Author: Frank Donley Training

I graduated from Boiling Springs High School where I competed through four years of varsity Football and Track. I went on to receive my B.S. in Exercise Science and minor in Biology from Shippensburg University. I spent the last few months of my college career interning as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Results Fitness in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. I conducted speed and agility classes for high school football teams and developed sports-specific training protocols for baseline testing and post-program testing on different types of athletes. I have spent the last nine years as a Strength Coach at LA Fitness, Unlimited Changes, and Warriorfit Performance. I take pride in motivating clientele and athletes to reach their specific goals. I have worked with a variety of athletes from 6 years old to the professional level in order to reach optimal performance. I work to improve Mobility, Relative Strength, Absolute Strength, Power, and Metabolic Conditioning Levels through a progressive system. My drive in this industry is to mold individuals' minds and bodies, enabling them to achieve goals, which once might have seen unobtainable. The first step is believing in yourself, not setting limitations, and working to get better everyday.

Unlocking Your Inner Athlete and Feeling Better Along The Way: Embrace the Frontal Plane

May 25, 2023

If you’re passionate about fitness and constantly seeking ways to challenge yourself, it’s time to break free from the confines of the sagittal plane and explore the incredible benefits of working through the frontal plane. While sagittal plane exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges are undoubtedly effective, they primarily focus on forward and backward movements. However, by incorporating lateral movements, rotations, and side-to-side actions, you can enhance your overall athleticism, stability, and strength in ways you never thought possible. In this article, we’ll delve into the advantages of frontal plane exercises and how they can take your fitness game to the next level.

  1. Increased Athleticism and Coordination: By incorporating frontal plane exercises into your training routine, you’ll engage muscles and movement patterns that are often neglected in sagittal plane exercises. This multidirectional approach will enhance your overall athleticism and coordination, enabling you to perform better in sports and daily activities. Movements such as lateral lunges, lateral jumps, and side shuffles challenge your body to move in new ways, improving your ability to change direction quickly, react swiftly, and maintain balance in various situations.
  2. Improved Core Strength and Stability: Frontal plane exercises are highly effective in strengthening your core muscles, particularly the obliques. These muscles are crucial for stability and rotational movements. Exercises like Russian twists, side planks, and medicine ball twists engage your obliques, helping you develop a strong and stable core. A solid core not only improves your performance in other exercises but also enhances your posture and reduces the risk of injuries.
  3. Enhanced Balance and Proprioception: Working in the frontal plane requires greater stability and proprioception than sagittal plane exercises. Movements like single-leg lateral hops, lateral step-ups, and lateral band walks challenge your balance and proprioceptive abilities, forcing your muscles to work together to maintain stability. As you develop better balance and proprioception, you’ll see improvements in your overall functional fitness, reducing the likelihood of falls and injuries in everyday life.
  4. Targeted Muscle Activation: Incorporating frontal plane exercises into your routine allows you to target specific muscle groups that may not be fully activated in sagittal plane movements alone. For example, lateral lunges and lateral raises engage the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, which play a significant role in stabilizing the hips and preventing knee valgus (inward collapse). These exercises help address muscle imbalances and weaknesses, ultimately leading to better overall strength and injury prevention.
  5. Mental Stimulation and Variety: One of the key advantages of embracing the frontal plane is the mental stimulation and variety it brings to your workouts. By introducing new movement patterns and challenges, you’ll break away from the monotony of traditional exercises, keeping your workouts exciting and engaging. This mental stimulation not only improves your adherence to your fitness routine but also stimulates neural pathways, enhancing cognitive function and overall brain health.

If you’re looking to take your fitness game to the next level, it’s time to step out of the sagittal plane and explore the incredible benefits of working through the frontal plane. Incorporating lateral movements, rotations, and side-to-side actions into your training routine will enhance your athleticism, stability, and strength in ways you never thought possible. By embracing the frontal plane, you’ll unlock new dimensions of fitness and achieve a well-rounded approach to your health and well-being. So, go ahead, challenge yourself, and break free from the constraints of one-dimensional training. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Do Not Be Your Own Worst Enemy

May 12, 2023

When it comes to lifting weights, it’s easy to get lost in the details and overwhelmed with thoughts about the many cues and techniques involved. However, focusing on 1-2 pertinent cues can help you stay focused and avoid distractions, leading to a successful lift.

