Bodybuilding has become much more than a simple competition. In an industry where most so-called experts can’t seem to see eye-to-eye, the term bodybuilding has become damned.

This same industry, “The Fitness Industry” is full of people who proclaim there is only one way to train. That bodybuilding no longer has a place in our industry.

I’m here today to tell those people, they’re lying to themselves.

Bodybuilders Help Create the Foundation of the Fitness Industry

Think about your clients for a moment.

General Population  - they to want to look good.

Recreational athletes – want to look good.

Fat loss clientele – want to look good.

Elite level athletes – want to look good.

Your busy moms – want to look good.

The business person – wants to look good.

Even your teen athletes – want to look good.

9 out of the 10 clients who you work with want to LOOK BETTER NAKED!

Coach Chris "Before" Bodybuilding

So why then do we as an industry get hung up on treating clients like rehab patients and veering as far away from treating the client as someone who ultimately just wants to LOOK BETTER.

It’s been made even more apparent by those in our industry who push the personal records on their clients.  Do the majority of your clients truly care what their PR deadlift, squat or bench press is? Or do they truly, deep down inside, just want to enjoy what they see in the mirror everyday?

The Fitness Industry has collectively lost its way.

Bodybuilding has always been a major part of my journey into the fitness industry. From that time back in grade school where I first “lifted weights” in my basement to that day during my junior year of high school where I made a commitment to strength training that ultimately lead me to my life’s mission.  Bodybuilding allowed me to transform my skinny athletic frame from my childhood, to the physique I carry with me today. The term bodybuilding has forever helped shape who I’ve become as a man, friend, competitor, business owner, Strength Coach and Fitness Professional.

Coach Chris "After" Bodybuilding

In the eyes of many fitness professionals the term bodybuilding brings with it numerous stereotypes, phrases and beliefs. In my world, the term bodybuilding means so much more.

For most avid gym goers, bodybuilding has led them into the gym to pursue the physique they have long desired.

As human beings we each carry with us the need for self-pride and self-importance. This need can be achieved by simply helping a person change the way they look and feel about their body.

If you disagree with me then you too are lying to yourself as well. Ultimately every one of us, deep down truly cares about the way we look.

We all want to look better naked and for the majority of your clientele they do not have major injuries and aren’t what you would call athletes.

Instead they are coming to you for the sole purpose to help them feel better, LOOK better and you better damn well believe that if you can help them do that – they’ll be your client for a lifetime.

Think about this for a second.

Visit your Facebook Page and look at the Profile Picture of many of your friends. Chances are it’s a revealing picture that portrays them in minimal attire. If they don’t have a revealing picture, you better believe they want one and are envious of the people who do.

Hell, I know I’m guilty.

Men, do you want a six pack abs? Bigger arms? A bigger back and thicker chest?

Ladies, do you want a tighter butt? A tone upper back? Leaner arms and sleek shoulders?

Tracey 41 Year Old Mother of 2, 16 Weeks "Before"

I hate to break it to the naysayers but this falls into the term bodybuilding.

If you can make your clients feel better in their skin and help transform their physiques to THEIR personal desires.

Then we are talking about Bodybuilding.

Sure, a person who has more body fat to shed will need to initially follow a metabolic training program designed for specifically for fat loss. Then what? Chances are there will come a time when this person too will aspire to take their physique to new levels.

Doesn’t this constitute physique enhancement or bodybuilding?

Tracey 16 Weeks "After" Bodybuilding and Her 2nd Place Bikini Placing

I believe so.

In an age where the Fitness Industry has become increasingly divided there remains one constant.

Your clients want to look better.

For that reason alone, Bodybuilding will always have a place in the Fitness Industry.

Work Hard, Train Hard, Get Better,

Tyler

PS – I’d love to hear your comments. Leave a comment below on the blog.

PPS – Do you think bodybuilding is dead? Do me a favor! Share your thoughts below!

I can tell you from the time I’ve started in this industry, I’ve worked hard at being true to who I am.

Don’t get my wrong, I’ve grown in many ways over the years. I’ve grown as a strength coach, business owner, writer, listener, entrepreneur, bodybuilder and more importantly, a person.

