So the big news of the day is that Tony Gentilcore and I are taking our traveling show on the road again. This time, we’re heading to my stomping grounds, Edmonton, on October 19-20th. This is the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving, which means there will be a lot of trainers and fitness enthusiasts looking to recover from the last stages of turkey coma.

We had a great response from the first group we had in Boston at Cressey Performance, and we want to have the same kind of energy and atmosphere in Edmonton, so we’ll cap it again at 30 people max, which means you’ll have to register to secure your spot now while you can.

We’re going to have continuing education credits for different organizations (numbers to be determined shortly), as well as free give aways, predator handshake contests, stuff like that. It’s gonna rock your socks off. Not to mention, there’s a coffee shop near by that is starting to feature maple bacon lattes, which will bring people’s minds to a boil from the sheer awesomeness.

===> COME TO EDMONTON BEFORE IT’S TOO COLD, REGISTER HERE <===

Next up in the big news category. I was approached a few weeks ago by a guy named Jeff Halevy to be a part of the advisory board for his company, Halevy Life, which has a studio in Manhattan and is setting one up in Los Angeles shortly. Jeff’s a pretty cool guy, has a few television shows, enjoys ripping apart Tracy Anderson on social media, and lifting heavy things while getting people healthier.

He’s also managed to partner up with Charlie Weingroff for this board as well, and if that’s any indication of how big this endeavour could be, I’m very honoured to be on this board and mentioned even in the same breath as Charlie.

They’re looking to take their model of semi-private training through national expansion, and I’m happy to be able to give what input I can on the venture. Click HERE for more info on the advisory board.

Speaking of ripping apart Tracy Anderson, she’s currently being featured in Details magazine promoting a mens’ workout, built on the same style for her womens’ programs.

One snippet from the article: “Most fitness regimens only tap into about 400 muscles. I get to 400.”

Another (this one is awesome): “Moves are contrived (the literal definition of this word is “obviously planned or forced; artificial; strained. I’m totally serious, that’s the ACTUAL definition) to tire out the big groups so that lesser-known “accessory muscles” (i.e., the ones deep in your doughy middle or beneath fleshy arms) activate. In other words, wear down the starting lineup so your benchwarmers can show the crowd what they’re capable of.”

First, how did she come to the conclusion that she’s working twice as many muscles? Has she ever done a max weight deadlift? That shit works everything, yo.

Second, what coach in their right mind would want to tire out their starters and play with the bench warmers? Whenever I read stuff like this my first reaction is always much like the Smith family:

I seriously hope no one believes what she’s trying to say, because every day it’s getting further and further from reality. I hope the FCC steps in on trainers who spout complete nonsense about their training methods and scientific principles soon enough to provide some level of credibility to our industry.

I’d be happy to debate the merits of this new program when it comes out, but I’m sure there will be trolls waiting in the wings looking to pounce. I’m all for debate and good discussion, but before you decide to jump into the fray, read THIS so you’ll know how to make a good argument.

As a somewhat perfect tie in to that, I have a kind of funny story for you. I as at Starbucks the other day getting a coffee (and a cookie. Don’t hate), and I was wearing my work uniform. A woman standing in line to get her coffee sees me wearing my gym clothes, and asks what I do at the gym, to which I respond that I’m a trainer.

“How long have you done that for?”

“About 10 years.”

“What else do you do? Most of the trainers I know just do it part time.”

“That’s it. I write a bit here and there for different publications too.”

“So, did you do anything before being a trainer?”

“Well, I was in school for a while, and worked some part time jobs while I was in university.”

“Oh, so you’ve never really had a real job?”

THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!

I’d be lying if I said it as the first time someone said something along these lines to me, but apparently in the grand scheme of things, playing around in a gym all day isn’t really work or considered a job by most. I guess I should buy some ill-fitting khakis and get a job where I stare at a computer in an office with poor circulation and surrounded by people who I can’t stand, working for a boss who I hate, working for a salary with zero chance of it getting any larger in my lifetime without a promotion, and living out the entire spectrum of emotions covered in the movie Office Space, in order to feel like I have a real job.

I have no idea why it’s considered less than a “real job.” Everyone from a pizza delivery guy to a garbage pickup dude to a human resource manager to a CEO of a small business would be considered by most to have a real job, so why not me? Is it the income? Pretty sure I make 3-5 times what she would make in a year. Is it the variable work? I typically work about 10-14 hours a day, whereas most office workers don’t pass 8, and even then if you count up the hours they actually spend working, it’s more like 5 and a half.

Instead of being confrontational and sinking to her level, I shrugged it off and simply said I seemed to be doing pretty well where I am, but what I was really wanting to do was all sorts of this:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV0Jbx8EezQ’]

My wife and I will be heading to Europe for 2 weeks as she races in London at the World Triathlon Championships as a team Canada representative, and then we head to Paris for a few days of cheese, bread, wine, and no regrets. As such, I won’t be updating this blog nearly as frequently, so I’m putting out an open call for guest posts. I’m going to have my assistant pick her five favorite entries, and they’ll each get the full treatment (posting, pimping on social media, the full monty)

If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, send a word doc to my assistant Lindsay HERE. She’ll pick the five best, so make sure you step your game up and send in some gold. She also accepts bribes of shoes, purses, and carbon fibre racing bikes.

Make sure your grammar is on point. Know the difference between when to use their, there, and they’re, like CM Punk points out here:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y4zxcSuwlI’]

Finally, I did a t-shirt trade with Jen Sinkler of Thrive, who is single-handedly taking over the world of cool t-shirt designs for fitness, and decided to send her a pic to add to her growing collection of fan worn promotions. Here’s a shot of me wearing her “Unapologetically Strong” shirt.

It was the weirdest thing. I go for a little stroll through our group exercise room, get ambushed by a group of ninjas, have to explode out like Neo from the Matrix, and it’s all caught on some very fortunate bystanders camera. Who knew?

Anyway, that’s enough awesomeness for a single day. Enjoy your long weekend!!

P.S. Don’t forget to register for the Edmonton Workshop with Tony Gentilcore and myself, October 19-20, 2013. Seats will fill up fast for this one, so don’t leave it to the last minute.