The first reason to focus on 1-2 pertinent cues is to avoid information overload. With so much information available on lifting techniques, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus. By focusing on just 1-2 pertinent cues, you can filter out the noise and concentrate on the essential aspects of the lift. This will help you stay present in the moment and execute the lift with confidence.

Another reason to focus on 1-2 pertinent cues is to improve your technique. By concentrating on a couple of key cues, you can ensure that your technique is correct and that you are using the correct muscle groups. This will help you avoid injury and achieve optimal results from your lift.

It’s also essential to have faith in your ability to perform the lift. Doubting your ability can decrease your confidence and increase your risk of injury. Instead, believe in yourself and your strength. Having faith that you can perform the lift will help you stay focused and committed to the lift.

Another reason to have faith in your ability is to avoid negative self-talk. Negative self-talk can lead to feelings of self-doubt, which can decrease your confidence and increase your risk of injury. Instead, practice positive self-talk and focus on your progress and accomplishments. This will help you stay motivated and confident during your lift.

Lastly, having faith in your ability can help you push through difficult lifts. Heavy lifting requires mental strength and resilience, and having faith in yourself can help you push past your limits and achieve your goals.

In conclusion, focusing on 1-2 pertinent cues can help you stay focused and avoid distractions when performing a heavy lift. It can also help you improve your technique and achieve optimal results. Having faith in your ability to perform the lift is also essential to avoid negative self-talk and push through difficult lifts. By staying focused and confident, you can achieve your fitness goals and lift safely and efficiently.

Fail Forward

May 3, 2023

When we think of success, we often envision a straight line leading us from point A to point B. We imagine that with hard work, determination, and perseverance, we will achieve our goals and reach our desired outcome in a logical and predictable manner. However, the reality is that success is not linear. It is a winding road with twists and turns, bumps and detours, and often filled with failure. Rather than fearing failure, we should embrace it and learn from it, as failure is an inevitable part of the journey to success.

Many of the most successful people in the world have experienced failure along the way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, was cut from his high school basketball team. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job because his editor felt he lacked creativity. These are just a few examples of individuals who experienced failure, but used it as a stepping stone towards success.

Fear of failure can be paralyzing. It can prevent us from taking risks, trying new things, and ultimately reaching our full potential. When we fear failure, we limit ourselves and our ability to grow. We become stagnant and complacent, never pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone. This is why it’s important to adopt a mindset of “failing forward.”

Failing forward means using failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. It means reframing our perspective on failure from a negative experience to a positive one. When we fail forward, we don’t dwell on our mistakes or beat ourselves up over them. Instead, we take responsibility for our actions, analyze what went wrong, and use that information to improve ourselves and our future efforts.

Failing forward requires resilience, grit, and a growth mindset. It means not giving up when things get tough, but rather pushing through the challenges and using them as an opportunity to learn and improve. It means being open to feedback and constructive criticism, and using that feedback to make positive changes. It means viewing setbacks not as a reflection of our self-worth, but as a natural part of the learning process.

There are many benefits to embracing failure and failing forward. First, it helps us to build resilience and mental toughness. When we experience failure and learn from it, we become better equipped to handle future challenges and setbacks. Second, it fosters a growth mindset, which is the belief that our abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication. This mindset leads to a willingness to learn and grow, which ultimately leads to greater success. Finally, it allows us to take risks and try new things, which is essential for growth and development.

In conclusion, success is not linear, and we should not be afraid of failure. Instead, we should learn from our mistakes and always fail forward. Fear of failure is more detrimental than actually failing, as it prevents us from taking risks and reaching our full potential. By adopting a mindset of failing forward, we can build resilience, foster a growth mindset, and ultimately achieve greater success. So go ahead, take that risk, and don’t be afraid to fail. Remember, failure is just a stepping stone on the road to success.

