Archive for fitness industry
27 Ways to Not Look Like a Slob
Posted by: | CommentsYes, it’s July 5th Summer is in full swing and you can be sure the beaches are packed today as people take advantage of the “off day” in celebration of Independence Day. Much was the case yesterday, as I ventured down to the shore after doing a little shopping and cruising in the Jeep.
You can expect many people to take full advantage of this string of hot weather that has hit the Northeast. After all I know Connecticut and most of the Northeast is expecting temperatures in the 90’s all week!
Yesterday was a quiet day Sunday as usual, I had planned to meet up with my brother at the Rhode Island shoreline but the combination of a mild headache in the morning from my lack of water on Saturday (yes even I slip up) and the late night from watching UFC 116, didn’t mix.
Saturday, I only drank one gallon of water where I usually have two gallons per day and during contest prep if I stay up past 12, the next morning is ugly.
So, to say Sunday morning was a rough go, is an understatement. But I still got up ate, drank a little too much coffee and cooked, prepared and packed up my meals for the next 3 days. I picked up my cousin Justin to head down to the Clinton Crossing Outlets, actually the only for two stores I go there for are Under Armour and Nike.
One thing I was telling my cousin on Saturday afternoon was that I’ve been so busy working on my building my business and training for my next competition in Indiana in 30 days, that I hadn’t been to the beach yet this Summer. Justin, just coming off of his surgery last Thursday to repair a frayed labrum, hadn’t been either. Well, for the two of us, that was until yesterday afternoon.
After 2 hours of shopping (my max!) we headed down to the Connecticut Shoreline.
The next hour of my life I would gladly take back in a heartbeat!
Now both my cousin and I are quite confident in our physical appearance. Granted, I may be better looking then him, but hey I’m Italian and he’s Polish, it’s a given!
Italian Women are Better Looking Too!
Now on the other hand there were WAY too many dudes out there who should have either put a t-shirt on immediately or just stayed in doors.
Part of me wasn’t really that upset that I was only getting the beach for the first time all season. Every year I think to myself, “maybe this is the year my generation will change” and every year I am once again subject to the pure disregard for personal health and body, displayed by men and women of my age demographic.
So I know there are plenty of you guys out there that don’t want to look like the overweight officer worker. As I know there are plenty of beautiful women out there who don’t want to be placed in the same category as the sloppy drunk girl at the bar, who just so happens to be hanging on that same chunky officer worker. Most of the time this episode involves some kind of disturbing behavior or wardrobe malfunction on the females part.
Some locals who had their eye on my cousin.
For those of you that want to do everything in your power to avoid this classification, I put together a list of 26 ways for men and women to build a body that will turn heads at the beach, in no particular order of importance (but rather ironic I started with nutrition.)
1. Prepare Your Daily Meals – Too many in my generation respond with, “ I don’t have time.” What happens when you have your own family? The pure reason for not preparing your food is laziness and convenience. Just think how convenient it is to already have your food with you.
2. Shop on the Outside of the Grocery Store – Everything you need to get started is here, from fresh produce, both green veggies and fresh fruits, deli meat, fish, lean proteins to name a few. These are strong foundations, build on them.
3. Limit Alcohol Content – I know, I know, WTF! Hey, it’s empty calories and consistent alcohol consumption or binge drinking destroys your metabolism. Oh and ladies, constant alcohol consumption will AGE you faster than the stress of being married with children!
4. Exercise a Minimum of 3 Times Per Week – Aim for 3 workouts consisting of both strength training and high intensity cardio.
5. Drink More Water – It’s number #1 natural fat-burner. Shoot for half your body weight in ounces, minimum.
6. Consume More Lean Protein – amino acids are the building blocks of muscle.
7. Get off the Treadmill and Get Creative – Cardio is not the end all be all, but if you think your cardio must be on a machine you need to kick yourself. Hill Sprints, Kettlebell Swings, Bodyweight Cardio, Sled Drags, Plyometrics, Band Sprints, Ropes, Farmer Walks, Sandbag Carry, are just a few ways to get creative with your “cardio workouts.”
