My Freestyle Wrestling Comeback - and a 30 Year Old Grudge Match

 The van full of wrestlers was about a half an hour from Calgary en route from Edmonton. The assistant coach Vang looked back from the front passenger seat and made an announcement. "The dual tournament starts at 6:00 pm. We are running slightly behind. Start warming up as soon as we arrive."  The he looked right at me and said "Are you pumped Bobby. After all these years, its finally Show Time!"
   My head quickly snapped up from a relaxed, recline position. Peaceful travel bliss was suddenly replaced by physical shock.  " B-b- but I thought the duals were only for the varsity wrestlers. I'm just a club wrestler. I don't suit up until tomorrow!"
   "We knew how raring to go you were." replied Vang. "We got you an exhibition match." 
A stomach churning, sickly, overwhelming feeling of impending disaster suddenly possessed my whole being - body, mind, and soul!  "It's just that I was mentally prepared for tomorrow." I protested.
"Re-prepare yourself!"  a veteran varsity wrestler shouted snidely. Easy for him to say. This would be my first wrestling match in over 15 years and at a much higher skill level.
................................................................................................................................

The van pulled into a dilapidated looking recreation center in a seedy part of town just south of the Calgary stampede grounds. I felt like I was on my death march as I trudged from the van across the parking lot. I looked to the west. If it were daytime and clear, the Rocky Mountains were be visible on the horizon. That's where a sane person my age would be - off in the mountains skiing, not trying to be a middle aged gladiator. We walked down into a basement area of the building into what would surely be the site of my last days in this world. It felt as though I had descended into a barbaric scenario of human cock fighting. I could envision high dollar wagers being placed against me like a short trader betting against Nortel stock. "Gadzooks! What have I done!" I said to myself.
...............................................................................................................................

How had it all come to this? Blame it on a mid life crisis! My government job was Dullsville! The last relationship had hit the rocks with extreme force. My track and field and road running days were in decline. Beer league hockey and the weight room were great but for some reason I longed for more. I kept thinking back to my high school days in Ottawa when I was the city novice wrestling champion. My university had no wrestling team. Maybe amateur wrestling was my true calling, even after over a decade and a half. Maybe I could've been a contender!
 One day I ran into the then University of Alberta wrestling coach, Mike Payette, by the running track.He was from my hometown of Ottawa. I inquired about working out with the grapplers. "We always need fresh meat and more throwing dummies!" Mike replied. "Every one is welcome." That was enough encouragement. I was all in!
.....................................................................................................................................

A mid life crisis or a driven man on a comeback mission?

........................................................................................................................................
I reluctantly trudged towards the schedule on the wall of that wretched dungeon basement to view the match order. As I was reading it, Shaun, the new head U of Alberta wrestling coach came over and inquired. "Who do you wrestle?"
"Some guy named Podlog." I answered.
"Ah, Mad Dog Podlog! He's a ferocious upcoming young stud." coach Shaun informed me.
"Mad Dog Podlog." I muttered. "Why do I so not like the sound of that?"
Coach Shaun pointed over my shoulder. "That's the Mad Dog, over there."
I reluctantly turned to look and immediately wished that I hadn't. The focus of the pointing glared back at us. I was staring at a cauliflower - eared, muscular mutant with a shoulders like mountains and upper arms like cannon balls. His canyon - like abdominal ridges must have been caused by a combine plow running over his midsection. The Michelangelo that had chiseled his body from granite had forgot to include the neck. 'That's great!" I muttered. "That's just great!" 
"Shaun, there''s no way that that guy is in my weight class. He's immense. Maybe I should bow out and rest up for tomorrow." I pleaded.
   "Sure, go ahead and bow out. You will be my sparring partner all next week. You also be first man up for the shark bait drills!" the coach threatened.
Getting the coach's infamous, vengeful cross face blocks across my nose during leg take down practice was not appealing. Being the man in the middle for shark bait and attacks by a succession of wrestlers was also frightful.  Some choice: Punishment by broken nose and gang beating or punishment at the hands of some psycho-eyed hooligan named Mad Dog! 

Mad Dog Podlog (black and red singlet) a human wrecking machine!