My training has evolved but stayed true to who I am. I started working out with a barbell and some dumbbells at the age of 15. I still squat, deadlift, bench and overhead press with these things. I still do I still do TONS of bodyweight training – push-ups, pull-ups, and dips and all their variations. And you know what? My clients do all these things too.

They squat, they press, they deadlift, they do bodyweight movements, they foam roll, they do their mobility work, they perform core exercises, they use the TRX, med balls, dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and barbells.
If something is going to help them get better then it needs to be implemented.

During this growth period, I’ve never become close-minded. If something might be of help to my clients then I’m going to, at the least bit, look into the possibility of implementing it. I’ve expanded my knowledge, developed my current training system, grown that same system as I’ve grown as a coach, I’ve implemented new “tools” into my programming as well as working to integrate new movements into my client’s programming.

Over the past 11 years (four years working inside the facility on my college campus, the next seven years working directly within the fitness industry and most recently the last 2 and a half years running my own business) I’ve worked hard to become the best at what I do or at the very least, the best in my area.

This hasn’t come without plenty of hard work, sweat and a few tears.

Some of my competitors have gone on to call me conceited because of the name on my facilities. They have no clue where I’ve been and what I’ve gone through to get where I am at today. The truth is that I’VE DEVELOPED what happens inside the walls of my facilities. So if I’m conceited for developing a program that works, then so be it, call me conceited.

Hey, if I’m conceited, then we should call Eric Cressey the same for naming his facility Cressey Performance, Mike Boyle conceited for developing Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Vince Gabriele the same for daring to call his facility Gabriele Fitness and Performance or anyone else in the fitness industry who would dare put their name on the facility or gym they developed through hard work, experience and determination. These guys have worked extremely hard at becoming who they are and reserve that right to brand themselves inside their area. For anyone who has put their name on their facility and felt that rewarding feeling for doing so, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Why am I telling you this?

For the simple purpose that I feel way too many people within our industry have lost sight of what it is we actually do.

We are here to help our clients get better.

I don’t care what program you run, what training philosophy you have or why you feel this is better than that.

Facts are facts. If your clients see results and actually enjoy coming to you they will stay. If they don’t they will leave.

I’ve made plenty of friends since I started my journey as a business owner and I’ve made my share of enemies.

Though I’ve learned to cherish my friendships, value my clients all while learning to ignore my enemies, the exact opposite of what they’d like me to do.

Both of my facilities continue to grow, continue to change lives and produce results.

A product of staying true to who I am.

I’ll leave you with this.

What have you done today to help your clients get better?

Read this email I just received last night from two clients at our Fitness Revolution location in West Hartford.

“Good Morning,

We just want to tell you what a great program you have.  About 3 years ago, I was working out a couple of hours a day and was in the best shape of my life. Then, I had two boys pretty close together and couldn’t find the time to work out.  In May, I got a call from my sister, asking if I wanted to try doing a boot camp with her.  I wasn’t sure how it was going to work with my schedule, but when I saw you offered night classes, I was in.  After the first class, we were hooked.  We work out harder than we had been 3 years ago but in half the time.  I have more energy which is helpful with two toddlers running around.  We look forward to going to classes and get upset when we have to miss a workout.  We have never had a bad class thanks to your coaches.  We usually take classes with Justin and Shayna and had our first class with Rob last night.  Shayna is great at always correcting our form and Justin always pushes us and doesn’t let us quit.  Last night, Rob brought so much energy to the class, it was great!  We loved having 2 instructors in the room because we couldn’t slack off at all, if one had their back to us, the other was always watching!!  We’re so glad to have found you.

Thank you,

Tracie Bouchard and Michelle Jardine”

Now that is helping your clients GET BETTER!

Work Hard, Train Hard, Get Better,

Tyler

In the Fitness Industry we deal with way too many “styles” of doing things. Each and every Fitness Professional, Coach, Instructor, Personal Trainer or whatever they may call themselves will be the first to tell you that their “style” is the only way to succeed.

Well, I’m sorry to tell these same so-called experts that they are wrong. Exercise isn’t complicated and for most people in the general population the simpler you keep things, the greater their opportunity for success.

When working with a client or clients, it’s about one thing.