8. Lift Weights that Weigh More Than Your Head – NEWSFLASH “The human head weights 8 Pounds and this is something I see too many women still doing. Unless you want your body to resemble the average Jazzercise enthusiast, please lift heavy shit!
9. Perform Total Body Workouts – Yes, GENTLEMAN this includes you too, follow a 3 day a week full body split, Upper, Lower, Total or even more simplistic perform an Upper Body Push, Lower Body Day, Upper Body Pull for starters.
10. Squat More – Ladies, I know you like a nice heiney and Guys the ladies like a man with a nice butt. Just Sayin!
11. Deadlift More – My favorite total body exercise, still can’t find one I like more.
12. More Push-ups and All It’s Different Variations - All the Dumbbell tricep extensions in the mirror and lateral shoulder raises won’t do what the combination of push-ups can for your arms.
13. Sleep More – There is a direct correlation with lack of sleep and weight gain.
14. Eat Every 2-3 Hours – Your body is a machine, it needs fuel and it needs fuel every 2-3 hours if you want to build the body that turns heads.
15. Stay Active 4 -5 Times Per Week - Work on doing some recreational activity or movement 4 – 5 times per week. This can be hiking, swimming, biking, and walking the dog, to name a few.
16. Hire a Professional – And I am not talking about a Therapist. If you don’t know what you should be doing in your workouts, then GET HELP! Granted many of the Personal Trainers suck out there, but I have many colleagues all over the Country. If you need a reference let me know!
17. Train in a Group – Look Professional Athletes and Elite Level Olympians train in groups. There is something to be said about the social support, atmosphere and intensity brought about by training with others with a common goal.
18. Join a Boot Camp – If your looking for the fastest, most effective, most cost-effective way to hire help, train in a group, and get your fat ass in kick ass shape then a Fitness Boot Camp is more than likely your answer.
19. Don’t Go on a “Diet” – Look I preach the importance for putting Nutrition first and foremost. Though, with the recent Hollywood buzz about these Extreme Fad Diets it has gotten way out of control. Make small incremental changes and build a sensible nutritional plan.
20. More Intensity – Increasing the intensity in your workout is all too often overlooked. Each and every session should be treated like your last. Make the most of it! Your Metabolic Rate will repay you later by burning unwanted calories all day long.
21. Eat Out MUCH Less – You have NO IDEA how much of anything is in a meal you eat out. Better yet, see # 1.
22. Learn How To Foam Roll and Do It 3 Times Per Day – Increased blood flow and injury prevention are just a few benefits of this technique known as Self Myofascia Release or foam rolling.
23. Sprint Don’t Run – Would you rather look like a Sprinter or Long Distance Runner?
24. Avoid the Scale – Use a variety of measurement options to track your progress. Clothes, Energy, Strength, Food Journal besides just weighing yourself. Pick one day a week and weigh yourself on it first thing in the morning.
25. Download an App – Today’s Smartphones are loaded with Workout Applications, Nutrition Journals, Cookbooks etc. My personal favorite is the Men’s Health App and Workout Muse App.
26. S.U.M.M.E.R. – Shut Up Move More Eat Less, was first brought to my ears by my colleague and Corporate Boot Camp Guru Greg Justice, and it all makes SO MUCH sense when it comes to my generation. Many talk too much, eat too much and don’t move enough. Start workin’ on it! ASAP!
27. Set a Goal – In my line of business I see this WAY too often. A person will start a journey without a means to the end. Set weekly, monthly and year long goals. Revisit these goals. Revise these goals. Track your progress. This one step alone has helped me get where I am today both personally and professionally.
Work Hard, Train Hard, Live Better,
TE
The Reinvention
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s crazy to think that a little over 6 months ago, I was in the hospital having emergency surgery for appendicitis.
It was the early afternoon of January 3rd, 2010 I started to experience ridiculous pains in my lower abdominal region. I figured it was just from watching my boy Wes Welker tear his ACL and MCL, during the Patriots final regular season against the Houston Texans. After all, I am super passionate about my Boston sports teams, my boxer’s name is Bruschi, and seeing that in the final game of the season, didn’t help!