.............................................................................................................................
As I was warming up I accidentally crossed paths with my psycho-eyed nemesis. I decided to try and butter him up a bit and dull his homicidal edge. Better the Devil you know! I caught his eye and cheerfully said "Looks like we're up soon. Should be fun." All I got in return was a cold, calculating stare as he retorted in a deep gravelly voice "You will not have fun!" I feared that he was right about that.
..............................................................................................................................
About 5 minutes before our bout was to start I watched the Mad Dog go into the washroom. I followed him in. It was time to try a different tactic. I would deflate him psychologically before the match. I pretended to be adjusting my wrestling singlet in the mirror as he came out of the toilet cubicle. I turned to him and pointed to a mat abrasion on my stomach. "Does this rash look contagious to you?" I asked him.
The Mad Dog stepped back and for a brief millisecond I thought I saw hesitation in his eyes. Had I gotten to him? Was there a slight decrease in his homicidal intent? Did I detect a hint of fear?
But then just as quickly, his eyes snapped back to those of a cold, calculating hit man for a mafia gang.
Great! Just great! Now he was really going to do a number on me.I had taken a bad situation and made it much, much worse!
.....................................................................................................................................................
I sat on the bench and tried to encourage myself with positive self talk. "The city is a jungle and I'm just a beast. Any other wrestler is just another feast!" I chanted to myself.
"Match number 4, Podlog in the blue and Coakley in the red, on mat B " came the dreaded announcement over the speaker. I stood up and tried to walk to the center of the mat. I could not move. My legs had turned to sugar free jello. I looked across the mat and saw the Mad Dog walking towards the referee in the center of the mat. He was now salivating as he likely contemplated chewing away at the tasty brain marrow that lay just below the cranium of my frontal skull. I still couldn't move until coaches Vang and Shaun shoved me towards the center of the mat. "Have fun." they said in unison. 
   "F-f-f-fun!" I muttered meekly. I walked towards the referee and the impatient Mad Dog. I walked towards certain cataclysm! I held out a quivering arm for the hand shake and the referee's whistle to start the bout. Then it came, from deep in my soul, that  unadulterated,, woeful sound of  fear and doom! "Nooooooooooooooooooo!"

In the red trunks - The Comeback Kid!
In the Blue Trunks  Mad Dog Podlog!

................................................................................................................................................................

                                            The Combatants 30 Years Later....................................

Jeremy 'Mad Dog' Podlog is an award winning documentary filmmaker. 
His homicidal instinct is now more under control with therapy.

                            Check out his website at www.rabbitview.com
29 years later, this mutant scored a silver medal at the Canadian Championships.

Bob 'Killer' Coakley -a self given moniker of course-
(center with 2 fitness protegees-cash transactions may have been involved?)         
 is now a Sports/Fitness Blogger, and Fitness Influencer
with another self given moniker 'Little Bobby Strong'

Until next time,   Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong   

Links

https://www.mianairforce.com/

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

  

Will the Coronavirus Crisis Change the Fitness Training Industry?

 Most of us have never seen anything like this in our lifetime!

Due to this COVID 19 pandemic, all non-essential businesses throughout much of the world are closed. People are being ordered to self -isolate. The closed businesses include fitness centers, private fitness training studios, aerobics classes, and indoor spin and cycling clubs. They are not considered essential services.

   All businesses are affected but Fitness Trainers are especially vulnerable. What are the possible options for Fitness Trainers to continue plying their trade?

Fitness centers: Most are closed for an indeterminate time in much of the civilized world. This option is a no go for the present time! Given my experience with fitness center chains, they are unlikely to continue paying their trainers while they are closed.

Personal Fitness Training studios: If the business is registered and incorporated it is likely closed. To try and sneak in clients on the sly could earn a Fitness Trainer some stiff legal consequences or at the very least, some public shaming as a COVIDIOT.

Visiting the client at their residence: There are Fitness Training companies that specialize in this specific business plan. The client would need workout equipment, the Fitness Trainer would need portable fitness equipment; or the Fitness Trainer would need to improvise using body weight exercises or aerobic activities such as running. Personal distance precautions would be prudent and wise.

Meeting the client at a park or other convenient neutral place: Again, there would be a need for portable exercise equipment or to improvise using body weight exercises or playground climbing bars, hills, running or bicycling. Social distancing is still a necessity.

Train your clients interactively online: This can be done using skype, digital cameras or even just e-mailing or messaging the client. The online training phenomenon is currently exploding. YouTube has no shortage of online fitness gurus pedaling training packages. A Fitness Trainer without a place to work with their clients may be tempted to try this. Such a personal training route could have some underlying issues.              