Helping your clients succeed.

What are their goals? Do they want to burn body fat, build lean muscle, get stronger, get faster, get stronger, lift heavier things, be pain free, look better naked, have glutes that could squash a walnut?

Whatever it is, it comes down to developing the program that gets them there.

Maybe you don’t want to help someone get faster or have glutes that could squash a walnut. (Wouldn’t that be one hell of a niche!)

Then find those that need your help and that you WANT to help.

When I started my business, some 2 and a half years ago, I took what I had learned from ALL of those around me and morphed it into my style of doing things.

I had been in the industry for just about 8 years at the time and had worked with 75% females, 15% males, 5% collegiate athletes and 5% youths.

The majority of these people, minus the college and youth population who were mostly sports performance, were general population clientele who had a common goal. Lose unwanted body fat, gain lean muscle so that they could look and feel better in life.

Many of these same people are de-conditioned when they first walk in the door.

So I developed my program around those people.

Am I here to tell you that my system and my training style is the best in the business?

No, not at all, in fact I believe there a ton of programs out there that are much better than mine. But I believe I’ve done a better job then most at continue to develop what my program includes. With that the success of the program has grown as have the amount of people it continues positively affect.

Unfortunately, there are so many close-minded people in our industry who believe it’s “their way or the highway.” It’s this kind of attitude that gives our industry a bad name.

Let’s take Fitness Boot Camps for example. Is my business predicated on the success of my Fitness Boot Camp?

You may yes.

I actually will tell you no. It’s determined by the success of MY CLIENTS!

Do I consider my business to be a “Boot Camp Business”?

You may again say yes. I’m here to tell you it’s much better described as “Large Group Personal Training” or “Large Group Metabolic Resistance Training” to be more specific.

There are 168 hours in a week, we see many of these people for 3 hours of that week. So I needed to make sure my program encompassed everything!

In 45 minutes our clients get what they need. Our program is designed to provide tissue quality, flexibility, mobility, core, dynamic flexibility, strength, cardio, and of course nutrition guidance. Our clients improve their cardiovascular health, they get stronger, burn body fat, improve flexibility, become more agile, see greater improvements in speed (whether a runner or not), better stamina in all aspects of life, have greater coordination and balance in their daily movements.

We want them to function properly in the other 165 hours they are not with us.

The fact is that you need to help others understand why YOUR program will HELP THEM achieve THEIR goals.

In my eyes would it be better to call my program “Cardio Strength” or “Metabolic Resistance Training”? Well, it might sound cool or might do a better job of simplifying what my Fitness Boot Camp entails. But the fact of the matter is our society has a weight issue and when people here “Fitness Boot Camp” they immediately have an idea what they are getting into.

It’s an intense group atmosphere meant to deliver them results.

Hey maybe from the start I should have said our program is called:

“Self Myofascial Release, Corrective Stretching, Dynamic Warm-up, Core Strength, Metabolic Resistance Training and Cardio Strength complete with Metabolic Conditioning”

How’s that sound?

It’s not in the name, the program, the style, it’s how it’s delivered to your clients and if it really is the best thing for them.

Are you as a coach constantly learning, bettering yourself, your program, the environment, your tool set, studying others, all to help your clients get better faster?

The facts are, I know my program works and will continue to work. Our clients see it, know it and continue to help us help others.

I’m not here to give my team or myself a pat on the back.

I just firmly believe we have a head start on others in the fitness industry.

The fitness industry is booming, there are more people who need your help. Work to meet them in the middle, instead of attempting to force your “style” and “system” down their throat.

Work Hard, Train Hard, Get Better,

TE

I NEVER make excuses. If something didn’t get done, it’s my fault. If something didn’t work, I start over. Excuses are what make our world weak.

If you are to succeed in this world, in whatever you decide to do, you need to eliminate excuses all together.

Your actions won’t always go as planned, but you will learn from your mistakes and continue to move forward.  Because when your actions do go as planned, your commitment to success only increases with that victory, no matter how small or large.

Much of my desire to succeed in this world stretches beyond the fold of my explanation in a blog post.  Some day I will take the time to share it all with you, maybe in a book or something.  (Isn’t that an idea!)

