Integrity in the Fitness Industry

I’ve been working in the fitness industry for many years now, and I’ve seen a lot of fitness professionals who impress me greatly.  Yet sadly, on the flip side, I’ve seen just as many people working in the fitness industry who disturb me just as much.   

The boom in the fitness industry has lead many people to believe that anyone can become a fitness professional: “Hey, I like working out in the gym, maybe I should become a personal trainer too. It sure beats waitressing.”  Or “I’ve lost so much weight that even I know enough about exercise to train others now”.

But those same people fail to recognize the hard work and commitment - (a) the early mornings/late nights, b) training for official and credible certifications, c) securing liability insurance and following all proper protocols to ensure coverage is actually applied to clients, d) properly handling of their clients’ personal and private information in a secure/discreet manner, e) actively leading by example in their actions and lifestyle choices, and f) being honest to your clients about your intentions and actions) - required to be truly professional in the fitness industry. 

These are the qualities that make for a safe, responsible and credible trainer.  And after doing so much consultation work at various gyms in the course of my career, I feel frustrated at all the irresponsible behaviours I’ve witnessed by so many so-called ‘fitness professionals’.  Their bad behaviour and lack of proper training often lead to injury, liability and damage to other businesses reputations.       

  
Fitness professionals should always be punctual, respectful of your time and others, properly dressed for the working (and working out) environment, and treat other clients and staff with respect as well. There is a time to yell and shout, during a hard workout, but also a time to know when calm, quiet and proper discretion is just as important to the client. 

Because so much of the fitness industry market is fuelled by money, people are easily caught up in the hype and excitement of the process, and the desire to believe in the promises being made to them (not just to clients, but also to club owners/employers, I should add).  But before hiring a personal trainer (or other fitness professional) people really need to do their homework, in order to ensure the services they are paying for are truly what they believe them to be.

How can they do this?

1. Do a background check on the individual.  Ask to see a copy of their official certifications.  Where and when was it renewed? Can I see your CPR/First Aid certification?  Who are you insured with and what are you covered for in case I get injured? Any true fitness professional should be able to answer and provide proof of coverage.  Good websites to check credentials would be: http://repscanada.com/ or http://coach.ca/

2. Ask the fitness pro for client testimonials.  They should be able to provide references for their work. You are hiring them for a job after all - the job of training you!

3. The next step would be to do a simple google search on the individual.  Check for their online history - blogs, facebook postings, twitter account, youtube videos, etc..  If your fitness pro preaches one life at the gym and another life online then their integrity may be questionable. I’ve found blogs and videos of other so-called fitness professionals that have shocked me with their total lack of discretion and outright privacy breaches, not to mention risk taking behaviours. 

My advice to anybody looking to hire a trainer is to do your homework.  Look up the individual you are considering hiring. Ask them questions and ask them to produce certifications.  If they can not, then you really need to keep looking. 

If clients demand quality then the industry will follow.  Let’s keep our standards high!  

Fascial Stretch Therapy

As a personal trainer and athlete, I understand the wear and tear that intense physical activity can have on the body. Whether you’re training for a road race, or just beginning to exercise and find yourself working out stiffness and body aches, we need to take care of ourselves to safely recover from exercise.  This recovery can take many forms including: rest, static/dynamic stretching, foam rolling, massage, acupuncture and other therapeutic forms.  

I’ve long been a fan of stretching, foam rolling and acupuncture, but I’m also curious to learn more about the other available options for recovery.  Recently I’ve had the chance to explore Fascial Stretch Therapy - an assisted table-based stretching system that focuses on the fascia (the connective tissue of the muscles) as the key element in achieving optimal flexibility, strength, performance and pain relief.  

Basically, over time the fascia in our bodies can become tight, sore and inflamed which may lead to pain and compromised performance.  Stretching along the fascial lines of the body can help prevent this.  