Pull Ups For All

April 28, 2023

Pull-ups are one of the most effective movements for building upper body strength and slapping muscle on the back, shoulders, and arms. Unfortunately, many people shy away from pull-ups because they feel that they are too tall or heavy to perform them properly. This is a common misconception that can prevent people from experiencing the benefits of this powerful exercise. In this blog post, we will discuss why pull-ups are a must for people of all sizes and provide tips for improving your technique using the grease the groove method.

Why Pull-Ups Are a Must

Pull-ups are a compound exercise that engage multiple muscle groups in the upper body, including the lats, biceps, traps, and rhomboids. They are an excellent way to build functional strength and improve posture, and they also help to increase grip strength and overall endurance.

One of the biggest misconceptions about pull-ups is that they are only for people who are small or lean. In fact, pull-ups can benefit people of all sizes and body types, including those who are tall or heavy. While it may be more difficult for larger individuals to perform pull-ups, this does not mean that they cannot be done. With proper training and technique, anyone can master the pull-up and reap its many benefits.

Tips for Improving Your Pull-Ups

One effective method for improving your pull-ups is the grease the groove method. This technique involves performing multiple sets of pull-ups throughout the day, rather than doing all of your sets at once during a workout. By spreading out your sets in this way, you allow your muscles to recover more fully between sets, which can help to increase your overall strength and endurance.

To get started with the grease the groove method, you will need to set up a pull-up bar in a location where you will be able to perform pull-ups throughout the day. You may also want to invest in a resistance band to assist with your pull-ups if you are just starting out.

Once you have your pull-up bar set up, begin by performing a few sets of pull-ups throughout the day. You might start with just a few reps per set, and gradually increase the number of reps as you become more comfortable with the exercise. The key is to focus on proper form and technique, rather than trying to do as many reps as possible.

In addition to the grease the groove method, there are several other tips you can use to improve your pull-ups. These include:

  • Starting with a full hang: To get the most out of your pull-ups, start with your arms fully extended and your shoulders relaxed. This will help to engage your lats and other back muscles, making the exercise more effective.
  • Using a controlled tempo: Rather than rushing through your reps, focus on using a slow, controlled tempo to perform each pull-up. This will help to engage your muscles more fully and prevent injury.
  • Varying your grip: Experiment with different hand positions on the pull-up bar, such as a wide grip or a neutral grip. This will help to engage different muscle groups and keep your workouts interesting.
  • Adding weight: Once you are comfortable with your bodyweight pull-ups, you can start to add weight to increase the intensity of the exercise. This can be done by using a weighted vest or by holding a dumbbell between your feet.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pull-ups are a must for people of all sizes and body types. By incorporating this powerful exercise into your workout routine and using techniques like the grease the groove method, you can build functional strength, improve your posture, and increase your overall endurance. With patience, persistence, and proper technique, anyone can master the pull-up and enjoy its many benefits.

Number One Health Investment

April 27, 2023

Walking every day is a simple, low-impact exercise that has a significant impact on your long-term health and longevity. It’s one of the best investments you can make for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This post will explore the numerous benefits of walking every day and why it’s a wise choice for everyone, regardless of their age or fitness level.

  1. Helps to Maintain Healthy Body Weight

Walking is an effective way to maintain a healthy body weight. It is a low-impact exercise that burns calories and increases metabolism. According to the American Heart Association, walking for 30 minutes a day can burn approximately 150 calories, depending on your weight and pace. If you do this every day, it adds up to a significant amount of calorie burning over time. Moreover, walking helps to boost your metabolism, which means your body burns more calories even when you’re not exercising.

  1. Reduces Risk of Chronic Diseases

Walking is a natural and straightforward way to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It helps to lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol levels, and improve insulin sensitivity. According to the American Heart Association, walking for 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 40%.

  1. Improves Mood and Mental Health

Walking is a great mood booster and a natural stress reliever. It helps to reduce anxiety, depression, and improve mental health. A brisk walk can release endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers, and improve cognitive function. Walking in nature, especially in green spaces, has been shown to have a significant impact on mental health.

  1. Promotes Bone Health

Walking is a weight-bearing exercise, which means it helps to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. It also helps to improve balance and coordination, which reduces the risk of falls and fractures, particularly in older adults.

