I’m confused, annoyed, happy, shocked, bewildered…..I’m….well, I don’t know what I am  right now. I’m discouraged a bit. I’m 30 pages into a book called The 4-Hour Body by author Timothy Ferriss. Ferriss is known for his very outside-the-box thinking from his book The 4-Hour Workweek. He takes all popular beliefs and throws them out the fucking window and not only shows you how to do things differently but goes out and does them with remarkable success. Pessimists get annoyed and believers change their lives from his words.

The 4-Hour Body is a “uncommon guide” to health and fitness. Weight loss, muscle building, cholesterol, sex, it’s got everything. Again, it has that “throw all popular beliefs out the fucking window” attitude to it.

My eyes grow wider as I read. I am reading my own thoughts about all things regarding exercise and diet. A feeling of comfort comes over me because a well known author has now sided with me in some sense. At the same time I’m annoyed that I didn’t write the book! I am discouraged because I always felt that explaining things was a strength of mine and he has taken the same ideas but has put them in words that I could never. I always knew that my methods were different than others in the field. I have confidence in all my methods. And here I am reading my thoughts. “All calories aren’t the same”, holy shit I try to tell people that. He even used my example of eating a cooking in regards to how long it would take to burn it off. Boom, talks about macro-nutrient ratios….that is the base of my diet plans! My eyes get wider and wider. I think to myself, “what the F is going on here”. Again I am happy we agree on the same principles but annoyed no one listens to me (ok, not everyone, the ones that do get every result they wanted)! I’m totally discouraged by his superior ways of explaining things.

I read on. “Minimum Effective Dose”, he explains as doing just enough to ilicit a response by the body. My mind zooms back to a memory of myselfexplaining to  a client I put on a cutting diet that he should only do the amount of cardio I prescribed and no more. I said to Sean, “We want to do the minimum amount of cardio that keeps us losing weight, if we do more it will be harder to lose weight down the line.”  The author then goes over “cheat meals” and cycling calories, again to principles of my diet plans. He even discusses his hatred for fictional words like “toning” and I’m like “shit, didn’t I write an article on the same subject?” Women and men should be trained the same……weird I feel the same way. Is anyone listening to me?

Then it all comes to the climax. Ferriss writes about his annoyance of those in the field that discard bodybuilder’s expertise. He explains that scientists, professors, doctors view them as amateurs or renegades of the industry.  Ferris and I both agree very strongly that we should put aside the common judgements of a bodybuilder: tanning, oil, speedos, steroids, etc,  and take them for what they are, masters of two things that we all want to do, build muscle and lose fat. “Masters” might be an understatement because many, after all, are professionals. They have more practice at those two things than anyone on the planet but because they may not have formal education on the subject their advice means nothing.

But….

Tonight I’ll be training in the gym with a female who wants to get “toned”. I’ll explain to her exactly what we are going to do and why (because I explain EVERYTHING that I do). I’ll say, “we are going to use many bodybuilding techniques” and right on que she will grimace and say, “well I don’t want to bulk up”. I will smirk, to hide that small part of me that dies in realization that everyone believes in these fictional myths and that they are turned off by the very techniques that I shape all my clients with unparalleled success…..sigh.

Right now I’ll go back to the comfort of the words on the page. I’m sure I’ll be venting again.

-Josh

Mornings, early mornings. Early, early mornings. No not 7am. I get up at 7am on the weekends, please. If you work in this industry there is a good chance you’ll have some very early shifts or appointments. I’m at my gym at 5:30am, the alarm clock goes off 4:45am. It’s dark, year round, at that time. The wind tunnel that is downtown Boston does not help your cause.  To put everything into perspective I have to WAIT until Dunkin Donuts opens…

This strange day ends with a bittersweet feeling. Today is the second-to-last day of my current job and training location. I am leaving my downtown location to explore other opportunities. “Explore other opportunities” may be an over-used phrase but I can’t think of a better word than “explore” to describe what is next for me. Before we make life changing decisions such as changing our job we must first realize that it is not life changing, in fact. I’m not changing my life, I’ve just made a career move. My morals and ethics are set in stone, I always have my family, and friends’ support. My foundation is intact. Now that change feels much less daunting, fear resides, excitement heightens.

We never know how we will feel until we make the decision to leave a job for another. Our emotions can run high in one direction or the other but until we pull the trigger we never actually know what it will feel like. We just need to use all the information we have at hand and when decision time comes we should support it un-apologetically. As a young adult, through my experiences and relationships with professionals, those who had the courage to make a change were the rewarded.

I am fortunate to have an undying faith in myself. I never wonder if I’ll win or lose out, if I’ll succeed or fail. More importantly I have confidence in myself to succeed in whatever I do without regret. With unshakable self-efficacy, you’ll realize that the bottom is only so low and if you do happen to be there you’ll pick yourself up and keep going. Realize that you need to be your number one supporter. If you’re not, who will be? When ascending through my career I’ve run into as many people who would like to see me fail as those who would like to see me succeed.

