Is it a Bad Life for Fitness Trainers at Goodlife ?

   Goodlife Fitness is Canada's largest fitness center chain. It is also the 4th largest fitness chain in the world. When I used to live in Edmonton I would occasionally work out at a Goodlife Fitness center when I visited my hometown in Ottawa. It was a great place to work out. The equipment was state of the art and the facility was well kept. I would buy a visitor day pass and no staff member ever tried to hustle me to upgrade to a longer membership package.
   Things may be different now. They don't sell a visitor day pass any more, only monthly memberships or longer. As with most big box fitness chains, Goodlife is overrun with new members in January and February to the point where it is difficult to find a free work station during peak hours.
By March the crowd of newbies has dwindled back to its normal state. Many of these absentee members are still paying membership fees well into the next year. That formula keeps the mega fitness complexes ticking.
  Some Fitness Trainers will have a lucrative career at a big box fitness chain. Most will not! As is common with many corporate giants, the wealth doesn't always trickle down in abundance to the plebeian ranks of its workers. Fitness professionals may not be compensated in the way that professionals would expect. Recently there have signs of discontent within the ranks at Goodlife:

• The Ontario Ministry of Labor in Ontario found Goodlife and other Fitness Centers in contravention of the Employment Standards Act. 
• Issues in contention include wages, fairness, worker insurance and job security.
• There is a pending 60 million dollar class action lawsuit representing Fitness Trainers against Goodlife Fitness.
• Group Fitness Instructors are required to pay a company owned by Goodlife for using their music.
• Employees pay for their uniforms.
• Group Fitness Instructors are not paid for class preparation but just the actual session. 
• Fitness Trainers and Group instructors are not compensated for doing mandatory paperwork.
• New Fitness Trainers are paid minimum wage for prospecting for clients among Fitness Center members.
• This pay is then deducted from the earnings once the Trainer begins earning money from clients. 
• This also means Fitness Trainers will be hustling members to buy training packages while the members are trying to work out. This is known as 'prospecting'!
• Management insists that Fitness Trainers sign clients to only long term Fitness Training packages.
• Goodlife has their own certification for Fitness Training - Can Fit Pro. Goodlife Trainers must pay for this certificate course. 
• Goodlife Fitness Trainers in metropolitan Toronto have recently voted to unionize!
• There tends to be a revolving door of Fitness Trainers at mega fitness centers including Goodlife.
•  This high turnover rate may dissuade many better qualified Fitness Trainers from seeking employment in such places. 
• Fitness Trainers can pay up to 50% of the client fee back to the club.

 
    I am going to do something that may seem astonishing to those who read my blogs. I am going to play the Devil's Advocate and rationalize the business practice of mega clubs such as Goodlife:

• A Fitness Trainer needs an equipped place in which to train clients. The mega fitness complex provides a state of the art exercise location.
• Fitness Trainers need clients. Goodlife has a multitude of potential converts.
• If the fitness center offers point-of- sale personal training services at the time that a customer buys a club membership, new clients can be assigned to the Fitness Trainer. It is easier to re-sign such an existing client than it is to recruit a new client.
• Some mega clubs like Movati employ a Fitness Consultant whose job is to recruit clients for the Fitness Trainers.
• A rookie Fitness Trainer can hone their sales skills and training expertise in such an environment. 
• Maybe the union presence will improve the conditions and compensation.

    The bottom line is salesmanship. In such an environment, if you don't make sales you will either give up on your own or be replaced by management. That is the reason for the high turn over rate.
  There is constant pressure to sign new clients.Your technical skills as a Fitness Trainer are of lesser importance. My mother was the top Tupperware salesperson in eastern Canada for many years running. She could walk into a mega club with no fitness expertise and sign up scores of clients. Many Fitness Trainers, like me, would not have that kind of success. If a Fitness Trainer is that skilled at selling the product, it might be more lucrative for them to strike out on their own. There will be different responsibilities but potentially more reward! No one ever said it would be easy! 
                                             

A state of the art place to work out!
An arguable career choice! 

Until Next Time 

Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong   

Links:

http://www.360online.ca/360fit-blog-goodlife-the-puppy-mill-of-gyms/
AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net

References
Goodlife Fitness Center faces $60 M. Lawsuit over Wages thestar.com Sara Mojtehedzadeh Nov.17,2016
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/07/09/toronto-goodlife-trainers-vote-for-union-muscle.html
Toronto Goodlife Trainers Vote for Union Muscle  thestar.com Sara Mojtehedzadeh July 9, 2016
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/07/09/toronto-goodlife-trainers-vote-for-union-muscle.html

Does Canada 'Own the Podium' ?

   This is a story that I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend. A washed-up, grizzled, former club level amateur wrestler and self proclaimed Fitness Guru/Blogger was a spectator at the Canada Cup wrestling tournament. This grizzled Guru saw one of the Canadian  wrestling coaches talking to two gentlemen. Thinking the two gentlemen were also wrestling coaches, the grizzled Guru waited for a lull in the conversation. When the lull arrived, he proceeded to interject with a  lascivious  anecdote spoken in the vernacular of a wrestling locker room. After all, the grizzled Guru did not know of a wrestling coach alive that would not appreciate such a tale. The expected laughter never came. There was only an awkward, embarrassing silence.
   That night, in a heated verbal encounter at the hotel lounge, the irate wrestling coach angrily berated a gin soaked, grizzled Guru. The two gentleman with him when rudely interrupted were not wrestling coaches. They were officials from 'Own the Podium'! 
    

   Own the Podium is a federally funded program with the mandate to make Canada a medal producing machine at Olympic and world championship competitions. It was created in early 2004.  Why have such a program?

1. Canada is the only country that did not win a gold medal while hosting an Olympics.
2. This happened at not one - but 2 Olympics. The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were lacking Canadian gold.
3. Not only did Canada not win gold at their own Olympics, medals of any color were sparse. 
4. Vancouver was to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. National pride was at stake.