As the day continued, the pain didn’t subside. I couldn’t move from the sofa and it didn’t get any better Monday, which just so happened, was the start of the first phase of Farmington Valley Fitness Boot Camp in the New Year.
I didn’t however ask my brother, Robert, to cover the morning sessions. No my stubborn ass decided to battle through a restless night’s sleep that accumulated all of 90 minutes!
So that next morning I battled through and taught our 6am and 7am sessions with increasingly pulsating pains in my lower abdomen. Following the 7am class I called my brother and told him he needed to come in to the gym because my pain was getting out of control.
He and I co-taught our 9:30am boot camp and then headed over to my place to watch the first part of NBC Connecticut’s 2-part feature on Farmington Valley Fitness Boot Camp.
After watching the feature at my place, Robert (Rob to all of you) wanted to know if I was going to be ok, again I said “I am fine, it’s just indigestion or some shit.”
Well, only a half-hour after he left I couldn’t stand up straight. I was doubled over in pain. After calling some of those people in my surrounding network for advice, my mother, my assistant and my brother, I loaded up Bruschi in my Jeep and drove myself to Med Help.
The diagnosis? They didn’t know… but feared the worse. To quote the Doctor, “If I told you that you needed to go to the hospital immediately which hospital would you go to?”
So? WTF? Am I going to die?
He “feared” it could be appendicitis and my appendix may “burst.” I immediately drove to the emergency room and called my Bro to tell him what the hell was going on. After all, my dog was with me and I didn’t want the little guy to be stuck in my Jeep forever. So Robert came and picked him up and I sat in the waiting room in ridiculous pain and was able to watch our feature once again on NBC Connecticut.
After a fun 3-hour wait in the Emergency Room (good thing my appendix didn’t burst), I was admitted. After a series of tests, one in which required the doctor to push on the area in pain but required my abdomen to be relaxed. So the Doctor said to me with his Indian accent, “can you bend your knees, your abs are too firm,” which made me laugh. he told me I needed emergency surgery to remove my appendix.
So after a long day of increasing pain I went into surgery after 11pm with a group of female nurses surround me 
and woke up in serious pain early Tuesday morning with my female nurses gone and to my disappointment some dude as my nurse.
I was quite pleased when I was sent home later on Tuesday afternoon (after of watching the 2nd part of our feature, our Grocery Store Tour on NBC Connecticut).
The next week was absolute hell. Not being able to sit up, upset stomach, my appetite went to shit, I was in constant pain. The gave me pain meds, but if you know anything about me you know I refuse to depend on that shit as I view it as poison. I took my meds for 2 days and refused to continue loading my body with that pharmaceutical bullshit.
I had dropped down to 172 pounds! Hell, I compete at 175 and walk around at 185. The surgery had caused me to loose over 10 pounds in only 10 days. It only got worse after my visit to see my surgeon.
He told me that I could not lift anything over 5 pounds for the next 6 weeks! No weight barring movements what so ever, even bodyweight exercises for fear of abdominal stress and the possibility for a hernia.
I thought well there goes this year of Professional Bodybuilding competition, no working out, no teaching boot camp, man this SUCKS!
The next month and a half were by far some of the worst weeks of my life. I ate like shit, slept like shit, and now that I think back on it was definitely suffering from some levels of depression.
I struggled with no teaching, not eating right, lost focus on some parts of my business and my own well-being. Even after returning back to teaching boot camps, my mindset wasn’t the same. Not having the ability to lift heavy iron, drip sweat from intense workouts, and feel the euphoric aftermath of a brutal strength training session was draining on me.
After 2 weeks I returned back to my doctor, he told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear. I had to wait 4 more weeks.
But the stubborn Italian got the best of me. I tried to get back in the gym only 3 weeks later by performing an Upper Body Push Workout at our gym. Well, I couldn’t vertical press 115 pounds, I could horizontal press worth shit and even got stuck attempting to rep 185 on close-grip bench (normally a warm-up weight for me). My bro had to pull it off me and tell me to “just take it easy.” Not so “easy” for me. I was completely frustrated.
