I am offering you an opportunity....

  Alright..  I'm getting better. I'ts only been TWO months since the last post. I have been very busy in the last little while, really trying to make a name for myself in the Hamilton fitness community. Recently, I have been featured on the radio for my work with clients, on the news as a post rehab specialist, and am currently finishing a book about sitting, the havoc it wreaks on your body, and how to fix it. Needless to say, my free time is limited.

  So, I am really writing this blog today to get the help of a select few individuals. We can benefit each other. If you are in pain, RIGHT NOW, and you have a job where you either sit all day, or have long commutes, I want to help you.

 When my manual is finished, I need a test group. I need 5 indivuals that want to take a copy of this book FOR FREE, and follow it like it's the bible. I want you to do all of the exercises, and purchase the 2 KEY pieces of equipment that I talk about in my book. Then, I want you to either write up what you liked, or what you didn't like, and how it has helped you, for me to use as testimonials. Unfortunately, I haven't assessed any of you, or your movements, so this will be quite generic in the way that it wont exactly be tailored to your needs, but if you do everything like I ask, it *should* alleviate some of your pain. In this book, I explain to you what exactly happens when you sit, the pain it causes, and how to fix it. I want you to understand how your body works, and why it isn't working correctly. Anyone could skip over the chapters and say, "Blah blah blah, only my knees hurt, so I'm just going to skip all of this other stuff. Well, in this 50 page book, EVERYTHING is connected. You wont fix your knees without looking at your hips and ankles, and you wont fix your lower back without looking at your hips, your butt, and your upper back.

 My book is called "The Sitting Solution" and will be available for retail purchase sometime in the next couple of months. Like I said, within the next couple of weeks, it will be free for 5 people who want to dramatically change their posture, get rid of pain, and just move better. If you have pain in your upper back, chest, lower back, hips, knees.. . . this book is exactly what you need. There are no gimmicks here. 5 free copies to the first 5 people to send me an email. I'm not in this to make money (at the moment). . I'm here to see if my over 5 years of studying and trial and error with clients have paid off. I want pain to be a thing of the past for you.

    Now, the ball is in your court. Send me an email, these spots will go quickly.

Now, onto the MEN.

    It's been about 4 months since my last update (I know, pathetic) but in that time,  have managed to be hospitalized for heart problems, get branded (don't ask), be smitten by a young lady, work about 12 hours a day, and spend as much time with my little squirt as possible.

   In that time, there has been much reflection as well. I have been interested in possibly going back to school for kinesiology at McMaster - but as of 2012, they no longer accept mature OR transfer students.. So that idea was scrapped. Then, it was massage therapy. This was something I've always been interested in as well, but after a coupld of days of arthritic pain in my wrist from a prior accedent, I don't know if that is the right avenue either.

   Keep in mind, I never wanted to stop being a triner, just kind of expand on what I am doing now, and make myself a bit more accredited academically. I am now taking some seminars online, and will continue to try and help clients with their mobility issues and the constant obsesity epidemic that plagues our society.

     (Tiny side note - I may be featured on CHCH news in the near future for my work on hips, and helping people understnad that life isn't over becasue you are in pain, you just need to find someone willing to fix it, and don't just let someone tell you that if golfing hurts, stop golfing - I'm incredibly excited.. . I'll keep you posted as I get more details)


 OK! Now, the reason for this blog. I had gotten quite a good repsonse from my last blog post ages ago, about women and their postural likeliness to a certain creature from the Triassic period....  BUT, I also got some flak for not addressing men and how they are becoming more and more like the Hunchback of Notredame.

  So, ladies - this is my rebuttal. Here it comes men. Put down the gaming controllers and sit up straight when you read this - I'm about to fix that nagging shoulder/low back/neck problem you have been living with for so long.


 Well, I will start off by saying that it is not only women that suffer from anterior pelvic tilt (see last article) but a lot of men have this imbalance as well.. . myself included... But, that is not what I have stopped by to write about today. It's kyphosis, fellas.