After tomorrow my “rookie contract”, I guess you could say, is over. Time stops for no one and my next chapter begins…….turn the page.

-Josh

Tomorrow is one of the best holidays for me, Thanksgiving. I just love the food. I love sides and if you love sides the traditional Thanksgiving feast is right up your alley. Turkey is really an after-thought somewhere at the bottom of my plate,  the base camp on ground level of the mountain range of food high above. Oh yeah, we are also suppose to give thanks to everything we are thankful for. The food may become the cornerstone of the holiday but to truly get the most out of our lives we must be grateful for what we have in them. Some may view a grand life as living in a big home and driving a Bugatti but if you weren’t grateful for them you wouldn’t really care if you had them. It is all relative. The person with more, but isn’t grateful for it, leads an emptier life than the person with little who is thankful for it all.

I am thankful for my clients. They give me so much. I am not merely speaking of the monetary exchange for me to train them, but all the things they offer me as great people. A personal trainer is not a personal trainer if he/she does not have clients. Mine, make me the trainer that I am today. I owe my successes to them. They provide a challenge and the practice for me to hone and develop my skills as a trainer and professional. They offer me advice from ways I can be a better trainer to life-in-general. I couldn’t become a better trainer without them. Each one is special to me, everyone I’ve had whether they are still with me or not. Good, bad, or indifferent I soaked up my experience with them like a sponge and I am thankful for them.

To all my clients past, present and future, with all sincerity….thank you. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

-W.J. Cameron

Have a healthy Thanksgiving!

-Josh Gould

One of the most important aspects of personal training is keeping the trainee or client interested in exercise and the trainer’s programming. We know that maintaining an exercise program is necessary to achieve  improvements in our fitness. To continue and maintain an exercise program, like anything else we continue to do, we need to be interested in it.

A personal trainer’s success relies on their ability to create interesting training programs. This may include new exercises, variations of exercises, gimmicks, games, etc. We should try to avoid redundancy and boring workouts. A trainer must have good creativity and an encyclopedia’s worth of exercises in their head.

In my short career I have been complimented on my ability to create new challenging workouts. I do this simply to keep the interest in my clients peaked. Happy clients equals more clients and more income. After all, this is my career.

Here lies the difficulty and the “conflict of interest”. These extravagant, complex, and wild exercises one might see on TV or in magazines might be fun and topical but it does not necessarily mean they are effective. In many cases they are less effective. Week after week new “styles” of exercising make their way to you through the media. In general the creators behind these programs and even exercise inventions are merely trying to reinvent the wheel and are unnecessary.

Speaking honestly, it can be tough training clients. I must keep them interested in exercising while knowing that the basics are a better fit for reaching their goals. I must retain my clients and earn more, so I must attempt to balance programs with “fun” exercises and the basics that get the job done.

So keep in mind when working out or working with a trainer, new exciting exercises may not necessarily work better. There is a reason that exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, squats, military presses, lunges, etc have stood the test of time. Of course we can’t ignore the power of interest in maintaining our workout programs.

Somethings we just have to learn to love!

-Josh Gould

If you follow my blog you have noticed that sometimes I am less than serious. I’ll put horrific lifting accidents, display how disgusting American’s eating habits are, and trash Jillian Michaels (you know, the dude from  The Biggest Loser). My grammar is rather poor and I have a master’s degree in sarcasm. 

Compared to other health and fitness sites mine might come off as a little…..goofy. I try to balance the entertainment with the  awesome fitness and diet information that will actually make a difference. If you have a hard time reading between the lines and think my blog is more like a comic strip than so-be-it. I do have an actual degree in Health Education and this style works for me. We need to lighten up the mood when it comes to health sometimes. We should at least make it more interesting. Want nothing but facts and raw science? Read medical journals, studies, and literature reviews. But guess what, I do that for you. Like a momma bird I eat the information, chew on it, and regurgitate it  right into your brains.

Let me post some stuff with humor, whether it applies to fitness or not. I don’t think it should effect my credibility. I’m just trying to lighten the mood and grab your attention.

When I was once consulting with a High School health teacher I told her that to educate someone you must have their attention first, otherwise that information, no matter how great it is means nothing. Education doesn’t always mean providing the best information for the audience but getting the information TO the audience.

So cheer up and maybe you’ll learn something.

-Josh

It’s good to know that I’m not the only one that likes to vent or release about their job, well, I think we all do but I get to blog about it.  Physical Therapist Mikes Scott DPT wrote this article that I feel would fit in my Confessions of a Personal Trainer  perfectly. Here Mike discusses what is appropriate or inappropriate to wear to your next physical therapy session.

FYI- Short shorts are totally cool with me…….as long as you are a female and are attractive.