I worked hard over the next month to put the weight back on I had lost. I felt the worst I had every felt in my off-season. I had serious doubts to whether I would compete in June, a goal I had set for myself before the New Year.
After 6 weeks of moderate training I knew I needed to change everything. I needed to go back to the drawing board. I made a promise to reinvent myself, my training, my diet, my recovery, and my work habits.
The re-launching of this blog was a major step in that direction. So here I am reinvented and reinvigorated as a Fitness Professional, Business Owner, Fat Loss and Muscle Building Expert and Professional Natural Bodybuilder.
On June 5th I took home 5th place in the Heavier of two Pro Divisions in the WNBF Pro American in Marlborough, Massachusetts. I came in my best ever against a group that included many “true heavyweights” and I held my ground as a true middleweight and the youngest in my division. I had the best combination I have every put together of symmetry, size, muscularity and conditioning. This is only the start. I have 2 more competitions over the next year where I plan on turning more heads.
10 Weeks Out at 189
10 Weeks Later at 176 on stage at the WNBF Pro American
Unlike some “so-called experts” in our industry, I am who I am because I practice what I preach, work in the trenches day in and day out, and have submerged myself into being the best at what I do.
This blog is my way of sharing it all with you.
Thanks for reading the first of many more to come.
(Sorry for the long post, future posts will not be so winded!)
Work Hard, Train Hard, Live Better,
TE
If The “Why” Is Big Enough
Posted by: | CommentsIf the “why” is big enough then we can always find the “how.”
Have you ever heard this before? If not then you should listen up because I am going to tell you a short abbreviated version of “my story.”
You see from the time I became a gym rat (sometime between Junior and Senior year of high school) I thought about what it would like to own my own gym. I began working out at the local Bristol Boys Club weight room.
Then my skin and bones bro Robert (yes, he use to be all bones, no meat) discovered the weight room. We began to talk about one day owning our own gym.
Then our lives went in 2 different directions. I went to college for four years and he shortly after would join the United States Marine Corp.
In college I became involved with the Recreation Department and worked as the Strength and Conditioning Supervisor in our gym aka “The Bubble.” This was just the start!
My good buddy Matt who was a 1st Team All-American pitcher had been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of that year’s draft. He asked me to help him drop the 20 or so pounds he had put on since the last season before he left for Spring Training (Matt enjoyed what most college dudes enjoy, BEER!). I began working with Matt and the entire pitching staff in preparation for their upcoming season. It was my Junior year of college and I could already feel it. My calling was going to be in the fitness industry.
After graduating college I would work in 3 different gyms in 6 years, at one point working some 75 hours per week (and being paid for 40), train some 300+ clients in 6 years and still didn’t own my own gym.
Something needed to change!
Through the help of my Dad, I started my own business.
Tyler English Fitness was born and Connecticut’s Most Elite Fitness Program: Farmington Valley Fitness Boot Camp would lead the way.
Fast forward to March 30th of 2009, I needed more space, the two locations I was renting space in were becoming crowded. Business was growing rapidly so with a little more help from my Pops I opened my own warehouse gym.
Tyler English Fitness had a home.
Nothing beats training at YOUR OWN GYM!
Rewind back to September 2009, my brother, Sergeant Robert P. English was able to serve his time in the Marines and come home to work side by side with me.
There is a lot more to this story that you will get to know in time. Just understand that hard work pays off, having a passion for something means a lot, striving to be THE BEST at what you do WILL SET YOU APART!
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that YOU CAN’T do something.
I had a large “why” that for me included becoming the “Fitness Expert” in my area and I didn’t know how I was going to do it.
But the “WHY” was big enough and thanks to that I found the “HOW.”
So what are you waiting for?
Go make it happen!
TE
What You Can Learn From Olympians
Posted by: | CommentsThese past two weeks I have been traveling quite a bit.