   I am old enough to remember underfunded and overwhelmed Canadian athletes falling short against the world's best. Even in hockey, our national game, the best we could manage in the Olympics were a few bronze and silver medals from the 1950's until our professionals were allowed to play. Sure there were great Canadian moments including gold medals in other sports, but their rarity made them all the more remarkable.
Own the Podium would change all of that! Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee gathered for a brainstorming session in 2004. A decision was made to have Sport Canada, the C.O.C. and the Canadian Paralympic Committee  pool their funding. This funding was to be used to select potential medal winners from the various national sporting organizations and direct.the resources towards them. Future forecast was predicted by:

• Past Performance
• Future potential in the view of coaches and sports coordinators
• Analytics - the analysis of statistics made famous in baseball and the movie 'Moneyball'
• Sports with potential for most medals  
• Sports with multiple events like speed skating (long and short track), skiing (alpine and freestyle), swimming and rowing plus track and field can yield more medals
• Team sports like field hockey can yield only one medal per team per gender
• Sports with weight classes such as wrestling can also be fruitful
• A weight class sports such as Olympic Weightlifting is a fringe sports in Canada whereas in Europe, the Balkans, Asia and the Mideast it is almost as popular as soccer. The potential for medals is likely low for Canadian competitors.
•  Sports associations such as Wrestling Canada had the foresight to invest heavily in the women's program and reap a future medal harvest.

   It worked! 
Canada scored multiple medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics. We earned a spectacular  13 golds, most of all countries at Vancouver 2010 and finished 3rd in the overall medal count. At Socchi 2014 the count was slightly less but still impressive. The offshoot of Own the Podium for summer sports is the Road to Excellence program which came into existence in 2008.Medal counts for Canada in world championships and the summer Olympics has climbed steadily.

Due to the success of the women, wrestling receives ample funding.
Fortunately this keeps the men's program afloat.

   At the 2016 Olympics in Rio
Canada finished 20th in the nation count with 22 medals which included 4 golds. This was Canada's best showing at a non-boycotted Olympiad.  However the optimistic hope was to have finished top 12 in the national medal count.
   Some sports were considered to have underachieved. Rowing received the most funding of all sports with 18 million dollars.
Rowing scored only a bronze medal.  Swimming and track and field met and even exceeded expectations. Wrestling (the women) and cycling delivered the goods. Trampoline, a low profile niche sport provided us with a repeat Olympic champion!

   What's not to like? More medals equals more money! More medals draws more sponsors!
Canadians can now be known for more than the toothless smiles and ZZ Top playoff beards of our hockey players. Our athletes are no longer happy to just show up and try their best! They are there to win, place or show.
   Actually there has been some criticism and some issues that create controversy.

• Sports lacking potential medal winners receive little or no funding from Own the Podium. The fear is that certain sports may fall off of the radar and not return.  
• The grassroots infrastructure still receives financial support but it has not increased substantially since 2004.
• Some critics argue that federal funding for Own the Podium goes mostly to the cream of the crop. Meanwhile overall youth sports participation is down in a losing battle with electronic toys and phone gadgets. 
•  Are we creating a sports culture where finishing out of the medals means failure?
• Late bloomers may run the risk of being left out of the program.
• Olympics and world championship teams will become smaller and more elite. Fewer athletes will experience the world championship or Olympic experience.
•  Own the Podium dictates how the money is spent. In 2010 Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison claimed that his performance suffered because he could not train with an American world and Olympic champion. 
• Own the Podium searched for potential winners who grew up elsewhere but had dual Canadian citizenship. Could this lead to a mercenary approach to winning as opposed to cultivating our own youth?
• Top heavy financing may lead to short term gain but long term pain. If grassroots money is barely increased where will the future Canadian champions come from?
• A journalist even went as far as accusing Own the Podium of limiting training times on the Luge track for non-Canadians in Vancouver 2010. According to him this resulted in the tragic death of a Georgian Luger during a practice run. It seems an extreme accusation for a very dangerous activity.  

   We can't have it both ways. We can spend most of the funding on participation rather that elite training.  Do we want to go back to the days of underfunded, outclassed athletes showing up on the world stage just happy to be there with medals being a rare but momentous event? .....      or........
Do we celebrate Own the Podium and Road to Excellence for making Canada a world athletic force for us to be proud of?
   We have an epidemic of sedentary youth and childhood obesity.
Is money better spent on programs to get young people active again?
Will watching Canadian athletes win multiple medals inspire our youth to put away the Nintendo and start moving?
   A majority of Canadians polled approve of the Own the Podium concept. It looks to be here to stay.
 
  Now what of unlikely story of the grizzled fitness Guru opening his mouth and risking the future of Canadian amateur wrestling?  Supposedly the quick thinking wrestling coach told the Own the Podium executives that this particular individual was an outcast on the fringes of the wrestling community. The coach described him as being knocked on the head many times as a club level wrestling 'Tomato Can'. This explained his embarrassing verbal faux pas. The executives bought the line. The program was saved! Yes, this story reeks more of urban myth than true incident.
Do you really believe such such a grizzled fitness Guru/Blogger could actually exist?

Until Next Time                                  

Boxing is currently on the short end of Own the Podium funding.
Boom Boom Boulanger may have to wait to get new gloves!

Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong
Fitness Guru/Blogger


Links

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

References

1. The Wrong Track -Canada'a Medal Misstep  Thomas Hall The Walrus Sept. 2016
2. Canada's Lust for Glory is to Blame for this Senseless Tragedy  Martin Samuel, The Daily Mail

                                 

   
    

                                 

       


                                          

                                  

  
 

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid a Fit and Healthy Lifestyle

Preaching at the unfit can be a losing battle! 

   When I took the certification course for what is now the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, we learned about the Trans-Theoretical Model of Change. Originally designed for smoking cessation programs, this model states that behavioral change progresses in stages. The 5 stages of change are:

• Pre-Contemplation. The individual is not ready to change their lifestyle.
• Contemplation. The person is seriously considering making changes.
• Preparation. Someone is actively planning action with a set starting time.
• Action. The person is actually doing something that is a positive lifestyle change.
• Maintenance. The individual is actively engaged in the new behavior and continuing to perform it.

