Posts

The Need to Hire

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I wrote an article similar to this a few years ago, but I was recently inspired or rather, frustrated, to write something similar again. I was recently at the gym for a few hours to do some work, (yes, I was actually there), and during those few hours in the gym upstairs, it was like déjà vu. Seems like some things never change, no matter how hard you try. As I was working away, I couldn’t help overhearing and observing three young adults working out on the weights. They were training their chest muscles that day. Wow, what a waste of time and effort. The effort and enthusiasm was certainly there, but the know-how in regards to form, and duration of training was non-existent. Too bad, because if they only knew what I knew, they would not only be spending less time at the gym, but they would get much more out of that reduced time. So, on to the article:
When do we hire professionals most of the time? Think about it. You want a new kitchen, so in order to get the result that you want, you hire kitchen renovators. You want your bathroom renovated, same thing; you hire someone who is good at it and have them do it so you can enjoy the end result as quickly and efficiently as possible. You want new windows installed in your house, so because that’s such an important job, you hire window installers to do the job to get the result you want, guaranteed. Once you make those investments, the money is certainly gone, but you get to enjoy the results for many, many years…..if you hire the right people. So now, let’s think about what should be the most important thing in a person’s life, their health. Most of those who are concerned about their deteriorating health as they age, join a health club like ours, and most of those people do not hire anyone to set them up on a proper programme, teach them how to do the exercises properly, teach them how and what to eat, etc. in order to get the result that they want. Same as the kitchen, bathroom or windows, it’s not cheap, but once the money is spent, and you have the proper job done for you, you will benefit from that hire for many years to come. We spend literally thousands and thousands of dollars on material improvements in our lives, but most of us never consider spending any considerable amount of money on our own health. What’s wrong with this picture? Everything. Just buying a membership is like just buying the windows, uninstalled, or buying a beautiful kitchen and not hiring an installer. You get it, right? I found it very disappointing that after we decided to incorporate personal training in our business, I realized that we should have been doing that right from the start, thirty two years ago, and for that, I’m sorry and embarrassed at the same time. So do yourself a favour. If you are as concerned about getting the results you want out of your time at the gym as you should be, stop wasting your time and hire our personal trainer. Once you are set on the right path, you will reap the benefits for many years to come, we guarantee it. Schedule your Free Consultation today!

Gino

Abby Bolton

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This month our member of the month is one of our own team members! Abby has been working with G&M at the front desk for 1 year now. Many of you know her already but what you may not know about her is how much she has accomplished in her fitness journey already. Here is her story:

Abby was always active in her childhood. She competed in gymnastics from ages 8 to 18 as well as in track and field through high school. But once her gymnastics career came to an end she knew she had to find something else to challenge her, keep her active and in shape.

In grade 10 Abby had a fitness class where she was introduced to weight training and was hooked. So naturally when gymnastics ended she transitioned into weight lifting and started working out consistently in the summer of 2016.

Her goal was to get stronger, beat her 1 rep max’s and just lift as much as possible. And then last summer she decided that she was going to pursue a new challenge and compete in Fitness. Her new goal had her switch from heavy lifting to more hypertrophy training. Fitness competitions combined her gymnastics background with her new found love for weight lifting and seemed like a natural fit.

In December 2017 she competed in her first competition coming in 1st place! Since then she has competed 3 more times claiming 2 more 1st place finishes and one 2nd place finish just a few weeks ago at the Toronto Pro Super Show.

Her next competition is coming up on August 4th at the Natural Canadian Pro Qualifier show in Toronto.

“My main goal is to get my pro card and compete at the Olympia whether that happens this August or it takes me a few years.”

Abby has had to overcome a few injuries, one shoulder injury that kept her from being able to lift weights for 3 months which set her back a bit. Also, she has had to learn how to manage her time efficiently between going to classes, studying, working and getting her workouts in.

“I am most proud of my 1st competition. I proved to myself that I have the discipline and commitment to push myself and my body.”

Abby also is grateful to see how many people have reached out to her and let her know that she has inspired them to get into fitness and working out.

Currently Abby is at Brock University going into her 3rd year of Kinesiology and hopes to pursue a career in the fitness industry helping others better themselves.

Abby’s Words of Wisdom:

  • Goal setting is huge. Make sure you set goals. They are what help you stay on track.
  • Be willing to put in the work. It will be worth it.
  • Don’t give up when it gets hard. That is when you see the best results, when you push yourself through the hard times.
  • Find a way to make fitness fun for you, and
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions

“Thanks to the community at G&M Fitness for making this job fun and for all of your support!”

