Navigating the fitness industry is interesting, especially once you’ve surpassed the decade mark in the game, and have noticed your body’s requirements changing in order for training to continue. As such, the realization I’ve made in the name of adjusting training – be it in the form of exercise selection, volume, or marriage to certain goals – has undoubtedly been a theme that has taken over the forefront of my writing, especially in the last 5 or 6 years. Fitness needs to change as you get older. Or after you’ve been injured. Or once you’ve gotten new responsibilities. At the end of t ..read more

  It’s hard to imagine that during a pandemic, things still found a way to fly by between January and today – especially since this year in review is only my 8th blog article of 2021. Time certainly escaped me. Amid work-from-home protocols, gym closures, and cancelled speaking events, the year was every bit as interesting as it was in 2020. I think most would agree that 2021 served as something of a sequel to its predecessor. The good news is, a greater percentage of us knew what to expect. I know I did. And this year, I tried to make lemons out of lemonade and keep the grind going. It l ..read more

It’s no surprise the fitness industry has made many beginners think there’s only one way to think when approaching goals, gains, and the pursuit of a fitness-oriented lifestyle. You can blame the internet, or a certain ‘culture’-like community that’s immersed itself in a singular method of training. “Motivational” fitness photos found on the internet that get plastered on gym walls or bedroom doors can act to motivate certain people, while quietly deterring others from taking a liking to the whole training thing. I’ve been seeing this for years. And I’ve been writing about it for years, too. T ..read more

Among my jobs under the fitness umbrella is that of being a part-time professor at a popular Canadian college. That hands me the responsibility of doing my part to prepare young fitness and health promotion students for what they’re in for if they embark on a personal training career. That’s a pretty big ask, and luckily I’m not alone.  Being born somewhere around the year 2001 poises a young person to be immersed in a virtual reality that may rival real life – and they may not even realize it. I sound old and crusty. But this isn’t a ‘get off my lawn’ admonition to the new school technol ..read more

When you subtract the years I spent as a teenager, messing around in my bedroom with a weight set and no clue of what any semblance of a workout should look like, the total amount of years I’ve spent training “well” has been about 15. Even though my training has been respectable from outside looking in, it certainly has evolved in the last decade and a half, and the real (only) reason that could have happened was thanks to maturation and the passage of time. Where training is concerned, time is arguably the greatest teacher – it helps you to learn your body and what works for it… and what does ..read more

It’s the inferiority complex that makes my industry what it is, and I’m sure I’m speaking for many in the industry who quietly wish it was addressed. It’s 2021, but personal training is still largely considered a career path that isn’t much of a “career” at all; its transient nature at the fore of its identity, many personal trainers have a certification to enable them to work with clients as a job that plays second fiddle to their I.T. or sales career. Side hustle or not, the fitness industry is only just beginning to get some respect. But the amount of people who look down their nose at the ..read more

  Whether it’s a sensationalized popular culture report, or a hungry personal trainer or product pusher, one thing remains very consistent: The fitness industry has made its billion dollar revenue stream largely off of leveraging hot button topics and telling the people what they want to hear.  Because of this, the mainstream general population are made to believe these half-truths: Fitness should always be fun. Fitness should always be easy. Aesthetics should be your first goal, and first indicator of fitness. If your trainer LOOKS good, he probably IS good. Losing a lot of weight ..read more

  It’s 2021, and lots has changed with the global landscape. Fitness has certainly been one industry that’s been hit hard by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that’s no surprise. It’s made for some time to think about the condition of the industry, especially since 3 quarters of my city doesn’t have access to a gym to work out.  Amid the frenetic scramble to makeshift gyms or rummage together old workout equipment as a means to an end, living room workouts have become the growing norm – cause, let’s face it – It’s either that or sedentary living. Some people ramped up their f ..read more

 When I thought about releasing a blog intended to get people motivated to make changes to help their fitness, I deliberately avoided doing so in the first couple of weeks of January, 2021. It would have been a little too contrived. The whole “new year’s fitness resolution” thing usually begins to fade come February, and that’s most often the case because of the way “fitness” is approached in the name of resolve. Because of that truth, this is going to end up being the most vanilla fitness article you didn’t know you needed to read. Cause the name of the game is sustainability. It could b ..read more

I could go into a lengthy disquisition about my professional experiences or achievements from this year, but I’d have a feeling that I was ignoring an elephant in the room. There’s no secret: There’s something that has frustrated not only me, but the entire world – at least to some degree. It’s disrupted our normalcy and tampered with everyone’s ability to function, recreate, and work without some form of adjustment. And we all know what that is. It didn’t feel right to start this annual article off the same way I normally tend to. Disrupting the status quo the way COVID did this year brings a ..read more