What I can tell you is that in 21 months since starting this journey I’ve come to plenty of truths.  But I’ve also realized you too can succeed and build it your way.

The way I run my business will always have an edge to it. It’s what made me who I am today.

When I worked for the man I couldn’t be who I really am and was once told “to portray myself as who wanted to be, not who you are.”

WTF are you serious? That person is lucky they didn’t say that to me today because they might have been put in a rear naked choke!

It’s the same reason that a person I continue to lean on and admire, my business coach Pat Rigsby, has gone on record to tell others “don’t try to be the English Brothers.”

And he couldn’t be more correct.

Be WHO YOU ARE and DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

My bro, Robert and I do things our way. Sure we find what works and stick to it. What we don’t do is offer things watered down or half ass.

Our clients know this, they see it, they understand it, know what we expect from them and they perform.

There’s too many “wannabes” and “copycats” in my industry. People who want to be famous, want to do what this guy has done, who want the easy start, they want to become “an expert” without ever having worked with a client.

Hell some of them call themselves “experts” because they know they “science” yet never have worked in their own laboratory to create real world results.

That’s why this industry is flooded with shitty programs for sale all over the internet.

Gain 10 lbs of muscle in 4 weeks, Lose 21 pounds in 21 days, Get Six pack abs without dieting.

Hell, I don’t even know if those are programs for sale, but you understand where I am going with this?

If you want to become a success then do what others won’t.

Start training those who you want to work with, even if the money isn’t there yet.

You want to work with athletes? So start by offering your services for free and recruit a female team to train. Talk to the parents.

After all every strength coach wants to work with the football team. So be different. And parents are the decision makers in these child’s lives.

Looking to start a boot camp? Then do it! What are you waiting for? The perfect facility?

Seriously? I started in a 400 square foot dance studio back room and karate studio inside an energy company’s building!

With 15 people paying me!

And NOT ONE boot camps with more than 8 people.

Want to lose 10 pounds? Then start by exercising and cut the shit out of your life!

Want to compete in a bodybuilding or figure competition. Then start tomorrow. If you don’t know what to do seek out those who can help you.

Look you can continue to make excuses for why you haven’t done it or you can go out and become the person who made it happen.

What are you waiting for?

Work Hard, Train Hard, Live Better,

Tyler

PS – A special thanks to my client and good buddy Joe Csida for sharing this video with me today!

I mean hell, I was 26, unhappy, overworked, burnt out and had lost my way.

People would ask me “well what if you fail?”

Fail?

I can remember negotiating my current location with my landlord about moving into a 2600 square foot facility, with no past business experience.  He had plenty of doubts, which is understandable in his situation.

Yet, he used those same words that our society has seemed to embrace.

My father was standing directly next to me when he said, “Well, what if you fail?”

Before staring at him with a confused look on my face, I can still hear my voice utter my response.

“You will never use the words, “Tyler English” and “Fail” in the same sentence ever again.”

You see at the time, he, like so many others didn’t know me for who I truly am.

Failure wasn’t an option. Failure still isn’t an option. Failure will never be an option.

In our society today too many people are afraid of change, afraid of commitment and afraid to find success. We have become too attached and ok with being comfortable that we have forgotten what it takes to work for something. We have forgotten that any true goal be it personally or professionally takes a good amount of hard work.

We seem to overlook that achieving something you want so desperately WILL NOT happen without the proper mindset.

I remember reading a newsletter by my good buddy Zach Even-esh and he was talking about the “Pussification of America.” Man, Z couldn’t have more on point.

As a society we have become straight up weak-minded!

We are afraid of stepping out of our little wonderful world, out of our familiar surroundings and out of the “comfort zone” we have morphed into.

See that’s the difference between the clients I see on a day-to-day basis and those of who use another means of physical fitness.

My clients have discovered what hard work truly is.

What it means to step out of familiar surroundings.

What “getting out of your comfort zone” actually entails.

There were days I was afraid to make a commitment, afraid to take a chance and afraid to move out of my “comfort zone.”

Those days are LONG gone!

Today, if I see something that I know will only make me better, my clients better, or my business better; it’s a no brainer, I go for it!