Congratulations Abby! So many huge accomplishments already! We are lucky to have you as part of our team. Good luck with your next competition and we look forward to seeing you on stage at the Olympia’s one day!

kate ostryhon-lumsden

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Kate has been self employed for 32 years and has always had a hectic schedule with a busy real estate business going from appointment to appointment. This caused her to put what she knew was important, her own health, on the back burner and feeling increasingly less fit.

Although Kate has a busy work life she has always been concerned about her health staying active walking, doing yoga, golfing and curling. She has also joined G&M twice in the past, once participating in step aerobic classes and the other time attending with a friend, but when her friend moved out of the area she stopped going. Again, work took priority and her health and fitness fell behind.

More recently, Kate’s daughter who works with her and Kate’s niece started with personal training at G&M Fitness.

“I finally realized that if they could work going to the gym into their life, so could and so should I!”

“My goal was to lose weight but also increase my strength.”

Kate says it was time to stop talking and thinking about getting to her ideal weight and start doing something consistently to get there. Kate has had this goal for probably 20 years she says but always felt like she was too busy to fit regular workouts into her schedule. She also felt like she didn’t really know what to do at the gym, how to use the equipment properly or what kind of routine to follow.

“Turning 60 gave me the wisdom to finally put my health and fitness as my #1 priority!”

Kate was getting frustrated with nuisance injuries and tired of being overweight. It was time for a change.

Since beginning the personal training program Kate now knows she can fit workouts into her schedule and treats it with the same importance as any other appointment.

“I love the feeling of accomplishment and time out from a hectic schedule. Many times I am rushing in for my training session but then know the next hour is just focused on one thing. I always leave feeling more calm and ready to continue my day. I now feel comfortable in the gym and know what to do.”

Kate has had great success. Over the last 4 weeks she is down another 4.5lbs and overall has dropped over 9% body fat since beginning!

“I do have a lot of people noticing that I have toned and lost weight. That is encouraging to me to stay the course!”

Kate is most proud of being able to stay the course and being consistent.
She also shot her best round of golf ever recently, a 94, and attributes that to her training program as well.

“I truly enjoy working out and have committed to continue with the 1 on 1 training program.”

Going forward Kate plans to add a third workout on her own each week outside of her 2 weekly personal training sessions and knows that it will help accelerate her goal.

“I have found a slow but steady weight loss so I know that I need to stay focused.”

Kate believes that had she not started her personal training program she would still be at the same point she was for the last 20 years… clothes not fitting well, feeling frustrated with her weight and having more nuisance injuries.

“Just get started. You are not too busy, you are not too old, just make the commitment to yourself and do it… not for weeks but as part of your life routine!”

Congratulations Kate on all of your success so far and creating time for yourself in your busy schedule! Your story is a huge inspiration. Keep up the great work!

Getting Out of His Wheelchair After 35 Years

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Some of you have heard this story before, but I think it is worth repeating. Here it is:

Once upon a time, there was a man who entered our club via his dirty old well used scratched up wheelchair, wearing his tattered clothing, torn old gloves to protect his hands, long dirty white beard, old baseball cap, smelled like cigarette smoke and had alcohol on his breath. You can imagine the thoughts that went through my head as I saw him enter.

Not to judge, I greeted him just as I would any new visitor and asked him why he came to us. As I listened, he told me his story.

Once a prominent dance instructor, Kevin’s vocation came to a grinding halt as he was tragically maimed in a terrible motor vehicle accident at the young age of 23. He was now 58.

While lying in the hospital in a coma for six days on life support, with a shattered ankle and pelvis, broken ribs, broken neck and a badly broken arm, broken back, punctured lungs and brain damage, the doctors where asking permission from his mother to amputate his arm. She would not allow it.

After waking from the coma and two brain surgeries, Mr. Clarke spent the next six months in hospital, and was able to move only his eyes as he listened to the doctor tell him that he would never walk or talk again. Now, after 35 years, his doctors had pretty much lost interest in him and had given up.

So there he was, sitting in his wheelchair, looking up at me, and these words came out of his mouth: I could barely understand him as he struggled to ask “Can you help me?”

I had only one question to ask him: “Can you stand up out of your wheelchair?” He said “Yes, but I can’t walk around.” That’s all I needed to hear. “Yes”, I said, “I can help you.”