    According to the 2013 edition of the CSEP training manual 'Pre-contemplative clients are unlikely to react well to being told that they should exercise.'  Their reaction will be similar if someone suggests changes in diet or abstinence from unhealthy vices. Preaching at them will not work.
It will however, result in some classic excuses for maintaining their present lifestyles. 
  
For those in the Pre-contemplation Stage the logic is often irrefutable in favor of avoiding healthy changes. These are the 10 best arguments against the fit lifestyle that I have heard.

1. Cardio can cause cardiac arrest. People drop dead running for the bus - not waiting for it.
2. Walking and running is supposed to be hard on the joints.
3. An apple is healthier than a slice of pizza? Right - look where that got Adam and Eve.
4. Lifting weights makes you muscle bound. 
5. If you stop working out the muscle just turns to fat.
6. I get all the exercise that I need by playing 'World of Warcraft'.
7. My uncle smoked and drank, ate whatever he wanted, never exercised and lived to be 99 years old. 
8. There will be a cure for all these things soon.
9. I believe in a balanced diet - a beer in one hand and a doughnut in the other 
10. You have to listen to your body. Mine says stay on the couch and pass the Doritos..

(Check out the picture caption for bonus reason number 11.)

 Preaching won't cut it. Pre-contemplation individuals may make positive changes, but only
when they decide to. It is far better to listen and encourage. Putting them on the defensive won't speed up their change to the next stage. Trying to debate them will likely be an exercise in futility.

Bonus argument no. 11
"So I give up smoking to live longer.
I could get killed by a car crossing the street the next day."
There is no rebuttal to such logic !
  

 Meanwhile enjoy some of the priceless gems of logic that you will hear.                                                                                 
                                                      Until Next Time.....

Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong








Links

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

             

I'm Five Foot Ten but Big Like Ben........Johnson. I'm a Fast Charles Bronson

   The Olympics are coming!  The Russians - maybe not !

   The Russian Athletics (Track and Field) team is implicated in a state sponsored doping program unheard of since the days of the East German sports machine of the 1970's and 1980's. In fact, it was possible that ALL Russian sports federations, not just Athletics, may be banned from the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is an ongoing story involving the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti Doping Agency, the International Amateur Athletic Association, the Center for Arbitration in Sport and the Russian Ministry of Sport. So far Russian Track Field athletes are out! Other Russian sports teams have been given a reprieve.

   Doping in sport is a continuing story! It is news, but it is not a new story.

• Before   Lance Armstrong finally came clean on Oprah after years of denial and litigation
• Before  the Major League Baseball steroid scandal that implicated Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds  Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemons
• Before   the  BALCO bust (Bay Area Lab Cooperative), a 'supplement' company that supplied Performance Enhancing Drugs to Barry Bonds and led to the fall of golden sprint queen Marion Jones
• Before   the 'unbelievable' performances of distance runners and swimmers of China in the 1990's.
• Before   the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall when a light was shone upon a long suspected East German state sponsored Performance Enhancing Drug regime.
• Before   all of that was the First Great Olympic Doping Scandal - The Rise and Fall of Ben Johnson!

   Ben Johnson was the first modern era Canadian superstar in a summer Olympics marquis event. Sure, we had success in the winter sports like hockey, speed skating, and skiing. Winning the 100 meters gave you the title of 'The World's fastest Man'! From 1984 to 1988 Johnson took the track and field world on a wild ride:

• Big Ben won the world Championships in the 100 meters sprint crushing the World Record
•  He put Canada on the Olympic map in a marquis event
•  He defeated American arch rival, the seemingly aloof and arrogant Carl Lewis
•  Ben Johnson had an outspoken and controversial coach Charlie Francis
• Lance Armstrong had Dr. Michele Ferrari as his go- to medical guru.  Ben had the somewhat dubious Dr. Jamie Astaphan as his physician
• Ben won the 100 meters and crushed the field and the world record again in the 1988 Olympics
• Two days later his urine sample tested positive for the steroid stanozolol
•  Medals and world records were stripped 

   Never before or since has a Canadian athlete had such a devastating fall from grace.

• At first Ben's handlers, Francis and Astaphan claimed sabotage.
• The Canadian government held a legal investigation known as the Dubin Inquiry.
• Charlie Francis came clean. He claimed that to compete without doping was to start a meter behind everyone else.
• Lance Armstrong had a similar argument once he was officially outed. "It's not cheating if everyone else is doing it!"
• Ben Johnson received a 2 year competition ban.
• He made a comeback. He was still fast but not world beating fast.
• Ben had a 2nd positive test for high testosterone levels.
• He became a Personal Fitness Trainer for Moamar Ghadafi's soccer playing son. 
• He was also a Personal Fitness Trainer for controversial Argentinian soccer great Diego Maradona.
• Six other runners from Ben's 1988 Olympic race had past or future links to performance enhancing drugs. None were sanctioned or dragged through the mud the way Ben Johnson was.   

Is there a moral to this story? Maybe it is just that if the powers that be turn a blind eye to state sanctioned doping or ignore rule breaking by those with political clout - others may try to beat the system as well. For Marian Jones, Lance Armstrong and Big Ben, they tried to beat a fixed house but failed! 
   Where does this leave us now?

1.    The Rio Olympics could be a fresh beginning for clean and fair sports. 
2.    They could  more likely be a tipping point for the jaded sports fans of the world.
3.    Even more likely still, the status quo reigns and corruption is swept under the rug as    the show goes on like nothing has happened. 

( My blog title comes from a Canadian rap singer Maestro Fresh Wes song 'Conducting Thangs'.
I'm a Country Rock man - not a rap listener but that kind of rhyming is in
Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, William Shakespeare territory. Check it out on Youtube)
                                                          

 

Big Ben (center) in selfie at my brother-in-law's
Produce Depot grocery store in Ottawa.
He still looks very  FAST !!!!

