be surprised, shocked, scared… maybe even entertained?
I’m always happy to see your comments on my posts, whether good, bad or ugly. I continue to delete obvious spam as soon as I find it, but if you want to agree or disagree, that’s up to you. Your comments, however contrary to my own, never offend me. I do read and appreciate all of ‘em, but unlike many other bloggers, my goal has never been to get everyone to agree with me.
I don’t typically respond to comments on the blog (though I will often reply directly if you leave an email address). I figure, if I can write my uncensored opinions/thoughts/ideas here, daddgummit, you can, too.
I’m not sure what the future of The Cup will bring, but I can assure you that changes are on the way. I’ll continue to experiment with the words and ideas that flow through my fingers. I imagine I’ll change the look of the blog, too.
The one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty: This blog is NOT going away anytime soon.
It’s just going to change.
A lot.
But for now, this is the end of my blog as we know it…and I feel fine.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned. ;-)
-JS-
For the record, here’s a screen grab of The Cup as we’ve known it until now:
No, I'm STILL Not Joe Scarborough
We Didn’t Start The Fire
Look, I’m as anti-religion as the next guy, but if you’re gonna start the fire, could you also throw in some super sized ‘value meals’, ThighMasters, 6-pack ab shock-belts… and a copy of anything written by Kevin Trudeau?
Tell me, dear reader, what offends you?
Grand Rapids March for Babies 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT, Patty Osborn
(616) 247-6861
Grand Rapids brings out marchers of all ages
Nearly a thousand registered walkers fight for babies, including Mary Ellen Murphy, Todd Chance and Scrubbs in the Morning; Dr. Leonard Radecki; Mighty Joe Stankowski; and special guest – Maranda, and raise $225,000 to help babies be born healthy.
(Grand Rapids, MI, April 24, 2010) – Local residents joined together in support of the smallest citizens of Grand Rapids—babies—by participating in March for Babies to benefit the March of Dimes. 500 people actually braved the drizzling rain on Saturday and the event was packed with strollers, families and teams. “I am proud that Grand Rapids residents joined together to support the health of all babies,” said Ginger Feldman, March of Dimes Division Director. “The efforts made and money raised by our volunteers this year will help the March of Dimes achieve its goal of $225,000 ensuring that every baby has a healthy start in life that much sooner.”
Special guests at the day’s events included Grand Rapids Division Board Chair, Mike Mraz, March for Babies Chair, Becky Berrevoets from Farmers and Ambassador Family, April & Ryan Hamm,, the 2010 Grand Rapids Ambassador Family. Emcees for the event were Mary Ellen Murphy, Todd Chance and Scrubbs in the Morning. Warm up was provided by Mighty Joe Stankowski and Christina DeVos, 2010 Miss Black Michigan, and a special appearance by Maranda who lead the countdown to start the walk.
‘We’ve seen today how important it is to help our babies,” said 2010 March for Babies Chair Becky Berrevoets from Farmers. “This has been an incredible event, and I’m so proud to be from a community where people can come together for such a great cause. Helping our babies should be a top priority, and we should be excited about what we’ve accomplished here today.”
“It was a memorable and rewarding day for all of us,” said April Hamm, who served as the 2010 Grand Rapids Ambassador Mom. “We held our daughter for the last time on June 2, 2009. She passed away peacefully in my arms surrounded by her daddy, close family, and the doctors and nurses that we came to love. Ashlynn will forever be remembered as an inspiration to many and the most perfect, beautiful daughter that I could have ever asked for. Without the March of Dimes we would not have had 6 ½ amazing months with our daughter.” April was presented with a check for her March for Babies team from Ken Graham.
Money raised from the event funds research, awareness, education and local community grants for programs such as prenatal education programs for doctors and nurses at Holland Community Hospital and the March of Dimes Family Support Specialist Program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
The most urgent infant health problem in the U.S. today is premature birth. It affects more than half a million babies each year, with the number growing every day. The March of Dimes issued a Report Card on Premature Birth, giving the nation a D and Michigan a D. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. The March of Dimes is committed to reducing this toll by funding research to find the answers to premature birth and providing comfort and information to families who are affected.
2010 national March for Babies sponsors are Kmart, the March of Dimes’ No. 1 corporate supporter, CIGNA, Famous Footwear, Farmers, FedEx and Mission Pharmacal. Statewide March for Babies is sponsored by Farmers, Flagstar Bank, Coca Cola Enterprises and AT & T Yellow Pages. In Grand Rapids, March for Babies is sponsored locally by Mission Sponsor – Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Spectrum Health; Silver Sponsor – Dematic Corporation; Bronze Sponsor – Farmers Insurance; Start Line Sponsor- Flagstar; Family Fun Sponsor- AT & T Yellowpages; Registration Sponsor – Mill Steel Company; Radio Sponsors – Thunder 94.5 New Country, Hot FM 105.3 and 96.9 WLAV; Print Sponsor- Grand Rapids Business Journal; Food Sponsor- FedEx; Tent Sponsor – B-N-T Tents; Checkpoint Sponsors –FedEx, Independent Bank, Spectrum Health, Kreis Law, and Farmer’s.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
- XXX -
Vibram’s FiveFingers Are For Babies
This weekend (April 24th to be exact), in addition to walking in the Grand Rapids March for Babies, I’ll be there to meet & greet and warm up the crowd.
(Literally. I’ll be taking the 1200-ish expected attendees though a pre-walk warm-up).