I found these three illustrations useful in understanding where the fascia is in the body: 

I was curious about this methodology and wanted to try it out after a long season of running.  When I met Bethany Weir, my FST (Fascial Stretch Therapist), she greeted me warmly, made me feel comfortable and explained to me the stretching process.  She manipulated my arms and legs into deep stretching positions while I laid on the table and was guided gently, yet deeply, through the stretches. Basically the process helped to re-align, re-adjust, and manipulate my fascia back to it normal relaxed state so that my body, limbs and joints were more mobile. Afterward, I feel relaxed, more flexible and many general body aches were relieved. 

With regular treatment, this therapy can also assist with relief in other problem areas including: back pain, muscle spasms, joint capsules, circulation and blood flow, improving posture, hip replacement issues, depression, IT band syndrome and plantar fasciitis.  So if any of these health issues are a concern for you I recommend giving FST a try. Its a natural and drug free method to address these problems.  

If you’d like to learn more about FST, or would like to contact the Fascial Stretch Therapist I visited, I can highly recommend her - Bethany Weir.  Check out her website for more information on her practice, rates and contact info: http://stretchwithbeth.com/ 

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2016

My last racing event for the year was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/index.htm on Sunday, October 16th. 

This is a course that runs through downtown Toronto, along the lakeshore, into the beaches and finishing in the heart of downtown at Nathan Philips Square, right at city hall.  Its a fun course with a really lively and festive atmosphere due to all the community support the event receives. 

This being my final race of the season, I felt I was well trained for the event.  It was my second marathon that year, I had been running lots of mileage and intensity runs all summer and been eating right.  I was optimistically hoping for an even better finish time than my spring marathon (3:34:38), dare I hope for a 3:30:00?!  

The rain began to fall on us as we lined up in the starting corrals, but a little rain never stopped runners before. It was a warmer than usual Oct day, with a starting temp of 18C, so the rain didn’t feel so bad, although it was a little heavier than I would have liked.

The marathon started well, but by the halfway point I knew it wasn’t going to be a personal best for me.  At the 21.1km mark I was more than 3min behind my run plan.  Normally it only takes me 1:45:00 to reach this point, but today it was 1:48:28.  Not great.   

I began to feel tight in my hips and lower back.  I couldn’t open up and relax into my stride like I normally do when I’m running well. It began to be painfully obvious to me that I had not given myself enough recovery time after my last major endurance event - MSC Barrelman half-iron triathlon (2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run) I did on Sep 18, less than a month ago (28 days).  

The last half of the marathon didn’t get any easier, I tightened up even more as the run went on, and eventually I crossed the finish line at 3:54:52, twenty minutes slower than my spring marathon finishing time.  Disappointing yes, but a good experience for me nevertheless.  I learned a valuable lesson this day - I need more recovery time between major endurance events, and more time to relax and release tight muscles. I expect utilizing more foam rolling, stretching and massage therapy technique for myo-fascial release, as well as rest, will be vital for this.   I will be taking all this into consideration when planning my racing schedule for 2017. 

Looking at the big picture, I still ran a sub 4 hour marathon, and any day you get out for a long run is still a good day.  Kudos to everybody who went out to run whether it was the full, half marathon or the 5km. And thanks to everybody who came out to support us along the way. 

Barrelman Triathlon 2016

This year I began racing long course triathlon. Over the last four years (2012-2015), I had been racing short course (Sprint 750m/20km/5km and Olympic 1.5km/40km/10km distances) but this year I felt I was both mentally and physically ready for the longer course, including the half-iron distance (2km/90km/21km). 

Early in the season I raced the Welland long course and despite the heat and humidity, I really enjoyed the endurance event. In the shorter courses you can often feel like you spend too much time in transition, and not enough time actually immersed in each of the cardiovascular activities of swim, bike, run.  In the longer courses, you really get to be more in the moment of those activities, as you spend much longer completely immersed in each of those segments. It felt wonderful to me.  People often think its tougher to do a longer course, and in some ways it is - if you haven’t physically trained for the demands of the mileage on your body - but mentally its much more enjoyable for me as I found I was much more in tune with my body and its rhythm (cadence).  I’ve always enjoyed the solitary joy of the long run.  

MultiSport Canada’s Barrelman race was the longest course I’d signed up for yet, and logistically one of the more complicated. It covered a lot of scenic ground ranging from the swim start in the Welland Canal, a fast and flat bike course which took cyclists from the canals to the shores of Lake Erie and then up to Lake Ontario and Niagara Falls where the half-marathon run course took place.  