Until Next Time

Keep Fit !!!!!


                    
Little Bobby Strong                               
           












Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

The Video Artist Meets the Mixed Martial Artist

   A few weeks ago someone gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. I had a chance to observe the creation of a mini documentary on a Mixed Martial Arts world champion. The offer came from a western crony, Calgary based video producer and Film Maker Jeremy Podlog. Jeremy is the proprietor of RabbitView, a video production company. My food and lodgings would be covered This was dependent on two conditions:

1. I would have to be his assistant / helper/and bag carrier during the video shooting.
2. I would also have to be Jeremy's corner man and warm-up partner / throwing dummy as he competed in Canada Cup Wrestling Tournament in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. You see, Jeremy Podlog's alter ego is as amateur wrestling legend "Mad Dog Podlog" -a one time Canadian Championships bronze medalist. He was also a former adherent of the 'Little Bobby Strong' fitness training regime.

   It sounded like a fair trade off for a few days of adventure, so I agreed.

   We both survived the tournament in one piece and lived to add it to our cocktail hour rap. 
Jeremy survived better than I did even though he actually wrestled in 3 matches.  Just helping him warm up made me realize how my on- mat conditioning has long since given up the ghost.

Video producer Jeremy Podlog discusses a scene set up with
MMA / JiuJitsu competitor and instructor Jeff Joslin.

   The next step was the nearby city of Hamilton, Ontario to shoot the first MMA video. Hamilton is a rough and tumble steel town. Fittingly, the video subject was Jeff 'the Inferno' Joslin - a 5 time world champion in Brazilian JiuJitsu. He also fought in the UFC and once lost by a narrow decision to Josh Koschek. He had to retire from the UFC due to concussion issues. However Jeff still competes in Brazilian JiuJitsu which is grappling rather than kicking, punching and striking. The risk of head injuries is much less.

   Jeff also instructs martial arts classes in the training center below where the Joslin family once lived .His father, Rick Joslin, started the training center as a Karate studio and Jeff has carried on the family tradition. Generations of Hamilton young people have been taught self defense and learned self confidence by the Joslin clan.
Jeff is part of the movement to have regulated concussion protocols for head injuries.

Observing and helping during the actual video shoot was an eye opening experience. You are mostly on your feet and moving to keep the subject of the camera shot in scope and in focus. It is surprising how much energy you expend. Jeremy even let me hold one of the cameras and track the subject. It is an art trying to keep the camera steady while in motion. Hopefully, some of my camera work will make the final cut.

 Another highlight was getting to meet Jeff's father Rick Joslin, the MMA Master himself. Rick talked about living over the karate dojo and raising kids in that interesting environment.
.  Rick Joslin was such a compelling interview that Jeremy decided to also make Rick the subject of his own separate video.

The video artist getting some action shots.

   I was only able to spend one day
observing the video shoots.
However it was a day of learning.
I hope to soon add video clips to my blogging repertoire
   The best way to be successful is to follow the example of those that are successful. Jeremy Podlog is a video artist on the way up! Stardom awaits!

....View Jeremy's website at
www.rabbitview.com .........

Until Next Time

Keep Fit !

Little Bobby Strong                                      

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

                                                             
                                                           

                                                                   

Are the Olympics Ready to Implode ?

The Olympics are likely the only time you will see
'amateur wrestling' on your television - if at all.

Implode - (Definition)

1. To collapse violently inward   
2. To fail catastrophically  

   





There is just over a month to go until the biggest reality show on earth.
Kardashians - eat your heart out!
I am talking, of course, about the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro  Brazil.

  This will be the first time that an Olympics has been held on the continent of South America. There may be a reason for this exclusion. South American countries are rife with poverty and undemocratic governments as well as a myriad of other issues. There was a time when the Olympics were awarded to developed nations that could afford to build the infrastructure and were capable of hosting the short term but intense influx of tourists and athletes. The theory was that an Olympics would provide an economic boost to the host city as well as leave the sports facilities for future benefit.

 Does this theory hold water?

   Canadian examples may provide some answers to this discussion:

• The Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 used a blend of new and existing venues to stage a moderately successful celebration. Canadian athletes fell short in the medal winning department -  zero golds medals - but the athletic facilities were a boon to future Canadian competitors.
•  The Vancouver Winter Olympics were a medal boon -14 gold medals - for Canadians due to athletes who trained at Calgary sports facilities. These Olympics also used a blend of new and existing infrastructure to stage a successful and celebratory world gathering.
•  The 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics drew awesome crowds and helped showcase Montreal on the world stage. However the grossly underfunded Canadian athletes won few medals - also zero golds - and were contenders in few sports. Most of the venues had no effect on future athletes. The Olympic stadium now has no permanent tenant. The velodrome, pool and running track are long gone. Montreal taxpayers finally paid off the Olympic bill in the past decade.
• The Athens Summer Olympics in 2004 brought the Olympics back to its Greek birthplace. The financial strain of constructing the competition sites helped pushed Greece into bankruptcy. There has been little lasting legacy from the sports infrastructure.
• The Bejing Summer Olympics in China were rife with pollution and civil rights issues.
•  The 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia dealt with population displacement, environmental treachery, and rampant cheating. They also tried to have a winter Olympics somewhere that rarely gets winter weather.

   Is Rio De Janeiro ready for these Olympics?   
South America has hosted the Pan Am Games and Rio held the World Cup of Soccer in 2014. However these upcoming Olympics have some simmering issues that are reaching boiling point.
Here are some political, environmental and social problems:

• Political Instability - Brazil's President is suspended and awaiting impeachment proceedings for financial impropriety.
• Brazil is a hot spot for the mosquito borne Zika virus which can cause problems for pregnant women. Numerous athletes in different sports have withdrawn due to this health concern. 
• Water pollution is an issue to many water sports such as rowing, yachting, triathlon,open water swimming. Athletes training in Rio have contracted water borne viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
• Crime is rampant in Rio. Just recently 2 Australian Para Olympians were robbed at gunpoint.
• Security issues - Police forces in Rio are underpaid and going on strike.
• Firefighters are underpaid and threatening labor dispute action.
• Rampant poverty - Much of the local population will not benefit economically and can't afford tickets to events.
• Fears of terrorism - Munich in 1972 had terrorism and Atlanta in in 1996 had a bomb explosion.