·         The online field may be already saturated. The newcomer will be jumping in against established online trainers. There are possibly more online trainers than the market will bear. It could be a slow, uphill process rather than a quick financial solution.

·         Does the client really benefit?  Internet training takes the ‘personal’ out of Personal Fitness Trainer.  I tend to share a view held by Edmonton Fitness Trainer Greg Harvey “There are visual cues that you can only pick up by being physically present while the client exercises.”  However, it might be a good way to keep the client engaged and in contact until the health crisis and lock down is over.

·         Could there be legal issues? There are potential safety and liability issues to consider when pushing a client through a strenuous workout but not being in attendance with that client. Some sort of waiver form should be a requirement but even that might not protect totally against a lawsuit for negligence.

·          Fitness Trainers should absolutely have a website to promote and market their services. However, earning a living strictly online might arguably prove to be a difficult, if not questionable, undertaking.

Workout center patrons were greeted by signs like this in mid March of 2020.

   

This current world health crisis leaves the Fitness Training industry in a crux. If the above options are not feasible, what is a Fitness Trainer to do? Some may qualify for employment insurance. Many are private contractors and may or may not have paid into the employment insurance plan. Government emergency payouts are possible but it would mean navigating through a bureaucracy in which civil service employees are working from home.  

There is certain to be a culling of those that work in this industry! This crisis seems to be growing by the day. No one can predict how long it will continue. There are many possible outcomes and questions to the aftermath:

·         Can the Fitness Trainer recover? “When the immediate threat has passed, how many personal trainers will be able to pick up where they left off? How many will even want to?” asks fitness guru Greg Harvey.

·         Will the client return to the fold? Does the client want to start up again paying a Fitness Trainer, especially if they have just finished an extended period of reduced income? If deferred bills have piled up, hiring a trainer could be very low on the priority list.

·         What will happen to Fitness Trainers that have fitness studio rent, warehouse leases, equipment and staff pay? According to Harvey, many personal training studios open and then go bankrupt within a few years year even in the best of times. “How many can weather the storm through this type of catastrophe?”

·         It seems probable that only the strong will survive. Fitness Training is close to a saturation point. There is a growing population of Fitness Trainers, but the growth of the client base is questionable. Screen time on a phone or computer appears to have the winning hand for people’s attention.

·         Expect a weeding out in the fitness industry. Harvey forecasts rough times ahead! I agree. Many full-time trainers could move on to other careers. Some might seek other jobs and keep the Fitness Training as a sideline part time gig.

·         Home exercise equipment is certain to have a resurgence when emergency health measures end and the economy begins to recover. Expect companies such as Peloton, with its interactive fitness guide, to explode with sales. I predict that the rise of the machines may sadly make Fitness Trainers obsolete. The new world order may be upon us! Please let me be wrong!

Will this become a common sight in the future world of fitness?

Until next time

Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

Lifetime Membership- The Family Fitness Center Fiasco

   Big box fitness franchises first started to appear in the 1980's. Not coincidentally fitness center scams started to occur around the same time. I was living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada when the World University Games,aka, the Universiade came to town in 1983. I used to freeload and just walk into the University of Alberta weight room to work out. After a facility upgrade for the games, freeloader access was denied. I offered to pay membership fees but this was only allowed for students, staff or alumni.
   The frugal thing to do would have been to join a municipal recreation center. However, a friend of mine brought me as a guest to his club, the infamous Family Fitness Center. This was a western Canada franchise with about 5 locations in Edmonton. Each club had state of the art Nautilus machines, group exercise classes, swimming pool, steam, and sauna. What was not to like?
   There was also a growing trend for this club to promote the buying of a lifetime membership! That meant no more monthly or yearly fees and no sign up fees. Pay now and be set for life! This would turn out to be far cheaper than a monthly fee for years on end.  It seemed an offer that only a fool would turn down. I was no fool, or so I thought. I went for the gusto!
   It was so long ago that I can't totally recollect but I think that there was also an option to buy the lifetime membership in 2 or 3 monthly installments. I think I forked over few hundred plus dollars for 3 consecutive months. Boom. bang, bing! It was now clear sailing for a lifetime -or was it?
  