 Kyphosis is now becoming the norm. I see people every day hunched over; whether it be in their cars, at their desks, on the couch, in front of the computer.. . it's constant. Unfortunately, society plays a huge role in this. I am one of the lucky ones who is able to be up at both jobs, never really getting a chance to sit down. I I am very fortunate in this respect. Others, are not so lucky. If you are sitting at your desk right now, pay close attention to your posture. You probably have your shoulders rolled forwards to reach your keyboard, with your head pushed out towards the monitor like a turtle peeking out of it's shell. Stop that. Sit up straight. Now, there is a big difference between sitting up straight, and pushing youyr chest towards the sky like someone shoved a popsicle down the back of your shirt. Imagine there is a string on the top of your head, and it is "pulling" you upwards. It doesn't have to be dramatic, just subtle. Try doing this every day, as many times as you can remember.

 "But Bryan," you ask, "why do I need to do this?" Well, superstar, let me tell you. Being rounded in your upper back and having forward head posture is very detrimental to your activities away from your desk. Do me a favor and stand up. Now, exaggerate this rounded shoulder posture. From there, I want you to try and raise one arm straight in front of you, and over your head. It wont go. You can "make" it go, but then you compensate by using your low back and really hyperextending your lumbar spine. Now, do the string thing I told you about earlier. Stand tall, and raise an arm above your head. Easier? Exactly. There is a simple test to see how much you absolutely suck at something as simple as raising your arms above your head. It's called a wall slide. This is the link.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYNSZz-fPRw

    It consists of getting against a wall. With your heels about 5 inches away from the wall, push your butt, your upper back, your elbows and your forearms against the wall. Now, slide your arms up and down the wall and see how far you can get. Also, make sure you aren't forming an upper case "C" with your lower back to compensate for your problem. Keep your low back nice and close to thwe wall. Embarrassed? Now, get your girlfriend to do it. More embarrassed? You should be. Now sir, we fix it.

    Obviously I can't assess you all. So, what I will do is give you some generic corrective exercises to hopefully fix this problem. Do these a lot. Think about how much you are stuck in that terrible position. Doing these once every 2 days is not going to help. Start with every morning. Then, do them every morning and every night. You will feel like a million bucks after a month. You will excel on the field (if you play sports) you will excel with the ladies (nobody likes a hunchback) and you will excel in the bedroom. (Ok, maybe not that last one, but you get my drift.

  #1. Stretch Your Chest - You aren't going to be able to wake up any of those posterior postural muscles if your chest is ridiculously tight. And chances are, it is. Do this. Hold it for at least 45 sdeconds. Build up to holds of 2 minutes.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq2rYIobvns

  #2. Side Lying Rotations - 2 sets of 10 each. This one is good because it works on extension and rotation in your thoracic spine. You don't need an actuall medicine ball under that top knee, just something to keep that knee elevated so your hips stay neutral - so that you don't use your lumbar spine for any of this movement.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysAnAYSH_jM

  3#. Quadraped Thoracic Rotation - 2 sets of 10 each. This one is relatively simple. Get on all fours and I want you to sit back on your heels slightly (he isn't doing this in the video) and keeping your abdominals braced and an elbow against your head, follow the movement in the video and make sure you follow your elbow with your eyes.. Only go as far as your upper back will let you, don't do this with your lower back.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atppDJ8xwEY

  #4. Wall Slides - 2 sets of 10. These are the first exercise we tested with. Do them now, after you completed these. Much easier, is'nt it?? I know, I know.... I'm like a magician.


 So, my soon to be "mobile friend". . .  enjoy these excercisesand let me know of your progress. If I can help even one of your rounded freaks out there, I'm a happy camper.

Skinny Girls and Office Workers - Pay Attention!

   Ok, listen up. I'm going to talk about a subject that I see now with almost all of my female clients - it is especially noticeable in the skinny ones. . now that the nice weather is out and the clothes are getting tighter it is very easy to spot.

 3 sexy words - Anterior Pelvic Tilt.

   You know who you are. You are the women who either wear heels all day or who sit at desks for the majority of the day. You are the women who complain of back pain and have flat stomachs that tend to stick out. You have a low back curve big enough for a family of small birds to make a nest and raise a family in.

  I can tell as a woman is walking to the back office for a consultation if she has a desk job. We've all seen Jurassic Park. Remember the velociraptors? Minus the hissing, this is essentially what I see. Shortened dorsiflexors, excessive lumbar curves and slight kyphosis. There are actually a few women who even have the limp wrists like the raptors do, but I wont get into that now. I hope they don't read this..