   Then there are the ongoing sports scandals just waiting to erupt:

• Sports corruption within FILA - the world governing body of soccer.
• Sports corruption within the I.A.A.F - the world governing body of Track and Field.
• Doping issues with Russia, Kenya, and other countries.
• Possible collusion between WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) officials and Russian state sponsored doping affiliates.
• The Anti Doping laboratory in Rio has been shut down for inefficiency and incorrect testing procedures.

   Are the Olympics even worth the trouble anymore? The answer may be to just hold separate world championships for each individual sport at whatever host city can accommodate them. However, this is unlikely to ever happen. There is too much money and politics involved.

Pre Olympic Wrestling Tournament at Canada Cup in Guelph, Ontario
Wrestling legend "Mad Dog' Podlog grapples with a Cuban Olympian

   Will I watch the Olympics? Absolutely!  I am too much of a sports addict and sleaze junkie to give them a pass! I am not the solution. As an obsessive Olympic viewer, I am part of the problem!

Fortunately I am a die hard track and field aficionado! They will give that sport ample air time.
 Hopefully the networks take time from the popular events to give screen time to some of my favorite but seldom shown sports such as weight lifting and wrestling. Unfortunately this is probably wishful thinking. Instead it will be countless hours of beach volleyball once the basketball and soccer matches have been played.
Oh well, I suppose can always watch my events on the internet.

Until Next Time,........ Keep Fit 

Little Bobby Strong       

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit

                           

                       

Don't be a heel. Protect your Achilles !

   Achilles was a mythical Greek warrior. According to legend his Mother dipped her infant son in the River Styx that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. The river's sacred water made him invincible in battle. The Mother didn't want the poor kid to get swept away and drown so she held him by his heel. The heel did not get the effect of the river's power. Achilles was a fierce and indestructible fighting machine. However during the Trojan war an arrow shot into his heel killed him. That is why a person's weakness is often referred to as their Achilles Heel.

Muscle attaches to a connective tissue known as tendon. Tendon is a fibrous link attaching the muscle to a bone. 

   The Achilles Tendon is the thickest tendon in the human body. It is also known as the heel cord or the calcaneal tendon. This tendon attaches the the muscles of the rear lower leg - the Plantaris, the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) and the soleus - to the heel bone also known as the calcaneus.
These muscles, through the tendon attachment, pull the foot away from the ankle in a movement known as plantar flexion. Standing up on the toes and lifting the heels is an example of
plantar flexion.
   Any forward, backward or upward propulsion of the body involves plantar flexion and its opposite movement dorsi flexion in which the toes are pulled towards the shin.
The anatomy and location of the Achilles tendon make it a key cog in forward, backward or upward movement. As a result it can be a vulnerable part of the body susceptible to injury:

• The more dynamic the movement of the foot in motion the greater the force impact on the Achilles tendon.
• The longer and more continuous the movement , eg. distance running, the greater the possibility of developing a repetitive strain injury.  
• Overuse or a sudden strain can cause inflammation resulting in Achilles tendinitis.  This results in micro tears to the tendon tissue.  
• Achilles tendinitis can develop into Achilles tendinosis. This is a condition in which the collagen or structural protein of the tendon degenerates. The tendon can begin to calcify.
• Physical force or tendinosis can also cause a partial rupture of the tendon.
• Severe physical force or chronic tendinosis can cause a complete rupture of the tendon.

 Are some activities more likely to place undue pressure on the Achilles tendon? In the words of a famous Vice Presidential candidate "You betcha!"

• Risk factors include; tight calf muscles, bone spurs, weak arches, and unsuitable footwear.
• Risky activities include sprinting, jumping, running in soft sand, running on hard surfaces.
• Sports with a high incidence of Achilles tendon injuries, especially ruptures, include track and field, volleyball, football, soccer and basketball.
• Sports like hockey and downhill skiing encase the ankle in foot ware with a protective shell.  Therefore the Achilles tendon may be one of the few body parts not in danger. However in an infamous hockey injury, Ottawa Senator star Erik Karlsson had his Achilles tendon accidentally (???) severed by another player's skate.     
• Use of antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin can weaken the Achilles tendon thus making it susceptible to tearing or rupturing.

   Prevention is the first line of defense in protecting the Achilles tendon:

• Stretch the calf muscles and the tendon after workouts.
• Don't over train. Middle and long distance runners especially seem to feel that 'more is better'.  You won't get fitter if you get injured. 
• Increase workout volume only in small gradual increments.
• Increase workout intensity only in small gradual increments.
• Plyometric training -explosive jumping exercises - can help the body prepare for dynamic sports movements. However, this form of training should be done carefully and properly. preferably under the guidance of a qualified Fitness Trainer. There are many examples of athletes rupturing the Achilles tendon in the off season while performing plyometric exercises.

Ideally, you want to nip an Achilles tendon issue in the bud:

• Stop any impact exercises if there is pain in the back of the lower leg or heel.
• Do not resume impact exercises until pain is completely gone.
• RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation - may provide short term relief.
• Using ice for injuries is currently being questioned by the sports science community. Until it has been totally ruled out as an effective treatment, I would continue to recommend ice therapy.
• Do not hesitate to see a sports medicine doctor if pain persists.
• A doctor will likely give a referral for physiotherapy.
• A cortisone shot may reduce inflammation however this may weaken the tissue over the long term resulting in a tendon rupture.