  1. Lowers Risk of Cognitive Decline

Walking has been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults. It improves blood flow to the brain, which helps to maintain cognitive function. Walking is also believed to help reduce inflammation in the brain, which is a risk factor for cognitive decline.

  1. Boosts Immune System

Walking can boost the immune system and reduce the risk of illness. It helps to increase circulation, which improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells. Walking also helps to reduce inflammation in the body, which is associated with many chronic diseases.

  1. Enhances Sleep Quality

Walking can improve sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster. According to research, regular walking helps to regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle and improve the quality of sleep. It also helps to reduce stress, which is a common cause of sleep disturbances.

In conclusion, walking every day is a simple, low-impact exercise that has numerous benefits for your long-term health and longevity. It’s an investment in yourself that pays off in many ways, from maintaining a healthy weight to reducing the risk of chronic diseases, improving mood and mental health, promoting bone health, lowering the risk of cognitive decline, boosting the immune system, and enhancing sleep quality. So, grab a pair of comfortable shoes and make walking a part of your daily routine, and you’ll reap the rewards for years to come.

Advice To New Lifter

April 21, 2023

If you’re new to lifting, it can be tempting to jump right into complex training programs or focus on isolating specific muscle groups. However, if you want to build a solid foundation of strength and avoid injury, it’s important to start by mastering the five basic human movements: squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry. By progressively overloading these movements over time, you can build strength, improve your overall fitness, and prepare yourself for more advanced training strategies down the line.

The first movement pattern to master is the squat. This involves lowering your body down into a seated position while keeping your feet flat on the ground and your knees tracking over your toes. Squats are an excellent way to build lower body strength, improve mobility, and increase core stability. To start, focus on bodyweight squats or goblet squats using a kettlebell or dumbbell. As you progress, you can add weight or move on to barbell squats.

The hinge movement is another essential pattern to master. This involves bending at the hips while keeping a flat back, like when you pick something up off the ground. Hinges are great for building lower back and hamstring strength, as well as improving your posture and preventing lower back pain. Start with bodyweight hip hinges or kettlebell swings, and gradually progress to deadlifts with a barbell.

Push movements include exercises like push-ups, bench press, and overhead press. These exercises are great for building upper body strength and improving your pushing power. Start with push-ups on your knees or against a wall if needed, and gradually progress to full push-ups or bench press with a barbell.

Pull movements, on the other hand, focus on pulling weight towards your body, like with rows or pull-ups. These exercises are essential for building upper back and bicep strength, as well as improving your posture and preventing shoulder pain. Start with inverted rows or lat pulldowns, and work your way up to pull-ups or barbell rows.

Finally, the carry movement involves holding weight and walking with it. This can be done with a variety of implements, like dumbbells, kettlebells, or even a sandbag. Carries are excellent for building grip strength, improving your posture, and strengthening your core. Start with farmer’s carries or suitcase carries, and gradually increase the weight over time.

By focusing on these five basic movements and gradually increasing the weight or difficulty over time, you can build a solid foundation of strength and fitness. Avoid the temptation to jump into complex training programs or isolate specific muscle groups in the beginning of your gym journey. Instead, focus on moving well and mastering the basics. As you become more advanced, you can incorporate more advanced training strategies, but the basics will always remain essential for building strength and preventing injury.

Look In A Mirror

April 13, 2023

As a strength coach, I understand the importance of taking ownership of your physical strength and wellbeing. However, the same principles can be applied to other areas of your life as well, such as your career, relationships, and personal growth. One of the key factors that can determine your success in these areas is accepting ownership for your life, which involves taking control of the outcomes and letting go of the blame game.

When you accept ownership for your life, you stop blaming extrinsic variables such as the government, the economy, and the world for your problems. Instead, you focus on what you can control and take responsibility for your actions and decisions. This shift in mindset can have a profound impact on your life and lead to positive changes in your favor.

One of the first benefits of accepting ownership for your life is that you become more proactive in pursuing your goals. Instead of waiting for external factors to change, you take action and create the change you want to see in your life. This can be as simple as setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them, or as complex as changing careers or starting a business.