-Josh

I just had a long weekend which means I’m starting a short work week today! Whyam I all upset? I’m annoyed I guess. A physical therapist and friend of mine asked me where I wanted to be professionally in 5 years. I replied by saying that as long as I build my business with integrity I will get everything I deserve. It’s easy to say but how far can you go with integrity? To me, those fitness experts that you see the most, the ones found in more mainstream media such as television and popular magazines don’t have much integrity. I have expressed before that I am not a Jillian Michaels fan. When did she throw away her integrity and start selling laxative in a bottle and call it a “jump start” to your diet. Was it the huge check in her face? Does she really not believe this stuff is junk? Would I do the same thing? Am I just being a “hater”?

She does inspire people to exercise and improve their health. I can’t deny that. I guess I’m just a bit embarrassed that she is the most recognized person with a similar job title as mine. There is a thin line between businessman and responsible health educator. Is it possible to ride that line? I plan to find out. I once read that having a conscious is rarely a good business decision.  That sucks to hear but I guess I agree.

Deep down I guess I feel like “momma bear” protecting her young. The general public, my clients, fans, and followers are my cubs. Sometimes I want to put my hands over your ears and block the things I don’t want you to hear. Mainstream media is not the place to learn about hollistic health but it is what reaches the masses and all day I find myself clearing misconceptions. I guess once and a while it gets under my skin.

-Josh

I want to talk about goal setting. Yes, I know that you all know how important goal setting is. Instead I wanted to discuss unlikely goals that we can set for ourselves. Goals do not need to always be tallied as pounds lost, body fat percentage, miles ran, weight lifted, etc.

Goals can be obscure as you want them to be. I decided to write about this when I was shaving my beard this morning. I chuckled as I remembered a time in my life in high school that I grew and kept a “chin strap” beard.

 A “chin strap” beard is a very thin line that only runs along your jaw line. I grew it because I thought it made me look thinner by splitting up my chin and …well, my second chin. I was overweight a good deal of high school and was very insecure about it. I thought the beard might help me look slim. As I started to diet and exercise to lose weight I would shave the beard and see how it looked. After time and losing about 40lbs I was finally down to one chin and my goal had been reached. No more “chin strap” for me (phew!). I’m not sure how my girlfriend put up with that.

So what can your new goal be? Pick an old pair of jeans or dress that doesn’t fit anymore and try to bring it out of retirement.

It’s OK to think outside the box when setting goals as long as it’s realistic.

-Josh

Ever ask yourself why you don’t look like the men or women on the infomercials?  You’ve seen the results of participants who followed the P90x program, Kettle Worx, TRX, etc. How come you don’t look like them? They have the before and after pictures. It’s impressive to see people change.

Every guy standing there with his shirt off stating, “In just 90 days…..” or “my wife loves it.”

Women are elated that they are back into a size 4 and exclaim, “I can finally wear my ‘skinny jeans’ again!”

It’s all a home run for the company. There is no better testimonial than having a consumer there, abs ripped, holding up a picture of when they looked like a mini-van  in a flannel shirt just 3 months prior.

So, you ask, “how come I don’t look like that?”

Let’s break it down.

1. At the very end of the product’s commercial you will find that a “meal plan/ diet plan/ nutrition program” accompanies the “whatever” they are selling. I have always said, and still believe, that body composition is 70% diet. Hurts to hear doesn’t it? Those who are chosen to appear on the infomercials and give a testimonial most likely nailed (by nailed I mean followed it strictly) the diet program. Grind out P90X’s plyometric workout then order “P9″ at your local Chinese delivery and I’m not sure your infomercial-celebrity career will take off just yet.  Rule #1- If you are going to follow the plan, follow the plan! That includes a healthy diet.

2. The company just might take the easy way and hire a fitness model. I’m sure you’ve seen the infomercial for The Tower 200. Not sure? It’s the “you gotta door, you gotta gym” guy. Now you remember. Well, you see, the only 2 people you watch working out are an extremely ripped fitness model and a former mixed martial arts champion Randy Couture. The Tower 200 might be a good product but neither of those guys use it. One is on camera all day and relies on his body to make money and the other trains intensely for matches…again….to make money. Their body’s are their job. If your income was reliant on your fitness…..much like mine… you’d work a little harder at the gym.

3. You only see the best. Those picked to appear on the infomercials and give testimonials are the one’s that had the best results. Some people, for a variety of reasons, will progress faster than others. Some examples are if the person was sedentary prior to the program. That much exercise relative to what they were doing before will surely induce change. There is genetics of course. And there is the highly motivated; up coming wedding, reunion, 30th birthday, etc.

4. Incentives. I can’t say this is true for all products, out of fear that Randy Couture will hunt me down and bury my face into one of his meat hooks,  but many will advertise incentives for those willing to improve their bodies the most. You can typically find them on websites or in magazines. It may read something like….”Lipo 6 Body Transformation Challenge.” Send some pictures in, use their product, record you measurements, take home a prize. I’ve seen a supplement company give away $10,000!!!!

The idea is that for every 1,000 people who fail trying to get results you just need one to throw on a commercial.

Of course the easiest decision is to work with me….results will follow.

joshgould@exerciseexpertise.net

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