The worst case scenario is a partial or complete Achilles tendon rupture.:There are different possible treatments:

• Non-operative treatment number 1 - The torn ends are pulled together and the foot is put in a cast. It is hoped the the tendon will regenerate itself if kept immobile.
• Non-operative treatment number 2 - Platelet rich plasma treatment in which the patient's own blood is spun in a centrifuge and transfused back into the patient. This is a new and less orthodox methodology that is not without controversy.
• Operative - Surgery in which the torn tendon ends are sewed back  together. This is followed by a period of immobilization.
• All methods would require physiotherapy afterwards.
• The choice of treatment would depend upon which physician you go to for treatment. Do your homework on the sports medicine practitioners in your region.

   The most important considerations are obvious.
Proper training can prevent possible Achilles tendon issues.
Achilles tendon issues should not be ignored. 
Give proper time to heal your heel !                                                               
                                                             

The Achilles tendon - so thick - yet so vulnerable.
If only my abs were this well defined.

(Picture by  PT Instructor R. Boulanger)

Until Next Time

Keep Fit !

Little Bobby Strong










Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit

    

Why I Hate the Biggest Loser Even More !

   The reality television show 'The Biggest Loser' has once again come under fire. 'The Biggest Loser' is that show where bullying, drill sergeant type, so-called Fitness Trainers prod obese contestants to lose outrageous amounts of body weight in short periods of time. The Biggest Loser gets the prize money.
   I have previously written critical bogs on "the Biggest Loser' premise and on bully celebrity Trainer Jillian Michaels.  Although the show is a ratings hit it it is cringe worthy for real life Fitness Trainers if not something to be totally avoided. I asked mentor and Fitness Training colleague Gregg Harvey of Fit N Well in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada his opinion on the show. His answer "Dude, I don't watch it! It is a waste of valuable time and not reflective of what Fitness Training should be about."

   My previous issues with the Biggest Loser were outlined in previous blogs:

• Extremely obese contestants were rushed into a fitness regime that was too much -too soon!
• Since the goal of the contest was to lose the most weight in a set period of time, safe and gradual exercise progression was not a consideration.
• Having unfit and obese individuals doing high intensity, high impact movements such as ballistic, plyometric jumps is a recipe for severe joint injuries!
• The focus was on weight loss rather than on health. Fat loss is but one component of fitness and it is best approached in slow but steady increments not as a race against time.
• Contestants were put on an extreme low calorie diet. This can lead to short term weight loss but in the long run is not sustainable.
• 'Biggest Loser' Fitness Trainers adhere to the bullying tactics of an extreme marine drill sergeant caricature to cajole and shame contestants into pushing themselves harder. Jillian Michaels, who has since left the show, epitomized this behavior. People who were obese as youths may have experienced enough bullying to last a lifetime.

   Let me be clear - this is a reality television show. The purpose is to entertain the viewing audience.
Obviously the ratings prove that 'the Biggest Loser' is successful. The element of competition (and winning money) also helps keep the contestants focused and adhering to the program.Members of the viewing audience may become inspired to try and make lifestyle changes.
   The downside is that for many of the viewing public, this is their idea of how real world Fitness Trainers operate. The same audience may also believe that such an extreme exercise program is the way the only route available to lose weight and get healthy. This can be dangerous for those that try to lose weight using such extreme methods without supervision. More tentative types may be scared off by the thought that this is the only viable way to lose weight. 
Reality television does not reflect fitness reality!


   Now there may be new reasons to dismiss this show as being inspirational and cast doubt on its Fitness Trainers as role models.

• Scientific follow ups of former contestants suggest that most regain much of the weight back.
• Further scientific speculation is that the extreme methods of exercise and low calorie diet cause permanent 'metabolic damage'. Supposedly the starvation type dieting slows the energy burning capacity of the metabolism for good. 
• The slower metabolism makes it easier to gain back the weight and harder to lose weight than previously.
• A season 2 contestant, Suzanne Mendoca is speaking about possible suing the show for abuse. She claims that the show's doctors and trainers - including celebrity trainer Bob Harper - pushed diuretics, laxatives and ephredrine products on the contestants
• Former contestant Kai Hubbard claims that she was subjected to constant 'fat shaming', verbal bullying and harassment.
• Hubbard and Mendoca both claim that contestants were encouraged to 'purge' or vomit to lose weight.
• The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department is supposedly investigating the show for pushing controlled meds and possibly even for 'illegal' narcotic use on set.

Remember - so far these are only allegations!

Defenders of the Biggest Loser point out that the show has it's own in-house medical staff to monitor the health of the contestants. My response is:

So did Elvis, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Where are they now?

Ben Johnson and Lance Armstrong had their own medical staff as well.
Most doctors follow the creed of 'Do no harm.' A very few do not.

If investigations prove that there is some substance to the accusations it may be time for the television powers that be to make some tough decisions.
Instead of chiseling a Six-Pack into the midsection of a 400 pound contestant, it may be time to consider Deep-Sixing this reality television show.
                                                                                                                     

Take a morbidly obese person .
Add high impact exercise.  plus
Caffeine pills in one hand and laxatives in the other.
=  Trouble Ahead.........?
(photo compliments of famed fitness icon R. Boulanger)

   
Until Next Time

Keep Fit
(the healthy way)

 
Little Bobby Strong













Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit

Phenomenal Abdominals

   Some years ago I was supplementing my  Fitness Training income by working for a landscaping company. I drove around to different sites in Edmonton and then unloaded 50 pound bags of some type of dirt by pouring the contents into a wheelbarrow. This went on for about a month in October. The rush was on to get work done before the fierce northern winter shut us down. I was showering one night when I noticed something pleasantly shocking in a floor length mirror. It looked as though a plough had run over my midsection. I was ripped in the middle! My once doughy breadbasket had turned to stone!   Gadzooks  -  I had abs!
   Usually I can summon up a vague resemblance to a six pack by tightening up my stomach and squeezing like I' m constipated. In this case I didn't have to tighten or flex. The six muscular ridges just magically appeared when my shirt came off. This hadn't happened since my peak amateur wrestling days.
   Abdominal muscles are the holy grail of exercising for aesthetics. They are the first thing that attracts the human eye to a fit human organism. They are also the body part that that can be the most complex and difficult to train. I have listed some important considerations of training the abdomen otherwise known as the midsection:

1. The abdominals also combine with the lower back and hips to form the core of the body. 
2. In just about any sports movement the power comes from the core.
3. There are actually 4 muscle groups composing the abdomen -The Rectus Abdominus (the front 6-pack), the Transverse Abdominis, The External Oblique, and the Internal Oblique.
4. Athletes are more concerned about core stability and strength than the actual physical appearance. 
5. However exercise movements focusing on core muscles usually develop shapely ab muscles as well.  