We started very slowly with a few select exercises. Mr. Clarke’s first challenge was to try to keep his muscles from going into spasm. We slowly and gradually worked more exercises into his routine and then as part of his routine, Mr. Clarke was to walk behind and push his wheelchair out the door. He was not allowed to be in his wheelchair on his way out.

He was spent at the end of his workout, but I still made him walk down the hall and out the door. There were times when I didn’t think he would make it to the front door but he did.

Not being on a regular schedule because of his inability to get to the club in inclement weather, we would miss each other sometimes for weeks at a time, but Kevin was determined to get better and would come in on his own without me.

My biggest surprise came when I got back from vacation and ran into Mr. Clarke at the gym. I shook his hand and asked him where he parked his wheelchair. He just shook his head with a grin on his face and said, “There’s no more wheelchair. I got rid of it.”

I must say that this was likely my biggest achievement as a personal trainer and although Mr. Clarke is no longer a member, I hope and pray that he is still well and happy.

This is personal training at its best. This is what we do. This is what you need if you have specific goals in mind that you wish to achieve. Showing up consistently is one thing, but doing what you really need to do when you show up is quite another. Let us help you.

Gino

STRENGTH TRAINING AND WEIGHT LOSS

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Do you want to dramatically increase your chances of weight loss success? Of course you do! Who wouldn’t? And while you are at it become stronger to do activities of daily living with more ease then ever? Yep! The answer to this is strength training.

We talk to a lot of people who are either struggling to lose weight or have hit a plateau in their weight loss but are afraid to incorporate strength training into their routine out of fear that it will make them gain weight. This is especially true with women.

Let me give you the run down on why we believe strength training is a MUST if weight loss is your goal. (We actually believe that strength training is a must no matter what your goal is but let’s focus on the goal of weight loss.)

Strength Training Increases Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is the amount of energy you burn throughout the day doing every day things. Getting ready for work, walking up and down stairs, getting up from the couch etc. Basically, it’s the amount of energy you use up outside of planned exercise. Muscle is metabolic tissue, meaning that it requires energy to work. When your muscle contracts, energy is spent. The more muscle you have and the more efficiently it works, the more energy you use up throughout the day. This in turn allows for better weight loss results. And the best way that I am aware of to increase muscle and its efficiency is through regular strength training.

Without Strength Training You May Actually Be Losing Muscle and Decreasing Your Metabolism

This is a big point. If you take the route of just dieting or dieting and doing cardio to get to your weight loss goals you could actually end up in a scenario where you could be doing more harm then good for your body long term. For every pound of weight loss, up to 25% of that could come from muscle loss. If you kept this up it would have the opposite effect on your metabolism then we want. Decreasing your muscle mass would also end up decreasing your metabolism, which then slows down your weight loss results. And what is the best way to combat this 25% muscle loss? Regular strength training of course! Strength training keeps the muscle stimulated and significantly decreases the chances of it getting broken down in the weight loss process. We want our weight loss from fat loss not muscle tissue!

Use Compound Exercises

Strength training itself burns quite a bit of energy, especially when you do it right and focus on using compound movements in your workouts. Compound exercises involve multiple joints. Think squats or push-ups versus a bicep curl or calf raise. These types of exercise recruit several different muscles which in turn burns more energy compared to any single joint exercise. Again, over time, this increase in energy expenditure adds up to better weight loss results.

How Often Should I Strength Train?

The minimum would be two times per week, ideally 3 times per week would be most beneficial. There are many different ways to structure your strength training program but however you do it just make sure that you are setting yourself up for success. If you only realistically have time for 2 sessions a week then plan for that. Don’t use a program that is set up for 5 days a week and then get frustrated with yourself because you were not able to complete all of the workouts. Consistency is the key and you want to set yourself up to stay consistent for the long haul.

Final Thoughts

One last big point is that for strength training to be effective, regardless of your end goal, it must be done with effort. You want to use enough resistance to cause what is called temporary muscle failure, meaning you couldn’t do another repetition while keeping proper form. And please make sure that you are performing the exercises correctly. Proper form is crucial to getting the most out of the exercise and to ensure that you do not get hurt.

If you have read this and you get it, great, now go out and get busy. If you are confused or still unsure of how to incorporate strength training into your routine or how to perform exercises properly, don’t hesitate to ask for help. That’s what we are here for! Schedule a free consultation with us to see how we can help you reach your health and fitness goals!

8 Biggest Strength Training Mistakes

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I wanna help!