Another benefit of accepting ownership for your life is that it helps you build resilience and adaptability. When you stop blaming external factors for your problems, you realize that you have the power to overcome obstacles and bounce back from setbacks. This can help you develop a growth mindset and become more open to new opportunities and experiences.

Accepting ownership for your life can also improve your relationships and communication skills. When you take responsibility for your actions and decisions, you become more accountable to yourself and others. This can help you build trust and credibility with those around you and create a more positive and supportive environment.

So, how can you start accepting ownership for your life? Here are a few tips:

  1. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions, and stop blaming external factors for your problems.
  2. Set clear goals and create a plan to achieve them. Focus on what you can control and take action to create the change you want to see in your life.
  3. Practice self-reflection and self-awareness. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses and work on improving yourself.
  4. Build a support network of people who can help you achieve your goals and hold you accountable.

In conclusion, accepting ownership for your life can be a powerful tool for personal growth and success. When you take control of the outcomes and stop blaming external factors, you become more proactive, resilient, and adaptable. This can lead to positive changes in your life and help you achieve your goals and aspirations. As a strength coach, I encourage you to apply these principles to your physical strength, as well as other areas of your life.

Three Life Lessons From a Platform

February 17, 2021

You can talk as much shit about deadlifting as you want. – “It is bad for your back”’, “It is too hard to coach and learn”,  “I am not allowed to perform this lift at Planet Fitness”.  I will take my chances building lean muscle mass in the posterior chain, increasing the contractility of that musculature so that I have the ability to lift and move objects located on the ground, learning how to breathe diaphragmatically and brace properly, and I will continue to stand fully erect until the day they bury me in the cold hard ground.  Lifting weights does more than build muscle.  It creates denser bone mass,  increases your power output and strength, builds self confidence, develops posture, improves body composition, as well as prevents injury (I could keep going…)  On top of all of these great benefits, weight training teaches kids and adults life lessons!

 Lesson 1 : Embrace the process 

  In the military, they require soldiers to make their bed first thing in the morning.  Making your bed starts your day by accomplishing a task with the idea that daily productivity will snowball from that simple task.  The same thing can be said about punching the clock in the gym.  Getting up, getting off your butt, and venturing to the gym can switch your day of lounging on the couch into attacking the laundry list of tasks you have to accomplish head on.  Working out teaches us not to drag our feet and procrastinate but start being productive.  If you want to become financially more stable, have a better relationship with your spouse, or become stronger,  work is required!  The takeaway is that lifting teaches us to embrace the process of dumping your energy and effort into what you want to achieve.  You have the ability to handle the challenges that come your way and it all starts with taking the initiative to handle business in and out of the gym.

Lesson 2 : Honesty  

This lesson is gold.  No one is coming to save you.  You can either deadlift the weight loaded on the bar or you cannot.  In a world that needs honesty more than ever,  It is good to face the cold hard facts.  A barbell does not care that you worked 80 hours last week.  It does not care that your favorite snuggy was not washed so you only slept 5 hours instead of 8.  It does not care about you at all.  You have to be able to apply enough force into the ground to break the barbell off the floor and then wedge your hips in between your shoulders and your knees.  Sounds easier at the bare bones level than it is.  The barbell does not want to hear your bullshit excuses or tell you something you want to hear.  It teaches you honesty.  You can not sweet talk it or smash the easy button.  

Lesson 3 : Patience  

Most “overnight successes” took place over the 15 years no one ever talks about.  Americans want more and we need it yesterday.  You might have a honeymoon phase with that barbell where you are progressing very rapidly.  This will not always be the case.  You will hit obstacles.  You will sometimes feel like you are beating your head off a brick wall.  It will force you to seek more information, improve your quality of motion, try alternative methods, do things you do not like doing (unilateral work, pause work, etc).  It will teach you to claw at something.  If you want it bad enough,  it will make you rethink staying up all night playing video games or shotgunning that 15th beer at your charity golf event.  You must be patient and keep chipping away at your self development.  Sometimes you will take 1 step forward and 2 steps backwards.  Grit your teeth and regain traction.  All good things take time to develop including wealth, health, and of course strength!  Stay patient and keep moving forward.