 The problem with this sort of sales paradigm is that it may not be sustainable long term. A steady stream of monthly income is replaced with a short term influx of more money. The trend for many fitness center franchises is that membership sales often slow down or stagnate. The less likely scenario is that there will be so many lifetime members that the club will be overly crowded and unmanageable during peak hours. Sometime in early 1985 the first scenario occurred. Family Fitness Center suddenly closed their doors without warning. If fact, they were selling lifetime memberships the very day before they shut down. Family Fitness Center had gone into receivership. 
   They were then bought out by another fitness franchise called ClubFit. What did this mean for those who had purchased lifetime memberships?

1. Lifetime memberships would be partially honored but not totally by ClubFit.
2. Those with Family Fitness Club memberships would have their sign-up membership fees waived if they wanted to continue with ClubFit.
3. Those same members would be now required to pay a monthly membership fee. 

   Those that joined early, like me, got off relatively easy. I was able to get almost a year and a half out of the club's services before they went under. Those that bought in late would have to:

1. Accept ClubFit's watered down deal.
2. Suck it up and take the financial hit.
3. Try their luck with litigation in small claims court. 

Supposedly the Family Fitness Center contract was worded heavily in favor of the club.

There are some things to always be informed about of when handing over money: Ponzi schemes, penny stocks, used cars, horse racing tips and fitness club memberships. Always do your research first. Scams await in plenty!

The Alberta provincial government historically had a policy of not interfering in private business with rules and regulation. After the media outcry from the Family Fitness Center fall out the Alberta government finally made it unlawful for such businesses to sell lifetime memberships.
   I wound taking the loss and then bought a pass for a municipal fitness center. I also continued to 'occasionally' sneak into the University of Alberta weight room when the front desk staff was preoccupied.  No fool am I !

Why pay for a month at a time when you can pay it all at once for a lifetime?

Until next time,   Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong   

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

  

Mob Hit at the Fitness Center

   You heard right!  Yesterday there was a shooting in the parking lot at an Ottawa 'big box' fitness center. The victim is in critical condition. It was probably not a random act of violence. The victim had ties to the Rizzuto crime family of Montreal. Think crime family as in Sicilian Mafia! This is the same Rizutto crime family depicted in the TV series 'Bad Blood'.

   Usually the only criminal activity at a 'big box' fitness center is the way management treats Fitness Trainers or the delay tactics used on cancelling payment withdrawals from a new member who has run out of fitness enthusiasm one week into the new year.

So you want to cancel your gym membership?
How about if we cancel you instead!

   This is not to say that the world of exercise training is free of unsavory elements.

•  Boxing gym folklore has a long history of association with hustlers, gamblers, gangsters, and has beens. Go watch Rocky, Raging Bull, or Requiem for a Heavyweight. 
• Body building culture has always had a creepy underside of nude modelling (mostly male), sex for hire (also mostly male), and extreme steroid abuse. Pro bodybuilders seem to have short life spans.
• Hard core weight training gyms often have no shortage of muscle heads, career bouncers, and locker room steroid mongers. 
• When I lived in Edmonton, Canada, a certain hard core gym was frequented by members of a notorious biker gang with a California origin.
• There have been cases where underworld associates were taken out going to or from a boxing gym or a hard core weight room.  This is more due to the fact that it can be a part of the victim's schedule and therefore easier to track or stake out. This is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing at a family oriented fitness center.

In most cases, if you go to such less refined places to work out and mind your own business, you are not in any danger. unless you try to bench press too much weight without a spotter or box with some palooka that is out of your league. 
 

   Likewise with public exercise facilities or private fitness centers.

• Workout centers are usually inhabited by people who are into self-improvement. The risk of  being assaulted or getting 'whacked' is almost non-existent.
• A common crime concern may be the theft of valuables from the locker or change rooms. Take practical preventive measures.
• The parking lot may be an area of risk for robbery or assault if the fitness center is in a questionable neighborhood. Take precautions -especially women.
• Theft from vehicles, or theft of vehicles, can be an issue in any neighborhood.  Get a reliable car alarm. 