A while ago, I presented a free seminar for our members titled “The Eight Biggest Mistakes in Strength Training, Body Building and Power Lifting”.

I put this presentation together simply because pretty much every time I walk through the gym, I see training mistakes being made. Whether it be the lack of focus, overtraining, bad form, whatever, it kills me to see it and I want to do something about it. So I put together and presented the free seminar.

Unfortunately, the ones I see making most of the mistakes are the ones that didn’t show up! Typically, it’s the younger crowd making these mistakes. What’s more unfortunate is that the younger crowd has the enthusiasm and the discipline, but lack the expertise and experience. So, in hopes that some of them actually read our newsletters, here is the list of the eight most common mistakes that are made.

There simply isn’t enough room here to elaborate on them, so in the case that you would like a more detailed explanation of one or more of these mistakes and how to remedy them, reach out to us. Actually, I would love to offer this seminar again in the future if there is enough interest. I will count down the eight starting with the least important to what I believe is the most important and the most common mistake. Here they are:


 No. 8: Lack of Focus (turn off the phone, put the magazine away and stop socializing)

No. 7: Partners (can be good, can be bad)

No. 6: Poor Programme Design (order of exercises is very important)

No. 5: Redundant Exercises (stop wasting time and energy, learn how to choose exercises)

No. 4: Useless Exercises (stop doing exercises that won’t help get you to your goal)

No. 3: Improper Form (learn proper form or pay the consequences…..lack of gains)

No. 2: Overtraining (gains are actually made when resting)

No. 1: Not Doing the Negative Contraction (if you don’t know what a negative contraction is, and what it will do for you, I would highly suggest you find out!)
So there you have it in a nutshell. Avoid these mistakes and you are on your way to more, better and quicker results than you ever thought possible.

Good luck,
Gino

Thinking of Taking the Summer Off? Think Again!

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At this time of year, we hear this from a lot of members: “see you in the fall, I will be working outside all summer”. Then in the fall we hear this from the same members: “why does it feel like I am starting all over again?”

It’s pretty common to take the summer off from the gym because we feel like we are being more active outdoors, which is great. But there is a big difference between “being active” and strength training.

Being active golfing, fishing, gardening, cutting the grass, walking, biking is all encouraged, getting more activity is great for all of us, but it doesn’t come close to what strength training does for you.

In strength training you are using an amount of resistance that challenges you to complete a set, that challenge on your muscles breaks them down and then your body rebuilds your muscle stronger. That process only occurs when you have enough resistance. A golf club is not enough resistance to keep or build strength, neither is pedaling a bike.

So, when you take the summer off and come back in the fall and it feels like you are starting over, it’s because you are. It only takes a couple weeks off of training for the effects of detraining to occur. Studies show these effects beginning with as little as one week off and noticeably getting worse after just 2 weeks off. The longer you go without that stimulus to the muscle, the more strength you will lose. One study showed 3 months worth of strength training gains was completely wiped out after 1 month of no strength training!

So here is what we would recommend. There is no doubt summer is a busier time and getting workouts in may be more challenging, especially when it’s so nice outside. We encourage getting out more and being active. But if you are serious about this health and fitness thing, find a way to get 2 full body strength training workouts in each week. Just a quick warm up and 8 or so exercises focusing on the major movements and you are in and out in 45 minutes or less. At twice a week that’s just an hour and a half a week to maintain (and even increase) your muscle and strength through the summer.

You will feel, look and perform better all summer long and come fall you won’t feel like you are starting over any more! Not to mention that you will also stay in the routine of going to the gym because let’s face it, once you take 2 or 3 months off, it becomes very difficult to get back on track again.

Your Membership Dollars At Work

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Your membership dollars gets you more than just a membership, it empowers us.

Yup, you walk in, sign up at the front desk, pay us and you are on your way. Easy breezy. Well, not quite. Here’s what those membership dollars do while you are getting in or staying in the best shape of your life. Your membership dollars:

1. Help pay the bills. After all, this is a business.

2. Help to sponsor an additional orphan child from a third world country each and every year. We are now up to seven.

3. Help us to provide a local family in need at Christmas time with a substantial gift of grocery dollars and gifts for their children.

4. Help to provide our members with a Summer Family Barbeque with food, drinks and fun.

5. Help to provide our members with free monthly seminars like the “Start Right” class, the “Strength Training with Machines” class, the “Strength Training with Free Weights” class, the “Nutrition” class, the new “Stretching” class coming soon, and our guest speaker series coming soon also. All for you…..no charge.