This course would also feature 2 separate transition zones, T1 was in Welland, T2 was in Niagara Falls.  I had always done races where all your gear was kept in the one transition zone.  So you really had to be organized for the race early and arrange your race gear for each of the separate race segments into 3 different gear bags clearly labelled with your bib number (e.g. 478) for the race crew to transport. I was nervous about this, but I must admit, MultiSport Canada’s staff ran a smooth operation and all my gear was right where it should be.   

While I truly believed I was mentally and physically ready to take on the long course, I must admit the week leading up to the race was filled with low level anxiety for me.  I had several nightmares about everything that might go wrong during the race.  But after talking to some supportive friends and colleagues, I used to dreams as a guide for aspects I should further prepare for.  I sent my bike in for a tune up, got a flat tire repair kit, triple checked all my race gear, and practiced some positive mental visualization run throughs of the entire event. These strategies helped a lot.  

While I’m often nervous the morning of the event, once I actually start racing my nerves disappear and I can just be in the moment. I’ve always been good at focussing on the task at hand and sink my energy and focus into that present moment. I only worry about the next stroke when I’m swimming, the next pedal turn when I’m cycling, and the next footstep when I’m running.  

Weather-wise, we were lucky on race day, as all the thunderstorms had passed through the region the day before. I remember watching the lightening strikes and hearing the downpour of rain during the pre-race briefing in the WIFC on Sat afternoon.   However, as we warmed up in the canal the next morning there was only a light fog left over the water, and that quickly burnt off as the sun rose in the sky that morning.  It was quite pretty really.  

Despite having a large swim start (150 people in my wave), the swim was fairly uneventful once I was out of the initial 200m hot zone.  I was disappointed that the WIFC staff had taken up the kayak guidelines from inside the canal. They were really great to use for sighting a straight line in the June race.  Hopefully Multisport Canada can ask the WIFC staff to keep them in place for the triathletes next year (wink wink, nudge nudge!!).  I’m not sure if I can solely blame the missing guidelines in the canal for the (1min 44sec) difference in my 2km swim time (45:50 in June vs 47:34 in Sept) but I did have to fix my swim direction a few times during this race, so lets say it was their fault ;) 

The time I spent riding on my trainer over the last 3 months between the events must have paid off, as I increased my overall pace time on the bike course. In June, I paced 26.43km/h, and in Sept I paced 27.82km/h. I’m particularly pleased with this as the bike course was also a third longer than June (56km vs 90km).  I felt I rode technically better, I spent longer in aero position and its always a good ride when you keep your chain on and get everything less greased up! 

The last few kilometers of the bike course were just beautiful as we spun along the Niagara River leading to down to Niagara Falls. I had to remind myself to look up to take in the moment, remind myself how incredible all this was. I felt so alive.

I racked my bike in T2, tore open my gear bag and ran out onto the run course for the 21km that lay ahead of me. 

Running the long course has definitely highlighted some structural issues I have when transitioning from bike to run. Most problematic is the recurring problem I have with numbness running through my left foot and leg.  The same problem happened in the June long course. After the first 3km my left foot goes numb, it crawls up my leg until 8km, then disappears completely by 10km, then I’m perfectly fine again.  The affect it has on my run time is quite obvious, my first 10.5km run split was 1:03:08 (pace 6:00/km), while my second 10.5km run split was 0:53:24 (pace 5:05/km).  I’ll be visiting my chiropractor again soon and will try to get to the bottom of this.  Knowing this issue is keeping me from reaching my full potential is not a good feeling, but I will figure this out. 

Other than that, the run was fabulous. The run course was more hilly than the bike, but I have the glutes for hills so I don’t mind them as much as some of the other runners seem to.  And running through the mist of the waterfalls was an awesome feeling.  

I must admit, this course was probably the most scenic I’d ever done, and probably my favourite course to date. 

Overall, I finished my first half-iron triathlon in 6h:00m:5.5s 

I’m very happy with that.  I definitely gained the experience and confidence needed to continue with my long course training plan.  Next years goal: Ironman Mont Tremblant!     