Supposedly the victim in the Ottawa shooting was trying to turn his life around. Working out was part of his new lifestyle. If so, this is a tragic set back! I will post updates of his condition as the press releases them.

https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/man-critical-with-gunshot-wounds-in-meadowlands-and-merivale-incident/wcm/8536ad30-d020-4b24-b4e6-bfc2bfee9868

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI-v-hnX2OU

Until Next Time,  Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

Greg Harvey, Personal Trainer, Fitness Influencer, Renaissance Man

Greg Harvey has made an impact as a media savvy Personal Fitness Trainer, a wildlife photographer, a trendsetter, an innovator and a renaissance man! 
   I first met Greg in 1997 in Edmonton at an information session for a new program that was to be initiated at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). The program was advertised as the first of its kind in Canada, a college level course of studies in Personal Fitness Training. Most of us were likely attending the info session out of curiosity but I distinctly remember that this tall, intense, focused individual was also present. This individual was Greg Harvey.  He was not there out of curiosity but for a distinct purpose.  He knew exactly what he needed and this program was it!
We both were accepted into the program and became colleagues and forever connected by the fitness link.
   Greg had a strong career background in sales as well as having worked in the oil industry. He knew how to close a sale. Now he just needed the right product to sell - a product that he truly believed in.. His past recreational pursuits included volleyball, squash, boxing, weight training and even marathon running. He also had a comedic talent for infusing moments of humor into something that seemed like drudgery.These were all elements that would successfully turn his avocation - fitness - into his vocation.

 Greg graduated with Honors from NAIT and set up Fit'N'Well Personal Training Inc.
Fit'N'Well started out by providing a service in which the Fitness Trainer would come to the client's residence. Greg also began offering Fitness Training at the Terrace Fitness and Racquet club at the Radisson Hotel in south Edmonton.

   Fit'N'Well attracted clients to the point that Greg began hiring other Fitness Trainers. He also worked out a deal to manage and provide exercise classes and training services for the Scotia Place Fitness Center in Edmonton's central business district. 

   
   Fit'N'Well uses a 3 pronged approach to help clients achieve their fitness goals: 

1.  Find an activity that the client enjoys such as weight training, aerobics,squash, racquetball, yoga or running and make that the focus of each workout. Fit 'N'Well employs group exercise specialists and yoga instructors to help meet the needs of its clients.
2. Have the client be accountable for their own eating habits. Although Greg is a practicing vegan, he does not push this lifestyle onto his clients. He does refer to the Canada Food Guide and promotes sensible food choices. (Despite what you see on the internet, it is beyond the scope of a Fitness Trainer to give meal plans to clients or put them on the path to extreme diets). 
3. Throw in extra group activities such as weekend hikes, laser tag evenings, squash tournaments, tennis ball soccer, or raquetball court volleyball games to add a fun, social element.

Greg and Client and Newspaper write Up

Fitness is a results driven occupation and Greg has run up a list of accomplishments.

• Fit 'N' Well has helped multitudes of clients lose excess body fat in a safe and sensible manner.
• Numerous sedentary or unhealthy people have improved their quality of life using Fit N Well principles and guidance
• Greg has been a spokesperson and media sounding board for the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.

Fit'N'Well has has been at the vanguard of the Edmonton fitness scene for 20 plus years now. This is no easy feat in an oil dependent Alberta economy that historically goes from boom to bust repeatedly. Right now is another bust time.

Fit'N'Well has had its ebb and flow periods as well as numerous challenges unique to the Fitness Training profession.

• 20 years ago, Fitness Trainers were rarely employees of a fitness center. They were mostly independent contractors responsible for finding their own clients. When they did find a client, the fitness center would demand a cut of the fee. This cut was sometimes as much as 50%. 
•  Greg challenged this paradigm! After all, he was providing a service to club members as well as drawing in new members who came to the facility to train with him. The club was already benefiting without having to take a substantial portion of his earnings. The fitness centers that Greg operates out of were progressive enough to buy into this concept and not take a cut of his fee when he brought in new members. He also helped these fitness clubs to redesign  their internet websites to promote the Fitness Training services. 
• Unfortunately, to this day, many fitness clubs still take a large portion of a Fitness Trainer's action while providing nothing more than a facility for the trainers to operate out of. 
•  When Fitness Training was in its infancy anyone could call themselves a Fitness Trainer. Some were gym rats with no credentials. Others had weekend certifications. A 4 year Bachelors degree in physical education (often called kinesiology) was geared more towards preparing gym teachers or sports coaches rather than Personal Fitness Trainers. The NAIT program was meant to prepare actual Fitness Trainers. Municipal recreation centers in the metropolitan Edmonton region only allowed people with Phys Ed degrees to operate in their facilities.
• Greg Harvey challenged the status quo and pushed for change. NAIT PFT grads or the equivalent with jobs or contracts at such facilities owe a debt of gratitude to this fitness pioneer. 
• Retaining Fitness Trainers is an ongoing issue. They don't seem to last long. According to Greg "The average life span of a trainer is about 2 to 3 years. Why you might ask? Is it because they have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to see 3 clients, then wait around all day for people to get off work to have more clients for 4:00 to 8:00 p.m? Also remember 15% of those clients may cancel on a given day. We do not keep 9 to 5 hours." 
• Even more disturbing, some Fitness Trainers will work for someone until they get a full client base. They than leave, start their own business , and poach away those clients. Greg shrugged as he explained "Sure, it is in breach of our contract. However, do I have the time to pay a lawyer, take off work, and sue every trainer that pulls such a stunt? Besides the possibility of  a judge ruling against you in court, situations like this can drown you in negativity." 
• Greg has since changed his approach to hiring other trainers. "I am learning to treat people as they like to be treated rather than as I would like to be treated. Learning that is a completely different approach."
• Fitness Trainers always have to be accountable for their lifestyle. In Greg's view "Your client is always watching to see if you 'walk the talk' and 'practice what you preach.' While everyone else is going out for beer and pizza, I can guarantee you that I am not! My clients are always asking about my diet and what I ate that day. I don't have the luxury of skipping too many workouts or eating a poor diet which in the long run, I am actually grateful for."