   So, what do we do to fix this?? I hate to say it, but if you want to have a long and healthy, pain-free life. . . .ditch the heels. Ok, maybe just don't wear them so much. I know, you look gorgeous, but it has to be done. Believe me, I hate to say it - I love the way women look in heels, but they just aren't natural. Think about how you feel after a day of heels. No woman is like, "Wow! That was incredible! My feet feel amazing, and I feel like I could run a marathon!" No. They hobble around and want foot rubs. Nothing wrong with a good foot rub by the way.. I'm just saying, foot rubs don't usually just end with foot rubs - think about it, men.
   I am on my feet here at the studio for sometimes 11 hours at a time, training clients, bending and lifting, and I feel like a million bucks at the end of the day.  

 Ok, we need to get down to business. There are a few things we need to do in order to combat the heels (since I know no woman is going to get rid of them) and prolonged sitting.

   First! Get the range of motion back in your ankles that you've lost over the years.

 Ankle mobility drills - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPa9-fpqnUE

        Just gentle rocking back and forth. Move 10 times towards the front of your foot, 5 towards your big toe and 5 towards the little one. 3 sets. 3. . . .4. . .maybe even 5 times a day.

   Second! Stretch out those hips - Reduce the amount of "velociraptoring" - new verb -
                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwToKziL5A4

        Make sure to keep upright with your upper body and try to actively squeeze those glutes on the back leg. Hold for 1 minute each side. "Feel" the stretch.

   Third! Get those glutes working again.. this will help with the back pain and help pull your pelvis back into proper alignment.
                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwToKziL5A4

         Focus on making your butt work and not your hamstrings! Really concentrate and play around with the distance from your feet to your butt.

   Lastly!! Pull that core back in and find neutral spine..
                                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89Mh1Fd37E

          Now, this may look like nothing, but you have to really focus on keeping your low back flat during this whole exercise - fighting to maintain this will be more difficult depending how long you've been in your raptor mode. Tilt your pelvis back and slowly exted one leg out all the way, keeping it about an inch off of the ground. Bring it back in and switch legs. If your low back comes up at any time, start over. It may take some practice, but this will REALLY help with your posture by strengthening all of those stretched out, weakened core muscles.

   So - office workers.. . as the clothes get tighter, make sure your posture isnt making you look bloated. Fix yourself up, and you will thank me when you are in your bikini.

Getting Beach Ready

Ok.. . So it's that time of year.

  Winter bulk is over. (I didn't put on 50 lbs this year, only 15) Now, I know that eventually in the coming months, my shirt is going to have to come off in a public setting. I started the winter at 170, and am now about 185. A few lbs *could* be muscle, but I drank like a fish this holiday season, and I can only pretend so much.

  I've always said that up until you are in your mid 30's, winter bulking is completely acceptable in order to put on some quality mass. After that, you can still do it, but it gets harder for you to lose that added weight. It's not impossible, and I know people that are the exception to the rule - but for the most part, it gets harder as you age due to the slowing of your metabolism and your body's response.

   So, now I need to come up with a plan. It's relatively simple and I've made it work for myself the last few years. Find what works for you. I know people that can do 3 full protein days in a row with no carbs at all for 72 hours. Well, let's get one thing straight. If I go for more than 24 hours with no carbs, everything starts to look like a potato and someone is going to get bit. I get hazy, cranky and start to be really bitter about life. I just can't do it.

  So, I incorporate a carb cycling approach. I still like lifting heavy while I "cut". There are many benefits. I get to keep the strength that I have accumulated over my bulking period, and I wont lose as much muscle as if I just completely switched to cardio based exercises. I keep my cardio to fasted morning runs (or walks if I'm feeling lazy that day) and the biggest change comes in the food that I stuff into my face.

  I have high carb days and low carb days. I will explain the difference and why I do it the way that I do. My high carb days fall on my heavy lifting days. I need the extra energy to maximize my performance on my big lifts and the added glycogen (sugars from these carb sources) does just that. I'm eating leaner protein and my fat content stays roughly the same. Now, the big difference comes on my low days. I cut my carbs down to about 50g per day (roughly 2 slices of bread) and make sure to get cardio in on that day. Now, what this does is depletes your body readily available glycogen stores and your stored fat is more likely to be used as a fuel source when that happens. I replace the carbs with lean protein and greens as to keep my total calories at a decent level. So, on the days I am lifting and eating high carbs and protein, my body can be slightly anabolic, and on the days I am jogging and eating less carbs, I will be more catabolic and elicit a different response from my body.