6. Help to provide and maintain the 24 hour access system for your convenience.

7. Help us continue to provide our members with a top notch health club and the opportunity to continue to look for more ways to improve our services and our facility like our recent renovations and our defibrillator.

We truly want all of our members to be proud members. Not only proud of themselves for choosing to exercise regularly and take care of themselves, but also to be proud of us as owners for what we do with your membership dollars on your behalf.

Thank you for being a member of our club.

Gino

A Sneaky Reason We Gain Weight Over Time

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Whether you realize it or not, there are things that happen in our bodies without us knowing about it constantly. Some of it is good, some of it not so good. Today I wanted to touch on one of those things that is not so good, BUT we do have a certain amount of control over. That would be natural age-related muscle loss.

Up until we are somewhere in our 30’s, our bodies are growing muscle and getting stronger. After we get past this point it reverses and muscle begins to deteriorate and quickens as you get into your 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

This not only poses a problem because of the loss of strength and therefore your abilities to perform tasks as well as you used to, but also is a sneaky reason of why we tend to gain more weight as we age.

Muscle is metabolic tissue that requires energy to work. The more muscle you have the more energy you use up in a day. This is your metabolism at work.

As we age and we start to lose muscle, that also slows our metabolism, which means your not using as much energy as you used to going through the same daily routines. If you keep eating the same as usual, you start to gain weight. That is why it can seem like you haven’t changed anything but then all of a sudden over time you notice you are slowly gaining weight.

There is some good news though! There is a way to prevent and or slow this process down. Regular exercise, specifically strength training!

Strength training causes your body to adapt to the stress and make your muscles grow and become stronger keeping your metabolism higher. Instead of getting weaker, less independent and a slower metabolism as you age, you can get stronger, gain more independence, increase your metabolism and get or stay leaner! And you can begin at any age and still receive these benefits.

The current recommendations for strength training are only a minimum of 2 times per week so it’s a pretty low time investment for a very big return on your quality of life!

Strength training is our specialty here at G&M. If you have any questions at all about how to incorporate it into your routines, let us know, we are here to help!

MARIE HOCKLEY

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Marie was always active as a child and competed in synchronized swimming. During her training as a competitive swimmer she began weight lifting at 14 years old.

After competitive synchronized swimming, Marie began cycling and continued working out but that slowly started to change as she entered University and then again as she began teaching and became a Mom. She was now spending 3 hours a day commuting for work and just felt that she didn’t have the time to dedicate to a serious workout program.

Up until a little over a year ago Marie still exercised because she knew it was important, but wasn’t serious or consistent with it.

On her 49th birthday she received a dress as a gift from her sisters and also stepped on the scale that day and vowed to lose 50lbs by her 50th birthday.

One month later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Cancer treatment causes some people to lose weight, and others to gain it. The steroids that you have to take during chemo and the hormone therapy that I’m currently on put me at a high risk for weight gain. This paired with the physical fatigue and pain that you endure during treatments makes it hard to stay active. Being overweight increases the risk of breast cancer reoccurrence. Fat cells make estrogen; extra fat cells mean more estrogen in the body and this can make hormone receptor positive breast cancer like mine develop and grow.”

Exercise and getting strong became a priority. She made the gym part of her routine just like brushing her teeth.

Marie also changed her diet, first cutting out processed foods, sugar, diary and red meat as recommended by her Naturopath and now has recently went to a vegan diet.

Marie says that the gym gave her a feeling of control back while what she was going through left her feeling out of control a lot of times.

On her 50th birthday she had reached her goal. She had the same dress that she received for her 49th birthday from her sisters altered to fit her new physique.

“If you had asked me a year ago if my body could look like this, I would have never guessed it. My body composition is amazing.”

Marie’s biggest goal now is to stay strong.

“I remember when you first had me do push-ups and I did 3 and it was really hard. Now I can do 3 sets of 20.”

Marie’s advice to others is to start wherever you have to. For her while going through treatments that was bands and 3lb weights. She also says to strive for consistency not perfection.

“You can’t always have a perfect workout but just get here. Anything is better than nothing. Excuses are poison.”

Marie also believes that the atmosphere and encouragement from other members at G&M was really important to her progress.

“Nobody ever made me feel uncomfortable and were always encouraging. I would not have been able to have the same results working out on my own at home.”

“Beating cancer is a lifelong commitment for me. I am so grateful that I’ve had the help from Matt at G&M Fitness, my Naturopath, and the support and encouragement from my family and friends.”