Program wisely and stay STRONG,

Frank J Donley

The Silver Lining

April 15, 2020

I have been transitioning between a handful of emotions through this quarantine / government mandated shutdown.  I went through a period of denying the virus was a serious enough problem to eliminate the means by which I pay my bills and that this was actually happening in our reality.  Originally, it was an issue I was going to say “F” you to authority and keep the horses running. Who are “they” to have the power to declare a list of essential businesses. Keep in mind this could have been my way of rationalizing staying open, but my first argument is that from a health and wellness standpoint,  I believe weight training is a vital piece of the puzzle when examining psychological health. It is essential for controlling anxiety, depression, rage, and a range of other moods. I think we have all seen how much fitness and strength training is a vital piece of our mental state because a large percentage of the population has turned to booze and drugs as a coping mechanism.  If you walk down the street, recycling bins look similar to bins outside rental properties at Ocean City, MD during senior week. Second, is the physical aspect of athletes and adults coming off of injury or surgery and trying to run the full gamut of Strength and Conditioning into a peaking phase before a season or back to their specified operational tasks. The window of recovery is unfortunately not negotiable with your body.  If action is not taken, athletes are susceptible to developing imbalances, wonky movement patterns, and possibly a loss in functional range of motion.   

After moving past my denial and actually shutting down,  I became petrified that everything I worked for the last 3 years was going to disappear in a matter of weeks or months and it is still possible.  Time will tell. We are faced with an unprecedented situation. Small businesses being forced to close without necessarily any direct personal fault.  There will be a considerable number of businesses that will not reopen their doors. Your favorite gyms, restaurants, and bars could all be on the list (here is my plug to support them however you can).  Large overheads and patron paranoia of going back to a “normalcy” of pre-virus life could be the catalyst to start new chapters for some. I know all the go-hards are going to be back the day the gym opens.  They will be running through the door like the ultimate warrior ran to the wrestling stage, but the vast majority of people will be hesitant to return. The government is issuing bandaids like sole proprietors being able to collect Unemployment Compensation for which the platform is not yet created or the Paycheck Protection Plan which will save some.  

This leads me into my next point.  The final emotion I felt was anger which drove me towards a realization and the reason I started scribbling in my notebook.  The reason I have been able to turn my life around from the self destructive shit show of my 20’s was because I started taking ownership of my own fault in life.  It was my fault I did not have the self discipline to control my emotions. If you can not control your emotions, you can not take control of your finances and other aspects of your life so you drown out the chaos with booze or substances. 

So instead of continuing to be angry, angry that I was forced to shut down, angry that I did not make a mistake, and angry that I do not believe anything Dr. Fauci discussed about epidemiology.  Disclaimer : It is not just him, I do not currently trust anyone that has been in politics for decades and sometimes I question the medical schools agenda in general. This is off topic but with the onslaught of information available to Americans, you need to question health, nutritional, surgical intervention that have been commonplace in the past.  How many times have you been told egg yolks were healthy to consume and then unhealthy again?! We could receive whiplash from the rollercoaster. The doctor that developed the “I.C.E.” method for treating acute injury which stands for Ice, Compression, and elevate has recently came out and admitted ice might actually inhibit the body’s natural process of healing by decreasing the blow flow to the injured area  

So full circle because this is getting long winded.  There has to be a silver lining to this. If you ask an entrepreneur, what they learned in this scary situation and their response is nothing, I am willing to bet you have found one that doesn’t understand failure is where the magic happens.  Failure forces us to learn tough life lessons. If Frank Donley Training is forced to shut down, it is Frank Donley’s fault. No one else’s. We are looking at the easiest time to point the finger. I have only owned and operated my training business in a period of economic upswing.  People have been spending money like it was burning a hole in their pocket. Everyone thought a recession was coming but that did not change their behavior. Granted, we did not know it would happen overnight but trends are cyclical folks. 