   There has been a historical progression of midsection training since exercise and fitness became fashionable.

• The staple of ab exercises used to be the sit up with the feet hooked to an immovable object. 
• Sit ups utilize the hip flexor muscles to contract the spine thus lessening the abdominal contraction. 
• Overly developed hip flexors can cause a forward pelvic tilt posture when standing up.
• Forward pelvic tilt can lead to a postural condition known as 'sway back' in which the abdomen protrudes making even skinny people seem like they have a gut.
• Sit ups evolved into crunches with the feet not hooked to an immovable object.
• Legs lifts with bent knees became vogue to also work the lower abs.
• Exercise scientists theorized that abdominal training should follow the 'All or None' rule in which the abs contract as a whole unit - not by isolating the lower and upper abs. This is also more likely to incorporate all 4 of the abdominal muscle groups.
• This led to the ab training slogan "Integrate - not Isolate!"
• Another similar slogan is  "Train Movements - Not Muscles". 
• Whole body movement such as athletes use became the trend to work the midsection. This may explain my results with the month of intense landscaping work. That also may be why  competitors of MMA, UFC, grapplers and wrestlers often have the most ripped abs. 
• Medicine Balls, Kettlebells, CrossFit, and Olympic Style Weightlifting  utilize the principle of whole body movements. 
• Recent studies show that cycling motions from a supine position cause the greatest muscular stimulation of the abs. 
• Exercise balls and Bosu Balls are also widely used now for Ab work. Fitness Trainers such as Greg Harvey from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada have had outstanding success with clients using exercise balls as training tools.

   An important point to remember - no matter how well developed the abdominal muscles are, they will not be visible if covered with a layer of fat. Some  heavyweight Olympic Weightlifters and Powerlifters have super strong core muscles but also have high adipose layers in the midsection. Therefore you don't see the six-pack look on them. Cardiovascular training or high intensive training can help reduce overall body fat.

   Also important - you can't spot reduce. Thousands of crunches won't burn belly fat. Body fat reduction requires a full body effort. 

This leads to the age-old important question, What is the best exercise for getting a six-pack looking midsection. The best answer that I can give is: There is none !
Each person is different. Their goals vary. There body structures vary. Some have flexible hips which favor certain movements. Those with tight hip flexors (like me) must experiment to duplicate the results that I got from the landscaping job. 

  Contrary to much media advertising, there is no magic pill (at least not a legal one),  food supplement, sweat girdle, vibrating belt, or electrical device that magically melts belly fat.
Invest the money that you would spend on such claims or buy a gym membership, a bike or some good running shoes.    

Ab training also requires safety considerations. The most important are:

• Protect the spine
• At one time it was believed that tightening the lower back while training abs (forward pelvic tilt) protected the spine and made for a better muscular contraction.
• Recent studies trend towards keeping a neutral or relaxed spine.
• Comfort should be your guide. You want to attain muscular fatigue but not cause actual pain especially in the back.

As always for you or your Fitness Training clients,
 common sense and safety are the priority. 

Phenomenal Abdominals  !!!
No that's not me and it's not Gerard Butler in '300'..
That is a freestyle wrestling legend in peak condition
 before the most recent Canadian Olympic Trials. 

 


Until next time,

Keep Fit


Little Bobby Strong

















Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit

                                                 



         

Your Friendly Neighborhood Fitness Center ?

   In theory it all sounds so convenient. Instead of braving traffic and eating valuable time travelling to a place to work out, just go to your friendly neighborhood fitness center. Ideally this would be located in a fairly affluent urban area. Industrial zones or pedestrian challenging suburban shopping centers are less desirable. This is a recent trend in the fitness business. The business plan appears sound. There are a number of fitness chains now using this unique formula.

   Most such places are open 24/7. Members have an access card to obtain admission. They usually change and shower at home. Security cameras ensure that solitary patrons feel safe if they are working out during quiet hours. Supposedly jacked-to-the-gills muscleheads are discouraged from joining although I can't envision such clubs turning away anyone offering to pay the membership fees.  
   Many people are tired of the concept of mega fitness complexes with the high pressure sales techniques and the January New Year's resolution crowds! The corner fitness center  offers a viable alternative.     Your friendly neighborhood fitness center also offers the services of Personal Fitness Trainers.
   I actually worked at one such business for a few months, The problem was that I didn't feel that the management was giving the support that was promised in my contract, Free consultations were slotted at times that I was officially unavailable. The management in turn wanted me to give up all of my other fitness training related ventures. I was not even going to consider that until I had built up a significant client base from their membership. The head office was in a different part of the city. The lines of communication were minimal. Our expectations differed significantly.
   We mutually decided to make my contract null and void. There was no acrimony on my part. These situations tend to be the norm in the fitness industry.
   Now it turns out that my decision to not give up my other fitness ventures was the correct choice! This particular club has been shuttered by the landlord for being in arrears of the rent!  This also can be the norm in the cut throat world of the fitness industry. The city of Ottawa built a new sports complex for Canadian Football a short distance away. The complex had a mega fitness club as a tenant. This new center combined with possible head office neglect likely drained away many of the existing and potential members. I feel vindicated!
   
   I also feel concern for both the members and the Fitness Trainers. I can only offer some advice for someone joining any private fitness club:

•  Don't pay for more than a month at a time unless you can afford to lose that money.
•  If the fitness center goes bankrupt, into receivership or just belly up, your lost fees are low on the payback scale.
• If you want to quit or sense that the business is in trouble, give at least a month notice or you will still be billed from your direct withdrawal.
• If the club is part of a chain, your membership may be honored at another club. However it will be in another part of the city. Forget about the convenience factor. 
• Read your membership contract carefully before signing.