   If you live in the Edmonton area and feel a need to transform yourself physically call Fit'N'Well Personal Training Inc. at (789) 945-6882 or E-Mail greg@fitnwell.com or view the website at www.fitnwell.com  Why wait? Do it now!!!!

Greg Harvey of Fit'N Well Personal Training Inc.
A peaceful but strong man who is not afraid to fight the system when required.

   I also referred to Greg Harvey as a renaissance man. He is not the sort to sit still and stagnate.
He turned his passion for fitness in a Fitness Training business. His other passion is photography - more specifically - wildlife photography. Greg started by taking pictures of wolves, deer, bears, and moose in the Canadian Rockies. Then he began going with safari groups to Africa or Alaska on his  holidays. This has evolved into another business venture www.hwsafaris.ca in which Greg takes groups on photography tours to Africa or Alaska 2 or 3 times a year.
   As Greg explains "Who knows the world's best wildlife spot? It isn't the travel agency. It's the wildlife photographer who has been going to these secret spots for decades. I take small groups to the best places in the world to view wildlife. I document their holiday for them and serve as their professional photographer. At the end of the holiday, I give them the digital images that I take of them while on vacation. That way the images of them are more genuine and they don't have to do fake poses with selfie sticks."
   Just think, during a cold Edmonton winter, doesn't the idea of watching wildlife in an equatorial climate sound appealing? If so call (780) 945-6885 or E-Mail greg@hwphoto.ca or check out the website at www.hwsafaris.ca

It takes stealth and patience to capture a mountain lion on film.

Greg and I have worked together successfully in the past. Now I am brainstorming. How about combining the 2 passions. Fitness and wildlife safaris or maybe even Extreme Fitness Safaris.
For example:

• Can you out run a cheetah when smeared with chicken grease?
• Can you win a snowball fight a baboon - using coconuts instead of snowballs?
• Win a mud wrestling match with a hippo? 
• Lift more weight than a gorilla?
• Swim faster than a Zambezi crocodile?
• Win a tennis ball soccer match against a group of rhinos?

   I am suddenly bustling with brilliant business ideas. Greg, we have to talk....call me!

Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

Are Fitness Trainers at Risk for Sexual Assault ?

There has been an ongoing football drama in the NFL the past few weeks. Antonio Brown, a talented, but volatile pass catcher has been making headlines.

• Brown left the Pittsburgh Steelers under a cloud of on and off field drama. 
• Brown caused controversy by refusing to wear a league mandated helmet.
• He then had a nasty shouting confrontation with the general manager of his team, the Oakland Raiders.. 
• There may have been method to his madness because he then got traded to the New England Patriots, the best football team on the planet.
• The Patriots released him after 1 game due to the sudden revelation of some past sexual harassment and sexual assault cases.

One of the sexual assault complaints was filed in civil court by a former female Fitness Trainer.
https://abc7news.com/sports/antonio-browns-former-trainer-accuses-him-of-rape/5530057/
There are some bizarre elements to these allegations.