I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico at my buddy Rocco Castellano’s Fitness Celebrity Branding Summit with my colleagues BJ Bliffert and his wife Kori as well as David “The Irontamer” Whitley and his wife Mandy.
Yes, I was the odd one out. Sorry no marriage for me in the near future!
Last weekend my travels kept me in Connecticut but a last minute invite by my good buddy Curtis Mock of Gym Success and FitBiz Television I ended up at Ryan Lee’s Continuity Summit. It is here I connected with new friends like John Romaniello, Vince Delmonte, Joseph Arangio, Joel Marion and old friends like Mock, AJ Roberts, Scott Colby to name a few.
If there is something that has remained a constant in my growth over the past year, it is investing in my education as both a fitness professional and business owner. It is at each of these seminars I am able to create these new networks, new alliances, and allowed the opportunity to form new friendships. It is each of these avenues that allow me to continually grow both personally and professionally.
So while on my travels I unfortunately, unlike most of North America, was unable to watch the Gold Medal Hockey men’s game between USA and host Canada. Besides an update on my connecting flight home by our Flight Attendant regarding USA’s late 3rd period goal, I missed the entire game, but it got me thinking.
Many of you need to take a page out the book on what it takes to be an Olympic Athlete.
Seriously think about this for a second.
We can learn a valuable life lesson from these same Olympic Athletes.
These athletes eat, sleep and train for an event they only get to compete in once every 4 years. Yet, they don’t hesitate to invest in their training and ultimately their body.
In my own circle of friends that include bodybuilders, figure competitors, models, bikini competitors you will find many that are just as dedicated.
We put forth the investment of our personal time, money, dedication and hours of work for the ability to take our physiques to an ultimate level only to be judged subjectively for one day.
Why is it that we invest in 401k’s, stocks, cars, real estate and you name it but the thought of investing in your own personal fitness is something we consider an expense?
An expense? Really? Seriously? WTF?
What fun is life, if the tool to help you truly maximize your self-worth doesn’t function properly?
Think about that for a second.
How valuable is YOUR OWN LIFE?
Think about your return on investment for making positive changes to your nutrition habits, working out a regular basis, losing body fat, gaining lean muscle, having more energy and…
LIVING A LONGER, HEALTHIER LIFE!
Do you still want to ask about the price?
How about PRICELESS!
Get Better,
Tyler English, NASM-PES, CPT
Becoming a Pro
Posted by: | CommentsA few weekends ago I traveled to Worchester, Massachusetts to be one of the presenters at the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) Pro Seminar Series presented by 3 Time World Champion Nancy Andrews.
It’s absolutely crazy for me to sit here and think about my first amateur bodybuilding competition with the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation (INBF) in May of 2005. The Northeast Classic a show promoted by Nancy Andrews and only my second show and first with the WNBF/INBF. I stepped on stage with 14 other Open Middleweights and took third, not too bad for my second bodybuilding competition ever.
But I can’t lie, after only two competitions, I was hooked!
Here it is close to 5 years later and I can call myself a WNBF Professional Natural Bodybuilder at the tender age of 27. It was September of 2008 at the WNBF Naturalmania in New York City that I won that title.
Fast forward a year later and I have competed twice as a WNBF Pro and continue to lend a helping hand to aspiring amateur competitors in our industry, which continued at the Pro Series.
WNBF Pro Figure Short World Champ Melissa Kelley and I after our photo shoot with Reg Bradford!
On Sunday I ran an intense bodyweight boot camp for all the attendees and presenters. Be it that many of us work in the fitness industry I wanted to those in attendance to know that you don’t need a ton of bells and whistles to run an effective fitness boot camp.
The workout was probably worse for some (as some had consumed too much alcohol the night before!)
Check out the video and be sure to leave a comment on the blog!
Don’t forget to leave a comment!
Get Better,
Tyler English, NASM-PES, CPT
WNBF Pro Bodybuilder
P.S. – Like that soundtrack you hear? Visit www.WorkoutMuse.com for more!
P.S.S. – Need help starting a fitness boot camp in your area? Leave a comment if your interested in how you can start almost asap!