Bootcamp Alert!!!

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be once again holding my fall stall bootcamps this September (and hopefully a second round in early October).

Where:
Bootcamps will take place in Riverdale Park East (just off Broadview Ave), close to downtown Toronto (see map below).  This beautiful and spacious park is accessible by streetcar, subway (via Broadview Station), has plenty of bike lock stands, and lots of free parking on Broadview. These will be outdoor workouts, so dress for the weather.

When:
I will be holding the bootcamps on Thursday evenings this fall, beginning after labour day weekend. Tentative dates and times are set for Sept 8, 15, 22 (thus far).  Classes will ~75min in duration (6:00-7:30pm). A second bootcamp series may be held following this depending on demand.

What:
Workouts will include mixtures of cardio, resistance work, agility drills, body weight training and stamina development.  Open for both men and women, all skill levels.  Class size will be limited to 12 participants to give each participant the attention they deserve.

How much:
Each bootcamp class will cost $20/person, or all 3 classes for $50.

Contact:
For more info email me (Kelly the trainer): contours.personal.training@gmail.com

Kelly the trainer is a Can-Fit-Pro certified Personal Training Specialist and Nutrition & Wellness Specialist, with over 6 years experience in the fitness industry.

The LOST Race 2016

The annual LOST (Lake Ontario Swim Team) swim was held at the LOST beach in Oakville, on Aug 13th, as always, the second Saturday of August.  While the water was much warmer this year (measuring a balmy 22C/72F), compared to last year (aka ‘the cold year’ at a chilly 10C/50F), the weather was still a factor for the event.  

As often comes with the hot humid weather Ontario has been dealing with all season, the forecast was threatening thunderstorms.  Not the type to cower at the sign of storm clouds, race organizers kept their eye on the forecast for a clear break in the skies, set up a team of on water support crew (kayakers and paddle-boarders) which would communicate any immediate threats to the swimmers, and decided that the race would go on.  We are a determined bunch to say the least. Not reckless by any means when you make an up to date, informed decision with safety plans set in place. 

This year race organizers offered two distance categories, the traditional LOST race (3.8km) and the new LOST mile (1.6km). The 3.8km swim is a point to point swim starting at Maple Grove Dr and ending at the LOST beach on Navy St. The LOST mile is a 1.6km loop starting and ending at the LOST beach.  

I participated in the 3.8km race.  For those who recall last years event, I had registered for the 3.8km race but the water was too cold for the race to go ahead safely so it was modified to 1km and 500m events instead.  So I felt I had some unfinished business to take care of. 

At 8am the swimmers climbed over the rocks and settled into the Lake for the in water start. The gun fired and we were off. As races go, this one is a friendly yet competitive event.  Most people are out for the camaraderie of the event and the training aspect, at least that’s what I was there for.  I wanted to gain more experience with longer open water swims for when I do my Ironman race next year. 

The LOST swim is actually a really nice swim, the water is clean and calm, and you get to swim past some of the really fancy smancy houses in the Lakeshore district of Oakville.  The views were fantastic.  Despite the forecast, the water was really calm and the swim was rather uneventful.  Most the kayakers had to do was redirect a few wayward swimmers. Training at Cherry Beach downtown is much rougher to be honest, I’m a little envious of the lovely conditions out this way.  

I found myself swimming alone for the most part, as I find a lot of solace in the swim. But I reminded myself I needed to practice my drafting technique to improve my overall time, so I picked out a few convenient swimmers to try drafting with at different points during the swim.  Drafting is a racing technique where by you let the person in front of you break the water letting them expend more energy clearing the path, while you swim just behind/beside them, using their breakwater to help save energy.  Most open water swimmers will use drafting techniques but its important to be considerate when doing so, minimizing body contact. Nobody likes getting kicked and slapped over and over again when swimming.  