• The complainant accused Brown of sexually assaulting her on 2 separate occasions while he was her client.
• He then re-hired her the next year and allegedly raped her again at a training session. 
• It sounds like a 'He said - she said' scenario excepts that Brown sent out some incriminating texts bragging about the incidents.  
• Skeptics may point out that she kept returning to this client.
• Experts opine that victims may continue to associate with the oppressor out of guilt. They often feel partly responsible even though they shouldn't. 

This raises the question, are Fitness Trainers at risk for sexual assault? How often does this happen? I mean to differentiate an actual sexual assault from sexual harassment. Harassment happens all the time, either with flirting or with non incidental touching. Men probably deal with it less frequently and with less intensity. However, you are unlikely to come across any woman Fitness Trainer on the globe who does not have a sordid saga or two about dealing with creepy clients. Most fitness clubs have stringent policies in place to deal with these situations.

   I am interested in focusing more on Fitness Trainers (primarily women) who  train male clients in private studios or during home visits. There is obviously a potential for risk. The Antonio Brown case is the first sexual assault of a Fitness Trainer that that I have heard of of. Statistics on this topic seem rare. (Comments welcome if you have such info) Supposedly, 2 out of 3 sexual assaults go unreported. It is unlikely the fitness world is immune to such abuse!
https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/sexual-harassment-at-the-gym

Fitness Trainers working alone with a client should take extra precautions.

1. Reference checks should be done on a client along with the medical clearance forms. Easier said than done. Few Fitness Trainers can afford to turn away potential paying customers. Reference checks may not reveal a person's dark side.
2. Have an emergency number on speed dial on a cell phone within reach.
3. Alert someone of your whereabouts and the time that you will be there. 
4. If you have a bad feeling about a client, trust your instincts.
5. Keep mentioning your MMA instructor significant other and your uncle with mafia connections. Creeps usually have a cowardly streak.
6. A Fitness Training colleague and mentor of mine provides at-your -home training services as well as training at fitness centers. To quote him "I don’t send female trainers to male client homes. I stopped that about a decade ago after we had some disturbing  experiences. The exception is if the trainer is seeing the wife during the same session." Sometimes avoidance of potential danger is the safest practice.
   
   

If training a client alone -Trust your instincts!

Until Next Time
Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com

Drugs in Sports? Nonsense!

The shady association with performance enhancing drugs( PED's) and the world of sports continues.
What has happened in the last week or so?

• In the Canadian Football League, yardage leading  running back, Andrew Harris of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, had a positive doping test for Metandienone, also spelled as Methanienone. 
• This drug is also known as the original breakfast of football, bodybuilding and weightlifting champions  Dianabol!  https://www.drugs.com/search.php?searchterm=metandienone
• Rarely used anymore for legitimate medical purposes, Dianabol can increase strength and muscle size by allowing for quicker recovery from intense exercise.
• Harris is claiming that he took a legitimate supplement that may have been inadvertently contaminated.  This is not an new claim.
• Many Olympic sports athletes get caught and use the tainted supplement defense. It is a possibility.
• Professional athletes have access to sports doctors and nutritionists. The contaminated supplement excuse becomes less plausible.
• Harris received a 2 game suspension. An Olympic athlete risks a 2 year suspension. Pro baseball players can be banned for half a season or more.

Andrew Harris in flight. Dianabol gives you wings!

The world of international track and field is no stranger to doping controversy. This one involves a contender for the title of 'the World's Fastest Man' American sprinter Christian Coleman.

• Coleman is in the hot seat for missing 3 drug tests within a 12 month span. 
• Such a situation is considered a doping violation with an automatic 1 year ban .
• This would make him ineligible for the upcoming world championships and the next summer Olympics.
• To give Coleman the benefit of the doubt, he did test clean in another 11 drug tests during that 1 year time span. 
• Just before I published this blog, recent news hit the media. The United States Anti- Doping Agency (USADA) has decided not to pursue the case against Coleman. Say what!!!
• By the USADA ruling the first missed test belongs to a period belonging to the previous year so it will not be considered a doping violation. 
• The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has excepted this ruling.
• Before suggesting American bias, it should be noted that USADA is the same agency that toppled Lance Armstrong who never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. At least, never officially.
• There will be continuing debate and argument for certain.
• There will also be a fast race in the 100 meters at the world championships!

The  world of sports is stranger than fiction.

Christian Coleman (center) will bring speed - and controversy- to the World Championships.

Until Next Time
Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com