I obviously have a preference for low rep deadlifts and all the anaerobic goodness they have to offer, but I am certainly looking forward to taking part in this 3mile walking event at the Farmers Insurance Foremost Campus (located off Kraft Avenue at 5600 Beech Tree Lane in Caledonia, MI).
And if you’re at the walk, please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself. I’m pretty easy to find… I’ll be the guy with the Fred Flintstone (14EE) feet and Vibram FiveFingers.
If you’re not in the Grand Rapids area or can’t make it to the March for Babies for any other reason, but you’d still like to contribute to this March of Dimes fund-raising effort, I would certainly appreciate it if you’d support my personal goal of raising $400 for this worthy cause.
Vibram Five Fingers Are For Babies (and deadlifts, too!)
Dramatic Fat Loss or Smoke and Mirrors?
I recently developed an educational program for my buddy’s gym just down the road from Grand Rapids in Holland, MI.
In a weekly presentation lasting roughly 75 minutes, I deliver a boat-load of information to help both fitness-newbies and seasoned gym-rats get the most out of the time they have available for training. While I see the information as ‘basic’, my interpretation of “eat right and exercise” (apparently) goes way beyond what most people learned in their high-school gym class.
When I checked my inbox earlier this week and read the following email, I had to chuckle…
I went to your new member orientation at Flex Fitness, and have been following the diet as best I can and also trying to work on my stability by lifting with low intensity (3 sets of 15). So far I’ve lost 9 pounds and dropped my body fat percentage 9% in just 2 weeks.(9 lbs. is not 9% of my body weight, so I must have gained some muscle as well)
While I’m all for using testimonials in my marketing efforts to show others just how valuable a trainer/coach/educator I can be, I just couldn’t let him go around sharing his experience with everybody. I like to think I’m pretty gosh-darned good at what I do, but imagine the unrealistic expectations people would have of me if word of my magical ability to produce 9% fat loss in just 2 weeks got out!
I mean, if I was shooting an infomercial for a crappy abdominal gadget, I suppose I’d be tempted to milk the hell out of it, but I’m just not made up that way. (yeah, I know… sometimes I even surprise myself.)
So, for your education/entertainment, here’s my response…
Sounds like you’re off to a GREAT start!
While you probably did start to eat away at your bodyfat stores – and may even be noticing some increases in your strength, I’m going to do what I do best and give you something to consider…
This is not because I want to be the burster-of-bubbles (and certainly not to deter your from continuing to work at getting ‘lean & mean’), but what you’re most likely seeing in such a short time is the difference a change in hydration level can make.
I don’t remember if I told you about the marathoner I worked with during your orientation session… Before a race, he measured in around 12% bodyfat. 26.2 miles later, he was in the low 40’s. It’s not likely that he got 30% fatter while running a marathon. Instead, he became dehydrated and it completely obliterated any degree of accuracy of our measurement tool – bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) – might offer… The one we used was similar to the popular Tanita body comp scales, but a hand-held version. I’m suspecting you used a similar device?
Assuming you did, essentially, you achieved what the marathoner did in reverse… hydrationally speaking, anyway. Many people start out under-hydrated, which can give an artificially high reading when using BIA as an estimation tool. By eating regularly, drinking plenty of good fluids and balancing things out through training for the past couple of weeks, you now have a much more accurate reading. Make sense?
You know how water is a good conductor of electricity? Try throwing a hair dryer in a bathtub full of water and you’ll quickly find out! [note: please don't REALLY do this!]
If you throw the same (hypothetical) hair dryer in an empty tub, the electricity won’t go very far. This is effectively how BIA estimates work. It takes some basic variables (height, weight, age, sex) and measures the speed at which the device completes the circuit (sending a micro-current through your body) to come up with a number that is *supposed* to be within a range of +/- 2.5% accuracy when compared to others of similar height/weight/age/sex. Problem is, when hydration can’t be controlled or accurately measured, it’s likely that you’ll see some drastic swings as H2O levels change.
Now if you used skinfold calipers on yourself, there’s also a degree of human error to be expected, so given the dramatic change in your numbers, I’d also question the accuracy of that method.
Hydrostatic testing has long been considered the “gold standard” of estimating body composition. This involves exhaling every last bit of air you can squeeze from your lungs, then being weighed while you are completely submerged under water. That’s not a natural way to go diving, ya’ know?
If you really need 100% accuracy, you’ll have to wait until you’re dead, then have someone boil you up in a vat of water, skim off all the floaty-stuff at the surface – weigh it and then subtract it from your total starting weight.
[note to the mentally deficient and/or cannabalistic serial killers with an interest in physiology: I'm not recommending the above 'technique', I'm only trying to impress upon you the fact that 100% accurate measurements aren't really all that important outside of a research environment.]
It is for reasons like these I recommend the use of regular (bi-weekly/monthly) progress photos AND a favorite outfit/pair of jeans/etc as tools to measure MEANINGFUL progress.
Of course, if you DID actually drop 9% body fat in just two weeks, I’d love to make you the ‘poster-child’ for my services!!! If I can help you accomplish that from nothing more than a spoken presentation, imagine how good the results would be if I actually designed a complete training plan for you!
Let me know what the numbers say in another week or 2. Barring any dramatic swings in your hydration level, that should give us a much better indication of your progress.
[note to the FTC: how's THAT for truth in advertising?]
"Mighty" Joe Stankowski