  I start this early in the season as I don't like counting calories...  It's a lot of work and I just don't want to do it. I'll eat this way for a couple of weeks, to see if there is a loss without cutting down my total calories by too much. If I am losing too much (more than 1.5lbs per week) then I will add in more calories. If I am not losing, I will simply cut my calories down by 2 or 300 a day. It's relatively simple.

  As you can tell from my previous blog posts, I really don't like to complicate things in my nutrition, or my life.. haha, so this works out perfect. So now, by the summer, I shouldn't be this pale mess that sits in front of this computer and writes this blog.

   Feel free to try this approach yourself - let me know how it goes.

Take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

 Yesterday I had a client who came to me complaining about low back spasms that she was having last weekend. Now, this client is the epitome of perfect health. Middle aged, works out with me twice a week, does yoga twice a week and is in very good shape. Yet, she had this terrible back spasm in her RIGHT spinal erectors  (vertical low back muscles) whenever she raised her LEFT arm overhead. She attributed it to having a problem with her low back. She was up all night that night stretching and icing. Nothing helped.
  So, I suggested she move her focus from her low back to her shoulder. Her back didn't hurt when her arms were at rest, they hurt when she forced that overhead movement.
  Too many people look at just the affected area. That area may be the source of all of your pain, but it's not necessarily the source of the problem. Chances are, it's a symptom of a much bigger issue.
  In this woman's case, that was exactly the problem. I did some range of motion and mobility tests on her shoulders and upper back and her left side was lacking almost 1/3rd of the right when it came to mobility. On the right side she was fine, but as soon as we started forcing extension through her left side, she compensated by leaning back with her low back instead. This happens a lot, and is a huge factor of low back pain in a lot of clients that I see.

  So, I could have had her do some soft tissue work on her low back, stretch the hell out of it, even suggest that she get a massage.. But, I always try to take a step back and see how everything else is moving. At the end of her session, the back pain was gone and the range of motion in her thoracic spine and shoulder were improved dramatically. Even something like pain in hip musculature on your right side, can be caused by tightness in the shoulder on the left side.

  I am trying to take the same outlook on things that are happening in my life. I can take things day by day and worry about the little things that are happening, or I can step back, get complete control of my life and put things in place that ensure that I will get to where I want to be. Living day to day is tough, it's full of unexpected surprises and you never know what's coming next. Getting rid of that tunnel vision and preparing for these things before they happen is much easier. So, next time that you get cut off in traffic, or your bread falls peanut butter side down, step back and figure out how it's going to affect your entire day or even your entire week. 

Success

 How do YOU measure success?

Everyone is different. My measure of success will vary greatly from yours. I personally believe that success is not about material things. Sure, it felt nice when I bought a brand new jeep and drove it off the lot.. . It feels nice when I buy new furniture, a new computer. .. but those feelings pass. My jeep is no longer a measure of success for me. I use it to get from point A to point B. My furniture has become nothing more than a seat for my arse. My computer has become a means for me to become more successful through studying and taking courses as a trainer.
 To me, success is about my career, my own self worth and the relationships that I hold with others. I don't want to pass away and have written on my gravestone, "Here lies Bryan Smith, he drove a nice jeep and owned some nice things." Now, that does not mean that I don't want nice things. I know what I want materialistically and am taking steps to get there.

 I want to be incredibly successful as a trainer. I don't mean I want to be the best in the gym.. or the best in the city. I want to transform this industry, get rid of the stigma around personal trainers and be more than just someone who screams reps and tells you not too eat so many chips. I am taking the steps now to become an expert in my field and make sure that people think of me when they think of a great trainer. I want to be recognized as one of the best. This is my measure of business success. Not to be the trainer driving around in the hummer with the nice gym who gets ridiculed by everyone in the city because there is no relationship with the clients, and the only goal is to make more money.

 I want to FEEL incredibly successful when I think about myself. I want to know that I am not wasting my life away watching sitcoms spending countless hours watching seasons 1-10 of a random show. I want to have confidence in where I am going with my life, and knowing exactly how to get there. I don't want to feel like I need someone else to rely on to get me to where I need to be. I I want to spend my youth honing my craft so that when I am older, I can reap the benefits of the hard work that I put in when I was young. This to me is a measure of my success when it comes to self worth.