I felt good during the swim and not nearly as tired as I was when I did my first iron distance swim at the Toronto Island Lake Swim last year.  I remember spotting the  Lighthouse on the Navy St pier, the final sighting point for the swim and still feeling like I could put a finishing push on my front crawl.  I climbed out of the lake and across the beach rocks with a sub 90min finishing time (1:29:58).  According to my Garmin, I kept a pace of 2:18 for the 3.8km. Not too bad, but a time I definitely want to improve on. 

Overall it was a great day to swim with a fantastic group of people. A big thank you goes out to all the LOSTies, the race organizers, Rob Kent and Sarah Gallagher, all the volunteers and of course, the kayakers and paddle-boarders who supported the swimmers, as well as Drone Therapy for the aerial shots. Cheers!  Let’s do it all again next year. 

Toronto Triathlon Festival 2016

Toronto Triathlon Festival (TTF)

Sunday, July 10th, 2016

http://www.torontotriathlonfestival.com 

The TTF has become an annual tradition in downtown Toronto, and I’ve taken part in it for the past 3 years.  In 2014, I did the sprint race, then in 2015 I challenged myself to the olympic standard distance, which I did again this weekend.  

Considering that most of my triathlons involve a two hour drive (each way), its hard to say no to a race that takes place practically in my back yard, on a course that I am now very familiar with. 

There was going to be some stiff competition at TTF this year as it was selected to host Triathlon Ontario’s Provincial Championships.  I guess now I’ll know where I stack up with the more serious triathletes, as even the more recreational age grouper (yours truly) will be running with them at this event. Who knows what might happen?!

Race morning dawned ideal, clear and fresh, which was particularly nice since the week before Toronto suffered through an extreme heat alert and a series of thunderstorms the day before. The last few races had been uncomfortably hot, so I was looking forward to an earlier start and finish, with cooler temps, less humidity and less suffering out on the run course.  

Lake Ontario (and the Great Lakes in general) tends to be a little cooler than the other smaller lakes and canals in the region. The water temp was 17.5C (63.5F), cool yes, but with a wetsuit it was just fine, and considering I do most of my training in the Lake, down at Cherry Beach, I was used to it.  So the cooler water temp was not a shock to me when I jumped in at 7am for my pre-race warm up swim. It felt good. I felt good. I knew during that brief warm up swim that I was going to have a good swim that morning. 

My wave (in the silver swim caps) was the last to go, and after the initial chaos of the in-water group wave start, we spaced out enough to find a comfortable rhythm, eventually finding that inner/outer pace where breathing technique, effort and swim stroke all come together.  A few minutes in I started approaching the pink caps of the struggling swimmers in the previous wave.  Not so great for them, but a good sign for my progress at least.  (There were plenty of paddle-boarders and kayakers around keeping a watchful eye out, so no one was ever is any real danger, never fear.  It was mostly a DNF for those swimmers sadly). 

The sun was still quite low on the horizon and I was glad for my reflective goggles (a new addition made to my race kit at the end of last season, after experiencing the squint of some other bright and early morning swims).  Although after the first left turn I found it was easier to just switch to breathing on my right side, instead of my natural left side, avoiding the bright dawn sunlight.  Alternating breathing on different sides changes the natural stride but its something triathletes need to be able to do adapt to open water conditions and still thrive in the moment.  The open water swim is very much different than the calm controlled pool environment, and only experience will prepare you for it.

Despite this small challenge, I was enjoying the swim. I had prepped and trained for this. I felt strong and powerful, and I mentally envisioned my arms were paddles pulling me forward with long, strong strokes gliding through the water.   

At this point, I even began to pass the weaker swimmers in the blue cap wave (those just before the pink caps) who had resorted to breast stroking for the last 500m of the swim.  I continued to power on with my front crawl, making the last left turn around the bright orange buoy and made a bee-line for the swim finish.  My gut feeling was right, I paced 2:06/100m, whereas last year I paced 2:13/100m.  I did the 1500m swim almost 2min faster!  

Transitioning went well, no issues here. I was very familiar with the layout from previous experience,  and used this to my advantage (for both T1 & T2). I knew exactly where my in and out sites were and didn’t waste any time looking for them.  I also knew to expect the steep climb before the bike mount line, so I braced my legs and cleats for that hill, both going up and coming back down after the bike (but more on that later).