I continue to invest in my business, invest in my health, invest in my knowledge and will continue to seek out ways to get better. These commitments have become a part of my life.

For me, life will not pass me by having lived with regrets.

My “comfort zone” doesn’t exist anymore.  The problem in our society is we settle for being average.

Who the hell wants to be average?

Do you? Or do you want to leave your mark?

I’ve become ruthless in everything I do.

For that reason right there, many of my colleagues, clients, family and friends respect the decisions I make.

But the same way I have earned the respect of so many, I will continue to lose touch with others.

Society will always have them. Those who question and doubt. Those who don’t understand why I do what I do, others that see something wrong with it and a better part of a society who just will never understand it.

For me, that’s not my concern.

For me, my focus, is finding the next opportunity to allow me to leave a lasting mark on a society that is too scared to leave their lasting footprint.

Work Hard, Train Hard, Live Better,

TE

I know pretty boring in most people’s eyes, yet for me, it signifies just how far I’ve come.

You see, unlike the majority of the population, I train for something and consistently work towards something. You can call it what you want, but the world of physique enhancement i.e. Bodybuilding, takes a unique individual.  Being a successful Fitness Professional, in an industry full of wannabes, takes even greater commitment.

Everyday I encounter questions from personal trainers desperate to be a successful boot camp owner and aspiring bodybuilders, figure competitors and the average fitness enthusiast who just wants to look like one.

My question to all of you out there that fit into that classification is:

Do you really know what it takes?

It’s not like Bodybuilding is my full-time job. It’s just a hobby that I tend to be really good at.

My full-time job you ask?

Well, I don’t really have a job, as I fired my boss as what now what feels like ages ago and started my journey as a business owner, fitness professional and entrepreneur some 21 months ago with $500, a plan and a dream.

Sometimes I will tell you however it can feel like I have 2 full-time jobs.

Bodybuilding in it’s own shape and form can be treated like full-time job and running a rapidly growing fitness business takes a lot of time and energy.

I’m often asked: How do you do it all?

In a word.

Dedication.

I don’t half ass anything I do and if I do something I do it 110%, 100mph, with all my heart and soul.

Has this required a good amount of sacrifice?

Absolutely.

Has it cause me to sacrifice the “other things” guys in their later 20’s are doing?

Sure, if that’s what they want to be doing. But my old definition of a good time isn’t what I consider a good time today.

You can say I have grown up, matured or maybe I got bored with it all.

The way I live my life now I am constantly accepting exciting opportunities and new challenges. Each of these opportunities and challenges requires a new amount of hard work and dedication.

In what has seemed like a very fast 2 years I have expanded my personal network beyond my own belief. Become friends with some of the industry’s brightest minds while becoming recognized as a respected fitness professional, successful business owner among these same peers for being “real” and practicing the art that I teach daily.

If you told me two years ago that I could pick up the phone and call “The Underground Strength Coach” Zach Even-Esh, to ask him for advice, or that I would have almost weekly conversations with Pat Rigsby because he was going to be my business coach, or that Jason Ferruggia and I would become friends, or I would visit Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell because my good buddy and fellow Mastermind member A.J. Roberts trains there, I would have laughed at the thought.

Rob and I at Westside Barbell with Louie Simmons

Let’s not forget that at least 3 times per year I travel down to Louisville, Kentucky where I just so happened to be surrounded by a Mastermind Group full of the brightest minds in our industry. Many of which have become like a second family to my brother Robert and I.

That’s an abbreviated list of the “who’s who” in the Fitness Industry that I am humbled to call “my network” and more importantly, my friends.

Before 2008, I was a partying 20 something, who had a job as personal trainer, who was an amateur bodybuilder and went where the wind blew him.

Since 2009, I’ve grown to be a Fitness Professional, Entrepreneur and Professional Bodybuilder who knows EXACTLY what he wants out of life.

With that comes dedication, commitment, drive, hard work and plenty of sacrifice.

So ask yourself this.

When the rest of the world is following. Will you lead?

Work Hard, Train Hard, Live Better,

TE

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

It was the early afternoon of January 3^rd, 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 2^nd 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 5^th I took home 5^th 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

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 1^st Team All-American pitcher had been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6^th 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 30^th 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

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 3^rd 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