So my personal lesson through this unfortunate sequence of events is the same lesson the majority of us have learned with their personal finances at some point in our lives.   Shit happens. You can’t ball out forever. Three years ago, I read a book by Dave Ramsey, The Total Money MakeOver, which is about people buried in debt and offers a strategy of debt repayment.  The first initial step before creating the debt snowball is creating an emergency fund because you never know what the future holds. Some people even recommend being able to cover 3-6 months of expenses with no income. 

  I understand people have kids, large houses, expensive cars, etc but those people hopefully have high paying jobs, so what happens when the income goes away for two months.  Are those people able to pay their bills for those months without going deeper in the hole? Business owners are in the same situation. The overhead of a business can be extremely substantial between rent, payroll, insurance, software apps, expensive equipment which is on payment plans. 

So my takeaway from this is, I should have been more prepared for a disaster i.e, losing 90% of my income overnight.  I should have been able to pay my expenses for several months without this stream of income. It also makes me contemplate being more creative about developing more streams of income and not putting all my eggs in one basket.  I know my expenses are miniscule compared to other businesses out there but hopefully my revenue generated is as well in comparison. Sometimes we need to look at profit margin and stop looking at potential. I am not advocating to stop spending by any means, sitting on money might be the worst thing we can do after this but I am advocating for being prepared in the future for a catastrophic event and learn from this.  I am personally going to take this as a life lesson. Life is the greatest teaching tool available. It is not Universities and colleges, However I will save that rant for a different day. I am by no means a financial advisor or an expert in business and economics so take this piece with a grain of salt. These are just my current thoughts. Stay healthy and STRONG my friends! Good times are ahead of us!

Self Awareness

April 15, 2018

AntifrailPhoto

    In the spirit of being self-aware.  I am not a bodybuilding coach, I do not know much about crossfit even though I am thankful they helped making it cool for women and the general population to lift weights.  I do not work with elite powerlifter even though I think it is cool to see those savages at work, and I do not run aerobics classes.

   I do not have any issues if those are the types of training that get you off or amped up.  You have to enjoy what you do or you will not continue to do it. I just love seeing people getting after it and doing what they love.  If you need recommendations for a specific coach that is outside of my speciality, i will gladly attempt to steer your vessel in the right direction.  

   I teach fundamental human movements,  I tend to start teaching with kettlebell progressions forging towards barbell work with the intention to develop a base for long-term success.  I don’t see why you should not be able to train with a barbell into your 70’s and beyond.

   I believe in building and preserving lean muscle mass also known as armor and building strength.  This is why i started the brand Anti Frail! I push big bang compound movements, progressive overload, and specificity to the individual.  I love seeing kids improve not just from a performance aspect but also in the development of self-worth, confidence, and grit!

  I started lifting in high school for football.  We followed a program for D1 athletes my coach commandeered in some fashion.  I then started reading every fitness and bodybuilding magazine which mostly were geared to elite level bodybuilders that are most likely a decade into training and on drugs.  I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Shippensburg University and began following everything article published by the ACSM and NSCA.

   I completed a sports performance internship through Doug Lentz in Chambersburg PA before working as a personal trainer at the Carlisle YMCA, Easton LA FItness, Unlimited Chances and Warriorfit Performance before owning my own training business.

   One of the biggest lessons I have taken home is to not to get bored with the basics.  Just because the coach is bored doesn’t mean the athlete is.  It seems the key to success and longevity is fundamental development even though the market is constantly flooded with the “the next big thing”.  It’s already been said but holds true. I do not want to make people do extraordinary things I want to make people do ordinary things extraordinarily well.  Athletes extraordinary things are scoring a game winning touchdown or putting up 50  points in a state game. My role is to build a base! Develop strength and explosiveness!  There is not a magic solution, program, pill, or training style. If there was, we would all be doing it.  Trust me! Put your head down continue learning, grinding, and becoming in tune with yourself.

   Embracing the philosophy of getting better everyday works wonders.  Try to improve quality of motion not just load. Move with attention to detail and purpose.  Enjoy victories and fight through defeats. You will have some. Anything worth having is worth working for.  

Keep training, program wisely, and get better every day. PEACE!