The bike course I also knew well from both past TTF races and the Ride for Heart event I do annually. I was hoping to go a little faster today, but I ended up keeping the exact same pace as last year - 28.7 km/h to be precise.  At least there were no mechanical issues and the ride was smooth and car free! Hooray for closing the Gardiner and DVP for triathlon! Its rare to have a completely closed to traffic bike course even for races.  Big thanks to the City of Toronto and the TTF organizers for that monumental feat!

The bike has never been the strongest part of my race, but this year I’ve tried to be more aggressive on the ride segment.  So I was pissed when in the last 5km of the bike course a racer in my age group overtook me on the bike (I could tell by checking her age marking on her calf). I stayed with her the best I could, but couldn’t pass her back before entering the final narrow bridge section.  I had a plan though, I could see she was nervous running down the steep hill with her bike after dismounting and entering T2, so I threw caution to the wind and blew past her going down the hill. I was taking a risk of slipping here, but it was a race after all, so now was the time to push limits.  I had my cleats off and runners on before she even had her bike racked and helmet off.  A successful recovery on my part, and she didn’t pass me again that day.  Being a good triathlete also involves good transitional strategy, not just cardio endurance.  That was a great example of knowing your transition zone well and incorporating it into your race strategy.

I was now entering the part of the triathlon I was strongest in - the run. Unlike the bike, this was where I do all the passing.  The run course was a total of 10K, both starting and finishing at Ontario Place, running out along the Martin Goodman Trail for the first 5K, turning around at the Humber River bridge, and returning along the inner lane of Lakeshore Blvd for the last 5K.  

I had a smooth transition out of T2 but its still always a struggle to settle into proper running form after the bike course.  I reached for one of the caffeinated Hammer gel packs I had tucked into my back shirt pocket and fuelled myself for the 10K that still laid ahead.  

After about 4km, and much to my dismay, my recurring problem of foot and leg numbness started creeping in.  But unlike Welland, only my left foot and lower leg went numb this time.  I tried to wiggle my toes and shake out my leg while running but it stuck with me for about 3-4km.  It was frustrating and I'm sure it had an impact on my run time, I knew I wasn’t pacing as fast as I could have. (I think its time to go to see my chiropractor again for an adjustment.  Hopefully its just a pinched nerve or something along those lines that can be easily dealt with.)  

At about the 7.5km mark my legs were back to normal and I felt much more relaxed in the run. I started chatting with another racer from a higher age group (Su-Ming) and we helped each other along the course for a few kilometers along Lakeshore Blvd until she stopped at a water station and I decided to keep powering up the hill, now that my legs were back to normal I wanted to make up for lost time. (I later found out that she came in third place in her age group F45-49, way to go Su-Ming from Markham! I'll see you at Barrelman in Sept). 

I was getting tired now too, but with the feeling back in my legs and the finish line in sight I dug in deep for the last stretch and powered through with my finishing kick.  I was so close.  As I entered the final 500m of the run I noticed another racer in my age group just a few meters ahead of me.  I made a decision to push with all my strength to pass her in the final stretch of the run.  I switched into overdrive for the last few hundred meters and blew past her just before turning off Lakeshore Blvd and into the finishers chute.  I love sneaking up on other runners in the home stretch and blowing past them in the final moments of the race.  Its such a rush! 

With that strategic move, I climbed from 13th to 12th place in my age group, crossing the finish line 5 seconds ahead of my closest competitor.  Despite the small issue on the run course, I finished the TTF Olympic course in 2:50:36. Nearly 2 minutes faster than last year, and improved my age group ranking up from 17th to 12th.  Not a bad showing for the provincial championships.

	2015		2016
Event	Time	Pace	Time	Pace	Difference
1.5km Swim	33:01	2:13/100m	31:16	2:06/100m	-1:45
T1	3:15		2:42		-0:33
40km Bike	1:23:36	28.7km/h	1:23:32	28.7km/h	-0:04
T2	1:50		1:40		-0:10
10km Run	50:54	5:06/km	51:28	5:09/km	+0:34
Overall Time	2:52:34		2:50:36		-1:58
Place	17th		12th		5 places!