I want to be successful when it comes to my relationships that I hold with others. We all know the person that talks about everyone behind their back. They come to you and talk about every one of your friends and enemies. They have gossip about everyone. That same person, talks the same way about you when you are not around. I don't want to be that person. I want to be someone that people can trust, and know that anything they tell me in confidence will be kept in confidence. I want to be a great father. I want to be a mentor for my daughter and a great friend to others. I want to hold the door for strangers and carry myself with respect. People will treat you the way you treat them, and if not, leave them behind.

  What do YOU consider success to be??

Embrace Change

 If one thing is inevitable in this life we live, it's change. Whether it be a change in careers, a change in a relationship, or even something simple, like a change in the route you take to work because of a detour - change is coming. It doesn't matter if you do everything right, change comes to all of us.
  In my experience, there are 2 different types of people that I have encountered when it comes to negative change. Those who fall apart and look for pity, wondering how something like that can ever happen to someone like them. They shut down and get a negative attitude. They wait for someone else to fix the problem and when it doesn't happen, out comes the blame.
 Then, there are people who embrace change. The people who have these life changing events happen to them and immediately look for the benefits. They dust themselves off, get back on their feet and become better than they were before. They learn from it and take the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like that will happen again.

  In the last 6 years, I have experienced significant changes in my life. I have moved across the country, I have changed careers - away from something that I went to school for, I have had a daughter, gone through a separation - and from all of these things I have learned a lot about myself. Many people have helped me along the way, and I want to thank every one of them from the bottom of my heart, but I wouldn't trade any of the things that have happened in my life because they made me who I am today.

 It's about comfort. People like being comfortable. I've been comfortable on many occasions. Life becomes routine. Months, even years pass... and when you look back you realize that you are the same person that you were that many years ago. You took things for granted, and life passed you by.

Well, to all 3 of my readers, I encourage you to produce your own change. Don't wait for the change to come to you - chances are it wont be good. Set goals, figure out what you want and MAKE that change. Take risks, live life and take nothing for granted. You never know when they things that you think will always be there, suddenly aren't anymore. It's never too late.

Hunh?

 Watch this video - then, we can talk.

 Are you serious? Like, are you really serious?

   I have been in the industry now for a while - and I can honestly say that there have been times where I have made clients do exercises that have been "outside the box" but I have never put originality in place of safety. This has to be the absolute worst example of poor programming that I have ever seen. The worst part is that the clients have NO idea what they are doing, or if they are doing it correctly.. And that is because they shouldn't have to. It is the sole responsibility of the "trainer", or in this case, "the woman standing with her hands on her hips saying, "Good! Get it up there!" to know the exercises before she prescribes them, and knows how to execute them with safety.
   This video has been around for a couple of months now, and I wasn't going to blog about it, but the absolute shock that I felt while watching it got the best of me. The more people that I can educate on proper form and exercise selection, the better.
  Now, in no way is this an attack on Crossfit, I've heard trainers say things in commercial gyms that rival the  retardation of this video. It's the fact that these people are paying money to come in to this location, have agreed to be on video with what looks like little to no prior lifting experience, and with that, they should be taught how to do these lifts properly. Never have I seen anyone do any sort of clean with a switch grip. It doesn't work. And resting the bar on your stomach, while producing some of the worst hyper-extension on the lumbar spine I have ever seen, all while under a load.. These people should be stripped of their certificates and never be allowed to give any sort of fitness advice again.

  What if you saw a video on youtube of a doctor performing surgery on a patient. Then, midway through surgery to remove an appendix, he says to the nurse, "Hey, I'm just going to try using my left hand for some incisions. Pass me that scalpel..  Actually, I want you to cover my eyes while I do it." That doctor's license would be taken away. He put someone's life in danger. These idiots are doing the same thing. On a smaller scale of course. Injuries like these usually don't happen on the first attempt. It's repetitive strain.

  This is what worries me about my industry. With videos like these, no wonder people think we have cookie cutter certifications. In reality, it does only take a weekend to become a trainer. 1 weekend, 20-30 hours of studying and a practical exam. Now, I've sat in on a few of these practicals, and I've seen some things. Let me tell you, I've seen some things. This isn't making pancakes, people.. you can't just try, mess a batch up, then try again. These are human beings. If you see an exercise that you think will "wow" your clients, maybe do some research. With every exercise I put in programs for clients, I can tell you the benefit, the muscles worked and how to focus on those muscles to ensure proper activation.

    I promise, the next blog post will be in less than 2 months!