   Fitness Trainers at a club that fails also have some concerns:

• You may have a number of clients paid in advance with no workout facility.  
• Another club in the same chain may accept you and your clients. Once again, the convenience factor due to commute time is affected.
• Fitness Trainers sign a contract that prohibits them from working for a nearby competitor for a specified period of time if they quit or get fired.
•  The contract may specify that you and your signed clients can only work at another club that is part of the chain.
•  If not,  you may be able to entice another fitness center to accept you and your clientele.
• Read your Fitness Trainer contract carefully before signing.

   For members or Fitness Trainers at civic or city run facilities, such concerns are rare.
Fitness is great.....but.....the fitness business can be a shark tank!

Until Next Time,

Little Bobby Strong

Your friendly neighborhood fitness center.
Convenient! Uncrowded! Always open!

What's this?  No more convenient club !
The small print below the picture scope reads
"FOR NOT PAY RENT - YOU EVICTED !

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit

The Latest Performance Enhancing Drug - Meldonium

   Once again the sports world is rife with drama, scandal and alleged cheating. That's what makes it the best reality show in the world!  However ethics invariably takes a back seat to performance.
Every time I thought that I was ready to post this blog, another development regarding this drug hit the news channels.
    The substance in question is a pharmaceutical called Meldonium.
Meldonium is a drug produced in Latvia for treating heart issues such as angina and heart disease. Like many such medicinal agents, Meldonium increases oxygen flow to and from the heart. This can increase cardiovascular endurance.
   Surprise! Surprise! Outwardly healthy athletes have been using Meldonium as a performance enhancer. In most cases Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED's) were originally created to treat severe health deficiencies. However Machiavellian sports alchemists invariably discover that sometimes these miracle medicines can also improve certain aspects of sports physiology!

 The inventor of Meldonium claims that this drug does not enhance or improve stamina or endurance. It merely protects the heart from the strain and stress of endurance training!
Strange - I always thought that the strain and stress from training was what caused physical adaptation leading to improved function. This is known as the SAID principle.
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. Gradual progression leads to improvement.
Taking medication to protect from the physiological after effects of exercise seems to contradict this principle. 


   The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) finally declared Meldonium to be a banned substance as of January 1, 2016. More surprise - since then world class athletes have been testing positive. Actually  130 athletes have had this drug turn up in their system. This tally increases almost daily.

     The growing list of positive testing athletes seems to take on some nostalgic patterns:

• A long track speed skating men's world champion..... This Russian speed skater served a 2 year doping ban as a junior. Accidents can happen - more than once! 
• A male short track speed skating  Olympic and world champion - also Russian.
• A 16 year old Russian woman figure skater.
• The biggest test failure - tennis star Maris Sharapova. She claims that she was taking this medication for 10 years for a variety of health ailments. She claims to be unaware that Meldonium became a banned substance on January 1. She lives in Florida but still has links to the Russian sports hierarchy.
• Up to this time 130 athletes have tested positive for Meldonium.
• So far 29 Russians have tested positive for this drug.
• A wrestler from Georgia (part of the former Soviet Union) was one of those with the drug in his system. Amateur wrestling bouts can last as long a 6 minutes. An endurance boost could be an asset.
• Just yesterday the news broke that 80% of the Russian under 18 hockey team has tested positive for Meldonium. The full team is being replaced by the Under 17 team before the world Under 18 Championships. This of course adds to the tally of 130 athletes and 29 Russians testing positive.

For some reason I remain skeptical. 

• Is it reasonable to expect that young world class athletes should require heart medication?  
• Is it possible that the sports communication system did not publicize well enough that Meldonium was recently placed on the forbidden substance list?
• Are the remnants of the Eastern Block state sponsored doping programs still alive?
•  Could all of these positive readings all be just a misunderstanding.
• The Russian sports federation DID test and replace the whole Under 18 hockey team. Could this be a sign of a new vigilance and and a n honest attempt to come clean?
• Since Meldonium is a recent banned drug it is conceivable that previous medals and championships will not be censured.
• 2 prominent Russian doping control doctors were about to go public. Both recently died of 'natural' causes. Talk about cleaning house. 

   Meldonium apparently tends to stay in a user's system for up to a few months after it's last consumption. This is supposedly why many athletes are testing positive while thinking that all traces have been eliminated from the body. 

   As a die hard track fan I lived through the Ben Johnson saga where Canadian Olympic type sports federations got serious about getting rid of performance enhancing drugs. The United States Anti Doping Agency took down one of their own legends in Lance Armstrong. Some countries seem to approach the war on doping with a less fervent zeal. This can make for a very uneven playing field.
   I would hate to see full teams barred from Olympics and World championships. Clean athletes may suffer as well. However full teams under suspicion should undergo intensive unbiased doping tests for ALL hopeful competitors.. 

   Sports doping may be a war that will never be won ! The Olympics are coming up this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Throw in the  corruption that clings to every Olympics, Brazil's current political troubles, the water pollution at many sport venues and the mosquito borne Zika Virus and this summer could get hot and scandalous.There will also be some super athletic achievements.
I just may be spending a few evenings watching the tube for both sports magnificence and potential train wrecks!

If you are a fitness trainer and your client indicates that they are on a heart medication such as Meldonium, you should only continue working with them after receiving a PAR MED X form from a physician. Otherwise if something goes wrong you are liable. I wonder if some of these elite coaches got that memo?

                                       

Unlike steroids, Meldonium does not have masculinizing side effects for
women athletes.............. Or does it ??
Maria.........Is that you ???
(Picture compliments of apartment security cameras. Alcohol may have been a factor)

Until Next Time

Little Bobby Strong














 

Links
schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank

AudienceBuilder.ca

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview/rabbitview-crossfit